Markets and Media in 21st Century China

As we prepare to leave China on Wednesday we can't help but be a bit nostalgic about our five weeks here. After all, This Is China. Here are a few of my favorite moments from each city we visited during our journey:

Shanghai: To commemorate our last night in Shanghai, our group ventured to a club called Bon Bon. At first a bit apprehensive to follow Taylor's directions once again, we wound up at a great spot with a million-mile tall doorman. We all enjoyed a fun night with an enthusiastic DJ and vivacious atmosphere. The most memorable moments of the night included a crazy bathroom where the water in the faucet came from the ceiling, a dance contest featuring Caroline and Cami, a VIP table complete with addictive dice games and music from America. It was a night when all of us were together and justly represents the fun of Shanghai.

Henglu: Henglu was all about the people. The village was such a culture shock and the best part for all of us I think was getting to interact with all of the kids that lived there. My favorite part of the weekend was Saturday night: dumplings and the talent show. Competing with 10 other people for a bowl of dumplings, chopstick against vicious chopstick in the bowl, was both hillarious and exhausting, and ultimately very satisfying. The talent show, where Caroline, Cami and I performed My Girl, was really fun and the juxtaposition of American culture, like the theme song from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Chinese culture was depictive of the cultural differences in a fun way.

Hangzhou: After hearing about it from everyone we talked to, we finally got to see West Lake. It was absolutely beautiful, with lush gardens and beautiful architecture. Matt, Cami, Caroline and I enjoyed overpriced tea and delicious noodles and fried rice (two helpings) overlooking the lake. While we never found the peony garden we had been searching for, we encountered several photo shoots and even some peacocks.

Wuhan: Wuhan was a fun city with great shopping. A personal highlight was the tshirt I bought that reads Big Mac and then Attack underneath it five times in different colors. As a group, we all really enjoyed the Wuhan Institute of Physical Education. Getting to see the gymnasts train was an awe-inspiring sight. Also, talking with the students was exciting because they were all so enthusiastic about talking with American students. It was yet another opportunity to exchange emails and further the America-China network we've seen growing since we've been here.

The Splendid China: The cruise was fantastic. Actually going through the Three Gorges Dam was something I'll always remember. I think my favorite part of the cruise was the talent show. Our dance to the Jock Jams Mega Mix was so much fun to prepare and even more fun to perform. While part of me didn't want to satisfy the boat director Linda by entering the talent show, it was definitely worth it for our great costumes and creative dance moves. Yet, I'm still a little bitter that they started our music too softly at first and we had to skip a couple of the best moves, but Bryce still had his solo at the end which was a vital part of the routine. Also, as posted earlier, gua sha was awesome.

Beijing: I slept on the only man-made structure visible from space. Camping on the Great Wall of China is quite possibly the highlight of our entire China trip. We actually got to see stars in China and instead of being woken up early by Linda's voice, we were woken up early by the sun. Using my cell phone on the Great Wall of China was also an interesting mix of old and new aspects of China's culture. One thing I don't love about the Great Wall is that there's nowhere to go to the bathroom and drinking water requires the decision between being thirsty, having to hike down to use the bathroom, or having to hold it all night. Being slightly uncomfortable was definitely worth sleeping there, and it was somewhat alleviated by delicious Oreos, which from now on will always make me think of Cami. Also in Beijing I bought a sword, and I'm really excited about that.

Coming home soon and back here eventually!
Katie Simpson

Posted by China Traveller at 4:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We leave Shanghai this afternoon, and I have mixed feelings about it.

On one hand, I believe we feel like we've all made a second home in Shanghai. The East China Normal University campus has become as familiar as W&L. We finally know where to get food, necessities, phone cards, and baby rabbits in a cage. And now that we've mastered all of that, it's time to leave.

Many of our speakers have told us repeatedly that "Shanghai is not China" -- Professor Luecke even wrote it on the board for us yesterday, just to further ease us into what could be a cold turkey change.

