Richard Eriksson

Note: This was the first email I sent to an email list I created before the trip. The list consisted of friends and family who were interested in being up to date on my adventure.

Hi everybody.

As you all know, I'm going to China this summer, and I thought a good way to keep in touch with everybody was to set up an e-mail list. If everything works out, every week I'll go to the nearest (and/or cheapest) Internet cafe and tell you about my adventures.

Please let me know if your e-mail address changes. Anybody who's taking the summer off at SFU should still get the e-mails, just not until they get back. Hopefully I'll be able to access Excite from China, because, after all, Internet access is tightly monitored there.

I leave on Monday for Tokyo, spend the night there, and then fly to Beijing. We (I'm with a group of 13 people) are going to spend a week in Beijing, taking in the sites, like Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall of China, etc. Then we take an 11 hour train ride to Changchun, which is about 1000 km northeast of Beijing. I will be studying Mandarin for 7 weeks, and there will be field trips and special lectures on various aspects of Chinese culture. I'm most looking forward to the caligraphy section.

I hope you get used to long e-mails from me, because I'll probably have lot to report. I'll be keeping a journal, and I'll be taking lots of pictures, don't worry. If I get enough good pictures I'll try to put together some slide show presentations.

I hope I get to see or hear from you before I leave. I'm nervous, but I'm also excited.

I've been in Beijing for three days now, and we finally found an Internet cafe, about twenty minutes by taxi from the hotel.

The flight to Tokyo was long, like 9 1/2 hours. It actually wasn't bad. I watched a movie starring Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer. And as a group we managed to entertain ourselves. The flight attendants were very pretty and helpful, and I made sure I asked for water everytime I ran out. And the hot towels they gave at the beginning and the end of the flight were incredible. Then after finally getting to the hotel in Narita (a suburb of Tokyo where the new airport is) we headed for the local Buddhist temple, and an American pilot for Japan Airlines (the airline we flew on) showed us around the area, and recommended some good restaurants which we had to pass up, because we were only there for the night. But we found the temple thanks to his directions, and the neighbourhood was quiet but very pretty. Then we went and had fast-food seafood and rice, which was surprisingly good. The server didn't speak English, but we gave her credit for trying, and she was very helpful. On the way back we ran into the pilot again, who was heading back to the hotel himself.

Next morning we flew to Beijing, and we were picked up by Fang Laoshi and Li Laoshi. "Laoshi" means teacher, and literally translated means "old master". Fang Laoshi is a fifty year old man, and Li Laoshi is twenty-something, and she has her bachelor's degree in English Language and is working towards her masters. Her English name is Eileen. After dinner at the hotel, we went walking down one of the streets. Now, in Beijing, the traffic system is very, very different. You must understand that pedestrians do not have the right of way, nor do the bicycles. Cars have the right of way, always. People are often waiting in the middle for a break in traffic to cross. And honking seems to substitute for shoulder checking. One honks when one wants to change lanes. Our bus driver, who is a very nice man, honks very often, sometimes it seems, randomly. Crossing the street is only scary, however, if you let it be. If you get in the way, you will be honked at and you get out of the way. That simple.

So, anyway, we walked down one of the main thoroughfares, the name of which I don't know simply because street sings are scarce. We ended up hailing some taxis to go to a nightclub, called the "Nightman Disco". Yeah, Nightman. And yeah, Disco. Nightclubs are discos. Just have to get used to it. When we got there we were too early, so we walked around the market outside for a while. It opened ten minutes later, and there was no cover, probably because we were "VIP" (i.e. foreigners). When we got inside, there was this sappy Chinese pop singer singing love songs. It got tedious. And the drinks were expensive (I paid 15 kuai, $3 for a can of Pepsi). But the pop singer finally stopped, and the DJ started playing some really good dance music. Not adult dance music, but rave dance music. There were all of two white people there: Andrea, who's in our group, and myself. But we had a lot of fun, and all of us danced (actually, the girls and I danced while the other men of the group got drunk).

The next day, yesterday, was very long. First on the list after a nice, huge breakfast, was Tiananmen Square. Everything I've read about this place doesn't give it justice. It is big and magnificent. I have a few pictures of myself in front of the huge portrait of Mao Zedong, leader of the 1949 Communist Revolution and ruler of China until his death in 1976. His policy failures included the Great Leap Forward, leading to a great famine, and the Cultural Revolution, leading to many unfortunate deaths among the intellegentsia in China. A whole generation lost out on education. But the Chinese Communist Party's evalutation of him remains to be 70% right, 30% wrong. I swear, the Communist Party has a number for everything.

Then we saw the Forbidden City, which, as the name suggests, meant that in imperial days, ordinary citizens could not live there. Just the emperor and his entourage. But the Communists, being the good anti-imperialists they are, opened up the City as one of China's cultural showcases. We were led through the foreigner entrance (there being a different entrance for native Chinese). The Chinese have to wait in line, while the foreigners' entrance is lined with souvenir shops. I don't know what's worse, waiting in line or being hawked cheap crap. The Forbidden City was amazing, and I have a picture of one of the entrances where there are two small hooks above it, which were used to hang the heads of criminals to show who was in charge.

Funny thing happened in between going to the Temple of Heaven. We were having lunch (jiaozi, or dumplings), and a splattered some sauce on my white t-shirt. So I thought I would be going to the temple in a dirty shirt, but it turned out that somebody needed time to change the date of their return ticket, so the rest of us went shopping, and I got up the courage to look for a t-shirt. I took out my Mandarin phrasebook, and went around to the various mens clothes store in the mall we were in and asked the clerks in Chinese "you meiyou" (which means literally "have or not have") and then pointed to t-shirts in the little Chinese dictionary at the back of the phrasebook. The first clerk read it, and said "meiyou" ("don't have") so I went to the next store and asked the same thing. They had some, and then I asked "you meiyou 'XL'?", and they did. So with body language they told me I could try it on, and I did, and it was good so I bought it. I paid about $16 Canadian.

