OznAsia

In many Asian Buddhist countries it is the custom for people to make donations to the temple. Many practise Buddhism by creating merit (good karma) to benefit themselves in future lives. Personally I believe this misses the point of what the Buddha was really about. Never-the-less this is what happens. I found temples in Thailand, for example, to be beautiful but extravagant and in light of poverty in the country perhaps this is not the best way for people to make merit.

Temples in China are a different story again. Perhaps many of the people lost their Buddhist roots during the communist years and the Cultural Revolution. It seems now that most temples are a tourist attraction. There is invariably a fee to enter and it is usually quite high. Sometimes there is one fee to enter the complex and another to get into the most relevant part. In this fledgling capitalist society the people are queuing to see these temples and I should add that most tourists in China are Chinese.

When I had not been long in Hangzhou I spent a day or two visiting a few of the sights listed in the local guide book which included a few temples. One temple seemed different from the rest. There was no admission fee. They were serving food in one area outside the main part of the temple. When I enquired about the cost a monk came and helped me to order. The price was reasonable and the food simple but good.

Many of the temples are promoted as having a history dating back many centuries. However the building you see has probably been rebuilt in fairly recent times. They are well preserved and look beautiful but how much real Buddhism is practised there I am uncertain.

People pay their money, come in, touch the statue of the Buddha and leave. The Buddha has been made into a prostitute. I wonder what would happen in such a temple if you went in and asked for a dharma lesson.

I gave up visiting temples in Hangzhou but had some time to kill in Xiamen and decided to visit one there. Most of the complex looked to be reasonably old and not recently painted. There is a hill behind, which I climbed and when I returned I discovered a much newer large pagoda-style building. There were many monks and nuns entering. Obviously something was happening there.

I got chatting to a monk outside who spoke English and asked him what was going on. He said they were holding a forum on commercialization of Buddhism. I told him of my observations. He said that businessmen were investing in temples so that they could be restored and attract tourists. The businessmen then take a return from the entrance fees paid by the tourists.

So much for the teachings of the Buddha.

Labels: Asia, Buddhism, China, Hangzhou, money, poverty, thailand, Xiamen

When I was in Malaysia one of my Chinese Malaysian friends warned me about two things in China, disgusting toilets and spitting. I had to say at the time that Malaysia had the worst record on both counts in my experience. To be fair, on my last visit to Malaysia perhaps the situation had improved.

So how does China rate? I can only speak of my own experience. In Nanning, Wuzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shanghai and Xiamen I found the overall standard of toilets to be good. They were generally both free and clean. I occasionally found something objectionable but this seemed to be an exception. It may be different in the countryside. Travelling between cities the bus would occasionally pull in for a toilet stop. While I didn’t encounter anything as bad as the worst in Malaysia I did consider these toilets to be below an acceptable standard and perhaps a little uncivilized.

As for spitting, in Nanning, Wuzhou, Guanzhou, Hangzhou and Shanghai I did not encounter this practice more commonly than in Malaysia. I understand the Chinese government has had a campaign to eradicate spitting since the scares of SARS and bird flu. It seems to be reasonably successful in these cities. Xiamen was the exception. Generally it was more common there. The worst example was the driver of a bus I caught one night. I had the misfortune to sit close to the front of the bus. The driver sounded like he had the flu. I would hate to think that I had the responsibility for the lives of all those passengers if I felt as bad as he sounded. He was constantly clearing his throat in a very noisy manner. Every half-minute or so he would stick his head out the window and noisily dispose of whatever he had collected. I’m glad I wasn’t driving a car, or worse still a motorcycle, alongside.

So Yilan, if you get the opportunity to visit China again, hopefully you will find it more pleasant than before. Just be careful if you go to Xiamen.

Labels: Asia, China, Hangzhou, Malaysia, Nanning, Shanghai, travel, Xiamen

I had decided to move on from China and booked my flight through AirAsia to leave from Xiamen. I knew nothing about Xiamen, not even how to say it (Sha-men), so checked Lonely Planet and it looked interesting. Decided to spend a few days there to look around.

There are flights from Hangzhou to Xiamen that would save a lot of fuss but I enjoy the train journeys in China. It is one way I can get to see a little of the Chinese countryside. This journey takes 24 hours. When it came time to buy my ticket I got someone to write the details of what I wanted in Chinese on a piece of paper. At the station there are 29 ticket windows each of which usually has a long queue. I noticed a separate section with just a couple of windows and almost no queues. The only English sign said 'CRH'. I didn't have a clue what that meant at the time but it was worth a try. Presented my note at the counter and got my ticket, no trouble.

