National Day is Coming!

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Last week was insanely busy and this week promises more of the same. National Day, China's version of our July 4, is on October 1st. This year is the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PRC and everyone is getting excited. Everywhere I go I see a sea of red flags waving in the wind. People are out en masse, shopping. There are more movies in the theaters about the founding of "New China" than I can count. (The one I saw last week, The Founding of the Republic, was well-done, fairly unbiased, and had subtitles!) I've seen flower arrangements the size of 2 cars in the design of the national flag. People are already starting to travel home to be with their families.

Last week was a busy week for me. I did the usual: teaching, tutoring, Chinese class, homework, and a bit of a relaxed social life. But I did some different things, too: I started with a new tutor, I went to the theater, I feel I made significant progress with my confidence in Chinese, and I got presents.


On Monday I started studying with a new Chinese tutor. I liked my tutor last year, and we're still friends, but she wasn't as tough as I needed her to be. Eva is a bit more likely to hold me accountable. I'll see her 90 minutes each week. Her English is amazing and she can explain things in a way that I understand. (Just because someone can speak the language doesn't mean they are a good teacher.) She's been so successful with her tutoring that she quit her full-time job so that tutoring can be her full-time job. She travels all over the city to different districts daily.


On Wednesday I received a ticket to go to the Poly Theater with my co-workers. The performance, Chang Zheng Zu Ge 长征组歌, was to be Chinese Revolutionary music and songs. I knew I wouldn't understand the lyrics, but I could get into the spirit and enjoy the music.
The first half of the performance was all traditional Chinese songs sung by people in military uniforms or fancy dresses. I think the performing troupe was a military one. The songs were beautifully haunting, their voices ringing through the auditorium.
The second half was all revolutionary songs. There was a choir, all dressed in Red Army uniforms, and a full orchestra--complete with traditional Chinese instrumentss--was also dressed in the uniforms. The performers all wore the traditional gray while the conductor and soloists wore blue; blue was a color of higher rank. The choir also had a huge flag, which Tamara explained was like the flag they carried on the Long March. For one of the songs, the choir members all had red ribbons that they shook in rhythm to the music. Tamara explained that people didn't always have instruments during the revolution and that the ribbons were instruments. I wasn't sure if she meant visually or if they actually made some noise.
It was a powerful performance. I found myself caught up in the moment. The music brought to life a part of history in a way that books just can't.


The next day I set out to the box office to buy tickets to another performance. Tamara and I looked through the season's schedule and found one that we would both love to see. (No, I'm not telling you what it is!) Thursday is my busiest day with 5 classes, but Tamara is a class teacher so even her lunch break is spent with students. I left around one.
I decided before I went that I was going to buy the tickets without using paper to write (numbers or dates) and I wasn't going to point at the schedule book. I had purchased tickets all over China this summer... but then I cheated and used notes out of nervousness. In my defense, the Sichuan dialect is difficult even for other Chinese to understand. But this was my plan. I knew I could do it. I wasn't going to cheat. Unless it all went to hell.

I needn't have worried.
I walked into the ticket office, smiling, looking confident. I was the only one in there and I think the workers were happy to have something to do. I told the woman I wanted two tickets to the performance on a certain date. I didn't know how to say the show's name in either Chinese or English. (Tamara asked about that later.) She replied in English. I replied in Chinese. She responded in English. I responded in Chinese. We were both determined to get our practice. A few minutes later I walked out with 2 tickets in hand, my head held high.


Also approaching is Mid-Autumn Festival. It's a lunar holiday and this year it falls on Oct 3. National Day is winning the limelight. I wrote about it last year with quite a bit of detail.
As I was walking to my last class on Thursday, I heard a voice behind me yelling my name. From the sound of it, she was running. I turned and saw a tiny 7th grade girl carrying a blue bag half her size with a large red bow on it. Inside was a huge tin of moon cakes. I, like most Westerns, am not a fan of moon cakes. But she gave me fruit flavored ones, which I've not tried, so I'm willing to give them a shot. Besides, with the way she looked at me--with her huge brown eyes and full lips grinning to reveal not-quite perfect teeth--how can I say no?


So that's the wrap up for this week. I had to teach Sunday of this week and I will teach next Saturday as well becuase China seems to be adverse to people enjoying full holidays. I will be on holiday Oct 1-8... along with everyone else in the country. Where I will go has not been decided. I haven't been paid yet, so I can't buy tickets. And even so, most tickets are sold, most hostels and hotels booked, and every city will be crowded. Yangshuo was packed last year. A friend tried to convince me to go to Beijing this year and I told her she was crazy; oddly, though, you can still get tickets and find places to stay there. So who knows what will happen. Stay tuned.

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Photos

Flags as far as I can see
They're all over the bridge, too.