Fire Pot

“The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.” -Marshal Ferdinand Foch

Some people go to China to study. Other people go to do business. No matter the official reason for staying in the country, I believe that everyone has the subconscious goal for experiencing the unique variety of Chinese cuisine. Personally, food has played a large role in motivating me to explore the city of Beijing, and the rewards of my excursions have significantly contributed to my overall cultural immersion.

The fire pot (or sometimes referred to as hot pot) is truly a jewel in the Chinese art of eating. The food is not only delicious but also provides an opportunity for friends and family to sit together at a communal table and delight themselves in conversation. The most basic element of a fire pot is a simmering pot of broth, sometimes divided into mild and spicy sections. There is an ongoing fire underneath the pot to maintain its temperature. Various ingredients such as sliced meat, tofu, vegetables, mushroom, and seafood are brought to the table in raw form. It is the job of the hungry customers to put the food into the broth for boiling. Soon, the food is fully cooked and is eaten after being dipped in sauce for additional flavor. The two main kinds of sauces associated with the fire pot are sesame sauce and seafood sauce, to which parsley and scallions are usually added. The meal is perfect for cold winters, but even the hottest and most humid summers do not deter eager and starved students like me.

The restaurant was on the second floor of this building. A heavy rain was coming, as my friends and I would later discover.



The atmosphere was very lively. It was a busy Friday night.



A waiter who would wildly swing a very long noodle to entertain his guests before serving it to them



A mouthwatering moment right before voracious consumption



We ordered so much food that it didn't all fit on the table.

Exploring the Chaoyang Commercial District

“Money, not morality, is the principle commerce of civilized nations.” –Thomas Jefferson

Living in the Chaoyang district is unique in its own right. The area is located several subways stations away towards east from central Beijing. Within walking distance of my dorm, there exist restaurants of all kinds, from extremely affordable to expensive, from Korean to Italian to Vietnamese to French to American to Chinese. Aside from international consumer good giants like Walmart, there is also a plethora of small, family-owned businesses, thus laying the seeds of capitalism. Consequently, bootlegged products are commonplace. Although technically illegal, the police seem to be relatively lax in the enforcement of such laws. They are much more likely to hand out ~200 RMB tickets for parking outside of designated areas, causing many car owners much grief and inconvenience as these parking areas are hard to find and are not always located at places that need them. Although detrimental to brand name corporations, the bootlegged goods seem to have a positive effect in stimulating the economy, giving many people a humble chance to lift themselves out of impoverished conditions. These consumer goods have become so ordinary that there exist very renowned multi-story shopping centers of fake brand-name products where people (especially tourists) go to bargain for good prices. Usually, a skilled buyer can bargain prices down to less than half of the original asking price. There are no price tags, so the asking price is anything that the vendor states. Usually, it’s whatever price that the vendor thinks will be a good starting bargaining platform. The setting is very prejudiced. If the vendor believes that the buyer comes from an economically developed country (such as America), then he or she will usually want to charge a higher price, since they know about the disparity in prosperity between China and such nations. Below is a picture blog of life near CUEB:

Colorful residential buildings in the background of the hustle and bustle

Evolutionary Fitness Center (进步）is where most ACC students go to exercise. The membership fee is 400 RMB per month.

Cardio and weight training equipment on the second floor

Locker room

Midnight MacDonald runs are good temporary escapes from homework. This one has 24 hour service.

Chinese MacDonalds are extremely well decorated. This particular one had thousands of dollars worth of musical instruments hanging on the walls.

Chinese MacDonalds are usually bigger than the US ones. This one even has 2 floors.

The chicken actually looks and tastes real!



The Korean "stone bowl" should be mixed before eaten. The contents of the bowl may vary. This one had beef and vegetables. There was also a raw egg, which cooks in the sizzling bowl when mixed.



I was halfway done eating before my friend's food got there. He had curry on rice.



Korean "cold noodle" is a delicious way to cool off.



On the walk over to Walmart



Still on the way to Walmart



Walmart

Night at Houhai (后海）

“We aren’t in an information age, we are in an entertainment age.” –Anthony Robbins

First, I just want to apologize to my blog readers for the lack of updates. I have been traveling for 3 weeks in China (including rural areas) and have lacked reliable internet access. I will try my best to quickly post the remainder of my experiences. Thanks.

There are various places in Beijing that people go to in order to quench their thirst for coffee, tea, and beer. One such place, which has gained a reputation for having some of the best bars, attracting floods of foreign visitors, and charging outrageous prices, is Houhai. Several weeks ago, my friend Evan and I had the opportunity to experience the nightlife at Houhai. The area consists of over 180 restaurants and bars including Budweiser, Heinicken, and Carlsberg. The Houhai district surrounds a lake, which takes about 45 minutes to walk around at a comfortable pace. While walking around, I saw various artists whose works included caricatures and stone carvings. Unfortunately, there were also people who incessantly followed us. Apparently, their sole job was to lure visitors into their bars.

An entertaining street performer at the entrance of Houhai.

Juggling

This guy attracts a huge audience.

Evan

Busy night

Beautiful scenery

Second floor of Carlsberg bar, loaded with a gigantic television. Everything on the menu is unnecessarily expensive.

When Man and Mountain Meet

I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright. -Henry David Thoreau

A couple weeks ago, I visited the Beijing Botanical Gardens along with some family friends, or should I say friendly families. We passed through the gardens, and then we passed through some forest settings as part of a small hike towards the top of a small mountain. My friends served as my tour guides due to the disparity of our familiarity with the region (I had none).

The weather wasn’t completely cooperative on that day, as precipitation ranged from light drizzles to heavy showers. We nonetheless forged onwards with umbrellas in hand to the top of the peak, metaphorically speaking. It was more of a quasi-peak, designed for the enjoyment of visitors. I hear that there is a famous butterfly exhibition center, but it was unfortunately closed. However, to make sure that I did not miss out on the variety of wildlife and to guarantee that I will have some recollections of the experience, my hosts gave me about 10 dried up and preserved samples of butterflies and leaves that may be found at the park. Pleasant. There most definitely existed serene beauty in both nature and the artificial structures. But beauty speaks for itself. Allow the following picture album to communicate what I cannot.

An elegant display of flower power

I guess lots of people like to take their minds off of urban complexities on a rainy Sunday afternoon. It seems that nowadays, nature is a good escape from reality.

There are cool displays in this building, but it was closed. You might be able to make out the words "one world" written with flowers. It is part of the Olympic slogan "one world, one dream."

An Olympic doll riding a bicycle. So apparently, more and more people are starting to ride bicycles. 3 reasons: rising oil prices, traffic congestion, and environment protection. I learned this from a guest speaker today.

A complete contrast from the hustle and bustle of the city (although this is technically in the city)

Scenic view. Should have waited until the people walked out of the way.

Very cool rock. As you can see, I am easily fascinated.

A gate. I don't look too excited, but appearances can be deceiving. This is a general lesson for living in China. For example, some of the shabbiest restaurants have the best food. The locals agree.

I think the the harmonious arrangement of the parallel roads and trees is neat. Again, I am easily fascinated. Sorry if you don't derive the same level of pleasure from looking at this as I do.

Bamboo garden. It is currently off limits.

Sights like this are commonplace.

This ancient aqueduct called "River Wall" was constructed in 1749. It is a water transfer system beginning at the Cherry Valley and ending at the Jingming Garden of Yuquan Hill.

Neat architecture

Falling off would be bad.

Water, bridge, and mountain

It became pretty dark at one point.

A cross-sectional view of a really large tree trunk

At the top. A memorial for the December 9th Movement.

As part of the December 9th Movement, teachers and students of the Architecture Department of the Beijing Industrial University designed these structures. The triangles symbolize military camp tents. They are arranged in the form of the character 众, indicating that the Chinese people are united together against Japanese aggression.

They say that touching this stone is good luck.

Total tranquility

After leaving the botanical gardens, we went to a pretty expensive (good thing I wasn’t paying) and well furnished, nearby Manchu-style restaurant. The restaurant is supposedly owned by some well-known Chinese movie star, but unfortunately, he is not well-known enough for me to remember his name. The food was delicious. It tasted like Chinese food, but it came in a slightly different form. Also, I guess it is a Manchu habit to sit on the floor while you eat. (On a related note, my uncle told me the following information: eating and sleeping on the floor was actually a Tang dynasty invention. Because Japanese scholars believed the Tang culture to be very developed at the time, they brought the habits back to Japan with them, thus explaining their modern behaviors.) For specific details of my experience, check out the following pictures.

Inside the restaurant

There's not much room from the floor to ceiling.

The menu is made of wooden sticks. You pick the sticks that represents the dishes you want to order.

One of my favorite meals yet

Back to School

“Seeing much, suffering much, and studying much are the three pillars of learning.” –Benjamin Disraeli

Yesterday, I moved into my dorms for ACC Field Studies at the Capital University of Economics and Business (CUEB). The actual move-in portion was a bit hectic, but it felt great after I got settled in. The CUEB campus in the Chaoyang District is a pretty small community that is surrounded by one of the best parts of urban Beijing. As I soon discovered, there are many nearby restaurants and stores in addition to the Evolution-Fitness Center (which somewhat resembles Payne Whitney on a smaller scale) and Sanlintun (a really famous part of Beijing that people go to for relaxation and conversation with friends). There’s an underground supermarket called 法宝right across the street, which is most convenient. I went over there and bought a 24-pack of spring water upon arrival. Maybe I’m just lazy, but I think boiling water is too much of a hassle to be done on a regular basis. *Tap water in China is BAD. The water must be boiled before drinking for health purposes. My dorm room itself is a perfect habitat for me. Equipped with air conditioning, hot water, and television, it gets no complaints from me or my laid-back roommate.

A cozy niche

The only bad thing about these beds is that there are no mattresses. Also, there are Pokemon sheets underneath. No kidding.

The window view is awesome! The real version of this picture consumed 15 consecutive minutes of my life when I first saw it.

Yeah, this place is a hot spot at night.

I slept like a baby last night. It was probably the first time since middle school that I awoke at 6 AM without the aid of an alarm. I only slept for about 6 hours, but I woke up feeling refreshed. This is most likely due to the fact that there are no mosquitoes in my dorm, which is unlike my living conditions for the past month. The teachers gave us no time rest though. This morning, I took my written and oral entrance exams. The oral went well in my opinion. However, the written exam was definitely the most difficult Chinese test I’ve ever encountered. I’m pretty certain I got less than half of the questions right. I was also not expecting to write a full-fledged essay for it. Oh, and it was timed. This test is the physical manifestation of brutality. I am very fortunate that the tests are only going to be used as a gauge to compare my skill levels before and after the program rather than as a placement test, as is the case with my friends in the regular ACC program. After lunch, we had an orientation and a chance to meet all of the teachers. There are a total of 16 FS students and 8 FS teachers. That’s a really good student to teacher ratio. In other news, the long-dreaded language pledge began this afternoon after orientation. As of now, I have officially only spoken Chinese for over 12 hours. Out of the 16 FS students, 12 have participated in ACC before. In order to familiarize the 4 students who didn’t (myself included) with our current neighborhood, two of the teachers took us on a tour around CUEB’s surrounding areas and ate dinner with us. On another note, I just want to mention that the homework load is insane. My first homework assignment (due Monday morning) is comprised of reading a 4 page article, learning 2 pages of vocabulary, writing an essay using given sentence structures, and completing a page of additional questions. That’s equivalent to a week’s worth of homework back in the good old days of Chinese 133. I do reminisce.

Pay to Stay

When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money. -Susan Heller

It was unfortunate that I didn’t realize my visa needed an extension until after I was settled in Beijing. My situation is as follows: I went back to China during the previous summer and had gotten a visa with a duration of one year. This means I can enter China anytime before June 4^th, which is exactly one year from when I entered the country last summer. What I didn’t know is that I am only allowed to stay for 60 days after the date of entrance. It was a good thing that the ACC office asked for my visa information, or else, I would have never actually looked at the burdensome document. Now, considering my arrival date of May 15^th and my departure date of August 7^th, it didn’t take a lot of math for me to grasp the fact that I was going to get seriously fined and/or kicked out of the country if I didn’t get that extension for my visa. Luckily, I had plenty of time to do so before the beginning of my summer program.

To extend my visa, I had to go to the Exit & Entry Administration Service Center, Public Security Bureau of Beijing. Unfortunately for me, I had to travel across the vast reaches of Beijing to get there. On that day, I left home at 9:00 AM and returned at around 2:00 PM. This includes bus and subway times. Taking public buses during times when people are heading to work in the morning is unwise. The traffic is horrendous to say the least. Once I arrived at the place, it became evident that there were many others like me, seeking to get visa extensions. I waited in line for about an hour before getting to a visa officer. The process was pretty straightforward. I presented my documents and it took about 30 seconds for the person to review them and then approve my application. So yes, it took about 5 hours of time to be eligible for a minute’s worth of official review. And apparently, it takes them a week’s time to put the little visa sticker into a passport. So one week later, I made the same trip out there and picked up my passport. It cost about 940 RMB for the visa extension. That’s enough money for a month’s worth of delicious eatables on a conservative budget, aka mine. I was pretty disappointed to be separated with the cash.

Otherwise known as "the visa place"

I originally thought that this was "the visa place"

Yep, the flag makes it official

10:30 AM is a busy time here

After 40 minutes waiting, I'm almost there! It's surprising how exciting trivial things can be when you've been standing in the same posture for prolonged periods of time.

And now, here are some obvious observations about what kind of clothing to bring to Beijing during summer. As you may have guessed, t-shirts and shorts are ideal. I left my common sense somewhere else when I decided to bring long-sleeve shirts and a jacket. What a waste of luggage space! Some other remarks. Apparently, Chinese people don’t like using dryers after washing their clothes, as such technology is largely nonexistent. Instead, the clothes must be hung up to dry. Talk about a waste of space and extra hassle. It’s not pleasant when doing laundry becomes a two-day effort. Also, powder detergent seems to be pretty popular. Its use is exactly the same as liquid detergent, which also readily available. I don’t really understand why people use powder detergent since, to me, liquid detergent is so much easier to pour homogeneously.

Random Order

There are only two emotions in a plane: boredom and terror. –Orson Welles

After many years of international, economy-class flights, I believe I can safely conclude that such means of travel are specifically designed for children. Apparently, one can only enjoy these flights before reaching the age when he or she realizes that “international” is tantamount to saying “immobilize oneself for a duration of 12 hours in a confined space” and before he or she has outgrown the “confined space” to be able to endure the 12 hours without physical, and consequently, mental discomfort. But alas, a student is subject to a student’s budget constraint. All in all, the flight to Beijing was above satisfactory. I got a window seat, and there was a very nice middle-aged couple sitting next to me, who made good acquaintances. Although I didn’t get to sit next to a person of my age who was loaded with videogames (as I had naively hoped for), I can’t complain about sitting next to some people who would willingly talk to me. Well, they talked to me for the first hour or so before falling into deep sleep. It was somewhat annoying because I couldn’t. Lesson learned: probability is a cruel friend that follows you everywhere. Orson Welles was right about the boredom part. I didn’t feel any noticeable terror while on the plane, though I fully understand that any claustrophobic or aviophobic individual may have been on the verge of panic attacks. For me, the terror set in after I arrived at the destination. Allow me to revise the quotation to say, “There are only two emotions in a country where you are an 18-year old college student whose literacy level is equivalent to that of a native third-grader’s: boredom and TERROR.” This leaves people like me with two options: become a hermit who has shut off contact with the rest of society, thus preventing most dangers aside from hunger and atrophy of the mind; or face the city of Beijing like a man and accept the fact that my Chinese abilities may cause some judgmental people to label me as “slow.” I have always liked eating and thinking. Then by a self-proposed hierarchy that ranks hunger prevention, brain exercise, and risk of humiliation in order of their importance, I confidently choose the second option.

My memory of happenings during the past three weeks of my stay in Beijing are a bit vague due to prolonged jetlag, repeated procrastination in my blogging efforts, general inactivity caused by the process of transitioning from one living environment to another, etc. Nonetheless, I do have some observations to comment on, and I will commit myself to a futile attempt to preserve the chronology in which these observations were made. Hence, I congratulate you if you can discern order in my ramblings, and I apologize if the following remarks are just a bunch of random statements.

