Our Year in Xiamen, China

Holiday update 2011

2011-12-28T13:04:00.002+08:00

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Time again for my annual update! We have seen some old firends from Xiamen this year, as Michael spent a month at XiaDa this spring with students from Canisius College, and we also welcomed Tian to Buffalo/Niagara Falls. Thomas is now 15, Helen, 10 and Sophia 6. We are contemplating going after another China year after Thomas leaves for collge -- stay tuned!

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Post script -- Life in "Meiguo"

2008-07-25T20:43:00.006+08:00

I happened to notice that we are still getting a lot of hits every day to the site....I am having trouble weaning myself from blogging , too....
I wanted to introduce our newest member of the family -- Merton the 7 week old Beagle..!!!

In an effort to really do this American culture thing right, we have gotten ourselves a dog -- well, Helen thinks its her dog! He is sooooo cute that it makes up for the housebreaking efforts which are akin to potty training a baby!

While he sleeps -- we have been reorganizing the house, getting bunk beds, having a yard sale, trying to walk to the supermarket instead of drive, searching for "real Chinese food", and looking forward to lots of visitors coming up....

In short, we are doing well -- the big kids are in day summer camp -- Thomas as a counselor-in-training and Helen as a camper. Sophia and I are reorganizing our lives and watching the puppy, Michael is finding his office again and all of us are enjoying speaking English and telling stories about China. Buffalo is beautiful in the summer time and helping me to put off thinking about the onset of winter.

Its the final week before the Olympics -- looking forward to hearing lots more from China in the weeks ahead.

The journey home

2008-07-03T20:27:00.007+08:00

The journey home...for us, and for my mother, Barbara, who found her way to eternal life yesterday at 2 am, thankfully 18 hours after we made it to her bedside.

She was able to acknowledge that she knew us before she began to slip away, and died very peacefully surrounded by her family.

While we are profoundly saddened, I am taking comfort from her life and her faith, and feeling very blessed to have made it home to her.

This is a solemn postscript to a blog which has been about living life, and about living it to the fullest. My mother was the person whose abundant love made me capable of that.

I want to thank everyone who has been following along, my family and friends and people whom we have never met, for all your support and love.

This is my last post, I think. I am ready to begin the next stage of my journey with a little more privacy. But doing this blog has brought me a lot of insight and we have no regrets..My sister has done a beautiful blog about my mother's final weeks..the link to it on http://www.caringbridge.org/ is above.

Blessings to all our readers...

Off we go

2008-06-30T05:38:00.002+08:00

Of course it has just occurred to me that it is almost time to say goodbye to this blog and all of my readers! It has been an interesting exercise for me to try and capture some of our experiences this way, and we are amazed at the people who don't know us but who have been tuning in anyway. So thanks for your interest. I hope that some of you are crazy enough to give this a try. For the kids and certainly for ourselves, it has been a great ride, and none of us will ever see China, or the US fin the same way again. Now its time to figure out how to integrate it all into our "normal" lives, a daunting task from where I sit this morning..

I am sure I have at least one more post inside me...but 3 airplane rides, a night in a hotel and a 7 hour ride to my folks stand between me and access to the computer again. And I think I will find myself quite preoccupied when I arrive in Michigan to see my mom. So I guess it is time to sign off for now.....all the best! (Check back in a few days for a post script:)

The last day

2008-06-30T05:00:00.002+08:00

This is actually from Saturday evening, when we went to dinner with some students who have been quite close to Michael this semester. We had a great meal in a Hunan-style restaurant...I am missing the food in China already..

After the kids went to bed Saturday night, I met my classmates for what turned out to be a very fun but very late night out. This is Melanie, me, Mike and Tom..

Last Sunday at church...I forgot to get Fr. John's photo today, but this is our Deacon Joseph who is waiting for ordination.

Looking at a philosophy book with the deacon..

And in front of the church...we will miss this little place terribly. I have been so spiritually lifted up by this community this year. It is really hard to put into words. I have gotten a feel for what it is like to be a Catholic in China today.

Back at the building, a goodbye to Sophia's favorite guard..

And checking out with the housekeeper, who has made our lives easier by her hard work.

Finally dinner with Vicky, our tutor and now good friend. The food was terrific, I just can't keep eating all these yummy dinners with friends.

And finally a very sad goodbye....

Huan Huan's birthday party!

2008-06-29T23:09:00.010+08:00

Helen will turn seven years old tomorrow, the day we leave Xiamen. Yesterday was her birthday party, a bilingual high-octane event in our apartment. Four classmates and 2 American friends (adopted from China) rounded out the guest list, and at least I had their Mom, Julia to talk to during the festivities. We made jewelry, ate pizza (with silverware -- very fun to watch the Chinese kids) ran wild in the apartment and played some games.

Thomas and Kate (no not the other Kate -- she is back in the US already) hung out and tried to act cool at the little kid's party. But really they were as wild as anyone else.

Played a popular children's game -- like "drop the handkerchief"..I forget the name in Chinese but Helen can sing the song.

Also an American-style relay race, which deteriorated into an "every man for himself" event.

And a Hello Kitty cake..sure will miss the elaborately decorated cakes you can get for $5-10.

Huan Huan with Xiao Mei Mei and her twin brother.

And one last good bye to Rouwen on the way out. Helen was happy to distribute some toys to her friends, but her beloved pink bike went to Rouwen. Her mom and I could not hold back our tears over our two girls and their international friendship...I think Helen is starting to get it that I am tearful at these times because I realize that things will never be quite the same, even if keeping in touch is an option thanks to the computer age.

Friday' s events and thoughts

2008-06-28T06:06:00.007+08:00

Schedule for Friday...last tutoring session with Vicky, during which we learned no Chinese but shed a few tears (still seeing her on Sunday for dinner)..shop, lunch with classmate who I got to cut class to go shopping...we had the Xiamen version of spring rolls off a no frills lunch counter (see above). These lunch counters are the Chinese equivalent to the diner, usually a one woman operation (but the food sits out so a good idea to eat early, as we did!)
Afternoon -- pack and sort through 8000 tiny slips of paper in every drawer of the apartment -- did we really only live here 1 year?!?! Congratulate the kids on their last day of school (check back to the graduation post -- I posted Helen's "cap and gown" photo...

Dinner with Vivian, Helen's tutor, and her parents. Her mother is the principal of the Kindergarten where the girls attended. (Note to my readers in Philadelphia and Illinois -- I told her to expect some more American kids! Her reply "Good...do their mothers want to teach the kids some English?!?!") Vivian's father is a professor in the Education department.

They showered the kids with presents and brought Huan Huan a birthday cake.

It was a very pleasant way to send the evening...but a Chinese banquet every night for a week!...anyone here can relate to how tiring that is! And the food is so tempting, hard not to overdo it! Finally some good byes, until Vivian decided that the dress she gave Sophia was too small and she would have to exchange it and come over tomorrow afternoon!

Vivian's friendship has been very significant for Helen, hard to put into words...I like that she got to know such a smart and enthusiastic young woman on her own terms, and learned some Chinese in the bargain, although they did more playing than studying!

So we are now at the 48 hours to departure point. I am constantly thinking about things I would like to blog about, but too busy to sit and write them! I am working on finding some things to look forward to in the US..little things such as Mexican food, knowing what everything says, having a yard I can send the kids out to on their own, etc. Of course looking forward to seeing my friends and family, especially my mom...

Also looking forward to some other things, such as a free press (which I will never take for granted again!) and atmosphere of openness and even the argumentative nature of Americans..I am longing for it! The focus in the public sphere in China is social harmony by whatever means necessary...and while we get irritated in the US with polarization in the political sphere, I am really looking forward to hearing more than one point of view on the nightly news. The fact that Americans political figures can vehemently disagree with each other, but everyone assumes that power will be wielded peacefully -- this is a very, very big deal. I really get that now. Which is good since the presidential campaign is in full swing and you all are probably sick of it already.

One thing about leaving China, even though we are hoping to return, is that China changes so fast that we might not recognize it by the time we come back! It will be so interesting to watch and see what the effect of the development of the Chinese economy will have on the daily lives and political life of the country and the people I have come to know. As I have portrayed quite consistently in the blog, I am awed by energetic and hard-working nature of the Chinese people, and by the amazing transformation of China in the past 20 years....so curious about where it will lead....I guess we will just have to come back...

OK -- back to packing and Saturday's social agenda, which includes a birthday party for 6 little girls and another farewell dinner in addition to MORE PACKING (is it all going to fit...hmmmmm?)

Huan Huan's graduation and Ann finishes school

2008-06-26T22:29:00.021+08:00

Graduation portrait -- check out the lipstick!

Here is Helen with her "graduating" class of 2008. At the school there are four classes this size graduating this week -- wisely they were not all at the same time!

The show they put together for the parents featured some singing...

hilariously macho dancing by the boys..

some lovely dancing by the girls...

and some fun. The children played musical chairs in front of the parents...and guess who was the big winner....!?!?! Our Huan Huan! She loves being first in anything!

Then the teachers asked me to lead the children in some of our favorite English songs, and the teachers surprised me with a gift.. a glass music box in the shape of a piano, the symbol of Gulanyu ("the piano island").. Quite beautiful, but necessitating the re-packing of an entire suitcase!

Huan Huan with her best friend Rouwen...If you look back to the September archives and compare..they look quite grown up!

With some of the "better" English speakers...some of them were also my students off campus last semester, and one girl had lived in Canada for a year. Some of them sat at Helen's table this year..

And Xiao Mei Mei, another good friend, and a boy (Helen knows the girls' names, but not all the boys)

The hardworking and dedicated teachers, Cai laoshi, Pan laoshi and Wang laoshi. I have enjoyed getting to know them so much...and I know that Huan Huan will not forget them. They worked very hard to make her feel included and try to teach her Chinese.

Here is our sweet girl on her special day....

After lunch I went to class, for the last time today, I am just too busy to go tomorrow...in fact you may be wondering, how do they do any packing with all the special meals and events going on ? Wang laoshi, in the black dress, is explaining something to Martin, an American who just finished high school last year. Its our break time, and people are moving about a bit.

Here's Mike, from Nebraska by way of 2 years in Taiwan, and my role model for spoken Chinese along with some of the girls form Indonesia, who make up most of the class..

And here is Melanie from the Philippines, who is learning Chinese to complement her PhD work in anthropology. She is my best friend in the class, and I am going to miss her!

And here we are..Yi Nian Shang 一年上"E" Ban : 1st year beginning class, section E. Missing is Tom from Colorado, Kahder from Jordan , and my Japanese class mate.

But Khader had just skipped our class so I caught him on the way in to his next class. Here we are in front of the Overseas College building. It was strange to say good bye and leave class, because I have spend a lot of time this semester with these folks, struggling through Chinese (although I struggle more than many do). It seems a shame to miss the final, but you can't control everything, and studying would have been hard for me with the kids done with school anyway. Still hoping to see some classmates Saturday night, when we have some tentative plans to go out and have a drink.

Now back to packing and organizing this place...

Farewell Party for Students and Colleagues

2008-06-25T08:28:00.013+08:00

The final exam for my American Philosophy course was actually back on June 12. While I had as many as 25-30 people attending at the height of the semester, there were only a handful of students actually registered for the course - only a handful of students brave enough to risk being graded on their English abilities as well as their philosophy.

Here you can see how seriously they are approaching this test.

The following Sunday we had invited the students and faculty from the year to one of our favorite restaurants - a Buddhist vegetarian place called Da Fang that used to be on Siming Nan Lu but moved during construction to Nan Hua Lu, still very close to campus and the temple. In their new location they have also given themselves the English name: Generous Vegetarian Museum [!!!].

While there were no wax statues of Gandhi inside, there were these three philosophy professors - next to me Zhou Jianzhang, Chen Jiaming, and Cao Jianbo. They are the "foreign philosophy" or "western philosophy" faculty members of the department.

Besides the faculty and family table, there were two tables of students. This was the quiet table posing with me.

And this was the loud table.

Here we see the quiet table in action. They didn't eat as much. The loud table cleaned all the plates and ordered more beer.

Of course Sophia was a big hit. Here she is with her dinner partner Chen Jin Dong. He is actually a Finance student but sat in on the classes all year.

And here she is on the lap of Yuan Xueyan - the only student who was registered for all the courses that I offered at Xiamen University.

Here is the group photo - about 30 people in all.

It was a very lovely evening. I received several presents, including a traditional fan, Fujian tea, Yunnan tea, a scarf, postcards in a handmade paper booklet, and two stamp books - one of which took six years for the student to collect all the stamps!

Well, that's it. The classroom is empty and the teacher is leaving for America.

Shopping spree and more goodbyes

2008-06-25T07:43:00.006+08:00

Yesterday Michael and I took a couple of hours out of packing to do some shopping for those things we had wanted all year...like a wooden tea tray, more tea, paintings, and some little gifts for family and friends. And I went to the fitting for my qipao -- you may know the Cantonese for it : cheongsam -- which is my reward to myself for losing a fairly substantial amount of weight this year...hope I can keep it off when I go back to the land of the minivan....

We are getting calls and emails all the time now from friends who want to take us out for goodbye dinners..we called out dear friend Tian for a last trip to the patio noodle restaurant before Tropical Storm Fengshen blows in 5 days of rain for our final week here (at least it was downgraded from a typhoon since its was originally expected to come right through the Taiwan straits...)

Tian is like family....I can't even fully explain it. The kids nicknamed him Uncle Tian back in Beijing in August (he is the guy that Xiada sent to escort us to Xiamen). He just fits with our family perfectly -- is friends with each of us in our own way. We can talk about anything with him and get an interesting and thoughtful answer, plus he is very funny. I am trying to convince him to aim for grad school in the US, but what I really want is for him to move into the guest room so we can keep him...it was supposed to be our farewell dinner, but he said..you are still here for 4 days -- I will see you again before you go.

Same for Vivian, Huan Huan's tutor. She came last night for her last visit, but now we are having dinner on Friday! Huan Huan is quite close to her, and I really think of her as a role model for her. Last night we practiced what Helen will say if she is asked to speak up at the graduation. Not sure if that will be expected, but I wanted her to be ready. Here is what they planned: "Wo shi Huan Huan xiao peng you. Xie Xie laoshi. Xie xie xiao peng you. Wo ai nimen. Huan ying dao Meiguo lai" 卧是欢欢小朋友。谢谢老师。谢谢小朋友.我爱你们.欢迎到美国来! (I am Little Friend Huan Huan. Thank you teachers and little friends. I love you all. You are welcome to come to America!)

This is getting harder and harder. I am tearful at least several times a day, which is embarrassing, but not unexpected to those of you who know me and what a weepy mess I can be. I was contemplating some words that one of my priest friends from undergrad days used to quote... "Fall in love with the world, and it will change everything." We let ourselves fall in love with this little corner of the world, and now leaving it is like a little death. Maybe we will return some day, probably keep in touch with many folks, but this life that we have lived here will be lost to us and that moves me to sadness. But I am also so delighted that it worked....we had a dream and now it has come to completion, and I am grateful that God has been so good to us!

