Yong Jia and Wenyan
Ping and Yu Jing
Saturday, September 15th. This was the day that I would be able to spend with Ping and Li Bo. After playing unsuccessfully on the computer in the Business Office to find emails, I went to the lobby to wait for Ping. (Incidentally, most Hotels in China’s major cities charge Y1 per minute for email. That equals about 12c Canadian.)
Later, Ping arrived with the car and Li bo was driving. We headed north towards the river to a brand new ‘supermarket’. This is not the right word to describe it. These huge stores were side by side and spread for many blocks. You can imagine these stores on each side of a long straight street ; but the difference was that these two rows were not on a street; they were about 250 metres or more apart, affording each side huge ‘untamed’ parking lots. At one point, buried among these rows of stores was a shopping mall. But there were also dozens of street vendors with Chinese versions of fast food. These are usually some form of cooked vegetable on a stick or a shishkabob. I enjoy their Di gua or sweet potato and always have. I wanted to buy a winter coat to wear when I returned to Canada, but the weather was hot and so the Fall jackets were the only ones being offered. Ping made sure that I got a good price by sending me away out of sight of the staff and then bargaining with the store Manager. Ping made it even better by making the coat a gift. She is the best!
In this Part, there are three Photo Albums accessible through the following link:
After entering the link, click on 'Browse all Albums'.
Album 2.1 Side trips around Shandong.
Album 2.2 More about Jinan.
Album 2.3 A Day with Ping and others.
Album 2.2 More about Jinan.
Album 2.3 A Day with Ping and others.
We headed back into the city and because we were near a training hotel where Ping’s young niece, Yu jing, was studying, we decided to pick her up and take out of the city to a new college campus where she had enrolled for next term, but had not visited. Actually it is a brand new area; very large; comprising a group of colleges. This was my chance to view this new education concept.
We had plenty of time before Yu jing had finished her classes for the day, so Ping took us to a beautiful park which is one of the locales famous for Jinan’s fresh water springs, called Zhenzhu Chuan (Pearl Springs). Jinan is famous for its hundreds of springs, and they are contained in lakes with incredible rock formations created around them. (These rocks are unique in the area; a bright mat white finish, with various fist size holes penetrating them. They are incredibly shaped and composed with waterfalls and fountains, etc. They used to claim that they all came from Tai Hu (Lake) in Jiangsu, but if that were true, by now the lake bottom would be near the centre of the earth. These rocks are in scenic gardens everywhere throughout China. When the rocks are placed into magical patterns and surrounded by trees, (usually weeping willows,) and moving water, it becomes more than pleasing to the eye; even the atmosphere has a unique and quieting peace about it.)
We had plenty of time before Yu jing had finished her classes for the day, so Ping took us to a beautiful park which is one of the locales famous for Jinan’s fresh water springs, called Zhenzhu Chuan (Pearl Springs). Jinan is famous for its hundreds of springs, and they are contained in lakes with incredible rock formations created around them. (These rocks are unique in the area; a bright mat white finish, with various fist size holes penetrating them. They are incredibly shaped and composed with waterfalls and fountains, etc. They used to claim that they all came from Tai Hu (Lake) in Jiangsu, but if that were true, by now the lake bottom would be near the centre of the earth. These rocks are in scenic gardens everywhere throughout China. When the rocks are placed into magical patterns and surrounded by trees, (usually weeping willows,) and moving water, it becomes more than pleasing to the eye; even the atmosphere has a unique and quieting peace about it.)
(Wherever the scenery is spectacular and beautiful, you can be sure to see couples, just married, and still in their Wedding gowns and Tuxedos, posing artistically for photos. There is usually a professional director who sets up the portrait before the cameraman takes the photo. I know this for sure, because, in many places, I watch and try to steal a picture. The Bride and Groom like it, but frequently, if the director sees me, he (or she) will position themselves to block my view of the couple. Quite often a ghetto blaster is used to provide lovely, appropriate background music, both traditional and western classical, for a video.)
It was a delight to meet Yu jing; Ping’s cousin. Perhaps I had met her somewhere before; but she would have been a young teenager back then. With some patience and persistence on her part, she was able to communicate with me in English. It did not take her very long to rediscover her ‘ear’ and vocabulary. She was also very interesting and obviously grateful to Ping for taking her out. Li bo drove about 40km out of town to this new college area. Ping and Li bo elected to sit and talk to catch up on their ‘gossip’; while Jing and I set off to explore what would be her new dorm area next term. One interesting facet was to watch a hundred or more freshmen women dressed in camouflage army denims, and practicing foot drill. At the entrance to one building complex was a huge statue of Kong fu zi, their ancient architect of education more than 2500 years ago. (I mentioned in the previous Part that I had passed through his original home town and burial site at Qufu, on my train journey to Rizhou.) Naturally, Jing and I took photos of each other posing at the feet of the Master. We soon realized that the others would be wondering where we had lost ourselves, and so we headed back. On the way, we were met by a small group of women students who stopped to talk. This is not unusual: They want to communicate in English for sure: But they are genuinely friendly and interested in meeting westerners. It happens everywhere if you are prepared to converse.