Another shopping experience in which I used my poor Mandarin skills happened yesterday. I was looking at some jade amulets, and one of them looked like something familiar, so I asked the lady there "shi Guanyin ma?" ("is that Guanyin?"). After she was startled to learn I knew some Mandarin, she responded, "shi, dui le" ("is, correct"). Then she said something I didn't know, and I said "wo bu mai" ("I not buy") to which she responded with "ni kan kan" ("you just looking")

Today we went to the Great Wall of China, and Eileen decided it would be best to go up the steep, non-tourist way, which she thought wasn't such a good idea after all. I got a bleeding nose about half way up, but after I recovered I made it all the way, and bought the requisite "I climbed the Great Wall" t-shirt, for about 15 kuai, or $3. Later we were offered one for 3 kuai, less than $1, but that was after the guy I was walking with said to the person offering it that I bought mine for 5 kuai. Then we went to the Ming Tombs, but they weren't too impressive. After that though, we went to the Summer Palace, and it was by far the best place we've seen. It was very relaxing. Well, except for the steps we climbed, but the scenery was beautiful once we got to the top of the Palace.

I've taken a lot of pictures, as you might expect. I'm trying to get pictures of old, traditional architecture and the new emerging skyline of Beijing. I'm calling them the "Beijing: Old and New" series. One time in Tiananmen Square, two pretty Chinese girls asked if I would be in a picture with them, and I happily obliged, but I forgot to get a picture of them and myself with my camera. Oh well, live and learn. I got a nice picture of myself with two children, both very pretty girls. That was today. I asked Grandfather "qingwen, tamen he wo, hao ma" ("excuse me, them and me, okay?") using the "can-I-take-a-picture" body language. I got one on my camera, and he got one on his. I can't wait to see them. All day I was thinking of getting myself and a little Chinese child in a picture, and I got the courage to do it. It's right you know: you get the courage after you do the things you're afraid of, not before. I'm also eating whatever they give me, and by far it's mostly been excellent food. Very greasy though, but no complaints here.

This is only the beginning, but I'm already having an experience I will remember forever.

Last night we had a 12 hour train trip to from Beijing to Changchun (about 1000km northeast of Beijing), and I just got in this morning at 8:00. So far today all I've done is get my hotel room (and switch to a different one because the toilet didn't work), and I went shopping with some of the girls. I bought a small notebook, just in case I need something to write on tomorrow.

Classes start tomorrow, and I wasn't sure what we'd be given in the way of school supplies. We met our 'buddies', although we haven't been paired up yet. I think two people are going to get one buddy, and that buddy is going to show us the ropes in Changchun. I was going to ask where the nearest Internet cafe was, but we already found that, and it's pretty good. Nice computers, and only liang kuai (about 50 cents) an hour. Or at least I think it's per hour. I'll find out after I'm done. And it's right near the hotel too.

Tonight is a banquet, and I think I have to give a little speech. I'm told it's okay to do it in English, but I might have to speak Chinese. Oh well, I'll think of something.

I'm a little sick from Beijing, because I was really tired after being dragged to various temples and such. We saw another Buddhist temple before the train ride, and it was nice, but I think I was all templed out. I do have a picture of the plaque for a Guiness World Record of a Buddhist statue carved out of a single tree, but out of respect for the Buddha, not a picture of the statue itself. It was at least 5 storeys high.

China is an interesting place so far, but it is very busy. The roads are packed with cars, bicycles and people, all competing (and the cars usually winning) for open spaces. We went to a nightclub on Saturday called "Rock And Roll" and if it were in Vancouver, it would be in violation of several regulations, not the least of which is the fire code. The dance floor was packed with people, with no room to dance, and to walk around outside the dancefloor I had to do as the Chinese: push my way around. Because there are so many people, it's the system that works. Yesterday before the train, we went to the silk market, which is in the embassy district of the capital, and there were lots of foreigners, but everything sold there was fake. Monica bought a Polo bag except the zipper had a different, unrecognizable brand name on it. A word of advice whenever in China: don't buy watches or batteries from markets. Dominic bought a watch for 90 kuai (16 dollars), and he keeps having to change it forward.

We couldn't find the Canadian embassy, but we saw the American, Sri Lankan, Vietnamese and Czech embassies. They were all well-guarded by People's Liberation Army soldiers, I think to keep any Chinese people not working there out.

I had my first day of class today, but before that, I want to talk about last night, the first night in Changchun. We had our reception, and my speech went well, I think. I talked to my buddy, Willis, and he plays a little bit of basketball, but he's more interested in soccer. So is one of the other male buddies, Lee. We talked for a while, and Benny, my roommate, brought up Falun Gong, but I changed the subject. Didn't feel right talking about it.

Then, the buddies (including a doctoral student, Daniel and two others who are still studying for their bachelor's) left for their residences, then a bunch of us wanted to see the park. Ended up we met with some Bolivian students who were living in Changchun for at least a year each, and had been studying in China for at least three years each. So their Chinese was very good. In fact, they were speaking Chinese to each other! They took us around, and showed us the park, which was very nice and peaceful, and we all are hoping to go back often. Then they showed us around the neighbourhood before leaving for their residences. They're going to take us to a nightclub on Friday.

Today was the first day of class, and before class we were all tested on our level of Chinese. I did okay on the written part, but during the oral part, the woman asked me questions I would have known if I had studied for just three months more. Then I understood the questions given to Benny (the oral and written exams were done with everybody together in the same room). So I asked for a second chance, and I had a better chance to answer, because the questions were simpler and I had some good answers. I didn't understand fully, but it meant that I understood some Chinese and didn't need to start right from the very beginning again. So there are three classes, and I'm in the middle class. The subject matter is the same (same textbooks for each levels), just more advanced talking than in some classes than others.

And we just bought four cases of water for the boys. That should last us about a couple weeks. It was only 120 kuai (24 dollars). Not bad, since it's for five guys.

