A Haircut in China

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more than you ever wanted to know about

A Haircut in China

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So I got a haircut last week. It could have been a really big story. Maybe they would use strange gadgets to cut the hair. Maybe they would butcher the hair. Maybe I would come out looking like a freshly-bald monk. Maybe they would slice off an ear! Maybe, at the very least, it would be uncomfortable and awkward trying to describe to the stylist how I wanted the hair to be cut.

It was none of these things. I went to the hair cutting place in HuaiYa just 1 minute from my school. Some of my students accompanied me. I told them what I wanted, and they told the hair stylist. We chatted a little in Chinese, but it was mostly silent. 10 minutes later I was a new man.

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The cut was not as short--either on top or on the back and sides--as I prefer, but I purposely kept it long for two reasons: 1) risk factor... too short and my receding hairline becomes double tarmacs that Boeing 747s could land on! and 2) long hair = extra warmth for the approaching winter. Here are the before and after photos:

BEFORE:

AFTER

I like it!

So now I'm left with nothing to say! First haircut in China... this was going to be a big ordeal... I was going to ramble on and on about it. But what more can I say about something so mundane? Well, as usual, when I have nothing to say, I can always ramble on about economics...

The Exchange Rate by the Haircut Standard

When I first decided to come to China, I had to predict my standard of living in China. What would the money I brought with be worth? And what kind of lifestyle would my monthly salary afford me? What would be my purchasing power? These are not easy calculations. My Chinese friend Bo offered a simple equation... earning 1,000 yuan in China is like earning 1,000 USD in America... spending 1,000 yuan in China is like spending 1,000 USD in America. Plugging my monthly salary into this equation, I had a rough idea of the standard of living that I would enjoy in China. But was it accurate?

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This rogue exchange rate has proved generally accurate. By Bo's model, I would be enjoying a standard of living that was more than twice that of a first year teacher. Although I am too thrifty to test the limits of my purchasing power, I do get the feeling each time I buy even the simple things that I am much richer in China than I could have ever been in America in the first 10-20 years as a teacher. My haircut will illustrate this shortly.

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Economists use more sophisticated models to conduct these calculations. The currency exchange rate is one such tool. As of this moment (11/23/2008, 7:02am), one US dollar buys 6.8 Chinese renminbi yuan. But this number alone cannot tell someone what their money will be worth in a foreign economy. Economies are too complex.

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Let's take a look at my haircut. How much does a haircut cost in America (in USD)? How much do you think this one cost (in USD)? Before subtracting the discounts that I receive from Kayleigh (wink wink), my haircuts in the US typically cost between 10-15 USD. Well this haircut cost 4 yuan. Let's consider how this haircut translates into USD by various exchange rates.

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(A) If we use the Bo Model of exchange rate where one USD has the same purchasing power in America as the purchasing power of one RMB Yuan in China, a haircut in the US that costs 15 USD should cost 15 yuan in China. Well, this one cost 4 yuan. So here is an error in the model... but in this case the error overestimated the cost, which means that it underestimated the standard of living I would enjoy with my Chinese salary... US salary to Chinese salary, it means I am roughly 4 times as "rich" as a first year teacher in the US.

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(B) If we plug the 4 yuan cost into the official exchange rate, we're looking at a 60 cent haircut. Can you imagine paying 60 cents for a haircut?!?!?! That's cheap!

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But both exchange rates fail to capture the true complexity of the difference between the Chinese and the American economies. Case in point, let's take a look at Sprite. I like to drink Sprite. In the US, a bottle of Sprite from the vending machine costs about 1 USD. In China, there are bottles of Sprite sold at similar volumes. They cost roughly 3 yuan (bargaining down from the 3.5 yuan price that the clerk may initially ask).

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(A) By the Bo Model, a roughly equivalent volume of Sprite costing 1 USD in America should cost 1 Yuan in China. Well, as you can see, it costs three times as much. My standard of living is only a little better than that of a first year teacher from this perspective.

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(B) According to the official exchange rate, the bottle of Sprite costs about 45 cents. That's pretty cheap!

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Which exchange rate is more reliable? The errors of the Bo Model are obvious. But if you average the two prices, they wash themselves out in balance. According to the Bo Model, a haircut is about 1/3 the predicted price and Sprite is about 3 times the predicted price. If I only consumed haircuts, then I would be a very very rich man! If I only consumed Sprite, then I would find living a bit more difficult. If I consume both, his 1 to 1 ratio is reliable. And indeed there are many things for which the Bo Model is directly reliable. A hearty bowl of noodles here costs about 5 yuan. Well, a hearty bowl of noodles in the US would cost about 5 USD. So, as I said, in general, the Bo Model is pretty accurate.