(In the early days when China was more closed to foreigners than today, before the global spread, each city had one or more special locations where literally hundreds of Chinese would gather to practice their conversational skills or to stand closely by, listening to other couples converse. These places were designated as the “English Corner”. Frequently, in those days, tours would arrive so that the tourists could ‘fraternize’ and be the targets of the conversation. It was fascinating to sit on a wall somewhere with a very young person, perhaps as young as 9 or 10, extremely fluent in English; and get engrossed in conversation. Then you would spot Dad or Grandpa taking a movie of the whole sequence. In Jinan there were two spots I knew: Black Tiger Springs and Hero’s Mountain.)
The conversations with Jing that day tended to focus on the cities from where they came. (Deeper conversations can also probe for such information as their association with one of China’s Minorities. We tend to forget that there are also 55 minority nations within the mosaic of China. Most of what we know or are told, applies only to the Han majority. But it was only a couple of years ago that I discovered yet another large race called the Hakka’s who originated 2000 years ago and populated Shandong, then Fujian, and later Guangdong. For those readers in Toronto, I know of four Hakka restaurants in the GTA (greater Toronto Area) and they are all great eating places.) Having traveled over much of China, it is usually easier for me to find mutually interesting topics of conversation when focused on their original birthplace.
The conversations with Jing that day tended to focus on the cities from where they came. (Deeper conversations can also probe for such information as their association with one of China’s Minorities. We tend to forget that there are also 55 minority nations within the mosaic of China. Most of what we know or are told, applies only to the Han majority. But it was only a couple of years ago that I discovered yet another large race called the Hakka’s who originated 2000 years ago and populated Shandong, then Fujian, and later Guangdong. For those readers in Toronto, I know of four Hakka restaurants in the GTA (greater Toronto Area) and they are all great eating places.) Having traveled over much of China, it is usually easier for me to find mutually interesting topics of conversation when focused on their original birthplace.
Then Ping and Li bo found us and joined in the conversation.
I soon discovered that we were reasonably close to another favorite spot where Su Ran had taken me two years ago. This was the last and biggest of the Jinan Springs called Bai mei Chuan. There must be at least 30 springs there in groups. The largest one discharges more than 100 litres of fresh, clean, cool water per second. It was getting late, so Ping, Yu jing and I hurried through this large park with various ponds and lakes because it was Jing’s first time there. I hope I can attach a clear photo of them.
Quite recently in Jinan I had seen a large restaurant called the Shandong Publishing Restaurant. Having been on the periphery of publishing for a long time, this intrigued me. The guess was that at some time a publishing consortium had done very well and had made this into a secondary investment opportunity. As we were driving home, I saw the place again, and jokingly, I remarked ‘Why don’t we eat there?’ Quite seriously, Ping replied: ‘We are!’ ‘Well what about the rest of the families? What will they do?’ Ping replied; ‘They are already there waiting for us!’
How can we not be impressed? It started out with my casual remark about this Publishing feature. It registered in their minds. And now through the science of cell phones and unknown to me, this is what had been arranged on the fly. So now I knew precisely what was going on while I was enjoying myself at the springs! They were not gossiping at all. Does this sort of ‘arranging’ go on everywhere in the 30-something generation? When I got to Hong Kong I soon learned that all China’s world functioned that way.
Tomorrow, Ping will be leaving very early for Qingdao, so once again it will be a sad farewell until next time we can meet, probably in a year or two. However, we have emails by which we keep our lives together.
Sunday, September 16th. When I was teaching, or whatever it was that I did in Jinan, 6 years ago, I used to go to the local Church each Sunday morning. People have asked me many times about the state of the Christian Church in China, and it has always been difficult to answer in a few sentences with word pictures. Furthermore, the western press delights in anything negative in China: Most reports that I have seen tend to continue to carry that bias. I cannot really explain what goes on because it is in a language that I do not understand. Certainly it is a Protestant format. One has to discover for oneself the starting point of Christian mission in China: Those who led it dedicated (and often surrendered,) their lives to the message that they believed; and to the Spirit within them that motivated and inspired them to continue. Some of the negative aspect came from the unfortunate outcome of the Second Opium War and the resultant Nanjing treaty which forced China to open its doors to missionaries. It was this same treaty which secured the ‘Treaty’ cities that gave access to traders along China’s coast and produced the foreign settlements. These included Hong Kong, Ningbo, Shanghai, Guangzhou, even as far north as Tian jin. Later, even Shandong became a German settlement headquartered in Qingdao. (And for that reason alone, today the world has a German beer, brewed in China using water from the Lao shan, and called Tsing Tao.)
