MMU Cheshire

At the end of the trip, there was a lavish banquet at a very posh restaurant which marked the ‘Closing Ceremony’. Before, the departing for China, I had volunteered to make a speech at this event, and so for this blog I would like to share that speech:

“I must admit that volunteering to give the closing ceremony speech whilst back in England seemed a much more exciting prospect than it now does, and in reality I have to attempt to convey the sentiments of 100 students with 100 different experiences in just a couple of minutes.”

“Despite the range of ways people have spent their free time, from F1 to Art Galleries, Mountains to McDonald’s, Sightseeing to Subway, Kung-Fu to KFC, I have not met one person who hasn’t loved every minute. We’ve seen amazing things, smelt horrendous things, tasted incredible things and felt strange things (massage), but we will remember everything. What things will we look forward to going home: bacon butties, buying deodorant, friends & family, Facebook, transport & Twitter. That’s probably about it… However I am sure that each of our individual lists of what we will miss about China are much longer.”

“So, to the taxi drivers of Hangzhou for keeping money in our pockets, to the language teachers and the student volunteers for their patience and perseverance despite our generally catastrophic language attempts, to the bar staff of Ellen’s and Coco Banana’s for keeping us hydrated, to George and Ruselle for keeping us informed, to the sellers on He Fang and at the night market for filling our suitcases with complete tat (or as George puts it: great presents for people you hate), to each other for making this one of the best trips ever, and to China for not changing one bit whilst we have been here: we say thank you. Xiexie.”

What a day of high’s and lows! Today has probably been one of the most frustrating, enjoyable, rewarding and upsetting days of the trip. Being a Sunday, we decided to have a slightly later start and meet at 10.30. Our plan was to start at the Pagoda (and actually go up it), go to 2 art galleries, head onto ‘He Fang’ the souvenir street, have some food, then return to the night market for some last minute impulse buys. Now for what actually happened. We spent from 10.30 till 4.00 trying to actually get to the Pagoda, switching between trying to get a taxi (impossible!), deciding to walk, actually deciding that it was too far to walk, trying again to get a taxi, deciding to walk to the lake and get a boat across it, finding out that the boats are a huge (expensive) tourist trap, and ending up walking. By the time we got there, we were ready for a rest and were worried about the closing time of the galleries. We skipped the pagoda (again), and went to one of the galleries, where we spent an hour. It was amazing but not long enough, so I’ve decided to return tomorrow morning (and try and squeeze in the other one too!). We then went onto He Fang, and made some great purchases. After a while, the others wanted to head onto the night market, but I felt that we were rushing round and not really seeing anything, so I let them go and decided to stay on my own. It was my first time in Hangzhou on my own that wasn’t within close proximity to the University, and was exciting but also very intimidating. I wanted to try some authentic Chinese fast food so went to a place where none of the menu was in English and there were no pictures, and picked a couple of things! I had literally no idea what I was pointing at; I didn’t even know if it was sweet or savoury, food or drink! A Russian roulette in cuisine. The waitress looked a little uneasy when taking my order, which wasn’t a good sign, but I actually didn’t do too badly! I ended up with some of the best pork dumplings I have ever tasted, and a breast of chicken marinated in cumin and fruit, but completely stone cold. After my meal I had more of a look around the back-streets of the area, and found a food market which was definitely for the locals – not a tourist in site. Not fully filled, I had a fried shrimp fritter and what can only be described as fruit gloop – the consistency of custard but clear! I was feeling on top of the world at this point; delicious food, amazing surroundings… If there was one point in the whole trip that I felt I was seeing the ‘real’ China, it was now. However, having seen one side of China, I was about to see a very different one. On my way to find a taxi home, outside a restaurant, a man who looked like the owner had a rat trapped in a cage (probably from the kitchen), and he was holding a large water container. Straight in front of me, he then proceeded to pour boiling water on the rat until it died – a truly horrendous sight and one that will stay with me for a very long time. It is the first time I have seen anything purposely killed with my own eyes and has affected me hugely. I hate to impart this experience but it is something I almost need to share and my blog would not be truthful or correct if I didn’t write about the bad as well as the good. I then got a taxi home and was ripped off completely (they saw a white boy coming miles away). We seemed to go via Beijing! It was still only £3.50 but considering it should have been closer to £2.00 and I could have afforded a restaurant meal for the price, I I wasn’t best pleased. I am sat in bed writing this blog and wondering what I actually think of China… I think the only thing that can be concluded is that it is a country of extremes – good and bad.