Part of the weepy mess is also the even greater loss that is waiting over the coming weeks. While I would love to make these final weeks last, and I am going through the days quite deliberately, I am always thinking about my mom and dad and wanting to rush back as soon as possible so as not to miss any more of my mom's final days. I think there is a lot of peace there for my family, too -- we are too religious not to be able to see the joy in deliverance from suffering--but it will be very, very hard to let her go.

Last English lesson at "Miao Miao Ban"

2008-06-24T08:15:00.010+08:00

Not sure if I have posted this photo before. This is the front of Sophia's school. Its about 2 blocks from our building, which has been helpful since she is not a morning person.

Monday was my last visit to the class for English, which I have been doing about twice a week for 15 minutes. and I also brought some American flag stickers and some Smarties , the quintessential American candy, which Aunt Laura was kind enough to deliver to us. Here we are doing the hokey pokey...

And the "babies on the bus go wah wah wah!"

Sophia and her hao peng you 好朋友(good friend) who always sits with her.

Sophia with the great Chen Laoshi -- the lead teacher and a very gifted one, too. Sophia talks about her all the time.

And the best ever -- the candid Miao Miao ban 苗苗班 class picture with the English teacher (me!)
Teaching in the girls' classes was a suggestion of the former Fulbright mom who was here, and it was a very good idea. It was a big commitment in some ways, but it got me into both girls' classes, meeting the teachers regularly (especially important because Huan Huan took the bus) and the classmates and some of their parents got to know me, too. Plus I found I used a fair amount of Chinese to supplement the lessons and give directions and explanations. Tonight we were walking on the campus and one of Sophia's little classmates sang "hello, How are you?" by himself for me on the street in front of his mom -- so great! I am proud of the English the class mates in both classes have learned this year.

Thomas turns 12!

2008-06-23T06:50:00.013+08:00

For Thomas's birthday we planned a classic party -- pizza at Pizza Hut and a movie with his friends. Logistically, the planning of this took more time this week than my Chinese homework. There were numerous conversations in Chinese with the hostess at Pizza Hut, the movie theatre (trying to determine --is the movie in English? what time is it showing? do we need advance tickets?). Then the fun of getting directions out in Chinese and English to the Korean and Chinese parents. Then the text messages at 12:10 --"Where are you?" from a cab full of Korean pre teens. But it was all worth it when we had assembled and the fun began. Thomas unwillingly wore a crown...

The activity was make your own pizza..

And of course the traditional birthday cake. That's Bailey, a Canadian and the only other boy in the 6th grade who is a native speaker of English.

After pizza we went to the "International Cinema" to watch Kung Fu Panda in English with Chinese subtitles. Here is some lobby kung fu...the movie was appreciated by the audience, with lots of laughs. I thought the names were funny: Master Shifu (shifu means master, so: Master Master) and Wugui (means turtle) and Po (means to break something...)

Thomas with his friends..Daniel (who also brought his sister to the party?!?!)

And James

And Jason

And Kevin...

We saved the presents for home, Chinese style, and were a bit mystified when Thomas received folders and notebooks for presents?!?! Maybe Asians have a different birthday custom...

Can you guess which gift is from the Canadian? I felt a little sorry for Thomas, so even though we had a deal that he is getting his present from me back in the US -- I went and bought him a $5 knock off Gameboy game up the street which we bestowed after dinner.

The timing was right for this to be a good bye party, too. I am glad it worked out -- one more birthday party to go..on Saturday. In the mean time, we pack!!!

Michael's Trip to Shenyang

2008-06-22T14:35:00.032+08:00

After I finished in Nanjing (see the previous post), I flew directly to Shenyang in Liaoning Province. This is as far north as I had ever been in China. It is further than Beijing and the province is sandwiched between Inner Mongolia and North Korea. The area is called 'Dongbei' meaning 'Northeast' and that stands for the three provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. Another name for this area more common to Americans is 'Manchuria'.

Shenyang is the 'capital' of Dongbei and the biggest city in the three provinces. However, it is a large, dirty and very polluted industrial city which has seen better days. Reminded me of my home city of Detroit [sorry if that bothers anyone].

Here is a shot of the campus and city from the lecture room of Dongbei Da Xue - Northeastern University.

Yes, it's that attractive in real life as well. The interesting feature of Shenyang is that it is the city that the Qing Dynasty originated from. During the late Ming Dynasty, Nu'erhachi was a chieftain of the Nuzhen tribe in Jianzhou. He unified all the tribes in Dongbei and declared himself 'Khan'. He began building this palace in 1625.

It is similar to the Forbidden City in Beijing, but a lot smaller. Like that palace, it is also called 'Gu Gong' which means 'ancient capital'.

The building above is the main palace and though my camera is not powerful enough to capture it, the roof tiles are ringed in green - an unusual color for an imperial palace - to remind them of the forests that they come from in the Northeast.

Below is the throne room with some impressive dragons reaching out over the throne entrance.

In another part of the palace grounds, Nu'erhachi had built houses for his eight brothers. I thought that they were kind of small for princes, but maybe the emperor wanted to keep them a little cramped.

The structure below was the most interesting of the whole grounds. It was to be Nu'erhachi's office and it is built in the Mongolian style. Although it is made of wood, it looks like one of those big Mongolian tents.

And a shot of the workspace of the emperor. Kind of makes you wonder though. He doesn't seem like a guy who did a lot of paperwork. The workspace might have been a little open so that Nu'erhachi could bring a sword out easily. Just musing.

The columns were impressive, with dragon designs on each one. There are eight columns, one for each direction: East, Northeast, etc.

And the "office chair". As I said, not really designed for essays or policy analysis.

This palace was used by the early Qing emperors and was their main residence. After they conquered Beijing in 1644 the court moved there as the main residence and the Shenyang palace became a secondary capital. The Qing emperors who visited Dongbei would stay here until at least 1829.

The picture above is a room for religious rituals. The Qing practiced a kind of northern shamanic religion and this room there was a table for killing a sacrificial pig, pots for boiling it, and the boxes on the table above for making the offering. A guidebook says that the ritual also involved pouring boiling water into the live pig's ear in order that its screams would attract ancestors. Nice. Not many vegetarian Manchus I'll bet.

The palace was completed by Nu'erhachi's son, Huangtaiji, who inherited the throne of Khan in 1626. He conquered much of northern Asia but died just before they would take Beijing in 1644. That would occur during the reign of Huangtaiji's son Shunzhi. Shunzhi was deeply in love with one of his concubines named Donggo. Some accounts say she was Mongolian, others that she was part Manchu and part Han. In any event, below is a Mongolian style baby basket.

The story is that Donggo had a child that died of smallpox when it was very young. She became so distraught that she died a month later. The emperor, Shunzhi was then distraught and died soon after that. Well, some accounts also claim he became a monk.

Below is a simple pole with a feeding bowl on it. It was constructed by Huangtaiji [or one like it was!] to honor crows as divine birds who helped him gain power. The bowl would always be filled with corn and meat so that crows could feed.

It seems that Huangtaiji was felled in battle. Crows would surround the corpses on the field and eat the dead soldiers. As Huangtaiji was covered in crows, his enemies left him for dead. When he recovered he inferred that the crows had saved him and he was duty bound to offer sacrifices for them.

Below are some steps that number 28. This is supposed to be significant - as everything is in China. Maybe there are 28 different festivals during the year, something like that. In any event, Chinese people can be very particular about photography - "okay, now you will take a photo here". Notice, it was not in the form of a question.

So here was my guide and interpreter Gong Xiao Li. She teaches English at Dongbei University.

The building below has an interesting story - at least I thought so. It was the library so it was painted in the "cool" color of black ... the library caught fire and the manuscripts had to be sent to other cities such as Xi'an, Beijing and Nanjing.

So much for the ancient theory of colors!

Here is a interesting sign. It has two languages - on the right is 'Chinese' or better 'Han-zi'. On the left is 'Manchu' or 'Man-zi'. People here will often say that the Qing were not Chinese, by which they mean that they were not Han. Early in the dynasty, the Qing hated the Han and discriminated against them both politically and culturally.

There were several signs in the temple that had three languages: Han-zi, Man-zi, and Mongolian. But the signs were very old and worn down. The run down quality of the signs and my weak camera meant that I came away without any clear picture.

We left the Imperial Palace and went to an 'old' restaurant in Shenyang. In fact, it was an old chain. The family restaurant was started by Bian Fu in 1829. He sold dumplings in Shenyang city and the family has never stopped.

The title is just Lao Bian Jiao-zi Guan [Old Bian's Dumpling Restaurant]. The food was pretty good, but the guy with the water kettle below was too much. He walks around pouring water into people's tea cups but the stick on the end of the kettle has to be 4 feet long.

It was fun to call him over and fill up my teacup. However, it was also a little disconcerting - maybe a little Freudian. Hey guy, get your stick off my table!

And a plate of fried jiao-ji for lunch. Yum.

Below, a simple street shot in Shenyang.

And below a picture of one of the many women who walk around Shenyang with scarves over their faces. At first I was frightened a little. What are they up to? Is it some kind of religious practice?

Actually, they just do it to keep the dust and sand off their faces. Shenyang is both dry and polluted, so there's a lot of particles whipping around.

Below is Huangtaiji looking very military. This is the North Tomb where Huangtaiji is buried.

It is a fairly extensive system of buildings - most of which are being painted and redone for the Olympics [Shenyang is one of the sites for the soccer games].

Below you can see both the main buildings and and the tomb which is actually the big mound with a tree on top. Huangtaiji is under that.

Most of the structures were built in 1665 by Huangtaiji's grandson Kangxi. [That's Sunzhi's son and Nu'erhaichi's great-grandson for those who are keeping track. What? No one?]

Below is the altar on which the emperors would come and make sacrifices to their ancestor Huangtaiji.

Below is a dragon head water faucet. Water would come flowing out of the dragon's mouth into a well.

We were told that this was the origin of the Chinese word for faucet - which is shuilongtou, or literally water-dragon-head.

In the evening we went to a restaurant that served some typical Dongbei food. The food was kind of bland - but I think that was the restaurant and not the cuisine.

Below is my guide Gong Xiao Li and her husband Liu Wen Chao.

At night they took me to a park where about 500-700 people had gathered - and gather every night - to dance, play music, fly kites, etc. While many people were ballroom dancing or modern dancing, the main attraction was the old timers who do a dance every night in a style they said was yang ge or the song of the spring shoots. It was so dark that my camera could not record much video.

Michael's Visit to Nanjing

2008-06-21T23:00:00.021+08:00

I have just returned to Xiamen from a week away. I traveled to Nanjing in Jiangsu Province, then to Shenyang in Liaoning Province. I'll write up the Shenyang trip another day.

Nanjing was a really wonderful trip. The city has a long history as an on-again off-again capital of China during many different dynasties and periods for the last few thousand years. Maybe most famously during the Ming dynasty and then in the early 20th Century during the rule of the Kuomintang.

My hosts were Nanjing Normal University and the students of Professor Chen Zhen, who had invited me. Below are the identical twins Xu Bei and Xu Ting - both studying philosophy in the MA program here.

And it was even their birthday while I was there! They were a little surprised that I could easily tell them apart - but I've had practice at Canisius distinguishing identical twins.

The student below is Wu Zhen Yu. He will begin graduate work in Hong Kong next fall. He applied to two universities and two programs. He's accepted for anthropology but he got wait listed for philosophy. He is hoping the philosophy spot opens, but if not he has a position.

My advantage was having him as a guide at Nanjing Museum because he was a museum studies major as an undergraduate. Very handy! His knowledge was quite deep, and when he wasn't explaining some intricacies of Chinese history and artifacts to me ... well, then we argued philosophy [John Searle's Chinese Room Experiment was a hot topic for a while].

I have only given you a few of the many amazing features of the museum. Below is a suit of jade [that's correct - a suit made out of jade] to bury the emperor. The emperor has been taken out, but the suit is still here.

You can see that the pieces of jade are sewn together. The thread is made out of silver. As we Americans might say, "very cool".

One reason that I was on a jade theme is that I bought a jade bracelet for Ann on our anniversary last week. The bracelets below, however, are a little more pricey. These bracelets are actually 5000 years old [that's 3000 BC] and come from the ancient culture that occupied Jiangsu Province back in the day.

That evening I was taken to Fuzi Miao - or, the Confucian Temple. Below is the gate leading into the area of town containing the main buildings.

Below is the temple lit up at night. Seems a little kitschy for a Confucian, but I didn't plan it. That's Kongzi [Confucius] in the front of the shrine.

This is the shrine area to make sacrifices to Kongzi and all the other famous scholars of the past. Down a few streets is the hall where the examinations were given. Scholars from all over the surrounding areas would come for these major examinations and how well they did on the exams would determine their level in the official bureaucracy. This is one of the highest level temples in the country, so it would be for higher level examinations.

Below is a recent scholar whose exams are only a little less harrowing. This is Qiao Chu [and Kongzi], another MA student at Nanjing Normal U.

Qiao Chu was most helpful to me during the whole trip. He rarely left my side and kept up a running discussion of philosophy and history, both western and Chinese.

The next day we headed out to Zijin Shan - the mountain on the city's eastern side. The most prominent site on the mountain is the mausoleum of Sun Yatsen [which I discovered is a Cantonese name - in Mandarin his name is Sun Zhongshan; this is why almost every city in China has a main street named Zhongshan Lu].

The usual phrase used for Sun is "the father of modern China" and he is revered by people of every political stripe. Below is statue of the seated Sun.

Inside was his crypt with a large marble figure of Sun laying over it. No pictures allowed out of respect, but Qiao Chu and I had our photos taken when we came out.

Here is shot of the steps up to the monument from our perch by the mausoleum. It was quite impressive.

By the way, the blue tiles all over the roofs of the gates and structures stand for the Kuomintang - Sun's party. Although they became the enemy of the CPC , it is all tolerated here because it can be considered Sun's party. In that aspect, it is accepted.

We then moved over to another part of the mountain to a museum dedicated to Sun Yat-Sen. There was a lot of information about his life, with documents, photographs and various artifacts of interest. I learned a lot and was able to fill in some of the massive gaps that take up most of the area in my brain called "Chinese history".

Above is the desk, chair and books that Sun used.

After the Sun Museum, we moved further across the mountain to Linggu Temple, a Buddhist monastery that was being completely redone. Maybe the temple is old, but it seemed as if every brick that I saw was new. We climbed to the top of the pagoda you see below.

The mountain was quite nice, and the view was good, but unfortunately ... Nanjing has much of the common Chinese disease of massive air pollution and the whole area was in a kind of gray haze.

I took this photo for Ann especially. I knew that she would have loved it. She always checks out the Guanyin monuments as Guanyin looks out for the misfortunate, including the orphaned girls of the land.

In this altar she is standing in front of a kind of diorama with tiny figures mounting up the wall - most of which are old people and small children seeking help.

Finally a shot of some philosophers. My final dinner in Nanjing with my host - on the right - Professor Chen Zhen. He got his PhD at Wayne State University, so we had some Detroit chats.

