On Saturday, our hosts, Jameson and Dr. Song, gave us a tour of Nanjing. We started at the Phoenix Square built in 1992. It is an up-and-coming area where young people often live. The property is much more modern and expensive than the rest of the city. Like most parks in the area, it was deserted during the day; however, once the sun goes down and the air cools, the park comes alive with dancing, music, and games.
China is facing a housing crisis. Prices are skyrocketing and salaries are not matching the increase. Depending on whom you ask the blame is either placed on the central government or on local officials. There is a trend of young, educated adults seeking jobs elsewhere because they cannot afford to buy a house or a flat. This emerging middle class is also going to create an interesting challenge to China’s transportation infrastructure. With an increasing population seeking cars, the current roadways and parking areas cannot contain the rising need. I wonder how – as areas such as the Phoenix Square develop, and people move out of the city – commuting and green initiatives will impact the people and authorities.
We then travelled to Sun Yatsen’s Mausoleum. This was a beautiful area, also known as Purple Mountain. It’s a beautiful national park to honor the man they credit with salvaging the nation from dynastic rule. The best part of the visit for me was meeting a large group of school children. They are learning in English in school and the swarmed Karen and me to practice their phrases. It was precious! Without taking a breath they said, “Hello! How are you? I am fine. See you soon. Nice to meet you. I love you!” Their teachers corralled them around to make sure each one practiced their English greetings with a real American. I must admit, for a slight moment, I felt like a movie star! J
We then visited the Nanjing City Wall. There is a Buddhist Temple located right next to the area where we were, and it seemed such a drastic contrast to the violence once enacted just outside of its walls. Part of the wall was demolished during the massacre but has since been rebuilt. At the wall, I saw evidence of the various ages of the city. I stood on the wall, originally built during the Ming dynasty from 1366 – 1393. Looking across the wall, just inside the city, I saw the Buddhist Temple backed by large, modern skyscrapers and factories. On the other side of the wall, just outside of the city, the largest lake in Nanjing created a quite a peaceful setting for young families, older couples, and teens. In a city that was completely destroyed in the early part of the 20th century, it makes sense to see the life stages all in one view. On Sunday and Monday, our school honored us with an overnight trip to Zhejiang Province. This is a trip usually reserved for their full-time teaching staff, but this was the first year the foreign teachers were asked to come along. What an honor! We were spoiled with at 5-star hotel and an amazing tour. This is an agriculture area, one of the wealthiest in China. The pictures will show how every house is built around a communal farm where neighbors share land and crops. The traditional ways of farming are still practiced. I saw many workers in their straw hats, waist deep in the water of the fields or plowing behind an ox.
We had a river cruise and visited the secluded fishing village (now a tourist trap) where poets sought seclusion to write and reconnect with the beauty of the land. Riding on a traditional bamboo raft was quite a treat, and although I was not convinced our American weight would stay afloat, the Chinese engineering proved me wrong.
Fairy Land, as nicknamed by the Chinese, is a large cave discovered in the 1970s. They have a unique way of showcasing it, and the best way to describe it is Carlsbad Caverns meets Disney World. The cave was full of colorful lights, statues, and narrated light shows. The most interesting part of the cave adventure, however, was the signage. Up until Monday, I had been enamored with translations because they seemed to capture a poetry we often lose in our modern English. For example, at the Sun Yatsen Mausoleum, there were several signs encouraging people to not walk on the grass. The signs read, “Enjoy the Growing Grass.” While not exactly a literal command, the message was clearly communicated but the translation captured a core Confucian value at the same time. Not so in Fairy Land.My favorite miscommunication via translation was an exit sign that read, “Move this way for exports.” Many others left us scratching our heads, and we had to giggle at a few that seemed to be an accidental take on slang (see above pic). On our way home, one of the Chinese guests wrote out in Chinese characters and translated into English several poems written in the fishing village, but the translation did not make sense when individual characters were translated into specific English words. He had to add connotation and poetry in English in order to capture the intended meaning by the characters, and I was amazed by how much was lost through translation. As I finish up with this school and begin looking towards my next assignment, I will pay more attention to the nuances of our languages, as they seem to represent an understanding of the culture that I may have been missing.
Thank you to everyone who continues to write to me. Love to all.
Links to more pics…
New pictures of my students and classroom: http://s676.photobucket.com/albums/vv121/lshudgins/Jiang%20Ning/
Sun Yatsen’s Mausoleum: http://s676.photobucket.com/albums/vv121/lshudgins/Nanjing/Sun%20Yatsen%20Mausoleum/
Nanjing City Wall: http://s676.photobucket.com/albums/vv121/lshudgins/Nanjing/Nanjing%20City%20Wall/
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