We finish in Beijing, and move to Shanghai
Nihao (hello)--thanks for checking in to our blog once again. We're now in Shanghai, but I want to add a few things from Beijing.
The day before we left, Barbara was teaching all day, and I headed out to see two very different aspects of Beijing life. The first was the morning "English" mass at the "South Cathedral." I'm not Catholic myself, but am always interested in the variety of faiths practiced in the various countries we live in (even if for a short time)--including local or historical expressions of Christianity.
Some of the first Catholic missionaries came to China in the early 1600's; they were French, and so perhaps it wasn't surprising that part of the scriptures were read in French, but this may also have been because there seemed to be a number of worshippers from what seemed to be French-
speaking African countries (listening to accents, and sometimes noticing dress), where the language as well as the faith was spread as part of the European colonization of much of Africa in the 19th century.
As you may have heard, China has been very involved in economic and infrastructure efforts in Africa in recent years, which might help account for an African community in Beijing (some of whom would be Catholic). In the photo at right you see folks leaving churchaafter the service is complete. You may see a small square above the altar (small in the photo anyway!), calling attention to the Virgin Mary; the church is officially the Church of the Immaculate Conception, and her image occupies the space where a large crucifix is often found in American Catholic churches.
After church I found my way to the relatively new China National Museum, just off Tienanmen Square. It's huge; the photo at left shows only a small part of the building, with soaring open spaces. It carries a variety of exhibits, some rather curious but interesting (I'm thinking of the large display of gifts from heads of state who've met with the Chinese high officials over time, often a reflection of their own history and cultural traditions.)
A large central room holds paintings and murals of key events and moments in recent Chinese history, particularly the struggle leading to the revolution in 1949--celebrating the sacrifices of those who made possible the experiment of establishing a communist state, and society, in a poor and largely agricultural society. In the background of the photo at right one can see the several score key leaders who were being sworn in after 1949,
though the mother and daughter seem to have more immediate concerns.
China, of course, is far more complex than official narratives portray(or I understand). Past government policies cost the lives of millions of ordinary Chinese people during the "Great Leap Forward," and the "Cultural Revolution" that followed displaced many people from the lives they might have led. A "communist" society has become one of the key producers of consumer goods for the world, fueling China's incredible economic growth (and cutting the number of people living in real poverty more quickly than we've seen in world history) while failing to pay the environmental costs of such growth.
Yet many better-educated, more or less middle-class urban Chinese (the folks we come into contact with here) often seem to lead relatively satisfying lives. Investment in infrastructure (such as subway and rail systems that often put our own back home to shame), innovative architecture, and access to education and work, may be a partial trade-off for many for a centralized government and the perception that corruption is widespread. The involvement of China in the production of solar power has cut costs worldwide for this source of carbon-neutral power, and China has affirmed its solidarity with European powers over the Paris climate accords at a time (as I write) that the U.S. has officially abandoned the accords or even (within the Trump administration) the belief that climate change is real.
One of the by-products of China's rapid economic growth over this past generation, combined with the presence of an opaque political system and many state-run companies, has been the rise of a layer of super-rich families. This is a local version of the world-wide concentration of economic assets (wealth) in the hands of fewer and fewer people, which Americans see as well at home. Those Chinese with more money may shop at malls such as the one on the left, "Oriental Plaza" (the actual name). It gleams, with polished stone floors and artful lighting, and carries many of the products and brands evidently most sought by those with money--especially "new money." Prada, Gucci, Hermes, Ferragamo, and others.
What struck me as I wandered about the mall was the images portrayed of those recommending the products, representing the sort of person who would want them, buy them. They were virtually all white models, advertising primarily European brands (only two of the stores were clearly Chinese). Would a mall in the Twin Cities use almost exclusively Asian images in promoting its products?