Anyone who sets foot in Beijing will probably notice the absence of a blue sky. The city is notorious for a perpetual “grayness” caused by pollution. Pollution can be detected in other ways too, like when you suddenly realize that the air you were breathing has transformed into a combination of foul fumes, dust, and smoke. This is especially true as one venture outwards from the center of the city into areas where there is less open space. Also, there are a lot more people smoking on the streets and in restaurants. This becomes frustrating when you discover that second-hand smoke is inescapable. Remark: Second-hand smoke is prevalent in internet cafes, at least the ones I’ve been to. That’s why I asked the phone company to hook up a broadband cable to my home in Beijing. Aside from the fresh air, there’s also the sheer convenience of not having to walk for 10-30 minutes to use the internet. Plus, the fee is not bad. The service I’m using costs 0.05 RMB per minute. You can also switch to the monthly plan, which goes for something like 1.xx RMB per month. As you can see, affordability is not an issue, as the current monetary exchange rate is approximately 7 RMB: 1 Dollar. There’s still a large gap in sanitation level between Beijing and urban cities in the United States. However, all in all, there has been unbelievable improvement over the past ten years, not just in sanitation, but in construction, the economy, transportation, etc. A majority of this change is probably due to the 2008 Olympics, which undoubtedly has helped this country more than anything else. This cannot be said about the television programming. Aside from uninteresting shows, it is obvious that the television media is still being used as subtle government propaganda. For example, during the week after the Wenchuan earthquake, literally all 62 of my channels broadcasted news coverage 24 hours a day. This is not necessarily a bad thing, since many of the short segments did produce their intended effects of calming people’s fears by showing them the government’s quick rescue and relief efforts. In fact, as an impartial observer, I believe that the government conducted a quick and efficient response to the earthquake. Moreover, the whole country united in the time of need. In addition to numerous fundraising events and generous private donations, the government held national moments of remembrance （默哀）where observers would stand in silent tribute to the earthquake victims.

Several days ago, I made a visit to see one of my old friends from Beijing. He’s still in school at the Beijing University for Aeronautics and Astronautics, so I had to trek over to his dormitory. The trip took over an hour by bus and subway, probably because I got lost every time I blinked my eye. The majority of my journey was spent on a route 7 double-decker bus（特7）, and I was able to take some pictures to document my journey. I apologize in advance for my horrible photography.

Deciphering bus signs proved to be a challenge

Buses arrive. However, not the bus that I need to get on. More waiting.

I sat in the first row on the top deck. Looks like a traffic jam （交通堵塞）

People waiting at the next stop. It feels a lot nicer looking to the outside of the window than vice-versa.

Lots of cars going towards central Beijing

Big Pizza. I wonder what pizza in China tastes like.

Sky bridge （天桥）

Construction in the background. That’s fog by the way. Well, maybe a bit of smog. But mostly fog.

An exit （出口）

The police （公安）talking to a man.

Scene from Beijing

The highway.

This slow-moving vehicle blocked the bus for about 5 minutes.

My friend’s dorm room. Four people to a room. This makes me appreciate doubles a lot more.

Although crowded, this room has a great window view from the 11^th floor.

Centralized air conditioning systems are uncommon in China. Most units look like this.

Walmart invades China.

I hope that the pictures gave you an idea of China. Next, I just want to mention that there has been a change to the ACC Field Studies Program. The director contacted me a few days ago and notified me that the primary location has been changed from Chengdu to Beijing (to the Capital University of Economics and Business) due to the aftermath of the Wenchuan earthquake. The director indicated her concern for the safety and wellbeing of the students. I must admit that I was a bit worried after keeping up with the news and learning about the standard of living, epidemic prevention, sanitation issues, transportation, threats of aftershocks and other natural catastrophes, overcrowding, and other problems that will have a negative influence if the program was to be held in Chengdu. Although I am disappointed that I won’t be able to experience Chengdu as I had originally planned, I am in full support of ACC's actions.

Thanks for reading. There's more to say, but I will save that for the next entry. Frankly, I'm a bit tired. Maybe it's just my internet speed, but the pictures took about 40 minutes to load.