Kathy & Paul's Adventures Abroad

Entrance to the Temple

Yonghegong subway station is not only a transfer station between line 2 and 5,it was built beneath the three hundred year old foundations of the Lama Temple. As you emerge from the subway the temple buildings are there above you. A short walk of fifteen or twenty minutes takes you past many small shops selling a variety of types of incense, which are burnt at the temple. Arriving at the main entrance a fee of 25 RMB (less than $5.00) gets you a ticket to go inside.

The temple was built in 1694 as the residence of Emperor Yongzheng when he was just a prince. In 1744 the Qing dynasty changed it status to Yonghe lamasery (monastery) and it became the centre of Lama administration. The Yonghegong Lama Temple, also known as the “Palace of Peace and Harmony Lama Temple”, was one of the largest Tibetan monasteries in the world. The buildings and art work are Han Chinese and Tibetan style with some Mongolian motifs.

Some of the monks who live at the temple

When we visited on Saturday there were very few foreign tourists perhaps because it was late in the year and the tourist season is just about over. Even though China has no official religion it soon became apparent that many of the visitors were practising Buddhists. in many locations throughout the complex a steady stream of people burned their offerings, holding them above their heads as they prayed. We realized that this was much more than a tourist destination.

This temple is home to about seventy monks and visitors often ask the monks to bless articles like pendants most often made of jade, and leave donations of money. This is why I think to many visitors going there is a type of pilgrimage. I began to feel like an interloper, an intruder. You could feel the deeply personal connection between this temple and many of the Chinese visitors. At one point I entered one of the smaller shrine rooms and several people were praying. I felt observing such a personal time was inappropriate so I quickly exited the room. Not being a religious person myself I don’t fully understand the connection but you could feel it there. After being there for a short while we decided to leave and let the people worship in their holy place without further intrusion.

Saturday we went looking for a camera with Mike and Chenxia at a place Chenxia called Computer City. We started looking on the fourteenth floor of the eighteen floors of consumer electronics.We bought our camera on the third floor.Chenxia’s haggling skills are a beauty to behold but somewhat confusing. In the heat of negotiations you would swear that they were confirmed enemies. As negotiations are completed and the price is set they look like long lost friends.

One of many computer electronic stores

The Silk Market is a tourist destination. It is in the same area where in former days there would be vendors and merchants selling all kinds of goods along the Silk Road. Today they are all concentrated in a large six storey building and the vendors number in the thousands – a tourist mecca!

Chenxia’s skills were truly highlighted at the Silk Market. We would pick an item we wanted and then Chenxia would take over. We would fade into the background and the vendors didn’t like dealing with her. Her body language, hand gestures, and facial expressions were all part of a focused attack but the vendors too were true professionals. There would be many vollies back and forth and we learned when we were getting close to the end of negotiations – the ultimate strategy – the walk-away was employed. Often the vendor would try an end run, and approach me or Kathy directly. We would just say deal with Chenxia. After buying a sweater a lady vendor said to Kathy “You come back again but don’t bring her” (indicating Chenxia) “She’s a tiger!!”

I began feeling brave when the vendors would call out “Hello” or “Hi” I would call out “Hi, how are you?” At one point I was talking with one lady and we could not understand each other. She was telling me all about her goods and I was just chatting away on a totally different topic. We were both talking and nobody was listening. Another time while Chenxia was deep in negotiations as I stood in the background. Another vendor asked if I wanted any bedding supplies- sheets, pillow cases. I said “No, thank you, I live in my car.” She said “You live in your car?!” I said “yes, my wife got mad and threw me out. In a few days she’ll let me back in. It’s a nice car.” she gave me that are you for real look. At that point I said “I love my car.” Now you should remember that in China family is very important. She replied “You should say I love my wife. She should throw you out!”

Chenxia’s skills when employed got Kathy a sweater for 120 RMB, when the asking price was 600 RMB, and many other similar bargains. After ten hours of shopping we had to go to a birthday party for our friend Dave. The party was at Doris’s place. She is a Newfoundlander , and like all Newfoundlanders away from home she is looking for savory. (Savory is a spice like sage that most Newfoundlanders use in stuffing for turkey.)

A Jewelry Vendor at the Silk Market

The party – well that’s another story for another post!!

We woke this morning to a three to four inch overnight snowfall. It was the first heavy snowfall of the year. Later in the day Kathy was told by a Chinese teacher it was the heaviest snow she has seen in her eight years in Beijing.

At about 7:40 a.m.  I heard noise coming from outside. Looking  out my tenth floor window I saw several hundred teenage school kids engaged in joyous pandemonium. Snow fever had struck! This was no ordinary snow but the perfect snowman snow – ideal for making snowballs. Snow which magically transformed into perfect projectiles.