On the morning of my journey, I got up early, finished packing and got a taxi to the station. I pointed to the word for railway station in my dictionary to let the driver know where I wanted to go. Got there with plenty of time to spare. Because of my journey to Shanghai with Liu Ping I knew what to do at the station. The waiting room was very full. When boarding was announced, as I expected, almost everyone got up at once and rushed to the entrance. I sat for another five or ten minutes waiting for the masses to move on.

I had booked a soft sleeper the same as I had for my journey from Guangzhou to Hangzhou. These cabins have four berths. Once again I had chosen a top berth. The lower berths tend to be used as seats during the day. At least I had mine to myself. There was one young guy, say twenty-something, in the cabin when I got there. I said 'nihau'. He replied and we smiled at each other. We were joined shortly by two of his friends. They didn't say anything.

These guys were no trouble. They played cards for most of the journey and chatted quietly. I spent my time watching the scenery, taking a few photos of the towns we passed through and the countryside. On the first day of the journey it was much the same as I'd seen before.




I discovered that CRH stands for China Rail High-speed which this certainly was not. We stopped at many stations and from the information I'd got off the internet we seemed to be travelling at up to 90 minutes behind schedule. When I went to bed that night my room mates were still chatting quietly so I plugged my ears and went to sleep. This also deadened the train noises and I slept right through until about 7 am.

When I got out of bed I could see that the scenery had changed dramatically. We were following a river through a gorge. It was quite spectacular. I got out my camera. There was no charge left in the battery. I had a spare but had unthinkingly packed it way down the bottom of my backpack. I also contemplated getting out the fz20 but both of these options would have required lots of unpacking and repacking that I was not keen on especially while my cabinmates were sleeping. I decided to just enjoy the view. Sorry, you don't get to see the pictures. But I'll make sure that next time I pack the spare battery somewhere more accessible. Not so smart—buying a spare battery for just this sort of situation and then packing it in an inconvenient place.

We continued to follow the river and the gorge for several hours and at times there were towns and villages. Most of these places don't get a listing in Lonely Planet but if I ever return to China, somewhere like this is where I'd like to stay but only if I've improved my communication ability in Mandarin language—or perhaps whatever local dialect is spoken there.

I was standing in the passageway outside the cabin enjoying this scenery when one of my cabinmates got up ahead of his friends. He said 'good morning' in English and we chatted. He came from Beijing and asked if I had visited. He was disappointed when I told him I hadn't, especially when I mentioned that I'd been to Shanghai. He said that people from Beijing and Shanghai hate each other. I suggested this might be like the rivalry that exists in Australia between Sydney and Melbourne—mostly tongue in cheek. He said 'no we hate each other'. He insisted that the people were very different culturally. I asked about manners and how, for example, Beijingers board public transport. He admitted that they were the same as I'd encountered elsewhere. But he said that younger people will stand for older and people do stand for a pregnant woman. We chatted for some time. He was pleasant company and I learned a little more about Chinese culture.

We arrived in Xiamen more or less on time. Overall the journey was a pleasant one.

You'll find a few more pictures from the early part of the journey on my flickr page, see sidebar.

Labels: Asia, China, Hangzhou, travel, Xiamen

I learned recently of another consequence of China's one-child policy. Some parents feel they are obliged to buy a house for their sons.

Being able to have only one child, parents tend to prefer a boy over a girl as traditionally in China sons look after the parents when they get old. The daughter marries into a new family and helps to look after her husband's parents. If parents are aware of the gender of the baby before birth, girls are at times aborted. This has led to an imbalance and there are not enough women to go around. I even heard a story of a remote village where some women have two husbands.

Many parents are concerned that their sons may remain unmarried. They feel obliged to buy them a house to make them more attractive to prospective brides. I heard this discussed (in English) by a group of around twenty adults, both men and women. It seemed that a majority accepted this as they way it should be.

Labels: Asia, China, Hangzhou

Marco Polo was obviously impressed by Hangzhou he called it 'the most beautiful and splendid city in the world.' Has Hangzhou kept this reputation over the years? Well, the Chinese, or perhaps the Hangzhouians, more modestly claim it as 'the most beautiful city in China'. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I feel sure that Walt Disney would have been impressed. As a photographer, I found Hangzhou to be extremely photogenic. Traditional Chinese design is indeed charming and it wasn't difficult to keep elevators and other modern touches out of my pictures.

