Journey to the East

Part 3 in my re-cap of the past few month’s travels: My return to Xi’an.

Family Reunion China style: Caroline and I meet up in Xi'an.

The first leg of my travels with my sister’s college class took me back to Xi’an, where I was to meet them. Having been there over the National Day break in October, there was something that felt quite familiar about heading back out west. After all,  Xi’an has been one of my favorite cities in China thus far (granted, my experience here is very limited). I was looking forward to getting back to some familiar sights: getting to spend some time walking (and eating) in Xi’an’s Muslim Quarter (home of probably the best street food I’ve eaten in China), getting to see the terracotta warriors again with Caroline, (who would be seeing them for the first time), and staying a night or two in the incredibly pleasant Seven Sages hostel where some friends stayed during our October visit.

Caroline gets up close and personal with the terracotta warriors

Returning to the terracotta warriors: Like visiting old friends?

All of the familiar stuff was indeed a lot of fun, and I enjoyed getting a second chance at a lot of things (especially food). The terracotta warriors were especially nice to see without the insanity of a large crowd coming for National Day weekend (this time I felt that I could take much longer to really look at them). However, it was a seriesof new experiences that really made Xi’an good this time around. A few vignettes:

Shadow Puppets and a Dumpling Feast

Shadow puppets: A uniquely beautiful and ancient Chinese art.

For almost 1,ooo years, Xi’an was the capital of Imperial China. It was also the last stop on the eastern end of the legendary silk road. Not surprisingly, Xi’an was and still is a center of culture and art. During the Tang Dynasty (c. 700-950 A.D.) the city was home to poets of the imperial court, many of whom enjoy a legendary reputation in China today. The Shaanxi Province History Museum is jam-packed full of pottery, brozne work, sculpture and jade which are a testament to the city’s artistic legacy. Perhaps the most unique art form to come from Xi’an, however, is the art of shadow puppetry. On our first night in Xi’an we were treated to a shadow play performed by a local troupe. They performed two short plays: the first a comedic exchange between lovers, and the second the story of The Monkey King (a character featured in famous Chinese epic novel, Journey to the West) and how he guarded a caravan bringing sacred Buddhist sutras from India against malevolent spirits lurking in the treacherous mountain passes. I had seen shadow puppets depicted in film, or in pictures, but I’d never gotten to see them in person. I was not disappointed: the show was one of the highlights of my return to Xi’an.

The Monkey King, in puppet form.

Shadow puppets

Made from translucent leather, brightly colored, surprisingly graceful, and wildly imaginative, these puppets are distinctly Chinese, and watching them is a mesmerizing kind of experience. Indeed something about them seems almost surreal, or otherworldly. Perhaps it’s the dark, or their shadowy translucence which makes them almost glow, or their separation from the audience behind a veil. Regardless, they’re amazing to watch as they sing and dance (one even blew real smoke from it’s puppet tobacco pipe). After the show I got to peek behind the curtain and take and even try out the puppets for myself, which was fun, despite the fact that it’s incredibly hard to get them to do anything interesting.

"Pay no attention to the men (and women) behind the curtain": our performers, revealed.

Trying puppetry out for myself... it's incredibly difficult to do gracefully.

Dinner after the show, a full-fledged dumpling banquet, proved to be just as artful. Xi’an has a multitude of famous dumpling restaurants, and in a city which is renowned as one of the best culinary cities in China, dumplings are amongst the city’s most famous cuisine. On this particular occasion, we were treated to a whole host of dumplings with fillings that ranged from meats (duck, shrimp and scallop, ground pork, etc.) to vegetarian dumplings of all varieties, to sweeter dessert-style dumplings filled with red-bean paste or peanut and sesame paste. More amazing still was the artistry with which they were made: the duck dumplings came wrapped in the shape of ducks, others looked like fish or flowers, while others still looked like crescents. Some were steamed, others boiled and further still some were lightly fried. In total there were probably at least 15 different types of dumplings, each with a distinct shape and filling. As a finale, the staff dimmed the lights and brought to each table a copper pot (which looked something like a hotpot), which was lit underneath, and contained a soup with tiny miniature dumplings. The purpose, I’m told was to see how many of these little things you could get in one scoop, which would fill a cup. The number of dumplings in the scoop indicates the recipients fortune, with some suggesting good luck and others suggesting inauspicious events lurking just around the corner. My result: One, very lucky, singular dumpling which suggested smooth sailing for the rest of the trip (not like winning the dumpling lottery, I know, but an accurate prediction nonetheless).