It’s been another long day in China and my eyelids (not for the first time) are threatening to close as I write this. All of the day was filled with an activity planned for us by the University; a trip to Whuzen, a ‘nearby traditional riverside town’. I think I must start by clarifying that almost all of this description proved to be incorrect. ‘Nearby’ in China seems to be anything within a 2.5 hour coach journey, which this almost was. I suppose the scale of the country makes this understandable; but it also means that ‘towns’ suddenly become our equivalent of huge metropolises and ‘villages’ seem to resemble sprawling towns with vast suburbs. The population of China also seems to mean that ‘not too busy’ means not constantly touching complete strangers; so you can imagine our trepidation when we were warned that the town would be ‘busy’. I hate to be Mr. Cynical, but I must state how upsetting it was to see a (once) beautiful, traditional, industrious, idyllic cloister of society exposed to the harsh force of tourism. The town was completely surrounded with fences and automatic barriers, an ‘admission fee’ introduced and a seemingly endless supply of tat provided to the understandably disgruntled residents to sell to the overweight British and over-loud Americans who unashamedly gawp into their modestly furnished houses. If a book was written called ‘A dummy’s guide to ruining a historic town’, it should be written by the mayor (or more likely CEO) of Whuzen. He’s done an amazing job. Never do I usually spout such negativity, but seeing history, culture and tradition exploited in the name of profit is the reason why National Heritage Sites and UNESCO Sites should continue to exist. The only comforting facts are that some areas of China (such as Linyin Temple) have not let tourism strip all of their authenticity, and that the UK is a place where preservation, tranquillity and history are valued. Having said that, it could be argued that places like Buckingham Palace are heading in the wrong direction… no doubt in the next few months we will see a flurry of Queen masks and tacky snow-globes – Scary!!

Today (as ever) started with language classes, and we are now in preparations for our test on Monday which I am increasingly worrying about. We then had a trip to the China National Tea Museum, which chartered the history and importance of tea in Chinese culture. It was quite interesting; especially the importance of tea in Chinese economy and tourist industry. We then attempted to walk to West Lake from the museum and got ourselves thoroughly lost. Learning the verbal language is all very well but when you are lost and all the signs are in Chinese characters, it proves surprisingly useless. Luckily we found an English speaking girl who directed us to a bus, which we proceeded to cram ourselves onto. Imagine the maximum amount of people you could get on a bus and add half again. We successfully got to our destination: a huge pagoda, but then decided not tot go up because of the fog/smog/mist and poor viability. So generally, not the most productive of days; but still hugely enjoyable. In the late evening we also had a look in KTV (a luxury karaoke chain) where you get your own private booth, en-suite and butler for a whole evening. At 1000 Yuan per booth (£100), it is certainly more expensive than Sing-star on the PS2 in a living room, but then again this is a new level of karaoke! A part of me thinks that 5* luxury and being able to record your own music is taking it a little bit too seriously, but I will have to experience it before I can pass judgement….

After yesterday’s trip to the zoo and incredibly long walk back, we were off on a trip to a local theme park/theatre. Called the
‘Song Dynasty Town’, the park is supposed to be exactly how it was in the Song Dynasty, hundreds of years ago. If you disregarded the automated machines, modern rides, heaps of litter and hoards of tourists; I suppose it was quite authentic! We then watched an acrobatic/music/light/sound/dance show based on the history/culture/mythology of Hangzhou and the rest of China (in other words a very vague show). Being a drama student, I was unable to stop myself analysing it. With absolutely no linear narrative, no character boundaries and an emphasis on ‘the replicated’, it was almost completely Post-modern. This however did not prevent it from being thoroughly confusing, if still entertaining. I hope it’s strangeness was self-acknowledged and present for comical effect; however I get the distinct feeling that this was not the case. The show finished at about 10.30 and I had not eaten all day, so we decided to rush to a local restaurant for a quick-fix Western meal: pizza and chips. One partially frozen pizza and some soggy chips later, I was contemplating how good Chinese food was and questioning whether Western food would ever seem appealing again…. I feel that a search for Crewe’s best Chinese takeaway will be a justifiable luxury.

Yesterday was one of the most tiring days in China, hence the late blog. I did plan to upload it last night but literally fell asleep at the keyboard. After language classes, we decided to go to Hangzhou Zoo and I got some great photos!

After the zoo, we tried and failed to hail a taxi (something which seems to be very much a ‘right time, right place’ thing) and so walked all the way from the south of the lake, across the huge causeway across the lake, to the University, a journey that took close to 3 hours at a very efficient pace. It would have been a beautiful walk had half of it not been in torrential rain; a factor that made the prospect of getting a taxi non-existent. Still a lot to say about yesterday, but I have to run for language classes now so keep an eye out for Part 2 soon!

