CHENGDU RENDEZVOUS
PART 3: the places
(I suggest you begin with part 1... now don't be lazy!... just scroll down to part 1, your fingers could use the exercise. Thanks!)
I took over 500 pictures in Chengdu. Do you really think I'm going to post all 500 pictures here? By the time they finished loading, I'd be back home in the U.S. again and you could just look at them on my camera. But I can't just show 5 pictures. What to show? Oh, bloggers face opportunity costs too!
I have selected roughly 30 pictures as a representative sample of the things that I have seen in Chengdu. The pictures are not in chronological order. In fact, in general, they are in reverse order. It doesn't matter... this isn't a history textbook and nor are there any cause-effect relationships. This is Chengdu.
SICHUAN OPERA:
Opera performance includes 1) the singing/dancing/performing beauties 2) the guy who tells Sichuan jokes 3) a comedy act about the stereotyped hen-pecked Sichuan husband 4) a shadow play 5) the awaited "changing-mask" performance. Even though I don't understand the language, the body language of Sichuan opera is rich in meaning, so you can understand so much. Without a doubt, Sichuan Opera blows Beijing Opera out of the water.
Shadow Play
Hen-pecked husband and his shrew of a wife
The Sichuan beauties
Mao Statue in TianFu Square:
This statue of Mao has an interesting story. The devastating 2008 Sichuan Earthquake shook places from its epicenter to Chengdu and beyond. At the peak of the earthquakes power, this statue of Mao was wobbling left and right and so people standing in TianFu Square were surprised at what they thought was Mao waving at them!
East and West marry well in Chengdu
Hangin' at Du Fu's Crib
Du Fu is arguably China's most esteemed poet (Li Bai is the other contender in my opinion). Well here I am at Du Fu's thatched cottage in Chengdu, where as a destitute refugee during the turmoil of the mid-Tang dynasty he lived a life of poverty, tragedy, and poetic reflection. His greatest poems were written in the shade of this beautiful scenic spot. Du Fu's poems touch on natural themes but they also delve into social commentary and critique in a forceful way. You really get a feeling for the social stratification and upheaval, elitism, and the destitution of the mid-Tang crisis... and you get a glimpse into Du Fu's compassion and empathy. After visiting this place, Du Fu has earned himself a special place in my heart. Now in modern times, this site as much a park as it is a historic site. And who knows, as a refugee of the global financial crisis, perhaps you can escape like I have to the tranquil shade of Du Fu's home and write your own poem about the greed of certain Wall Street bankers who feast on bonuses while bankrupt families lose their homes. Or by the time the mortage crisis is over, maybe you'll build your own thatched cottage from which to write your poems... but even then this place is worth a visit because it is soooooo beautiful and peaceful!
Didn't I tell you Du Fu's place was beautiful?!
The ghost of Du Fu! He's haunting me because I dishonestly entered the park at half price under the guise of a student (in China, you can get in to all attraction for HALF PRICE if you are a student... luckily I brought my NIU Huskies Card... and luckily my diploma isn't tattooed on my forehead!) Anyways, Du Fu knows about my shady deed and pays my conscience a visit in this picture... reminding me that I am in this way no better than the Tang nobility who robbed and pillaged their countrymen in tough times. But Du Fu, NIU says I am a life-long learner, so doesn't that still make me a student?
WuHou Ci
This place is the Mecca of every Sanguo enthusiast, especially for the Shu fanboys (like me). I'm going to make a special blog entry about this place and Sanguo culture in the future, so I won't say too much at this time other than that I loved it. If you don't like history and Sanguo history in particular, forget about this place. If you are a Sanguo maniac, just tell the taxi driver to take you to WuHou Ci and try to contain the excitement on the journey.
Getting 'wet' in Sichuan
Everyone who knows me knows that I don't drink. I don't like the flavor of alcohol and I resist any attempt to get drunk. But if there were any place on this planet that could rope me into alcoholism, it is Sichuan Chengdu. Now, Chengdu has something of a reputation for being a party city. According to wikipidia, Chengdu has more drinking joints (bars and clubs) than Shanghai, whose population is significantly larger. Chengdu could easily be the Cancun of China if only it had a white sand beach. Party city! But home boy here don't play that game.
One night, however, we went to this bar here with Bo and his family and I had an amazing time. The bar was in the Sichuan style... small, intimate, and cozy; dimly lit inside by red paper lanterns; an elevated view above the street overlooking the canal and the central business district. How could I say no to a drink? or two...? We played a drinking game that is simple but too complicated to explain here. It was incredibly fun and addicting.
