People in China are somehow getting angrier and angrier at each other, especially around holiday time. I personally witnessed at least three public humiliating arguments between strangers in one day. Two happened at a shopping center right before the Chinese new year. Rules are observed and then derived by myself:
1. The two strangers, often involves one young and one old;
2. At least one female. This is crucial (often there are more than one female involved).
3. At least one has to be an out-of-towner. Two beijingers never argue like that in public.
4. Very little things can set off the fight. Like getting in the line before someone else while getting on a bus.
5. The first stage of the fight is simple arguments with elevated volume in voice;
6. The moment someone swears, uttering dirty words, the argument becomes a fight.
7. Everyone around enjoys watching.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Film: Amateur
Saw this film at the Cervantis Institute in Beijing this Saturday afternoon. Very European. French girl goes to Spain to search for his biological father, and ended up spending some heart-warming family time with a lonely old man who is the current owner of his father's previous apartment. No big drama, big action. Sometimes, the joy of life is in the most simple and small things. Learn to enjoy "DOING NOTHING">.
Chinese New Year in China: Soundscape
I have not spent Chinese new year in China since 2006, and it's thrilling to re-discover just how great it is this year in Beijing. The greatest thing, besides spending quality time with family, is the fireworks. I'm definitely in for a treat on this, A TREAT FOR SOUND. On the eve of Chinese new year, Feb.3, 2011, the fireworks all over the city started probably god know when in the morning, but really getting intense around after 4pm. The sound of fireworks is all over the city and is seriously NON-STOPPING until after midnight. This works like a symphony. Because there is never a moment of silence, but there is only ups and downs, highs and lows, you can kind of feel the melody there. When a big one comes up the sky near you, it's really exiting, almost making me crying (and making my aunt fell to the ground). After this you hear the rest of them from nearby or faraway. This is truly an exclusive opportunity to experience the sound of fireworks for hours and days, and anyone should not miss this if they have a chance to experience it.
China: Tech Shift
A couple of years ago when I lived in Beijing, we used to go to this electronic product "market" to buy slightly under-priced personal electronic accessories, and CD players and later, MD players, mostly imported legally or illegally from Japan, were the most popular. This year I'm back at Beijing again, and wanted to buy a special battery for my portable CD player(although I do use ipod), only to discover that they're not available anywhere. And for that matter, portable CD players are very rarely seen sold anywhere. The market is filled with authentic and fake mp3 players and ipods and ipads. "who wants CD players when you can have something so much lighter?" wow.
But I still prefer the sound quality of a CD player. There is something to it that I still want to hold on to it a little longer.
But I still prefer the sound quality of a CD player. There is something to it that I still want to hold on to it a little longer.
US Media Reports on China
Nowadays apparently, since China is rising in the world, we can expect to see all sorts of reports on China in US media, even those small topics or topics that we Chinese thought Americans won't care (or understand) in the past. Much like when a local musician is the serious subject of academic inquiry of some art or musicology student in a US institution pursuing a Ph.D. Here is a NYT article on Chinese traditional humor talk show performer Guo Degang, a comic and clown character who became controversial after making his fortune in Chinese public..http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/03/world/asia/03beijing.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1
10 Things I Hate About Beijing (2011)
Despite how much I love this city:
1. When you take the subway anywhere, you have to put all your bags through the x-ray security check machine.
2. Crazy drivers everywhere on the street.
3. People do not dare to make their voice heard in the situation they are being treated poorly.
4. Government employees (even those assuming low-level positions) do not give a damn to citizens asking for help.
5. People go super crazy (always) in the buffets of KTVs and elsewhere acting like free food is of the utmost importance and they have not had meals for days.
6.Sometimes people are more judgmental and have certain fixed ideas about how to live your life.
7.People are not as straightforward when they deal with you(sometimes I really like the way Americans do things in this respect)
8.The law is really not all that powerful in many aspects.
9.Kids are too burdened from school work.
10. Those long walks through the subway connection tunnels.
1. When you take the subway anywhere, you have to put all your bags through the x-ray security check machine.
2. Crazy drivers everywhere on the street.
3. People do not dare to make their voice heard in the situation they are being treated poorly.
4. Government employees (even those assuming low-level positions) do not give a damn to citizens asking for help.
5. People go super crazy (always) in the buffets of KTVs and elsewhere acting like free food is of the utmost importance and they have not had meals for days.
6.Sometimes people are more judgmental and have certain fixed ideas about how to live your life.
7.People are not as straightforward when they deal with you(sometimes I really like the way Americans do things in this respect)
8.The law is really not all that powerful in many aspects.
9.Kids are too burdened from school work.
10. Those long walks through the subway connection tunnels.
US Again
After spending a few months in China, I almost forgot what US is like--China is becoming more real to me. Beijing is one face of China---very modern, fast, exciting, diverse, historic, political. It is a great city, probably greater to me than any US cities. Then there is the other faces of China, Fujian, Guangdong, Gulangyu, mountain areas....these are very local, very indigenous in many senses, but full of flavors. Just not these cookie cutter moles.
US. I couldn't imagine what it is to be in US when I spent a long time in China. It kind of becomes a impression in TV and films. I don't even remember what it is like to speak English to everyone; the way Americans behave and say things; the way waiters take your order; the taste of Panera's panini sandwich...but I know it is exciting and scary at the same time. It doesn't have great Chinese food whenever I want. But the spirit of Americans, their manners, I couldn't resist.
Anyways,now that I'm here again, everything seems so real again. Sitting in a coffee shop and surfing the a-lot-faster-than-CHINA internet, it feels almost like I have never left--although I'm in a different city now. I have mixed feeling toward the US. In this bad economy, perhaps it is not very easy to turn the bad things good. Hard.
US. I couldn't imagine what it is to be in US when I spent a long time in China. It kind of becomes a impression in TV and films. I don't even remember what it is like to speak English to everyone; the way Americans behave and say things; the way waiters take your order; the taste of Panera's panini sandwich...but I know it is exciting and scary at the same time. It doesn't have great Chinese food whenever I want. But the spirit of Americans, their manners, I couldn't resist.
Anyways,now that I'm here again, everything seems so real again. Sitting in a coffee shop and surfing the a-lot-faster-than-CHINA internet, it feels almost like I have never left--although I'm in a different city now. I have mixed feeling toward the US. In this bad economy, perhaps it is not very easy to turn the bad things good. Hard.
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