Hong Kong – Free day, Big Buddha, Cable Car, Beach

We spent our free day traveling to Big Buddha. This involved public transportation, a cable car, and a hike up a big stair case. Once we got the Buddha, it was very interesting. Once again, religion was demonstrating, wealth, impressiveness, and splendor based on the size sheer size of the statue. These themes were noticeable all throughout China, so I really believe they contribute to identity. I would also state that the CCP must be in support of this lifestyle, and prosperity is a part of their platform.

                At the end of the day we made it to the beach, finally. Sitting on the beach was the most care free I have felt all year. I know that I am not alone when I say that 2016 offered personal challenges for me that tested me like never before. Having the courage to even go to China in the first place was one of these challenges. I was really scared, which I know is a natural part of culture shock. Sitting there on the beach, watching the sun set over the mountains as the waves crashed to the shore, I felt at peace with myself.

                One the ride back to the hotel after the beach, I started to reflect on the trip overall. While I truly appreciate the experiences and the new understanding of the culture, what I was most appreciative of what the reinvigoration of my thirst to try new things. I have always had a loving of stepping out of comfort zone for a little while, and I knew that China was going to put this love to the test. When I came out of it though, I came out with a stronger, deeper love for the unknown. Chinese culture is really something to behold and revere. I gained such a respect for their way of life. I understand that my ethnocentrism was a tangible part of who I used to be before this trip. On my quest to discover Chinese identity, I also redefined myself. While I will always have an appreciation and love of political science, sometimes taking the politics out of a situation can leave room for culture and heritage. I plan to carry this experience with me for the rest of my life.  

Hong Kong – free day, Aberdeen fishing village, Stanley Market, Victoria’s Peak

Everything in Hong Kong feels so blue and green. What I mean by that is it all seems so fresh, warm, and clean. In the United States, it is so very clear where the beaches are, where the cities are, and where the mountains are. Here in Hong Kong, you get all three in one exact place. There is no other place like it in the world.

                During our free evening, we explored Victoria Harbor, and watched the light show. The sky scrapers put on a very cool show for the Christmas season, and it helped me get into the holiday spirit. We ended the night by going to the temple street market, which was really cool if you were looking for knock off designer goods!

                The next day, we started out with a boat ride in the Aberdeen fishing village. The water was so blue and clear. I felt like I was on an island vacation getaway. The Stanley Market offered shopping opportunities, but I was more interested in seeing the sand and water. We ended at Victoria’s Peak, which was really amazing. The view is breathtaking, and I felt like I was sitting on top of the world.

                We did a lot of traveling this day, so I was able to get a pretty good feel for how residents of Hong Kong start to define themselves. Because of the British occupation of Hong Kong, their self-definition is less historic that the other places we visited. I wouldn’t say that they have no culture at all or anything like that, but it is obvious that the culture has been watered down compared to Beijing or Yunnan. It just felt very white, to put it simply. There was a McDonald’s on every corner, there are Western toilets in all the bathrooms, there are English speakers everywhere, and English translations on every sign. Hong Kong very well could have been an American city.

                I could also tell that this was another place untouched by the CCP. There were clear class differences that were visible. I saw homeless people here, where I hadn’t necessarily seen that anywhere else before (but I’m sure it was there). I also many expensive cars, and people dressed to the nines. The dichotomy of class warfare was obvious, which is something the CCP works to eliminate. This is helpful for my paper because in order to understand the parties influence on identity, the party has to have existence within the sector. This leads me to believe that the party has less influence on self-identity than it does on the residents of Beijing, for example.

Kunming, West Hill, Dragon Gate, Stone Forest, Cave, Dynamic Yunnan

When we first arrived in Kunming, we must have been in area stricken with poverty. Buildings were run down and there was graffiti here, which I hadn’t yet seen before. Communism is all about eliminating classes and giving everyone exactly what they need. It seemed to me that the CCP had forgotten about Kunming at first.

