Chinese Culture « China Holidays Blog

November 19, 2009

Expats in China:love it or leave it

Filed under: Chinese Culture — Tags: China, Expats — China Holidays @ 10:31 pm

In the spirit of the Global Times’ recent “Seven Deadly Sins of Foreigners”, we opted to give foreigners a chance to publicly whinge about their lives, fully cognizant of the oft-stated response to such complaints: If you don’t like it here, why don’t you go home?

There’s never an easy answer. Some people are fugitives (literally) from their home countries. Some are dodging the tax man. Some are just too socially awkward to survive in the West. Regardless, no one lives here without formulating an opinion. Here’s a smattering of your fellow expatriates’ deepest thoughts.

What is your opinion of the average Chinese person?

“There is no average Chinese person,” and “Average people, Chinese or not, are nothing but average,” were

but two responses we received waxing philosophical on averageness and what, in retrospect, could have been a betterphrased question.

“The thing I really can’t bear about the average Chinese person is the lack of creativity,” Celia, 22, from France told us. “The girls are sweet, the guys can be annoying,” an anonymous respondent offered, reminding us that we foreigners aren’t always so creative in our assessments either.

Bridget, 36, from the US, o¡ ered a more in-depth analysis of a relatively superficial query. “I think there’s a gap between the people who are older and who lived through the Cultural Revolution and the younger generation,” she said. “They older folk tend to be more cautious and a little stuck in old ways of thought. The youth push ahead—they could do amazing things if and when they figure out how to channel the energy they are generating.”

What do you find most irritating about life in China?

Let us guess. Spitting? (more…)

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November 16, 2009

Dongjiaominxiang – Featured Beijing Hutong

Filed under: Chinese Culture, Travel — Tags: Beijing, culture, Hutong — China Holidays @ 10:56 pm

Stepping into the west entrance of Donjiaominxiang, it’s hard to connect this place with the word hutong. Common hutongs are narrow, with little vegetation but many restaurants and stores. Here, however, it’s so wide as to be a proper, tree-lined road.

Dongjiaominxiang is often called the longest hutong in Beijing, stretching 1.5 kilometers from west to east. Walking slowly and distractedly, it can take two hours to stroll the length of the street, so bicycles are advised for those who want to reduce their time spent moseying. Century-old, western-style buildings conspicuously stand out between newer, imposing government offices.

Dongjiaominxiang served as Beijing’s diplomatic center for over 700 years, since the Yuan Dynasty. The area accommodated a series of foreign dignitaries, most notably Marco Polo, who mentioned the lane several times in his book of travels.

In 1900, the 55-day battle that took place between the Boxers, who wished to purge the city of foreign influences, and foreign delegates who barricaded themselves in the Legation, ended with the arrival of assistance from the Eight-Nation Alliance. The following Treaty of Xinchou (the International Protocol of 1901), designated Dongjiaominxiang as an embassy zone protected by walls 6 meters tall. Chinese were not allowed to come near, which was considered a particular humiliation at that time. Even the roads around the embassies, which previously were collectively labeled as Dongjiangmixiang, were referred to by their English names.

After the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, the area continued to serve as an embassy zone, with many new diplomatic buildings constructed. Some of the original structures have been well preserved and re-purposed, such as the former Japanese embassy (now the Beijing Municipal People’s Government building), the Germany embassy (now a general clothing store) and the Italian embassy (now the Foreign Friendship Association, which serves to build international bridges of communication and cooperation). Other non-diplomatic buildings on the street continue to betray the foreign influence behind their structures.

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Source：Global Times

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November 9, 2009

Lama Temple — smell of Tibet in Beijing

Filed under: Chinese Culture — Tags: Beijing, Lama Temple, Tibet — China Holidays @ 10:07 pm

Buddhism was introduced to China from India, the religion has seen many ups and downs. The temples across this city have borne witness to these changes. The smell of incense can easily lead visitors to the Lama Temple (Yonghegong), Guangji Temple, and Fayuan Temple, among others.

Of these, the Lama Temple is the best known. It is here that Beijingers come to pray for good fortune. You can smell the rich thick scent of Tibetan incense, composed of sandalwood and sapan wood. The intoxicating smell emerging from the many incense shops inside the temple and at the street’s entrance, fills the air.

The faithful believe that air is a spiritual, not material, substance and a medium for offering gifts to the gods.

After offering worship, devotees stick the joss in large bronze burners, green with age and filled with incense ash. The smoke from these joss sticks and their sweet fragrance is the densest during the Spring Festival.

It starts on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Carrying giant incense sticks, devotees begin queuing up from 6 in the morning even though the temple gates open only after 8:30 am, so they can be among the first to light the oil lamp at the foot of the sacred Buddha.

The frigid winter air does nothing to stop the smell of incense from the centuries-old lamasery from radiating to the whole city. It is reported that nearly 10,000 people visited the temple in just an hour on the first day of 2009.

The second peak at the temple comes with the Laba Festival that falls on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month (mid-January to mid-February) – the day Sakyamuni, founder of Buddhism, achieved immortality. Each year, crowds of people head to the fogbound temple on that day for a bowl of Laba porridge made with nuts and dry fruits.

Burning a stick of incense, some seek blessings for a baby, some for a good marriage, and others for a promising future. It is important to come back to redeem a vow, if the wish comes true.

Five months ago, the city saw another boom in incense burning, as the temple flooded with hundreds of high school students from all over the nation praying for admission to the college of their choice.

Countless joss sticks were burnt, with carts shuttling in and out every few minutes, wheeling piles of incense ash from the giant burners.

Outside, in the main courtyard, tourists attempt to throw coins into a tall bronze vessel covered with elaborate markings. The belief is that if the coins land inside the vessel, it signals good fortune.

Source: China Daily

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