After two days of heavy brainwashing I needed some change and thus I decided to visit one of the five holy peaks of Taoism - Heng shan or Nanyue. Waking up at 6.00am and walking through the campus at 7.00am you would hardly believe that from the public speaking system blasts lesson in English instead of comrades songs. At least for me this was an absolutely surreal experience. Why would you play anything at 7.00am in the morning and why would you choose lessons in English rather than some song? Whoever comes up with the satisfactory answer will receive 30 kuai credit for fake market from me :)
Village of Nanyue (three hours bus ride south from Changsha) is located at the bottom of the mountain and includes one of the biggest Taoism temples in China (I think so). Architecturally it is pleasure for your eyes. Although slim and tall shapes of European cathedrals cannot be found, vaulted roofs and colored reliefs have their beauty as well. Surroundings of the temple are focused on selling of religious objects to Taoist's pilgrims.
Ascent to the mountain should take four hours according to the Lonely Planet (c. 12 km). It took me only two and a half but I was in great hurry to catch the last bus leaving at 4.00pm. Of course against my great effort (sweating through two T-shirts, loosing another kilo of weight, not paying for cable car on my way back - I was waived Taoistically by the conductor - and paying 25 kuai for minibus ride of last 4 km) I arrived at the bottom of the mountain at 3.54pm. Running through the city like crazy I might have caught the bus, but my better judgment lead me to ask for a ride to bus station of group of people returning with me from the mountain in the minibus.
They not only offered their help, but as they were heading to Changsha as well they offered me a ride with them. Therefore through this channel I would like to again express my gratitude to Sarah and Julio who were today (Nov. 19) on a trip at Heng shan. I wish you safe travel home and Merry Christmas :)
The whole day was pleasantly finished in the traditional Hunanese restaurant with pictures of Mao all over the place and me eating Mao's favorite dish (I just do not get it how he could survive for so long if his favorite dish is swimming in fat - I guess that the saying about bad plants dying hard is right :).
Tomorrow I will leave Changsha and head to Yueyang (city of sublime tea) and afterward to Guilin (Guanxi province) with its karst peaks. Hopefully I will have an opportunity to post news on this blog along the way and even more I hope I will have more time to think them through :)
Note on Chinese culture / soul
In Nanyue I saw Taoist temples next to the Budhist one in the same single temple complex. Considering that Hunan is stronghold of communism I admire the ability to coexist as well as tolerance of Chinese people. I wish this was the case all around the world and hope that I will live through the day that similar peaceful atmosphere would be felt in Jerusalem.
12/20/2008
In Mao's footsteps
Writing from the dark dungeons of China's original internet cafe (clouds of smoke are hoovering above the heads of gamers and gamblers), I will try to describe what I went through in the last three days after my arrival to Changsha. This post has to be posted by my collaborator (brother) as blogs and other selected pages do not work (reasons are to be filled by the reader). Altogether the journey from Huang shan shi was c. 11 hours ride through boredom enlivened only by argument of two brothers who shouted until 2.00am while the whole carriage wanted to sleep. Afterward one of the brothers started to feed himself (I honestly cannot call his activity otherwise) with such an acoustic background that even dead man would start walking.
To sum up my impressions about Changsha with three words - awesome but dirty. I am happy to report that there are happy people in China too. Trying to elaborate; Hunan people are nice and smiling, Hunan girls are on average the most beautiful I have seen in China (although there are some exceptions even in Shanghai which will make your head spin and I have heard that Hangzhou girls are also renowned for their beauty - cannot confirm this one), people here are actually still in love with their Mao and finally, these same people are relaxed and actually willing to help you without expecting something in return or inviting you for tea ritual where you end up paying 400 kuai for worthless tea. On the other hand, nothing is perfect, nor Changsha is. The air polution is so strong that even I with three months of Shanghai experience had problem breathing.
After my arrival to Shifan Daxue (local university - Hunan Normal University) I was assisted by local student who just happen to have some time between the classes and helped me find accommodation in local dorms. Afternoon I spent wandering around the city from museum to museum and around local parks. Changsha City Museum has impressive exhibition celebrating the 30 years of reforms in China brought to you by no one else but yours truly "crescent and hammer" (started by Deng Xiao Ping in 1978 after Mao's death...) - call it cultural heritage :D Hunan Provincial Museum which should have extensive collection of Chinese historical objects was closed due to the facts that all tickets for the day were given out (Hunan is the same as London - all museums are for free).