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What about the official exchange rate? The problem with the official exchange rate is that it makes expensive things seem cheap. It is useful for tourists who will bring their valuable USD to China and then leave. But it is altogether misleading for people living in China earning RMB. If I think of Sprite as 45 cent Sprite, I might consume a lot of it... at 3 yuan, which is a much higher fraction of my salary than the 45 cents of an American salary. I could conceivably blow my entire month's salary on Sprite.

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Thus I think it is useful to add a third exchange rate to put everything into perspective. Consider how the price of one good/service compares to the price of another good/services. In this way, you will most clearly see how different the economy of China is from the economy of America.

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One haircut costs 4 yuan; one bottle of sprite costs 3 yuan... thus a haircut costs about the same as a bottle of Sprite in China. Can you imagine a bottle of Sprite costing the same as a haircut in America! And a two-liter bottle of Sprite costs 7.5 yuan. Can you imagine a two-liter bottle of Sprite being two times as expensive as a haircut?!

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In the "after" picture of this entry, you see my brand-spankin' new sweater. This sweater cost me exactly 40 yuan. Can you imagine a sweater being 10 times as expensive as a haircut? Or a sweater being only 5 times as expensive as a two-liter bottle of Sprite (my God! that's a 6 dollar sweater!... or is it?) ????

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I argue that this third exchange rate--comparing the price of one good to the price of other goods in the same economy with the same currency--is the most reliable and necessary for survival. The supply, demand, and utility of the resources of China are just too different from the supply, demand, and utility of the resources in America. The costs of labor, training, and rent for hair stylists is different from America, so the prices will be different. This sweater from China may seems cheaper but also may fall apart after one washing. It's different. Everything is different. I need to forget about the official exchange rate. I need to forget about American prices altogether. I need to think comparatively. And I need to think with a little perspective. If 5 bottles of Sprite buys one sweater, I need to buy less Sprite and more sweaters. And I can afford to have a haircut every month if I want one!

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Learning the value of the money in your new home involves a learning curve that is a bit steeper than the grade of either the Bo Model or the official exchange rate.

The English Inquisition

The English Inquisition

[lightbulb casting intense light, fierce heat, and menacing shadows across the room]

"Tell me your name..."

"And now, let's have a look at your English...."


[inquisition begins]




The Examination Culture: an Introduction to Inquisition

The Exam. It deserves its capital "E" in China. Exams are everything. If Beijing is the capital of China, then Exams are the capital of education in China. And the University Entrance Exam is the Forbidden City. All faces turn toward Exam.

In design, Exams are intended as a tool to measure learning outcomes. Here, this design has been warped into Frankenstein's monster--in the schools of China learning is a tool to achieve Exam outcomes (good grades). There's a significant difference between testing what I have learned and learning so that I can test. Although they both involve learning, is the quality of learning the same? Do these two different means reach the same end?

My guess is no, but in truth this is work better left for specialists in educational research. These questions warrant careful, disciplined study. I will share, however, a few observations:

1) The students do seem to be very knowledgeable. Their advanced knowledge of math and science have even been expressed and demonstrated through English conversations. Compared to American students, the knowledge (especially in math and science) seems to be better.
2) Some of the knowledge seems pointless though. They constantly cite random facts and numbers (Mount Everest is such-n-such kilometers in altitude... and they quote this number down to the precise single digit!). And these random facts are not so random--they seem to ALL know them. I don't know how many times various students have told me how high Mount Everest is!
3) Higher level learning seems to be lacking. The social studies in general and history in particular are particularly concerning. While some students can remember names, dates, and places, few can think analytically about the historical events that they have studied. I doubt they have had any exposure to anaylsis and evaluation in these courses. And if there is no higher level learning, what on earth do they do in economics and sociology (grade1 students have these classes once a week). I want to know how they study the social studies!!! (I already have a hint though... I drew a supply-and-demand diagram... the students had never seen anything like it... come on now, what are they studying in economics?!?!?!?!?!?!)
4) Some students use the Exam to decide not to even attempt certain learning outcomes. I encounter this everyday. Since oral English is nowhere on the exam, there are those who don't even try. They sit in the back... trying to sleep, trying to work on other homework, trying to play games on their phone... and now that I have taken all these options away, they just stare blankly like George Romero's zombies. The rest of the class is laughing and excited, and they just sit there sad, maybe a little angry, and dull. They tingbudong, and they're going to tingbudong for the rest of their lives with that attitude. Misguided by Exam.

