HK to Beijing
The 24 hour express train from HK to Beijing was a dream, with modern sleeper cars and very few passengers. Usually, hard sleepers are packed, with no empty beds. Also, being an HK line, the blaring PA system issued announcements in both English and Chinese. I always wondered what the hell the non-stop announcements on Chinese trains were about. Turns out they provide history lessons and background on the region you're passing through.
Our car had an unusual concentration of westerners - maybe a 50/50 split with locals. Amazing considering we usually don't see more than 2-3 westerners on any given train, much less a single car. Our neighbors included a old frail Frenchman teaching English in Beijing, an eager American with impressive Mandarin skills (self-taught over 3 years), a Norwegian who had just abandoned his pro-soccer career, his Swedish girlfriend, and a somewhat obnoxious Aussie spending three months traveling around the world. With the exception of the Frenchman, we hung out with this Fellowship of the Train over the next week in Beijing, visiting sites and going out at night.
A Brief Review of Bejing Tourist Spots
We did the Great Wall and Forbidden City. The views of the Wall snaking off into the foggy hills were certainly worthwhile, particularly because we avoided the more tour group swarmed/souvenir-choked sections. (Although the place we saw was far from souvenir-free. One lady doggedly followed us for 3 hours up and down the wall, despite our protests. I eventually broke and bought some postcards. Sucker.) My favorite part of the Forbidden City was the Starbucks counter located smack dab in the middle of the Palace. If there's a more striking sign of New China I don't know what it is.
We also swung by the Mao-sauleum in Tianamen Square. For my money this is the best value tourist site in Beijing. First of all, it's free. Second, it takes all of 20 minutes to line up and troop through the tomb. No mind numbing, back punishing 3.5 hour march from one identical room to another, thank you Forbidden City. Third, the ritual associated with the tomb is fascinating. Everyone lines up, as instructed, sans cameras or bags. The crowd is made up of young and old folks, presumably from throughout China, as well as a few Western tourists sprinkled in for good measure. A young army officer barks orders at us, and we arrange ourselves dutifully. The line shuffles forward, stopping at a stall where we're given the opportunity to buy flowers for the Chairman. About 10% of people opt to do so, arranging them at the entrance to the tomb. We then march up the stairs into an enormous bank-like building, at the center of which lies Mao, in all his sawdust-filled, pale yellow glory. (I have to assume it's Mao because a wax dummy would look more human.) The crowd adopts a reverent hush, some gawking openly, many bowing their heads in respect. Two officers in crisp uniforms stand at attention, looking out of the corners of their eyes for any counter-revolutionary disturbances. We only have a moment in front of the Great Helmsman before we emerge, blinking, into a hall full of gaudy Mao-morabilia for sale. A few folks stop to peruse the goods.
This whole bizarre affair speaks volumes about the respect Mao still commands and the Communist Party's ongoing powerful presence. (The official line is that Mao was 70% right, 30% wrong, a reasonable batting average I guess.) The juxtaposition of souvenir hawkers next to the father of Chinese communism makes it that much more interesting. While Mao may still be the Man to some, he's also become a pop-culture icon (I think Andy Warhol started this trend). You can get t-shirts, campy Mao watches, lighters that play The East is Red, Little Red Books, etc. I think it's mostly Westerners who buy this stuff though.
New Beijing
In addition to the standard tourist sites, I also spent a couple of days cycling around Beiing on a clunky one-speed. Biking is a great way to see the city, which is pancake flat and incredibly pedestrian-unfriendly, with one megablock after another and six to eight lane roads everywhere. It was fun riding in what is essentially a daily Critical Mass.
As you all know, the city is changing rapidly. Luxury condos are springing up all over, slowly replacing the old alleyways and hutongs (dense maze-like neighborhoods). New Beijing has a substantial ex-pat population, and a slew of expensive eateries, clubs, and bars catering to their tastes, as well as to new money locals. You can get virtually any kind of cuisine in Beijing. One afternoon, I had great gelato at a cafe on a street where westerners outnumbered Chinese.