On the left is Professor Chen Ya-jun, of Nanjing University, who not only researches in my area of American philosophy, but was both a student and professor at Xiamen University for many years.

This was one of my best visits in China. My hosts - both students and professors - were lively, interesting and very hospitable. It was an honor to be their guest.

Open House at Sophia's "Miao Miao Ban" or "little sprouts class"

2008-06-18T23:39:00.012+08:00

This afternoon was an open day at Sophia's school. While her school is under the leadership of the same principal as Helen's larger school -- this smaller facility at our end of campus has only 3 classes. Sophia's is in the youngest, the "little sprouts". When we arrived they were just waking form their (2-3 hour!) nap. Its no wonder she does not go to bed at night very easily. My picture of the sleeping room was a bit blurry, but it has little bunk bed cribs and is quite full. Sophia is on the floor level with no one above her I was happy to see.
I snapped some photos of the play room and decorations..

These are the washcloths they tuck in the back of the children's shirts whenever they are on the playground -- they, like their cups, are sticker coded for hygiene's sake.

It's a hudie 蝴蝶theme (butterfly) this month!

Here is the afternoon snack -- rice porridge with plums and beans and a banana.

Big kids clean up after themselves.

Building with her friends in the free play room.

And clean up time!

At the end I switched to the video camera to record some little songs and games..Sophia and one of her "hao peng you" (best friends) were very huggy during the singing, and it was clear to me that Sophia enjoys the class and is well loved by the children and teachers, who are very professional and offer a very high quality curriculum.

After this week, only one more week to go until the end of school for the kids. I feel really good about all their school experiences this year -- excellent teachers for all three, and even Thomas has ended up feeling some sense of belonging and now loss as the year comes to an end.

This blog is starting to come to an end as well. Some of my fellow bloggers in China are getting ready to leave and I was glad to find a way to check in with them now that the proxy server "anonymouse.org" we all have used to read blogs is being blocked by the Great Firewall of China. My new proxy sever is "proxy bolt" -- working pretty well.

Michael is on his lecture tour and in Nanjing today -- Shenyang tomorrow and home on Saturday. I will be relieved to see him, as my mom is getting worse and I am thinking we may move our departure up a couple of weeks. Please pray for my family, if you are the praying type -- that we may have the gift of some time together back in the U.S.

Fun with my classmates

2008-06-18T07:09:00.007+08:00

Never got around to posting about my night out with my classmates to celebrate one of our teacher finishing his masters degree...we went to "KTV" as karaoke bars are called here. My classmates sang in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, as well as a few English songs.

I tried to hold up my end with "La Bamba" and got Emily to join on the chorus. (who I had brought along with Nick and Laura, as a cultural experience)

Here we are in the language lab. My listening teacher had asked me what "Lucky Charms" were, having heard about them in a movie -- so I had Don and Laura bring some.

I provided the milk and bowls, and we had a class treat -- which also pleased Martin, an American from Kentucky who is young enough to still like the stuff..

Here is my teacher -- he has been a great dispenser of cultural information about China as well -- he is also curious about us which is fun.

Below I tried to load a video I have had for a while, but was not sucessful -- it features a small group skit with my best friends in the class -- me as the secretary, Tom as a disgruntled student, Mike as his friend and Melanie as a waitress in a restaurant. Together we make up the elders in the class -- as everyone else is college age (although these guys are also quite a bit younger than me!). I will really miss the camaraderie of the class when its time to go...

The winds of change blow through our neighborhood

2008-06-17T09:16:00.014+08:00

I know everyone is always hearing about how fast China is changing. Our local experience of this is the destruction of the shopping street and produce market near the south gate of the campus. The university has owned the land for a while, and now plans to widen the street, build parking and add some green space. I will be the first to admit that it is a very congested street, because at our end of it, just outside the gate, is a bus terminal for about 10 city bus routes. There is also a taxi stand and a vehicle entrance gate for cars entering the campus. When the temple next door has a busy weekend, you can hardly get down the street, cars park on the sidewalk and it gets a little crazy. So a wider road and some parking makes sense, right?

The problem is -- it does not make sense to me anymore after living here. Cars are the enemy of modern life. Not having a car for a year has done more to improve our quality of life than almost any other factor. We walk and bike more and are in much better shape. A wide variety of very fresh produce has been available only a few minutes walk away, much better quality than the supermarket (a 10-15 minute walk away). So we ate more vegetables and fruit. There was almost every daily necessity on that street -- bakery, optometrist, clothing, restaurants, books, office supplies, crafts, shoes...even the "scarves in winter, umbrellas in spring, swimsuits in summer" store.

Here is a shot of the street on a slow morning before the destruction began.

You could buy money to burn for the dead at the temple...

Or all kinds of trinkets form the temporary vendors who wold set up on the sidewalk..last fall, you could not get down this street on a Friday night because of the crowds of shoppers.

Here is my favorite clothing store, where I found some clothes that even fit me! Below is the entrance to the wet market...

As you will see in the video below..the "wet market", called so because it had meat and seafood in addition to fruit and vegetables, was not the most hygienic-looking place. Now that the demolition has begun, more than one displaced rat has been seen leaving the premises. And I never could bring myself to buy the meat they display on pieces of cardboard at the butcher's stand, even though I realize it is probably fresher that the supermarket's supply (no role models of food handling there either). But you could buy eggs, tofu and simple groceries in addition to produce. You could haggle with the vendors if desired -- although after a few weeks of shopping there I was getting the "regular" price -- so ridiculously low that I would never haggle. And over the months I had struck up an acquaintance with several of the vendors, who would try to speak Chinese with me as my vocabulary improved, who gave me tips on which fruits were fresh, how to prepare vegetable I didn't recognize, and put up with my pantomiming when all else failed...(how do you act out "cilantro"? as it turns out, it is possible!)

Now, most of them are gone, and as the demolition progresses up the block, every day there is less to buy. My favorite one -- Deborah will remember the "clean vegetable lady"-- told me she had no other place lined up to sell produce and so would return to her village an hour away. My "fruit family" (mom, dad and cute new baby) were still hoping to stay in Xiamen and set up someplace new. But in truth, it seems the city is trying its best to "clean up" its image by driving out these markets and replacing them with shopping centers and supermarkets. And while I like the convenience of those places, I liked shopping on my little street even more. I know that many of the locals feel the same way--especially those without cars, which is still most of China. I wonder if Chinese urban life will end up like the US -- where we drive all day and shop in the suburbs. I hope not! And with fuel prices the way they are, it seems like a doomed prospect.

Anyway here are some "after" photos for you...

what's left of our KFC..believe me, the students are hurting without it!

The bulldozers begin...

Behind the rubble is the campus.

This last picture has that urban blight feeling, doesn't it? But actually I took it to illustrate "nap time" when all the workers stop after lunch for a nap, right wherever they are...

Finally -- a video tour of the market that is gone, and a slice of life in China that is fast disappearing..

Field trip to Hakka country and tulou

2008-06-12T19:19:00.005+08:00

So what is a round house, or earthhouse (图楼tulou in Chinese)? They are earthen dwellings meant to house whole families, even whole clans in some cases. The Hakka people were migrants form other parts of China and were not welcomed by the local people. So for safety they lived together in these fort- like homes...even with their own wells inside. They are made from rammed earth reinforced with bamboo and held together with glutinous rice! In Fujian province there are over 10,000 of these dwellings in all shapes and sizes, some with interior buildings. I happen to think they are quite beautiful to look at. Back in December the university had taken us on a field trip to see some. We decided to book a minibus to take Don and Laura and the kids to Hakka country, along with a couple of friends, out to see some of the most famous tulou --about 3 hours from Xiamen in the Yongding and Nanjing districts of Fujian province. The Fuxing castle (above) is the largest tulou still standing...build in the 1600s and able to house 400 people! Each family would have their own room in the tulou....

While a lot of people have moved from this clan to the city to work, they return for holidays to the village.

This woman showed Helen how to draw the water from the well,

And how to wash the clothes by hand, which amazed the girls.

I just love all the arches and angles in this tulou--great for photography (and great that Aunt Laura with her fine camera was here to record some of it!) The main reason I wanted to bring our family here was to show them a bit of life in rural China. And I find the architecture more interesting than just visiting a village. Chinese tourists don't really come here -- they don't understand why we would be so interested.

Our next stop was the Tianluokeng tulou cluster..a small settlement with 5 tulou close together amidst terraced rice paddies.

Our whole group except for Laura behind the camera..the extras are Mike, an American classmate of mine, and Alex Li, one of my teachers from the Overseas College.

The farm work is done by hand with animals here as in many parts of China. Wheat farming (in the north east and central parts of China) is slowly becoming more mechanized but rice is still labor intensive.

To me this looks like a man enjoying his vacation! No banana trees in Denver, I guess!

Tea growing on the hill sides--the best teas are grown at the top of mountains...this is more my level of tea, on a little hill!

This is a much smaller tulou, actually oval shaped, with few interior structures, but a big working and living space in the courtyard surrounded by many rooms.

The girls were invited to drink some tea -- it was actually quite good tea, but I have to stop buying tea everywhere I go -- I have a ton!

Plenty of animals around too, including the universal sight of a napping cat!

Nick bought a hat off someone for 5 kuai, so then everyone wanted one!

These are tiny plums drying in the sun...

And the tiny lady who was selling them along with other snacks.

In the village was a Daoist temple. At first we thought it was locked, but Michael was persistent and we got inside.

The interior of a square tulou -- quite common and easier to build.

And we finish off with Helen and some goslings...

That's the best of my photos while the Coloradans were here --. On their last two days in Xiamen we laid pretty low -- to the beach and shopping downtown. They have arrived safely in Xi'an and some friends of our there have set them up with a driver and student to show them around.

Now that their visit is over, the countdown to leaving really begins...we have some good bye parties/birthdays to plan and A LOT of sorting and packing to do over the next month. I am happy that another Fulbright family will be coming to Xiamen (with three kids!) and maybe I can leave them some useful items vs. throwing them away are trying to find a home for them.

The goodbyes are already beginning. Thomas's best friend is leaving school early and will be gone before Thomas's birthday party, which he is disappointed about. And every time we did something with the family last week I wondered...am I doing this for the last time?!?!?

Today is our wedding anniversary, and I of course must mention my wonderful husband of 16 years! Can't believe it has been that long...and how fortunate we are to have each other on this adventure...

Back to the blog-- more adventures with company

2008-06-12T06:52:00.017+08:00

I know I haven't been blogging much this week, but we had a bit of a computer scare and I have been spending my little free time backing up all our documents and photos in the event of a crash. We removed some new software and are crossing our fingers! To catch up, on Sunday we took Dona and Laura and the kids to Gulanyu to church and for some serious souvenir shopping. It was the day of the holiday (Duan Wu Jie) and a few other people had the same idea, so the ferry was packed, and the Coloradans got a taste of life in a crowd.

A hot, sticky moment in the church yard..

Followed by some local Xiamen cuisine in our regular Sunday lunch spot, although we were such a large group that they sat us upstairs next to the drying laundry. Nathan is sampling some octopus.

And Mary is demonstrating her skills with chopsticks...

Nick and Sophia were constant companions this week.

Part of the gang in the traditional tourist photo spot. It was an exceptionally clear day by China standards, muggy but lovely.

We shopped for trinkets, pearls and of course, tea. We are having the usual Fujian style tea tasting.

Mary got a Chinese outfit and posed with Helen for a photo, although we discovered we had been had when the closures began coming unglued! Since we could not find any festival festivities, after a nap at home we headed up the beach road to a restaurant we had been wanting to try..."under the big tree sea food place". You order your food by pointing it out inside the restaurant lobby...

And then you eat it in style outside on the patio under the lights with the ocean near at hand...it was terrific!

This morning we have just said goodbye to the gang as they head up to Xi' an and then to Beijing. Hopefully they have had enough of a China orientation to survive-- and Nick has mastered a couple of phrases. In Xi'an our good friends are setting them up with some drivers, etc.
I have lots more photos of their visit, including our trip to see Hakka tulou, which I will post later or tomorrow. In the mean time, my apartment is a disaster and I have so much catching up to do!

Sublime to serene: from the Temple to the Botanical Gardens

2008-06-08T22:49:00.019+08:00

Yesterday was reasonably clear and overcast, so we headed next door to the temple. Here we are at the back gate of the temple, and if you look close you can see a corner of our building peeking at the upper right hand corner. I have grown accustomed to the proximity of the temple, the gonging, the smell of incense, etc... Not to mention the beauty of the mountain (Five Old Men Mountain by name) which we can easily gaze at out or windows. The lily pond in front of the temple was in full spring time glory.

Doesn't Emily look so grown up in this picture?

Nanputuo Temple

Roof detail...much of the temple has been restored and repainted while we have been here -- just magnificent.

Emily at Guan Yin's altar...the goddess of mercy. This image is a Bodhisattva with many many hands (for helping the suffering).

People ask me if we get too much unwanted attention when we are in public. At a tourist destination such as the temple, undeniably the answer is yes. Sometimes the requests are made so sweetly or enthusiastically that we can't say no -- then a scene like the one above ensues. When someone touches her or is too forward, she usually lets out a bone chilling scream that knocks them for a bit of a loop . So I guess she can handle the paparazzi herself for the most part.

Back on topic -- I finally found the oven in the temple where they burn the "hell money" people bring for their ancestors and deceased love ones to use in heaven ( I have also seem paper clothes, houses and cell phones, too).

We were happy to find our favorite monk to meet the family. He naturally ushered us into his office (its a cave, if you recall) and plied the kids with candy, Buddhist medallions and this time started giving us Buddhist scriptures in Chinese to read since I told him I am learning to read Chinese. While I am not ready to read them, I did finally look up the character painted on the rock behind the altar the monk tends -- is the character for Buddha, not surprisingly. He got very excited and showed us around a bit, trying to get us to understand different sayings painted on rocks, even calling a friend to translate (but she said -- "I can't say it in English")
.

We headed up the mountain, passing some caves on the way -- many filled with all shapes and sizes of religious images brought by pilgrims.

At last -- the top of the mountain!

And over the top to the other side and into the 10,000 Rock Botanical Garden with some goofy children.

It began to rain, so we "escaped" to the desert buildings -- the most impressive collection in the garden, in my opinion.

These were both too unusual for Aunt Laura to pass up photographing.

Helen with the "corn on the cob" cactus she found.

Finally a tired group heads back to campus by bus.

Today, being the 5th day of the 5th lunar month is a holiday called Duan Wu Jie. In English we call it the Dragon Boat festival, although racing dragon boats is only one of the activities associated with this festival which celebrates the life and death of a faithful and devoted government official long long ago who drowned himself after realizing that corruption had destroyed the nation he helped to build. In addition to the dragon boats, its customary to eat zongzi -- glutinous rice mixed with dates or pork and wrapped in palm leaves...see photos below. The people wanted to make some rice offerings to the honest official, but had to wrap them to keep the fish from getting them! My friend's mother had made us some delicious zongzi.

