pork bun theory

Beijing, 2014

[joshuabroad-blog]

HONG KONG PANOS

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太美了！

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thank you Light Fellowship!

Tomorrow, I'll be flying to Beijing and my language program, Princeton in Beijing (PIB), will begin!  I want to thank the Light Fellowship for its generosity, for giving me this great opportunity to continue studying Chinese in China.  It's the real deal.  I'm so excited (and terrified), but I'm also very grateful.  Thank you so much!

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entry 12

Dear reader,

I have spent these past two days in Xian, which most people visit to see the famous Terracotta Warriors, the eighth wonder of the world.  The life-sized soldiers (2nd century BCE), each of them unique and buried to serve the emperor in his afterlife, were found accidentally by a farmer in the 1970s.  They were originally smashed to pieces, and archaeologists are still working on this live site to reassemble these soldiers.  It’s got to be the world’s largest jigsaw puzzle.  I find it interesting that the Qin emperor at that time conceived of such a burial and began construction of the site at age thirteen.  He wanted everything under the sun to come into the afterlife with him.  It’s also interesting that royal burials became less grand and more symbolic over time.  Because later emperors wanted more economical burials, the tombs of the Han dynasty, for example, contained miniature, doll-sized soldiers and other such afterlife necessities.  In today’s modern burials, the Chinese usually burn paper commodities and symbolic money to send into the afterlife of the deceased. 

The Qin emperor who had these life-sized terracotta warriors built also thought he could achieve immortality, having his tomb built just in case he didn’t live forever.  In parts of the pit, the archaeologists have left some broken terracotta warriors in their original state, so viewers can see how they looked when they were first unearthed.  Seeing the crumbled soldiers made me sad.  If they were truly to accompany the emperor into his afterlife, then I wish they could have been indestructible and untouched by time.

Xian has served as China’s capital in the distant past, and it literally is a city built upon layers of history.  Besides the famous terracotta soldiers, there are tombs of other past emperors located in the city as well.  The remains of ancient Xian lie beneath the modern city, which explains why Xian’s subway system is underdeveloped—people are afraid of accidentally destroying precious artifacts.  Not all that was precious was buried, however.  The city wall still stands, fourteen kilometers long, enclosing the heart of the city.  Today, you can rent a bike and ride along the pathway at the top of the wall (which I really wanted to do but didn’t get to).  The city wall supposedly protects the precious city interior, but I think in this century, it’s the wall that’s more historic and precious than the city’s heart now. 

The most exciting part of my stay in Xian was our first night here.  Our tour guide left us the address to a dumpling place for dinner, but it was up to my friend and me to find the place.  After failing to flag down a taxi during rush hour, we were advised by the bellboy to take the subway instead.  He wrote down which stop to transfer at, and which stop to finally get off at; then we were off, taking the subway for the first time in a city that was completely foreign to us.  By the end of the night, we successfully navigated the subway; got lost looking for the dumpling place; asked a hotel receptionist, a cleaning lady, a cashier, and a boutique worker for directions; avoided creepy beggars; found the dumpling place; struggled greatly with unknown characters on the menu to order dinner; finally had a well-deserved meal; and then struggled to fly a kite in the plaza square at nightfall.  When I saw Xian at night, it was easy to see that Xian was once China’s capital.  There were multiple pagodas surrounding our plaza square, and each of them was completely lit up at night—the roof, walls, everything.  The whole place just glowed.  Daytime is best for tourism, but Xian is definitely most beautiful at night.

Out,

Wendy

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entry 11

Dear reader,

Traveling thus far has been going from one wonder to the next.  I had heard of the beautiful Mount Emei (and its little vicious monkeys) from my grandparents, and yesterday, I got to see it for myself.  Two hours by private car brought us from Chengdu to the base of the mountain, two hours by bus took us up the mountain, half an hour on foot took us to the cable car station, and a three minute cable car ride took us to a peak named “Golden Summit.”  Breaking through the clouds—that half hour on foot—fulfilled one of my fantasies: to be in a cloud.  I almost felt that there was no difference between being in a cloud and not—the only noticeable sensation was that it was a little bit cooler within the cloud, and when I looked up, all I could see was pale gray.  I didn’t realize when I had passed out of the cloud either.  By the time I sighted the cable car station, suddenly I noticed that the only thing below me was clouds, and the only thing above me was brilliant, blue sky.

