WUHAN!!!!!

Today is our second full day in Wuhan.  Surprisingly, yesterday was a pretty full day despite the fact that we got off a plane approximately 12 hours before our day began.  Although perhaps that fact is the reason that my first impressions of Wuhan are not entirely favorable. 
At first glance Wuhan is almost familiar.  We were awakened by the yellow/gray dawn and the distant song of horns, brakes, and motors almost like waking up with an old friend. The view out the window is at once strange but naggingly familiar.  The shape of the buildings are familiar, the color of the roofs, the size of the windows, but the arrangement of the skyline is completely wrong.  There are no familiar landmarks, nothing to draw the eye and say, 'ah you are here'.  I imagine that this must be what it is like to visit the US as a visitor.  Moving around from place to place, so many things are the same, yet at the same time, so much is different.... Actually I know this is what it is like because Babes' remarked on it during our last trip to the US.  To me the difference between Richmond, VA, and Philadelphia, PA is stark, drastic even.  But at first she was confused and said the two places looked alike.  Once she said it, I could see the similarities, but I would never have confused the two places in my mind. 
But, I digress...  What else can I tell you about Wuhan in my brief two days of experience?  Not much.  Without knowing what part of town I'm in Wuhan looks to be older than Chengdu.  Or maybe Wuhan has not yet put a lot of money into updating it's look.  There is a lot of construction going on here, but at the same time, there are a lot of the older buildings that we didn't see in Chengdu (once again, I'm not sure if it's where we are, or if this is actually the case).   Anyway, next week is the beginning of the national day holidays so I expect to get out a lot to see the sights and will report back on Monday. 

China cleans....

In the new luxury mall we saw this ingenious way of cleaning floors.

Do we have these in the West?  I actually don't think I've ever seen anyone cleaning floors during business hours, maybe we do have them....
But just to remind you that man is still better than a machine in China, there is this:

Yes, it's a guy with a bucket and a rag cleaning the construction barricades on one of the busiest streets in town. No, there is usually not anything to warn you that you are about to run over someone, but then he is wearing a bright orange vest, so I guess that's progress-right?

Back of the Bike--mobile store edition

People not only use their bikes for hauling stuff, but they will sometimes operate a store off the back.

Balloons!

 Hats!

 Shoes!

I've seen many more things being sold off the backs of bikes, I will try to get more of them on camera for your viewing pleasure. 

Modern Ballet

Thursday night I attended a modern ballet performance by the Trey McIntyre project.  Truly amazing performance.  It was another one of those cultural exchange events that is sponsored by the Public Affairs department of the US Embassy.  In case you didn't know, one of the things that the US Embassy does is to promote US culture and arts overseas.  At some point last year I discovered these events (they were there all along but one of my friends made me go) and started going to as many as I could attend.  They are awesome!  It makes me wonder how I can get onto one of these lists in DC, because I'm sure the US government is not the only government that likes to promote its culture and artists. 
Normally I do not really appreciate modern ballet, they tend to use modern classical music, and there is way too much symbolism for me.  Another thing about me, I suck at symbolism, if someone writes about a tree, I see a tree not family or love or growth or any of those things.  It's unfortunate, because I really want to like poetry, but I can't figure it out.  But back to TMP, the performance that I saw was very accessible because they choreographed their dances to popular music, like Simon and Garfunkel. So not only did I get to appreciate the beauty and athleticism of the dancers, but I also was able to appreciate the quirkiness of the music. 
At intermission, as a surprise, we were treated to several live Chinese musical performances.  At first I was annoyed, I wanted to use this time to get up, stretch my legs, look around the theater with the lights on, etc.  But after a few minutes I was able to appreciate these unexpected surprises too.  After intermission, I was surprised to hear kids music as the soundtrack to the dancers performance.  Who would ever think a modern ballet could be danced to "I'm being swallowed by a boa constrictor?"  Not me, that's for sure. All in all, the evening was great, I liked it so much that I'm going to look for the Trey McIntyre Project in the future. 
For your viewing pleasure here is one of their promotional videos.  

These are a few really creepy things....

