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Published: March 17th 2012
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“To be Rich is Glorious!” We spent Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday of last week in Hangzhou, or as people here call it: “Downtown.” Xiasha, where we live, is only 10 or 15 miles from Hangzhou, but on the big red articulated bus, which has comfortable seats and an overhead television playing
China’s Funniest Home Videos, it takes a good forty-five minutes to get there. From the main bus terminal, it’s another twenty minute cab ride to the West Lake District. West Lake is one of the country’s premier tourist attractions, but the Crystal Orange Hotel, where we spent two nights, is a wonder in its own right
Not because it’s quaint and traditional, but because it’s ultra-modern and oh so high-tech. Take the electronic key cards for example. You don’t slide them into a slot; you hold them against a pad on your door and wait for a coded signal to unlock it. The electricity in the room stays off until you place your key in a caddy by the door, at which point the lights come on, and the sound system starts playing a mood-setting tune called “I Believe in You,” by American pop singer “Joe.”
As for the heat, fan, lighting and
Do Not Disturb sign, that’s all controlled by a lighted touch-pad on the wall by your bed. Curtains are opened and closed by remote control, as is the TV, and sound system. The decor is all black wood, mirrors, and chrome. China has excellent architects and interior designers and there’s a distinctly Chinese aesthetic on display here.
Hangzhou itself is a metropolis of 7.5 million people. Though most of us in the States have never even heard of it, it’s larger than every city in the US except one. That would be New York, Baby. (Look that one up in your Funk and Wagnall’s). Like New York, it’s a city of art galleries, theatres, writer’s cafes, and tea houses. It’s also a city of luxury car dealerships like Aston Martin, Jaguar, Porsche, and Audi. The country seems to have taken to heart the maxim of Mao’s successor, Premier Deng Xiaoping; “Poverty is not socialism. To be rich is glorious.”
We however, were more interested in the traditional market called Qinghefang Old Street, which is essentially one long pedestrian walkway with little stalls on either side selling souvenirs. We strolled up the
promenade, and stopped at a restaurant at the far end of it, known the world over for its distinctive cuisine. Perhaps you’ve heard of it? It’s called McDonald’s. Nancy ordered a double cheeseburger, fries and Coke. I ordered the Fishwich, with which I was not impressed.
Had we walked another half-block, we’d have come upon a traditional outdoor eating area with stalls selling pork balls, octopus, fried rice, and dumplings. We were disappointed to have missed it, but then that’s travel, isn’t it? In the words of Rumi; “Like a brush in the painter’s hand, we have no idea where we’re going.” Having no idea is part of the charm of it. When you have no idea, everywhere you go is an adventure, even eating a Fishwich at a Hangzhou McDuck’s.
After lunch, we took a cab to the Silk Market in search of a traditional Chinese shirt with mandarin collar and frogs for buttons. Finding a traditional Mao jacket is not as easy as you might think. Other than on the waiters, traditional Chinese jackets are almost impossible to find in today’s China. That's because nobody’s interested in traditional clothing anymore. They want the latest fashions, and
pardon me for saying so, but the Hangzhou hotties do look pretty fetching in Prada. Anyway, I found the jacket I was looking for – black with patterns embossed into the material. I plan to wear it on formal nights on our fast approaching cruise out of Singapore.
The Greatest Public Speaker in the World
My classes are going extremely well. Last week I gave a talk on overcoming stage fright and the assignment for this week was to bring a poem to class to read aloud with exaggerated sadness or joy. But before we got to the poems, I had each of them come to the front of the classroom and shout “I am the greatest public speaker in the world!!!” while beating the podium with a rolled up magazine. Bear in mind that such an exercise is not so easy for Asian people who tend by nature to be self-effacing and shy.
“Oh no,” said the girls, burying their faces in their hands and giggling nervously. But then a couple of the guys did it, and the girls, with a little coaxing, jumped in. We had a rousing time of it. Then we
all trooped outside to the front of the building where they each stood up on a concrete wall and read their poems aloud. A small crowd gathered and there was a lot of applause and laughter.
Radio Xiasha
Alex, one of my students, has a weekly English language interview show on the campus radio station. He asked if he could interview me. So I met him and his co-host Susan on the top floor of the Student Activities Building last Wednesday for an on-air conversation. They wanted to know all about my college days back in the 60s which, as Susan pointed out, was almost fifty years ago now. Thank you, Susan!
I found myself talking about the influence of LSD, and of how the Counter Culture came to be interested in things Oriental, like meditation for instance. They also wanted to know if I had had any love affairs in my travels around the world. “Well, um, sure, yes,” I said.
The next day I started feeling a little paranoid, wondering if the show is monitored by the authorities, and would I get into trouble for opening my big mouth, and be frog
marched out of the country. I brought the issue up with a Chinese colleague who dismissed my concerns and set my mind at ease. “Oh, no,” he chuckled. “That was the old China of the Cultural Revolution. Things have changed. It’s much more open now. Nothing to worry about. Nothing to worry about.”
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diane
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Hangzhou Hangout - A Great Read
Great reading. Can imagine Don being such a hit with his students. Re: Fishwich - at least it sounds more appetising than sandwich. DP