In addition to today’s language classes (which suddenly seem to have become very challenging!) we had a trip to a business. I chose to visit SUPCON, a global corporation that specialises in technology, software, hardware, chemicals and business solutions. Seeing a little of how a global business operates was fascinating (especially as a Marketing student), and although it is a sector in which I have close to no interest, it was still reasonably engaging. A few of the more interesting projects SUPCON is involved with include soccer playing robots (the best in the world), intelligent robots (similar to Honda’s ‘Asimo’) and the ‘Water Cube’ a swimming pool that regulates everything from the viscocity to the temperature of the water to an exact level. The water cube was actually launched at Beijing’s 2008 Olympics. They also involve ‘green’ projects in their portfolio, such as the ‘Sun Tower’ that uses hundreds of mirrors to concentrate the sun’s light. Although brief, one of my first foray’s into the environment of international business was stimulating and something I look forward to learning more about in the future.
Also today we went to a wonderful restaurant. (I don’t want this to be a food blog, but it seems that is the way it is going!). The restaurant was from a Chinese chain called ‘Grandma’s Kitchen’ and the usual ‘point-and-hope-for-the-best’ method was employed with experienced efficiency. Apart from having to copy our order out in Chinese script, it was a painless and thoroughly pleasurable experience. The only cherry that could possibly have topped this cake was that it cost £3.25 each. I officially never want to leave China….

Four hours of language classes made me feel like I was properly back in school; actually not a feeling I have missed much (and homework feels equally strange). Having said that, two of the hours were spent in a fruit and vegetable market, practising phases such as ‘that’s too expensive’ and ‘how much all together?’. The market was certainly an experience: we had the pleasure (or ordeal) of seeing live turtles with their shells removed, net bags of live frogs and ducks crammed into cages. As a group of friends with mainly vegetarians, it was a little upsetting, but there was also a sense that we knew what to expect and prepared ourselves for it. It’s safe to say that I came away from the market with slightly more conservative options.
The only other thing worth mentioning about today is the absolutely gorgeous meal we had this evening. We decided that a nice meal in a restaurant was a good plan, and found an Indonesian/Thai fusion place where we had curried tofu, deep fried frog, satay chicken, tempura squid and quails eggs, crispy vegetables and crab fish-cakes. It was absolutely incredible and made me realise what an amazing job food critics have. Having pushed the boat out to a pricey £8, it seems we may have already convinced ourselves into a return visit…

I’ve not been too well these last few days – a sore throat, painful cough and loss of voice have proved a little more than a minor inconvenience. Lots of people on the programme have had similar symptoms and I feel that long tiring days, slight dehydration and the poor air quality here have played havoc with our weak student immune systems.

Due to this, I decided that some retail therapy was definitely the cure. During the day we went to the main shopping district which was filled with either very convincing replica (fake) shops, or slightly neglegted (but very much genuine) shops. We spent half an hour deciding whether the Nike shop was real or not, and still didn’t reach a conclusion! In the evening we the went to a very famous night market where I purchased a pair of ‘fake-ban’s’ and a pair of TOMS called TCMS (designed specifically so you can make the ‘C’ into an ‘O’ with a pen if you wanted to). With a couple of presents on top, a whole night’s shopping cost a grand total of £12.

I don’t suppose I am experiencing the best of China’s wondrous culture, history and traditons by doing all this shopping, but on the other hand – I’m feeling a bit better! I feel that retail therapy should start being prescribed…

After a slightly later lie in (waking up at 8.00 instead of 7.00), we planned to visit the Linyin Temple, a remote Buddhist monastery not far from Hangzhou. Picture postcard, traditional, ‘perfect’ China is what we found! The whole compound was huge, and included mountains (2 of which we climbed) and 3 separate temples – founded by an Indian missionary thousands of years ago (please consult my assistant, Mr. Google for the details). It was truly everything you imagine when somebody mention’s China: a mix of rural beauty (bamboo and bonsai trees), traditional arts and crafts, hustle and bustle, and a little bit like your local takeaway! (the waving cats and gaudy Chinese calendars are a persitant presence on the trip). The temple was beautiful, awe-inspiring, magnificent and most of all, extravagant. Being a religion that  rejects materialism, extravagance isn’t something that springs to mind, but 40 foot golden statues and thousands of pounds of ‘offerings’ seem to contradict this. In fact, the whole temple bordered on ‘cliché’, seeming to show what tourists expected to see, and this would have affected the sincerity of the whole place had it been packed to the rafters with tourists, but although busy it was still possible to find a quiet corner and a little tranquillity. Watching the monks pick fresh tea, pray, and generally seem incredibly fulfilled and contented in the Temple made the whole experience much less superficial and more genuine. One of my favourite days in China and an experience that I will undoubtedly bore everyone with upon my return!