Although the words are in Mandarin, the Hymn tunes are certainly 19th century Protestant tunes with the words translated into similar Chinese meaning but altered to fit the meter. The services are longer, the congregations are vastly larger, and the Spirit is certainly evident whether you understand the language or not. And the services are far longer for one reason because most service messages or sermons last for anything from 45 minutes to 80 minutes in length.
So after Breakfast and some internet searching, I took a cab to the Church on Jing Si Lu. The Service was already underway. They can start at about 8:30 am when typically the parishioners spend time studying the Scriptures and having them interpreted. This is followed by a short practice of the hymns, especially any unfamiliar tunes. Ultimately the formal service commences. On thes particular Sunday, by 9:30 am, the church was packed. It was a hot day, and so the breeze was welcomed through doors and windows. Today, it finished around 11:30. My guess is that there were about 700 to 800 in the congregation. There is the main floor and a continuous balcony across the rear and along both sides. One corner of the balcony seems to be set aside for foreign teachers to worship. They play no part in the service: They are aided with limited translation by those who are familiar with the language. The hymnaries contain words in both languages, or they can use pinyin translations. My old friend, Pam, a PhD in geology, was there and helped me by providing a simultaneous written draft translation of the message. She too is a gem, committed and dedicated to serving the young Chinese probably for the rest of her professional life. What could China (or Shandong) do without her and many others like her? It was from the ‘fountain’ like her that the Chinese themselves gave birth to social justice in Chinese organizations such as the Amity Foundation. Only a year ago, that group advertised the printing of their 10 millionth Bible. But for me, one of the most noble of causes has been in the orphanages where senior ladies in every major city now visit these ‘unwanted’ babies and give their hours and money as Surrogate Grandmas: Incredible voluntary work.
There is one great difference between western and eastern worship. On several Sundays immediately following the worship service, there can be one or more formal weddings. You are free to stay or leave. Most times a large portion of the members stay to watch.
After the service, as many as 20 American and other ESL teachers from the University, go to a special local restaurant for a delightful lunch and weekly get-together. Whenever I return to Jinan, I make a point of being there at least once and to share a meal and fellowship. They are the best! There are no strangers there!
After lunch I walked to the Xinhua bookstore, but it does not have the same quality anymore. So I took a taxi back to Sofitel. Back in my room I found a message that another old friend was sitting an examination this afternoon, and would not arrive until 4:30 pm. I had time to spare. So I slept for a while. When I awoke, I had lost my voice.
Su ran arrived in her car, driven by her husband; she brought her Daughter, Xa xie, as well. I have watched Xa Xie grow up to a wonderful young lady; but not yet quite, a ten-ager (Maybe more than a seven-ager.) She is somewhat shy at first, intelligent, and well spoken in my opinion, in both languages. Her Dad is also a very interesting entrepreneur; formerly an architect. Unfortunately he had to run on this day for some other appointment, but I was very glad I got to meet him again.
Let me tell you about Su Ran. I first met her when she was a newly hired tour guide. That was more than 16 years ago when my first tour was organized for my friends. Some of the readers today will recall Su Ran because she was so highly intelligent; so calm under stress, and a wonderful person to be with. What a gem! She also has a very sharp wit and a great sense of humour. Later on, when I arranged my final tour of 8 people, also in the early 90’s, Su ran was my guide all along the Silk Road. Since those days, ‘Ran-ran’ has accompanied me on numerous occasions to remote parts of China, even up to Lhasa in Tibet, and to new places right in the city of Jinan.
(For example, it was on my last visit in 2005 that Su Ran first showed Yong Jie and me the walled city, ‘Middle gate’. And it was during that walk that I was approached by a man who happened to be a local TV reporter, who wanted to interview me. Then a cameraman appeared. It was Su Ran who was interviewed, so I really have no idea whether she told good or bad stories about me. It was a 30 minute interview, so you can imagine that there were lots of bad things because they far outnumber the good! While they talked, Jie and I walked around, along the tree-lined canal and over those traditional short humped bridges. It must have been a very slow news day, because two hours later, we were on the Jinan nightly news. Later that night, the full half hour was repeated. I could have mentioned earlier in the previous diary that the bus from Jinan to Jie’s farm, like most long distance buses, had TV for movies. Than night when Jie was going home on the bus alone, they showed the interview movie of Jia and me again from earlier: Other passengers soon recognized that Jie, the Star, was with them on the bus. It must have been one of many of her Andy Warhol 15 minutes of fame! She still tells the story again with pride!! Other friends saw it and talked about the broadcast, but I never did see it. Probably just as well!)