The next day was THE DAY - I went to visit Mao's birthplace - Shao shan. It is a rather small village c. 2 hours by bus from Changsha south bus station. In the bus I met another waiguo ren (foreigner) - Thomas from Germany - with the same goal. We ended up spending the whole day together (it is more comfortable to face the pressure of ideology not alone) exploring home of the great helmsman, museum dedicated to him, and tombs of his family. In all cases we were somehow disappointed. Mao's home was really big for China (see also note for further details) even though it was used by two families. Museum was disappointingly showing only heroic period and 30 years of human experiments were kindly omitted, and tombs of his parents we almost overlooked. Shortly - really lot of shouting about nothing:)
After return to Changsha we lost again at the bus station and met Alex (true Shaoshan local) with whom we ended up having dinner and he ended up paying for us. Although it classifies as foreigners ripping off Chinese guys, which is the worst kind of ripping that can happen to you* it was purely unintentional. Maybe this happened due to the fact that in some way people in Hunan are more naive and more relaxed than those living on eastern coast. Maybe this is why Changsha looks much more European than Shanghai (spirit-wise) and maybe this is the reason I would prefer Changsha over Shanghai (all other things equal - which are not of course :). Unfortunately, money (in Shanghai) and air pollution (in Changsha) are strongly in favor of the former :)
Note on Chinese culture / soul
[still need to think it through - might be updated later]
Note: * Ripping off or getting undue amount of money from the guy on the other side of the transaction has several categories. These are classified as follows:
- Foreigners being ripped off by Chinese - the lowest level as it is the easiest way to gain profit. Basically self explanatory as foreigners are either only tourists staying for a couple of days and / or do not have time and experience to bargain.
- Chinese being ripped off by Chinese - although this happens very rarely. It is due to naivete of Chinese people being ripped off, or due to the fact that locals price-discriminate also other Chinese provinces (this form is especially applicable when locals speak in special dialect - e.g. Shanghai).
- Chinese being ripped off by Foreigners - this is the rarest form of ripping off as it can happen only unintentionally when foreigners do not know local customs (e.g. that even if host pays and initially refuses, we should include our share of dinner)
To sum up my impressions about Changsha with three words - awesome but dirty. I am happy to report that there are happy people in China too. Trying to elaborate; Hunan people are nice and smiling, Hunan girls are on average the most beautiful I have seen in China (although there are some exceptions even in Shanghai which will make your head spin and I have heard that Hangzhou girls are also renowned for their beauty - cannot confirm this one), people here are actually still in love with their Mao and finally, these same people are relaxed and actually willing to help you without expecting something in return or inviting you for tea ritual where you end up paying 400 kuai for worthless tea. On the other hand, nothing is perfect, nor Changsha is. The air polution is so strong that even I with three months of Shanghai experience had problem breathing.
After my arrival to Shifan Daxue (local university - Hunan Normal University) I was assisted by local student who just happen to have some time between the classes and helped me find accommodation in local dorms. Afternoon I spent wandering around the city from museum to museum and around local parks. Changsha City Museum has impressive exhibition celebrating the 30 years of reforms in China brought to you by no one else but yours truly "crescent and hammer" (started by Deng Xiao Ping in 1978 after Mao's death...) - call it cultural heritage :D Hunan Provincial Museum which should have extensive collection of Chinese historical objects was closed due to the facts that all tickets for the day were given out (Hunan is the same as London - all museums are for free).
The next day was THE DAY - I went to visit Mao's birthplace - Shao shan. It is a rather small village c. 2 hours by bus from Changsha south bus station. In the bus I met another waiguo ren (foreigner) - Thomas from Germany - with the same goal. We ended up spending the whole day together (it is more comfortable to face the pressure of ideology not alone) exploring home of the great helmsman, museum dedicated to him, and tombs of his family. In all cases we were somehow disappointed. Mao's home was really big for China (see also note for further details) even though it was used by two families. Museum was disappointingly showing only heroic period and 30 years of human experiments were kindly omitted, and tombs of his parents we almost overlooked. Shortly - really lot of shouting about nothing:)
After return to Changsha we lost again at the bus station and met Alex (true Shaoshan local) with whom we ended up having dinner and he ended up paying for us. Although it classifies as foreigners ripping off Chinese guys, which is the worst kind of ripping that can happen to you* it was purely unintentional. Maybe this happened due to the fact that in some way people in Hunan are more naive and more relaxed than those living on eastern coast. Maybe this is why Changsha looks much more European than Shanghai (spirit-wise) and maybe this is the reason I would prefer Changsha over Shanghai (all other things equal - which are not of course :). Unfortunately, money (in Shanghai) and air pollution (in Changsha) are strongly in favor of the former :)
Note on Chinese culture / soul
[still need to think it through - might be updated later]
Note: * Ripping off or getting undue amount of money from the guy on the other side of the transaction has several categories. These are classified as follows:
- Foreigners being ripped off by Chinese - the lowest level as it is the easiest way to gain profit. Basically self explanatory as foreigners are either only tourists staying for a couple of days and / or do not have time and experience to bargain.