Unfortunately, not much was happening in the way of festivities, because the dragon boat races had been canceled due to mourning the earthquake victims, according to some friends of ours.

Just a note on the photos -- all the good ones were taken by Laura with her stupendous camera. The best was when she captured on film something I have been trying to photograph all year -- a baby in split pants. In lieu of diapers many Chinese children wear these pants with the hole in the back until they are old enough not to need them. Amazing.

Lots of eating, shopping, and Helen takes Mary to school

2008-06-06T19:45:00.013+08:00

Since the recommended treatment for jet lag is sunshine, the Colorado folks spent some of their first day at the beach, which was not at its cleanest with the tide coming in.

Then lunch at my favorite restaurant, Cai Jia Po ---spicy noodles (both wheat and bean based) and mango smoothies!

After lunch they napped and I went to class. We re-gathered for dinner at the restaurant next door, including our friend Tian who helped us order lots of interesting dishes including sea worms for Nick and a whole fish for the rest of us.

Friday morning we hit the second hand market (and yes , Mom we got you another clock -- for just 200 kuai). Laura and Emily got silver dowry bracelets and Nick emerged as the big shopper and best bargainer of the day.

While we were shopping, Mary was having a day as an exchange student to Helen's class for the morning. Getting on the bus...

And when we arrived to pick them up, they were finishing lunch -- rice porridge, fish some vegetable and xigua 西瓜 (watermelon) for dessert.

Laura took this picture of the room where Helen's class naps in their bunk beds, but we brought the girls home after lunch. On the way we had a bit of a campus tour, including a good view of the oldest buildings on the campus.

Its Saturday now, and we just got back from a long but satisfying morning at the temple next door and on the mountain. Will try to get that blog post going later tonight.

In other news, we have heard from the family who is coming to be the Fulbright family in Xiamen next year ...and they even have kids....hurray! At least we can pass on some of the stuff we can't take with us to someone who will appreciate it! Although it makes are leaving all the more real. I realized today at the top of the mountain that we might not make that hike again, and the things we are showing Don and Laura and the gang -- this may be our last visit in some cases. After they leave we will really begin the countdown in earnest. How else can I cope but to try to begin anticipating some things to look forward to? But I am not really ready to let go of my life and projects here, such as learning Chinese, teaching and tutoring in English, and trying every day to be open to at least one new experience or idea. I guess maybe that last bit is a notion I will have to take home with me.

The Colorado folks have arrived!

2008-06-05T21:40:00.005+08:00

Actually they arrived yesterday evening in time for dinner and are "roughing it" in our building, which is convenient. Of course hosting visitors means were are eating very well in all our favorite restaurants. Tomorrow my little niece Mary, age 8, is going to school with Helen. The rest of us will head to the antique flea market and I will try to bring my camera this time! (sorry no photos today but we mostly walked around and they went to the beach) The family seems to be surviving jet lag pretty well except for Nathan who is a little sick but recovering. Anyone who has made that crossing can appreciate what an arduous trip it is. I am dreading it next month! We have lots of plans to visit sites in Xiamen while they are here, and it is also a chance to do things we have been putting off -- the time is flying by and maybe there are some things we won't have the chance to do again. After a week here they will also visit Xi'an and Beijing.

I promise photos tomorrow. Today you have to be content with this graphic:

Hockey fans...I think you know what this means, (especially any Ottawa fans who might be reading this!) Go Red Wings!

Weekend Update

2008-06-02T07:02:00.012+08:00

Michael here for the weekend update. On Friday evening we had our last dinner with our friend Gary, who left on Saturday morning with his students - heading off for a tour of Beijing before returning to the states.

As Gary was leaving, Helen's friend Rouen came over for a play date. She immediately put on the pink princess dress that she loves [we hope to leave it with her when we finally depart].

And of course, Sophia has to do whatever the big girls are doing - including dresses, umbrellas and ubiquitous V sign.

The girls all made 'American cookies' with Ann - this being a rather new experience for Rouen. Since very few Chinese people have ovens, they do not have much of a recent tradition of baking your own cookies, breads and cakes. Rouen was sent home with a plate of chocolate chip cookies for her family. And thanks to our visitors who brought the chocolate chips! We remember it was one of the Marys but cannot recall which one.

After her play date, Helen had her last paper cut class. Here she is with her teacher.

Actually the last class was a final exam, although we didn't know it. Helen arrived late to discover the exam (make 5 paper cuts in the class time) but was able to make 4 paper cuts and was graduated to the next class. Hurrah! Unfortunately, we will not be around for the next course. :(

Here is the indomitable Huan Huan with her teacher and some of her graduating class with a background of rather colorful paper cuts.

In the evening we had a babysitter [she was supposed to come the night before so we could go out with our friend Gary, but she couldn't make it], so we went out Saturday to dinner and some strolling around with our friends Jason [who teaches English at Xiada] and Melanie [who is a fellow student with Ann at the Overseas College].

Upon our return home we were greeted by our old friend Wushu the lizard who, it appears, had not left but had crawled up the wall.

We were glad to see him and took a few shots of him before he scooted off into our huge pile of shoes by the doorway.

On Sunday we went off to church, but first we all checked our shoes thoroughly in case we squished poor Wushu. Our lunch after church is usually rather quiet, with the exception of our children in the restaurant. But this Sunday - because it was officially Children's Day - almost every table in the place was filled and with small kids at almost every one. It was a noisy but enjoyable lunch.

Helen actually had another play date with Rouen, this time at Rouen's house. Since Sunday was Children's Day they went to Bailuzou Park where there were various festivities [we have been promised pictures].

Around bedtime, my student and one of our babysitters, Fu Qinqin, came over with a big bag of candy for the children. I think that her boyfriend sends candy over from Korea, but she doesn't eat it. So she stocked it up and brought a big bag over on Children's Day.

She also brought over a traditional food for Dragon Boat Festival. It is flavored rice with pork in the middle, then wrapped in bamboo leaves or reeds and tied with a string. Her mother had sent them with her from Zhejiang Province.

We are getting ready for our next batch of visitors: my brother's family. They are to arrive on Wednesday afternoon after many flights. So we wish them well as they prepare for their cross Pacific journey.

Happy Children's Day

2008-05-30T22:31:00.006+08:00

When I was a kid, we used to hear "every day is children's day" but today in China it was the real thing. Sophia came home in a crown and new t shirt, and both girls with new toys foam ping pong sets) and little cakes.

Glad someone knew about it because I didn't!

Tomorrow we say good bye to Gary who is on his way home via a tour of Beijing. It has been great to have a friend visit us here.

The lizard is missing.

It is raining and thunderstorms off and on every day.

But tomorrow we have a baby sitter -- something indeed to look forward to!

A busy week...in which we find chili fries, acquire a lizard and give Thomas a haircut

2008-05-29T23:24:00.003+08:00

Here we are at midday on Tuesday -- working hard as you can see, with our friend Gary, the visiting prof from Syracuse anticipating what is rumored to be the best American food in Xiamen, at a new place along the island ring road.

There was plenty of outdoor beach ambiance to the place, including this little guy. We are experiencing what can only be classified as an insect "bloom" here -- overnight the heat and humidity have exploded the insect population and affected our lives..more on that in a minute.

First we must celebrate the arrival at our table of not only real hamburgers not made with preformed patties, actual burritos with sour cream....just when we thought it could not get any better...chili cheese fries. I mean we are talking not just about American food here, but almost Detroit Coney Island chili cheese fries -- except the cheese was too high quality for Coney Island. Above you see the happy sabbatical professor..and below another happy professor while teaching abroad! Could it be the beer with lunch?!?!?!?

If you are ever in Xiamen and need real American cuisine (at real American prices by the way) -- here is the place. I told my classmates about it and they are all psyched..

OK -- now the lizard. With the increased population of our apartment on an insect level (although no cockroaches yet, thank heavens, just ants, mosquitoes and for 2 days dozens of moth pupa crawling around) it stands to reason that a predator might find its way in as well, in the form of the house gecko. He took up residence in the sink one morning and we have taken to him and are allowing him to roam freely, provided he 1) eats bugs 2) stays in the kitchen 3) stays out of the bedrooms 4) does not run across my toes while I do the dishes. Helen has named him Wushu (like the martial art?!?) and although she has been warned that a free roaming gecko is not likely to make a long term commitment to us, she has rushed home from school to see him the past 2 days (oh yes -- he is still here after 2 days -- he sleeps in a quiet corner in the day time and does his roaming at night) and has made him a water cup out of the lid of the toothpaste tube. It think she misses the cats.

This picture is here because this is a very cute child, don't you agree?!?! Still working on the "V" sign, though..we are killing time waiting for Helen's bus, which one of us does with Sophia every day because her school gets to at 4:30 and Helen's bus doesn't arrive until 5. It is Sophia's daily public appearance on campus -- she does get tired of the attention sometimes and declares "Why is that lady LOOKING at me?!"

Finally..the haircut. Over the last week Xiamen has become a very hot, but especially humid place. We have A/C at home and in my classroom (not Michael's or the kids though) which helps. But it is hot and we are all slowing into the tropical rhythm of slowing down in the heat of the day and expecting rain every afternoon. Then Thomas agreed to have haircut...now you know its gotta be hot. We started cutting and just couldn't stop. Here he is at dinner tonight...

And at bedtime with his head a lot lighter! Now you know it must be hot for T. to give up his beloved long hair. Or I guess he decided it was time for a change. By the way he wanted me to wait to post this until he had time to email Uncle Dave and see if his uncle would give him $5 if he got his hair cut.

The blog is celebrating its 10,000th visit this week. Wow! Lots of loyal readers from family and friends and some new "e-friends" too! If you make a comment and want a personal reply -- include your email address if I do not have it. I do not need to post the comments if they contain personal info.

Please continue to hold the people of China and Sichuan province in your thoughts. The death toll form the earthquake, not to mention the injured and homeless, is staggering. And there is some political trouble brewing over the fact that so many of the buildings which collapsed were schools. Some grieving parents have begun protesting quite angrily in the hardest hit areas, contending that officials knew that some schools were unsafe-- a serious allegation which will hopefully be taken seriously and investigated.

Odds and Ends

2008-05-26T12:19:00.003+08:00

Just a quick post to catch up. After my long Yongzhou post and all our travels -- I haven't had too much that was noteworthy -- just trying to get back into normal life. My Chinese classes have gotten really really hard. I passed the midterm, but not by much! We are learning so much new vocabulary and have entered the realm of truly unfamiliar grammar. But I like going, so I keep showing up, even if I am lost a lot!

Both girls have been sick with mysterious ailments that have not amounted to much...Helen had what I like to call the 24 hour mumps. She came home Thursday with one side of her face really swollen in just the right spot. We were exposed to mumps while in Japan, but having had the vaccine I didn't think much of it. 25 days later, here was Helen...she stayed home one day while I consulted with my sister in law the pediatric PA...and the next morning -- mumps are gone! Guess that vaccine kicked in after all.

To add to the fun, Sophia was sent home from school on Friday with coughing and the teacher said she had a sore inside her mouth. Every one is being very vigilant about Hand, Foot and Mouth disease this year, so they sent her home. She has not really been acting very sick other than a slight cough, but we laid low this weekend and today I took her to the clinic at the hospital to be checked so she can return to school. More or less a waste of time, as the doctor barely looked at her and didn't even listen to her chest, just ordered a blood test (not sure what for), the results are available tomorrow. So I guess I'll find out something then....? Doctor says she doesn't have HFM, though. I guess she bit her cheek or something!

In the US I wouldn't have worried, as neither girl was acting or looking very sick, but I always want to do the right thing for the teachers' expectations, even though I don't like going near Chinese health care unless we have to! I guess the overpriced system in the US is something to look forward to.

Our friend Gary is here from Syracuse, New York with a group of students (they were originally going to Chengdu before the earthquake). It has been great to have another witness to our lives here and the beauty of Xiamen! We are also looking forward to welcoming Michael's brother and his family in a couple of weeks.

We'll try for a more interesting post soon!

The time is going by very fast. It is almost time to begin to think about packing, or at least sorting this mess. I feel no more ready to leave, but as the time keeps going by I am slowly making my peace with it, and eager to see our family and friends back home...

Yongzhou trip

2008-05-23T05:45:00.036+08:00

We traveled by bus from Guilin/Yangshuo area (which turned out to be a lot longer bus ride than you might think from looking at a map -- over 5 hours for under 200 kilometers-- because we stopped in every small town and there was a traffic tie up (typical of bus travel in China, by the way).

We stayed at the Great Wall Hotel, which was fine, and met up with our guide, Oscar. The guide turned out to be just fine, very good English and good with the kids, although he didn't know much about the city, being from Changsha.

Here we are arriving at the orphanage.

There is a new director (new to me at least -- I think she has been on the job for 1-2 years). She is called Director Qiao. She has worked there for a long time in different capacities and was there when Helen was a baby (although not involved in baby care then). There are now very few of the old staff left, and in fact very few staff at Lengshuitan at all because there are now only 15 children there. The numbers of babies peaked in 2003 and has been falling, and now more of the infants are in foster care. We were a little disappointed not to meet any of Helen's ayis, or the nurse who accompanied her to Changsha for the adoption because the nurse is on maternity leave. We had brought a scrapbook made by one of our travel group families (Kathrin -- thanks!) and some other photos sent along from other group members. The business office staff and driver came in too to look at all the photos. They were especially interested in the ones of Helen in Xiamen, at school, the Forbidden City, Chinese New Year, etc. The director served fruit and showed us her office where lots of photos sent by adoptive parents were displayed under glass on her desk .

I am choosing not to post the photos from the inside of the orphanage, to honor the agreement we signed, but it was very interesting. We only saw a few rooms, but they included a play room , a baby room, and the room where Helen was cared for as a baby.

The staff told the baby, "here is your Jie Jie (older sister)"

The children's laundry..

The director and some staff accompanied us on a tour of the Lengshuitan district of Yongzhou. Above is the municipal building.

Some older style housing..

An apartment building..

They took us to the finding site described in Helen's paperwork. The Fenghuayuan Central Flowerbed turns out to be a monument to commemorate the area becoming an economic development zone under Deng Xiaoping. It was a busy area, with lots of people about, which I ws glad about.

Afterwards we took them to lunch. We ate some local dishes including Dong'An chicken, with a strong vinegar and ginger taste,

And Helen's favorite -- Wu gu feng deng : made from corn and duck egg yolk deep fried, topped with nuts -- delicious!

After lunch the restaurant presented Helen and Sophia with presents -- giant stuffed rats..pink ones!

We took the staff shopping to buy something to give the orphanage and picked a washing machine for the babies laundry.

Helen saying goodbye to Director Qiao.