Hangzhou is certainly a popular tourist destination for Chinese people. The first week in October is a week-long national holiday. By then the weather should be cooler than I have experienced for most of my seven-week stay. I'm told that Hangzhou people mostly stay indoors that week because visitors to West Lake number between 100,000 and 200,000 each day.

Labels: Asia, China, Hangzhou, travel

I have been attending 'English Corner' several times a week in various locations around Hangzhou. People get together to practise speaking in English. This is an opportunity for me to participate in a community activity and get to know a few people.

The first I attended is held Sunday mornings in a park at West Lake. There is no structure. People are there and you chat. Any westerner is quickly surrounded and badgered with questions often several people at a time. I found it exhausting, especially in the heat. However this has led me to being invited to evening sessions at different venues.

These have been more structured and for me a more pleasurable activity. In one setting they choose a member each week to speak to the group on a subject of their choice. I witnessed a presentation on one-child policy in China. The speaker had researched his subject thoroughly and certainly made up for his lack of knowledge of English with his enthusiasm for his views. I was impressed by the depth of his knowledge but perhaps not by his one-sidedness.

At another venue they have made use of my presence over two weeks to learn a little about Australia. This time I was impressed by the depth of the questions asked. Considering that they don't get to vote they certainly take an interest in political issues. We talked openly about their situation in China and compared it to political systems in other countries. They were particularly interested in taxation and economic issues.

As I write this, 'impressed' is the word that keeps coming to mind.

Labels: Asia, China, Hangzhou

The university in Hangzhou hosts international students from many countries. Generally I find the African students to be quite friendly. In the restaurant one day a group of students sat at the table next to me and started chatting. Two were undergraduates from Seychelles. They were new here and seemed to be having similar difficulties to me in relation to language and culture. One said, 'I don't know why the guys here are always staring at us. I want the girls to stare at us but it's always the guys.'

Labels: Asia, China, Hangzhou

Spending time with Liu Ping has given me the opportunity to learn a little about cultural differences. In the light of what I have written in recent blogs, here is some of what I have learned.

I explained to her that in Australia and perhaps most western countries when ones routine brings us into close proximity with another person on a regular basis that polite conversation will usually ensue. The process usually starts with eye contact, perhaps a nod of acknowledgement and in time a friendly 'hello'. To me the eye contact is important. If someone is prepared to eyeball you it indicates that they will respond to the above process. If they don't want to be friendly then they won't make eye contact. I have found that this works much the same everywhere I have travelled in south-east Asia.

Before I switched buildings at the university here in Hangzhou I found several staff members would not make eye contact even though I would see them several times each day. Eventually I came to the conclusion that things must work differently here. When I switched buildings I decided to say 'nihao' anyway even though staff might not make eye contact. And I got a response. Having been in the building now for a few weeks I find I have a friendly relationship with staff and some regular guests.

Liu Ping agreed that people in China do not make eye contact the way we do in the west and that taking the initiative the way I have is appropriate.

There are exceptions. One notable one happened one day when I was walking in the park beside West Lake. There was a small group of young people walking almost parallel to me. One guy was staring at me quite obviously. 'Nihao,' I said, hoping to ease the discomfort this created in me. He just kept on staring, no smile, no sign of recognition, just a blank staring face.

I didn't know any appropriate Chinese to follow up with but wondered if he might recognise one or two words of English. 'Where I come from, it's rude to stare.'

No response.

'And it's polite to say "hello".'

Eventually he turned away. I got the feeling his friends found the situation embarrassing.

When I related this anecdote to Liu Ping she said that his behaviour was rude here in China too. She had no further explanation for it

Labels: Asia, China, Hangzhou, travel

Alex is an Italian student who is spending three months in Hangzhou researching fungus in peanuts. He is keen to experience white-water rafting. The closest thing to that in this area is 'Drifting in Shuangxi River', 30 km out of Hangzhou. Not exactly white-water rafting but perhaps a pleasant way to see some of rural China.

We had agreed to go together last Sunday but on the day it was raining and it looked like it had set in for the day. (It had.) We looked at some other options and agreed on 'Chuiyun River to Heaven' which was a boat ride into a cave. At least I figured we'd be out of the rain. Unfortunately the free guide book that is readily available in Hangzhou gives only scant information and locals are rarely able to fill the gaps.