- Chinese being ripped off by Chinese - although this happens very rarely. It is due to naivete of Chinese people being ripped off, or due to the fact that locals price-discriminate also other Chinese provinces (this form is especially applicable when locals speak in special dialect - e.g. Shanghai).
- Chinese being ripped off by Foreigners - this is the rarest form of ripping off as it can happen only unintentionally when foreigners do not know local customs (e.g. that even if host pays and initially refuses, we should include our share of dinner)
12/16/2008
Huang shan
Easily the best thing (mountain-wise) I experienced in China so far. Although it is pretty cold up on the top (I saw my first solid ice in China - not including the one at the skating ring) it is well worth every mao you pay (of course during the off-season in December :) ). More detailed description follows below.
First leg of my trip started at 7.28am when I left comfortable and english apeaking Shanghai on the bus for Tunxi in Anhui province. We arrived short after noon. I was dropped at Tunxi coach station but I am sure you can ask the driver to be dropped at Huanshan shi train station (Huangshan shi is the locals' name for Tunxi and is shorter - which goes very well with Chinese people). From both places there is no problem to get a ride to Tangkou (village at the foot of the mountain) by local minibus (18 kuai today - nonnegotiable upticked price from 10 kuai mentioned in Lonely planet).
Tangkou is typical mountain village whose architecture distincts it from European counterparts. From there you have to take another bus (14 kuai) or taxi (negotiable but only advantageous for group of people) to get to the bottom of the trails leading up to huang shan (cable car is option for disabled :) ).
I took eastern steps - shorter way - in order to get up as quickly as possible to be able to book accommodation. As already mentioned, the time of the year makes it very easy for budget travellers as everything is discounted by huge amounts (entrance to the park - 100 kuai instead of 200, accommodation - 60 kuai without negotiation). The whole point in staying at the top of the mountain is to watch the sunrise over the Northern sea. I have to admit it is well worth it (even if you get up only for the half of it as I did :) ).
Way back, which for me was via western steps, is more photogenic with the stellar views. It is at least twice as long as the way up (it offers plenty of bypasses and optional prolongations for the strong ones). During my visit two of the highest peaks (Lotus and Jade peak) were closed which is often the case according to Lonely planet and flegmatic responses of the domestic tourists.
Getting back from the park gates to Tunxi (city with available train and long distance bus connections) you have to go through ordeal of transfers again. As Tunxi is not famous for anything I bought the next ticket for Changsha immediately after the drop off from the minibus. Only problem is that if there is no direct connection available you have to go from city to city and hope for available seats at the trains (therefore I'm taking overnight train to Zhuzhou only). Ticket counters are able to sell tickets only for direct connections from their city - TIC.
Unfortunately, I had to abandon my planned visit of Sanqing shan as it seems nobody knows about this mountain (included in the UNESCO list only this year) or is not able to understand my pronounciation. I believe this is not the case as on occassion I can speak in simple Chinese with other people - e.g. I got to the point to understand questions such as "where are you from?", "how old are you?", "what do you do?" and similar. Of course it is more due to the fact that they speak with me as with an imbecile and virtually everyone on the trails is asking above mentioned questions (sightings of foreigners are not so often this tim eof the year). Anyway, I will try to visit Sanqing shan in spring and I will bring some chinese friend as a help.