Lots to report. In one of my classes, the listening section, we listened to Chinese words and had to write them in pinyin (which is using English letters to spell Chinese words), and the second part was an ask-and-answer section. During that part, the class was asked "ni zhidao shenme" ("what do you know?") and I answered "Wo zhidao Dashan" ("I know Dashan"). Now, most of you don't know who Dashan is, but most Chinese people do. Dashan (which means "big mountain") is a Caucasian, Canadian graduate of Toronto University. He studied Mandarin for four years, and married a Chinese woman. On an extended trip to China, he appeared on TV in a skit, and, unbeknownst to him, 400,000,000 (yes, 400 million) people saw him speak fluent Chinese. So my teacher (who, my classmates say, likes me, because she was asking me all the questions and not the rest of the group) said I was Xiaoshan (small mountain). My classmates told our Chinese buddies, and so far the name has stuck. Now whenever somebody calls out Xiaoshan, I turn my head. (To find out more about Dashan, who's almost unknown in Canada, but hugely famous in China, should check out www.dashan.com)

My Chinese name (Li Xiaoshan): 李小山

That was a couple of days ago. Yesterday was fun. We met Fang Laoshi at the hotel at 4:00, and we were taken to see acrobats, but it can be better described as a Variety Show. First there were the dancers. They were all beautiful Chinese girls around the age of 17 or so. Then there were the unicyclers, who at one point skipped rope while on the unicycles. Then there was a little boy who squeezed himself in a tube and then out the other side. It was quite impressive. And then the fashion show. All the dancers were dressed in just beautiful Chinese dresses and walked around with fans. They were all very pretty, and that was easily the best part of the show! And there was a man who did some Peking opera, but I've always found Peking Opera to be shrill, and he didn't dress up in the traditional costume, so he didn't have much presence. About halfway through the variety show, we were offered to have a disco, for only ten minutes, because we told the lady that some of us had already made plans to go later last night. Well, anyway, it took some of us by surprise (I knew about it during the show, but some didn't). Anyway, when it was time, several young teenage girls asked us to dance, and I ended up being the only to accept. I mean, come on, how many times am I going to get the opportunity to dance in the middle of a variety show? Well, everybody else wasn't interested, but I had fun. I got to know one girl's name (Wei), and I danced for about five minutes before saying "hao le" (okay, done). Then came the magic show. I mean, it was pretty simple, but I was still impressed. Near the end of the show, the woman doing the tricks did the one where she changes her outfit in seconds inside a silk bag. After she did it once, the assistant came to my seat and asked for me to come up. Again, how many times am I going to get to do this? So right away I accepted. I get a pretty good clap from the mostly Chinese audience. Then I helped the assistant bring the bag over the woman, and shook the bag, and she changed her outfit. Again, I was impressed. I got another ovation from the crowd, and then went to my seat. After the show, my friends (or so-called friends, since they didn't want to dance with me) all called out "Xiaoshan, Xiaoshan."

Today we went to the palace of Puyi, the last emperor of China. Those who have seen the movie The Last Emperor will know about Puyi. He was a child when he was installed as emperor by Empress Cixi, but was only given ceremonial powers by the Nationalists. Then, when the Nationalists finally ousted Puyi, the Japanese government set him up as the emperor of Northeast China, but power in that region was really in the hands of the Japanese Ambassador. Changchun was where Puyi and his wives (yes, plural) lived, and the story goes that one of them (there are conflicting stories as to which one it was) smoked opium and went crazy, as people who smoke opium do. We also saw the museum, and there was an exhibition on the atrocities committed by the Japanese army in Northeast China. There is a residue of hatred against the Japanese for this period, as one of my classmates was having lunch just after our trip to the museum, when she walked in to the kitchen by mistake. They called her a Japanese person (which is weird, because she's actually Chinese) and yelled at her to leave.

Anyway, I wasn't overly impressed with the palace. It might of been the traffic jam we got into going there, because today there is a huge market on the street leading into the palace. I had a lot of fun last night though, and I kind of enjoy the attention I'm getting as a gwai lo (okay, that's Cantonese, not Mandarin, for 'white guy').

It seems like everybody's been to the South Campus but me. Apparently though, you need a student card everywhere you go, which none of us have yet. And plus, it's not close to anything, and most seem glad that we are in the older, North Campus rather than the newer South Campus.

Today was pretty exciting, and warrants an update. Class was uneventful, except for the fact that today we didn't have Wang Laoshi, who apparently likes me but not my roommate. We had Li Laoshi, who was a woman about the same age as Wang Laoshi, but she doesn't give preferential treatment. She does give out more homework than the other teachers combined, but I think she's okay. Better than Wu Laoshi, whom we understand, but whose voice makes us want to go to sleep.

Today, after class, I went to the Internet cafe and found out that the United States Congress granted China permanent normal trading relations, which is not essential for WTO approval, but certainly helps. The Chinese government, according to the state newspaper (there are only state newspapers here), is happy, but doesn't like the human rights provisions. No surprise there. Then I went with Sophie to the zoo. Since I can barely remember things that happened yesterday, if I'm re-introducing Sophie, I apologize. Sophie is a young woman that during some of my classmates' aerobics, came up to them and asked if she could talk to a 'pure' Canadian. My classmates, who are Cantonese but born and raised in Canada in English, apparently aren't 'pure' Canadians. They think she wants to talk to a white person, but wanted to be delicate. But my classmates suggested Andrea, who is Caucasian, but Sophie said she wanted a guy. My classmates think she wants a white boyfriend, and I'm starting to believe them. But Sophie, her English name, wants to practice the English she learned in high school, because she has an interview, entirely in English, for admission to a prestigious university in Nanjing. At least that's her story. So I met her on Monday, and we talked for about two hours, comparing how things were in China to how they were in Canada, and I showed my pictures that I brought. I knew they would come in handy: they're a good conversation starter.

Today Sophie and I went to the zoo. The zoo is actually pretty close to the hotel, so we didn't have to walk far, and it was actually pretty big. I saw tigers, giraffes, and lions (first time I've seen all those animals up close). And of course the zoo has a panda, which we saw. One cage had dogs, apparently still not domesticated as they are in North America. I'm pretty sure she's looking for something more than just practicing English, but I've made a friend, and she wants to introduce me to her friends, and she has a friend at the hotel kitchen who might teach me how to cook a Chinese meal. That might be a challenge, because I can barely cook a Western meal. We'll see what happens with that.

