Reflections on China

China is such an experience in contrasts–the modern and the ancient, the stark and gray with the ornate and colorful, rigid political controls and spontaneous, child-like laughter and being-ness.

The first thing that strikes me in Xian is the grayness–the gray skies covered with rain clouds and lingering pollution, gray-walled buildings void of decoration or trim, neutral colored skyscrapers. The Cultural Revolution destroyed so much history and this trend continues as China rushes toward modern times. A country in transtion…

The second thing Is the sheer numbers of people. The streets and sidewalks are a constant dance among pedestrians, bicycles, taxis and buses. The rules of the road are loose, and it is a free-for-all, with everyone jockeying for their best position. The blessing in this is that traffic moves slowly, and everyone looks out for everyone else, even when it’s done grudgingly. This photo shows a very uncrowded street. Just imagine every square foot of concrete taken by a car, bus, bicycle, pedestrian. That will give you a more realistic perspective.   

An indication of the numbers of people is the primary school in which I volunteer in the afternoons. In a relatively small space, there are over 4700 students in grades 1 – 6. The classrooms are small and crowded with 40 – 60 children per class. There is no heat even though the temperature is in the low 40’s, and the children wear their winter jackets, as do I.

This photo is of a very, very small percentage of the school children who were gathered for an outdoor assembly.

 

The beauty is in the heart and warm smiles of the people. I am treated like a movie star on campus. Children come up to me, eager simply to say "hello", and many classrooms cheer and clap when I walk in the door, even though they have never met me. At the end of each class, the children spontaneously rush toward me with their English books in hand to get my autograph. They’re pretty aggressive in all of their enthusiasm, pushing and shoving and practically knocking each other and myself down. Today, I’ve got a plan to create a structure in which they get their much-desired-autograph, and I get to enjoy standing solidly on my feet while doing it.  🙂

This innocent, open child-like spirit is found throughout the city, including the adults. They are spontaneous, focused, sincere, hard-working people. They are eager to learn and uninhibited in their joyous, enthusiastic expression. I find it heart-warming and beautiful. I’d love to experience more of it in Western society. We’ve lost something precious in our desire to succeed and look good.

Another thing that has been quite interesting about my time here in Xi’an is its history. It was the capital city of China for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. It is the home of the Terracotta Warriors, which I will visit this coming weekend, and was the starting /end point of the Silk Road.

Yesterday I walked down to the Muslim District, a fascinating blend of Chinese and Muslim. There are kabobs for sale by street vendors, Chinese-looking men wearing fez hats, and beautiful tea shops. And everywhere there is the constant flow of people walking and bicycling.

Here are a couple of links with photos of Xian: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/xian.htm

http://hua.umf.maine.edu/China/xian.html

I’ll add more soon. Keep checking this blog or subscribe to my blog feeds to receive an email notice of my new posts.

Happy Trails!
Connie