Musings from China Part I

My husband, love of my life, Paul, has been in China for the past 17 days and is due home this Friday. I can't wait. We have been in contact by email and phone almost daily but the 12 hour time difference can be quite challenging. When he calls me in the morning (my morning) it is, for him, the end of the day. He is ready to relax and fill me in on what has been happening. I, on the other hand, am just beginning my day and am usually in a rush trying to get my day started or he calls me just before he heads for the office and I finally have time to chat. My favorite communication is when he sends me his observations of an American in Beijing. I would like to share his latest musings:

1,000’s of shops gone, 1,000’s of shops remain

According to news articles, thousands of small, local shops have been raised in preparation for the Olympic Games in 2008. Still, thousands of shops remain. Block upon block, main street, side street or Hutong alley, the shops are sprinkled throughout Beijing like poppy seeds on a bun. The shops vend tobacco products, fresh fruits and bottled drinks to passers by. Some offer phone service to the outside world; ironic in a city where nearly everyone in the business centers is chatting away on cell phones as they ramble about. Often, the proprietor, if male, is asleep in a chair in front of the store (funny, I never see women sleeping in the front of the shop, sipping a cup of tea, yes; sleeping, no – being male, I chose not to dwell on this disparity).. The store usually measures about six-feet by six-feet and some are smaller yet. The profits must be minuscule and these outlets appear to family enterprises. My parents grew up in the era of candy shops and tap rooms. During the 1930’s, American families in row homes in small towns and big cities would covert their front room to a small shop or into a bar and eke out small profits to contribute to the family prosperity. So much of today’s China reminds me of yesterday’s America.

Underground economy

The Silk Market (or Silk Street) is a notorious tourist shopping destination in Beijing. The large market is 5 or 6 stories tall and covers more than one-half of a city block. Inside, hundreds (thousands) of vendors have woven a tight web to ensnare visitors that have come, one must believe, to part with their Yuan. Merchants step out into the narrow aisle ways to steer targets into their shops. They beckon and call to those that chose to keep strolling by. Some reach out and tug at those who have ignored their call. The patter is rapid and insistent. Browsing is tedious and wearing. But browsing is only the tip of the ice berg. If you do find something you like, get ready to negotiate. The first price is “for you only.” You must respond with a lower amount; rule of thumb, one-half of the merchants first offer. Dickering will continue until a price in the middle is seemingly agreed. If you purchase now, the merchant has won. Instead, you must now walk out of the shop in search of the next vendor; you will be summoned back before you take two steps down the aisle. The price that was “for you only” and practically a gift will be reduced another ten to twenty percent. With a little more effort, you will eke out ten to twenty percent more before the deal is closed. Walking away with your purchase imparts little satisfaction. You are left to contemplate how much lower the merchant was prepared to go. Maybe, after a thousand such negotiations, you will be able to begin to understand the merchant’s bargaining position.

The Silk Market is served by a subway stop with a staircase and escalator that lead directly into the ground floor. The subway stop is a sprawling underground complex that includes a market of shops sitting between the street above and the station below. If you dawdle long enough you will eventually learn the true catacomb-like nature of this underground mall. I found the selection in a CD/DVD shop to be uninspiring and was preparing to leave. The shopkeeper, a young woman, stopped me and announced that there were more DVD’s behind the shelves. As I cocked my head from side to side in search of the remaining inventory, a small bookshelf behind the cash register was rotated forward and out. Behind the bookcase was a hidden door – a HIDDEN DOOR! The room behind the door more than doubled the size of the shop. It was crammed full of DVDs in packaging that appear legitimate in every way. Regardless, it seemed unlikely that someone would go through all this trouble to sell legitimate merchandise and I elected to leave without making a purchase. To exit, the shopkeeper had to rap on the door and wait for it to be opened from the outside.

