Gap Year

Christmas in Hong Kong

Merry Christmas! Although this was my first Christmas away from home and family, I enjoyed myself and didn’t get homesick.

Wednesday afternoon, I flew to Hong Kong to begin my Christmas adventure. I spent a relaxing two hours waiting for my friend Heidi at the airport; I enjoyed a ham baguette, a cinnamon roll (my first in months!), and a Starbucks hot chocolate, and I even listened to a group of carolers singing Christmas songs in both English and Chinese. I was so captivated that I followed them around the waiting hall!

After meeting Heidi at about 11 pm, we hopped on a bus and headed to our hostel, which was located in the notorious Chungking Mansions. Trip Advisor describes this tourist attraction as follows:

 “This huge, ramshackle high-rise dump in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui caters to virtually all needs…but you may be put off by the undercurrent of sleaze and the peculiar odor of cooking fat, incense and sewage. The building’s infamy is fuelled by tales both tall and true of conflagrations, crimes, and unclaimed bodies.”

Needless to say, we weren’t staying at a five-star hotel. The rooms were decent, but the building was very sketchy. Thank goodness I had Heidi and was not alone!

On Thursday morning, we rose early and hit the city. Heidi had been up for almost 30 hours and got a total of 6 hours of sleep that night, but she was insistent on getting an early start to the day. Now that is my kind of travel companion!

We began our day with a tram ride up to the Peak, the highest point in Hong Kong. With clear weather, the views were amazing. Though we were in the city, on the Peak, we were also surrounded by a lush, tropical landscape, and after living in a city for four months, it was a much needed moment to enjoy nature.

We headed down from the Peak to the Bank of China building’s 43^rd floor viewing room for another bird’s eye view of the city. Very few days in Hong Kong are clear, so we took full advantage of the opportunity.

Afterwards, we wandered through the glamorous shops in Central (most goods are tax free, so buyers from throughout Asia flock to Hong Kong for shopping), the crowded narrow streets of Lan Kwai Fong, and the very Chinese streets of Sheung Wan complete with Chinese medicine shops, and finally, we visited the Man Mo Temple.

By this point, I had a good feel for the city, and I loved what we found—one-third San Francisco, one-third New York City, and one-third China. It had the narrow, hilly feel of San Francisco, the shiny high-rises of New York City, and the crowded bustle of Asia.

Hong Kong really isn’t China. British first gained control of Hong Kong under the 1841 Treaty of Nanking, a result of the First Opium War. British rule continued and in 1898, Britain obtained a 99-year lease of Hong Kong and the surrounding islands. The lease came to term in 1997 when the British gave China Hong Kong with the condition that it would operate as a Special Administrative Region for at least 50 years.

Ten years later, Hong Kong remains a different world from the mainland. There is a much greater Western influence—most shops have English signs, almost everyone speaks English, and Western chains are everywhere (Mrs. Field’s, Ben&Jerry’s, and even the Body Shop). Everything is much cleaner, including bathrooms. People seem less rushed, not so aggressive, and do not carry habits such as spitting while walking down the street. Even the language is different since Cantonese, not Mandarin, is spoken. Since China regained control, Mandarin is growing quickly in popularity, but the main language is still Cantonese.

Thursday evening we met Heidi’s mom, who had been in the South of China teaching at a graduate school through Peking University. For dinner, we headed back to Lwan Kwai Fang, but instead of using the metro, we took the Star Ferry, which offered spectacular views of the harbor, complete with buildings glistening with Christmas lights.

By the time we were finished with our American delicacies—hamburgers and fries!—it seemed like all of Hong Kong was out walking. In America on Christmas Eve, the streets are dead and hardly a person is in sight. Not the case here! Whole streets were blocked from cars to make room for pedestrians! We finally found our beds around midnight and unknowingly missed a fireworks show near our hostel. Christmas Eve felt more like New Year’s Eve.