I thought I had seen it all when it came to temples, but what I saw yesterday truly blew me away.  There, at the freaking top of a mountain, was a gigantic Buddha of Mercy and the most beautiful temple I had ever seen.  What took my breath away was that everything was the color of gold.  The peak was gleaming.  It’s called the Golden Summit for a reason.  The place was beautiful in every direction I looked, and every new view off the mountain was just as amazing as the last.  From the peak, the tour guide pointed out that even Tibet was visible in the distance.

Being at the Golden Summit reminded me of visiting Hong Kong’s Giant Buddha, a sight which was comparably beautiful.  The Giant Buddha too was located up on a mountain above the sea and the clouds, a lengthy cable car ride away from the city.  Perhaps having seen such a sight in Hong Kong enriched my experience at Mount Emei.  At times, my memories from another place made me feel as if I were having two experiences at once.

The wild monkeys of Mount Emei were no myth.  On the walk from the bus to the cable car and back, there was a stretch of road virtually controlled by the monkeys.  Whenever they saw a tourist with food or water, they would accost the tourist and rob them of said food or drink.  I saw a monkey leap onto a woman’s backpack, and it didn’t let go until the woman gave up the bottle of water from her backpack’s mesh pocket.  Then the monkey ambled to the side of the road, sat down, unscrewed the cap with its mouth, and drank the water quite leisurely.  Here, monkey was king.  We saw a sign that read, “Cherish the monkey in the moment of entertainment,” and I wondered, in whose moment of entertainment—yours or the monkey’s?

But again, what a blessed day.

Out,

Wendy

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photos to accompany "Entry 10" - enjoy cute pictures of giant pandas and red pandas <3

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entry 10

Dear reader,

The fastest way to make my heart melt is to show me something cute.  The lil’ guys at Chengdu’s Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding definitely fit the bill.  When Mama Panda plays with Baby Twin Panda #1 and Baby Twin Panda #2, I just—!!!  Or when Baby Panda swings his legs in sleep while hanging from tree.  When Lazy Panda does that lazy backwards reach for yet another bamboo short.  When Red Panda chews his food like a little cat.  Ugh this is too much for me.  It’s on the level of Couple T-shirts—so cute it’s sickening.  I’ll put up some videos since I’m out of words.

We spent the afternoon at Chengdu’s People’s Park and Old Jinli Street.  The busy public park and street stalls of Jinli Street remind me a little of Shanghai’s Yu Garden, and Chengdu’s well developed downtown area reminds me of Shanghai’s too.  The locals are very proud of the capital city of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, which seems just as impressive as Shanghai but more laidback.  Our tour guide says that the difference in attitude comes from Chengdu’s weather—the hot humid days make people sleepy and more content. 

An interesting tidbit: in People’s Park, there is a pathway lined with matchmaking profiles.  There are no young people here though—it’s only the worried parents who come here to post their son’s and daughter’s single profiles.  A quick scan through the flyers shows you that all these singles are in their early thirties or late twenties.  Parents put a lot of pressure on their children when it comes to marriage here.  According to the tour guide, there are boyfriend/girlfriend rental agencies, where young people can rent a significant other to take home to show their parents in order to trick them so that they’ll stop fussing about it.  Single girls have it harder than single guys.  A girl who’s twenty-five or older and is still single is called a “leftover girl.” 