From our window the kids in their blue and white track suits looked about one inch tall. I thought to myself an army of blue Smurfs – Smurf Wars! (I knew they weren’t really Smurfs for Smurfs are three apples tall.)  There were dozens of small battle groups fully engaged. The groups would change in an instant – in the blink of an eye your ally became a target, new alliances instantly formed as old ones fell apart. Laughter, screams of joy and exhilaration were to be the school’s anthem this morning.

Seeing this one can not help thinking back to those rare times in one’s life when things could not be more enjoyable. This day will undoubtedly be such a time for these children.

Then from some deep and dark place come those words that every child knows will suck the fun out of anything. The words that over many generations and in various cultures are known as the fun killer -

“Stop that before you knock someone’s eye out!”

As Kathy’s second scheduled payday rolled around we were more in tune with how things work in China. Things happen when they happen. This is why nobody in administration felt it necessary to tell us that payday was six days later this month.

Some teachers at this school are paid in cash – you go to the office and they hand you a “bundle of cash”, which is loose bills in your hand. Now in many large cities around the world receiving a month’s wages in cash would have the muggers lining up outside. Not in Beijing. I have heard of people taking bags of money to stores to buy large ticket items.

The idea that things are cheap in China is both true and false. It is like most things in China – it is more complicated than it appears. People come to Beijing and go to the Silk Market to buy designer knock-off items for less than in Europe or North America. They still pay much more than they’re worth and they go home bragging about the deals they got.

If you buy cheap you get cheap. In the stores and shops all over Beijing, especially the large shopping areas, style costs and if you want trendy clothes or if you want quality clothing you have to pay. For example if you want comparable clothing to that of North America you will pay a comparable price. What is surprising is the variety of consumer goods available . As an example, in one supermarket we saw about fifty different kinds of soya sauce. Kathy bought snake oil hand cream today – no joke!

One should remember that Beijing is the capital city of China – the same China that is envied by the rest of the world for its economic stability in these times of recession. From what we see things seem good – lots of construction, stores full of shoppers, paid in cash, and snake oil for your hands. Life is good!

On Saturday we went to a shopping area around Haidianhuangzhuang subway station, which is known as Beijing’s Silicone Valley, where consumer electronics is king. There was one building with at least five floors of vendors.

At this point in our stay in China we are still outsiders looking in and we are intimidated by their aggressive sales techniques. One girl grabbed me by the arm and tried to pull me to her booth saying “I make a special deal just for you.” The vendors wages are a direct reflection of their sales. You probably heard the expression “walking into a lion’s den” – this is different – lions sleep most of the day, but these guys never sleep!

In the same area there is a shopping mall that covers several blocks, towers over the streets and is connected underground. In the mall there is a store called “Carrerfour”, one of a chain in China, and the largest store we have ever seen. It is like Canada’s Superstore chain. It carries products from food to underwear and also imported goods.This huge store’s tool department consists of several screw drivers and adjustable wrenches, pliers, some motor oil and power bars. I also found a can of spray lubricant which was a real find since we had been looking for oil for our bikes for a month.

In this store the staff must be paid a set wage because they leave the costumers alone and tend to their own business. When you get to the produce and grocery area of the store different manufacturers hire people to dress up in cheesy outfits which look pre-disco era with go-go boots. (long white high heeled boots) They shout loudly in Mandarin promoting their products and often there are a half dozen or more in a single area all trying to out-shout each other. This along with trying to maneuver your shopping cart through a congested Saturday market defines the term chaos.

At one point we turned into an aisle that looked fairly free of shoppers, and immediately about five of these product promoters snapped to attention and stared straight at us. We retreated to the safety of a parallel aisle and headed for the checkouts and on to the subway.

At the subway we put our bags through the security x-ray scanner and the guard told us the can of spray lubricant could not be taken on the subway. Not being able to speak English the guard used hand gestures. Kathy said “What do you mean I can’t take it on the train?” Apparently with the right facial expressions this question was easily understood. After receiving “The Look” the guard came to me and showed me the flammable symbol on the can, and we left without our spray lubricant.

You just have to accept some things the way they are. We should have realized that a spray can of a flammable liquid would be considered a potential threat anywhere in the world today. We made our way home and once again we will have to look for some lubricant for our bikes.

Below are a few pictures we took in this area.

Woke this morning to falling snow – it’s that time of year. To this point we had not had any frost so the leaves are still on the trees. The green leaves against a white ground, the falling snow with its small light flakes,each snow flake standing out against an autumn gray sky – this view framed by the hotel window with the moisture condensing on it, paints a picture that is a real treat.