The visit was smooth, everyone friendly and interested in the kids, Helen spoke a little Chinese, which pleased them and us. But I could hardly wait to get back to the hotel room to lock myself in the bathroom and have a good cry. Hard to explain. I think it was relief and also coming to grips with reality that there is so much we will not know about Helen's early life. I asked the director about whether she thinks the girls usually come from the country side or not. Helen's finding site is close to the railway station, which prompted me to ask. The director answered that maybe the babies born in the hospital and left behind might be from the city, but the rural preference for boys is much stronger now days than in the cities. So although we walked around Yongzhou for the rest of the afternoon, calling it Helen's hometown -- its probably not.

We spent most of our time at a playground on the river. There was a little carnival with a few rides and games, such as fishing for eels (!) So we did the 6 year old tour -- Helen liked this place so much we didn't leave until dinner time.

This is the Xiang River which runs through Yongzhou.

And here is the playground! A 6 year old's tour of the city would be incomplete without it!

Helen catching eels...

And the catch!

Thomas roller skating at the park...

We also spent time hanging around while Oscar went to get the bus tickets and once the locals figured out I spoke a little Chinese they had lots of questions. It pleased me to tell them that Helen was from this area and we had come back for a visit. It felt like an act of positive publicity for international adoption. Who knows...maybe some birth parent will hear by word of mouth about us and feel a little better about the decision they had to make.
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The next day we left early in the morning . On the bus ride on the way back to Guilin, it was a beautiful day, and we marveled at the beauty of the countryside of southern Hunan -- the rice fields are so green in the spring time that even though the mountains are not as impressive as Guangxi province to the south, it was a treat to drive through, although I could have done without stopping every few minutes to try and lure passengers onto the half empty bus-- negotiating the price at every stop!

It was a powerful but tiring weekend and we are glad to be back in Xiamen and back to regular life. No more traveling until we leave, I think!

We've returned from Hunan

2008-05-20T22:32:00.004+08:00

Tonight I am too tired to begin the monumental task of sorting the dozens of photos we took in Yongzhou and Hunan and tell our story of returning to Helen's home province. I will soon. It was a very successful trip in that many of our hopes were realized in touring the city, visiting the orphanage, meeting the staff etc., but it was also a little emotional, maybe even more for me than for Helen.

China has been an emotional place this week. Yesterday was the one week anniversary of the earthquake in Sichuan, and at the precise time of the earthquake there was a national 3 minutes of silence (signaled by the ringing of sirens and horns throughout the country). We were in our hotel in Yongzhou when we heard the sirens go off, and out the back window I shot this photo of the troops at the military headquarters in formation after lowering the flag to half mast. We spent so much time riding through the countryside by bus on our way to and from Yongzhou that I was reminded that most of China (about 60%of the population) is still rural, living in small, somewhat isolated communities like the ones devastated by the earthquake.

Li river cruise and Sanjie light show

2008-05-18T06:47:00.014+08:00

Yesterday was not quite as auspicious as our first day here -- for one, in began with some rain, although it did subside and leave us with a hazy humid day for exploring the river. We thought we had booked tickets for a 2:00 cruise on a small boat from Xingping, town about 30 minutes away by bus, up the river through the most famous section and then back. When we arrived we were told -- no 2:00 boat, "we'll leave at 3:00", at 3:00 "in 5 minutes" and at 3:35 finally we were taken to the boats. I did have my first argument in Chinese, although futile.

Once on the boat it was very nice, but we had such fun fishing the night before that the kids were a little bored until we started counting water buffalo..had stop around 30 or something...

The purpose of the cruise is to appreciate these unusual mountains all along-- of course there are names for the oddly shaped ones in Chinese...it was hazy, in no small part from the motors from all the boat engines.

We stopped for some forced shopping opportunities with the locals, but Helen managed to get herself on top of a water buffalo for a small price. When I saw her up there it occurred to me that Helen's alternate life, had the story been different, might have been to grow up on a farm near here..it made me see everything in a new light.

Almost right at the end the sun broke through the clouds for a dramatic moment..

And we saw a lone chicken near the banks of the river we named Daisy (see previous day's post).

We had a ride back to Yangshuo on an overcrowded bus, and at night we went to the Sanjie light show...it is a blend of theatrical staging and the music of the local minority group. The designer of the show is doing the opening ceremony of the Olympics. It was on a grand scale with the river as the stage and the mountains as backdrop and a cast of hundreds of dancers in and singers in ethnic costume. The girls really liked it and we all thought it was worthwhile.
This morning we leave for our trip to Yongzhou by bus. I hope it goes smoothly. We are meeting our guide in Yongzhou, which is the way I wanted it, but I am a little nervous about making the connection and all with my primary school Chinese! We do have the guide's cell phone number if we need it. It will be a long day I think --and little chance of posting until we return to Xiamen on Tuesday night...

Yangshuo, Guangxi province..views, fishing and fun

2008-05-17T00:27:00.023+08:00

This was the view which greeted us from the rooftop patio of our hotel in Yangshuo...and I instantly knew we had done well to come here...thanks Deborah and Kate for the recommendation!
Yangshuo is just about 60 km south of the more famous (and popular) Guilin along the Li River. With only two days to tray and experience the wonders this area has to offer, we decided to stay on the river itself, which necessitated over an hour ride from the Guilin airport. But let me give this Aussie owned place some free advertising...great room, clean and spacious with a patio overlooking the river where you can order anything off an enormous menu from 8 am to 9pm. The western food tasted western and the Chinese food terrific.

It about a 20 minute walk outside of the town of Yangshuo, with a very rural feel. By contrast, Yangshuo offers all the trekker ambiance you could hope for (lots of cafes and bars), plus plenty of Chinese bric a brac for the tourists. So we had a relaxing dinner on the patio...

With Sophia in high photo taking mode..."Mama its sooo booogifal (beautiful).

Here is a child who has been living in China too long?!?!? That's pizza she's eating with kuaizi (chopsticks).

Th owner of the inn also owns this bar, which is where we met our guide for the evening fishing trip...think we'll remember the name of the place?!?! But are there Buffalo wings?!?The waitresses were amused when I told them it was the name of our city..but pointed out that it is water buffalo which is the symbol here, and we sure saw those on the way to Yangshuo from the airport, Mostly wandering around grazing I think, as the rice seemed to be already planted for the most part.

I know many of the blog readers are familiar with this book, its quite popular in the Asian adoption community. Its a children's story which we just love, about a little girl who raises chickens, and it is set right here, on the banks of the Li River. In this story a cormorant fisherman find one of Mei Mei's hens floating down the river in a basket while he is cormorant fishing. So our kids are actually aware of this quite ancient method of catching fish.

We paid 50 kuai apiece ($7 per adult) to "watch" the fisherman. We didn't realize just how close we would be, or how exciting. They fish at night and attract the fish with a light out over the water.

Then the cormorants get involved. They are sleek and powerful birds, larger than I expected. They are able to hold up to 5 fish n their mouths at one once without swallowing. The fisherman ties a string snugly around their neck so they can't swallow the fish. Then he uses his pole to scoop them up and bring them to him, and gets them to cough up the fish they are storing. They dove again and again while we skimmed along side his boat in the water. It was really quite exciting. It was a good long ride, and then we beached and talked to him, and took some fun photos of Helen and Thomas befriending the birds...

A closeup of the boat...

This one was a show-off!

The fisherman e showed us how he gets the fish out of the mouth, and did assure us that he lets them eat when they are done working..all that effort for a few fish!
My camera actually shoots better video than photos at night..so I hope you can open these videos and watch the whole thing...to use a Chinese expression...it was tai bang (too great!)

Michael and I loved coming back to our hotel and being able to order drinks and sit outside while the children slept, but now it is late and I am still blogging!
Tomorrow we will have a leisurely morning and then take a bus upriver to meet a boat for a daytime river cruise of the most legendary part of the river..the part where all the Chinese paintings are set..I just learned the type this week in my painting class-- water, mountain, tree. These "karst" mountains are quite stunning and you can see why they draw so much attention. We are hoping the 30% chance of rain in the forecast holds off.

Sunday we will pay for all this fun by spending a good part of the day on the bus, getting to Yongzhou, Hunan. Its about 3.5 hours away by bus, but we'll have to change in Guilin. I do feel great about visiting this area as part of our "return to hometown tour.." Its making a very positive impression on all of us.

Please continue to pray for victims of the recent earthquake, where the death toll has continued to rise. There are lots of efforts at fundraising everywhere we go.

Visitors...we love them!

2008-05-15T06:31:00.007+08:00

This month a series of visitors will come to Xiamen...fun for us, although since I would rather socialize than study, my level of Chinese comprehension is suffering! (Maybe also the beer we had at lunch!?!?) This past weekend we welcomed Nancy and Tom, who are living in Jinan, Shangdong on the Fulbright program this year. Nancy was giving a lecture here at the law school, but we all found time for touring the campus...

and a grown ups only night out downtown overlooking the harbor...

While walking downtown we encountered some popular art you would only see in China..a Rat playing ping pong (拼盘球）pin pan qiu.

And of course we had to do the truly Fujianese thing and taste tea for them to bring home.

I love seeing Xiamen through the eyes of others..helps me keep it fresh. This week some more Fulbrighters have arrived from Wuhan, and next week it looks like our friend Gary, who we were supposed to meet up with in Chengdu, might be bringing his students here instead.

Tomorrow we are going to Guilin and then on to Yongzhou to see the orphanage Helen once lived in. Mixed feelings of anticipation about the trip. The weather forecast is for rain, I'm afraid, but we'll hope for the best. Not sure if we will be able to blog or not from Guilin - in Yongzhou definitely not.

Thanks for all the emails about the earthquake. I also have had some bad news in the last week. My mom, whom many have you have been praying for, has taken a turn for the worse, and the cancer has spread beyond the ability of the doctors to intervene. It has been so difficult for us to be apart..now we are praying for as much time as possible, in particular time to spend together this summer. It think now the reluctance I feel to let go of China is being tempered by my desire to be much ,much closer to my family at this time.

More earthquake news

2008-05-13T21:59:00.002+08:00

I know many people have been following the news of the devastation in Sichuan province as it unfolds. For once we are getting fairly consistent information here..a death toll expected at nearly 12,000, and numerous aftershocks continuing the destruction of structures already weakened by the quake. All our friends around China are safe, but the thoughts of everyone in China are on areas isolated by the quake where the full extent of the damage is not known...even the famous Wolong Panda reserve, which we were supposed to visit a week from Saturday, is completely out of contact and located in the county which was at the epicenter...

Of course we are glad this didn't happen while we were there...in Xiamen we did not feel anything...

Quake comes to China and the Torch to Xiamen

2008-05-12T23:17:00.008+08:00

By now most people have probably heard about the earthquake this afternoon in west-central Sichuan province (see map below). It was a pretty big one, above magnitude 7, and there have been casualties, although the numbers are wildly conflicting. The center was about 800 miles from us, so we felt nothing. But we join people all over the world in the hope that not too many people have been hurt and life will not be too disrupted in those areas. A much smaller tremor was felt west of Beijing a few minutes later apparently.

At that time, we were fighting our way through an exuberant, if a bit pushy crowd of college students and staff of Xia Da to watch the Olympic Torch run past the campus on its way downtown. Classes were canceled and a very large crowd gathered, we and some other foreigners were shepherded by the overseas faculty office to a place near the front..we think to put us near the CCTV cameras..

It was a bit sunny but we were rewarded for our endurance by a great view of the torch being handed off right in front of us..as you can make out in the video ...the buses have the next torch bearers in them, then you can see the flame being passed off. It was a bit jumpy because we were in a very tightly packed crowd who were all jumping up and down.

Knowing that the torch relay has been controversial abroad..I gave some thought to my own feelings about doing what we did -- going out in our full Olympic attire, waving and cheering with the rest. For me, it boils down to having a great admiration for the Chinese people, and my own corner of China in particular. For Chinese people the Olympic Games has become a symbol to celebrate China's progress, a source of pride in their nation's growth. Regardless of my feelings about Tibet, and anger over the ways in which China still cages its citizens, I could not help feeling pleased and proud along with them -- if you think about what China was like just one generation ago -- there is really a lot to celebrate, besides of course the notion of the Olympics as a celebration of youth and oh yeah ...sports, remember?!?!? The world community has done a thorough job in recent weeks of pointing out all the ways in which China's progress remains incomplete...especially when it comes to the Chinese government's lack of tolerance for dissent. But seeing the torch was not about politics for me -- but about joining in the local spirit of fun and optimism...

..Which was nice because lately, there has been a general tightening of the mood here ahead of the Olympics--nothing in particular or frightening really, just noticing how much stricter the police are being about everything, how the church is keeping a lower profile, how some foreigners are having trouble renewing visas,as the rules are tightened, etc. I have been feeling a little moody about it all, also because of reading more 20th century Chinese history and fiction lately after an influx of books not available here ...Mao, the untold story by Jung Chung, brought by my sister and Beijing Coma by Ma Jian, a novel set in Beijing during the democracy movement of 1989, which I bought in Hong Kong. I recommend both of them.

The longer we are here the more we come across people who want to talk about politics, religion, and other sensitive topics -- and it does make life quite interesting.

Hong Kong days

2008-05-10T09:09:00.017+08:00

We arrived in Hong Kong on a beautiful afternoon. Its so easy to get around on the MTR, that we were checked into our little hotel and on the Star Ferry across the harbor by 5 pm. Hong Kong has that breathtaking kind of urban beauty...but it does not feel like China! I called it China Lite...Michael disagrees...but we both marvelled at both its Chinese and Western feel...its easy to see why westerners like coming here so much...so much English and yet a great pan-Asian feel too.

Here's something you won't see in the rest of China...a pseudo-demonstration of sorts by Filipino domestics...my classmate who is an anthropologist tells me that this "picnic" is held downtown every Sunday and is more social than political...apparently the authorities have tried to stop it but it just keeps recurring..

We were wandering in the central business district in search of affordable food and ended up getting the kids a quick burger at McDonald's...in honor of my nephew Joseph, who was amazed by the fact that HK has them (well, all of China actually....).

Old and new Hong Kong skyline....foreground is St. John's Episcopal Church...when we walked by it Sophia shouted and jumped up and down..."I have been there!!"

Our goal was to ride the tram to Victoria Peak at dusk to see the city lights...good thing we got in line when we did, because a few thousand other tourists had the same idea. The tram takes you straight up the mountain at a 45 degree angle.

And at the top, some stunning views that my little camera is just not capable of capturing.
After wandering around on top of Victoria Peak, we made our way back to Kowloon (where we were staying) and forced the kids to go to the night market on Temple Street...ignoring their whining about being tired...

It was a good thing too. Thomas was thrilled to find a video game he has wanted for a long time at a bargain price, and we picked up some trinkets before enjoying the coldest beer and spiciest crabs at table set up in the street..great fun...

The next day dawned clear so we set out without telling the kids on the MTR headed for Disneyland. Thomas had already figured it out, but it was not until our last train change...when we boarded the train with windows shaped like Mickey, that Helen piped up and asked..."MOM...are we really going to DISNEYLAND?!" She then proceeded to do a celebration dance in the aisle of the train...ah happy parent moments. Knowing we can't escape at least one Disney visit in life, we were happy to get the bargain of going here..its smaller but was big enough for us. Interestingly, there were far more teens and adults than young kids here.