Last stop of the day was Sichuan Opera!  Sichuan Opera is famous for “changing faces”—which was AMAZING to say the least.  The opera we saw told the story of a girl and a boy, two performers who studied under the same teacher, who fell in love.  One day, an evil man came to see their show, and he wanted the girl so he took her away.  The boy fought back, but the evil man burned his face, thereby disfiguring him and ending his acting career.  For a while, the boy lived in anguish as a beggar.  Eventually however, with help from his lover and his teacher, he mastered “changing faces” and became a famous performer once more.  The actual tricks of the opera were absolutely fascinating—I was so impressed by the integration of lights and lasers, skits, acrobatics, puppet play, and the famous “changing faces.”  I especially appreciated how every trick was integrated into the plot line, so that nothing felt “too much” or “just there for show.”  Those changing faces though!  How do they even do it!  A lot of times the performers would turn or hide their face for a split second and their mask would change, but sometimes they wouldn’t cover their face at all and the mask would still change in the blink of an eye!

Out,

Wendy

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entry 9

Dear reader,

Biking through Yangshuo’s mountains yesterday is going down as one of my best memories.  It’s not like I’ve never seen scenic mountains before, considering the river cruise through Guilin’s mountains just the day before.  But I’ve never felt so free and in control and at peace and lucky and grateful and so happy at the same time.  Maybe it was the lack of backpack and helmet that made the difference.  I’ve been hiking before, and it’s just not the same to go hiking through pretty mountains when you have a heavy-as-heck backpack and you’re moving at the pace of a snail.  Uphill.  When I was zipping down the road yesterday, feeling the wind and feeling the speed, I felt like I was really appreciating the scenery.  It felt less like I was an observer of the landscape and more like I was part of the landscape.  It’s hard for me to describe it without getting cheesy.  At the very least, I learned yesterday that the secret to unlocking a place is bikes.  It might just be me—it might just be that I like bikes.  But seriously, next time you go somewhere new, get on a bike. 

We ended our stay in Yangshuo peacefully by going bamboo rafting.  The raft was just a little thing with two seats and an umbrella, and the cruise down the river was very peaceful.  There were two dips in the river, with a photo station at one of them.  Although I admit it’s touristy, I bought the photo of my friend and I on the raft going down the dip, with water spraying upwards.  Maybe the photo is not very representative of bamboo rafting because it makes rafting appear much more exciting than it is, but it was a cute photo! 

I really enjoyed my stay in Yangshuo—this place is the perfect mix of busy tourist city and scenic area.  I hope I can go back someday.

Out,

Wendy

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photos to accompany "entry 8" - click for captions

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entry 8

Dear reader,

My eyes were certainly feasting today.  Usually I’d only say that about Korean boy bands, but I give in—I guess nature wins.

A four hour cruise along the Li River took us from Guilin to Yangshuo.  Cruising through the little dwarf mountains of Guilin, I could not imagine a more content way of passing time.  The views along this river are so famous that a picture of Li River is on the 20 RMB.  The tour guide said that the scenery is better very early in the morning, before the haze affects the view, but I thought it was still lovely despite the haze.  Two mothers and a little girl and boy sat across from us during the cruise, and near the end of the cruise, one of the mothers struck up a conversation (in Chinese) with my friend and me.  She coaxed her little girl to sing some English songs for us.  Mind you, this little girl looked about four years old and had baby-voiced English…it was definitely the most adorable thing I’ve witnessed today.

While I knew Yangshuo was a tourist city, I was impressed by how well-developed it is as a tourist city.  The streets are all busy, quaint, and a little hippy.  Mopeds are everywhere, and the roadways are so packed that crossing the road feels like fording a river.  I love it here.  The tour guide says that this place is popular with backpackers, and many tourists like to stay a while and do various things such as taking classes in taichi, martial arts, and cooking.  I’d love to do all those things, and perhaps throw in a little shopping because the boutiques here are so cute.

We wrapped up the night by watching “Impressions of San Jie Liu,” an extremely famous show that takes place on a natural stage and is directed by Zhang Yimou, who went on to be the chief director of the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.  The stage is set on the junction of two rivers, forming a still lake with green, limestone dwarf mountains in the background.  The show combines ethnic folk songs, costumes, and traditions into a spectacular lights-on-water display.  The well-known custom of call-and-answer singing between lovers was gorgeous to watch.  Definitely an unforgettable night.  I’m lucky to head off to sleep on this high note.