                We started out by climbing a mountain, the West Hill, which was enjoyable. The views were unbelievable. Throughout the hill there were different objects or statues that we were told to “rub for good luck”. Chinese people are incredibly superstitious. I had so many different opportunities to obtain luck and wealth on this trip, but the West Hill offered the most in one spot. This is when I realized superstition is a defining characteristic of Chinese identity. Now, they might now use the term superstitious; I think they would describe it as being careful and following legends. Well either way, I could tell that it is very important to the people to follow all the rules or guidelines that the legends set out. If you don’t you, you may suffer the consequences.

                Later on in the day, we had dinner in a restaurant that dates back to the Ming Dynasty. The food was really delicious here. My favorite dish were cold noodles in a soy sauce. Kunming city itself has a very Chicago feel to it. Designer shopping is available on every corner, and there are sky scrapers everywhere.

                The next day, we traveled to the Stone Forest. This natural phenomenon was so interesting. Picture a forest like any other, but replace all of the trees with rocks and boulders. Other than just being a cool thing to look at, the Stone Forest was like Yellow Stone National park is to Americans. It’s a place where nature meets culture in a fascinating manner. We also explored a colorful cave today, and this was really one of the best parts of the trip so far. The cave was beautiful from all of the colored lights, but it was also a little bit thrilling. Climbing through slicked rocks deep underground had a sense of danger added to it. I would say that both of these places demonstrated to me, just how important nature is to the Chinese people. The land is just as important to the traditions as is the clothing, the dancing, the tea, the music. Nature is like a living, breathing third party in the practice of any tradition, and is a key part to understanding Chinese identity.

                We also were given the opportunity to see a show call Dynamic Yunnan and it was amazing. It gave a real, deep insight into the practices and beliefs of the minority groups throughout Yunnan. We saw how they pray, how they fight, how they date, and how they have “make love” (which was demonstrated through the beating of a drum). The sounds, the outfits and the dances were so unique to Yunnan that I could visibly see the land intertwining with the culture here. It was as if it were a living museum. It was this show that served as the perfect way to round out my experience with the Yunnan Provenience.

Dali, Three elegant pagodas, Tea Ceremony, Xizhou Bai Minority’s Village

Once again, I really had no expectations for my time in Dali. The Old Town was quite similar to Lijiang, but you could spot differences that separated the two. We started off our day here by going to the Three Elegant Pagodas. Other than their natural elegance, the Pagodas demonstrated insight into Chinese architecture that I always pictured when I thought of China. There was something about this landmark that gave off the impression of detail and precision. I think these are two qualities the Chinese care deeply about, which is why they always seem to put their best quality work into everything they do.

                The next day we went to a Tea Ceremony that was very different from anything I had ever experienced before. There is really nothing in America I can compare this to. We drank three teas and watched young men and women sing and dance in very traditional looking outfits. Tea is very important in China. It seems to be much more than a good drink to the people. Tea can also serve as a health supplement that provides natural and organic reliefs for certain ailments. Once again, I think detail, care, and precision go into making tea and drinking it. These are qualities that are highly revered, and although they might not be said out loud, it became obvious to me through the different experiences of these two days. Detail, precision, and care are defining qualities of the Bai minority group.

                We also visited some craftswomen during this day. We went to a shop where a young girl and her mother were sewing and making tapestries. The tapestries were quite beautiful in deep blue colors with many different patterns on them. Most had animals of some kind on them, like fish and butterflies, but each were unique in their own way. The tour guide gave an overview of how they are made, and it was really quite impressive. It can take months to sew in the patters on the fabric, and then when that is finished, you have to undo all your work by cutting out all the stitches. Once again, detail, precision, and care were prevalent in their creations.  

Tiger Leaping Gorge, Ganden Songzanlin Monastery, and Tibetan Family Home

I have a little background knowledge about the fight over Tibet in Asia. I know that the Dali Lama worked to free Tibet from Chinese rule, and to establish independence from China in order to more freely practice Buddhism. I know there is way more to the story than my brief understanding, but I felt it was important to have this minor understanding before going to Shangri-La.