Tarzan's treehouse...

The Dumbo ride..

Sophia was a little overstimulated by the first hour or so, and refused to go anywhere near Pooh...

One benefit of Hong Kong Disney...Noodles for lunch! After lunch we watched the parade..Helen says the parade and fireworks were her favorite parts.

Remember the Toy Story guys? Micheal and I like the Buzz Lightyear ride where we shot lasers at Emperor Zurg the best...Sophia insisted on going in 3 times, although she kept her eyes covered the whole time.

I am proud to say that I convinced the big kids to go on Space Mountain together (so I didn't have to -- I am a big chicken). Helen was just tall enough for her first roller coaster and reports that she wasn't scared at all. Thomas said he would like it more if he was just SURE that he was not going to fall out and be killed. :)

We saw a musical revue from High School Musical and Helen was invited up to dance. Michael nominated this for the "cultural dislocation" award of the day. As Americans watching Chinese teenagers imitate American cheerleaders to an audience of people form all over Asia..it was a bit weird...do they think this is what high school in the US is really like?????

Our last day we ate dim sum in a restaurant the hotel had suggested -- no tourists, just folks enjoying a good lunch..and spent some time in Kowloon Park before flying out. A rather quick tour of Hong Kong, but I am glad we got to see it..

This is our travel month...with plans to visit Guilin and Helen's orphanage mid month and hopefully Chengdu at the end of the month...plus the torch is coming to Xiamen on Monday so stay tuned for more blogging.

Recapping...our week in Japan

2008-05-07T20:41:00.047+08:00

1st day--Nara Park...after a very late arrival, we rose late but were thrilled to see it was a beautiful, picture perfect day for a walk in Nara Park, the centerpiece of the city. Nara is not a big city, but it was the first capital of Japan, so a lot of historic sites are located here, in and around the park.

The tame deer in Nara Park have become a symbol for the city...the park is quite large, but the deer are numerous, and are pretty dedicated to being fed the snacks that the vendors sell.

Sophia finally found one which was the right size for her.

There are some people that you can go without seeing for years, but within a few hours its like no time at all has passed. That's how I felt about seeing my Okasan again...Of course I wish I saw them more often, but after just a few hours it was comfortable to be with her again. We were always able to talk about any subject, and it was a real pleasure for me to watch her get to know my children.

Day 2 -- Meeting the Japanese "cousins"..the children of my host brother and his wife. The whole family came over for dinner, and the kids had a grand time playing Wii and Rock, Paper Scissors (see video clip) despite the fact that only the oldest has any English (and not much), and my kids don't speak Japanese.

Day 3 -- Daibutsu-den at Todaiji Temple. Okasan went to work so with a few reminders I was able to navigate us downtown on the train. The Daibutsu is a gigantic image of the Buddha, the largest indoor one in the world, if I remember right. The Temple is an important one for Japan, and the design is quite old. Thomas and I were intrigued by the similarities and differences with our Buddhist temple next door in China, with its ornately painted designs, and this one -- with its simplicity and use of the natural coloring of wood and stone.

This hole cut in the pillar is supposed to be the same size as the statue's nostril...fitting through it is some kind of a good sign -- Thomas and Helen had no trouble and the older members were wise enough not to try this time, although I know I did it long ago!

Quick shot of Japanese kindergartners in their uniforms -- almost all the school children wear uniforms here.

Traditionally the temples had wells considered to be the most healthy and beneficial sources of water, so we all had the obligatory sip, and Sophia really got into the spirit.

Afterwards we headed off to lunch, and I remembered one of the things I like about Japan...being able to see the food a restaurant has in the window before you go in.. makes ordering easier, too. Nearly every restaurant has a display of plastic food like this one.

Day 4 -- the Samari Park, as we nicknamed it, but it really is a theme park in nearby Kyoto. Kyoto, which was the capital of Japan for 1500 years, is a city filled with history, It is also the setting for period dramas shown on TV all over Asia. One studio has designed a full scale model of an 1800s Japanese town, and films a lot of shows there. The rest of the time, this set along with some theaters and other displays is like a small theme park of Japanese films, marital arts, etc.

Okasan was not feeling well, so she went with us as far as Kyoto station and then we were on our own. That turned out to present some challenges, as there were not a lot of English signs and we missed some events and got lost a fair bit. But we had some fun in between..Helen rode a pony of course...

We watched the other visitors walking around in the costumes they had rented..

And made friends with some cast members after the martial arts movie secrets show. don't you just love the little guy who snuck into the picture?

Michael in "fake" historic Japan, and Thomas and Helen faking it in the "jail."

There were action figures to pose with as well, not sure who this one is, but I do know what a Power Ranger is..

Dinner that night was Sukiyaki, a favorite of mine -- where you cook beef, vegetables, tofu and noodles at the table on a hot plate and everyone keeps taking what they like until its gone...I did feel like we ate so much of their food, but they were very tolerant and generous with the intrusion.

Day 5 -- shopping in Osaka. We were in the mood for an easier day, so we went into Osaka ( a bit closer than Kyoto -- 25 minutes on train). Had a great time shopping, including a toy store for the kids and lots of window shopping, Starbucks for Mom.

I guess we wore them out? We rode trains every day while in Japan -- the easiest,cleanest and safest way to get around.

Day 5 Heian Shrine in Kyoto. Since we had already seen a temple, we opted for a visit to a famous shrine in the Shinto belief system, which is the native religion of Japan, primarily concerned with ancestor and nature worship. Michael and I were here 10 years ago with my mother in law and --- we talked about her many times this week and remembered what a good trip we had.

This arch is the hallmark of a Shinto shrine, although rarely this big!

The Heian shrine is surround by a lovely Japanese style garden, which we walked through.

spotting a Helen...

and a graceful bird in the water..a crane maybe?

The lines in a Japanese garden just lend themselves to photos, I think.

Afterwards we walked through Gion, one of Kyoto's oldest neighborhoods. Here is a street side shrine with the ancestors images wearing little clothes.

A rickshaw along the canal.

Walking the narrow lanes lined with shops and tea houses. All of Gion looked newer and more touristy than I remembered.

Last Day

May 5th is Children's Day in Japan. On our last day, although it was a few days early, we set out to have a kid friendly day. The traditional festival was in honor of boys, with the flying of carp flags to signify strength ( since they swim upstream). We went to a big park in Ikoma for a picnic where the older kids did an obstacle course with Okasan while we took Sophia to the playground. Afterwards we went back to the house for some Japanese green tea and traditional May 5th snacks made from sweet glutinous rice wrapped in leaves (some also contained red beans). Can you guess which ones are to signify boys?

I am so glad that we had this chance to be together, even though it was very brief. Hopefully we can visit again in a few years -- at least Thomas is likely to go since he has been invited to come in the summer on his own, and the older cousins invited to come to us. We had dinner with the whole family at a sushi restaurant where the food rolls by on a conveyor belt and you can just take it...it was a blast and everyone ate a ton, as you can see.

I even got a rare photo of Otosan .

So hard to say goodbye to friends who live so far away. Saying goodbye at the bus station to the airport was very emotional for me, as was talking on the phone to me host sister in Tokyo that I did not get to see...I vowed to return. We all enjoyed our time there very much.

Leaving Japan..arriving in Hong Kong

2008-05-04T15:13:00.002+08:00

Well we have arrived in Hong Kong one day behind the Olympic torch...apparently it was a mostly quiet and patirotic visit here, according to the local papers, but some are saying the police were too assertive in heading of free speech by spectators with Tibetan flags...Hmmm.

I had been hoping to post some photos from our week in Japan..but the per hour charge on the internet and the unfamiliarity of the computer is deterring me a bit.

We had a wonderful and relaxing week with my beloved Okasan and Otosan (Japanese for mother annd father) in Nara. I first met them 23 years a go as a summer exchange student in the Youth for Understanding program. This was my fourth trip to Japan to see them, and this trip we kept pretty close to Nara. We were last there when Thomas was 2 and travelled all over from Tokyo to Nagasaki, and points in between. We took some day trips to Kyoto and Osaka this week, and had hoped to get up to Tokyo to see my host sister, but the bullet train was sold out due to a holiday weekend. My host brother now has 3 kids, ages 5-10, so all the kids had a great time together. I will post an enormous blog of Japan pics in a couple of days. We enjoyed being there very much , and found it very relaxing -- its a much more orderly view of Asia than living in China..

Now we have 2 days in Hong Kong, and big plans to go to Victoria Peak to see the skyline, ride the ferry in the Harbor and weathter permitting MAY venture to the Empire of the Mouse tomorrow (we are not telling the kids in case it doesn't work out). Seems a shame to waste a day in Hong Kong at Disney, but I have no money for shopping anyway, and who wants to drag three kids window shopping all day! I am sure we will find lots of time for walking the city -- my other goal while here...so far it looks fantastic and the hotel in Kowloon is reasonable and nice, though no harbour views for us!!!

Message to Brett, my recent commenter -- I need your email address to contact you and would love to answer all your questions about Xiamen. Post your email address to the blog -- I will keep it private and not publish it!

Quick Hello from Japan

2008-04-30T20:57:00.002+08:00

I am on someone else s computer --with a Japanese keyboard...so I will be brief. We are having a very relaxing time, and so happy to be reconnecting with my host family from so many years ago. We have been sightseeing in Nara, Kyoto and Osaka so far. A little Japanese has been coming back to me. A hoped for side trip to Tokyo to see my host sister is not going to work out because it is a holiday weekend and the bullet train is sold out. But we will post photos and more when we return. On Sunday its on to Hong Kong for 2 days before we go home. If you comment, be patient -- I wont get to moderate comments for a few days..

Leaving for Japan & Hong Kong

2008-04-25T09:52:00.003+08:00

Michael here: we are leaving this morning for Japan and then a few days in Hong Kong. We must be very lax about traveling because we left packing for a 10 day trip to the morning of our departure. Hope we got everything!

I posted an item today about my trip to Seoul. But it is listed at the bottom of the page under April 8 [the day I loaded the pictures].

We are unsure of what kind of internet access we will have on our trip. So bear with us for a while.

Ann has not blogged because she had mid-term exam yesterday. She promises to be a better blogger when we return.

Two Sundays -- one dry and one wet!

2008-04-22T05:54:00.014+08:00

The dry Sunday was last weekend when Grandma was still here...and we had the good fortune
to stumble across a procession in honor of some Buddhist feast day. We had told Grandma Mary how lucky she was -- as we had not seen thins kind of local cultural display in all the time we have been in China, although I bet they are common in Hong Kong and Taiwan. My friend Julia sent me some pictures she took...

It was a home grown affair..with marchers and dancers in uniforms, young and old.

The dragons came up and made friends with the girls, who were sitting on our shoulders.

That's a lion perched atop two guys...

These drummers were dressed in the manner of the Hui'an, a Fujianese ethnic group...

Then there were various statues being carried on altars/litters. The most excitement, other than the music, came when these guys would stop periodically to rock back and forth and then dash forward...

Now the wet...on this Sunday it was pouring rain with high winds at dawn (later we found out that the remnants of the typhoon that hit Hainan --southern tip of China-- were passing through). I was wondering if it was a good idea to get on a ferry to get to church!.. Things died down enough for us to go, which I was glad of, because we will be traveling on the weekends a lot in the coming month and I hated to miss it. After lunch Helen reminded us that we have been saying for a long time that a rainy day was the right day for Underwater Xiamen..the aquarium on Gulanyu Island. And who wouldn't want to go -- with a giant Octopus at the entrance!

We encountered an impressive array of fish, including the"ugly blue guy" as we christened him..

And the "big mouth fish"

The best part was a moving walkway through a glass tunnel with dozens of sharks, a ray and other fish ..there's a little video clip to give you a taste..

Now the weekend is over and the weekday routine has begun...studying Chinese like mad for me -- as my midterm is this week (and it has been a good long time since I have take a test...), along with some good conversations with friends...it feels to Michael and I like we are beginning to deepen some relationships and beginning to have more meaningful friendships with Chinese people that we know. It makes for some interesting times as we are able to share more of ourselves and also satisfy our curiosity about life in China, especially on the more sensitive issues of religion, spirituality, political freedom, family life, etc.

Miscelleaneous updates

2008-04-19T08:55:00.003+08:00

I know we have been off the blog for a while...

Since Michael's Mom left on Thursday, life has been pretty quiet. Of course we were really living it up while she and Mary were here -- eating out a lot, foregoing studying for shopping trips and the like. Now were are all catching up a bit. We spoke to Michael's Mom this morning and she had a fine trip back with no problems, and my sister's luggage has also been found. So no one came to any harm from visiting us, thankfully!

I have a midterm exam on Thursday, and Friday we leave for Japan and our long awaited reunion with my host family, whom I have known since I was 16 years old, and spent the summer there on a Youth for Understanding trip. We are very excited about our visit, although since the Chinese government changed the legal holidays this year, I will be missing a number of days of class. Thomas's school is keeping the original "Golden Week" schedule so at least he will only miss a day on either side. Its notable how strongly dislike the Japanese are here -- still the legacy of WWII, long after the US and Japan have put our differences aside. Of course Japan never occupied the US mainland...even my classmates from other parts of Asia -- Philippines, etc. have nothing good to say about the Japanese. They all are fixated on their belief that the Japanese government doesn't teach school children the truth about the war. I am curious about this....

Other miscellaneous replies to your questions:

Gas prices..I haven't done the math, but on a listserv I frequent they discussed that gas prices are similar to costs in the US. People with cars would not tend to use them to travel long distances -- more often short trips in town or nearby cities. For a long journey anyone affluent enough to have a car would fly or go by train/bus.

I do think that the automobile is changing China -- and not necessarily for the better. Parking is a problem, even in our medium sized city -- especially near campus. We have just learned that the university, who own the land in the adjacent neighborhood where we shop, will begin leveling the block next month to make way for more parking. I am so upset - because the produce market will disappear forever and the vendors told me they have nowhere to go. Some restaurants we like are moving nearby, but other shops are just closing down, and no matter what, the character of the neighborhood will change forever in the name of progress. Xiamen is already a very modern place, with only a few pockets of traditional structures and lifestyle, so its a shame to lose any of them. I will make an effort before we leave to document life along this street before it disappears -- I wish they'd wait until we were gone!

A reader named Jack asked about the food...there is really an incredible variety here, and almost none of it tastes like typical Chinese takeout in America. There are strong regional differences -- Chinese food in the US tends to be more Cantonese style (southern China), so if someone goes to Beijing and Shanghai -- they will be exposed to a lot of different cooking, more breads and noodles vs. rice, for example. I do think that tour groups tend to eat in the worst places --if I compare how we ate on our adoption trip compared to the food available in my neighborhood -- the local stuff is fresh and flavorful and delicious..and there are lots of "ethnic" restaurants offering food from other regions and minority groups. Another major difference is that a Chinese dish in the US tends to mix meat and vegetables in the same dish -- which is just not done here, you order these dishes separately, typically along with a noodle dish or white/fried rice and a soup to "drink". Beverages are not always served. We love the food, and have tried to recreate some at home, with only limited success. The girls are addicted to jiaozi (dumplings) and eat them at least 3 times a week. Thomas favors the meat and fish dishes, but he has started eating a much wider variety of vegetables here -- since he says they taste better.