Food, art or both? Duck shaped, duck filled dumplings.

If this were some sort of culinary competition, they'd certainly win high marks for presentation.

Clearly this was not a run-of-the-mill meal.

The Cave Dwellings of Liaoyuan Village:

One of the highlights of my return to Xi’an was a trip to see the cave dwellings in Liaoyuan village just outside of the city. The soil around Xi’an is mostly loess, a kind of loosely compacted, soft, yellowish, dusty, wind-blown sediment which is really easily burrowed into. Not surprisingly, people in the area have historically taken advantage of this and have carved their homes straight into the sides of the hills themselves. Hardening the soil allows for a sturdy home, with the soil itself acting as a natural insulation. Because it retains heat so well, the homes are warm in winter, and because they’re underground, they’re cooler than being above ground in the summer.

Liaoyuan village: home to traditional cave dwellings.

This is the entrance to a cave home. They're simply dug straight into the sides of the hills.

The inside of a cave home. Pretty spartan.

This home seemed to have fallen into disuse.

Some of the nicer caves have been hooked up to electricity.

The spirit of the Chairman lives on in Liaoyuan: Mao propaganda in one of the homes.

Liaoyuan is so fascinating in part because of its authenticity. Our guide told us that most people in this community still work in the pomegranate fields nearby, just like their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and innumerable generations before them did. While we toured the houses, a woman who lived in the neighborhood insisted that we come visit her pig styes, and in doing so invited us to see the way that most Chinese people still earn their living, through hard work, either in agriculture or elsewhere. This is the real China, which means that unlike nearby Xi’an– which has a Starbucks, several McDonald’s, scores of western hotels, and even a Papa John’s Pizza– Liaoyuan remains mostly undeveloped, and mostly impoverished. Like many areas of rural China, Liaoyuan is also feeling the changes of rapid economic development. Youth in the community no longer want to live in the caves. Many no longer want to even live in Liaoyuan, preferring to move to Xi’an and try life in the big city.

The next time someone tells you that you're house is a pig stye, direct them to this photo.

The pigs were quite happy to see us.

Jumping up to say hello.

The local economy: A roadside pomegranate stand.

While I was there, Liaoyuan struck me as being very similar to Shaxi village in Yunnan, where I spent some time during my study abroad semester. Both are villages carrying out life in the traditional way that it has been carried out for centuries. Both are on the edge of communities with greater development and greater prosperity. Both have a rich cultural heritage that, should it be lost, we be a terrible shame. Both face struggles as they tow the line between tradition and development. It’s a story that gets repeated so often here: China must find a way to preserve its heritage while advancing into the future. It’s a difficult path to forge, and places like Shaxi and Liaoyuan are the ones that will feel this tension the most. It will be fascinating to see what the future brings here.

More updates will come soon. I’ll recap the rest of my trip, and preview the next couple of weeks. Spring Festival is coming up, and there’ll be plenty to say about that. Stay tuned…

As promised, here’s the first in a series of what I’d like to call portraits (or sketches, or snapshots, or impressions if you will) of the places I’ve been in the last month or so while my blog was down. We’ll start with the Pearl of the Orient, China’s largest city: Shanghai.

"The Future": Shanghai's very sci-fi looking PuDong District at night.

I’ve been to Shanghai twice over the past month or so: once in mid-December, and just recently over the last two weeks in mid-January.  Here’s what I’ll say about the city: it’s everything to everyone all at once. Want good Mexican food in China? Shanghai’s got it. Need a foreign language book? Look no further than Shanghai. Want to tour an excellently preserved Ming Dynasty residence? Yu Gardens in Shanghai is your spot. Want to hang out at some really chic art galleries? Shanghai’s got plenty. Look for pearls? Antiques? Fake North Face gear? Want to go to a first-rate history museum? Want to eat some gourmet food? Shanghai’s got all of it.

The Cathay Theatre in the heart of the French Concession.

Indeed, Shanghai is a city of multiple, complex identities. As the “Pearl of the Orient” it is a city that evokes images of its semi-colonial past, full of an exoticism that borders on burlesque. This is Old Shanghai, as seen through as sepia-toned lens which places the city under a shroud of mystique. It’s a city of wide sycamore-lined avenues, mansions in the colonial style, steamer boats, silk and pearls. But Shanghai is also a modern city, one that is the financial capital of China, if not Asia on the whole. It’s a city with full of towering glass skyscrapers which look like something out of an 80’s sci-fi movie, a super-fast suspension train, and stock exchange. This part of Shanghai is cutting edge, up-to-date, leading the world, and hosting a World’s Fair which starts in May (Yes, Shanghai is the kind of city that can resurrect the World’s Fair). Despite all of this, however, Shanghai is still very much Chinese. Long before the colonials settled in, Shanghai was a bustling Chinese port city at the mouth of the Yangtze River.

