I’ve been trying to keep track of the China news in the U.S. while in China. Most of what I have read has been in the NYT and consisted of FDA warnings about food, toothpaste, dangerous toys, etc.
A blog titled, “Who Sucks,” put together a comprehensive list of all of the 2007 dangerous made-in-China products. Click here.
Recently dangerous items from the list include shoddy hammocks, lead jewelry, collapsing recliners, and shattering glassware.
There are new pictures of the Chinese theater show we saw last night in Xi’an, China up on Flickr.
Click here or on the thumbnails to the right to see the pictures.
We saw the Terra-cotta Warriors today. They were discovered in 1974 (I think) by a farmer who was digging a well. He first found a terra-cotta piece, then an entire head and more pieces. When showing his pieces to the village elders, they told him to keep it quiet so as not to upset the spirits. The farmer was brave and did show the pieces to the public. And what came of it?
He got 20 RMB, which amounts to about three U.S. dollars, 8,000 more terra-cotta warriors were unearthed, and his farm became a massive tourist destination.
I’ve been told that the farmer makes a good living signing autographs now, though the entire farmer story could be a tour guide ruse.
We also visited a tourist trap Terra-cotta Warriors factory and some Hot Springs used by an Emperor and his famous concubine.
Click here for pictures or click on the thumbnails to the right.
After getting off the overnight train, we were greeted with a nice long walk on muddy pavement to the bus that would take us to the hotel. On the bus, Mary (a tour guide in training) gave us a rundown on what Xi’an is all about. Here’s was I can remember:
Translated, Xi’an means “West Peace.” It is known as the place in China that you go to study 3000 years of Chinese history, as it was once the capital city before Beijing. Beijing is where you go to study 1000 years of history, and Shanghai 400 years of history.
There are mountains on three sides of Xi’an, so it is often foggy here. This was both misleading and disappointing when we got off the train. After spending a week in Beijing, which seems to be the pollution capital of the world, I was looking forward to clear skies. Not yet, I guess. Maybe tomorrow. Xi’an is located in the center of China and is considered a very strategic location – or at least it was when people fought on horses.
The original city is surrounded by a large wall. Long ago, a drum would sound upon the opening and closing of the city’s walls to alert the warriors and other dwellers that they better get back or risk being stuck outside the wall all night. (Our hotel is outside the wall… hmmm.) Also, buildings inside the wall must be shorter than it so that you can see the clock-tower at all times. (I haven’t been over there yet, so don’t have a good idea of why this matters.)
Xi’an is known for its mix of traditional and modern ways – E.g. – inside the wall versus outside the wall. The people are very emotional, laid back, and enjoy their city. Mary also said they can be lazy, and cited their dining habits as evidence. Supposedly, if they’re feeling especially lazy, they’ll just put chili sauce on bread and eat it. (Sounds good to me.)
Xi’an is known for it’s dumplings and some kind of soup I didn’t catch the name of. The bordering provinces specialize, respectively, in spicy food and sour food. So, the Xi’an cuisine is spicy and sour. Believe it or not, rice isn’t terribly popular here. They’re in the “Wheat Belt,” and grow wheat from October to June; corn from June to October.
Mary claimed several firsts for Xi’an such as color TV, airplanes, and satellites. I’m a bit skeptical on this information, and assume she means Chinese firsts and not world firsts. I could be mistaken.
There is a large Muslim population here.
Squatting is popular. This was random. Overall, squatting seems more popular in China than in America. It’s somewhat awkward because when you see people squatting you can’t help but think of the toilets here, which require you to perform a difficult squat-n-hover maneuver (that I have yet to try). The origin of the squatting goes back to the soldiers. It was unsafe for them to remove their armor while on duty, so they would often squat to rest.
So, without really going outside that is what I’ve learned about Xi’an. More to come.
Heading to Xi’an, China today via overnight train. It will be nice to get out of dirty Beijing, but I hear there isn’t that much to do in Xi’an.
There is only one English TV station at my hotel, and none of the other stations cover what I’m looking for. Further, China limits the import of Western movies to about 20 (I’m told), so that chance of seeing something I want when it’s released in the U.S. is slim.
So, what’s going on in the U.S. that I can’t see while in China?
Movies opening:
* Transformers
* Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
* The Simpsons
* Ratatouille
* Live Free or Die Hard
* The Bourne Ultimatum
Sporting events:
* Wimbledon – going on right now. Looks like Federer is doing well as expected.
* Tour de France – No Lance, so I don’t care that much. But I am curious to see what comes of all the doping allegations trailing over from last year.
* The British Open – late July. Maybe they’ll recap it for a few minutes on CCTV.
Other:
* iPhone debut – missed this already
* Clean air
* Recognizable food
* TC Cherry Festival
* TC Film Festival
I posted pictures of the Summer Palace in Beijing, China. You should see them to the right. Click on a picture and you’ll jump to my Flickr page.
BTW, Flickr is censored by the “Great Firewall” of China. I wonder what the penalty for circumventing the firewall is? Hmmmmmmmm….