I have a map of Hangzhou that is in Chinese but it does have the bus routes marked in Arabic numerals. There is a bus route not far from the university that takes you to the West Bus Terminal, from the information we had this looked promising. At the terminal we found a staff member who could speak English and was very helpful. She helped us buy our tickets and put us on the right bus.

'How do we know when to get off?' I asked.

'Stop at bus terminal.'

It was a pleasant drive through the rural areas with very green views not unlike those I'd seen before through bus and train windows. (See my flickr pages.) Eventually we stopped in a town, not at a bus terminal but a T intersection. The bus conductor called us and beckoned to us to get off. She pointed down the side street which ended at the foot of a mountain, maybe 500 metres away. Obviously the terminal staff member had asked her to let us off.

After we'd gone a couple of blocks we found a restaurant and decided to have some lunch before we took our boat ride. They had no English menu and spoke no English. Both of us had learned our Chinese in the same university restaurant and we ordered 'dan chau fan' (egg fried rice) which seems to be a staple that is available everywhere.

When we came out the rain was heavier. I had an umbrella but Alex had no protection. As we passed a store on the roadside the vendor called out and waved an umbrella. Alex decided he needed one so nodded. The vendor wrote '50' down on a piece of paper. After I bought mine in Vietnam a local friend told me it was cheap and nasty and I had paid too much. While Alex is reaching for his money, I'm doing some sums in my head and figured he should offer ten in hope of getting it for about 20. By time I'd figured this out he'd already parted with his 50 so I decided to stay silent.

Along the road to the boat-ride entrance were many stalls selling souvenirs, snacks and umbrellas. There was plenty of competition. I'm sure he could have got a better price. But he bought from the first vendor without knowing how plentiful the supply was.

The entrance to the boat trip was quite grand. China sure makes the most of its tourist attractions. We bought our tickets. When we went through the gates we were told that we could not use umbrellas but needed to buy a raincoat, 5 yuan please. These raincoats were really cheap and nasty, designed to last for this trip and not much more. Even 5 yuan was too much for them but we had little choice.

There is a walkway to the river bank and then it's into the boat. The ride to the cave lasts about 50 metres and then we were under cover for the rest of the journey, except for the occasional drip from the ceiling. The umbrellas might have damaged the cave formations - but only if we left them up.

The cave was attractive but not spectacular. The ride was pleasant. There was also the opportunity to disembark here and there, explore and take a few photos. In contrast to much of China, there was non-slip flooring in these areas for which I was grateful. The river is on two levels and at one point the boat is taken up to the next level on an 'escalator'.






The ride ended somewhere in the middle of the mountain. There was a long flight of stairs that took us to the exit. When we came out into daylight there were two options to get back to the starting point. We could walk or take a toboggan ride.

The pitch we were given to encourage us to take the ride was that the walk took 45 minutes and the ride 5 minutes. To walk was free and the ride was another 40 yuan. Alex was keen to take the toboggan ride just for the fun of it. I was indifferent to it however I was not excited by the idea of walking through the bush and pushing past wet bushes for 45 minutes so I agreed to take the toboggan.

The sales pitch was a gross exaggeration. The toboggan ride was over almost as soon as it started, closer to one minute rather than five. For 40 yuan I feel we should have had unlimited access to it for an hour. As for the walk, I estimate it would have taken about five minutes. There was a well-made concrete path and it would not have been the least challenging even in the rain.






I took a few photos of the mist covered mountain and town and then we walked back to the highway. There was no bus station but it looked like there were a few people waiting for a bus opposite where we'd been dropped off. We pointed to an approaching bus and asked 'Hangzhou?'. We were given hand signals to indicate 'no'. After a few buses we were ushered onto one. There wasn't much space left. Alex sat with a few others on a hard bench seat at the back while I got to sit on a wooden box.

The trip out had cost us 46 yuan for the two of us. I gave the conductor 50 yuan. He gave no change and issued no tickets. When we were about three quarters of the way back to Hangzhou the bus pulled into a service station for a toilet stop. (Without going inside I could smell it.) There was another bus pulled up there, one that we had previously been told to not take. The conductor gestured for us to change to that bus. We did.

Eventually we were dropped alongside a river at a bus stop. Neither of us knew where we were. Opposite, on a hill was a tall pagoda. A nearby sign, in English as well as Chinese, told us it was the Pagoda of Six Harmonies. I was ready to get out my map with the bus routes and figure out which bus would take us back home. Alex was less adventurous. He hailed the first taxi to pass and it took us the rest of the way home.