On the whole, the change will be good. Our memories will be more vivid as we continue to travel to new places rather than being in the same dorm room for weeks. (As a side note, the rooms here are way better than what I expected from a "dorm.") So on that point of optimism, I will pack for our next destination: Henglu, a tiny farming town of about 1500 people. To say it will be a contrast might be a bit of an understatement. Stay tuned!

Alex Kraus

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Professor Zhou Shi Zhe (ECNU) gave us a tutorial on traditional Chinese brush painting.

After that, we gave our hands a try at our own painting. Unlike the traditional teaching method in Asia -- copying a master's model -- Prof. Zhou encouraged us to paint anything we liked.

Andrew Hemm (W&L alum) shared some of his experiences doing risk management for Chinese banks.

Just outside of People's Park, you'll find the ultra-modern multi-story Shanghai Urban Planning Museum, where the city ostentatiously shows off its growth on one floor with a basketball court-sized scale model of the city.

I'm pretty sure this sign, found at the Yangshan Deepwater Port, means to say something like "Check out the view at the top of the terrace."

This is the scene from the balcony of our dorms at ECNU.

Alisha Laventure recorded the explanation of the TV studio at the Shanghai Securities News.

The TV studio at the Shanghai Securities News before adding W&L students...

...and after.

Cheng Pei Song of the Shanghai Securities News showed us the layout of today's paper.

This was just course one of a literal feast with the staff of the Shanghai Securities News.

We had only 15 minutes to look around the Shanghai Stock Exchange, which hit an all-time high today of 4,013.09 points.

Ryan MacPhee and Caroline Davis had a lively discussion at the Stock Exchange.

Posted by Alex Kraus

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I spent some significant time alone today for the first time since the beginning of the trip.

After dropping what seemed like a fortune at the "Gray Market" (after conversion, I only spent about $60 US), I took the subway toward ECNU. As it ends up, I went about a stop too far and ended up at the Jiangsu Road station.

I decided to stop for dinner near the station and decided on an upscale-looking restaurant which was called the New China Bistro. I was still relatively full from our lunch feast provided by the Shanghai Securities News, so I only got one dish, Black Pepper Calf.

Even before we arrived in China, our professors warned us to be prepared to be stared at. Indeed, I have noticed more than my share of stray glances in the past week and a half. But nothing could compare to tonight.

The looks I got were not just curious glances. They were full-on, honestly-do-you-mind, can-I-help-you-with-something gapes. As the local clientele passed my table, they would literally stop for a few seconds facing me before continuing on their way. One man aimlessless wandered back for a second gawk, and then leaned over the table to inspect what my American taste buds picked off of the menu. Buddy, if you want a bite, just say so.

I'm not sure what looked stranger them -- the fact that I was eating a communal dish all by myself or using chopsticks with my left hand. (Everything John Pomfret said about getting teased for our right-brain tendencies definitely still applies.)

As awkward as all of this might sound in a typical American setting, context here is a huge buffer for what would otherwise be intolerable. I really didn't mind being the odd conversation piece in the room, and it was only after I left that I thought how strange it would be at home to be the subject of so much attention. Many of us have already written about Chinese personal space (or lack thereof), and as long as you keep in mind that none of it is ill-spirited, you can stay pretty mellow -- no matter how cramped the bus is or how clingly the shopkeeper.

Alex Kraus

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The fresh tanks in front of a restaurant we ate at, Alex was a big fan of the bullfrog.
Posted by: Ryan MacPhee

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This video is about the popularity of Chinese fireworks. Every day you hear at some point fireworks being set off in the streets. They are set off for a celebration or an opening of a new store or for recreation. They are believed to ward off evil spirits and bad luck. This week is not the Chinese New Year, as mentioned in the video. This week is May Day Holiday where almost everyone is given a week off of work.
Thomas Hubka and I have already purchased our own fireworks. They are about a foot long each and are set off by twisted one end of them. You are supposed to hold them in your hand as something fires out the end of them. I will let you know if either one us loses our hands.

Bryce Foster

Posted by China Traveller at 11:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I had an amazing meal last night at a restaurant called Uncle Shanghai, located in the Shanghai Centre near the Bund. It was recommended as one of the best for Shanghai style cuisine in Prof. Luecke's guidebook, so we went out searching for it.