Ok, so those words don't really fit into the song made famous by Julie Andrews, but I wanted to warn you before you looked too closely.  This is another post that I've been meaning to do for awhile now, and I keep forgetting to take the pictures.  There was actually a whole abandoned amusement park that I meant to take pictures of but never got around to it (it's probably gone now, so I haven't bothered to go back).  
The kiddie rides here are SOOOO creepy looking.  You know the ones that they usually have outside the grocery store.  I don't know why but the ones here are terrifying.  I don't know why Babes wants to ride on them.  Don't believe me?

Then there are the dolls....  I wonder if this is what they think Western children look like.  And also why are there no Chinese dolls? 

Yikes! What's that on the back of the Bike!

I've been collecting pictures of the things people carry on the back of their bikes.  In other countries people would need trucks, or vans to haul crap, but here, they just strap it onto their bike with bungee cords.  No trucks needed. I was just going to do one post, but I realized I have WAY too many pictures so I think it's going to have to be a series.  (missing from this series is the picture of the family on a scooter with a slaughtered pig on the back of their bike because I did not have my camera with me that day *Sigh* the things I miss because I don't have a camera or my camera is too slow)

I think this guy recycles cardboard, and has a pretty typical load.

I don't know if you can see it, but the guy in the middle of the picture (behind the traffic light) is carrying another scooter on the back of his scooter.  I have seen this more than once, so maybe this is some sort of towing service?

These guys are my favorite. The delivery guys, they often have boxes stacked super high on their bikes, all precariously balanced. 

They do it differently here

So in the US when you come upon a construction site you are expecting it.  There are signs, there are traffic cones, there are guys in orange vests standing around... you know warnings.  In Chengdu, you're driving along and-- Hey! There's a guy in the middle of the street spreading asphalt with a shovel! 

... and yes, that is regular traffic trying to figure out a way to get around the man with the shovel and the machinery. 

Chengdu's Burning

I woke up this morning and thought something was burning.  I sniffed around the apartment trying to figure out if something was malfunctioning or maybe we'd left something running too long, but no.  When I stepped out our apartment door I realized that it was Chengdu that was burning.  The sky is a yellowish brown color and the air is solid.  I walked Babe to school and back and my eyes, nose, and chest are on fire.  Luckily there aren't that many days like this, but I'm staying inside as much as possible today. Yuck.
Oh in case you don't believe me, here's a picture.  This isn't night time, it's 8 in the morning. 

It feels like fall

 The trees here are weird.  I don't know what kind of tree they are, but they shed their leave in the spring.  Yes, in the spring.  Last Friday was rainy, a little chilly, and the leaves on the tree were yellow and littering the ground.  If I didn't know any better I would have sworn it was October, but no it's May.  Don't believe me? 
Here are some pics I took on Friday.  Excuse the crappiness of the pics, I was taking them through the window of my car with the crappy little camera. 

Construction sites

I have noticed that in China, nobody looks out for your safety.  You are completely responsible for your own well being.  Other drivers aren't looking out for you, other walkers aren't looking out for you, the government is certainly not looking out for you, and companies are down right out to get you.  So it should not have been any surprise to me that construction sites, in their final stages, are open to the public. 
When serious construction is going on, construction sites are boarded up.  I guess it's too annoying to have to shut down anytime they drop something on a pedestrians' head (or maybe this way they don't have pesky witnesses to the injuries to the construction workers?).  But once the main part of the building was done the blue barriers went away.  I was thrilled, now I could walk on the sidewalk and not have to risk death on the side of the road...  until I saw that construction was still going on. 

getting to work

One of the interesting things about walking down the street in China is transportation.  In America you basically see cars, SUVs, trucks, buses, and people on foot.  In China, you have cars, buses, bikes, e-bikes (bikes that run on electricity), scooters, three wheeled cars, three wheeled trucks, taxis, and all manner of hybrid vehicles.  So in answer to the question how do people get to work, here are some pictures:

 

You've got your chevrolegs.

 

 with your baby attachment.

 

 

Then your standard bike and scooter.  

 This is a Sanlun che (three wheeled car) it serves as a sort of low cost taxi.  These guys are cheap, but crazy.  I have only ridden in one once. They are crazy like taxi drivers but not bound to the street, they can (and do!) weave in and out of cars, bikes, and pedestrians... 