Then, in the evening, we met our guide in Beijing, and pretty much our guide here in Changchun, Fang Laoshi. He's a cool guy, always in a chipper mood, and could probably drink all of us combined under the table, which we found out today. The restaurant was very busy, but, because we're foreigners (and therefore assumed to be rich) we had a secluded room, and two tables each with a propane stove. We were given a hot pot with boiling soup, and then came the lamb meat. We put the lamb meat into the boiling soup, waited for a couple minutes, then took the lamb and dipped it into the sauce. It was delicious. Then came the pijiu (Chinese for beer). Fang Laoshi kept on ordering beer, and I finally had to fill my glass with tea so that he couldn't pour beer into it. Everytime he filled our cup, he said "ganbei!" (bottoms up!) and we drank. Some of the girls even joined in. My roommate Benny got drunk, and the girls tried to take advantage of him by getting him to tell them what his girlfriend's name was, but he succeeded in frustrating them. Even in his drunken state, he knew that if they knew his girlfriend's name, they would bug him for the whole trip. I think he saw how I got bugged when my classmates told the rest of the group they thought Wang Laoshi liked me, and they still bug me about Sophie. But hey, I'm having fun.

My English lessons with Sophie is the only extra-curricular activity I have the energy for. Everybody else feels compelled either to wake up at 5:00AM and do tai qi, or do Shaolin kung fu in the evening. Some do both! Nope, not for me. I think I will go to class, study, rest, and have a weekly visit with a nice Chinese woman, and that will be enough. And of course the field trips. This weekend we are going to Harbin and Jilin City, and we're going on at least one boat ride, which I'm in favour of. The more boat rides the better, I think. Then in a couple weeks we should be going to Inner Mongolia, and some other time (not sure when), there is a nice boat ride in some caves. This trip is proving more and more interesting as it progresses.

I still have to change the date of my plane ticket to the second, but some of my friends are going to Shanghai, and I'm told it's not-to-miss. So far I've only decided that I want to go back to Tiananmen Square, except this time during the evening, when there aren't as many tourists, and when it's more tranquil.

So ends another update, and my day at the Internet cafe, which is conveniently close, but slow. There is apparently a faster one, but that means more walking. I'll try it, and see whether speed is more important than convenience. Plus it's really smokey in here, but I really shouldn't complain about that, because it's smokey everywhere. No WCB regulations in China.

A lot has happened since the last update, as always. We just got back from Harbin, which is a 4 1/2 hour drive north from Changchun. The first interesting thing wasn't in Harbin, but on the way there and back. I got my first glimpse of the countryside of China, and the small part I saw was vast. I saw rice fields and vegetable fields, and workers toiling all day in the sun. The countryside of China has played an integral part in Chinese history, especially the twentieth century. Even though the Communist Party started as a group of urban intellectuals, a peasant from a fairly well off family, Mao Zedong, was instrumental in convincing the Communist Party that the revolution would spring from the peasants, which made up (and still makes up) the vast majority of the Chinese population. After Mao Zedong stormed the cities (and betrayed the countryside by ruling from the cities), he launched the Great Leap Forward, a policy which called for the doubling of agricultural output every year and the collectivization of farmland, and caused a famine that killed tens of millions of people in a span of 3 years. The Cultural Revolution, another of Mao's disastrous policies, plunged the urban areas into chaos. The countryside was affected only when those who were purged were sent to the countryside, to "learn from the peasants". This just ended up further alienating both the urban population and the countryside from the Communist Party. The People's Republic of China was built from the blood and sweat of the countryside. Things have eased since the 1970s, but the government continues to subsidize the urban growth with food seized from the farms.

Harbin itself was okay. The hotel didn't have a shower (well, okay, it did, but shower water would have made us dirtier, not cleaner!). The first thing we saw was the Harbin Tiger Park. Okay, think of the movie Jurassic Park, when they were led through the park in automated Jeeps. Instead of automated Jeeps, we had a bus with no bars to protect us. We drove to the first couple of tigers, and they came up close and didn't even think of going after us. And the windows were wide open! Then a small truck (with bars) drove up, and the tigers got excited: feeding time. The driver of the truck threw out a couple of live chickens (yes, live chickens) and we got to see the tiger catch, pluck, and proceed to eat the chicken alive. It was a lot less violent than I expected. The chicken didn't try to get away when it was being plucked, and the tiger just took its time. Still, three of the girls in our group had to look away, and two of them were crying at the end of it.

Then we saw the Sino-Japanese Friendship park. Not too interesting, except there were some beautiful women dressed up in brightly coloured dresses who got married before we got there. Then we went to a Russian church, right in the middle of department stores. Totally out of place. And they were demolishing old houses behind it. This morning we went to yet another Buddhist temple (even though they are all very beautiful, they're really all the same). And then the Russian Market, which meant cheap 'Russian' souvenirs sold by Chinese people. Being Northeast China, there is a big Russian presence, but the only things they sold at the market were Russian dolls (you know, the ones where there is a doll inside, and then a doll inside that one?) and binoculars left over from the Russian Red Army.

While I was in Harbin, I was mistaken for Dashan (check out his website, it's worth it) not once, not twice, but 5 times!! That's okay, I let them point at me and think that Dashan had entered their stores.

Anyway, next week we go to Jilin City, which should be more interesting (plus we get to miss class). At least there will be a boat ride.

Harbin is a more developed town than Changchun, but the surroundings of the university (we stayed overnight in the dorms) aren't as nice as the North Campus of Jilin University. There was a field school from Calgary staying at the university there, but I didn't get to meet them. They were doing their thing and we ours. The South Campus is about a half hour away by shuttle bus from the North Campus. The North Campus is older, and closer to the downtown core of Changchun, while the South Campus is newer, but there is no night life and not very many stores. The consensus is that we are better off here in the North Campus than at the South campus, but I haven't been there, and hopefully I'll get to go soon.