Out,

Wendy

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photos to accompany "entry 7" - up top: Longji Rice Fields.  below: Ancient Zhuang Village

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entry 7

Dear reader,

If things in this world were only skin deep, visiting the Longji Rice Fields might bring me one step closer to cultural fulfillment.  Bad joke aside, it seems appropriate that I should finally see how and where a food I’ve been eating all my life is actually grown.  We traveled two hours today away from Guilin and up into the tall, terraced mountains home to several different minority groups.  The Ancient Zhuang Village we saw was quaint, although the stories our tour guide told us beforehand about Zhuang customs and lifestyle set me up to expect something a little different.  I did spot some older women with the traditional Zhuang hairstyle worn on the forehead to indicate marriage status, but when one of these women yelled after us that you could take a picture with her hair for 10 RMB, it made the whole hairstyle thing seem more like a tourist act instead of a true custom for custom’s sake.  It’s not that I doubt the authenticity of the stories I’ve heard about Zhuang customs, but I did not see strong evidence of these traditional lifestyles persisting today.  Glaringly, I did not see any young people dressed in local attire, and I suspect it’s because if any young people did grow up in that village, they’ve probably left it for the city.  I’m just speculating now, but seriously—who wants to stay in a rural town sustained by tourism?  Please. 

Anyways, the terraced rice fields alongside the ancient village were indeed beautiful.  I love hikes and nature, so today’s itinerary was something I was really looking forward to.  The higher I went, the more beautiful the rice fields became.  They unfolded before me.  In the distance were untouched, tall green mountains, and it really brought out the contrast between how much energy man has to expend to tame even a small portion of land and how nature on the other hand can just run its course effortlessly.  I’m very grateful to have seen what I did today.  I do love cities, but it’s beautiful outside.

Out,

Wendy

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photos to accompany “entry 6” - the stalagmites and stalactites of Reed Flute Cave, Guilin.

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entry 6

Dear reader,

I am skipping ahead to “Entry 6” because “Entry 5” was a strange experience that I do not know how to best explain yet.  Stay tuned.  My friend and I left Shanghai yesterday morning for Guilin, the famed city of southern China.  Guilin, home to both mountains and rivers, has classic Chinese beauty.  The city is situated amongst uninterrupted limestone hills crisscrossed by rivers.  It’s extremely beautiful, and I can see why our tour guide, who first came to Guilin for college, never left.

A lot of stories are made up around the natural beauties found in Guilin.  We visited Elephant Trunk Hill, which legend has it was once an elephant owned by the king.  After the elephant fell sick in Guilin, the king abandoned it there, but the local villagers nursed it back to health.  When the king came back to Guilin, he coveted the elephant and ordered his soldiers to capture it.  Though the elephant fought valiantly, it was still no match to a sword plunged into its back.  Upon its death, the elephant turned into a hill and the sword turned into a tower.  It’s a cute story for one of Guilin’s many interesting hills.  The hill actually got its name because it looks like an elephant drinking water by the riverside.  The hill appears to have a trunk because the flow of the river carved out a large hole in the hill’s side over thousands of years.

Reed Flute Cave was the highlight of Day One in Guilin, however.  It’s located right on the edge of the city, and when I stepped in, I realized that I had been here before.  My parents took me to Guilin when I was eleven years old.  Although my memories aren’t too clear, I remember how the cave’s rock formations were lit up in beautiful, multicolor lights.  Coming back yesterday really makes it feel full circle.  I wonder if I’ll ever be back in this cave again in my life.

Out,

Wendy

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entry 4

Dear reader,

Forgive me for I have sinned: I made a mistake that may have caused a public safety hazard.  And I didn’t write yesterday.

