Previously I was pretty good doing weekly posts describing our lives in China, but recently the blog has taken a bit of a back-seat.
Why do I lack motivation? Here are some possible reasons (excuses):
The start of a new semester is always busy, getting to know the new students, and preparing suitable lesson plans.
Another reason may be the lovely weather (see below). I've been riding my bike around Tang Dao Wan bay, and going swimming, and going to the gym. All good fun, but of course take time.
Can I also blame 'naps'? My brother, Papa Andy, has long espoused the benefits of an afternoon nap, but I have never felt the need. Until now. This semester I've started having a nap most days - and finding it great, especially when I have night classes (7 - 8.50pm). It gives you that extra bit of energy to carry you through a long day, but again it takes time.
Another reason is that I've started reading "Mao, the unknown story" by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday. I'm on page 366 and still have 500 pages to go! I'll talk more about that below.
And, WeChat; finally, I've succumbed. Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin are blocked by the Chinese Government so, thankfully, we are spared those temptations, but I have joined China's answer to Whats App for contact with local friends. That little 'ping' sound as a new message arrives is so seductive, isn't it?
And, finally, after 5 years working and living in China, we might be getting used to life here, and there don't seem as many strange or unusual events or issues to record. Are we in a 'new normal'?
Anyway, the blog is not a 'do-or-die' situation, so I'll just relax and do posts whenever inspiration strikes.
Here are some comments on recent happenings.
Autumn
We've had a great Autumn. It's normally cooler by now (they've had first snow-falls up North already), but here the temperatures are still around low-20s Centigrade - very comfortable - although temperatures are forecast to drop next week. It's usually windy here in Autumn, but not this year, which has been great.
Michael (an American colleague) and I have been riding our bikes to Silver Beach (about 30 minutes by bike) a couple of times a week, and swimming in the Yellow Sea. It's a shallow, safe, beach. Normally pretty calm, but yesterday the waves were bigger and we were able to body-surf.
My students can't believe that we are still swimming in the sea; they all put their shorts away on 30 September.
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| A view of Silver Beach at low tide. It's off the beaten track. so not crowded. |
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| The Grand Wyndham Hotel looks over Silver Beach. It's a big modern hotel with good facilities, but few guests - it has been a bit of a "White Elephant". |
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| Yours truly enjoying the water last week. |
Wedding anniversary
Last Sunday was our 42nd anniversary. Brought back memories of our wedding which took place at the Australian Ambassador's residence in Jakarta. The Ambassador, Bob Furlonger, conducted the marriage ceremony in front of 200 family and friends. A night to remember!
We invited some friends around and Vera cooked a wonderful meal. She is amazing, the way she can knock up a great meal for a dozen people.
Best thing I ever did, marry that gal!
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| Some of the guests at our Anniversary Dinner. From left: Vera; Graham (Australia); Rai (India); Michael (US) and Steven (US). |
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| Other guests, from left: Thomas (Germany); Sun Yu (China); Vera; Baby Luna and her mother Hao Yu (China); father Gautier (France). |
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| Some of Vera's dishes - always delicious! |
Book on Mao Ze Dong
As mentioned above, I am reading "Mao, the unknown story" by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday.
Jung Chang is probably better known for her 1992 book "Wild Swans" which illustrates much of the history of China in the 20th Century through the experiences of 3 generations: Jung Chang, her mother, and her grandmother. A fascinating story, the book was an international best seller, selling more than 10 million copies in 30 languages.
Jung Chang (Chinese 张戎; pinyin: Zhāng Róng). She was born (1952) and raised in Sichuan. Her parents were upper-level CPC cadres who were purged during the Cultural Revolution; she was sent to the countryside to work as a "bare-foot doctor". In 1978 she got a scholarship to study in the UK, and became the first PRC-citizen to earn a PhD from a British university (1982, York University, Linguistics). She is married to Irish historian Jon Halliday.
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| Jung Chang in London in 2010. |
The book seeks to explode the myths surrounding Mao. He is exposed as totally self-centered, a megalomaniac, a tyrant, cunning and vengeful, who showed no mercy for opponents, inside or outside the Communist Party of China (CPC), and was responsible for the deaths of many millions (an estimate of "up to 70 million" is given).
What a journey for Chang: from adoration of Mao as a 14 year old Red Guard, to total loathing at 50.
Could Mao really have been as bad as portrayed by Chang and Halliday? They put him in the same category as Stalin or Hitler, even worse. While admitting that he made some mistakes, Mao is greatly admired by most Chinese as the founder of "New China". They are brought up on a diet of praise and love for "The Chairman" and of course Jung Chang's and other critical books are banned in China.
There are many "wow" moments in the Mao book as parts of Mao's character and exploits are revealed. At present I'm up to the 1948-49 period when the civil war between the Nationalists and Communists is climaxing. It is an epic story. The idea that a rump of 8,000 bruised and battered Communists at the end of the Long March, could, within 15 years, defeat a strong opponent and rule the most populous country on earth seems completely fanciful. But that is what happened, and this book explains how and why, in great detail. Fascinating stuff.
Some of the most surprising things for me so far:
- Many of the "battles" waged by the Communists, either against the Nationalists or the Japanese, didn't happen (or at least not in the way portrayed in current Chinese history books). A good example that 'history is (re)written by the victors'.