All right, so much for my ramblings for today. Michael has some photos from his latest trip to Korea that he has promised to post soon.

Showing off Xiamen Part 2

2008-04-14T22:44:00.019+08:00

Friday morning began with a trip to the secondhand market, which once a week features dealers from all over Fujian who come in to sell their goods, mostly small items. Grandma Mary and Aunt Mary both embraced the bargain-hunting with enthusiasm, although I was called upon to do the actual negotiating..somehow the price drops faster when they discover that you speak (even a modest amount of) Chinese...

Afterwards we recovered in a nearby tea house, where Michael did the honors serving the tea.

Saturday was the day we had saved for the temple next door -- Nanputuo, which we have seen a number of times of course, but we were ready to enjoy its picturesque views and cultural enlightenment. Sophia and Helen demonstrated the proper technique of rubbing the dragon's foot for luck...

I finally had the chance to capture a frog sitting on a lily pad -- a long awaited moment since I first spotted one last fall in the lotus pond. Most of the good photos are Mary's however...here is the lotus pond and pagoda..

With close up of the details of the Bodhisattva on the pagoda...

Unfortunately the rain really picked up as we went along -- did keep the crowds down, however. And the highpoint was meeting up again with our friend the monk, who took to Sophia at our first visit. Whenever we see him, he always makes a little time to talk, and this time he welcomed our visitors to the temple and gave them some charms carved in a dragon shape.

After the temple Helen was feeling under the weather and ended up with a 24 hour stomach bug that Sophia had had earlier in the week. So a smaller group set out in the rain across the courtyard to the restaurant next door. Since they have no English menu, we have avoided it, but this night was a test of my Chinese, and we ended up successfully ordering soup, broccoli, jiaozi (dumplings) pork neck and a big fish. Above you see the usual way Sophia and I interact in a restaurant -- lately she is rejecting high chairs (so rarely available anyway) and sits on my lap demanding to be fed by me --definitely the Chinese way.

Aunt Mary left on Sunday morning :( and we headed to church on Gulanyu, getting the chance to introduce Michael's mom to our church friends and the staff. As we were getting ready to leave the island, we happened across a parade, complete with dragon dancers, drums, and parading temple gods on portable altars. I had left my camera behind, but saw my friend Julia there who has promised to get us some photos of hers-- it was quite exciting, and the first time we have really seen a religious/cultural display like this in Xiamen. Grandma must be bringing us luck. Later in the day that luck continued when we went to the "top of Xiamen" Pizza Hut and were first told it was a 1 hour wait, and then 5 minutes later sitting at a table with a great view of the harbor with our pepperoni pizzas - so Grandma got to experience the classy place Pizza Hut is in China.

There it is on the 24th floor of a waterfront tower...the views were OK, bu nothing compared to tonight, when we continued our eating out every night fiesta, by going with our friend Roger to his favorite place -- a patio dim sum restaurant at the Harborview Hotel.

With good company, Gulanyu by night as our scenery and dozens of tasty made to order dim sum on our table -- we had a really delightful time.

Helen tops off dinner with some of our fruit sculpture dessert.

We were just sorry that Mary had already left for the US -- just the kind of place she would love...we heard she has arrived safely but is waiting for her checked luggage to show up -- prayers to the patron saint of lost bags (is it St. Anthony or someone else?) are needed, because that bag is full of treasures!

We have three more days to enjoy having Grandma in our midst, planning some more quiet times so we can all rest up a bit after all this fun.

Reunited and showing off Xiamen

2008-04-12T17:07:00.030+08:00

It seems the wait was forever, but suddenly they arrived --Grandma and Aunt Mary arrived Tuesday and we have been taking Xiamen by storm ever since. It has been so incredible to have them here, not just because we miss family in general and them in particular...but the thrill of having a witness to our lives here has made this a very exciting visit. Sophia and Grandma are waiting for Helen at the bus stop on the first day...

and when she arrived Aunt Mary snapped a photo with Helen's good friend Xiao Meimei.

On Wednesday it was clear and warm, so we headed out on the water on the "dragon boat," a tour boat Helen has been eyeing for months.

This is Xiada seen from the water. The boat took us out around Gulanyu and out to Jinmen Island..traditionally called Quemoy and part of Xiamen, but which has been under Taiwanese control.

Here are the Chinese tourists rushing to take a picture...

And here is the island with its slogan -- I have asked a friend to translate...I think it is something about one China, three systems, or something like that...there was also a Taiwanese flag flying. We did not dock, and foreigners are not allowed to enter Taiwan this way. Residents of Fujian province are allowed onto Jinmen for short stays. The ties of family and culture are particularly intense between Taiwan and Fujian.

On the way back there was a puppet show on the boat..so funny.

We ended up on Gulanyu on the first real summer like day, and everything was in bloom.

After lunch we did some important shopping, so if you are a friend or close family member -- get excited.

And Miss Sophia got a long coveted item.

Here is the whole group -- with Michael still in Seoul.

Lovely Shuzhang gardens, where we finally saw the famous piano museum -- no photos allowed but lots of pianos --

Mary took these great photos of us.

And how about those sea food restaurants?....here are some stingrays ready to be dinner.

Mary's photo of a beautiful sunset at the end of the day while we were on the ferry home.

And she herself...tired out yet?

I brought them with me to Helen's kindergarten for English class, much to Helen's delight.

We toured the campus a bit.

And after some serious shopping...time for lunch--more noodles anyone?

Back to our building where they are staying one floor below us, which is so convenient. Just in time to reconnect with Michael, back from Korea with some chocolates -- red pepper paste chocolates to be exact.

More to come -- the flea market, tea and the temple...on our 4 day tour package!

Mary and Mary's Adventures in Beijing --Guest Blogger

2008-04-12T06:09:00.020+08:00

This is Mary, Ann's younger sister and honorary guest blogger, chronicling my whirlwind tour of Beijing with Michael's mother, Mary. We spent the better part of our first day in Beijing wandering around the Forbidden City and Imperial Gardens, where everything was fragrant and in bloom (a welcome sight for two gals from the Midwest).

At Ann's suggestion, we decided to take a pedicab through the winding hutong (old neighborhood).

Of course, we caught the oldest and most rickety of the bunch, but were rewarded with a delicious sampling of teas served by a charming shopkeeper whose 300 year-old family farm is in southern China (near Xiamen). He explained that farm labor is efficiently divided -- the men working in the fields and the women packing the tea leaves for sale. He and his wife are separated by several hundred miles most of the year--very hard on family life but seemingly quite common among the Chinese.

Another highlight was the brief tour of one of the courtyard homes where our hosts tried somewhat unsuccessfully to explain the principles of feng shui and the four linguistic tones of the Chinese language to us.

This is our hotel off Wangfujing Street (the major shopping district) where Mary had a bowl of very spaghetti-like noodles (sans Parmesan) with the lone fork in the restaurant. The open-air market has an impressive array of culinary delights, including the "scorpion on a stick" that we observed some US tourists gobbled down.

Day Two--An exhausting day yet breathtaking day at Mutianyu (one of the less populated areas to view the Wall). My trusty pedometer clocked 18 miles -- Thomas chided me for making his grandmother walk down the mountain rather than taking the cable car as most informed tourists do. Of course, the cherry blossoms were blooming everywhere which afforded some truly stunning views that pictures cannot capture.

Mary took a picture of me being "captured" by a costumed Mongol soldier whose growling and grunting somewhat surprised yet delighted me.

A quick update

2008-04-10T23:29:00.003+08:00

Michael has just returned this afternoon from Seoul with the laptop, so blogging can begin anew. He was very busy at his conference, and meanwhile we have have been having a thrill showing Grandma and Aunt Mary all around Xiamen...including a boat ride to (look at) Taiwan, Gulanyu island, on campus activities, lots of food and shopping! Tomorrow when I get some photos loaded we will begin to catch you all up on our adventures, so check back soon!

Seoul: National Palace Museum of Korea & Michael visits a Shaman

2008-04-08T19:35:00.020+08:00

It has been a while since I was in Seoul, but I never posted the blog entry about my brief trip there. I gave a couple papers and on the day between them I was to be escorted on a tour of Seoul, but the guide and I never connected. So ... being generally lost in a foreign city, I wandered about and found a few interesting things. Including this intriguing building ...

And this building front, which reminded me of a Chuck Close portrait.

If you look closely it has both photographs pasted next to each other and the kind of blobby hot dog style Close spots. Sorry for the arcane reference.

Near this building front I found a museum dedicated to the Royal family during the Josean Dynasty. The palace museum was small but had some interesting items, like this book made out of jade. Nothing says Royal family like having your books printed on jade!

Below is a diagram for servants so that they know where everybody is supposed to be during a Royal parade.

A great facade about six feet high ...

and for Thomas, a couple of mace [I think] to show who's boss around the palace I suppose.

Some of the clothing was especially gorgeous with rich colors and fine detail. It doesn't show up as well in photographs. I took about a dozen pictures of different robes, but only a few indicate how good they were.

This was the flag of a ship that was attacked by the US in the 19th century. It was basic American gunboat diplomacy and they took this flag back to the US. It was recently returned and there was an exhibit dedicated to the flag and detailing the attack.

Off that recurrent topic of US invasions [glad we don't do that anymore!], below is a "scholar's stone" in which a scholar puts his ink when he writes with required brushes.

The only difference is that this stone is for the Prince so it was about 2 feet wide.

Also for the Prince's study are these Confucian sticks. You keep the sticks in the jar and take them out to meditate on one the maxims of the old sage. Korea is still a very Confucian culture.

Below is a shot the Royal work room.

Above is a photograph, of, I think, either the last Royal family or the Prince's family. It is a little silly to take a photo of a photo, but who said I wasn't silly? The picture was really rich and the woman especially is just decked out. It is hard to imagine her actually moving. She must have required attendants just to stand up. Also, if she moved her head quickly she surely would have stabbed herself to death.

Here are shots of a reconstructed palace. The original(s) were destroyed in wars, by a certain nearby country. It was closed the day I was there so I took a shot from the front.

And one from the side.

My trip to Seoul was very good overall. At the very end of the trip, after the last banquet, my host took me in a van and we drove out for about an hour to a more remote area outside of Seoul. We then visited a Korean shaman priestess that he knew. We spent about an hour and a half asking her questions about her life, her work as a shaman, and her beliefs about the spirits. No photos allowed. After the end of the session we went to another big room were the other shamans were performing a ceremony. A man had died who was 58 years old and a bachelor. His family was upset so they held a ceremony in which the shamans performed a marriage ceremony in the next life so that he could know what it was like to be married. [No jokes, people; yes, we could tell him what it is like!] This was all going on at about 2 am when we finally left. They would go on all night and into the morning. Probably one of the most intriguing events of my whole year.

Conference Day in Seoul

2008-04-07T21:02:00.007+08:00

Michael here! I am at a three day conference in Seoul and today was the first day of papers. I gave my paper called "The Cult of the Dead and the Ever Sanative Conscience". The best thing about the paper is clearly the title. Anyway, it went over well.

I am at Sogang University, which is a Jesuit University just like the one I teach at in Buffalo, so it was a familiar feeling. Here is a mediocre shot of the students filing out and some sense of all the cherry trees in bloom all over campus. Lovely.

Here is ye-olde-large-and-functional-building that I gave my paper in. The conference has two English days - Monday and Wednesday, and a Korean day on Tuesday. So I give papers on the English days, and tomorrow the wife of the school's Islamicist is taking three of us invited lecturers on a tour of Seoul while the Koreans get to speak their native language.

After the long conference day, we went to a local restaurant and had some fairly traditional Korean food. These are the two poor Koreans who had to sit with me and converse in English. The guy wrote his dissertation for my friend, Chae Young Kim, who invited me back to Korea. He writes a lot on William James and religious experience - both of them, that is.

And here I am with assorted westerners and Koreans. Some invited lecturers, some western faculty at Sogang University, some Korean faculty including a Korean Jesuit who commented on my paper [Father Kim is in the left rear corner]. Next to him is another Professor Kim [note the common points?] who is a "Chinese Korean". That means he grew up in Korean village that is actually inside the nation of China. There are several of them in northern China.

They served two kinds of alcohol - both made from rice. One was a poor man's drink [the brown jug on the table], one was the rich man's drink [the bottle with clear yellow liquid].

I liked them both!

Cheers from Seoul!

Michael Arrives in Seoul Again

2008-04-06T21:31:00.006+08:00

So Ann told me that in order to avoid confusing people I am supposed to identity myself - Michael - whenever I write. Thus, to use that old philosophical language, she is the one and I am merely the other.

Well, as recompense I have moved back to the first world - for a few days. I am back in Seoul to give a couple more papers at a conference. They put me up in the hotel around the corner and it is small but swankier than places I have been in before.

Kind of a Scandinavian modern feel, but I can live with it. Returning to modern conveniences, I feel like Jethro from the Beverly Hillbillies: "Look Granny, you can drink right out of the faucet! and when you turn the handle this way ... the water come out of the tap HOT! Yeeehaaa."

Below is a lame picture. It is lame because I took it from my hotel window. I went down and took a stroll afterwards but I didn't have my camera.

Well, Ann is back with the kids again in Xiamen doing the single parent thing. Plus I took her camera and the computer.

But in her favor, the weather was in the 80's in Xiamen when I left and she was taking the kids down to the beach to dig in the sand and get some ocean breezes. That's not too bad.

Day trip to Quanzhou -- the ancient seaport of Fujian

2008-04-06T01:33:00.002+08:00

Today we headed off on a long anticipated day trip to Quanzhou (pronounced qwin-djoe), which is about 90 km north of Xiamen along the coast. For hundreds of years beginning around 1100 AD, this area was the most important port for trade in the world, and the start of the "Silk Road of the Sea" the source of much of the silk and tea shipped from China around the world. Two fun facts according to my guidebook -- Columbus was looking for Quanzhou when he discovered America...and the tea sunk in Boston Harbor at the Boston Tea party was on a ship whose original port of call was Quanzhou. There were people from all over the world living in Quanzhou in the early days, and we got some ideas about that as we toured some important sites with Michael's student, Guo Jinjie..a PhD student in philosophy who is our good friend. It was a whirlwind tour of 3 temples, a stone statue and a museum -- all in one day!

We began at the local temple to Mazu, the Goddess of the sea, worshiped only in Fujian, Guangzhou and Taiwan. Mazu was a real person who attained the statues of a deity due to her piety, and has been worshiped especially by sailors and fishermen. The temple was interesting to me because of all the ocean motifs..sea horses, sea dragons and such...

Her altar was very colorful, and Helen was very interested and had us burn some incense like other people were doing.