                The Tiger Leaping Gorge was one of my favorite parts of the trip so far. It was a perfect blend of nature and history. I had never seen anything like the rushing waters of the Yunaxi River, or the rolling mountains that cover each side of the water, or even the way the statue of the tiger overlooks the gorge as if he is the watch dog. I could feel how special this gorge was when I was walking down the side of the mountain.

                The Communist party has an interest in preserving nationalism and history (although this maybe wasn’t the case in the beginning). Because of this interest, I could understand why the party would not want to release the Tiger Leaping Gorge from its control. This place could very easily serve as a reason to stand proud of your history, so giving it up would not be easy to do.

                Monastery was also very interesting. It was dripping in wealth, splendor, and faithfulness. I witnessed how dutiful the people are during the course of their worship. I’m really not sure I formed any judgmental opinions of Buddhism while I was here. It was more like I gained an appreciation for the religion.

                I started to wonder here what the Communist Party thinks about religion now, when I know it didn’t freely express freedom of religion in the past. I will have to do some research here for my final paper. I think it is important to understand the relationship between politics and religion in China because both of these things are so critical to how people define themselves.

Lijiang Old Town

Although I did my “Destination Exploration” on Lijiang Old Town, I really did not have very many expectations for this place. After the tour guide told us that Lijiang is a place you will never want to leave, I could understand why. There was so much beauty in the simplicity of Lijiang. Everything about this town is green and inviting, from the very friendly people that treated us nicely, to wild nightlife that was unlike any bar or club I had ever experienced in America.

                My final paper is about how identifying with or aligning with the Communist party affects how Chinese citizens defines themselves. There were some observations that I made here that speak to how a Chinese person defines him or herself, but is most likely not due to communism. What I mean is that in Beijing, the communist influence on the people was much more observable then it is in a small, secluded place like Lijiang. In Lijiang, the clothes you wear, the goods you make and sell, and the title of “Naxi” are what help to define the people’s identity. The clothing was very beautiful and fancy. We saw a woman in her wedding dress, which had to have cost her a fortune.

                I would also add that music contributes to identity in Lijiang. Everywhere we went, there was at least one drum shop in which you could hear the faint sounds of “my little baby”. It became our little theme song for that town throughout the day, but it was clear that this song was a statement and cultural staple here. 

Tiananmen Square, Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, Great Hall of the People, Forbidden City

To put the pure ancient nature of this trip into perspective, I went to the Roman Forum in Italy. This ancient city dates back 1,000 years. I went to the Acropolis in Greece, a place that dates back 3,000 years. But on this day, I stood in front of ancient artifacts that date back over 5,000 years. Something about witnessing the history with my own two eyes helped me to understand that I am just a small spot on the world. I will live and die and the world will continue spinning, but that my life, culture, country, family, and friends are not the center of this world. The world is a makeup of different people from different places that stand together as equals. But until I saw the history for myself, it was as if I was at the center of the world, everyone else shaped around me. The Great Hall of the People pushed the ethnocentrism right out of me, and instead a better understanding of the world took its place.

One of my personal favorite parts of the museum was the room filled with gifts from world diplomats. It was of no surprise to me that very few gifts were in the room from American Presidents, as America’s relationship with China is rocky at best. However, the very earliest give there was from America, was a sculpture of a swan on a lake from President Nixon. There is no denying Nixon had his faults as president, but one promising part of his Presidency was his ability to reestablish American relations with China. Without such, who knows if I would even be able to be here right now?

                While we did not get to go into the Forbidden City, we did get to explore the night market and enjoy PeKing duck. The street foods were nerve wracking, but really delicious for the most part. I particularly enjoyed the candy apples on stick, which seem to be very popular in Beijing. The PeKing duck, however, was surprisingly delicious. It can be intimidating to eat something while looking at the animal’s face, but once you accept that meat in China is the same meat in America (whether you see the head of the animal or not), it just becomes any other meal. There really is nothing to fear when trying things from Chinese cuisine. I will definitely miss this food when I go back home!