And Bo was so funny with his "si ge san?.... SI GE SAN?...... SI GE SAN????... okay, wu ge san" routine!!! I was in fact LMAO! Best times! Like I said, if there was any place that could make me a drinker, it is Chengdu with good friends. (and the scary thing is that I drank a fair amount of alcohol and felt absolutely no effect... who knows, maybe I'm some kind of booze-holding superstar who will never know his talent?!)
JINSHA EXCAVATION SITE
In 2001, the remains of an ancient society were discovered in the suburbs of Chengdu. After excavations, archaeologists realized that they had found a treasure trove of unique cultural relics from a snapshot in the record of the lives of people living in Sichuan 3,000 years ago. Only very recently, the site has opened to the public with exhibitions of what has been discovered. The museum shows not only what was found but how the relics were uncovered, protected, analyzed, and interpreted. As such, this museum shows us not only what archaeologists have found but also how they work and think. When I teach social studies in the U.S., I'll wish I had a museum like this to take my students to on a field trip.
Jinsha was truly an amazing find. On the one hand, some of the artifacts confirm what archaeologists have found at other sites about the cultures of the people at this time and place in history. Yet in addition, Jinsha provides new, new-before-seen pieces of culture. For example, picture below are square, bronze bi. Bi are very common items from ancient China, but bi are typically round and made of jade. Let me repeat, these bi from the Jinsha site are SQUARE and made of BRONZE. According to the exhibit, archaeologists have never seen anything like this. And these square, bronze bi are not the only items for which there is nothing else like it in the world. It appears that the people of Jinsha from 3,000 years ago had certain pieces of culture unique to their society... unique even from the people living at the same time just 50 some kilometers away.
WenShuYuan
I don't know much about this place. I will research it when I have time. I can say, however, that it is a center of Buddhist learning, research, reflection, and piety from perhaps the late Ming or early Qing dynasty. It is famous, but I don't know much about it at the moment. Even today, people still go here to pray, to show respect/humility, and to learn. Many people lit incense. We saw some monks. And we saw some women in plain clothes sweeping one of the courts... they were pious volunteers. It's a neat place and worth a visit.
JUST FOR FUN
I learned an incredible lesson... did you know that when you go to a place steeped in culture you do not HAVE to only visit the history places... you can do the fun things too? Yes, it's true! Oh, you already knew that? Well, I didn't. In Chengdu, we did some purely fun things too.
Bumper cars... and I learned a new word... pengpengche
Actually, this was fun AND educational since it was in fact part of the Jinsha exhibition described above. This is a 4-D theatre show. You watch the movie in 3-D and then you also feel the effects of what you are watching in the movie (hence the fourth dimension). The coolest parts? 1) After the snakes attack you, they flee and you then feel the sensation of a snake slithering beneath your bottom 2) a guy shoots you with an arrow as you run and you feel the powerful thud of an arrow in your back
Li and Bo play basketball... Li is the real player though. 两分, 两分, 两分, 两分,两分, 两分,两分, 两分,两分, 两分.... a never-ending string of two-pointers kept Li's game going well after Bo had finished. Sorry Bo, more practice!
In the capital of my beloved Shu kingdom, why not practice shooting with the crossbow? And do you think I could be as good as my namesake Zilong?
So here are the results. Now my first two shots... do you see those two arrows on the wall above the target? Yeah, those are mine. lol And the last two shots... do you see those two arrows in the bullseye? Yeah, those are mine. I guess you could say the attendant's lesson about how to shoot the crossbow made a difference!
Shopping in Chengdu
This is the "Old Town Chengdu" shopping district. So you can use your bank card in ancient-looking buildings.
Jinli shopping district... neat stuff representing traditional Chinese culture
For example, you can buy Sichuan embroidery at Jinli Street
And Zhang Fei hangs out at Jinli Street too!!!!
And there is this modern shopping district. I think Bo and Li finally agreed it is the 4th largest shopping district in China after Wangfujing in Beijing and Nanjing Lu in Shanghai and some place in Hong Kong. If you want to buy something... anything.... it's probably here.
And with all these places we went, how did we get there?! Well, Bo drives! Bo DRIVES IN CHINA!!!!! The thought of me driving a car in China freaks the soul out of my spine! But Bo does it calmly and carefully (best driver in China so far is Mr. Wang Bo, no contest). Thanks Bo!
So that is Chengdu. [sheds tear]
