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I think it’s personal…

Food, Glorious Food!

 

I went to karaoke yesterday, and included in the price was a free buffet.  It was your usual Chinese food, but obviously I wanted to try everything!  On the walk home my whole body swelled up.  My fingers got so fat I couldn’t even see the lines on my hands!  I didn’t feel sick, just really uncomfortable.  That night I couldn’t sleep a wink.  After that I was fine, except I wasn’t hungry for days!  What was that all about??!

 

Learning To Talk

 

They say the best place to learn a language is to be surrounded by it. Well I’ve been here a month now. I’m not so sure…

 

War and Beauty

 

Today I saw my first episode of a fantastic drama! The literal translation is War and Beauty, and it is based around the historic world of the Chinese court. Everyone is fighting for power – but it is the subtle and ingenious ways they do this that is so intriguing. Within the setting, these stories are absolutely believable.

 

Location, Location, Location!

 

One morning the TV was running in-depth political analysis previewing a meeting that would take place that day. It was quite a big deal – all the various decision-makers for China were having their annual gathering and live cameras were ready to record their arrival. Later that day I was walking to the underground station, when I wondered why there were so many police around? …And where was all the traffic??! I proceeded to witness a convoy of 20 or so coaches and minibuses full of suited Chinese. …Oh my goodness, these were the highest VIP’s in China on their way to that meeting!!

Health and Chatter – the finer points of life

 

I like to exercise regularly and today I went to a gym with my friend.  The Chinese put us to shame when it comes to health.  Chinese children are tested on physical fitness – and the level they are expected to reach is higher than I’ve managed in my life!

 

English in China

 

The weekend starts here.  When I have spare time I like to surround myself in the language I can actually understand!!

 

Keep The Face

 

My previous 2 articles were on gift-giving and guanxi.  These are interlinked, because in China, I think the reason people exchange gifts is to build guanxi.  A third concept underlying all of this is ‘Face’.  Perhaps this term is not commonly used in the West, but it is very important in China.  ‘Face’ is your self-respect, your pride, your reputation.  Everyone wants to save face and no one wants to lose it.

I’ll Scratch Your Back

Everything in China is based on relationships. The word describing this is ‘guanxi’ – and though ‘relationship(s)’ is probably the closest translation, it’s not quite right. If you say you have guanxi with a person or an organisation, then you have a contact that will potentially help you. And if you don’t have these sorts of relationships – you won’t see the real China!

Gaunxi is the basis of everything that happens in China. Relationships define if you get a job…successful business deals…anything!

For You…I Insist

 

When I first came here, I brought gifts from England for my hosts.  They didn’t seem grateful.  Today my surrogate mother visited me and signalled that a huge, beautiful, expensive-looking box of loveliness was for me!  There’s just different ways of doing things here.

Generations Apart

I remember on my first trip to China I sat in a park, and some old ladies joined me on the seat. They seemed interested in this pale-skinned, probably quite bemused-looking young woman staring at the morning tai chi. They found it absolutely hilarious that I couldn’t speak Chinese. These ladies signalled things such as numbers to me, but I couldn’t understand beyond 5!

The Youth Of Today

I am very lucky – somehow, I have managed to develop relationships where I can talk meaningfully with Chinese nationals. My friend jokes that she is my agent! She has helped me find English tutoring work and been the bilingual intermediary. I now specialise in privately tutoring university students. This means I spend my time talking with very intelligent people about incredibly complex and controversial topics! I honestly couldn’t have dreamt of a better insight into the realities of this country.

Toilet Humour or You Don’t Know What You’ve Got Till Its Gone

 

Everything’s going wrong!  I’ve broken something else that’s been provided for me so kindly!  Today, I blocked the toilet – and I’ve already broken the washing machine!  How can I be such a disaster?!

The Others

This evening my friend took me to a bar street in Beijing. It was very pretty. We chose a bar with a fairy-tale theme and sat in tall, elegant chairs framed by purple velvet curtains. I noticed the dim lighting, cocktail list, and loud music – with sit-down toilets as the only place of escape.

Walkabout

I’ve had a chance to explore my local area this week. Beijing currently has 6 ring roads (though the first one is fiction) and we are between the third and fourth. Walking west from my home you can see the hills on the outskirts of the city. Five minutes walk east is the river that goes to the Summer Palace. South is the shopping centre, with major bus stops behind. North

Welcome

This wasn’t my first trip to China. When I was 19, I went on a gap year project in Malaysia, and from there I decided I had to visit China. To some extent, this is another story. It happened in only a week before starting uni, was my first experience of independent travel, and involved a lot of drama!

A Trip To Town

When living in student accommodation there was a underground station nearby. More lines are being built to serve wider areas of Beijing, but at this time the nearest tube to my new home is quite a journey.

Scene Change

My friend and her Dad collect me right from my front door, and spend their lunch hour taking me to my new home.

Haidian district is in North-West Beijing and is literally cluster upon cluster of new tower blocks. These are various complexes of identical buildings, each with their own security and usually some kind of park within the compound. My friend’s parents own two apartments in one tower block, and one is practically unused. I walk in and notice the shining wood floor, the huge size of the room and a big bay window. Everything we need has been provided,

Adapted

You can’t remember what you forget

One of my biggest fears is forgetting. My Mum used to say that if it is important, you will remember. That’s a nice comforter and I still try to convince myself of it: I still hope

So Why China?

It’s a fantastic country! This is a place steeped in unique relevance for both world history and world future, and it is a culture I believe to be most unlike ours than anywhere on earth. The Chinese people I admire more than any I have met. I hope we can learn from them.

I obviously first encountered China from the usual childhood facts: colourful dragons for Chinese New Year; eating with two sticks in one hand; the great wall that can be seen from space.

Goal!

I don’t have any money. I don’t have much time. I don’t really know this country. This week I’ve had to make decisions.

Communication Isolation

Native English speakers get quite complacent. I am one. I don’t think we appreciate the feeling of having no shared language to communicate. All my first impressions of China I experienced without speaking.

Setting The Scene

I think it is about time I explained some background. I am fascinated by China, and have arrived on the longest tourist visa available: 90 days. I have planned very little – I like to react to the moment – so that makes travelling a lot more complicated! This does not mean I am so naive to travel blind in somewhere like China. My housemate from university lives in Beijing: I planned to visit her.

With all that happened before I got here, it’s a good thing I am adaptable!

Trying To Adapt

Talk about a small world! I thought it was weird enough that I sat next to a Brit on the Frankfurt/China plane, but I think I’ve also got some Chinese New Year luck! I have 60 TV stations and several in English – but its still bizarre Chinese television. Well I was flicking through today and saw a familiar face – A fellow cockney and ex-Arsenal player Ian Wright in my Chinese bedroom! (Photo courtesy of the BBC phoo gallery.) In the start of my culture shock I really needed that recognisable face. And then – as if someone up there was somehow trying to help – Ian goes on location…to my Home Town!!! I absorb the sight of a parade of shops that I have visited since my school days

A New Start

I’m not quite settled in yet. …That’s the confident way of saying that I’m generally feeling a little lost. To look on the bright side, it could be much worse. My first day