This week is crazy. This Friday and Saturday we are supposed to participate in a sports meet, but I think it's track and field, not soccer or basketball. And Friday we are invited to a party with 40 Jilin University students, and we all have to come up with a performance. I've volunteered to read (or memorize, not sure which) a children's poem from a book that I bought. Another person is going to sing a song by Jacky Cheung, famous Hong Kong pop singer, and there might be a skit. And then Monday (Sunday is a rest day!) we go to Jilin City and come back.

Yesterday was a long day, and pretty interesting. We didn't have class yesterday, but we woke up at 6:00AM, and we were taken to the south campus of Jilin University, where a sports meet was being held. We participated in the opening ceremonies. The international students of Jilin University were given t-shirts, and we were to walk with all the other faculties' students and professors. It was kind of like the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, only on a smaller scale. There were lots of people attending them though, and the crowd was grouped in different sections, some with parasols, some with the cards forming a Chinese character I didn't recognize (in fact, it looked like Japanese), and some sections waving pompoms. There were about 1,000 spectators, and we paraded in front of them. The math department was surprisingly disciplined, walking in step and shouting their slogan clearly. Our logan was "Friendship First, Competition Second." Some students got tired of waiting in line to parade in the stadium, and started making their own slogans, like "Rest First, Study Second". Silly people.

The sports meet consisted of kung fu demonstrations, kick boxing, and of course, track and field. We didn't stay long thought, because it was hot, even at 7:00AM when the parade started. We ate some really good cold noodles at the south campus cafeteria. Then we were bussed back to the north campus, where most people napped, but I went to the Internet cafe. Then, after lunch, some of the girls, one of the girls' boyfriend (who's came to visit from Hong Kong), and I went with Wang Laoshi, one of my Chinese teachers (it should be noted that all my teachers are female) to go shopping for custom made Chinese dresses. Nobody bought anything, but the fabrics they looked at were beautiful. On the way to the market, my white t-shirt that I got at the sports meet got dirty from wearing the seat belt in the taxi. Apparently, most cab drivers recommend not wearing the seat belt, but my cab driver didn't tell me. I don't know what it is with me and white t-shirts. No matter how hard I try, I always get them dirty the day I wear them.

In the evening were invited to a party held by the Tax College (that's what it's called, and guess what they study there?) and we were all given gifts, which were vases and plates with Chinese artwork on them. I don't know how I'm bringing mine back, or if for that matter, but it was something nobody in our group expected. We were treated to some dancing, Mandarin songs, a Japanese song (sung by a Korean-Chinese), and two Cantonese songs. I was most impressed by the Cantonese songs, because they were sung by the English teacher, who never lived in Guangdong province (where Cantonese is spoken), does not have Cantonese parents, and for that matter never learned to speak Cantonese. He just copied the pronunciation of the song, and my Cantonese roommate said he was about 85% right. Not bad, I say. Then there were some bad jokes by the Chinese hosts, and, just as I thought, they asked if anybody had a joke to share. I volunteered, and told my dad's famous penguin joke. Those who don't know the joke, you should ask me to tell it sometime. But I put it a Chinese context, so instead of penguins, I used pandas, and instead of the San Diego zoo, I used the Changchun Animal Park. The Chinese students there didn't get it initially, but the English teacher understood it, and translated it. It got a pretty good laugh after he told it in Chinese. We also played some games, like musical chairs. Musical chairs is invariably a violent game, and this time was no exception.

After that, some of the girls wanted to eat, and I came along. I was under the impression that we were going to find a desert place, but ended up eating jiaozi (Chinese dumplings). They were pretty good, and cheap too, but some of the girls complained today of stomach problems, so we might avoid that restaurant in the future. I didn't have any problems though.

Yesterday was a long day, starting at 6:00AM ending at midnight. My roommate came home later than I did, but I didn't notice until this morning. I was pretty tired, and today I slept in (finally!), but there was construction outside our hotel window (on the 9th floor!), and that woke me up. I didn't sleep in as late as I wanted to, but there was hot water in the shower this morning, so I can't really complain. I didn't study yesterday, and should probably get studying this weekend. We're doing one lesson a day, which is different from my Chinese class at SFU, which was a lesson a week. I am learning a lot though, and I think I found my groove with the characters. A couple hours of studying after class seems like enough.

At the party, one of the students, a girl, asked me who my favourite singer was. My favourite singer is Bjork, but I wasn't sure if she'd know who that was, so I started by saying she was from Iceland (I said it in Chinese: "Bingdao") and she instantly said Bjork. I asked her who her favourite singer was, and she said Ricky Martin. The Chinese are by no means isolated from Western popular culture. There are still filters of course, as many Internet sites are blocked by the censors. And we were talking to Eileen, our guide and interpreter in Beijing, about Stalin and the former Soviet Union, about the millions who died under that regime. She remarked, sensitively, that we had a different educational system, which we later interpreted to mean that the Chinese people don't hear about that side of history. Democracy is a long way from happening in China. Even still, capitalism is taking hold, and China is more and more a Communist state in name only.

Tonight we are invited to a barbeque held by some of the international students, and Sunday I am giving a talk to some high school students going on exchange to Vancouver college on what to expect from Canadian culture. Monday is a trip to Jilin City, which I hear is very beautiful, and might include a boat trip across the lake there, so no class on Monday either. Looks like I have a restful weekend ahead of me.

This past weekend was very busy. On Saturday, right after my last update, I went with Bonnie and her boyfriend to South Campus, which is about a twenty minute cab ride from the North campus in Changchun. There we met up with Cherie, from our group, and Nasir, a Morocan student Cherie met at school. All of us went to a friend of Nasir's house, where we met Daniel, a French teacher at a private college next to the South campus of Jilin University. We talked mostly in French, and it was really nice. Cherie had been in the French Immersion class in high school, and Bonnie knew some French as well. I was in French Immersion up until grade 9, but I took the French-as-a-second-language courses in high school and some classes at SFU. It had been three years or so since I spoke French, but it came back really quickly.