Let me elaborate.  My father, my friend, and I were going to see an acrobatics show at Shanghai Circus World.  Yesterday morning, the day of the show, I had contemplated putting the tickets in my bag so I would not forget to bring them when we left in the evening.  I did not put the tickets in my bag.  Regrettably.  On the subway, I realized that I committed a heinous crime and what followed was the craziest taxi ride of my life—driving in the lane of oncoming traffic should be questionable even when racing against time.  By the time we arrived back at the subway station with the tickets, it was my third time at the same stop that day.  The shocked guards asked us how we were here again.  It felt like I was being sent back into time again and again until I got things right.

Besides a game of “Crazy Taxi” and time travel, everything else that day was as peaceful as still water.  My friend and I had gone to visit Yu Garden (very quaint and peaceful) and City God Temple (very ornate and peaceful).  We made a stop at Tianzifang as well, which is an artsy marketplace located in Shanghai’s French Concession.  So many cute goodies—Tianzifang is my kind of place. 

Note: I realize that my experiences so far have been quite touristy and only on the surface level of engagement with a foreign country.  Don’t worry.  The self-discovery and deep life commentary will come.  I just haven’t been finished being dazzled by all the sights yet.  And I think even “just the sights” should count for something.

Double note: My apologies for the disjointed post today, that’s also late.

Triple note: My apologies for delaying the post about today’s experience.  If I write it now, it’s going to be my head smashing the keyboard as I pass out from exhaustion.

Out,

Wendy

[porkbuntheory]

entry 3

Dear reader,

First full day in China—friend and I took on Shanghai.  First stop: Lujiazui Financial District, Pudong, Shanghai.

My first impression of Lujiazui was that it was very cloudy and very rich.  The clouds are explained by Shanghai’s regularly gray summers; the proliferation of banks is explained by the fact that this is a Financial District.  For future warning, I am Captain Obvious at times.  But in all seriousness, Lujiazui—situated on a peninsula which juts out into the Huangpu River—was really impressive, even on a gray day. 

The Oriental Pearl Tower is one of the oldest and most distinctive buildings in Lujiazui.  It looks like a giant needle with three olives—“Papa Olive”, “Mama Olive”, and “Baby Olive—impaled upon the needle.  It’s a “must-see” of Shanghai because the view from the top is great.  While the 90 m observation deck (or in my book, “Papa Olive” floor) isn’t too exciting, “Mama Olive” and “Baby Olive” sure are!  Inside “Mama Olive,” there are two observation decks: 263 m elevation deck, and 259 m elevation deck.  At an elevation of 263 m, you get a panorama view of Shanghai, and practically the entire city is visible.  At an elevation of 259 m, you get a floor made of glass, a lot of nausea or adrenaline (pick your poison), and the feeling that your stomach is going to drop out of you as you contemplate the breathtaking view (literally) of the tiny cars and people directly below you and wonder if your luck is up, if the floor actually isn’t there, and if you’re going to die.

“Baby Olive,” at an elevation of 351 m, is the highest you can go in the Oriental Pearl Tower.  The real name of this observation deck is “Space Capsule,” and it’s outdone itself in all of its space themed wonder.  Before you enter, you must don shoe covers because everything in “Space Capsule” is pristinely white.  There appear to be no edges in “Space Capsule”—the floor curves into the walls which curve into the ceiling.  A life-size astronaut doll greets you, suspended from the ceiling, and you have a photo opportunity with an astronaut cutout.  One-third of the floor is made up of flashing hexagon tiles.  There is a fantastically cheesy alien animation that plays every ten minutes.  The employees are wearing friggin’ metallic SPACE SUITS.  There’s a neurotic space tune that loops every three minutes.  Oh, and the animated aliens dance to Gangnam Style.  For any kids twelve and under out there: this room is where your next Sci-fi birthday party NEEDS to happen.  You’re welcome for the pro tip.

Out,

Wendy

[porkbuntheory]

entry 2

Dear reader,

I am extremely jet lagged as I am writing this, and my questionably functional brain might give out on me at any minute.  This can only mean one thing—yay I arrived in Shanghai!