I have many cherished memories of times with Ran-ran. One I must tell you. On my second visit to Guilin and the Li River with Ping and Su Ran in 1991, we stayed at the Sheraton Hotel. I discovered by accident that they served ice cream including Sundaes and even Banana Splits. This was the first time I had ever seen them anywhere in China. So I took Ping and Su ran for this treat. They had never had these dishes before. Ping was not impressed at all; But Ran went crazy with delight. So for the last 16 years, this has become our secret ceremony each time Ran and I meet. Even in 2005, together with Yong jie, we had devoured Banana splits and other variations right in the Sofitel’s Western Style Restaurant. Sadly, this feature had been discontinued, so Ran, Xa xia and I repeated the tradition with straight vanilla sundaes in the Lobby Coffee shop.
Su Ran brought me up to date with her life story. After being a guide she became a darned good school teacher. Now she has been snapped up by the Provincial Government: She remains one of my really best friends anywhere. (The examination that had detained her was a Civil Service promotion event.
Rarely do we communicate during the two years between each visit, but when we meet, we pick up where we left off. I love that relationship. There is incredible mutual respect between us. She is one of the most generous people I have ever met; and she always has some very fascinating program of discovery arranged for me. She is very special.
Outside the hotel, we said good bye, took a few photos, and they drove off in a taxi. Yes, I was sad: But there would be other times, God willing. I walked from the hotel to the Quenchun Guang Chang; across to the Baotu Springs and north to the Pearl Springs again. Then I saw the new McDonald’s for one last visit. By this time, my blood/sugar was going low, and my sight was poor. So I had a filet of Fish and a lovely coffee. A couple of sacks of sugar corrected my vision. (Incidentally I had gone there one morning for breakfast. You might recall that several months ago, China and the West had yet another business blow up: That time it was over the contents of tooth paste and some problem related to antifreeze. This problem also impacted their domestic market. And so McDonald’s and Crest had got together in an advertising thrust: With the breakfast I received a free tube of toothpaste.)
I still had some time left before packing and bed; and so I decided to indulge in a foot massage. I have mentioned earlier in Part 1 that the custom of families and friends having a foot massage together has sometimes superseded that of uniting for a meal in a restaurant. Don’t misunderstand me: I would not be surprised if dining out in this newly found economy exceeds the custom of eating in. There are large restaurants everywhere seating 100 or even more clients. In Hong Kong, I have seen three independent restaurants on three floors in an office building; all packed. But the foot massage has also replaced the Happy Hour (after work) beverage for stress relief: And it works. The Sofitel has a great arrangement for massage, harmonized with a fitness centre, and beauty parlour, according to the floor layout.
So I headed up the elevator for treatment and requested a foot massage: Then I was ushered into a room with large screen TV; sat in a special chaise lounge with foot stool, and served a cup of green tea.. However when I was prepared, the masseur suggested something that I could not understand. It ended up with a Chiropodist trimming my toe nails. And that too was absolutely first class. This was followed by the foot massage. The feet and lower legs are soaked in very hot liquid; with many content options. Then the feet are massaged. This is not a particularly pleasant idea. Those old metatarsals in the arch of each foot don’t wish to be separated from whatever hinges them. Same with the toes that contain those Ying and Yang trigger points (or acupuncture points) leading to just about every organ and gland in the midsection. But that is what the ancient Chinese treatment (torture?) is all about! Several times I have been able to teach Chinese-speaking masseurs and masseuses a new meaning for ‘Uncle’ as in ‘You’re hurting me and I surrender.’ (But being serious for a moment, they really are great. Furthermore the professional ones know all about the feet and their vulnerability to diabetes. They inspect them thoroughly for cuts, sores and skin graze. It might be in the imagination, but when they have finished, one can feel the blood circulating through every capillary, and vein. It really is like ‘Walking on a Cloud’. Well, now my feet, Achilles tendons, and calves were in great shape for my next mountain climb. But what about from my knees to the top of my head? So I opted for a full massage. Two and a half hours altogether cost a mere Y157 or slightly less than Cd$20. There is no way, I would complain but beware: It can be addictive.
(Tomorrow I leave Jinan to return to Beijing for the Annual Screening. See you in the morning in Part 4!)
No comments:
Post a Comment