Later, the Canadian students were invited to the International students barbeque, where we cooked meat of some kind. I'm pretty sure it wasn't dog. Oh, that reminds me, I have eaten dog, and it's actually not bad. A bit tough, but tasty. I'm eating a lot of new dishes here, but I've decided not to knowingly eat cat. Anyway, we met some new friends at the barbeque, and Sun Laoshi unexpectedly made an appearance with his 3-year-old daughter. He doesn't speak any English, but he's surprisingly understandable. Then about 6 of us were taken to his apartment, and met his wife, and ate some fruit. The daughter was so cute, but she was very shy, and didn't want to talk to us. Sun Laoshi said that if she got to know us, she'd be more talkative. Afterwords, we went back to the party, and I met a guy from France, and I spoke to him for quite a while, in French, English, and Chinese. That was an experience alright. The Canadians left the party early (too many drunk people for our liking), so we went back to the hotel, where we met a Russian fellow and a Japanese. We were taken to a nice Korean restaurant, and sang karaoke. Benny, my roommate, sung some Cantonese songs, Jenny sang a Korean song, and the Japanese fellow sang a Japanese love song. By the way, I do know these two fellows' names, but I can barely pronounce them much less write them. That was Saturday.

On Sunday, Vivan and I went to speak to some high school students planning a three-week-long trip to Vancouver. One of the classmates is the daughter of Liu Laoshi, who teaches one of my classes on Fridays. She, Liu Laoshi's daughter, picked us up at the hotel and took us to the high school, which is only a block and a half away from the hotel. On the way she spoke to us in English, and Vivian and I were very impressed. She is also very pretty, and from what I hear, she is a very bright student. She says she wants to study abroad, and I think with her connections (as the daughter of a university department head), there should be no problems. In her I see hope for China and the Chinese people, because she and people like her are the key for China's success.

Back on the subject, at the high school, I let Vivian do most of the talking, because her Mandarin is much, much better than mine, but I did speak in Chinese a bit too. We talked about what to see in Vancouver, like Robson Street, Playland, and Stanley Park. We talked about Canadian money, and how much things cost. They are all being billeted with families whose children study at Vancouver College. We wrote out a sample thank you card on the blackboard blackboard, gave some tips on what to do at the dinner table and suggested some gift ideas for the host families. I had a lot of fun doing that.

Update: The class never did make it to Vancouver. Their entry visas to Canada were, for whatever reason, denied.

On Monday, we didn't have class (we're making us take it on Sunday, of all days), but instead went to Jilin City, about an hour and a half bus ride outside Changchun. The first thing we saw was yet another Buddhist temple. But the main attraction for us were the four really cute kittens and their lazy parents. Must be Buddhist cats. Then, just outside the temple was another building, which was very nice. I got my picture with Fang Laoshi. When we climbed the stairs, we had a really nice view of Jilin City. It's small, but we thought it was really pretty to look at. We looked through the telescopes and binoculars, but only before we found out that it cost 2 kuai. Oops. After a quick bathroom break at a nearby hotel, we went to a small restaurant near the Songhua lake. They served us dish after dish, each made from the fresh water fish taken from the lake. It was one of the best meals I had in China. After the meal, we took a fishing boat which apparently doubles as a tour boat. The ride itself was so very relaxing. I was looking forward to it, and it was better than I expected. But we ended up at an island full of stands selling cheap crap. We didn't spend much time on the island, and headed back.

On the bus ride back to Jilin City, we saw something that you don't regularly see in Canada. In the distance, I saw two small police cars in formation, with bus after bus of people wearing yellow vests. It didn't take us long to figure out that they were criminals being taken to jail. Pretty impressive sight.

We then went to a deer park, but it wasn't too impressive. It was getting late, and Fang Laoshi offered to take us to have a traditional Chinese meal straight from a farm, but those who spoke up (myself included) wanted to eat in Changchun. We found another Korean place (I'm not complaining, I like Korean food) and we were divided into two rooms. At my table, Fang Laoshi and I were the only males, and he wanted to drink beer. He asked who wanted some, and I said in Chinese that I wanted some. We toasted ("ganbei"), and drank. He didn't drink too much this time, only because it was a weekday. For the first time in a long time, I actually enjoyed the beer, but I forgot to get the name of it.

I really enjoyed our trip to Jilin City, even though I didn't get a chance to study at all during the weekend. I paid the price in class on Tuesday, because I didn't know any of the characters and we had a pop quiz, although, we always get a pop quiz with Wang Laoshi, so it wasn't really a surprise.

Tomorrow we are going to the movie studio in Changchun, and this weekend we are supposed to go on another small field trip. Next weekend we go to Inner Mongolia!

Okay, I can only remember what happened since Thursday, so here we go. On Thursday, I met up with Sophie again, and we went CD shopping. I was looking for a Jacky Cheung CD with "Wo Deng Dao Huar" and "Wen Bie" on it, but we couldn't find it. I almost bought some pirated Western music, but the quality didn't look good, so I passed. I did buy what I thought was some Chinese techno, but it ended up being a Chinese rock CD. After that, we walked to the Jilin TV Tower, and I paid for both of us. It was 36 kuai (about 7 dollars) and it's a revolving restaurant with a view of the whole of Changchun. Changchun is a large city, probably about the size of Greater Vancouver, with about 3 times the population. It was a really nice view, and I'm glad I went. Thursday night, we went to see a Chinese movie called The Shower, about an urban man who goes home to visit his brother and his father who own a bathhouse in a less urban area. There were no subtitles, but when I couldn't understand the Chinese, I could understand the context, and got the gist of what was happening. It was a visual movie too, so the talking was limited. I like those kind of movies, even when the dialogue is in English.

Friday was a really good day at class, because we had Liu Laoshi repeat the lesson we had on Thursday. On Thursday, we had Bai Laoshi, taking over for Li Laoshi, who is visiting Australia. Bai Laoshi went too fast, so we asked Liu Laoshi to do it over again. I took a lot of notes, and learned a lot of new words, more than the lesson. Then we had Wang Laoshi for listening class, and we started learning a Chinese song. I have to start making a list of famous Chinese songs, so I can learn them and impress my teachers. The song we learned on Friday is still in my head right now as I write this. Later on Friday, we went to a disco with Allan, the Tax College English teacher, and his friend James. We had a pretty fun time. I wasn't the only white guy there, to my surprise.