In fact, bases on That's Beijing, the glossy ex-pat listings magazine, I got the impression that one could live a parallel English-speaking life in Beijing, away from the down and dirty hutongs. I guess it's the same in most major American cities, where poverty can be kept at a safe distance. For example, we played pick-up on the Beijing International School campus, about 45 minutes from the city center. The campus is surrounded by Yosemite Villas, an American suburban style development that could be in Ohio. The "gourmet" store next door sells Fruit Loops and other comforts of home. I don't mean to sound critical (though the export of American-style suburban development is really unfortunate). Honestly, I found ex-pat life fascinating because it's what my lifestyle would be like if I lived in China. It's something I can relate to and imagine.
New ShanghaiIf the growing gap between rich and poor and China's westernization are apparent in Beijing, they're doubly so in Shanghai. Shanghai, as the country's financial center, has even more ex-pats and a larger middle- and upper-class Chinese population. Old brick neighborhoods are quickly being knocked down in favor of malls and luxury housing. (See photo of old and new Shanghai bldgs) One gorgeous new shopping and residential complex, the Xintandi lifestyle center was done up to look like traditional Shanghai housing.* Ironic considering 2,000 families in traditional housing were displaced during construction.
While in the US, assembling this much land would break the most battle worn developer's back, in China, the process is somewhat easier, as all land is owned by the government and ground-leased to users. Getting the deal done is really a question of connections, influence, and money. Displaced families must be given enough money to house themselves elsewhere, acording to my friend Brian, who works in Shanghai. As a result, he says in the future, Shanghai's center will be English-speaking, the next ring will be Mandarin-speaking, and the outer ring will house all the remaining Shanghainese speakers.
Apparently, however, the displacement/development process is not as easy as it used to be. Some residents in the old neighborhoods have recently put up resistance, with one infamous incident resulting in a suicide. Brian reports the government now moves with a little more restraint.
I can't lie; I like nice new shopping areas and hip bar districts. But I also like the old school neighborhoods. They're what make the city distinct.
In any case, New China's urban contradictions are sharp and worth noting, if anything because events here are a quicktime movie of what's happened in many western cities.
Shanghai Planning
One interesting touristy thing we did in Shanghai - Hank, Jen, and I went to the Urban Planning Musuem, which has exhibits on the city's past and future. As a planner, I was amazed to see a dull document like a city general plan turned into a 3-D interactive musuem with high tech exhibits, games, and an incredible scale model of the city. Shanghai city planners certainly know all the right words when it comes to a modern metropolis - green energy and industry, high tech clusters, economic development through tourism, creek restoration. It's all there (with the noteable exception of equity as a planning concept). It remains to be seen, however, if they can turn all the talk into reality.
To Shanghai's credit, it's amazing to see how they've successfully transformed Pudong, an area across the river from central Shanghai, from agricultural land into a regional technology and finance center over the last 15 years. It has all the great things industry likes to see: good schools, retail and entertainment options (including many western-oriented outlets), access to the airport, more affordable housing than central Shanghai. Unfortunately, it's laid out like suburban America. While a lot of the housing is denser, clustered in mid and high rises, transit is poor and walking isn't a valid option. The commercial buildings are surrounded by parking lots. This is ridiculous, considering relatively few people have private cars.
Shanghai Tournament Write-Up (Feel Free to Skip, Full of Ultimate Jargon)I played with the international pick-up squad (i.e., mix and match players from all over). Louie stuck with Junk, the HK Team (a great name, by the way). I was originally supposed to go with them, but with 14 guys, I figured I'd get more PT with the pick-up team. Also, our buddy Hank from home was out for the tourney, and it's fun playing with him. Here's the photo of our team, along with a few women who picked up with us along the way.
We started off terribly, getting spanked 13-2 by Manila (called PULA, another great team name which means "red" in Tagalog - one of the flag's colors - and is an acronym for Philippine Ultimate Association). Our team didn't know each other's names, could not put together any kind of flow, and the Manila team was ridiculously athletic. Training in 90 degree heat and 100% humidity makes you tough, apparently. Despite the sound beating, I'm proud to point out that PULA is the only Asian ultimate team dominated by locals.
Shanghai's B-Team then beat us 13-3, a pathetic shellacking by a mediocre squad.
During our bye we nominated Hank as our captain and ran an endzone drill. These minor steps, combined with a little bit of gelling as a team, got us a 9-6 loss to Beijing. At that point, we considered 9-6 a respectable game. Actually, before the game, Hank had a Nostradamus moment, saying, "I would kill for a 9-6 loss." I think we made them nervous, at least.