 If you look to the left of the 3 wheeled car you see the family bike.  I think it's also an e-bike which means you don't have to pedal.  This guy has his family out, wife, daughter, and infant child all on his bike (This is not uncommon, in fact it is fairly commonplace to see three or four people on a bike). 

I wish I could get a front picture of this... This lady is basically riding a bicycle with a back seat.  The front looks like a bicycle, and the back is a chair on top of two wheels.

 
 Which is different from this ladies 3 wheeled e-bike with chair. 

And you have your three wheeled delivery truck.  These are super common for hauling things here. 

Taxi!

Mianbao che (bread shaped car, kind of like a tiny van)

and bus

Looking at this collection I need to add a black Audi because anybody whose anybody drives a black Audi. 

at the yarn market

I'm sure you all know that I am a knitter, and one of the things knitters like to do is fondle yarn.  Chengdu has some very good yarn stores, but if you need something other than wool, or you want things at rock bottom prices you should head up to the North Market's yarn section.

 This is inside one of the little nooks at the yarn market.  If I hadn't gone with a friend the first time I never would have found it.  I bought my sable(? the picture on the package looks a little like a raccoon) yarn here and I love it.  So soft.  It can be a mess, when you come during the winter it's packed.  There are ladies feeling yarn everywhere, and people sitting and knitting even though the space to walk through is only big enough for two people to squeeze by.

 This is the needle and hook guy.  You can buy sets of needles for next to nothing.  It's awesome!


And of course, I can't go up to the north market without finding things to take pictures of. 

 creepy dolls on strings.

 I never thought to buy bras on the street, but apparently in China that's how it's done.

 Hungry?  There's fruit...

 Tofu?

Or fried potatoes.

Opera vs Sichuan Opera

Tuesday night I had the pleasure of attending a musical cultural exchange. The US consulate set up a musical tour for an Opera singer (Carla Dirlikov) from the US to expose Chinese people to Western Opera.  At the same time, at least here in Sichuan, they arranged for some singers of Sichuan Opera to perform to educate the Western Audience about their Opera.  It was a very interesting evening.  Ms. Dirlikov was, of course, fantastic.  It's been such a long time since I've been able to go to an opera that I think my ears were starved for culture.  I was dreading the Sichuan opera part of the evening, but as it turns out, while I didn't love it, the Sichuan opera parts were very interesting.  The female singers are still a little too high pitched and nasally for me, but the male parts sound a great deal like American folk art singers.  Think George Clooney in O Brother Where Art Thou. Which leads me to believe that the musical traditions are not so different as we might think.
There were only two things that spoiled my enjoyment of the evening.  The first had to do with my seat, I was in the second row, which is awesome, but....  I was sitting with the photographers, and they were basically sitting in my lap to get their pictures.  The sound of their shutters, their cameras in my lap, and the constant standing and sitting were HIGHLY annoying.  Also I was right next to the speaker, which I hate in a theater performance anyway (if the theater is made correctly you shouldn't need speakers, especially not for Opera--OMG that just sounded snobby).  It was okay for Ms. Dirlikov because she stepped away from the microphone when she wanted to belt out a note, but the Sichuan Opera singers were piercingly high pitched.  My ears are still sensitive. 
The second thing was the audience.  I know it's like this in the US too, but I think it's really rude for people to answer phones during a performance of any kind.  If someone is making the effort to perform, or a give a speech, the least you can do is turn off your cell phone, or go outside to take your call.  Don't answer your phone in the theater and then have a conversation about what you want for dinner.  Please.

Where am I?

I'll give you three guess as to where I took this photo?  Did you guess the US?  Well you'd be wrong.  I took this picture at the new mall just around the corner from our place in Chengdu.  The new Wangfujing mall is only one of the dozens of new malls opening in Chengdu all the time.  In the year and a half since I've been here I can think of at least three new malls that I have been to.  I don't know how many more are out there that I just haven't been to yet (and probably will not get to).  Although strangely enough, many of them are almost always empty. 

