Friday and Saturday, April 24 and 25, were Sports Days at school. I usually do not go to work on either day, but decided to show school/department spirit and be there. Each department had matching shirts provided, salmon color for us, and we also got black athletic pants. I wear a size XL in China, by the way! For the opening ceremony we all marched in by department, with lots of red flags waving, very Chinese. Students also came in groups. There were a few short speeches, and then there were performances by the students, a dance line number, tai chi, a martial arts demonstration, and a flowing fan routine. It was all very beautifully done. Then thousands of students filled the middle of the track area and did exercises; the same that everyone does in school. Later there were various track events; the teachers had their own track events and fun games. I participated in the three-legged race and did a basketball throw, but not very successfully. It was an interesting day and a half.
April 4th was Tomb Sweeping Day and that meant that I had a four-day weekend. I took advantage of the extra day by flying to Qingdao on the coast to visit Andrea Nicolau, a young Chilean woman who is a friend of Francie Anthony, a Spanish teacher at Harding. Andrea was an Amity Aide at Harding about ten years ago and worked with Francie. She is studying Chinese at a University in this very modern port city, which is where the sailing races for the Olympics were held. This last week Navy ships from all over the world were there helping to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Navy in China.
It was good to be near the ocean, the air was fresh and the sky blue. We even saw several men swimming in spite of very cold water. There are many Koreans and Japanese doing business there; the city is prosperous and the modern architecture stunning. There are also squares with beautiful sculptures. Andrea was a wonderful guide and we had great fun going to different sections of town and exploring. One can walk on sidewalks next to the ocean for miles and look at the shells and pearls that the vendors are selling.
The Germans occupied the city from 1886 until 1914 when the Japanese defeated them. The Germans started a brewery and the best beer in China, Tsinqindao, is made there. The European section of town has big houses and several Christian churches. We came across Shandong Opera being performed in a new outdoor performance area downtown. Fun to see, and it was especially fun to watch the old people enjoying the show. Andrea took me to one section of town where dozens of buildings are brightly painted with athletic figures, dancers, flowers, fish, and other designs. What a great way to spruce up old buildings.
I was included in a dinner party where a young Chinese businessman who spoke almost no English, was trying to impress and flirt with a Namibian friend of Andrea’s. He had several friends along for the restaurant dinner, and we were five women, all different nationalities, but all English speaking. All the women except me were students and spoke good Chinese. The women drank red wine and the businessman drank a lot of beer. His friends only drank tea. One interesting aspect of Chinese drinking culture is that one can only drink when there is a toast. The food was excellent with great variety of vegetables, fish, tofu, and meat. Like at most dinner parties, we spent several hours eating. Food is served a few dishes at a time on a glass Lazy Susan in the middle of the table. The various dishes, at least a dozen, are brought out periodically and set on the table. People use their own chopsticks to take mouthfuls of food. The Lazy Susan slowly gets moved around and everyone helps himself one mouthful at a time. One also has a small plate to put things on. It was an interesting evening to say the least.
Wedding portraits were being taken in front of the Cathedral. Wedding portraits are a huge business here. Both the bride and the groom rent clothes, a white wedding gown and a tux, and then pictures are taken in several places. There were dozens of couples in front of the cathedral, and then later we saw even more on the beach. It is very amusing to see the girls wearing boots or tennis shoes and jeans under the gowns. The portraits are huge and displayed in homes. Couples are usually married in their hometowns, but then may have a reception for colleagues in the city in which they live. I attended the reception of an English teacher that took place on a Sunday at noon. There were probably about 80 people, all work colleagues. Green tea, coke and sprite were served. The bride and groom, wearing dressy clothes came by and toasted people at the tables. They were drinking strong rice liquor, which I have yet to taste. Again many dishes were served on a Lazy Susan, the soup and rice was served towards the end of the meal. There was fruit, but no wedding cake. Everyone came dressed very casually in everyday attire, often jeans. Money is given to the bride and groom in red envelops.
While in Qingdao I also took a tour to the nearby holy mountain, Lao Shan. There were many people there because of the holiday. One could take a cable car part way up; otherwise it would have been an all day hike. After the cable car ride we climbed stairs (Chinese mountains have stairs). I spent the day with two sisters from Hong Kong and ate lunch with them at a seafood restaurant, eating seaweed and a lovely steamed fish, which we chose as it was swimming around in an aquarium.
It was good to see a modern city and very enjoyable to get to know Andrea and compare observations of China. One observation that never ceases to amaze me is all the huge trees that are transplanted. Both pine trees and other trees can be 20-30 feet high, and they are dug up without many roots and replanted. Poles support the trees and the branches of the regular trees are cut off which make them very odd looking. This was done in many areas in Qingdao so there would be beautiful landscaping for the Olympics.
http://picasaweb.google.com/darlene.kunze/Qingdao?authkey=Gv1sRgCMnRyb6Q8aODVA&feat=directlink
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