Next stage of the journey will therefore take me to Changsha - epicentre of the Hunan cuisine (one of the spiciest in China - I am so happy - I want to cry :) ) and Mao culture. Hope there will be more opportunities along the way to post some news and to upload some pictures. This post is written from the lobby of Tunxi hostel where they kindly let me and fulfilled all my requests - of course for appropriate charge :)
Note on Chinese culture / soul
So far what I have learned is that virtually everyone is in for a buck - meaning the buck for himself. The good thing is that it means that you can buy anything. The bad thing is that you have to beware as first price is substantially marked up to the price sellers / services providers are ready to accept. You have to bargain and you have to bargain hard. If you do not know it or you do not have the stomach to do it, take knowledgeable person with you or just avoid China :) The system works to such an extent that there is a chain of cooperation between self made man (i.e. shadow / off-the-books economy) which completely bypasses anything in uniform. For example, taxi drivers cooperate with minibus drivers and drop their passengers at the preagreed sites (meaning at the door of the minibus) - which is kind of comfortable for the customers :) Even more so, official park service bus drivers cooperate with taxi drivers because they are lazy / it is inefficient to drive nearly empty bus down. It is very funny to watch taxi drivers taking all the potential customers from the official buses ticket sale window (literally) and seeing employees just watch the opportunity of actually selling some tickets walk by. And I'm completely omitting cooperation of restaurant and accommodation enterpreneurs with the above mentioned. Strangely, it helps customers to get the best service. Although only for the money you are able / willing to pay. This is more capitalistic system than the one developed oversees and celebrated by everyone (although not lately :) ). Invisible hand has never been so visible.
First leg of my trip started at 7.28am when I left comfortable and english apeaking Shanghai on the bus for Tunxi in Anhui province. We arrived short after noon. I was dropped at Tunxi coach station but I am sure you can ask the driver to be dropped at Huanshan shi train station (Huangshan shi is the locals' name for Tunxi and is shorter - which goes very well with Chinese people). From both places there is no problem to get a ride to Tangkou (village at the foot of the mountain) by local minibus (18 kuai today - nonnegotiable upticked price from 10 kuai mentioned in Lonely planet).
Tangkou is typical mountain village whose architecture distincts it from European counterparts. From there you have to take another bus (14 kuai) or taxi (negotiable but only advantageous for group of people) to get to the bottom of the trails leading up to huang shan (cable car is option for disabled :) ).
I took eastern steps - shorter way - in order to get up as quickly as possible to be able to book accommodation. As already mentioned, the time of the year makes it very easy for budget travellers as everything is discounted by huge amounts (entrance to the park - 100 kuai instead of 200, accommodation - 60 kuai without negotiation). The whole point in staying at the top of the mountain is to watch the sunrise over the Northern sea. I have to admit it is well worth it (even if you get up only for the half of it as I did :) ).
Way back, which for me was via western steps, is more photogenic with the stellar views. It is at least twice as long as the way up (it offers plenty of bypasses and optional prolongations for the strong ones). During my visit two of the highest peaks (Lotus and Jade peak) were closed which is often the case according to Lonely planet and flegmatic responses of the domestic tourists.
Getting back from the park gates to Tunxi (city with available train and long distance bus connections) you have to go through ordeal of transfers again. As Tunxi is not famous for anything I bought the next ticket for Changsha immediately after the drop off from the minibus. Only problem is that if there is no direct connection available you have to go from city to city and hope for available seats at the trains (therefore I'm taking overnight train to Zhuzhou only). Ticket counters are able to sell tickets only for direct connections from their city - TIC.
Unfortunately, I had to abandon my planned visit of Sanqing shan as it seems nobody knows about this mountain (included in the UNESCO list only this year) or is not able to understand my pronounciation. I believe this is not the case as on occassion I can speak in simple Chinese with other people - e.g. I got to the point to understand questions such as "where are you from?", "how old are you?", "what do you do?" and similar. Of course it is more due to the fact that they speak with me as with an imbecile and virtually everyone on the trails is asking above mentioned questions (sightings of foreigners are not so often this tim eof the year). Anyway, I will try to visit Sanqing shan in spring and I will bring some chinese friend as a help.
