Before our trip to China I was excited about seeing a Peking Opera performance for the first time. I have never been interested in seeing opera performances before but was anticipating the Peking Opera. However, I was very disappointed within the first 5 minutes of the performance. The same scene lasts a lifetime! It would be impossible to understand what they were singing about and it was nice having the translations on the large screens, but that’s all I liked about the Peking Opera. The acrobatic was nice but I was ready for them to spice it up a bit and give us a little more entertainment. I think watching a Peking Opera performance would be hard for Westerners. We are so use to being entertained constantly at a show that there can’t be any dull periods or the show’s a dud. The two grown men in front of me didn’t help either because they kept excessively laughing for no reason, but it was the only highlight of the whole show. In all, maybe not everyone disliked it but I can easily say it wasn’t the best part of the trip and I won’t be seeing any more Peking Opera performances.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Peking Opera
Peking Opera has over a 200 year history. It originally came to Beijing in 1790 but did not fully form until 1845. It’s a form of traditional art that uses music, vocal performance, mime, dance, and acrobatics. When it was originally created it was not for the public’s enjoyment. However, during the development under Emperor Qianlong and Empress Dowager Cixi the performance became more accessible to the common people. Even though today the Peking Opera is performed indoors it hasn’t always been that way. In the earlier stages of the Peking Opera the performances were performed in open-air stages. The bright colors of their costumes were used so the audience could see the performers on the dimly lit stages. The Peking Opera was also initially an exclusive male pursuit. Women didn’t come start appearing on the stage until late 1800’s. Women were soon used regularly in performances and regarded as having talents as good as males. The first female Peking Opera was opened in Shanghai.
In a Peking Opera performance there are four main roles performed: Sheng, Dan, Jing, Chou. Sheng are the leading male roles, Dan are the female roles, Jing are usually mostly male roles that play the warrior or hero role, and Chou are the clowns in the performance with a white nose. You can tell a characters role in the play by their facial paintings, which has become an art form.
http://www.asiarecipe.com/chiopera.html
Sunday, June 8, 2008
American Food in China
Everyone remembers eating at McDonald's, Papa John's, and KFC in China. But I'm here to say that while sometimes it tasted really good, other times it tasted really bad. For instance...
McDonald's was awesome. I don't think I had ever been so glad to see a double cheeseburger without onions in my life. I devoured that burger and then my fries. But while my burger had tasted like fatty goodness, the fries weren't what they normally would have been in the U.S. That was alright though, because we had McDonald's again in Chicago. Those fries were the American classic.
KFC was a let down. They didn't really have anything that we had in the States except the popcorn chicken which was unexpectedly spicey. The chicken sandwich I ordered had a strange aftertaste but I was so hungry I didn't care. In the end, I was glad I had asked for french fries instead of mashed potatoes. I was skeptical that Chinese KFC mashed potatoes would live up to American KFC mashed potatoes and I had been right. Jillian had gotten the mashed potatoes and let me try some and I was grossed out. It tasted, to me, more like it was mashed potato skins. She didn't seem to care and ate them anyway, but I was happy that I'd gotten fries.
Subway was pretty interesting. The basics were there and I even dared to have a BLT despite the bacon looking pretty raw. In the end it was good, but didn't live up to the stuff I'm used to eating, but I reminded myself that we were in China and not that states. I think the BLT would have been better had they cooked it longer, but I made Amy and Jillian swear they'd call 911 or 119 or whatever was the emergency number was if I started choking or had some kind of bad reaction to the bacon. But I was fine so it was alright.
Everyone loved the Papa John's. The only thing I was curious about was how Papa John's got to China but skipped the rest of the United States? It's not in California and that's the closest state to China, so I was a bit blown away. But the pizza, as we all know, was perfectly greasy and wonderful.
McDonald's was awesome. I don't think I had ever been so glad to see a double cheeseburger without onions in my life. I devoured that burger and then my fries. But while my burger had tasted like fatty goodness, the fries weren't what they normally would have been in the U.S. That was alright though, because we had McDonald's again in Chicago. Those fries were the American classic.
KFC was a let down. They didn't really have anything that we had in the States except the popcorn chicken which was unexpectedly spicey. The chicken sandwich I ordered had a strange aftertaste but I was so hungry I didn't care. In the end, I was glad I had asked for french fries instead of mashed potatoes. I was skeptical that Chinese KFC mashed potatoes would live up to American KFC mashed potatoes and I had been right. Jillian had gotten the mashed potatoes and let me try some and I was grossed out. It tasted, to me, more like it was mashed potato skins. She didn't seem to care and ate them anyway, but I was happy that I'd gotten fries.
Subway was pretty interesting. The basics were there and I even dared to have a BLT despite the bacon looking pretty raw. In the end it was good, but didn't live up to the stuff I'm used to eating, but I reminded myself that we were in China and not that states. I think the BLT would have been better had they cooked it longer, but I made Amy and Jillian swear they'd call 911 or 119 or whatever was the emergency number was if I started choking or had some kind of bad reaction to the bacon. But I was fine so it was alright.
Everyone loved the Papa John's. The only thing I was curious about was how Papa John's got to China but skipped the rest of the United States? It's not in California and that's the closest state to China, so I was a bit blown away. But the pizza, as we all know, was perfectly greasy and wonderful.
Craw Fishing in China
I know Mark already wrote about something similar to this, but the day that we spent at the farmer's house was special to me too.