Christmas day did not feel like Christmas at all. The weather was warm, the streets were busy, there was no monkey bread or turkey, and no gathering of family. For our non-traditional Christmas, we headed to a mountainous region on Lantau Island to visit Big Buddha and a monastery. The Buddha was gigantic, the surrounding area beautiful, and we even enjoyed a cable car ride down with more spectacular views. Visiting a Buddha and monastery made the feeling of Christmas even more strange!

In the afternoon, we enjoyed a “dim sum” lunch (a Cantonese specialty!) and wandered through the crowded streets of Kowloon. For Christmas dinner, we ate at Deli France, but fried apple pie and ice-cream from McDonald’s almost made up for it. This Christmas was strange but surely a memorable one.

On Saturday morning, we took the ferry to Macau, another Special Administration Region of the PRC that was once controlled by Portugal. Macau is the Las Vegas of Asia, one of the few areas where gambling is legalized. Macau is a contrasting mixture. Most of the island is run-down with a slum-like feel, but here and there, beautiful Portuguese-style buildings from the past and glitzy casinos of the present stand in sharp contrast. An MGM Grand and a Venetian modeled after the one in Vegas add to a very eccentric place that I don’t plan to visit too soon.

Saturday night, we boarded another ferry headed to the mainland to stay at Heidi’s mom’s apartment in Shenzhen, a relatively new city near the boarder of Hong Kong. After Deng Xiaoping’s Open Door Policy of the early 1980s, Shenzhen was created as a Special Economic Zone for manufacturing. Today, with factories aplenty, Shenzhen is a booming manufacturing and business city with little history or culture. The city is spread out giving it a different feel than most Chinese cities I’ve visited.

Sunday, we toured Shenzhen and the highlight was an electronics market, where virtually every type of electronic gizmo is sold along with the thousands of parts used to make the gizmos. I even saw three types of iPhones, the classic, a mini-version of the classic, and an “iPhone flip-phone” very similar to other flip-phones I’ve seen. Very interesting…

I am so thankful I had the opportunity to travel with Heidi. In addition to seeing a friend from home, I was also able to pick her brain about things I’d been noticing about China. She happily answered all of my endless questions and even taught me useful Mandarin phrases that I wouldn’t learn in a classroom. Thank you Heidi!

I am now back in school in Shanghai, but at the end of next week, I leave for Cambodia, so it’s time to start packing!

Here are pictures of Hong Kong and Macau.

Hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

 

Xi'an

On Sunday, we returned to a very cold Shanghai. For some reason, Xi'an enjoys central heating, while here in Shanghai we pull up our thermals, drink tea, and rattle our teeth for warmth.

Late Thursday evening, we arrived in Xi’an (click here for pictures). We spent our first day touring the ancient city. Dynasties beginning with the Zhuo (1027-771 BC) and continuing with the Hans, Suis, and Tangs established their capitals near present day Xi’an. In addition, Xi’an was a key location on the Silk Road making it a flourishing cosmopolitan center. 

With an overflow of history, we were able to visit many sites. We saw the Bell and Drum Towers, the City Wall (the best preserved city wall in China built first during Tang dynasty (618-907) and then enlarged during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)), and finally the Big Goose Pagoda.

The highlight of the day though was the trip through the Muslim Quarter and a visit to the Great Mosque. With its narrow alleys, countless people seated outside shops talking, and the smell of exotic food coming from every direction, the Muslim Quarter was unlike the China I’ve seen. For lunch we tried 肉夹摸 (roujiamo), lamb in pita bread, the closest thing to a Chinese hamburger I’ve found yet.

We also visited a large mosque, and never having been to a Mosque, I didn’t know what to expect, but I wasn’t expecting something similar to a Chinese temple. Between the fact that it’s a Chinese mosque and that the government regulates religion, this mosque had a very temple-like feel.