But every treat has a trick – and the trick is it’s cold outside and getting cold inside. As none of the hotel staff speaks English we have to wait and see what happens with the heat. Waiting to see what happens is common in China. It’s like you don’t really know what is going on but things seem to work out somehow. I believe the hotel staff is trying to get us heat because for five days now and five long nights there has been the sound of running water coming from the heat radiators.

As for our Autumn gray sky, it is overcast sky mixed with smog that blocks out the sun. Even though the conditions are not what you would wish for, with the falling snow it is beautiful.

It just goes to show there is beauty and ugliness, good and bad in everything. You chose to celebrate what you wish – most of the time it is your choice.

Choose wisely – Happy Halloween!

A typical Beijing street

Yesterday we left here at 4:30 p.m. to go to the Lotus Centre to shop. Rush hour is 5:30 to 8:00 p.m., and we arrived at Wudoakou subway station around 5:00 p.m. The street vendors were out in force – some had bike carts, some used tables, and others displayed their goods on blanket sheets on the sidewalk. This area is teaming with stores, shopping centres, and even a traditional market, which means small stalls lined up side by side in a lot next to the subway.

The streets were full of life, people hurrying home to and from the subway, buying food, watches, shoes, jackets, and more. There was an energy, a pulse that can only happen in a city of fifteen million people. While crossing the street Kathy said “This is insane!” To explain, we were two lanes off the curb but not yet to the centre line of the street, stood between lanes with several people and a young girl on a bike, as buses passed in front and behind us. There were also people stood on the centre line of the street, and between lanes on the other side of the centre line.

What happens here when the light changes and the walk-light comes on, people start to cross and at the same time you get from the side streets a wave of cars, scooters, bikes and buses turning right unto the main street. This wave meets the wave of people and bikes, and a giant game of Chicken is played out. This game is still in play when the light changes again.

Since we are new to this game we got caught in the middle of the street, standing on the line between lanes. We made it safely to the other side of the street as the game continued to be played out behind us! If this sounds insane then you get the idea.

Like true Beijingers we continued on our way and went shopping!!!

The Blue Zoo Aquarium is a modern day type of attraction, and although it is very impressive, similar attractions can be found in many metropolitan centres. Personally we feel that people who come to Beijing for only a week or two would enjoy the old imperial treasures. These sites are steeped in history and forged over centuries. Just call us old fashioned but you can’t go wrong with the Garden of Brightness, the Forbidden City or the Summer Palace.

That being said, we did enjoy the Blue Zoo and you can check it out in our photos. And check out that escalator! Have fun!

In our last post we talked about the history of the Summer Palace and how it came to be in ruins. In this post we would like to show you some pictures of those ruins, and we thought of making some comments about why anyone would cause such massive destruction to such a beautiful place. However, on second thought we decided to let the ruins speak for themselves. So here they are.

We were invited to go visit the Old Summer Palace by Mike and his wife Chenxia. Mike teaches Grade one at the school and is from Wisconsin, USA, and his wife Chenxia is Chinese. They arrived at the gate of the school about 9:00 on Saturday morning and we set off. This park is situated in the northwest of Beijing not that far from the school so we were there in about fifteen minutes, even though there was a fair amount of traffic. It was a beautiful day for a walk in the park with sunny skies and the temperature around 15 degrees, very comfortable for the middle of October.

Mike and Chenxia

To give you a brief history of the Old Summer Palace, it consists of 860 acres and was originally called the Imperial Gardens, where the emperors resided and handled government affairs. Construction started in 1707 and for 150 years was continually enlarged. Hundreds of masterpieces of Chinese art and antiquities were on display in its halls and rooms, making it one of the largest collections in the world.

In 1860 the second Opium war was fought between China and the allied forces of Britain and France, because China refused to legalize the opium trade. On October 18,1860 the British High Commissioner to China, Lord Elgin, ordered the destruction of the Imperial Gardens, and the troops went in, looted and removed most of the priceless artwork and valuables, and then burned the buildings to the ground. The only things that remain today are parts of the buildings which were constructed of stone or marble, mostly left as they fell, and are a symbol to the Chinese people of foreign aggression and the humiliation of China.

Since its destruction local people had moved into the gardens, some using the grounds for farming. In 1980 the Chinese government decided to start the restoration of the Gardens and the people living there were given money to live in apartments. Even though they have been working on this project for almost thirty years, it will take a long time to restore such a site of this size to its former state, if that is even possible.

On a lighter note, we did really enjoy the gardens here, and even the ruins are impressive. We tried to imagine what it was like in the early days when the emperors wandered through the halls and entertained their many guests and government officials.

In the video below we have included mostly the gardens and not too much of the ruins as that would be another video in itself.