Some serenity amidst the city at the center of Yu Gardens in Old Shanghai.

Shanghai's skyline as seen from the top of "The Bottle Opener"

The Shanghai antiques market.

Each different area of the city reflects a different facet of Shanghai  as a whole. The PuDong is a beacon of modernity, which feels like it was pulled straight out of Back to the Future 2. The New Oriental Pearl TV Tower (that thing in the picture above which looks like a rocket ship), is without doubt the strangest looking building I’ve ever seen in person, and the Shanghai World Financial Center (also known as “The Bottle Opener”) is one of the Top 5 tallest buildings in the world. The French Concession, one of the cities largest districts, still bares the stamp of European influence. When you walk there, amidst the old French style townhouses, and upscale boutiques it barely feels like China at all. Rather, you might mistake it for some far-flung outpost of Europe. By contrast, when walking by the traditional rooftops and lazy coy ponds in the Yu Gardens of Shanghai’s Old Town, you feel the weight of a city with a very long history.

Figuring out this city is a challenge. In my time in Shanghai, I’ve eaten at trendy French bistros in the Tianzifang district known for its flashy boutiques, taken in the view from the Sky-Deck on the 104th floor of the tallest building in China, eaten traditional Shanghai style Xiao Long Bao (soup filled dumplings), made fresh at a restaurant on a side street in a homey, traditional neighborhood called a shikumen, and toured the Shanghai History Museum, which is one of the best in China. With such divergent and distinct personalities, what can you possibly make of this place?

Jing An Temple: Where old Shanghai and New Shanghai merge.

Colonial style buildings in the French Concession

In my opinion, here’s the secret to the city: Shanghai at its most interesting points, is a place where all of these things intersect. There it is a city which is at once modern and traditional. It is a city of Old China leading a the way in a Global Market. It’s a city of upscale, cosmopolitan tastes that still can serve up a heaping helping of homegrown culture. Take Jing An Temple, an active and lively Buddhist temple that was first constructed in 200 A.D. during the Han Dynasty and is currently nestled in between modern office parks, and is serviced by it’s very own subway stop. OR take Fuxing Park, which is in the heart of the French Concession, and features really pretty walking lanes and flower gardens, and is a place where every morning you can see people out doing Tai Chi, or morning exercises. It’s hard to wrap your head around, but the contrast is really what makes this place great.

Before I first went to the city, I heard lots of different opinions on the it from various people that I trust and respect. There seemed to be either a strong affinity for the place, or a real sense of aversion to it. While I would not rate it as my favorite place in China, I would definitely count myself as one of those who enjoys Shanghai. Like Paris or New York, it’s got just about everything you could ever want. And while it may not be big on sightseeing destinations like other Chinese cities, Shanghai does really make for a great escape every now and then. For now, here’s the best of the rest of Shanghai in photos:

Shanghai traffic near Jing An Temple

Haui Hai Road in the French Concession lit up at night.

A largescale sculpture of the Chairman in Shanghai's art district.

For sale near Yu Gardens in Shanghai.

Old Town Shanghai

Burning offerings at Jing An Temple.

Shanghai's famous "Bund": A strip of colonial style buildings on the HuangPi Riverfront near downtown.

A large magnet near Century Ave. in the PuDong, heart of Shanghai's financial district.

The Observation Deck of the "Bottle Opener." Seriously, doesn't this look like Star Wars?

Coming soon, "Shanghai Expo 2010: Better City-Better Life"

Ok… In the last entry I wrote, I decided that since I’ve been on the road frequently during the past couple of weeks, and I’m  not sure that I can adequately cover all of that ground, I’ll just provide some “vignettes” or impressions of each of the places I’ve been to. I thought that it might also be helpful to give a brief outline of my travel itinerary from the past month or so, just so you all can map things together on some sort of timeline. This is basically what my travels looked like over the past month and a half:

December 13-16: Shanghai

December 21-23: Beijing

January 12-13: Xi’an

January 14-15: Nanjing

January 16-18: Shanghai

January 19-21: Hangzhou

The January trip was mostly done by accompanying my sister’s winter term college class on their own two and a half week jaunt around this country. There’s a lot to say about each of these places, so stay tuned for more (and for pictures!)