Next stage of the journey will therefore take me to Changsha - epicentre of the Hunan cuisine (one of the spiciest in China - I am so happy - I want to cry :) ) and Mao culture. Hope there will be more opportunities along the way to post some news and to upload some pictures. This post is written from the lobby of Tunxi hostel where they kindly let me and fulfilled all my requests - of course for appropriate charge :)
Note on Chinese culture / soul
So far what I have learned is that virtually everyone is in for a buck - meaning the buck for himself. The good thing is that it means that you can buy anything. The bad thing is that you have to beware as first price is substantially marked up to the price sellers / services providers are ready to accept. You have to bargain and you have to bargain hard. If you do not know it or you do not have the stomach to do it, take knowledgeable person with you or just avoid China :) The system works to such an extent that there is a chain of cooperation between self made man (i.e. shadow / off-the-books economy) which completely bypasses anything in uniform. For example, taxi drivers cooperate with minibus drivers and drop their passengers at the preagreed sites (meaning at the door of the minibus) - which is kind of comfortable for the customers :) Even more so, official park service bus drivers cooperate with taxi drivers because they are lazy / it is inefficient to drive nearly empty bus down. It is very funny to watch taxi drivers taking all the potential customers from the official buses ticket sale window (literally) and seeing employees just watch the opportunity of actually selling some tickets walk by. And I'm completely omitting cooperation of restaurant and accommodation enterpreneurs with the above mentioned. Strangely, it helps customers to get the best service. Although only for the money you are able / willing to pay. This is more capitalistic system than the one developed oversees and celebrated by everyone (although not lately :) ). Invisible hand has never been so visible.
12/15/2008
In search of soul of China
As some of you already know, today I am starting my "epic" journey in search of soul of China. This journey will last until Jan. 02, 2009 when I am supposed to return to Shanghai. Below you can find overview of presupposed stops and assumed program of the journey.
Although main goal of the journey is to "better understand" Chinese people (basically to be able to explain why they wear pyjamas on the street), I have to admit that if I will not eat dog or something which sounds similarly disgusting, this journey will be waste of time. According to information there is a great chance that both my goals would be fulfilled. I will leave European-like Shanghai and visit "old-school / hard-line" places such as Shaoshan in Hunan (birth place of Mao) and Guangdong province (allegedly people there can eat anything what moves or even stopped its movement).
Due to Chinese system of booking or better not-booking trains upfront I will rely on hope and good chance that seats and tickets will be available - luckily this is a low season for travel in China as everybody works and ignores Christmas and New Year.
15-16 Dec. 2008 - Tunxi and Huang shan, Anhui province (sleeping at the summit)
17 Dec. 2008 - Sanqing shan, Jiangxi province (one day trip from Tunxi)
18-20 Dec. 2008 - Changsha, Hunan province (one day trips in the surrounding area)
21-25 Dec. 2008 - Guilin and Yangshuo, Guanxi province (allegedly one of the most beautiful parts of China)
26-27 Dec. 2008 - Guangzhou, Guangdong province (a.k.a. Canton)
28 Dec. 2008-01 Jan. 2009 - Hong Kong and Macau
If possible I will post news about my progress. If there is no opportunity to do so later, let me wish you merry Christmas and Happy New Year! :)
Although main goal of the journey is to "better understand" Chinese people (basically to be able to explain why they wear pyjamas on the street), I have to admit that if I will not eat dog or something which sounds similarly disgusting, this journey will be waste of time. According to information there is a great chance that both my goals would be fulfilled. I will leave European-like Shanghai and visit "old-school / hard-line" places such as Shaoshan in Hunan (birth place of Mao) and Guangdong province (allegedly people there can eat anything what moves or even stopped its movement).
Due to Chinese system of booking or better not-booking trains upfront I will rely on hope and good chance that seats and tickets will be available - luckily this is a low season for travel in China as everybody works and ignores Christmas and New Year.
15-16 Dec. 2008 - Tunxi and Huang shan, Anhui province (sleeping at the summit)
17 Dec. 2008 - Sanqing shan, Jiangxi province (one day trip from Tunxi)
18-20 Dec. 2008 - Changsha, Hunan province (one day trips in the surrounding area)
21-25 Dec. 2008 - Guilin and Yangshuo, Guanxi province (allegedly one of the most beautiful parts of China)
26-27 Dec. 2008 - Guangzhou, Guangdong province (a.k.a. Canton)
28 Dec. 2008-01 Jan. 2009 - Hong Kong and Macau
If possible I will post news about my progress. If there is no opportunity to do so later, let me wish you merry Christmas and Happy New Year! :)
12/14/2008
Suzhou, Olympics and life beyond... (November highlights)
This post shortly summarizes interesting events of past two months in Shanghai and surrounding area. It includes trip to Suzhou, SHUFE Olympics, visits to Shanghai botanical garden and certain high school and SHUFE International day. Enjoy the reading!
