Blogs from Guangdong, China, Asia - page 17

As the train rolled out of Guangzhou Railway Station, I was lulled by the calming sway of the railcar as it smoothly coasted out of the city centre at a steady 155 kilometres an hour. While I contemplated reading my current book, I could not turn away from the landscape thinking to myself, ‘one and a half billion people lie outside the windows of this train’. This idea is constantly playing in my mind. The cities never end and I often wonder how so many people can live amongst each other and how so much was ever built to begin with. For the entire two hour train ride – with the odd exception of a tiny plot of lingering farm land – there is never a break from the sea of concrete that meets the tracks ... read more

“Oh, oh.” “What’s wrong?” Erin asks me seeing the concerned look on my face. “Well, I just finished grading my exams and it’s a near failing average… I designed the exam at a grade nine level, so it couldn’t be any easier, and I already inflated my grades to meet Chinese standards… I’m going to call the course chair and see what he suggests.” After having the course chair come to our house, we sat down and I explained the situation. After showing him the ridiculously simple exam and the extremely poor results, he looked at me annoyed. “So, what’s the problem?” he asked in broken English. “Why did you waste my time by having me come here to discuss this?” “Huh?” I asked confused. Growing more annoyed he said, “I’m not sure what your problem ... read more

Upon coming to China, the idea of living in a Communist country had a mysterious ring to it. I had this impression of a world structured by order and rigid obedience, where I would step off the airplane into 1984, forced to censor my thoughts and feelings, terrified that I was being spied on by everyone around me. While there are indeed some semblances of those ideas, it is much more subtle than what I had expected. Today’s China has evolved from the typical Communist ideologies that shaped the world during the Cold War, to a point where – I would argue – China is much less Communist than it is Capitalist. While the Communist Party still dictates China and there is a definite reluctance to challenge the status quo, ... read more

Recently, Erin and I were invited to read poetry at a well publicized event to promote Chinese literary culture. The event featured Yang Lian, a prominent Chinese poet who was exiled for his criticisms against the Chinese government in the 1980s and the famous German literary scholar Wolfgang Kubin, who gained notoriety in China as a result of his controversial perspectives on Chinese culture. We were in good company! Visiting authors from foreign countries is a rarity in China and something carefully censored, so for a weekend, we were treated like royalty and our every need was meticulously catered to. On the day of the event, Erin and I were ushered to our seats front and centre, patiently waiting to read the words of the poets who sat beside us. First on the agenda, Yang Lian ... read more

As a traveller, I appreciate every travel. Would it be business related or a vacation trip, I will enjoy. To go to Dongguan, we travelled from NAIA 2-Phils.=>HK via plane => Shekou Port via ferry=>Dongguan by car. It took around 6hours of travelling and I never get exhausted, I maybe born as a traveller for I never get tired on the road. Though I spent my Mondays to Saturdays going from hotel to work and work to hotel I still enjoyed it. Sometimes, customers/suppliers would invite us to have dinner to restaurants with whom they know is the best place to let us experience the Chinese Cuisine. This specific restaurant in Chang-An served delicious foods. I love the taste of their dishes for they know how to let the original taste of the food. I tasted ... read more