Progress on Steroids

The frantic pace of construction throughout Beijing is rousing. Steel-beam skeletons stretch for sky all over the city. One is destined to be the tallest building in all of Asia. Today this future colossus is two sprouting towers that are leaning towards each other as they gain distance from earth. It appears the inclined structures will meet at a contorted angle about fifty stories into the air. I can’t help but wonder over the myriad of measurements being taken daily to assure that the complex geometries of these individual elements will mesh as planned. By edict, all exterior construction in the city must be completed by December 31, 2007. During the Olympic Games in 2008, the city will appear modern, thriving and complete. I say ‘will’ because I have no doubt the Chinese will finish the work in time. The buzz of activity and underlying organization has no human comparison; it is most like a colony of army ants. Individuals scurry about completing task upon task. In aggregate, these task amount to rapid progress. Proud citizens brag that six stories may be added to a building in one day – I do not doubt the claim. Meanwhile, infrastructure projects are connecting new to old and reconnecting the old that is to remain. It is a symphony of progress and all parts remain in perfect harmony. Again I am reminded of past generations in America. For its time, daily progress in construction of the Empire State Building was without peer. At first, New Yorkers marveled at the rapid evolution. Eventually, they came to accept such progress as routine but even the most jaded New Yorker is bound to find something worthy of amazement in today’s Beijing. Westward rail development represents another crowning achievement of American industry. Rail lines spread west from the Mississippi at an astounding rate and traversed monstrous obstacles. Rail lines companies competed to lay track faster than the others. It wasn’t just economics that spurred the pace of development, egos became part of the mix as industrialist such as Clement and Durant dueled for acknowledged supremacy among peers. Ironically, the westward-ho railroad rush was build on the backs of immigrants – Chinese immigrants.

Dormitory Life

I don’t know how I missed them at first. Moreover, I studied buildings under construction in Beijing for three weeks before I noticed to first of the thinly-sheathed structures. But, once I noticed the first, the sight become ubiquitous. Each building site had one; most had several. Usually three stories tall and a little wider than a single-wide mobile home, these austere structures are dormitories for workers. A dormitory is defined as, “A building providing sleeping quarters for a number of persons.” Sleeping quarters describes these structures precisely. Plumbing is not evident; I am less certain about electricity but suspect it is absent as well. The thin cladding likely amplifies the summer heat and I suspect day time temperatures inside are 20 – 30 degrees warmer that the 90+ midday highs during summer.

Minimalist Marketing

As the “bicycle kingdom” moniker wanes, a new face of Beijing emerges that is best expressed as “kingdom of aggressive merchants.” Yet, in this land of in-your-face salesmanship, extremes at the other end of the scale are also evident. I reckon the Chinese would somehow tie such coexistence of extremes to natural balance (the yin and yang). The other end of the scale is represented by restaurants that attempt to disappear into the backdrop of the city. Entrances are disguised or hidden. Exterior signs are obscure or entirely absent. On entering the establishment you must navigate a vague and indistinct path to the main room. The eating are is kept very dark (I understand some are entirely lightless) and you are provided with a flashlight to find the restrooms. The flashlight is of marginal assistance as the restrooms are as hidden and unmarked as the front door. This atmosphere is intended to heighten the culinary experience. I assume the some believe that disorienting the sense of sight may accentuate the other senses included taste and smell. The restaurant I experienced had a lighted exterior door that wasn’t a door. The real door was ten yards to the left hidden behind a few trees. A few stepping stones were the only indication that there might be a purpose within or beyond the stand of trees. As you approach the last stepping stone, a large plate of black glass magical slides to the side to reveal a darken passage way. The glass seals you in after you cross the threshold and you are left to navigate your way to the main floor via a dark and convoluted passage. Mirrored walls along the way continually tease your awareness and orientation. Only when you reach a bar lighted solely by the bottles on the back shelve (lights under the bottles emit a diffused glow about the bar) can you be sure that your appetite is to be sated this evening.

Naming Nissans

Many cars in China are the same as we have in the USA. About half of these have been renamed including all of the Nissans. On a divergent note, I am told that the Chinese still hold a great deal of resentment towards the Japanese stemming from war atrocities and many Chinese are reluctant to buy Japanese cars. Still, a number of Nissans get through this resistance branded unlike those we see in the USA. Of special interest to me is the erstwhile Nissan Xterra. In China the name translates as “have SUV will travel” – the name is Paladin.

Arm-in-Arm

Many young woman stroll through the city in pairs; often they are either holding hands or have their arms locked at the elbows. The streets of Beijing are very safe and I don’t believe the pairing is for security. Likewise, I am certain the custom is unrelated to same-sex romantic leanings. The practice seems to be mere custom.