SHUFE Olympics (Nov. 4)
This exceptional sporting event took place at our campus' athletic track. Competition was preceded by opening ceremony during which students from all SHUFE schools and teachers tried to show what they are capable of. International students also presented short, 30 second act. Although the dance routine was nowhere near breathtaking, we tried our best and got free jacket for it :)
Competitions can be summed up by:
- running suits (fake of course) provided to participants by the school - free of charge
- lunch in cafeteria although provided with "free lunch" coupon - 5 kuai
- winning six silver medals by single French guy - couple of painful laps on track
- watching late entrant Tommi from Finland stealing gold medal in short put by last attempt in whole competition from the guy who led throughout six rounds - priceless
Silkiness of Suzhou (Nov. 14)
During November our "beloved" university offered us organized trip to Suzhou or Zhouzhuang (I think). As Zhouzhuang was labeled by more experienced travelers as a stinky dump (originally meant as Venice of the East), most of us decided to visit Suzhou (allegedly silk capital of Eastern China). For mere 100 kuai (11 EUR) we got bus ride, guide tour around some of the coveted sights, lunch and visit to silk factory (which I think would be for free anyway :) ).
Suzhou is famous across China for its picturesque gardens (see pictures gallery) and silk industry. We visited "garden to linger in" which although not the biggest or the most famous, is offering for visitors all pleasures (including bonsai kindergarten and tea house) garden is supposed to have. Of course in line with perception of western tourists we spent the biggest portion of our time sipping tea in the tea house - arguing which tea is better (more expensive or the less expensive) and what exactly are we drinking.
The highlight of this trip (at least for me) was visit to silk factory where we were shown the process of producing silk. It all starts with maggots and goes through cocoons of mulberry silkworm which are after careful selection unwounded on the mills into silk threads (one cocoon produces c. one mile of filament). Interesting think is that these "things" are cultivated and bred to the extent of perfect efficiency (they live altogether c. two months in which they are able to go through the whole life cycle and "plant seeds of the future generations"). Larvas are blind eating machines which in 35 days grow into full extent ready to hatch. Eight filaments are combined into one thread which is than used in clothes production. Even more interesting is the production of bedsheets. These are not weaved but manufactured by stretching of moistened cocoons one by one and pressing them together. Quality and price of the bedsheets depends on the number of cocoons used for them (ranging from 100 up to whatever you want).
Botanical garden and "daddy" of all high schools (Nov. 16)
Shanghai's botanical garden is huge and includes some of plants I have not seen in such size (ficus) or at all (no clue about the names). It is nice place to kill an afternoon but it does not differ substantially from the one back home or in Prague (only in size). Part of the problem might be that your faitful narator has no clue about the plants and species of plants and thus does not enjoy botanical gardens as much as people more affluent in the area (I noticed occassional cries of enthusiasm from my companions).
On the other hand, Shanghai High School no. 1, which we visited on the same day, took the breath away of all of us. This is prime example of duality of China. On one side you have extremely poor infrastructure and living condition (e.g. rural areas described in Wugong Shan post) and on the other you have this high school which has by far better facilities than any other high school I have ever seen (US included). Imagine indoor swimming pool, athletic track, huge parks and alleys, watter pool with fountains etc etc. Unfortunately, I have to admit that living standards at SHUFE (for everyone) and Fudan University (for Chinese students) are worse than what we saw here. (More on the duality of China and living in the extremes in future blog posts)
International day (Nov. 28)
On this day we were supposed to present our countries and try to introduce them to Chinese students (meaning provide national food and drink). Also some of us elected to prepare short presentation their national traditions (highlights are provided in Photos section). The whole program was anchored by our Chinese teachers who sung for us traditional Chinese songs. If judged by the interest of Chinese students attending the countries presentations, they are mostly interested in free drink and food (preferable alcoholic). Whichever stall / country run out of beverages or food the interest quickly vaporized.
