Photos from June 6

Photos from June 6: Xian and Hangzhou, China

Hotel in downtown Xian

Cityscape in Xian

Vases on display at the Yangling Museum, Xian

Laughing Buddha in Hangzhou

A street in Hangzhou

June 6: Xian and Hangzhou, China

I am worn out today, but definitely in a good way. After a great breakfast, it was time to check out of the hotel in Xian (Sofitel), pick up folks who went to the Jade Market, and then go to the Han Emperor's Tomb and Yangling Museum.

Whereas the Terracotta Warriors were life size clay models set up for the afterlife of the Emperor, these were much smaller but nonetheless amazing. The way the museum is set up, you actually walk on glass over the climate controlled escavation pits where you can see the warriors, servants, and animals portraying life at that time.

We headed from there to the Xian Airport and ate lunch at the buffet. The flight to Hangzhou was good (same amount of landings and takeoffs), but I did not see much of the scenery. I slept instead.

I was enchanted upon arriving in Hangzhou. The weather reminds me of Mississippi - hot and humid. It is a smaller city than Xian and Beijing. Our local tour guide, Wilson Quon, says there is well over a million people in the city itself and then as many as 6 million in the broader Hangzhou area. On the bus going from the airport to town, Wilson gave us an informative mini-lecture on the area, including history and economics. This is one of the better off regions of the country in economic terms, with dominant industries including information technology.

Of particular interest to me is that while this area in southern China is traditionally known for rice production, many farmers close to Hangzhou have made changes to produce ornamentals (trees, shrubs and flowers), mulberry trees for silkworm production, and vegetables. Vegetables are sold locally for fresh consumption, some to supermarkets but more often at farmers markets where vendors can get competitive prices for their goods. Families producing vegetables tend to be doing it on a small scale, maybe 2/3 of an acre or so. But, according to Wilson, they are growing intensively for high production and getting good prices to be able to have a high quality of life. Given my work in Mississippi with small-scale vegetable and fruit producers in a region traditionally known for large-scale commodity production, I am intrigued by the transitions of the Hangzhou region. Who knows, maybe there is a comparative study on the horizon...

In Hangzhou we stopped at a tourist market street, and it was alive with vendors and tourists, primarily Chinese tourists from the region. It is a holiday weekend - Double Fifths in commemoration of famous Chinese poet. Wilson told us the restaurants would be packed up and down the street, and he was right. We ate at one of the restaurants, but before going there, we toured a traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy. The original building, which is still in operation as a pharmacy, is considered a national treasure.

After dinner, the group then traveled to the hotel. We are staying for two nights at the West Lake State Guest House. It is located in a park/large garden in town. It is beautiful and peaceful. According to Wendy and Wilson, Chairman Mao had stayed here before, using the location as one of the two places he stayed when visiting Hangzhou.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a full day, including a tour of a garden, visiting a tea plantation (this area is famous for its green tea), and touring a Buddhist Temple.

June 5: Xian

A big day today. We left Beijing for Xian, flying from the Beijing Airport. The full flight lasted about two hours. Upon arriving in Xian, which is the west/central part of the country, we met our van driver and the local tour guide Weiwei Chen. We went straight to see the Terracotta Warriors Museum outside of the city.

Along the way, we saw numerous rural communities, and the countryside was alive with the wheat harvest. The technology being used for the harvest really ran the continuum from using a scythe and using a shovel and the wind to separate the grain from the husks and stems, to diesel combines. As a rural sociologist with interest in agrifood systems, I found this diversity interesting, especially in the face of such a large population and in the midst of rapid industrialization.

The Terracotta Warriors were amazing. Not having seen all of the Seven Wonders of the World, I might still be willing to agree with one of the tour guides who claimed that the Terracotta Warriors site is the eighth Wonder of the World.

Moving on to Muslim Street in downtown Xian, we set out to visit the Grand Mosque. This was fabulous. The downtown streets were alive with people, and on Muslim Street, the Chinese Muslim vendors were selling fruits and vegetables, a wide variety of prepared foods and beverages, and every possible assortment of crafts. It reminded me of my favorite part of Kingston, Jamaica - Papine Market. It reminded me of something we often forget in mass consumer society with our impersonal stores. Economic transactions between buyers and sellers are, first and foremost, socio-cultural interactions, and through the act of exchange people identify what they value. Of course, this is true no matter what or where the market is. However, street markets make it so much more visible.

We arrived to the Grand Mosque right before evening prayers, so we were able to see and listen to the worshippers as they arrived and prepared for this important daily ritual. What an opportunity! Wendy and Weiwei had given us some insights on the history and culture of Chinese Muslims. I am looking forward to learning much more about this minority group that has survived in the face of many challenges.

Before heading to the Sofitel Hotel for the night, we went to a Dumpling Banquet at Defachang Restaurant. Once again, an ASA menu had been prepared, and we ate appetizers, followed by a series of 18 dumplings, and then Cixi's Hot Pot (a special dumpling soup). It was fun and educational.