I took this picture in the Bellagio restaurant.  It is inside the Wangfujing mall.  When we first arrived we walked up to this place trying to find the restaurant because it's fabulous, but the mall was completely gutted.  Both the mall and the Bellagio opened during Chinese New Year so we took the opportunity this weekend to go check them out.  The Bellagio was fantastic!  We liked everything we tried and would go back there again.  It wasn't dirt cheap, but the atmosphere and the food were well presented. 

Cold in Chengdu

So the weather has gotten cooler... And I'm sure you're thinking, well it's December it should be cool right?  Well yes and no.  Chengdu is a weird place.  It just dipped below 60 yesterday.  While the weather is mild, it's also damp, which makes it chillier than what the actual temperature says. It's a chill that also seeps.  If you are standing around outside, you don't feel cold at first, but as you stand there it seeps up under your clothes and gets you.  BUT all that being said, it is in the low 60's upper 50's (between 12 and 17 Celsius).  You would not be able to tell it from what the Chinese people are wearing.  NOW granted most of the homes here are built without heaters (something about geography, central planning, and temperatures, Chengdu didn't rate built in heating for their buildings).  So I can some of the extra layers, I imagine that if you get cold, it might be really hard to warm back up.... maybe.  BUT, I have not turned on the heat once in my apartment and it's still a comfortable room temperature.  I'm not in short sleeves, but I also am not in a sweater, and we're not cold.  Here's where it gets tricky.  Chinese people leave their friggin' windows and doors open ALL THE TIME!  Even at the school where we take Babes.  I brought her into school one day, and she was dressed for the weather.  Her teachers FREAKED!  They said the classroom was too cold for her to wear what she was wearing and they pulled a sweater out of her bag and made her wear it.  I looked out the back of the room and the outside door was WIDE OPEN!  I was a little worried when we signed her up that her classroom wasn't heated, but it's not that cold in Chengdu, I figured it would be a learning experience and toughen her up.  But the fact that it's not heated, AND they leave the doors wide open drives me crazy! 
The other thing that I don't understand is the towel down the back.  Go to any public playground during the winter in Chengdu and you will see a bunch of sweating, red faced Chinese kids running around the playground.  They all look about half a step away from heat stroke because despite the fact that they are running around at top speed and often on an indoor playground they are still wearing there long underwear, sweaters, winter jackets, arm warmers, leg warmers, and a towel down the back.  Why the towel,  you may ask, Well, someone I know asked about it.  The towel is there because the kids get sweaty, so they run around, the towel gets all sweaty, and when they're done, they remove the towel and viola!  The kids dry again!  Forget the fact that their hair is now soaked in sweat, and I'm sure they're legs and arms too, but they are mostly dry.   Don't believe me?  Here is a picture I took of Babes' dance class (note some days the window is open in the studio too, which is why Babes is also dancing in a sweater, which I feel is somehow wrong).

From Blogger Pictures

Sorry it's so blurry, I was using the bad camera through the studio glass.   

Bamboo Park

This past weekend we went out to the bamboo park (wangjianglou gong yuan), friends have told me that it's a nice park, but until this past weekend I have not had the opportunity to go.  I'm actually sorry that I haven't been before now.
Bamboo park is, like it's name suggests, a beautiful forest of bamboo laid out in traditional Chinese park fashion.  There are lots of sidewalks, shaded by bamboo, to walk on, and lots of raised walled planters with flowers, and shrubbery, but not a lot of grass.  There are several clearings (all cement, of course) where you can get a table and have a cup of tea while enjoying the outdoors and people watching.  In case you didn't know, Chengdu is known for it's tea gardens, and it's relaxed way of life (hen shufu de ganjue - the very comfortable feeling).
It was a Saturday so there were old ladies knitting, and playing mahjong, men playing cards, and people just generally sitting around drinking tea (or harder stuff) and enjoying life.  We were fortunate enough to sit next to a group playing some traditional Chinese instruments and basically having a jam session.  I, unfortunately, do not know the name of the instruments, but the playing was lovely.  Some of the best examples of traditional music I've heard here.  There were also the usual tea garden haunts, a man with two long metal sticks for ear cleaning (I will NOT do that), someone offering massages, and a man walking around selling turtles.

From Blogger Pictures From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures