Friday in China - Friday 6/22

Friday (6/22)

This morning, as every morning this week, the wake-up calls went out at 7:00am. The bus was leaving at 8:30.   That is plenty time to get ready and eat breakfast at a leisurely pace. The girls have been on time every morning, but, this morning we were headed to the zoo and everyone was excited for the Pandas, so everyone was there extra early!

The Panda exhibit at the Beijing Zoo did not disappoint.  We got to the zoo early and visited the pandas first. It was early enough that it had not gotten hot yet, and the pandas were very active. They were eating, and rolling, and roaming. There was one particularly large and lazy bear who was just flopping.  It was such a thrill to see so many pandas of all different sizes in one place at one time. And… It is just very cool and very special to be able to see them in their home country of China. As Addie observed “This is such a cool program! I can’t believe that I am getting to do all of this.  I have been invited to participate in international trips many times, but I have never been able to do it. It is so cool that Sister Cities made that available to me!”

After visiting the Pandas, we had some time to spend in the rest of the zoo.  It was maybe not as pleasant. The animal cages were not what we were used to.  The animals were kept in concrete squares with very little enrichment. Some of them did not even have natural light.  We didn’t want to be judgmental, but it was hard not to feel badly. Also, it was impossible when you are used to a World Class facility like the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo not to immediately see the contrast in conditions.  There were a lot of baby animals, though, and we tried to focus on that cuteness.

(For more info on the Beijing zoo, click here: http://www.tour-beijing.com/attraction_guide/beijing_zoo.php#.Wy0LdWyovIU)

After the zoo, we headed out to a small local mall for lunch.  The food courts in Beijing malls have a wide variety of food at affordable price points, and they offer many healthy options. It is nice to go to the malls, because it is a safe enclosed environment, offering a wide variety of options so students can split into groups, opting for a food that they want to eat even if some others want something else.  

After lunch, we went to the 798 Art Zone, the up-and-coming art district of Beijing.  The area was established as the home of the Communist Industrial-Military Complex. It was conceptualized and designed in the early fifties to meet the needs of the new Communist state.  Empty farmland east of Beijing was designated and factories and residential facilities for the workers were quickly built on close to 150 acres. When the Chinese reform movements started in the 80s and 90s, the factories fell by the wayside.  At the same time, the reforms were inspiring Artists and giving them a forum to use their voices. The artists, with little resources, began using the defunct and abandoned spaces that were becoming open in the factory district. This influx of artists really picked up steam in the early 2000s and now, the 798 district is an Art Zone.  The place is still being developed, but it is the “It Spot” to put a coffee shop, hold an exhibition, open an art gallery, have a small chic store… (For more info on the 798 Art Zone, see here: http://www.798district.com )

So… I can give you the basic history of the 798, but I can’t describe the area to you.  There just really aren’t words to really explain it. Because this is a blog, and blogs need words, I proffer “eclectic” for adjectival use... but please understand, “eclectic” falls woefully short of conveying this area.  Hip resides with Hipster. There is Chic and Boho Chic. There are brand new modern clean lines juxtaposed with ratty, rusted out pipes and a broken boardwalk on one side, and some retro kitch on the other. Underlying it all, however, there was an undeniable current of gentrification.  I think perhaps Bobo (Bourgeois-Bohemian) might be as apt as any other adjective to try to describe the district.

For whatever pretensions it may have had, there was a contagious energy about the place.  It was great to explore, and was full of color, and movement, and life. There were interesting visual metaphors that I thought represented what we were seeing all over Beijing right now.  It certainly was a fantastic place to explore, full of beauty, and surprises.

After the art district we went to a local park.  We explored and had a great time. We talked to the locals; watched people dance; tried to coax cats out of a bush; meandered on winding paths; and stopped to smell the roses.  Best of all… we came off a trail at a little square where some older couples were listening to a man playing an instrument. It was not like anything I had ever seen before. I didn’t know what it was, but I recognized the sound instantly as one of the sounds that characterize Chinese Opera for me!  I wanted to see it, and the older couples kept waving us closer, so we got very close to the man playing it. When, suddenly, he offered to let the girls take a turn on his instrument. A couple of them gave it the old college try… but we have a new respect for the people who play that instrument.

    Photo cred: Julia

                                          Photo cred: Lena

After the park, we went to dinner, which was a typical Chinese family style dinner in a local restaurant.  Then, we headed back to the hotel. It was a long day, so the kids were tired. But… they had been watching a local park out of their hotel window all week, and every night there is what they were calling a “Chinese Zumba” class.  Well, you are only in China once, so, after we got back to the hotel, we resolved to go out and find this park and do some Chinese Zumba. Which we did.

We are back in the hotel now after another very long but fun day.  

 Tomorrow we are going to see a silk production place, and a local open-air market. In the afternoon we are going to tour the Olympic Facilities built for the Beijing Olympics. The girls are all asleep, and it is nearing midnight here, so I have to get to sleep, as well.  That is another big day and morning call feels early some days. Good night!