On Saturday, we hired a car for a day excursion outside the city to see the Terracotta Army. In 246 BC, Emperor Qin Shi Huang, at age thirteen, ordered a large army to be built around what would be his tomb so that he could rule during the after-life. 700,000 workers built his life-size terracotta army with thousands of soldiers and horses. The soldiers are life-size, and each has a different face. Today, three excavation pits can be viewed, but the tomb has not been opened in order to keep its contents intact.

The army amazed me. The effort to make one solider, let alone over 10,000, is astonishing. Just as astounding is the excavation. We saw some pits still in the process, and they were one massive rock. It’s hard to imagine the work put into each figurine. It was worth the trip to Xi’an to behold the massive army built at the whim of a thirteen-year-old. When I was thirteen, I am sure I was thinking of protecting myself in the afterlife! Ok, maybe not. :)

In the afternoon, we visited another mausoleum with terracotta figurines, the tomb of Han Dynasty Emperor Jingdi (188-141 BC). The soldiers protecting his tomb had wooden arms and were dressed in silk though today only the body without arms remains. In addition, there were many figurines of domestic animals. Glass floors built directly over the pits provided great views. Interestingly, this site receives little acclaim compared to the great Terracotta Army even though it is also impressive. Unfortunately, the lighting was poor, so I was unable to get quality pictures.

Here are a few other interesting cultural observations:

1) Christmas: For the last few years, I’ve become increasingly unhappy with the commercialization of Christmas. In America, starting as early as October, stores bring out their Christmas goods, and by the time December comes, “Buy, buy, buy!” is the feeling in most stores. I hoped that this year, I would be able to escape the commercial Christmas and instead focus on the true meaning of Christmas. I was very mistaken!

Though China isn’t a Christian nation, Christmas seems to have taken its hold. Stores have adopted the Christmas of the West to boost sales. At the bakery on my way to school, there are multiple Christmas trees, employees wear red dresses with Santa hats, and Christmas music blasts over the loudspeakers. Everywhere in the city, you can spot Christmas trees, and you will even hear the occasional Christmas carol in CHINESE. This Christmas commercialization is on equal levels with the United States. I guess I’d need to go to the countryside to really escape the commercialization.

2) Aggressive or Impatient: Yesterday just after landing, while in the middle of the runway taxing, I was astonished to see about half of the plane jump up and rush towards the doors. It looked like a scene from a Black Friday sale at Wal-Mart! This outward display of pushiness is a common sight. At Subway, for example, people do not stand in the normal line but instead push and shove making ordering difficult, and in many public bathrooms, there is no such thing as a line. I can’t help but wonder if this is simply being impatient or is Chinese aggressiveness. In a country of over a billion people, one must do everything to get ahead, even while using the restroom.

This Wednesday I will leave for Hong Kong to celebrate Christmas with my friend Heidi and her mother. I am very thankful to see a friend from home and share Christmas with her. I will post when I return. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Baking in a Rice-Cooker Oven

Wow! Life has been crazy. I am writing this post from Xi’an, one of the oldest cities in China rich with historical artifacts. I will share more when I return to Shanghai. 

Abby, Cindy, and Nico departed for home last Sunday. On Abby's last day in Shanghai, we attempted an incredible feat: baking a cake in a rice-cooker!  Abby read an article describing how to use a rice-cooker for baking, and she decided that before she left, she needed to try it. (Remember, preparing Chinese food doesn’t require an oven, so few Chinese families own an oven.)
 
Beginning with a Betty Crocker cake mix from Carrefour, we poured the cake batter into the rice-cooker, and after much discussion, we selected a temperature setting. Our stomachs were eagerly anticipating cake, but two hours later, the cake was still liquid. Reluctantly, I went home, enjoyed a nice dinner out with my host family and their friends, and took a shower.
 
Seven hours — yes, that’s right! — seven hours after the cake was put in the rice-cooker, it was finally ready to eat. It may never have cooked if it wasn't for Abby's host dad, who finally switched the setting. Thank you 'host dad'!

