Yesterday evening we hit Beijing's sweetspot for shopping (in my opinion).
Today we went to Zhoukoudian. You may recognize that name from the Anth 101 course you may have taken! Yes, site of the Peking (Beijing) man. Though I couldn't remember a lot except the pictures I'd been shown, I was nerding out in terms of telling everyone what a "special experience" it was to see something like that.
Afterwards, off to what was first marketed to us as the "Anti Japan Museum," though we learned today a better way to phrase it is the Commemoration of the Resistance against Japanese Aggression.
Our English translator didn't speak too clearly, so I was mostly reading the captions. He seemed pretty into whatever he was trying to say, and most of the time I just kept thinking about selective attention in terms of portrayal of anything sensitive - in terms of politics, relationships, life, whatever. It's hard for me to imagine something so terrible (terrible is a value word, I mean so many people dying) happening for fourteen years about fifty years ago in America. Sometimes I learn about history and I realize that there are so many worldviews out there that there's no way I could ever begin to understand, just because I didn't grow up with it. I could live in China for the rest of my life and not really understand China.
Afterward we went into this museum of traditional Chinese buildings. I thought it was background music, but upstairs I kept hearing Peking Opera music. I went to seek it out and then it turns out upstairs there was a room with a ping pong table, some tables with Chinese checkers or another game I'd never seen before, then on stage some people rehearsing. There was the gong, two erhu players, the woodwinds (?), another percussionist, then some singers. I've been really not bothered about embarrassing myself or anything like that during my time here so far, so I went and sat down and listened to them. I think that the space above the museum was just sort of a recreational room that this group used to practice music. Then I took some pictures.
There was a dude sitting at one of the tables with Chinese checkers, and he said,
"Hey, Miss, you want to play?"
"I want to play but I can't remember how!"
"I'll teach you."
Then off we went. I'm really not sure how much more authentically Chinese this afternoon could have gotten, me in my universe of Chinese checkers with my new laoshi. While we played some CETers came up and started taking pictures. I hope someone gives me one.
I think what was so special to me about it is the last time I played chinese checkers was with my granddad, some time before he died. Sitting with this man, asking him to refresh my memory of technique... Sometimes your memories are just facts. I used to play chinese checkers with my granddad. But then, reliving them, smelling something, hearing a song, somehow venturing into that part of your brain, you bring a part of yourself back to life. So I played (poorly), and I felt a little closer to my granddad than I have in a long time. While I was waiting for my turn I was able to get a video in... all of three seconds before my camera decided it was time to die. I have no idea how it was able to complete the video (if that makes sense).
Today we went to Zhoukoudian. You may recognize that name from the Anth 101 course you may have taken! Yes, site of the Peking (Beijing) man. Though I couldn't remember a lot except the pictures I'd been shown, I was nerding out in terms of telling everyone what a "special experience" it was to see something like that.
Afterwards, off to what was first marketed to us as the "Anti Japan Museum," though we learned today a better way to phrase it is the Commemoration of the Resistance against Japanese Aggression.
Our English translator didn't speak too clearly, so I was mostly reading the captions. He seemed pretty into whatever he was trying to say, and most of the time I just kept thinking about selective attention in terms of portrayal of anything sensitive - in terms of politics, relationships, life, whatever. It's hard for me to imagine something so terrible (terrible is a value word, I mean so many people dying) happening for fourteen years about fifty years ago in America. Sometimes I learn about history and I realize that there are so many worldviews out there that there's no way I could ever begin to understand, just because I didn't grow up with it. I could live in China for the rest of my life and not really understand China.
Afterward we went into this museum of traditional Chinese buildings. I thought it was background music, but upstairs I kept hearing Peking Opera music. I went to seek it out and then it turns out upstairs there was a room with a ping pong table, some tables with Chinese checkers or another game I'd never seen before, then on stage some people rehearsing. There was the gong, two erhu players, the woodwinds (?), another percussionist, then some singers. I've been really not bothered about embarrassing myself or anything like that during my time here so far, so I went and sat down and listened to them. I think that the space above the museum was just sort of a recreational room that this group used to practice music. Then I took some pictures.
There was a dude sitting at one of the tables with Chinese checkers, and he said,
"Hey, Miss, you want to play?"
"I want to play but I can't remember how!"
"I'll teach you."
Then off we went. I'm really not sure how much more authentically Chinese this afternoon could have gotten, me in my universe of Chinese checkers with my new laoshi. While we played some CETers came up and started taking pictures. I hope someone gives me one.
I think what was so special to me about it is the last time I played chinese checkers was with my granddad, some time before he died. Sitting with this man, asking him to refresh my memory of technique... Sometimes your memories are just facts. I used to play chinese checkers with my granddad. But then, reliving them, smelling something, hearing a song, somehow venturing into that part of your brain, you bring a part of yourself back to life. So I played (poorly), and I felt a little closer to my granddad than I have in a long time. While I was waiting for my turn I was able to get a video in... all of three seconds before my camera decided it was time to die. I have no idea how it was able to complete the video (if that makes sense).
The pollution today was terrible. It's been pretty bad the last few days. Note to you guys - there are a whole lot of pictures that are not getting put up on here (or facebook), just to save time for me and you, but when I get home they're all on my computer and I'd be happy to show them to you. Anyway, there are plenty of pictures that I have that really capture the lack of clarity in the sky. It feels a little bit like there's something swamp like in my throat (sorry) that grows stronger with my fear of environmental degredation.
During our drive today I found myself getting pretty down at the amount of pollution, and just the way things are laid out. Piles and piles of scraps of things, beside homes, women sitting in chairs outside with their babies and all I see is brown in the windows and the streets.
When did things get so bad, I wonder. I'm really not trying to make China sound bad, that's not really where I'm coming from, but I am saying that it gets me down to see somewhere that I'm sure was once beautiful in the state that it is now.
OH P.S.
Last night, walking with Tan Qing and Sydney, I saw a sign for a restaurant. Then I saw a character that I knew.
"Tan Qing, that's a meat specialty restaurant?"
"Yeah!"
"A... dog...meat... specialty restaurant?"
"Yeah, dog meat."
"Okay. Huh."
And that was that.
During our drive today I found myself getting pretty down at the amount of pollution, and just the way things are laid out. Piles and piles of scraps of things, beside homes, women sitting in chairs outside with their babies and all I see is brown in the windows and the streets.
When did things get so bad, I wonder. I'm really not trying to make China sound bad, that's not really where I'm coming from, but I am saying that it gets me down to see somewhere that I'm sure was once beautiful in the state that it is now.
OH P.S.
Last night, walking with Tan Qing and Sydney, I saw a sign for a restaurant. Then I saw a character that I knew.
"Tan Qing, that's a meat specialty restaurant?"
"Yeah!"
"A... dog...meat... specialty restaurant?"
"Yeah, dog meat."
"Okay. Huh."
And that was that.
No comments:
Post a Comment