Half-Marathon (Nov. 30)
As mentioned earlier, I run a half-marathon on Nov. 30. As of today, I am looking for other opportunities to run (Hong Kong anyone?). On the other hand, next two months will be very challenging for my practice regiment as I plan to travel all over this part of the world :)
SHUFE Olympics (Nov. 4)
This exceptional sporting event took place at our campus' athletic track. Competition was preceded by opening ceremony during which students from all SHUFE schools and teachers tried to show what they are capable of. International students also presented short, 30 second act. Although the dance routine was nowhere near breathtaking, we tried our best and got free jacket for it :)
Competitions can be summed up by:
- running suits (fake of course) provided to participants by the school - free of charge
- lunch in cafeteria although provided with "free lunch" coupon - 5 kuai
- winning six silver medals by single French guy - couple of painful laps on track
- watching late entrant Tommi from Finland stealing gold medal in short put by last attempt in whole competition from the guy who led throughout six rounds - priceless
Silkiness of Suzhou (Nov. 14)
During November our "beloved" university offered us organized trip to Suzhou or Zhouzhuang (I think). As Zhouzhuang was labeled by more experienced travelers as a stinky dump (originally meant as Venice of the East), most of us decided to visit Suzhou (allegedly silk capital of Eastern China). For mere 100 kuai (11 EUR) we got bus ride, guide tour around some of the coveted sights, lunch and visit to silk factory (which I think would be for free anyway :) ).
Suzhou is famous across China for its picturesque gardens (see pictures gallery) and silk industry. We visited "garden to linger in" which although not the biggest or the most famous, is offering for visitors all pleasures (including bonsai kindergarten and tea house) garden is supposed to have. Of course in line with perception of western tourists we spent the biggest portion of our time sipping tea in the tea house - arguing which tea is better (more expensive or the less expensive) and what exactly are we drinking.
The highlight of this trip (at least for me) was visit to silk factory where we were shown the process of producing silk. It all starts with maggots and goes through cocoons of mulberry silkworm which are after careful selection unwounded on the mills into silk threads (one cocoon produces c. one mile of filament). Interesting think is that these "things" are cultivated and bred to the extent of perfect efficiency (they live altogether c. two months in which they are able to go through the whole life cycle and "plant seeds of the future generations"). Larvas are blind eating machines which in 35 days grow into full extent ready to hatch. Eight filaments are combined into one thread which is than used in clothes production. Even more interesting is the production of bedsheets. These are not weaved but manufactured by stretching of moistened cocoons one by one and pressing them together. Quality and price of the bedsheets depends on the number of cocoons used for them (ranging from 100 up to whatever you want).
Botanical garden and "daddy" of all high schools (Nov. 16)
Shanghai's botanical garden is huge and includes some of plants I have not seen in such size (ficus) or at all (no clue about the names). It is nice place to kill an afternoon but it does not differ substantially from the one back home or in Prague (only in size). Part of the problem might be that your faitful narator has no clue about the plants and species of plants and thus does not enjoy botanical gardens as much as people more affluent in the area (I noticed occassional cries of enthusiasm from my companions).
On the other hand, Shanghai High School no. 1, which we visited on the same day, took the breath away of all of us. This is prime example of duality of China. On one side you have extremely poor infrastructure and living condition (e.g. rural areas described in Wugong Shan post) and on the other you have this high school which has by far better facilities than any other high school I have ever seen (US included). Imagine indoor swimming pool, athletic track, huge parks and alleys, watter pool with fountains etc etc. Unfortunately, I have to admit that living standards at SHUFE (for everyone) and Fudan University (for Chinese students) are worse than what we saw here. (More on the duality of China and living in the extremes in future blog posts)
International day (Nov. 28)
On this day we were supposed to present our countries and try to introduce them to Chinese students (meaning provide national food and drink). Also some of us elected to prepare short presentation their national traditions (highlights are provided in Photos section). The whole program was anchored by our Chinese teachers who sung for us traditional Chinese songs. If judged by the interest of Chinese students attending the countries presentations, they are mostly interested in free drink and food (preferable alcoholic). Whichever stall / country run out of beverages or food the interest quickly vaporized.
Half-Marathon (Nov. 30)
As mentioned earlier, I run a half-marathon on Nov. 30. As of today, I am looking for other opportunities to run (Hong Kong anyone?). On the other hand, next two months will be very challenging for my practice regiment as I plan to travel all over this part of the world :)
12/04/2008
I did it, I did it, I did it!!! :)
Finally after three years of almost running I run my first official half marathon this Sunday. After c. 6 weeks of not so serious training I was able to finish in 1:46:03 on 723rd place (consolation prize included cap and sweatband). Hopefully I will not have to wait for the next opportunity to participate in half marathon as long as for this one :)
11/20/2008
Ideals worth fighting for
The other day (two weeks ago) I had once again lengthy discussion with my little brother, this time without any of us being intoxicated. Above mentioned colloquy focused on ideas of ideals*. Bellow you can find brief summary of my views and arguments.
