Special Packages Arrive on Same Day

AF and her friend from university arrived at Beijing International Airport on Monday at the old Terminal 2 on KLM. They arrived the same day as the Olympic Torch which traveled from Greece to Beijing. The picture above is the plane that was specially outfitted to carry the torch and dignitaries. A ceremony is scheduled for Monday at Tiananmen Square. BF noticed the highway from the airport into the city was closed for the torch delivery as she went in the opposite direction to pick up our special package.

AF could not wait to have two of her favorite meals in Beijing..........a club sandwich at the apartment bistro and dumplings/mango ice at Ding Tai Fung. We are really looking forward to visiting with them for the next 11 days.

The Olympic Torch

The Olympic Flame will be lit in Olympia, Greece according to tradition on March 24, 2008. From March 24-29, the Torch Relay will travel across Greece, ending at the Panathinaiko Stadium, the site of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. After the handover ceremony in the stadium, the Olympic Flame will arrive in Beijing on March 31, 2008. In Beijing, a ceremony will be held for the arrival of the flame into China and Beijing 2008 Olympic torch relay will commence.

The cities along the route are:
Beijing; Almaty; Istanbul; St.Petersburg; London; Paris; San Francisco; Buenos Aires; Dar Es Salaam; Muscat; Islamabad; New Delhi; Bangkok; Kuala Lumpur; Jakarta; Canberra; Nagano; Seoul; Pyongyang; Ho Chi Minh City

The provinces and cities in China that will participate in the torch relay are:

• Hong Kong


• Macao


• Hainan Province (Sanya, Wuzhishan, Wanning, Haikou)


• Guangdong Province (Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Huizhou, Shantou)


• Fujian Province (Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Xiamen, Longyan)


• Jiangxi Province (Ruijin, Jinggangshan, Nanchang)


• Zhejiang Province (Wenzhou, Ningbo, Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Jiaxing)


• Shanghai


• Jiangsu Province (Suzhou, Nantong, Taizhou, Yangzhou, Nanjing)


• An'hui Province (Hefei, Huainan, Wuhu, Jixi, Huangshan)


• Hubei Province (Wuhan, Yichang, Jingzhou)


• Hunan Province (Yueyang, Changsha, Shaoshan)


• Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (Guilin, Nanning, Baise)


• Yunnan Province (Kunming, Lijiang, Xamgyi' nyilha)


• Guizhou Province (Guiyang, Kaili, Zunyi)


• Chongqing


• Sichuang Province (Guang'an, Mianyang, Guanghan, Leshan, Zigong, Yibin, Chengdu)


• Tibet Autonomous Region (Shannan Diqu, Lhasa)


• Qinghai Province (Golmud, Qinghai Hu, Xining)


• Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (Urumqi, Kashi, Shihezi, Changji)


• Gansu Province (Dunhuang, Jiayuguan, Jiuquan, Tianshui, Lanzhou)


• Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (Zhongwei, Wuzhong, Yinchuan)


• Shaanxi Province (Yan'an, Yangling, Xianyang, Xi'an)


• Shanxi Province (Yuncheng, Pingyao, Taiyuan, Datong)


• Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (Hohhot, Ordos, Baotou, Chifeng)


• Heilongjiang Province (Qiqihar, Daqing, Harbin)


• Jilin Province (Songyuan, Changchun, Jilin, Yanji)


• Liaoning Province (Shenyang, Benxi, Liaoyang, Anshan, Dalian)


• Shandong Province (Yantai, Weihai, Qingdao, Rizhao, Linyi, Qufu, Tai'an, Jinan)


• Henan Province (Shangqiu, Kaifeng, Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Anyang)


• Hebei Province (Shijiazhuang, Qinhuangdao, Tangshan)


• Tianjin


• Beijing

Red highlight used for the few cities we have been to in China. The country is slightly larger in geography than the US.

One of the highlights of this leg will be the attempt to bring the Olympic Flame to the highest peak in the world Mt. Qomolangma. During the arrival ceremony for the flame into China on March 31, 2008, one of the lanterns with the Olympic Flame will be kept aside. The torchbearer team will then attempt to take the Flame to the highest peak on a day in May that presents the best climatic conditions for the ascent. Torch assault point: 8,300m above sea level

The torch will not pass through Taiwan as China had hoped. See China Daily news article: Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay can not pass through Taipei

High Priestess is selected for Olympic Torch lighting: High Priestess for Lighting Ceremony decided

As reported in China Daily

Sandstorm Arrives in Beijing

We experienced our first sandstorm in Beijing this morning after getting in to work. The sky looked ominous and was a strange color. Then I could smell dirt in the air in the office. A couple of windows blew open to let even more dirt into the indoor air. My nose and throat have been burning ever since. The storm lasted for about 4 hours. The air has improved but is still quite polluted of full of dirt. Here are before and after pictures.