Saturday we went to this huge park just outside Changchun. It took us about an hour to get there, but the wait was worth it. All the International Students from Jilin University were there, and there was a lake, and on the beach were cows. My roommate, Benny, when he saw the cows, he said "Holy....holy cow!" So we named them the Holy Cows. Then after some pictures, I went and played badminton with Cherie, and finally there wasn't any wind. Then a very pretty girl came and asked if she could play with me. Cherie said okay, and I played with her for a while. Then I had to leave, because a bunch of us went to the SkyRide. The first part was a chairlift up the mountain, and on the way up, I saw nothing but trees. Reminded me a lot of Vancouver Island. Then, to get down, you had two options. The chairlift, or the luge-on-wheels ride. Of course I chose the luge ride. It was so fun, and so worth the 50 kuai (10 dollars). Even just for the ride up. Then some of the girls, Aaron (Bonnie's boyfriend), Mikami and Kanaii (two Japanese fellows studying Chinese in Changchun), Stuss (a Russian), another Japanese fellow and a Chinese went to a Japanese restaurant. It may surprise a lot of people to know that I never had a full Japanese meal before yesterday. But it was fabulous, and all the dishes were cooked in the hotpot. The table was traditional Japanese style, very close to the floor. And of course we had to take our shoes of before we went in. Very good meal.

Today was kind of weird, because it's a Sunday, and we had to go to class. But I very much enjoyed class, because I had the same teachers as on Friday. We did Friday's class today because this Friday we leave for Inner Mongolia, and the trip takes about nine hours. After class I slept, and then bought some snacks. After that, the whole group went to the Jilin Tower, on my recommendation, and had dinner. This time I didn't have to pay, because it was in our food budget. Wow, another hotpot meal, but this time we each had our own little hotpot, and cooked our own meat, vegetables, and seafood. The view was beautiful, even more so than when I went on Thursday, because the sun was setting and Changchun looked calm on a weekend evening.

When I came to the Internet cafe this evening, there weren't any computers, so Benny and I waited outside and talked to the owners. One of the owners used to be a policeman, and I found out that the massage place around the corner is illegal, and anybody caught going there pays a 3000 kuai fine (about 500 dollars). And the policeman had studied kung fu for twenty years, and according to him, he would hit his arms against trees to make them stronger. Well, that's one way of doing it! He gave us a demonstration, and nearly tore Benny's arm off. He's okay now.

This week has been very full, what with classes, field trips, and other excursions. My trip to China has already met my expectations, and then some. Tomorrow I am learning how to cook jiaozi and then we are going to Karaoke. I don't know what happens for the rest of the week, only that our Inner Mongolia trip starts on Friday and ends on Sunday. I am very excited, but at the same time nervous, if only because of the bathroom and sleeping conditions. Some of us have decided to stay in Changchun, but I think I will go, because I don't know when I will be back in China, or how many times I will get to visit such an interesting place as Inner Mongolia. Plus, the sky should be clear of pollution, meaning I will be able to see the stars for the first time in a month and a half. That will be a sight for sore eyes.

Yesterday I came back from a three day trip to Inner Mongolia, which is sort of like a province of China. The bus ride there was 10 hours, but that was because at first we went the wrong way. Fang Laoshi thought that there was a short cut, and upon finding a fork in the road, he got out of the bus and asked the way to Inner Mongolia. If you've ever driven a manual car, and cruised down the highway, and instead of changing from third to fourth gear, you mistakenly changed to the second...the reaction of the car was the same reaction as Fang Laoshi. Total astonishment.

We had lunch on the way, and once we got there, everybody was so relieved to get out and walk around. First we were asked to walk in and sip the baijiu (white wine), which is actually about 70% alcohol. We went to our tents and set up our beds (which were just blankets on the floor, really). Then some Mongolian singing, and then dinner. The dinner consisted mostly of toasting in order to get Fang Laoshi drunk. Since five Japanese students came along, we had a much easier time of it than the previous times. The Japanese students that came with us are extremely good drinkers, but at one point Fang Laoshi escaped to the table with all the women. Oh, except Eileen, our guide in Beijing, who wanted to come along with us to Inner Mongolia. We got her drunk too, and she ended up asking the waitresses for the Mongolian headware. Friday night was free, so we went to the Japanese guys' tent, and got even more drunk. Then, out of nowhere, Fang Laoshi showed up and drank even more. First he asked the white people to drink (myself and Andrea), and then I asked the huaren (people of Chinese descent) to drink, and I think that put Fang Laoshi over the top, because Benny, my roommate, then asked people with red shirts to drink. Fang Laoshi was the only one wearing a red shirt, so he took it off, and therefore didn't have to drink. Then, somehow I found myself in a tent with a Mongolian woman and the three owners of the resort. After a bit of singing, Fang Laoshi arrived again with some of the Japanese fellows, and then he started singing in Japanese. I was pretty impressed, but people can do just about anything when they're drunk.

Saturday morning, after a restless night on the ground, we toured the area and watched a horse race. After the race, we were treated to Mongolian wrestling, and afterwards, the Canadians were offered to go against the Mongolians. I declined an offer to go, smartly it turns out. The second guy that tried, Aaron, won, but in the process he dislocated his shoulder. So that was a bummer. We had to wait five hours as he was taken to the nearby hospital, which wasn't so nearby after all. But it was okay, because it gave us an opportunity to explore on our own, play cards, and study. Then that night, at dinner we again tried, this time not as successfully, to get Fang Laoshi drunk. Fun times! After dinner, the Japanese went looking for a huge rat they claim to have seen, and started pouring beer and hot water in all the holes in the ground they could find. Strange people, those guys.