Labels: Asia, China, Hangzhou, travel

Liu Ping is a student staying in the same university hotel as I am. Until recently our conversations were a polite 'Nihao' as we passed each other in the hall. We got chatting the other evening after she broke the ice by speaking to me in English. She mentioned she was going to Shanghai the next day for an interview. This was just the opportunity I had been hoping for as with my limited Chinese language, the thought of buying a ticket and getting around Shanghai was daunting. It really is a big city. The population of Shanghai is over 20 million. Compare that to the whole of Australia at a little over 21 million.

It was a wet day. We left our hotel at 6.45 am. Schools have gone back now and the bus we took to the station was crowded with school children. I was the last one on at our stop (because I don't push my way to the front of the queue like the Chinese do) and the driver had several attempts to close the door before I got all my bits and pieces inside. The kids all got off at the next stop and it became more civilized.

Once at the station we had almost an hour to wait before the next train. It was 8.55 by time we were on our way. We sat in a waiting room first and were allowed onto the platform a little before the train arrived. The entrance points for each carriage were marked on the platform and people were actually queuing. I was impressed. When the train arrived the doors did not align with the queues. There was a rush for the doors and the neat queues were lost. I'm not sure what the rush was for as all seats were allocated and no one was left standing. The trip was comfortable. Liu Ping told me that this was what was known as 'hard seat'. I had thought that meant boards but in fact it was a comfortable padded seat.

When we arrived at Shanghai both Liu Ping and I needed to catch a train on the underground to reach our respective destinations. I had chosen from my Lonely Planet guidebook to head for Henan Zhonglu station on the underground. We both started on the same train but I needed to get off and change before she was getting off. She had never been to Shanghai before either but at least she spoke the language. On the platform and on the train she asked several people for guidance about where I wanted to go. She got three different answers.

Liu Ping told me which station to get off and which line number I needed to switch to. When I got to the platform I realized I had to figure which direction I was going. Trains from either side of the platform go in opposite directions. On one side I could see nothing like 'Henan Zhonglu'. Bear in mind that I did not have the guide book out and was relying on the pronunciation in my head. Pinyin (romanized spelling of Chinese words) does not always provide a reliable pronunciation guide for English speakers. 'Henan Zhonglu' perhaps sounds more like 'Hernun Janglu' (but don't quote me on this). On one platform I could not see anything that appeared to fit. BTW, the station names are, thankfully, shown in both Pinyin and Chinese characters. On the other platform I saw one called 'Jiangsu Road'. 'Perhaps I've got my pronunciation mixed up,' I thought. This looks more promising than anything else. 'Ching wen,' I said to a couple on the platform. 'Excuse me' is one of the few bits of Chinese I am able to remember and it does get attention, after that my conversation is limited. Having got their attention, I then added, 'Hernan Janglu.'

'May I help you?' the guy asked in perfect English.

This gave me confidence. I told him I was trying to reach Henan Zhonglu. He confirmed that Jiangsu Road was correct and that it was seven stations. I explained to him where I was heading and what I was doing but in retrospect I doubt that he understood me. His English was certainly better than my Chinese but perhaps to some extent he was bluffing.

I counted the stations and got off the train. By now it was lunchtime. Out in the street I tried one restaurant. The menu was in Chinese and no one spoke English. I'd been told when I got to Shanghai many people could speak English. Yeah? That's what they said before I reached Hangzhou. The language was no better in the next restaurant but at least the staff was more helpful so I got a bowl of noodles there. It probably had a few ingredients that I'd rather not eat but I was too hungry to be fussy.

I headed back down the main road in the direction I was sure would take me to the Bund. After a few blocks there was a major intersection with, thankfully, a four-way pedestrian overpass.





On one of the pillars of this overpass there was a map of the area and on inspecting it I could see that I was nowhere near the Bund. Rather than waste more time trying to find my way I decided to make the most of where I was.

I spent a few hours wandering the streets. There was a lot of high rise but there was also the odd pleasant tree-lined street and interesting laneway with old houses.






I passed a few 'barber' shops with pretty girls wearing lots of makeup inside. I found one small art gallery and then returned to Jiangsu Road station. Perhaps it wasn't as exciting as Shanghai is supposed to be, then again, perhaps I was seeing the real Shanghai.