My Own Inquisition

I told you in a previous post ("Sports Meeting") that students recently took mid-terms. Well the results are in, and they're not good. Students' English scores were particularly bad. This bad news is coupled with some other news (I discovered secretly), that last year this school underperformed on the University Entrance Exam. Whereas HuaiYa High School typically sends 4 to 6 students to Beida/Qinghua (the top universities of China) each year, last year not one student qualified for either of these plums. Apparently it was quite an embarrassment, and much pressure has been subsequently added (one administrator was demoted and teachers have been categorically blamed and pressed to work harder). So now, with these dismall mid-term exam scores, I wonder. Will there be an English Inquisition?

My nature is to immediately heap all the blame onto myself. I'm always ready to be my own judge, jury, and executioner. I also worry, though, what will the other teachers think of me. Will they blame me too? Will they think I'm not doing my job very well? 3 years from now when perhaps none of my students qualify to attend BeiDa, will they all look back and blame that "bad foreign English teacher!"

But then I snap out of it. Here at HuaiYa High School, I am the only one who inquires. None of the teachers or administrators even told me about the mid-term Exam results. I found out about the poor scores from asking my own students. I later asked one of the senior English teachers and he acknowledged the poor scores. And then when I asked if there was anything I could do to help the students improve, he laughed... said it had nothing to do with me. Do I have any responsibility at all?! (I guess he might be right though, when you consider that I teach oral English--which is not assessed--to students only one time a week, my responsibility is rather small). If the students do poorly, no one will fault me. If the students do well, no one will credit me. Makes my Inquisition quick, painless, and.... empty. So I continue to self-inquire... what can I do to improve the students' English?

What explains the students' poor English scores? After the teacher told me that I am not even in the equation, he then told me that the poor results were the fault of the test. "This time the questions were difficult, so the scores were poor. Next time the questions will be easier, so the scores will be better. It's nothing."

Now, it's time to revisit some of the content from my ETR 492 class. Here is my thought: in a culture with such a strong emphasis on Exams, wouldn't you think the exams should be meaningful? In ETR 492 language, these Exams should ideally be reliable and valid. We teachers need to know that the questions on the Exam produce consistent interpretations about what the students have learned.

I asked a student how he did on the mid-term. Like the others, he did poorly. His writing was really bad. Then I asked him how he did on the Shaanxi Provincial Exam (which grade1 and grade2 students took not more than a week later). On this exam he did really well. His writing was excellent. What in the Hell is going on here?!

Well, I guess if the questions vary as wildly between easy and difficult as the teacher mentioned above suggests, this might explain the discrepancy. But then there is the cheating. I had a hunch about his. My Spidey senses...activated by the quirky smile on the student's face... were buzzing. I asked the student,

me: "How many teachers monitored the Shaanxi Provincial Exam.
Student: "None,of course"
me: "But the mid-terms were monitored by 4 teachers."
Student: "Yes"
me: "So... then... some students might cheat during the Shaanxi Provincial Exam."
Student: " Oh yes, of course, we all cheat!"

Hmmmm, if this dim-witted foreigner from Boone County could suspect such an outcome, I am certain that every last teacher is aware what happens during the exam too. This is sanctioned cheating.

But the school is only cheating itself. Presumably the school doesn't want to risk the gamble that serious performance issues might be revealed from the exam. They might lose face. So they forfeit the Shaanxi Exam as an assessment tool that can reveal such issues... that can target areas for long-term improvement and face-building. A farce Exam.





The English Inquisition

Although I am living in a pressure-free universe, my other teachers are not. With each poor performance, they are given scoldings and more responsibilities. On that trend, last week the school held an "English Contest." The English teachers had to compose and deliver a free-topic speech and respond to one of an assortment of questions that I posed. I and two representatives from the Mei County Bureau of Education English Department were the judges. They called it a "contest" to make it sound fun.

There's not much to report here. The English teachers at HuaiYa High School have very good English. I understand them, and they understand me. They all did very well.

One interesting note: scoring. How do I score these teachers? What are the criteria by which I should evaluate them? I asked the organizer of the event, but he had initially had no suggestions. He said that because English is my mothertongue I can just give them scores! No sir, I need a rubric! So I made my own rubric. Initially my rubric consisted of three criteria: (1) fluency of speech evaluated on a scale of 0-4, (2) accuracy in grammar and word choice evaluated on a scale of 0-4, and (3) directness in answering the questions evaluated on a scale of 0-2. They would get a score from 0-10.