The sunset was very beautiful, and we were treated to a bonfire with some Mongolian singing. The Canadians sang "Oh Canada!", the only song we all knew. Then the silly Japanese sang a Japanese pop song, and then we danced for about an hour around the fire. Then we sat around, and somehow (I saw the whole thing and I still can't explain it), Mikami, one of the Japanese students, dove unintentionally into the pond. Like I said, can't explain it. After he dried off, the Japanese guys bought a case of beer, and came over to where the Canadians were chatting and started playing drinking games. There's a game called Seven, and you go around in a circle, starting from one, and saying all the numbers except 7, any number of 7 in it (like 17, 27, 37, etc.), or any multiples of 7 (14, 21, 28, etc.). Of course, we did it in Chinese. It was hard to start out, because we were all trying to remember our Chinese numbers, but after a while it got easier. After that we played Thirty-One, and out of nowhere Fang Laoshi appeared, so we ganged up and tried to get him drunk again.

Inner Mongolia was beautiful, and it was worth the long trips there and back. The stars, the sunsets, and the moon were sights for sore eyes. Just as I was getting on the bus to go back to Changchun, one of the Mongolian waitresses hopped on looking for me. She wanted to get a picture of her and I. Then two others wanted their pictures taken with me. Must have been a while since a white guy has come there.

About a half an hour bus ride away from the place we stayed at, we stopped at a Mongolian village and visited a family living there. We found an old man and his wife, taking care of their granddaughter, whose mother was away studying for her doctorate degree. The girl was five years old, and spoke only a few words of Mandarin, Mongolian being her native tongue. She was very cute, and she would always wave back when we waved hello to her.

When we got back to Beiyuan, our hotel, most of us had a newfound appreciation for Changchun. The facilities in Inner Mongolia aren't as good as Changchun, and nobody had the opportunity to have a shower for three days. I think most of us enjoyed the trip, however, and we're glad we are able to say we were there.

This week I'm finally going to have some time to study, because there is nothing planned other than classes. We have our test next Thursday, that night we say goodbye to our Chinese friends. I'm scheduled to leave Beijing on July 2nd, with a one night stopover in Tokyo. I'm going to ask the Japanese if they know anybody who might be willing to show me around Tokyo for one night, because I really want to see the city, rather than the suburb surounding the airport. Lots can happen between now and then though, so we'll see.

Before last night, I had gone out with Tim, a classmate of mine, and three girls he met at a massage and hair cut place. I didn't go out last night, because today was the day of our big test, worth 90% of two classes. I just got back from writing the test, and the written part was easier than I thought, and the oral part was harder than I thought. I think I did okay, but I learned more than what was on the exam. I met a lot of people, and had a lot of fun in Changchun, especially this past week.

A few nights ago, we walked out of Beiyuan hotel and looked upon Renmin Dajie (People Street), and noticed something was different. Then it clicked: streetlights. The whole street was lit up, and it was beautiful. For almost two months, Renmin Dajie was dark, we were used to the street lit only by the dozens of cars. Now, you can see everything. At first when we came to Changchun, we believed that the city wasn't anywhere near Beijing in being developed, but after that night, we figure that in a few years, Changchun will be a gem of Northeast China, a place worth working and living.

Of course, in two years, none of our Chinese friends will be here. Sophie, the woman who practices her English, the three girls that Tim knows, and most of the International students will have moved away, because they all want to go somewhere new. But I think when I come back to China, I will be able to email them, or give them a phone call, and we'll be able to meet up.

As my trip here winds down, a lot of people ask me if I want to come back to China. I tell them that I want to come back to work, but for now I would like to "hui guo" (return to my country). I miss my family, my friends, and Canada in general. But when I return, China will be a different place: more developed, more confident, more comfortable.

The plan for the weekend is as follows. First, tonight, we have our closing ceremonies in South Campus, which means dinner, beer, and gift-giving. Then tonight, maybe clubbing, maybe just hanging out, but we'll definitely be with our Chinese (and International) friends. Tomorrow is a rest day, but I meet up with Sophie one last time before going home. Then an overnight train trip to Beijing, where we meet up with William, whom we met when we were first in Beijing. He works for the government, and found a hotel for us to stay at. Saturday we rest and shop, stay overnight, and leave Beijing for a 12-hour flight to Vancouver, stopping over in Tokyo for 2 hours.

I'm finally back in Courtenay, following an 11-hour train trip overnight from Changchun to Beijing, a day spent in 40 degree weather, and a 14 hour plane flight from Beijing to Vancouver. I slept most of the way to Courtenay, and then slept for another 15 hours or so. There is now a tension inside me. I already miss the fact that I am given a lot of attention, mostly because of the fact that I'm a white guy and speak some Chinese. Almost everywhere I went, people would look at me with curiosity. At the nightclubs, girls would look and smile, and when I was dancing, would dance with me, only without saying a word. Chinese women seem to like white men only out of curiosity. Chinese men are pretty interested too; I remember once at the night market in Changchun, I felt pretty uncomfortable when one man came up to me and just stared at me. Good and bad I guess. But when I was in China, I did miss North American magazines, music, books, and TV. And of course my friends.

But in Canada, I'm just another white guy, and it's going to take a little getting used to the fact that instead of being surrounded by Chinese, I'm surrounded by white people. In Courtenay, it's more noticeable, because the population is 95% white. After I graduate from Simon Fraser University, my overriding goal will be to find employment in China, because even though I was a foreigner, and at times felt unwelcome and uncomfortable, I think China is country I would like to spend a longer time in, so that I can more fully get used to that wonderful country. China definitely has a very long way to go to catch up to developed countries like Canada, the United States and Western Europe. But from what I've seen, China is on the path to be a formidable presence in the world economy, and democracy, still a concept unknown to many Chinese, is coming, if not soon. The Chinese are very practical people, and will adapt whatever has been given them. After all, their contact with Western civilization is still very new, and has been at many points in its history a very unpleasant experience.

I learned a lot about China, my own country, and most importantly, myself. I made a lot of friends, Chinese and otherwise (with Japanese, Russian, Africans and Canadians being among the international students studying there). I learned much about the Chinese language, and I hope to continue my Chinese studies at SFU, so that when I return to China (as soon as financially possible), I will be able to communicate better with one quarter of the world's population.