I had a new challenge now because we had bought tickets to return to Hangzhou from Shanghai South station. It was on a different line again. I spent several minutes studying the route map above the ticket counter but was still confused. 'Shanghai Nan' I said to the ticket seller.

'Where do you want to go?' he said in perfect English.

'Shanghai South' I replied and asked him at which station I changed trains. He really did seem to be able to communicate in English and gave me the appropriate advice. Fortunately there was no one else queuing a that time. Before I was quite finished a guy barged up, shoved his face in front of mine at the ticket window and started speaking loudly to the ticket seller. I resisted the urge to hit him.

Got to Shanghai South with no trouble. It is a very modern station. Quite impressive. I had plenty of time before the train left so I got out the Lonely Planet and figured where I'd gone wrong. Liu Ping was on the train when I boarded. She said she'd been worried about whether I'd find my way there.

The return train was quite impressive too. It travelled at up to 170 kph but it felt like 60. We had comfortable seats and were back in Hangzhou in about an hour.

Labels: Asia, China, Hangzhou, Shanghai, travel

Since making comments in earlier blogs on my observations of the lack of friendliness of the people I am meeting in China I have been asking myself what it is that I am needing. It seems that just about everywhere I go in the world I feel that I am loved. I ask myself is this feeling so fragile that when no love is being expressed towards me I feel unloved? I don't know if I have changed since thinking this through however on several occasions since, people here in Hangzhou have gone out of their way to show kindness towards me. I'm not sure what all this means but in the interest of balance I must say that there are friendly people here in Hangzhou as well as those who appear to be indifferent.

Labels: Asia, China, Hangzhou, travel

I have been thinking more of the effect of the single child policy on the personalities of Chinese people. I am also trying to understand why it is that, compared to most countries in Southeast Asia, I don't find the Chinese particularly friendly. I should qualify this statement. The Chinese are not unfriendly. They do not usually do anything negative. It is as if you don't exist or perhaps they simply have no need for you. This, at least, is my personal experience in the cities that I have visited.

My reasoning is this. Each Chinese child grows up with two doting parents who they share with no siblings. Probably both of these parents work. I am not sure what the situation is with professional child care but what I see as I stroll around town is children and grandparents together, sometimes just the grandmother and sometimes both grandparents. Each child as well as having two parents also has four grandparents to themselves. There are no cousins. And we all know how much grandparents love to lavish attention on their grandchildren. I guess Chinese grandparents are no different.

A child in most other countries has to compete for attention with their siblings. As we grow up, each of us learns the skills we need to get the attention we need. Sometimes these skills are negative ones like throwing tantrums but hopefully we learn some positive communication skills like; make eye contact, smile, say 'hello', pay a compliment. And by practising these skills we are being friendly.

A child from the single parent family has no such needs. They have no one to compete with. There are six people waiting to give them attention. The communication skills that many of us define as 'friendly' are unnecessary to these people. Therefore if I want to make friends in China it is up to me to take the initiative. The challenge is to master enough Mandarin language to do so before I leave.

Labels: Asia, China, communication, Hangzhou, travel

Life has taught me that when spoiled children become adults they don't always make the best partners. At times, they may even become psychotic when they realize they are losing, or have lost, the status of only child, most beautiful, or youngest child.

If you haven't experienced it for yourself perhaps you can imagine life in a country where almost everyone is an only child. Perhaps this helps to explain why cyclists beep the horns of their electric bicycles to urge pedestrians out of their way when they choose to ride on a footpath even though there is a dedicated bicycle lane.

In queues, for some, there appears to be only one rule: I have a right to be first. Similarly, on buses it's: I have a right to a seat. One day I boarded a bus that was so crowded it was several stops before I could move inside off the front steps. When I got in I was astonished to see that a child, probably no older than five, was occupying a seat beside her mother while frail elderly were standing. I guess I was also astonished that no one said anything. I certainly would have if only I could speak the language.

But surely not everyone here is totally selfish. I'm certain someone would stand up for a 90-year-old pregnant cripple.

Labels: Asia, China, Hangzhou

I went to visit a bookshop here just to see what it is like. It's huge. There are four floors and any one floor would qualify as a big shop in Australia. The Chinese language sections appear to cover just about everything. There is a foreign language section, not so huge, but substantial, catering mostly to English learners rather than expats.

What I could see that was quite different to bookshops in Australia is that most customers regard the shop as a reading library. People find a comfortable spot either on the floor or a ledge somewhere and relax with a book. There are literally hundreds of people, who are probably not customers in the sense that we understand, taking advantage of the opportunity to read perhaps a whole book.