Minutes before the contest, he approached me to ask if I had decided how to evaluate the teachers. Informing him that I had, he then told me what he thought my rubric should be. He had two criteria: pronounciation and fluency. Interesting. I missed pronounciation, and he missed accuracy. Both are important! I changed my rubric.

Even more interesting, he told me that I had to evaluate the teachers on a scale from 9.0 to 10.0 out of 10. So if a teacher scores no points, her score would be 9. A person could speak not one word of English; I would have to give them a 9.0 out of 10. Think about it. It's really the same exact scale as 0-10. That zero hiding behind the decimal isn't really hiding if you confront its meaning! The interpretation is the same. But the guaranteed, meaningless 9 in front of the decimal and the number that truly matter helps save face. Very interesting!

In the end, even my revised rubric with 4 criteria was not detailed enough. I ended up giving everyone scores between 9.7 and 10.o. So many 9.9s! It doesn't reflect the range of proficiencies. But truly, their English was collectively very good. Now we know that. And the English Inquisition is over.

What we don't know are all the important things. Do they teach English well? Do I teach English well? What can we do to improve? Do we even know what needs improvement?!

Internet Winter

INTERNET WINTER

How long has it been since I last posted? 10 days? not sure. Welcome to internet winter.

The blizzard began over a week ago. Yahoo! and Facebook began loading with extra delays, first in the afternoons and then even at night. And then just one morning--the fury of the storm consumed everything--whiteout. No internet.

When the internet is gone, you realize how much you rely on it. And you realize how much you take it for granted. For the last month and a half, the internet has been good. At nights, you could definitely call it high-speed internet. You could even surf the internet in the afternoons if you were prepared to wait a few extra seconds for everything to load. I had grown accustomed to the speed... and I was enjoying it...

Which makes the current storm all the more difficult to tolerate. The internet has returned, but it is as slow as if it is still gone. And it is wired with bugs and glitches--like patches of ice lurking on the highways intent on sending you into the ditch. With all the patience I can muster, I go through the ropes: waiting 10 minutes for the Yahoo! homepage to load just so I can click the link to go to my email... another ten minutes... sign in... another 10 minutes... click on a new message... another 10 minutes... and then I am almost there when the Internet tells me there is an error and shuts the whole operation down. Welcome to the ditch

Blogging is another exercise in patient futility. I can type, but I cannot post pictures. It's the same story... wait, wait, wait for the pictures to load only for the internet to putter out... burying everything in the deep snowdrifts of cyberspace.

So I have two options. I can wait for Internet Summer. Nah, who knows when that will happen. And already there is such a backlog of things I need to do... emails I have to write... emails I have to respond to... topics I want to post. Well, I'm going to burn the midnight oil to get some of this work done. Maybe winter madness is calmer then...

Side story 1: The Google Survivor

When the internet winter snowstorms are at their worst, nothing works. Except Google. If there is even the slightest connection between my computer and the network, Google will be there. And it still loads quickly even when nothing else loads at all. It is my beacon in the storm.

I always wondered, "Why does Google have such a simple homepage... shouldn't it be animated and detailed like Yahoo! ?" "How can Google even compete for scraps muchless be this net giant with such an empty homepage?" Now I know the answer. Simplicity sells! People just want to search. Who needs all that extra junk?! And in parts of the world where internet connections are unstable or overburdened, simplicity draws the line between accessible and inaccessible. Google wins.

Side story 2: The Real Winter
The real winter may not have officially arrived yet--as per the requirements of the calender--but it is here! It feels like it has been here since September. Cold, but I'm surviving. More on that in a future post.

Sports Meeting

SPORTS MEETING

Last weekend was a four-day weekend (Saturday, Nov 1- Tuesday, Nov4). You all know how I spent the four day weekend (memories of MaijiShan still make me smile a week later). What you don't know is why I was able to enjoy this special weekend.

Exams. Last weekend began four days of mid-term examinations for all students. This is an exhausting exercise for all parties involved... even the teachers. During exams, each classroom is monitored by FOUR teachers, each of whom stands in one corner of the classroom scanning for the wandering eyes and hush whispers of cheaters. These exams usually last from about 6-8 hours each day... mentally and physically exhausting... oh thank you, thank you, Chinese schools tend to excuse foreign teachers from taking part in this duty!

How do these students and teachers survive? Well, there's always one glimmer of hope: on the other side of every major examination there is something incredibly exciting to anticipate. After final examinations, there is vacation--either Spring Festival or Summer Vacation. After mid-terms, there is SPORTS MEETING!!!