Finally, we had a staggering come from behind victory against HK, scoring 4 in a row to take it 9-8. HK just got sloppy and eager to put it away, hucking one disc away after another. Their team vibe wasn't there after some unsatisfying losses earlier in the day. Meanwhile, we really came together, and everyone stepped it up, particularly one college kid from U Conn who started playing out of his mind.
The important thing about this win was that it let us sleep in and skip pre-quarters on Sunday. We then got killed by Singapore. We played pickup afterwards, the other teams beginning to fall apart and go home.
Hermine's team, Shanghai, beat Singapore soundly to win the tourney.
At the end, I got satisfaction from having broken our 8 seed, the lowest among all experienced teams. (There were five other teams in a separate bracket, but these were made up of really inexperienced players.) It was also cool to see everyone gel. It takes a while for this to happen, but you can actually feel it over the course of the day.
After our games ended, we stuck around to drink the free Bacardi Coolers and watch semis and finals. I was impressed with these high level games. Much more intense than I imagined Asian ultimate would be, by which I mean there's a lot of yapping, a fair amount of fouls, and even some disc spiking. No cheers, though, honestly, I'm thankful for this - nothing more painful than having to compose a cheer in the heat with total strangers after a 15-2 loss. And while the quality doesn't rival the best Bay Area ultimate, it's definitely beyond me. If I trained etc., I could play on a team like Beijing, but on a deep team like Shanghai, I would be a dedicated bench player *at best*, happy for any PT at all.
The Best Food in China
We've been eating well since arriving in Beijing, thanks to our ex-pat hookups. Chris, a high school buddy, recommended Li Jia Cai, an Imperial Cuisine place where we splurged on a great meal. (The Economist claims it's one of Beijing's top 10 restaurants, and Clinton's eaten there, for what it's worth.) The restaurant is tiny, intimate, run by the Li family, and located in a courtyard home deep within a hutong. The local atmosphere added to the meal's mystique.
Imperial cuisine, found only in Beijing, includes dishes served to the imperial family, who were apparently pretty picky about the quality of ingredients. The set meal started with a series of cold dishes, each unique and "delicate," to use one of Louie's favorite food terms. Thin slivers of smoked pork, cabbage with horseradish sauce, and eggplant puree were some of the highlights. Warm entrees followed - a sweet and sour fish, melt in your mouth chicken sauteed with crisp greens, tender Beijing duck, among others. All around a great meal.
Clarence's cousin, Candice, took us to a more modest but also delicious place near her office. The food was fresh, tasty, not greasy at all, great stuff. Thanks for the introduction, CTing.
In Shanghai, we ate at Din Tai Fun, which serves some of the best Shanghainese food in the world (if you believe the NY Times). We'd been looking forward to Shanghainese soup dumplings for months. Soup dumplings are little steamed (sometimes fried) pillows, delicately folded and full of pork, shrimp, or veggies. The special surprise come in a delicious broth which bursts forth from the dumplings as you pop them in your mouth. Dipped in vinegar and chili sauce...mmmmmm.
Our love for them started in SoCal, where we drove for an hour to eat at the LA Din Tai Fun (it's a Taiwanese chain), upon Sari's recommendation. This is a woman who keeps a card file of every restaurant of interest in the LA region, complete with MapQuest driving directions, so it had to be good. Anyway, Brian brought us to the Shanghai branch and it was excellent.
Hermine, our gracious friend from the Bay Area, also took us to an awesome neighborhood joint serving Dongbei cuisine from northeast China. Double fried pork, tender inside, sweet and crunchy outside, steamed dumplings with corn, veggie salad, pan fried dumplings with greens and egg, all washed down with cold beer. One of the best meals we've had in China, in an anonymous hole in the wall near her apartment.
We also revisited Uighur cuisine at another restaurant with Hermine, and it was just as good as we remembered. I wish you could get that stuff in SF. I would also love a Dongbei place.
Now in Yangshuo
After a great week in Shanghai, with all the comforts of Hermine's home and someone to order food for us, we relucantly headed south to Yangshuo last Thursday. This is the place with the bizarre limestone pillars and hills you see on traditional Chinese paintings. More on Yangshuo later.
* "Lifestyle center" is a somewhat stupid real estate development term that describes places like Santana Row in San Jose, The Grove in LA, or Bay Street in Emeryville. Usually, it's just a shopping center disguised as an old fashioned town square. The idea is to create an environment where people like to linger, thereby spending more money.