Each of us has some ideals and goals. Even the laziest ones (e.g. my brother) have ultimate goal of not doing anything and spending their time staring at the ceiling in their rooms. The ultimate question is whether these objectives are good or bad and whether we can judge them as such. Who has the moral authority to decide whether my goal is better than yours?
My argument goes that any ideal you commit yourself to is good. Being "good" means it forces you into; taking a stance, action or changing your life in some way and thus evocate progress and evolution. By "committing yourself" I mean you are willing to fight for it (not literally - see more detailed discussion further below) - undergo strains and pains in order to achieve it. If you are unwilling to do so it means that ideal you proclaim to fashion is not the one you really strive to achieve. For example dedication of lazy person to laziness can be measured by what he is willing to sacrifice (strains) in order to be able not to do anything. He is willing to forgo higher salary earned in time demanding jobs and / or positions requiring long-term training and education. Economically speaking, time spent in bed brings higher utility than consumption of goods to be bought by money earned.
Under "anything goes" policy we are also admitting ideals and ideas of that twisted mind of bearded caveman in hiding for past seven years. These ideals as such are "good" even though 99 per cent of world population do not agree with them. We have no moral right to limit his thoughts, forbade his thinking and enforce our views upon him. What we are capable of is judging his actions which he undertakes in the process of achieving his goals. Killing of people will always be wrong, no matter what is the reason and ultimate goal.
By judging only action we do not prevent thinking but we prevent any potential excuses that might be used by criminals and other characters. There is no excuse for atrocities performed by German soldiers during WWII or Congolese rebels in the most recent uprising. There is no apology for crimes committed because you were just following orders (Germans) or excuse that you were only protecting Hutu minority and displaced, raped and robed 1 million people in the process (DR Congo). In thinking this way we are using deontological ethics and its theories rather than consequentialism.
In order to decide righteousness of act we should use simplistic principle of "do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you". This is in fact very simplified version of I. Kant's three maxims. Basically, we are saying that if you want to cause harm to someone by means of detonation, first do it to yourself (and you save us lot of money and time).
Note: * here meaning "an ultimate object or aim of endeavor" (Merriam-Webster).
Each of us has some ideals and goals. Even the laziest ones (e.g. my brother) have ultimate goal of not doing anything and spending their time staring at the ceiling in their rooms. The ultimate question is whether these objectives are good or bad and whether we can judge them as such. Who has the moral authority to decide whether my goal is better than yours?
My argument goes that any ideal you commit yourself to is good. Being "good" means it forces you into; taking a stance, action or changing your life in some way and thus evocate progress and evolution. By "committing yourself" I mean you are willing to fight for it (not literally - see more detailed discussion further below) - undergo strains and pains in order to achieve it. If you are unwilling to do so it means that ideal you proclaim to fashion is not the one you really strive to achieve. For example dedication of lazy person to laziness can be measured by what he is willing to sacrifice (strains) in order to be able not to do anything. He is willing to forgo higher salary earned in time demanding jobs and / or positions requiring long-term training and education. Economically speaking, time spent in bed brings higher utility than consumption of goods to be bought by money earned.
Under "anything goes" policy we are also admitting ideals and ideas of that twisted mind of bearded caveman in hiding for past seven years. These ideals as such are "good" even though 99 per cent of world population do not agree with them. We have no moral right to limit his thoughts, forbade his thinking and enforce our views upon him. What we are capable of is judging his actions which he undertakes in the process of achieving his goals. Killing of people will always be wrong, no matter what is the reason and ultimate goal.
By judging only action we do not prevent thinking but we prevent any potential excuses that might be used by criminals and other characters. There is no excuse for atrocities performed by German soldiers during WWII or Congolese rebels in the most recent uprising. There is no apology for crimes committed because you were just following orders (Germans) or excuse that you were only protecting Hutu minority and displaced, raped and robed 1 million people in the process (DR Congo). In thinking this way we are using deontological ethics and its theories rather than consequentialism.
In order to decide righteousness of act we should use simplistic principle of "do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you". This is in fact very simplified version of I. Kant's three maxims. Basically, we are saying that if you want to cause harm to someone by means of detonation, first do it to yourself (and you save us lot of money and time).
Note: * here meaning "an ultimate object or aim of endeavor" (Merriam-Webster).
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