My students asked me the same question: "what is sports meeting like in America?" And they gasp when I inform them that American schools don't have sports meetings! Unfathomable. From primary school to high school, there is always sports meeting! It is essential. There is always that temporary--one to three days--escape from schoolwork. No classes, no homework, no studying, no exams. Just sports... all kinds of sports...

SPORTS MEETING!!!!

Our sports meeting began with a marching contest. Marching is a sport. Each class marches as a unit... they are in meticulous order from shortest in one corner of the block to tallest at the other corner of the block. To be perfect, they must march in perfect rhythm... 120 separate feet become one massive foot pounding the track in choreographed pulses. And they use their voices to further unite the group... 一二三四， 一二三。。。四！（1, 2, 3, 4; 1, 2, 3... FOUR!) Their individual weaknesses are lost in the air-shaking power of one voice. It is quite neat to watch!

students march as other classes watch

video of "yi er san si, yi er san SI!"

at nights, the students perform in singing contests... I've been listening to Revolutionary songs all week in preparation for this... and although the students all sing very well, the performance is ruined by the very poor quality of the speakers. pity

And then there are the sports. Thursday and Friday, the classes of each grade level competed against each other in tournaments of two sports: basketball and volleyball. The most athletic boy students of each class played basketball. The most athletic girl students of each class played volleyball. The rest of the students crowded around and right up against the courts to cheer on their classmates. 加油，加油！（jiayou, jiayou!) (add oil, add oil!)

Sports Meeting

Male students play basketball... and their classmates sit literally right in front of the action--quite definitely the nosebleed section--to watch and cheer on...

basketball (and Qinling Mountains in the background)... what a gorgeous day

volleyball (and Qinling Mountains disappearing in the sunlight)

"jiayou!" and other conversations

badminton on the side

soccer in the small spaces between games

and fun... lots and lots of fun!

Silk Road Part IV: MaijiShan Retreat

MaijiShan Retreat

All the wonderful things I have seen this weekend in Baoji and Tianshui were mere appetizers for the main course served at MaijiShan National Park. And like any proper feast, MaijiShan offers something for everyone--culture, history, scenery, and yes even shopping. Like deciding between the turkey and sweet potato caserole at Thanksgiving, it's difficult to say which is the bigger highlight of MaijiShan--the culture or the scenery? But it's really a moot question... devour them both!

What is MaijiShan? Well let's start with a translation and then move to the important info. "Shan" means mountain. MaijiShan is a "mountain"... er, mountainlike hill really. "Maiji" means wheatstack. So it's a hill that looks like a wheat haystack.... I'm taking you on a tour of a hill that looks like a haystack... stay with me though...

I've been calling this series "A Silk Road Adventure," or something like this. In truth, MaijiShan is the only bonefied Silk Road site of the weekend. It was my focal destination.

The Silk Road was a network of trade routes that connected the Far East (not just China) with the Far West and all points in between. These routes traversed some of the most unwelcoming and truly deadly terrain on the face of the planet. Those who embarked on the journey faced the mountains, deserts, extreme temperatures, and mile-after-mile of tread and isolation that separated the dispersed societies of the globe. For those who survived, trade was their cherished reward. And everything was traded... everything... material goods to spiritual enlightenment. Globalization before our time!

MaijiShan symbolizes all of this. Man has been carving reflections of Buddhist faith and spirituality into the steep cliffsides of MaijiShan for centuries. Buddhas, Boddhisatvas, and other figures are presented on the face of MaijiShan via massive carvings, elaborate frescoes, and hundreds of grottoes with clay sculptures. Where did all of this come from? The Silk Road.

First, the very presence of Buddhism in China owes to the Silk Road that brought it--its philosophies, its art, its texts, its stories--from their origins in South Asia to their destination on MaijiShan. But these carvings, grottoes, and frescoes plastered at great heights onto the steep side of a solid mountain must have been expensive. Who could afford them? We know that an assorted collection of rich and powerful notables from the Northern Dynasties of 1500 years ago up to the Qing Dynasty of the last century commissioned the creation and repair of this artwork. I surmise that their money and their power derived--to varying degrees across time and circumstance--from the resource wealth gained from Silk Road trade. Because of the trade, people could afford to construct MaijiShan art. MaijiShan's development flows from the Silk Road in a final, important way. MaijiShan served a purpose... travelers leaving Xi'an toward the frightening treacheries of Central Asia stopped at every oasis to recollect and reflect; MaijiShan and the forested hills that suround it gave such travelers their first significant oasis. They stopped at MaijiShan to gather themselves and pray--with gratitude for their survival so far but mostly with pleadings to survive the much greater hardships that lay beyond Tianshui.