Terracotta Warriors

Terracotta Warriors

Street vendors and customers on Muslim Street in Xian

Weiwei leads the way to the Grand Mosque through the alley

A display of Chinese dumplings

June 4: Last Full Day In and Around Beijing

Greetings once again. Today was our last full day of activities in and around Beijing.

Via bus, we started the day heading north out of the city. We went to the Great Wall. Neither words nor pictures can describe the views there. We took cable cars up the side of a mountain to a landing. From there, we walked the Wall.

While walking, I could not help but think of the number of people to have walked there before me. As a sociologist studying development, I realized the importance of this long-term history in understanding contemporary events in this "Middle Kingdom."

After a few hours at the Great Wall, we had lunch at a local restaurant in an open air setting. Like everything else we have eaten, it was wonderful and very different from the type of foods we consider to be Chinese in the U.S.

On the way back into town we stopped by an artisan studio where a special kind of copper vases are made. We learned how they are made, and then toured the show room.

Before heading back to the hotel, several of us stopped at a Pearl Market as well. It had a large variety of vendors selling salt water and fresh water pearls.

After a short break, we then went to Beihai Park, a beautiful Beijing garden and ate an artistically presented meal at the Shanglinyuan Restaurant. The menus were specially made with a historic picture and the American Sociological Association logo.

Tomorrow morning we will go to the airport and fly to Xian. It is going to be a pretty major change in temperature there, around 95 degrees F.

I have been having problems with my sinuses, given the air pollution here. With Beijing's location (surrounded by mountains on nearly three sides), large population (16 million), rapid development and the immense number of cars and trucks (Wendy says an average of 1,000 new license plates per day), the air quality is poor. Environmental health is clearly an important issue to be grappled with as the country pursues even more intense development. But, this is not unique to China. Maybe we should all be directing attention in this direction.

Pictures from the day...

ASA President Arne Kalleberg (Univ. of North Carolina) with DSU's Fighting Okra at the Great Wall

The Great Wall

View from a tower in the Great Wall

June 3: Another Full Day in Beijing

Today has been busy, and it is not even over. I am writing this while taking a quick break in the evening before heading to the Peking Opera.

The day started with a bus ride (and elementary Chinese language lesson) to Peking University (a.k.a. Beijing University). There we met with sociologists and an anthropologist for a total of 10 faculty members from the area. Represented in the meeting were Peking University, China Agricultural University, Renmin University of China and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Institute of Sociology. It was a great exchange. Following general introductions on the ASA side by Arne Kalleberg and on the Chinese side by Xie Lizhong, each faculty member told about their background and teaching/research interests. There were questions and answers throughout. We learned that we have more in common that we have that is different. We are all social scientists with genuine interest in social betterment. (So far, this has been my favorite part of the trip.)

We then walked campus on the way to a wonderful and lengthy lunch. It was raining, so it was difficult to fully appreciate the campus. Still, it was clear that it is a beautiful campus.

During lunch, we were in a room with two large round tables. We sat so that every one of us from the ASA group was sitting next to a Chinese faculty member. Discussions were open, in-depth and enlightening on both sides.

After lunch we headed by bus to the Summer Palace for a tour and boat ride (or should I say dragon ride?).

To round things out, on the way back to the hotel we drove by Olympic Village.

Here are some pictures from the day's events.

June 2: Day One of Activities in China

Today was extremely busy and informative.

After breakfast in the hotel's restaurant named the Red Wall Cafe, the full group met. There are twelve of us on this ASA trip, plus the tour guide Wen Tong (Wendy). After introductions, Wendy provided an introductory lecture. It provided a very helpful grounding for the day's activities.



In terms of touring, the day was focused on Beijing.

We walked through Changpuhe Park, learning about Chinese gardening along the way. I have many ideas to take back to Mississippi. (Elle, you better get prepared! Our Delta backyard needs a face lift so that we can be at peace with the elements.)

Next on the list were the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square where we walked for a few hours. What a dynamic and long history. I think it is difficult for Americans to think about history across such large stretches of time. This is something we can learn from the Chinese.

We went for a pedicab ride in the old town Beijing-Houhai District and had lunch at a local family's home. Julia (her English name) - another guide - joined us for this visit. It was wonderful. We had great food, fellowship and learned about this historic community and people's everyday lives. There is nothing like good food to bring people together. It also put a face to the stories about how traditional culture is rapidly changing in the face of rapid development and globalization.

After lunch, we visited a primary school in the District. This provided an opportunity to meet and hear from the school master, a teacher and some students. From there, we went to the former Residence of Madam Sun Yat-Sun, an important woman in the history of China.

Following a pedicab ride back, we were off to the Temple of Heaven via a bus.

It had been a long day, and we had been good students. In addition to the tours and meetings, we also learned about Chinese history, culture and language from Wendy along the way.

We ended the evening with a traditional Peking duck dinner at Dadong Restaurant. It was fabulous. Along with the duck (not to mention duck feet), we had chicken and beef dishes. What a treat. So many flavors, so little time!

Arrival in China

I left the San Francisco airport at 2:50 pm on May 31. Here is a picture of me with the Fighting Okra, aka the International Vegetable.

I arrived in China about 6:00 pm Beijing time on June 1. It was a good but long flight. I was so excited to be on the ground.