To say the place was fancy was a bit of an understatement. The decor was covered in rich, red velvet with gold trim, and gold beaded curtains to separate the many banquet rooms. It was a huge space -- "cavernous" as Prof. Pirkle aptly described it -- with rooms ranging from single tables to open lounge space.

Needless to say, I felt a bit underdressed in shorts and a T-shirt, but the many Chinese customers weren't exactly dressed up either. I noticed some Japanese groups and one or two Westerners, but the fact that the other four tables in our room filled up with Chinese customers was a pretty good sign, I think.

One of the dishes I ordered -- black pepper pork or beef thigh -- was simply incredible. It tasted like a pot roast that had been simmering for days. I had the first taste (which made me almost involuntarily exclaim, "Oh my God!"), and I got second, third, and fourth waves of vicarious pleasure watching everyone else's eyes bulge as they took their first bites.

I almost ordered the unintentionally funny "The Beef Curry You Ever Had?" but I decided I really ought to go for something more Chinese, and I'm happy I did.

-Alex Kraus

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Our class gathered in the lobby of the international dorm to head out to our first "Survival Chinese" lesson.

Our instructor, Alice, gave us all our own Chinese names.

Charles McElwee '78 told us about his experience with environmental law in China.

We finally (sort of) figured out the confusing ticket system in the cafeteria, thus narrowly avoiding starvation for another day.

The ladies posed outside the Yun Feng Theatre, where we awaited a Chinese acrobatics performance.

Jess was very excited for the performance.

Our professors posed in front of the "Charming Shanghai" wall mural.

The men in the "Climbing Pole" performance lept through the air from pole to pole. It was spectacular and a bit gut-wrenching.

A woman carrying spinning plates walked on her companions' heads while trying not to touch the other plates.

The woman in the "Air Ballet" scene wowed us with her flexibility and endurance.

Manmeet Singh (alum) gave us a very frank opinion on the economic environment in Shanghai.

Nanjing Road on a national holiday is insanely crowded -- who would have guessed?

"Purse, watch? Purse, watch?" -- Street vendors solicit foreigners with photos of knock-off merchandise. If you like what you see, you can follow them to a back room filled with pirated goods.

Taylor bought a Shanghai Daily, the only English-language publication available at this newsstand.

Hi Thomas.

Posted by Alex Kraus

Posted by China Blog Admin at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Not to be a huge nerd, but being here in China has taught me so much more than I could have possibly learned in the States. If you haven't caught on yet, China is the next Big Thing. If all goes as planned, China is going to be the number 1 country in the world in no time. This amazes me. As an American looking at China from the outside, I would have said that their country can't possibly work well. Somehow they make it work though, and they will continue to make it work in the years to come. Just like their intersections and roadways seem chaotic and impossible to us, their economy appears the same way, at least to me as I was reading about China. Being here though you begin to have some sort of appreachiation for the country and how it just seems to work and thrive, though as Americans it seems unexplainable. I really dont know if this makes any sense, but maybe this will. After listening to the many W&L alums that we have had come and speak to us while we have been here, they all say the same thing...China is going to be a huge world player in the coming years. What took the Americans and other countries 20-30 years to do China is doing in less than 10. That just blows my mind!

-Melissa Ginder

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Given that most of us don't know Chinese very well, one of the funniest experiences of our trip so far has been adjusting to the huge language barrier.

While our one-hour Chinese classes every morning have lessened our struggles, we continue to have some problems with shopping/traveling/eating to name a few:

Just yesterday we went shopping on the Bund in search of some quality fake Gucci/Chanel/Prada etc. merchandise. Though most Chinese can speak at least a little English, it was still difficult to convey what prices we were willing to pay. 600 yuan! No, 50 yuan (my starting price under $10). The haggling went on, quite hilariously as we each attempted for complete understanding.

Traveling brought on similar issues. Our first experience with purchasing subway tickets left us baffled as we tried to navigate the characters on the screen. Luckily we figured out that there was an English button and the language barrier was gone (for the moment).