MaijiShan would be an unremarkable, plain-faced, haystack-looking mountain without the Silk Road. Instead, it is a world treasure. Let's take a look...

Let me clarify one thing. MaijiShan is a mountain. MaijiShan National Park is a massive area with numerous natural and cultural attractions--of which MaijiShan itself is but one attraction. When you arrive at the park entrance (take a bus from the train station to the park for less than 10 kuai!) and after you have paid your 70 kuai to enter, you wonder, "now what?" There's just a road! It turns out there is a very long distance from the entrance of the park to the entrance of MaijiShan. Just follow the road--the paved road only--up and up until you see MaijiShan. You can take a mini-bus up the road, but even then it doesn't bring you all the way to MaijiShan. And I have no idea how much its costs, because I decided to walk the road. Either way, just keep walking up and up. The walk is looooooong... but if you come in the right season, it is well worth it.

In fact, the lonely walk on that road at the height of Autumn seriously competes with MaijiShan itself. Whereas Autumn has been bland in my town of HuaiYa, Autumn has painted itself all over MaijiShan National Park. And because you are at the foot of towering mountains, you get to enjoy panoramic views that stretch wherever you point your eyes. One week ago, I surrendered myself to the conclusion that I was going to have to survive a year without Autumn. And then this weekend came, and I encountered the most spectacular Autumn that I have ever witnessed in my entire life. It's my own twist on that Ray Bradbury story... we can call it "All Autumn in a Day."

At the entrance of MaijiShan National Park, I know I am in for a treat!

Walking up to MaijiShan, my soul soaks in the oranges and yellows and reds and browns... the blue skies... the freshly chilled air. What was an oasis of Buddhist spirituality for those before is an oasis of Autumn spirituality for me.

This is MaijiShan. When you see this "haystack-looking mountain," you will know that you have arrived at the right place... as opposed to the handful of other beautiful places you might accidentally land in if you take a detour from the paved road that brings you here.

The Buddhist artwork of MaijiShan is painted and carved onto the sides of the cliff. So take the stairs straight up!...How did you think you would were going to see it all?!

A complex network of stairs is part of the wonder of MaijiShan. They bring you face-to-face with the true wonders of MaijiShan... massive carvings into the walls as well as a honeycomb of grottoes each containing miniature (or in some cases life-sized) clay figures.

The grandness of the carvings are revealed by the smallness of the people admiring them at their feet.

The large Buddha and His Bodhisattvas... this is arguably the central attraction of MaijiShan.

the Enlightened One reflecting brilliance

the grand trio, up close and personal

You cannot take pictures of or within the grottoes, but I snapped this pic of my favorite grotto from the foot of the hill... this flashless picture from far away cannot do more damage to the grotto than the intensity of the sunlight streaming in through the windows. Each grotto is protected by a wooden door with a screen window. You cannot walk inside... you cannot reach inside... you can barely even look inside. I don't know how anyone could take a picture up close anyways. In any case, it is illegal and there are security devices on the prowl.

Although some of MaijiShan's carvings and grottoes are as lively and mint as if they had only just been crafted yesterday, others have been utterly devastated by vandalism, earthquakes, the elements, and time. In some grottoes, the figures are missing hands and heads; through large chest cavities you can see the internal wood framework; some grottoes are empty of all but the nearly-invisibly imprint of a former work of art. So when you walk... er climb... around MaijiShan, you will witness the park's efforts at repair. In some cases, entire sections of the hill are closed off for repair. I hope someday this place will be restored to fuller access... your 70 kuai entrance fee is going to a worthy cause!

This Buddha's right-side companion is almost entirely gone... are these wooden posts evidence that the park is planning to place a new Boddhisattva here? What an incredible project!

Visiting MaijiShan might not be so enjoyable for someone who is afraid of heights. Then again, I myself suffer a tad uneasiness with heights yet found the experience thrilling. Don't look down... just look at the Buddhas...

But if you can at all afford to look down and out, you will be rewarded... the view is amazing. Mountains, valleys, autumn colors, winding paths, and distant villages nestled in the niches of it all. Buddhas to one side and an awe-inspiring viewscape to the other... speechless serenity!

take me away!

I love MaijiShan in the Autumntime!

magic

The retreat is over. I lack the time to head further West along the Silk Road toward the "Go In and You'lll Never Come Out" Desert. So it's back along the Silk Road to HuaiYa... back to the Autumn Desert where water is plentiful but orange and red are in fatally scare supply.

