Subject: Gday from Beijing!
First of all, Qantas was impressive. Had a plan to sleep all the way, but must say this primary objective got somehow diverted by the fact that I got excited by the DVD screen in front of me and the free alcohol. I watched two excellent movies - one about the last days of Hitler, and an absolutely brilliant Chinese flick called House of the Flying Daggers - both very highly recommended. Had a feeling that this time round - as opposed to my last venture OS, I might have 'matured' a tad and now be prone to a few more "creature comforts" as I would not have even dared to consider last time round. Still the same old Dave, with an appreciation and high regard for the simple things in life and relative disregard for the high-brow - but hey, what the hell!
Arrived in Shanghai in excitement and left the airport with an overwhelming sense of familiarity with the chaos and complexities of Chinese society. Great to be back. First was the haggling over the price for the taxi and then the crazy ride into town at a million miles an hour on those huge Chinese expressways, and complete awe at the length and breadth and sheer height of the Shanghai skyline. I spent a few days in Shanghai, where I hooked up with a couple of foreigners -the best form of assistance in a world awash with Mandarin. Did some touristy things like checking the Bund - the old British colonial area with overlooks the Huang Pu river and the new city Pudong on the island across. Pudong, as some may know, is a city from the next century, or perhaps the film 'Fifth Element' with Bruce Willis comes to mind.
It is mind boggling. Have you ever seen a skyscraper where maybe 30 floors comprise a video screen that plays advertisements for the city and the limitless amount of monster companies who have leveled their feet in the city of the future?
Anyway certainly the highlight of my time in Shanghai was my trip out to the Chinese Propaganda Art Museum. Can't imagine that a place like this would exist in the political capital of the controlled 'communist' state, and even in Shanghai, the city leaning to the West further than the Tower of Pisa, such an establishment was housed in the basement of a non-descript apartment block that even after I entered the gate took me at least 20min to locate. Here resided relics of Mao China - hundreds, if not thousands of relics of propaganda posters, calling upon the three pillars of Chinese Communist society - the peasants, workers and army - to stay true to the cause, telling people to practise birth control for the Revolution, praising fellow communists like Marx and Lenin, denigrating the capitalist enemy - guess who? - and imperialist Japan, and featuring Mao Zedong as the God figure and epitome of all that is good in the world. First I was led into another room, away from the first where I entered, and then finally came back into the original room where at the end of my experience I discovered that some of the posters were displayed in racks, ones like you might find in a poster store in Sydney, and on closer inspection - YES! they were for sale. Poor Mao - all that effort for this!
In fact, it really makes you feel for the countless older generation of Chinese who suffered and endured so much in their lifetime, eventually to see it all fall apart in a wash of enterprise. Shanghai is amazing, but then again, Beijing is the heart and soul and political capital of China and that's where I want to be.So here I am now, in Beijing. The high-life and enterprise and economic adventure has made its way here too - in a HUGE way. This place has grown and developed so much since last time I was here five years ago, it is truly astounding. Not that you can pick out the exact details - as the city is enormous and its wide avenues stretch on seemingly for ever and ever. When my good friend Michael has found some minimal time away from his busy corporate life, he has showed me some of the high life here in Beijing - truly swanky, swanky bars and clubs, flashy hotels and restaurants - and then when I’m alone I prefer to explore and - eventually - blend in with the more traditional Chinese way of life....blend in – I must be kidding.
For instance, hitting the little restaurants where the Chinese gather for their most favourite pastime - eating. This is where you get a real 'taste' of the Chinese - eating is one of the highlights of any Chinese experience, but it is certainly not just the food itself- it’s the noise, the clatter, their sheer enjoyment, the smoking and spitting and slurping and eating with mouths wide open that would make my mother - with her fine British pedigree - run for cover! Love it.
Then there's the well-to-do Shanghainese and Beijingers with their new pride in cars (I was told by a well-to-do and English-speaking BMW car salesman that Chinese people these days want to buy a car before they buy an apartment or house; while I whispered in his ear that we both knew what was the better investment). And their pet dogs - nearly all no bigger than a large corgi, countless variations of schnauzers and bulldogs and the incredibly ugly Chihuahua - no offence to the millions of Chinese who might have one, and of course the dogs themselves - but they are ugly and I’d be afraid they’re gonna be stepped on or squashed somewhere down the line.
Then you have to get used to the walking on the right side of people when they pass and dealing with the traffic - a mish mash of cars and trucks and buses and minivans and bicycles and motorised bicycles and rickshaws and carts and pedestrians - you name it. And keep your eyes on all this convoluted traffic. And have a sense of proportion when viewing the green walk sign that might indicate the time is right to cross - and keep your head swiveling in all directions for the sake of life. But I must admit, the Chinese are brilliant at it - absolutely brilliant - and culturally adventurous Dave is getting pretty damn good at it too. Then again, what choice is there?
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