When we got the chance to go Craw fishing I originally didn't jump on the chance because I was playing with the "rabbit" (also known as a guinea pig). Eventually I got tired of worrying about whether it was going to pee on me or not, so I grabbed a fishing pole and gave up Mr. Rabbit to Megan. I ended up sitting next to Amy and Jillian and Cecil and fishing along with them with my trusty frog leg. At first I didn't catch anything, but eventually I started feeling some nibbles. I caught a couple of smaller craw fish, but I was determined to catch a nice big one.
Jillian, who I am sure remembers, was fighting with a determination to catch the Moby Dick of craw fish, though Amy, Cecil, and I had actually seen it. "Did anybody see that lobster?" Rings a bell in the whole ordeal. But while she was fighting with the large craw fish, I sat patiently waiting for another nibble among the reeds and leaves floating on the top of the water when I felt a hard tug on that trust frog leg.
When I managed to pull up the line I had this huge craw fish clinging to the leg and chewing on it. We quickly grabbed the bucket we'd been throwing them in and knocked him off to line to sit around with the thirty or so other craw fish we'd collectively caught. I showed Dr. Zhang and he congratulated me on my spectacular catch, saying I caught the King of Craw Fish, but it wasn't to be stolen from a determined Jillian who was hell bent on catching her White Whale. I'm sorry she never did. But I know he's in that water, laughing that he managed to elude a human with a frog leg tied to her fishing pole.
When we got the chance to go Craw fishing I originally didn't jump on the chance because I was playing with the "rabbit" (also known as a guinea pig). Eventually I got tired of worrying about whether it was going to pee on me or not, so I grabbed a fishing pole and gave up Mr. Rabbit to Megan. I ended up sitting next to Amy and Jillian and Cecil and fishing along with them with my trusty frog leg. At first I didn't catch anything, but eventually I started feeling some nibbles. I caught a couple of smaller craw fish, but I was determined to catch a nice big one.
Jillian, who I am sure remembers, was fighting with a determination to catch the Moby Dick of craw fish, though Amy, Cecil, and I had actually seen it. "Did anybody see that lobster?" Rings a bell in the whole ordeal. But while she was fighting with the large craw fish, I sat patiently waiting for another nibble among the reeds and leaves floating on the top of the water when I felt a hard tug on that trust frog leg.
When I managed to pull up the line I had this huge craw fish clinging to the leg and chewing on it. We quickly grabbed the bucket we'd been throwing them in and knocked him off to line to sit around with the thirty or so other craw fish we'd collectively caught. I showed Dr. Zhang and he congratulated me on my spectacular catch, saying I caught the King of Craw Fish, but it wasn't to be stolen from a determined Jillian who was hell bent on catching her White Whale. I'm sorry she never did. But I know he's in that water, laughing that he managed to elude a human with a frog leg tied to her fishing pole.
A "Hole" New World
I'll admit, I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to adjust to the differences in Chinese life. I didn't know how I would like the food, the hard beds, or the lack of clean tap water. But I quickly learned that I could easily adjust to all of these things. The one thing that I just could not get used to, was the toilet situation. I mean you can't even call that thing a toilet. It is a hole, with a foot lever. Each night before I went to sleep, I sat up in bed and had a one hour brainstorming session. I tried coming up with any reason for chosing to create holes instead of toilets. After hours upon hours of exploring every possible cause for this, I came to two conclusions. First, and most obvious, is that it probably saves money. Nowadays, you're looking at $100 for a toilet. A well dug hole on the other hand might cost $2.50 when labor and equipment are added up. But there is more to it than money. The reason the Chinese love their holes is simple. The ancient tradition of squatting everywhere, as opposed to sitting or standing, lends itself nicely to holes. Think about it. Everywhere we went we saw people squatting instead of, sitting (which is needed for a toilet) or standing (which is pretty much a requirement for using a urinal). I am now searching for the answer to what is clearly the next question in this giant mystery: Where did squatting originate? And why is it still being used today? I am currently investigating many possible answers to this question, and I'll be sure to let everyone know once I get to the bottom of this. But one thing is certain. I will leave no rock unturned, no hole unexplored in my search for enlightenment on this issue.
Country Living
Although visiting famous places like the Great Wall, The Forbidden City, and Heaven on Earth (aka Hangzhou) were unforgettable, I really enjoyed our visit to the countryside. After all the walking around we had been doing, it was extremely relaxing to fish by the river (and let me make it clear that I won the fishing contest until Mario picked up 3 polls), and to lay in the hammocks under the trees. I'll admit that I was a bit disappointed when I learned the only thing we could catch was crawfish; however, after catching about seven in twenty minutes, I felt like the crawfish catching king and loved every minute of it. I also think Chairman Yao will agree with me when I say that I could have layed in those hammocks and taken in the scenery all day long. Although the countryside lacks many modern amenities, there is something to be said about the peacefulness of their lives. To end this visit, we enjoyed yet another delicious Chinese meal. I loved almost every dish they brought out, and was amazed when I saw that they created all of that food in such a modest kitchen. Overall, I think our visit to the countryside was a perfect, relaxing end to our stay in Shanghai.
Buddhism and the Lama Temple II
Alright, so I have to admit that the teenage punk rockers and models bowing down before a Buddha in worship was a sight that I could not take my eyes from. Not only is Buddhism quite alive there and the younger generations actively worship, but it seemed to be something that was incorporated into the daily system. To do list: meet up with rock band, perform in bar, go to temple to worship, work on new song. I refused to take any pictures of the worshipers because I felt that it was rude to take pictures of someone while practicing their religion, but the girl with the furred hoodie, yellow knee-high stilettos, and a bundle of burning incense in her hand seemed so out of place to me. Apparently, Buddhism is more relaxed than the Christian worship in the respect that you don’t have to be in “Sunday’s Best” to worship. And was the Lama Temple
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