“Shanghai?” you might ask, “Isn’t this a blog about Beijing?”  Hmm, confessions.  Yes, Beijing and PIB will eventually come into the picture, once I get there.  But before then, I’m spending a couple of days in Shanghai, and then I’ll be traveling through various parts of China with a friend. 

My dad lives and works in Shanghai, so we are staying in his apartment for the next few days.  He took us out to a fancy western dinner with colleagues at a restaurant called “Las Tapas,” and he left dinner early because he’s now jetting out for a business trip.  He’ll be back by tomorrow night, so he didn’t need to leave me much besides the keys to the apartment.  However, my friend and I are going sightseeing tomorrow, and unfortunately I forgot to ask him for more money to supplement the little that I brought to China with me.  Adding to my misfortune, I was reduced to accepting some extra money from one his colleagues, who will be paid back later.  Oh, the shame.

However, that means I’m now equipped to head out into the city tomorrow!  I kind of can’t think right now, and my friend has gone to sleep, so I’ll let jetlag wake me up early tomorrow to do some planning.  The “must-sees” of Shanghai are fairly straightforward.  The place that I want to go to the most is the Huangpu Jiang (Huangpu River).  It divides Shanghai into Pudong (Huangpu East Bank) and Puxi (Huangpu West Bank).  The banks of the river are incredibly beautiful—they’re filled with pretty skyscrapers, and when the whole place is lit up at night, it’s just heart melt.  Yes.  One day, I’m going to go there on a date. 

I can’t think anymore so good night.

Out,

Wendy

[porkbuntheory]

entry 1

Dear reader,

My name is Wendy Chen, and this summer is going to be my most culturally introspective summer ever.  I am a rising sophomore at Yale University, three weeks away from attending the infamous, intensive Princeton in Beijing (aka. Prison in Beijing aka. PIB) Chinese language program.  On one hand, I am scared sh*tless; but on the other hand, I am extremely excited for all the wonderful self-growth, language improvement, and the like that this summer promises.

I’m a little surprised by how much my heritage has influenced my first year of college and how much it will influence my upcoming summer.  My parents immigrated to the US from China, and I was born here.  Back in high school, I didn’t outwardly acknowledge how my heritage has shaped my values and beliefs.  For some reason, I felt that the more “Chinese” I was, the less “American” I was.  But I guess that is a silly and very primitive way to look at my Chinese American background, so upon entering college, I (a former, proud Chinese school dropout) enrolled in a yearlong Chinese language class.  It’s about time that I give my heritage the respect that it’s due, and knocking down the language barrier seems like a good place to start.

Because my spoken Chinese is still relatively weak, I really look forward to being amongst Chinese natives and sticking to the language pledge in order to improve my conversational skills.  I’m not sure if I’ll be able to correct my American/southern-Chinese accent, but at the very least, I’m going to do my best to speak more accurately and a lot more quickly.  As for my reading and writing skills, I am sure that PIB is going to force-feed me plenty of new characters each day. 

Besides improving my Chinese (like that’s obvious), I hope to grow up a little this summer and take ownership of my time in Beijing.  I realize that PIB has a lot to offer, but the language program itself cannot give me everything that I am looking for.  I want to be more adventurous than that.  I want to feel like I’m in the driver’s seat and not like some kiddie strapped in the backseat. 

My China bucket list so far: pick up new Chinese slang; be able to understand and tell jokes in Chinese; go to a small live music venue to celebrate a friend’s birthday; attend a Chinese rock concert (tickets have already been secured!  yes!); go to KTV (quintessential); go somewhere beautiful; have a conversation with the driver whenever I take the taxi; learn the words to Chinese pop songs and pick up on what’s trendy; go to a night market; take a lot of pictures! (because I always forget); befriend a Chinese native who’s my age.

Anyways, I still have a lot to keep me busy back home, so 再见 dear reader.

Out,

Wendy