- I didn't realise how close relations were between the young CPC and Moscow. The Communist revolution had succeeded in Russia and Moscow was a vital source of funds, weapons, personnel, and constant advice/direction. Stalin took great personal interest in developments in China - what a coup if China were to become communist! According to Chang's book, the CPC would not have succeeded without Soviet help.
- Before he turned against the CPC, Chiang Kai Shek (pinyin: Jiang Jie Shi) sent his son to study in Russia. According to the book, Stalin held him as a hostage, and as a consequence Chiang was softer on the CPC than he could have been.
- In the early years in Yan'an (the CPC base at the end of the Long March) Mao & co resorted to growing and selling opium as a source of badly-needed funds.
When I finish this book I hope to read Jonathan Fenby's "Generalissimo: Chiang Kai Shek and the China he lost". I like Fenby - his "Modern China" is excellent - and I think his book would make an interesting balance to Chang's book on Mao.
Well I never ...
There have been several instances where Vera & I have reacted with "Well, I never expected to see that in China".
Buses
Public buses used to drive through pedestrian crossings, just like cars do. But no more, at least in our suburb of Huangdao. Bus drivers now stop if there are any pedestrians on zebra crossings. Cars still, as previously, push their way through any pedestrians, but now buses stop.
Never thought we'd see that happen here. A great start ... maybe car drivers will follow suit one day?
Sidewalk vendors
One of the things we've always liked about China and Asia in general is the busy, lively, chaotic but always interesting, street life. Vendors set up a little stalls in any given space, sometimes just using a simple rug, to sell all manner of things and try to turn a profit - see photos below.
But no more. The local government has cracked down on side-walk vendors, and they are not allowed to operate now. At least that was the case in September, when we returned to campus. Now, slowly, we see some vendors sneaking back, usually working off the back of a parked truck or van, ready for a quick get-away should the fuzz appear. I, for one, hope the local govt relents and lets the vendors operate again.
Toilets
One of our abiding fears has been to be "caught short" and have to use public toilets. They are all squat-type, of course, and not conducive to our old bones. But more important was the cleanliness, or lack of it - invariably they were smelly and filthy.
A couple of years ago our area of Huangdao built new facilities in key locations around the city. What a welcome change that has been. I don't know about other locations in China, but we feel much "safer" now.
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| These new toilet facilities are now dotted around Huangdao. |
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| The original urinals in the new toilets, as pictured, were much too small, and always overflowed when flushed. After 6 months they were all replaced! |
Like father, like son
We were delighted to learn this week that the Liberal Party of Canada had won the general elections, and that the new Prime Minister will be Justin Trudeau.
Justin's father, Pierre Trudeau, was the Prime Minister of Canada when we lived in Vancouver 1975 - 77.
Tall, handsome, debonair, clever, progressive, Pierre Trudeau dominated Canadian politics for 15 years.
He was Whitlam-esque, before Whitlam.
Trudeau was one of the world's most eligible bachelors and dated several famous women, including Barbara Streisand. Imagine the shock when, in March 1971, he married Vancouver girl Margaret Sinclair. He was 52, she was 22.
They had 3 children, all boys, in six years: Justin, Alexander, and Michel. Then the marriage fell apart; the age difference was just too great. Pierre was engrossed in running the country, but Margaret couldn't stand the official 'cage'. He got custody of the boys, and she went to New York to party with the Rolling Stones.
Pierre died in 2000, at the age of 80. Many dignitaries attended the funeral, including Jimmy Carter and Fidel Castro. A life well lived.
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| Wedding day, 4 March 1971. North Vancouver. |
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| Happy days. |
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| Family photo in 1976. They separated the following year. |
| Pierre Trudeau brought up the three boys. |
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| Justin Trudeau with his mother, Margaret, in 2013 when he became leader of the Liberal Party. In October 2015 the Liberal Party won the general election making Justin the 23rd Prime Minister. |
Pierre would be proud of you, Justin. Let's hope this is the beginning of another great Trudeau era for Canada.
Jean Chretien
One of the enduring memories I have of that time is a speech by Jean Chretien.
Jean Chretien held several Ministerial portfolios in Pierre Trudeau's administrations.
In 1977 he visited Vancouver in his capacity as Minister for Trade and Industry. He was guest speaker at a lunch hosted by the Chamber of Commerce in the grand old Hotel Vancouver. Generally, businessmen in Western Canada didn't like the Liberal Party or French Canadians, so he had a hostile audience.
Chretien wasn't particularly clever or imposing. In fact, he had a facial impediment which meant that he spoke in a strange way, out of the left side of his mouth. But he was a 'man's man' and possessed great charm. It was an unforgettable performance - from the moment he started speaking, he captivated the audience and at the end he got a standing ovation. Remarkable.
Fifteen years later Jean Chretien became leader of the Liberal Party, and was Prime Minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003.
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That's it for this post.
Best wishes, keep well and keep smiling.
Alex & Vera Olah
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn
Saturday, 24 October 2015
PS Australia plays Argentina in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals in 24 hours - go the Wallabies!
happy anniversary dad!
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