I asked an acquaintance, who found nothing unusual about this and also pointed out that in the heat the airconditioning made it a pleasant place to escape for a few hours. This particular shop is one of a China-wide chain called Xinhua which, I am told, is owned by the government.

I've also noticed that the free-reading practice is common in the local supermarket which has a substantial book section too. Here I found so many people sitting on the floor between the shelves that it would have been very difficult for a genuine buyer to find the book they wanted.

Another interesting sight in the bookshop is the stickers at the end of many of the shelves. They are bilingual, not sure what it says in Chinese but in English it says: 'BERARE OF PICKPOCKETS'.

Labels: Asia, China, Hangzhou

It is end-of-year break at the university. Most of the student accommodation is empty. China provides masters and PhD students with a full scholarship that entitles them to return airfares, once only, and tuition, food and accommodation for four years. These students spend their first year studying Chinese language as that is the language of their study and thesis.

At this time, perhaps those who can afford it return to their homes. I am told that fares between China and Africa, for example, are quite expensive. The African students were probably not exactly wealthy before coming. They can hardly afford to return home. However a large proportion of the rooms in the building I have been staying in are currently empty. Perhaps that is why a room was available to me in the first place.

Now the university is taking the opportunity to refurbish. To make this easier for them they asked me to move to another building alongside, which I did a couple of days ago.

Today while I was having lunch I was joined by one of the African students. He told me that on the night I left there was a storm. Lightning struck the building. Some students suffered damage to computers and DVD players. I'm sorry this had to happen to them but from my perspective, the timing of my move out of the building was fortuitous.

Labels: Asia, China, Hangzhou

If you are exploring West Lake in Hangzhou there are a vast number of restaurants serving many different cuisines when you get hungry. Compared to Australian restaurants their prices are quite cheap. But with meals starting at around thirty yuan, for Asia they are expensive. I can afford to eat in one of these places occasionally without busting my budget. However as a long-term traveller I need to eat at usual Asian prices on a regular basis to stay within my limits. As you might imagine the further you get from the lake the cheaper the prices get. Only a few blocks away you will find noodle and rice places where you can get a meal from five yuan up. I'm staying two or three kilometres from the lake on a local university campus. There are a few buildings around that house students. Not sure who is in what. I'm in a building for foreign students. There are several Africans doing PhDs. I've also met an Italian and a Pakistani. Not sure about the others. At the end of the building is a restaurant. Prices are reasonable and the food is not too bad, usually. Sometimes it is a little oily for my taste and usually too salty. Or is it MSG? It sure beats the main student canteen where they cook food in bulk and its dished out from a tray. Actually, that is a very common way of buying a meal in southeast Asia, certainly in cheaper restaurants. It is so common that even the food technologists from Mahasarakham University accept it. They say they know the dangers but ignore them. I always tried to avoid such food as much as possible. In Thailand I liked phad Thai because they had to cook it on the spot. The restaurant at the end of my home here is often crowded, usually with Chinese. Not sure where they come from. Perhaps some of the other nearby buildings house Chinese post-grad students. Also people must come from off campus. Occasionally I see families. At the prices you can order up big and the bill is small. My meals there, comprising of say three dishes, usually add up to between six and fourteen yuan around one or two Australian dollars. Dishes are usually a single item. You mix and match to make a meal. Because of the foreign students they have a menu with an English translation, another reason I eat there. You get a dish called 'fried green vegetable'. And that's what you get. No extras. 'Fried rice with egg' has rice, egg and just enough bits of shallot to give it some colour but not flavour. 'Three vegetable dish' is three of whatever they have in the kitchen and 'vegetable' includes mushroom. Last Friday night, it was really busy. I was lucky to find a table. Among other things I ordered chicken in lemon sauce. The chicken is cut into small pieces and dipped in batter. When I bit into mine, it was hot on the outside and cold on the inside. Not cool. Cold. What do I do? Well, I could get past the first problem. 'Ching wen!' At least I can remember how to call the waitress. In the Mandarin course I am doing there is a unit on restaurants including how to say the food is cold but I could not remember it. And I still haven't learned the word for chicken. The waitress came over with her usual smiling face. There were four young people at the table next to mine. I turned to them and said, 'Please, does anyone speak a little English?' A young woman answered. I was saved. She was able to translate for me and the offending dish was taken away. It took longer for them to return with it than it had for them to serve it the first time. I thought perhaps they were really making sure it was cooked through this time but it was still only luke warm. I didn't bother to say anymore. It's too difficult. And I didn't suffer any ill effects.