Check out the weather channel report for Beijing (blowing sand and 50 degrees)

Birthday in China

BF surprised me with my last birthday dinner in PRC with some great friends at our favorite restaurant. The two couples are long-term expats in Beijing from the US and have been such a great help and friends to us here.

After dinner we walked to a night club which was a very pleasant surprise. It turned out to be a Jazz club with a very nice band from Detroit. We even ran into a waiter that we knew from our Friday night Beligian restaurant. He has left that restaurnat to work at the this new dinner and Jazz club.

Censorship Part II

With all the protests and activities in Tibet, the censorship story has become even stranger. On Friday and most of Saturday BBC and CNN were blocked when any news on Tibet came up. Then later on Saturday we could occasionally see a report on BBC. Also CCTV 9 which is an English speaking news station here in Beijing reported on the damage that the Tibetan rioters had done to Han Chinese property.

On Sunday afternoon, Beijing was allowing CNN to show a live video stream that I believe was also being shown in the US by some unknown person to a Hong Kong TV station. This was very strange as to why they were allowing this. Then the Dali Lama came on to speak and again the broadcast was blanked. The Beijing government feels that the Dali Lama is the cause of all the unrest and view him as a national threat. I included this interesting article about the Chinese chosen Panchem Lama:

China's official Tibet Buddhist leader condemns riots
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's top state-favoured Tibetan Buddhist leader has condemned the riots that shook Lhasa, state media said on Sunday, but the tightly controlled teenager appeared to avoid directly criticising the exiled Dalai Lama.

The Panchen Lama ranks second to the Dalai Lama in the hierarchy of Tibetan Buddhism.
After the 10th Panchen Lama died in 1989, Beijing and the Dalai Lama made rival choices for his successor, and the Dalai's choice, a boy then aged six, disappeared into the control of Chinese authorities.

But according to the Xinhua news agency, Beijing's choice, 18-year-old Gyaltsen Norbu, has come out backing the government condemnation of protests that left parts of Tibet's regional capital Lhasa smouldering with torched vehicles and shops.

"The rioters' acts not only harmed the interests of the nation and the people, but also violated the aim of Buddhism," he said, according to an English-language report from Lhasa.
"We strongly condemn the crime of a tiny number of people to hurt the lives and properties of the people," he said.

Chinese authorities have said the Dalai Lama directly caused the protests, which snowballed from peaceful marches by monks.

But the 11th Panchen Lama, at least in the published comments, did not condemn the Dalai Lama, whom China reviles as a "separatist" while most Tibetans venerate him as a spiritual leader, even though his image is banned.

Tibetans widely disdain Beijing's choice for the 11th Panchen Lama, but tradition dictates the Dalai and Panchen lamas should recognise each other's reincarnations.

Reuters

I am so glad that we decided to go to Tibet last year. I cannot see the Beijing government allowing foreign tourist in the area any time soon.

Pollution

I was beginning to actually think air quality was getting better about a week or two ago. We saw quite a few "blue sky" days. Then over the last few days it has been quite "yuckky". A colleague at work took a picture outside our office just to show the contrast that one day can make. Keep in mind the smoggy day picture is actually a color photo.

Paintbrush maker Mr. Zou

Tuesday March 11, 2008

My painting teacher arranged for a small group of us to visit the home and workshop of her favorite Chinese paint brush maker. Mr Zou has learned this craft from his father and it has been practiced for many generations in his family.

There were 2 cars of us going; 6 in all. We drove into an area that is being demolished and built up at the same time. We met a man on a motorcycle at the entrance to all of the construction. I didn't know it was Mr. Zou himself.


These darling little children watched as we drove up and were at once curious and wary. They are holding their mid morning snack of bread in their hands.



We walked along this alleyway for some time following Mr. Zou.

We passed this doorway where a young girl was showing an even younger girl her drawings.

At last we cross the gate and will enter his home.

This is his workshop. He finishes the brushes here. The basic work of sorting the hair and making the tip is done at his factory in Tianjin.

He showed us pictures of himself sorting goat hair.

Here he is straightening the hair. He uses steam to make curly hair go straight.

This machine cuts the horn he uses into the lengths he needs. Horn is used because it is hollow and strong and beautiful.