Silk Road Part III: a Glimpse of Tianshui

A Glimpse of Tianshui

I first read of the city of Tianshui in the epic novel San Guo Yan Yi. When the master strategist and my personal hero--Zhuge Liang--launched his northern campaigns nearly 2,000 years ago to advance on Wei territory, Tianshui figured prominently in his plans. And from Tianshui and the Shu army's siege of the city came Zhuge Liang's hand-picked protege Jiang Wei.

So when I first arrived in HuaiYa in early September and noticed that Tianshui was one of the cities within a weekend's grasp, I had decided I would one day make a trip of it... if for no other reason than just to bask in a city with history that stretches back to the soul-captivating history of the Three Kingdoms period. A Three Kingdoms pilgrimage to see the hometown of Jiang Wei!

When last week I discovered that I had a four-day weekend, I consulted the map of China to consider all places near and far. I was beginning to settle on Dunhuang in Gansu Province when one of my colleagues suggested that I visit MaijiShan... a "beautiful mountain." To be honest, I largely shrugged the idea off but decided to entertain the suggestion with a quick google search. When I read that MaijiShan is very near Tianshui, plans changed and quickly solidified... onward to Tianshui!

I don't know if Tianshui is mentioned in any of the travel guides to China. It certainly should be. The city center boasts a vibrant mix of modern and ancient culture--not quite on the scale and quality of Xi'an--but certainly approaching it. And like Xi'an, the attraction of the city is both within and without; there is in fact more to do outside the city than there is to do in the city. Tianshui is surrounded in all the cardinal directions by places of historical, cultural, and/or natural interest. To do the area justice, you should ideally plan to spend 3-7 days there. I gave myself less than 24 hours...

There are a few complaints, however, that I must lodge against Tianshui. Consider them as warnings.

1) The train station is quite far from the city. You must take a taxi or a bus to get to the city. It's a bit of a hassle and requires a minor expense of the wallet... be prepared for it. If you're in a hurry, take the taxi. If you have time to spare, wait for the bus (it's quite cheap).

2) The outskirts of Tianshui are a little forboding. They remind you that Gansu Province is in fact the second poorest province in China. Don't get off the bus or the taxi until you arrive in the part of the city that makes you feel a little bourgeoisie guilt!

Now, on to the city!

Temples abound

The bus let us off in Tianshui City center... right there... a temple. Temples everywhere. It seems many are free to enter. For the budget traveler, let Tianshui persuade you! The pictures below are from one of the temples. Notice how well-renovated it is. The woodwork is stunning. There are two 500+ year old trees in the courtyards of this temples... in China even the trees have a longer history than America!

FuXi Miao

Apparently FuXi Miao is a must-see place. Whereas I thought Jiang Wei was Tianshui's proudest hero, the people of Tianshui consider FuXi their most famous and favorite son. I arrived at FuXi Miao as the place was closing, so all I got was this picture.

Dream of Nan Zhai Zi Mansion

I also toured the household of a notable and wealthy family from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. I believe this place is called Nan Zhai Zi. It is truly a showcase of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous from 600 years ago!!! Yet although this place is a museum, it was still also the home of a real family. That is the vibe of Nanhaizi. It is surreal to walk around this place and imagine how many generations of people lived here... memories of the joys and hardships of so many lives are lost to all the world save the walls of the Nanhaizi... the labyrinth of walls...

In truth, I enjoyed this place much more than I enjoyed the Forbidden City in Beijing. It is MUCH less crowded... less "gimicky"... no pestering peddlers... equally intricate yet much more intimate... more accessable... surpassingly revealing... you encounter a pleasant blend of the realism and romanticism of imperial China at Nan Zhai Zi.

Here are some photos:

a bedroom's inner chamber and bed

The "living room"

the critical corner of the kitchen.

looks like this kitchen was equipped to prepare for a large family!... the box to the right is the bellow for blowing fresh oxygen at the roaring fires

the mill

this device has not yet outlived its usefulness; I see people using a mill like this in my own town

a complex labyrinth of courtyards and narrow passageways... choose your path

The XiangQi Courtyard

From one courtyard to the next... this is the courtyard for leisure activities like XiangQi (Chinese Chess). From one season to the next... each courtyard was designed to come alive at a particular season. This courtyard presented the beauty of winter to the family each year. Now it provides for all the world. Apparently, this tree in blossom is so beautiful that winter is the season when most Tianshui residents visit Nanzhaizi... they come to see this special tree.

the spirit of autumn captured in the next courtyard

I could lose myself for an afternoon in admiration of this tree... and I suddenly feel a deep connection with the family who once lived here in the reflection of its splendor

From other places in the house, my eye returns to the autumn tree

The Drama Hall

The family Shadow-Puppet stage and performances went down in this room... I suppose we could say this was the widescreenTV equivalent of the Ming-era elite.