Labels: Asia, China, Hangzhou

Recently I spent a long morning exploring Wushan Hill. Coming back a different way, I saw these old roofs when I was close to the bottom. Down a few flights of stairs I found myself in an old area with many buildings in various states of restoration. The old houses have been taken over by shops selling products and services that might appeal to tourists. I think this sort of thing is rather rare in China. There appears to be more of a trend here to completely destroy old buildings and replace them with something new, often a copy of something old. I like this area and took a few pictures. You will find a few of them along with some of Wushan Hill on my flickr page (see sidebar).

Labels: Asia, China, Hangzhou

I am enjoying China. I've been here about three weeks now and thought it might be worthwhile making a few general observations. This is nothing more than that. In the time I've been here I don't feel qualified to make any definitive comments.

It is quite different from what I had expected and quite an interesting place. I had come prepared to dislike it but I must admit I am enjoying myself. China appears to be on a headlong rush to modernize and join the western world. Building construction is going on wildly in cities, well the ones that I've been to, and I also see lots of road construction. The roads are in a sense ahead of their time because most of the population still ride bicycles or motorbikes. When China becomes really prosperous I wonder if the roads (not to mention the ozone layer) will handle everyone having a car. But at the moment traffic seems to flow well.

Public transport, mostly buses, is good here in Hangzhou. Buses are regular and zig-zag across the CBD so most areas are covered pretty thoroughly so long as you know the route.

I think that the rural areas are way behind. In fact I think there is less difference between us and the Chinese in the cities than there is between the Chinese in the cities and the Chinese in the country. I say this having seen the countryside only out of bus and train windows. But what I am reading supports this too. I would love to go and spend some time in a country village but I think the only way I could make that happen, unless I go to a tourist oriented place which I want to avoid, is to get a job teaching in a village. I doubt that that is going to happen.

Weather here can be extreme. Since I've arrived in Hangzhou the temperature has reached 38 or 39 almost every day. I'm told that in winter it can reach minus 10. That is a good reason that I wouldn't want to come here to teach. Not long-term anyway.

Recently I went shopping in an IT mall. It isn't all that cheap considering everything is made here. There's a couple studying here who come from Thailand and they reckon Chinese-made IT is cheaper in Bangkok. Among other things I bought myself a flash drive. It seems everyone else has one but until now I didn't feel the need. However, the one problem I have here, apart from language, is internet. I think basically what happens here is that China is happy to go it alone. Lets face it, they have over one billion people in this country, they hardly need the rest of the world. They can afford to ignore us. I think their internet works fine with Chinese sites but not so good elsewhere. Of course the Chinese sites are not often useful to me. Internet cafes aren't really set up for people like me who want to bring in their laptop and connect. It wouldn't be hard for them to do but once again they can't be bothered. There's not that many western tourists around. They cater to Chinese guys and a few girls who want to play games. I spent a whole day transferring files to the flash drive and then uploading them via another computer. Would take about half the time if I could plug in my own computer. In any case once again I'm regularly updating my flickr pages. Please take a look.

And finally, a quick comment on the government. I don't think it is any better or worse than we get through our democratic processes in the west.

Labels: Asia, China, Hangzhou

I am now visiting Hangzhou which is reputed to be the most beautiful city in China. The central attraction here is West Lake which is quite close to the city centre. Surrounding the lake is West Lake Scenic Area. I'm writing this after just a few days here. I expect to stay longer so I'll add more as I can.

There is a small problem in that I haven't found an internet cafe where I can connect my own computer which slows me down a little particularly with uploading photos. Bear with me, lots of pics of China's most beautiful city coming to my flickr pages soon. Click the links on the sidebar if you haven't already seen my pics of other parts of China.

Last Friday I spent a hot afternoon exploring just one corner of the gardens surrounding the lake. They are extensively landscaped and piped music soothes you as you walk. Photos ready to upload. Hang in there.

Quotes from a locally published Hangzhou travel guide:

'the "petty (sic) bourgeois" lifestyle has been existing reasonably.'

'It (West Lake) covers an area of 6.38 sq km, the average depth being 2.27m.'

'It (still West Lake) has mountains on three sides and the city on the remaining one side.'

Labels: Asia, China, Hangzhou