IT WAS SOO GOOD! It tasted just like home. Now that I know that baking is possible, I am going to have to try it myself! YUM! ... if I can just remember the setting.

The other highlight of week was a talent show at my university. It was supposed to be a talent show for foreign and Chinese students, but of the ten acts we watched, only one featured "laowai." (Yes, we lasted only for half the show.) The talent show was everything from painful to hilarious. 

In one act, five women played traditional Chinese instruments, which would be a fine act, but they added a second dimension, two guys singing a pop song in shrill and unpleasant voices. The traditional and modern created more than a little dissonance even in my postmodern ears, where the new and old usually play well together.
 
Other acts included skits entirely in Chinese — I couldn’t understand anything in one of the acts, and in others, I understood only occasional phrases. My Chinese has a long way to go! — Chinese and American pop songs sung with mostly unpleasant voices, and a traditional dance from an ethnic group.
 
The highlight, of the show was watching CIEE intern Sheng Fei perform. Without knowing Sheng Fei, it is hard to understand the amazingness of seeing him dance and sing a pop song along with others. Let's just say, it was worth the hour and a half of watching the other acts to see his single act. Great job Sheng! 
 
My Internet time is up. I will try to blog about Xi'an before I leave for Hong Kong to celebrate Christmas with a high school friend and her family. 
 
I posted new pictures in the Chinese Adventures Continued album! Enjoy!

An Amazing Week

Wow! Of all weeks in Shanghai, this one by far was the most amazing! I will give you the highlights.

Baking in a REAL Oven!: Olivia (Stanford gap year student living in Beijing) was in Shanghai for the weekend visiting her brother. We met Friday afternoon, and after touring the Shanghai museum, we went to her brother’s apartment. Her brother owns City Deli, an amazing New York style deli in Shanghai with the best turkey sandwich ever!

After dinner at a scrumptious Italian restaurant, we headed to his deli to make apple crisp. Olivia had received a box of gram crackers from a friend visiting Beijing, so she decided she wanted to use the oven at her brother’s deli to make apple crisp. Ovens in China are hard to come by because most Chinese families don’t use them and instead rely on frying and boiling, so baking in an oven is a rare treat.  We gathered the ingredients and necessary tools and assembled the pies with the help of a kind deli employee. Unfortunately, we were not prepared for the oven’s intensity, and so we over-cooked—burned may be closer—the apple crisp. It was still edible and was the best gram cracker apple crisp I’ve had in weeks!

Suzhou: The next day, Saturday, a group of us, including Olivia, headed to Suzhou by a 45-minute train ride. Suzhou is regarded as a beautiful town, some say the most beautiful in China, with many canals and gardens. We saw the silk museum, the North Temple, which provided a panoramic view of the city, and a few gardens. The weather and pollution launched an assault on beauty; however, in the spring, when winds and the sun grow kinder, beauty will undoubtedly return to Suzhou.

The highlight of Saturday though was not Suzhou, but rather my movie night with Abby. We watched It’s a Wonderful Life, complete with blankets, hot chocolate, and snacks. It was a fabulous and memorable evening!

Tour de Shanghai: As Abby prepares to return to America, she is trying to make the most of her last two weeks. One must do that remained on her list: a night tour of Shanghai on a bicycle.

I envisioned a bicycle tour of the French Concession, riding up and down narrow alleys. I was gravely mistaken. Although we rode through a few alleys, most of the time we pedaled on roads, major streets with lots of traffic. Safety aside, it was incredible! We saw the French Concession, including Taikang Lu and Xintiandi, old Shanghai, and Yu Gardens, and we even took the ferry across to ride around Pudong with massive skyscrapers towering above us. Once again weather and pollution competed with our joy—it was so hazy that the Oriental Pearl Tower could not be seen from afar!—but it was truly a ONCE in a lifetime experience.

This next week is the official last week of the CIEE semester, but I will continue attending Chinese class and studying, unless I am off adventuring in other places!

I’ve posted more pictures. Enjoy!