A special, second-story complex for the virgin brides

Both to protect her chastity and to give her final glimpses of the world beyond the walls of the household that will soon imprison her, the bride enjoys a room above the world.

her balcony view

The celler maze below
for cold storage? or for air-conditioning in the summer? a spiral staircase descends deep into the ground toward permanent winter

Goodbye Tianshui!

Silk Road Part II: a Tourist's Guide to Baoji

Baoji is a large city in Sha'anxi Province to the west of Xi'an and to the west of my town of HuaiYa. I have been told that it is the second most populous city in Sha'anxi. Although, like all places big and small in this part of China, Baoji has a long history, its history is not on the scale of Xi'an.

I spent less than 24 hours in Baoji. I didn't visit any major attractions. As is my style, I merely took a wanderer's tour of the city. This surely disqualifies me as any kind of expert on Baoji. But I can safely say that Baoji is a nice city to which I intend to return in the future.

Baoji awakes to November.

As I alluded to in the previous entry, Baoji's transportation system is pretty convenient. The long-distance bus station is right by the train station. So if you are arriving by bus, you can immediately board a train. Or if you arrive by train, you can immediately travel to all parts of the city. And since this area of Baoji is something of a hub, there are plenty of hotels and a sprawling shopping district centrally located to accommodate travelers.

Baoji at night. The neon sunlight of international hotels and banks drown out the moonlight.

I arrived in Baoji in the evening. After the ordeal of booking a hotel (described below), I was game for some exploration. Baoji has as much street food as Xi'an, so I sampled some of it. My favorite item was a large, warm, doughy pancake of freshly spicy goodness! One of the other people buying the item asked me if it was comparable to pizza as he imagined to be... "zhongguo de pizza" he called it. I politely acknowledged the similarities but inside I secretly gave his comparison the big thumbs down... without cheese and tomato sauce, you most certainly do not have pizza. But food doesn't have to be pizza to be delicious... this thing was absolutely "haochi ji le!" The street food in Baoji, at least in this area of the city, was rather expensive though. I paid 6 kuai for a small portion of fried rice. The beverage prices were standard (3 kuai for Sprite is the exchange rate by which I measure such things).

The stores were mostly closed and I wasn't at all interested in shopping anyways, so I cannot say anything specific about shopping opportunities. But there is indeed much to buy. Immediately to the west of the train station is a long plaza of uncountable stores that sell a variety of high and low quality items of all types. To the north of the plaza there is a street market district. Here you will find cheap goods and plenty of street food. With shopping this conveniently and efficiently located, I imagine it's easy to toss money about in Baoji!

Commerce aplenty in Baoji

The next morning I wandered through the streets of Baoji from park to park. I would say that Baoji is a park city. There are little parks everywhere. And then there is a big park in the center of the city that stretches as far as the eye can see both east and west. With a park this big, even the couple million inhabitants of Baoji can enjoy peace, nature, and solitude here. And to the north of Baoji is an equally massive park for hiking up the loess hills that that hem the city into the valley of the Qinling Mountains' shadow.

Welcome to Baoji's Central Park! This park as at least as long as NYC Central Park and perhaps longer, but not nearly as wide. There are open courtyards, forested areas, recreational areas, dance clubs, a riverside walkway. It's a nice park!

Poolsharks of the world may retire happily in Baoji. There are pool tables all over this city... blanketed in blue against the cold morning and longing for the heat of the next night's game

a 'chill' bike ride

From these stairs to the tippy top of the loess hill in the background. Purge those lungs of all the second-hand smoke they have consumed since arrival!

The fortune cookie told me: "Look not only up and forwarad. Pause now and then to enjoy the sights of the world behind and below." So I did, and this was my reward!

At the top of the stairs, there is yet another park and a gateway to a network of trails by which to hike through and up the loess hills even higher to their plateau. Let's keep going...

The path up and forward has been paved by those before you.

At the top of the loess plateau (actually this is not the top, but I like this picture and we can safely pretend it's the top), you can enjoy a nice view. A cliffside forest in the foreground... the Qinling mountains in the background rising into the mist and out of view... and urban society carpets the valley in between!