He is putting the tip of the brush into the handle.

He is combing the hair to get all of the loose ends out.

This is his wife. She is using a string attached to the table leg to squeeze the excess glue out of the tip of the brush. The brush is dipped into a glue that is made out of sea sponge cooked in water.

He is working on a fancy brush. Most of those lying on the counter are for the tourist market. We were interested in the ones he wasn't going to take to the market.

She is smoothing the hairs. The glue and rigid tip make it much easier to transport..but harder to determine the quality of the brush and the kind of hair it is made from.

The last step is to run a thin knife along the top hairs to straighten the top layer.

This is a brush made from horse hair. Mr. Zou carved the handle himself.

Someone asked how the hair is held together and put into the handle. Mr. Zou is demonstrating tying the hair together with a string.

The end hairs that get pushed into the handle are cut to the exact same length. A strong glue is used to fasten them into the handle.

Mr. Zou is showing us his calligraphy. He was taught calligraphy as a young child so that he would learn the important components of a good brush. Calligraphy is more precise than painting.

He brought out brushes for us to purchase. They all have protective plastic caps on them.

Our painting teachers driver was painting a horse with water on the trying board.

I learned alot and it is always a pleasure to go to someones home. Mr. Zou offered us bananas and oranges and water.

Censorship

Picture of Tibet Separatist

Censorship is an interesting topic in China. There has been speculation in the media that China will selectively loosen censorship on the Internet for hotels, convention centers, and Internet cafes that westerners will frequent during the Olympics. This obviously is intended to give the perception that China is open.

I can tell you that censorship still exists in Beijing in spades. Recently, BBC television had several program segments which dealt with the air quality and China separatist activities (Tibet and Xinjiang autonomous regions). The TV was completely blank as these segments came on air.

As for the Internet there are many sites that we cannot get access to like Wikipedia. This blog is even censored for viewing, thankfully editing is not blocked.

150 Days and Counting

The start of the Beijing Olympics are only 150 days away. It is getting warmer in the city and there is still a lot of building and beautification projects going on.

It was a little more than a year ago we were celebrating the 500th day of the Olympic Countdown. See the entry from last years blog: 500 days-and counting

We often read "The Expat Life" column from the Wall Street Journal as the writer is an expat in Beijing and many of his columns resonate with us. This particular piece published February 28:
Clock Counts Down As Decision Weighs:Should I Stay or Go?

Spring Break II

AF will enjoy her Spring Break from University of St. Andrews, March 29th to April 13th.

She has decided to come to Beijing for the break and will be bringing a friend from St. Andrews.

Time for Haircut

[asianewsphoto]

One of the traditions during the Chinese New Year is to not cut your hair because it will mean bad luck. So barbers and hairdressers are very busy prior to the Chinese New Year and the month after.

Spring Break

It is spring break back in the US for many colleges. Both EF and MF are on vacation from university. AF will get a break later in the month (march 31 to April 11).

While MF had an exciting winter break visiting South America, EF is visiting the Middle East for school for Spring Break. EF will be gone for 16 days and actually miss a little school. I know she felt a little stress with mid-terms before the break and will likely feel some when she comes back.

She is leaving JFK on a red-eye, February 29th and flying a little over 11 hours to Amman, Jordan.

• She will have dinner after arriving around 5pm on March 1st and get some rest.
• On the 2nd she leaves for a full day of sight-seeing: Amman’s Citadel and Amphitheater, Madaba, Mt Nebo, and finally proceed to Petra.
• On March 3rd she will spend the whole day at Petra.
• On March 4th, they will go to the Dead Sea to swim and then back to Amman.
• On the 5th she has a little free time in the morning before traveling by air to Cairo, Egypt.
• On the 6th she will see Cairo sights (not sure what).
• On the 7th she is off to see the pyramids and Giza then off to Aswan by sleeper train.
• On the 8th visit in the morning the High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk, and Philae temple. In the afternoon sailing by Felouca to the Botanical Garden.
• On the 9th a drive to Luxor with on the way visits of Kom Ombo and Edfou.
• On the 10th morning visits of Kings and Queens valleys, Nobles tombs, Hatshepsut temple, and Memnon colossi. In the afternoon a visit to Karnak and Luxor temple. In the evening a sleeper train to Cairo.
• On the 11th some more Cairo sightseeing before checking into hotel for Model UN competition.
• The Model UN competition is from the 12-15th.
• Finally, after a long trip and lots of traveling, she is flying back to the US from Amman on the 16th to finish the school semester.