Mazu worship is not part of Buddusim or other major religion, just a local deity with a number of temples...having a tree altar to highlight the divine nature of the tree is also still common in some places..

We set off to walk along the main street (named Zhongshan Road of course, like nearly all main streets in China, after Dr. Sun Yatsen). Michael snapped a photo of this quaint barber shop (although it evoked Sweeney Todd for me...)

At the Confucian temple nearby, there was a museum showing a replica of a parade of successful scholars. Remember Michael went to Qufu, the birthplace of Kong Zi (Confucius) a few weeks ago? This is a very old temple dedicated to him,Fu Wen Miao, built around 900 AD. In the system Confucius helped establish, everyone was able to participate in examinations, and the best students, regardless of family background, were given the best posts in the government. Of course it was easier for wealthy young men to do well, since they had tutors and free time for study, but the notion that anyone could study hard and achieve some position in life was a truly revolutionary one in its time. Some temple drums...

My best attempt to sneak a photo, although there was a sign, I turned off my flash and was stealthy...

Outside Guo showed us hundreds of maobi (calligraphy brushes) left by students who had some to pray for success in their studies..

May of them had some fervent notes attached...

We did take a "kid break" from the temple world for a few minutes at the carnival on the plaza by the temple and some lunch. then it was tie for the Buddhists, and the Kaiyuan temple with its graceful pagodas...

And its ancient trees -- this one a mere 800 years old was the most impressive, but the 1200 year old tree looked like it might be shrinking...can you imagine? This tree was a sapling in the time of Charlemagne...amazing!

Thomas gives me a good thoughtful pose..."if you aren't a little bit intellectual, this would be boring..." Question:"ARE you bored?" Reply: "no, not really...."

Note the monk on the cell phone above..
Now, I live next door to a Buddhist temple. And I regularly see monks playing basketball, grocery shopping and even talking on cell phones. BUT I have never seen one do it while about to step over the threshold into the temple proper -- that was a first. And a minute later he was telling me -- "no photos" but I got one in anyway...the images all have different hand positions which represent mini"sermons". There were may Buddhist images here -- quite impressive.

The architecture of the city reveals a bit about its past. Quanzhou was a very Arabic city in ancient times, and there is a thriving Muslim community today. At the height of Quanzhou's importance, around 1000- 1300 AD, there were many Arabic people, some even in positions of leadership in the city, and all of the world's major religions (and a few minor ones) were allowed to flourish and coexisted peacefully. The Song dynasty emperors even gave some religious leaders a salary for their work, like the court philosophers and priests would receive.

In the museum of world religions adjoining the Maritime museum, we saw dozens of ancient stone grave markers which have been excavated in Quanzhou over the years..do you see the combination of Chinese and Arabic on this one?

Here are the Christian ones..
.
Andrew of Perugia was based here, and there were also Nestorian Christians, Hindus and even the last remaining center for worship of the prophet Mani (below) -- a Persian from the 4th Century who taught that all religions contain some truth and lead on the path to "Light." St. Augustine followed Manichaean worship until his conversion. Some of the followers of Mani came to Quanzhou to escape persecution and established a nunnery which is the last know place on Earth where he is worshipped. Unfortunately it was too far for us to see it today.

...Because we were headed to see SHIPS at the maritime museum. There were hundreds of historically accurate models, and I gave Thomas the camera, so I now have a photo of each of them...

The phoenix boat for the empress

Dragon boat for the emperor

The kind of sea faring trade ships which made Fujianese traders famous all over Asia..

A diorama of a fishing village, which Helen liked...

And good old Admiral Zhenghe...the most important sea explorer of China. I have seen some PBS documentaries on him.. His ships were quite advanced, containing features the Europeans didn't use for several hundred more years. His major expeditions in the 1300s took him all over the world, as far as Korea and India and the Red Sea..seeking not conquest but trade. Unfortunately, when he died, the Chinese were broke from financing his navy and turned away from trade by sea to a more isolationist policy -- in that period, Quanzhou's importance began to decline.

Some parts of the museum were a little political .. can you read the sign? See the accompanying video below. This video is Thomas's pick: the display...it animates the battle which freed Taiwan from the Dutch under the leadership of Zheng Cheng Gong or Koxinga (his statue is on Gulanyu in Xiamen and we have climbed it)
...

On our way back through town we stopped to watch some performers. See the video below...

None of the people our friend asked knew exactly the significance, but they were carrying bowls full of burning wood and paper money...for the ancestors maybe? Yesterday was a holiday here called "Qing Ming Jie" which literally means Clear and Bright Festival...but has now been translated as "Tomb Sweeping Day" -- a day to attend to graves, leaving flowers and gifts of food at the altar for the ancestors of the family -- which many traditional Chinese homes have. People also burn "hell money" --paper money for the loved ones to spend in the next world...here is a place selling stacks of yellow paper money...

And even better -- paper clothes and cell phones for the afterlife!

Our last stop was the mountain near the city where there is a famous statue of Lao Tzu, the author of the Tao Te Ching, a deceptively simple book of only 1000 characters but full of meaning and importance to the Chinese, and anyone who reveres philosophical thought, like these two guys.

I recognized so many of the characters of the Tao Te Ching -- but making sense of them was another matter...

At last a celebratory dinner and back on the bus to Xiamen after a full and happy day...
On the way back I got a call from my sister and Michael's mother, who have safely arrived in Beijing and will be in Xiamen in just 3 days, after they see some big sights Beijing first...we are so excited! Michael is going back to Korea to lecture for 4 days, so I will not be blogging during that time, but we'll catch you up when we can...

I recently learned how to use my Sitemeter to find out more about our thousands of visitors, such as where they are from...the Michigan, New York, Colorado, LA and even Birmingham, AL visitors are known to us..but we also have readers from all over Canada, from Germany, Switzerland, France, Mexico, Australia, Singapore, Macau, Indonesia, South Africa, Mexico, even Spain and Portugal...so Helllo out there! The web is certainly an amazing place!

Shanghai: Yuyuan Garden and Xin Tian Di

2008-04-03T23:00:00.002+08:00

On the last day of our Shanghai trip, the rain cleared a little. I gave my last lecture in the morning and then Thomas and I were free. A student, Alex [Chinese name unknown], came to pick us up and take us to Yuyuan Garden, a formerly private garden owned by a businessman during the the Qing Dynasty.

On the way there we passed through these streets of an "old" town. Actually they are all recently built. Shanghai has very little old architecture - in fact, most of China has very little except for the temples. Partly this is because so much was built of wood.

It was fun to stroll the streets which were crowded and had a festive atmosphere. Below you see the story of modern China. By the way, the Colonel rules in China. KFC is by far the most popular fast-food. It's better than in the US and the meals are all Chinese adapted, with a lot of spicy coating. [Sorry, somehow I deleted the KFC in Old Town picture. We'll put it into another post.]

The area is one of the major tourist spots in Shanghai - which is a massive city - because there is very little green space in the whole city. Plus there are a lot of foreigners here every day as it is one of the major cities in the world right now. But I am glad we didn't end up here. Way too big and crowded.

Here is Thomas next to the largest pair of scissors we had ever seen. We were thinking of Helen, who has always been to scissors, for better or for worse.

Above you see a shot of the garden park and entrance. It was a typical Chinese garden, so there was no big green space but instead it was filled with a maze of little areas, each tucked around some corner or walkway. Our student said that it was very much based on the book "I Ching" or, the Book of Changes, and ancient and cryptic work.

There were a lot of cemented together stones, called "rockery", as in "be careful on the rockery" or "this way to the rockery". Thomas enjoyed running around and climbing on the stones. After being in the hotel for a few days, and being out only in the rain previously, it was nice to get out and move around.

Here is a shot of our student guide, Alex. He was an interesting guide as he was a little older than the typical graduate student. First he went into the military, then he went to undergraduate. After his BA he worked as a journalist around Hangzhou [a famously beautiful city close to Shanghai in Zhejiang Province]. Now he was in the Masters Program studying applied ethics.

We thought that this big dragon head was rather dramatic. Below is the stage for the family's private performances of music or opera.It was very well done and the detail work was very sharp. Because the garden gets so much tourist traffic they could obviously spend a good deal of money on repairs.

After we left Yuyuan Garden we went to a nearby neighborhood called Xin Tian Di. The buildings in it were formerly housing for poor people, but the area had been massively gentrified and now it was one of the trendy spots for foreign ex-pats and young Shanghai professionals.

The contrast with modern Shanghai doesn't look too bad here.

Below is the building in which the communist party began, back in the day. One of the inner rooms held the first meeting where Mao and Zhou Enlai, etc., all did their thing. I wouldn't have noticed but the poster behind the tree has a picture of Zhou Enlai in a business suit and I thought that it was an advertisement cropping his image for some recent product - which would have been shocking. But no, just a picture of him back in the day in a Shanghai suit.

We ended with a stop in a pub. We actually hadn't eaten much all day and it was about 4 or 5 already. So Thomas got a burger and fries in a nice German themed beer pub with a lot of dark wood and brass.

On the whole, it was a busy but good trip. I promise not to blog about Shanghai anymore!

Shanghai Museum and the Bund

2008-04-01T22:38:00.001+08:00

Last Saturday during our Shanghai adventure we went out to see the city with a couple of students. They asked us what we wanted to see and we thought that the Bund area would be essential because it is such a symbol of Shanghai. But it was cold and rainy, so first we went to the Shanghai Museum. Here is a shot of the exterior.

Unfortunately, this was the first weekend in the Museum's history since it switched to free admission. So we waited in line out in the rain with a few hundred people for about a half hour to get in. It was really a lovely museum. Many of the pictures that I took didn't come out well, but the quality of the pieces was very high.

The quality was high in two senses. The pieces were very well preserved, unlike some of the artifacts you often see that are usually quite worn down or damaged. But even more, almost all the items had an intriguing quality that separated them from many ordinary museum pieces. Facial expressions were very captivating, as you can see on the musicians above and this supernatural beast below.

A special attraction is the "oracle bone" that you see below. Ann had a read a book about China before we arrived that discussed both ancient and contemporary China through the discovery of oracle bones. I think that was the title of the book in fact.

They were discovered in the 20th century and gave proof to the early civilization of China that until then had only been legendary. The bones have characters carved into them and they are the earliest (I think) record of Chinese characters.

Unfortunately, you can't see the characters in the photograph. In fact, you have to look pretty hard to see most of them on the bone. They only display one at a time. Below, you see a print of the bone with the characters. I was fascinated, and was sorry that Ann couldn't get to see it.

The oracle bone was in a gallery devoted to calligraphy. Below is a more typical scroll. I think it was from the Ming Dynasty (so, about 500 or more years ago). Of course, there were artifacts throughout the museum from all the different periods including pottery from 10,000 years ago.

We were very tired, so although the museum is not large, we decided to see just one more gallery and we let Thomas pick which one. He wanted to see the seal gallery with ancient and modern seals or stamps. These are very common in China and it is also common to have a seal made for yourself when you travel in China. They carve characters for your name in about 5 minutes.

Here is a series of photos in which you can see the size of the seal behind Thomas.

And then notice that it has a magnifying glass in front and a mirror underneath to inspect the design more closely.

And here, by taking a photo through the magnifying glass, you can just make out that it is filled with characters. Thomas liked this one the most. In the museum, you can really see the characters much more clearly through the glass and we were amazed at the precision necessary to make these tiny but detailed characters.

After the museum we went out to lunch for some local Shanghai dishes. As I mentioned last post, the food is very sweet. There were also a lot of dumplings. Below are the students who took us out. As you might guess, they are a couple.

Sun Ning, the boy, is in the second year of his Masters Program and next year will write his thesis on George Santayana's philosophy. He plans to go to the US for graduate school and we discussed different schools he might apply to. Chen Xing, the girl, is also a Masters student who will write her thesis on John Dewey's educational philosophy. So, you see I finally landed in the American philosophy zone of China. By the way, in China, all Masters programs in philosophy take 3 years, and all doctoral programs take another 3 years. It's a pretty strict timetable and a very different system from the US.

After lunch we walked down into the Bund area by the harbor. The Bund is a fairly sizable strip of western buildings built in the early 20th century when Shanghai was a major western concession. But it was so rainy and foggy that it was a little disappointing. As you look across the harbor you can see the famous Pearl tower just disappearing into the fog.

But it was still a worthwhile trip with interesting sites. The walkways were packed even though it was a cold and rainy Saturday in March. We were a little surprised at how many beggars there were, and very young ones and very aggressive ones as well.

Here we are in Shanghai!

We were glad to go back to our hotel after this. Thomas had a blister on his foot that then got soaked in the rain and I wasn't feeling very peppy myself.

A Little More Shanghai

2008-03-31T21:41:00.007+08:00

Thomas and I got back from Shanghai late last night, and today was back to Monday morning for the whole family. I'll report our Shanghai trip in a few different posts. Today, the boring one. Below is a shot of the famous Pearl building in the Bund area by the harbor. This photo was from the only "clear" day. Thomas took it from a moving taxi. It was so foggy the other days, you couldn't see halfway up the building.

So the weekend went pretty much like this. We were holed up in a campus hotel, where the food was - in one of my favorite Chinese words - 马马虎虎mamahuhu [just so-so]. A student would come to collect me and I would give a lecture in the really imposing building below.

The picture cannot do it justice. It's about 30 0r 35 floors with massive classical [that's western classical] columns all around. My lectures were usually on the 23rd floor.

Above is a really nice poster for my talks. I got them so I can bring them back and shamelessly display them. But Ann says they are going into the basement.

Here Thomas and I are not eating at the campus hotel but in a popular Shanghai restaurant [not trendy, just popular]. Shanghai food is very sweet, and one of the students said that people in Shanghai have a higher rate of diabetes than the rest of China.

Well, the best part of the trip for Thomas was actually not all the pigeons he ate, but getting to stay in the hotel room while I gave my talks. Because we brought the computer, Thomas could watch DVDs while I was away. Since I gave 3 talks that lasted 2 hours each (plus walking time), that came to about 7+ hours of DVD heaven. And what did he watch? Star Trek: The Next Generation. Ann's favorite is now one of Thomas's favorite.

Arrival in Shanghai

2008-03-28T22:03:00.004+08:00

Thomas and I arrived in Shanghai this Friday morning. Ann and the girls are back in Xiamen doing "girl stuff". I am giving some talks at Fudan University on American Philosophy, and since the price was cheap enough, Thomas is coming with me.

I wasn't able to load any pictures so maybe that will wait until we get back. We had a slow day today, mostly staying in the hotel room while I worked on my papers and Thomas played various games. Only he and I would enjoy laying around like this in a campus hotel room in an exciting city.

Anyway, I gave my first lecture this evening. Tomorrow morning some students are picking us up and bringing us sightseeing. We will go for the morning, and maybe a little in the afternoon. Then I lecture again Saturday evening. My last lecture is on Sunday morning.

Thomas had two pigeons and a bottle of Sprite for lunch. Then at dinner with people from the philosophy department, he had another pigeon and a coke. His mother would never let that happen. Okay ... no more pigeons for the boy!