Finally, our eating experiences have undoubtedly been the most frustrating, though entertaining. At the Hibachi restaurant we went to last night, we spent quite a bit of time trying to communicate that we did not want the tongue dish, or other items, and would stick with the noodles instead.

With that said, overcoming the language barriers is all a part of our Chinese experience.

Caroline Davis

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So far the food has been great. I expected the meals to absolutely blow my mind, but I can honestly say that they are not too crazy. The cafeteria food here at East China Normal University is not that great, but one can certainly manage. I would recommend going outside of the university's walls to discover some very nice restaurants. In fact, I have found that several restaurants outside the "second gate" of the university are extremely good. They surprisingly have a hint of American style chinese taste while remaining authentic to the Chinese ways.

Though the food is great, you have to have an open mind to some extent. Many dishes you try will have mystery meats, as I call them. I know on Tues. April 30th, we ate at a restaurant and a few of us though a dish was duck, where as I was skeptical, and looking back on it, the meat may have been frog. Nonetheless, it was very good. Anyone coming to China should come here with the knowledge that if they want to experience Chinese food, they must be ready to try new types of food... meats that may sound weird to American culture, but are very natural here in China. I have found that certain things I previously wouldn't have tried are actually very good.

This is week one of my eating experience and I believe that my thoughts are slightly skewed based on the fact that I am in Shanghai, a very culturally diverse area. It has been influenced by Western culture and may cater a little more to my taste than other areas. I will have to wait and see how things go when we go out to the country in the coming weeks... How will I feel about the food then?

Yours truly,
Thomas Hubka

Posted by China Traveller at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

So today we took the subway down to the bund, where you can see the pearl and the waterway. The most exciting part of this was the boardwalk thing in front of the water where all the tourists (including us) take pics with the skyline in the background. We encountered Chinese who had not seen many Americans before! EVERYONE wanted to take their pictures with us! We felt like total celebrities because even when it was just us taking a pic as a group, everyone would stop and stare at us! Afterwards they would jump in the picture as well. It became like a game for us because we decided to walk further down the boardwalk and see if we could get new people to take pictures with us. (haha!) Some people even tried to be conspicuous and snap shots with their cell phones, but we did not mind, we secretly loved being in the spotlight :-)

~Amanda Kane

Posted by China Traveller at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So China is amazing!!! Yesterday, a group of us went wandering around Shanghai after we had a scrumptious breakfast in the cafeteria. The traffic here is absolutely amazing! So many cars, so many bicylces, so many mopeds, so many people! We stood at a big intersection for at least 5 minutes trying to figure out when to cross because of the massive amount of people. After we finally crossed we came to an open market where people were selling live animals, such as eels, chickens, ducks, etc as well as fruits and vegetables. It was absolutely amazing to see live chickens right next to fruits and vegetables. Nothing like the US. We hope to go back to buy some of the pastries that people were frying right there in the ally. What an experience!

Melissa

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We arrive at the Shanghai airport and wait for the bus.

Mr. Wang tells us a bit about Shanghai and East China Normal University.

The cityscape in Shanghai had us looking in every direction.

The spicy noodles were tasty but had a definite afterkick.

We will be learning under the watchful eye of Chairman Mao.

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Our group arrived on a smooth flight this afternoon in Shanghai without incident (except for last night's nearly six hour delay in Roanoke).

Mr. Wang Weiqiang, our contact for East China Normal University, graciously met us at the airport and loaded us onto the bus. From the airport, we went straight to the university while checking out some of Shanghai's daunting cityscape.

We checked into the dorms and scrambled to make a very quick jaunt to the nearby "Trust-Mart" (just outside the university's gate) to purchase necessities like bottled water and snacks and to check out our options for power converters.

We hurried back to the dorm to meet at 6, when our group, along with Professors Pirkle and Luecke, went right next door to a cafeteria to have a light dinner. There were two different dishes, a spicy bowl of ramen with meat, and a tamer, non-spicy noodle dish with greens. The bowls were so huge that almost no one (except Taylor) could finish theirs.

We have forthcoming photos of our arrival at the Shanghai airport and our noodle dinners, which will be up as soon as I can get a power converter for my card reader.

-Alex K.

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