Is this some sort of carry-over from the old days, the days of the foreign "concessions" in Shanghai when the French, British and Americans had forced China to concede access to its markets and people (1850's-1930's)--a time when the foreign business district in Shanghai was the third largest financial center in the world (at its height)? An appeal to shoppers that somehow being part of the Western world is "better"? A sense that Europeans (French, Swiss, Italian, and Spanish) have more taste, live better lives, should be emulated?
I'm still sorting this out--but have also noticed that some of China's wealthy families have been buying properties in Vancouver, New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, and (increasingly) sending their children to elite universities in Britain, France, and the U.S. And affluent Chinese now are 2/3 of those who take advantage of the U.S. visa program that allows foreigners who invest a million dollars or more to acquire permanent residence (and eventual citizenship).
I want to conclude with two photos with Barbara. She mentioned in her last posting how much fun we had with a group of older Chinese folks at our favorite park in here in Shanghai, so I want to include a photo of her actually dancing with one of (a number) of local guys.
And the other is of her using one of her phone "apps" to translate a cafe menu from Mandarin into English (she's both a fast walker and an early-adopter). The photo also might provide insight into how easy it is to find her in a crowd where curly hair is rare.
The day before we left, Barbara was teaching all day, and I headed out to see two very different aspects of Beijing life. The first was the morning "English" mass at the "South Cathedral." I'm not Catholic myself, but am always interested in the variety of faiths practiced in the various countries we live in (even if for a short time)--including local or historical expressions of Christianity.
Some of the first Catholic missionaries came to China in the early 1600's; they were French, and so perhaps it wasn't surprising that part of the scriptures were read in French, but this may also have been because there seemed to be a number of worshippers from what seemed to be French-
speaking African countries (listening to accents, and sometimes noticing dress), where the language as well as the faith was spread as part of the European colonization of much of Africa in the 19th century.
As you may have heard, China has been very involved in economic and infrastructure efforts in Africa in recent years, which might help account for an African community in Beijing (some of whom would be Catholic). In the photo at right you see folks leaving churchaafter the service is complete. You may see a small square above the altar (small in the photo anyway!), calling attention to the Virgin Mary; the church is officially the Church of the Immaculate Conception, and her image occupies the space where a large crucifix is often found in American Catholic churches.
though the mother and daughter seem to have more immediate concerns.
China, of course, is far more complex than official narratives portray(or I understand). Past government policies cost the lives of millions of ordinary Chinese people during the "Great Leap Forward," and the "Cultural Revolution" that followed displaced many people from the lives they might have led. A "communist" society has become one of the key producers of consumer goods for the world, fueling China's incredible economic growth (and cutting the number of people living in real poverty more quickly than we've seen in world history) while failing to pay the environmental costs of such growth.
Yet many better-educated, more or less middle-class urban Chinese (the folks we come into contact with here) often seem to lead relatively satisfying lives. Investment in infrastructure (such as subway and rail systems that often put our own back home to shame), innovative architecture, and access to education and work, may be a partial trade-off for many for a centralized government and the perception that corruption is widespread. The involvement of China in the production of solar power has cut costs worldwide for this source of carbon-neutral power, and China has affirmed its solidarity with European powers over the Paris climate accords at a time (as I write) that the U.S. has officially abandoned the accords or even (within the Trump administration) the belief that climate change is real.
Is this some sort of carry-over from the old days, the days of the foreign "concessions" in Shanghai when the French, British and Americans had forced China to concede access to its markets and people (1850's-1930's)--a time when the foreign business district in Shanghai was the third largest financial center in the world (at its height)? An appeal to shoppers that somehow being part of the Western world is "better"? A sense that Europeans (French, Swiss, Italian, and Spanish) have more taste, live better lives, should be emulated?
I'm still sorting this out--but have also noticed that some of China's wealthy families have been buying properties in Vancouver, New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, and (increasingly) sending their children to elite universities in Britain, France, and the U.S. And affluent Chinese now are 2/3 of those who take advantage of the U.S. visa program that allows foreigners who invest a million dollars or more to acquire permanent residence (and eventual citizenship).
Comments
Post a Comment