School Week Deux

Shanghai, October 22 to 26, 2007 (Monday to Friday)

I am combining a week’s worth of musings into one post again, as more than half the week is dedicated to school and school work, and can thus be glossed over….

This week, I had a surprise exam that lasted two grueling hours, as well as a 500-character essay to write, courtesy of Bad Cop teacher. School’s not too bad, actually. I am learning quite a bit, and it’s not taking too much of a toll on me as Week #1. I also learned about an exam called the HSK, which kinda “certifies” your level of Chinese language knowledge…depending on when, where, and how much this exam costs, I may actually take it, since it provides a comparable, measurable benchmark of language proficiency.

I managed to make it out to a couple of sights this week. One was Jing An Temple, which is a lovely little Buddhist temple smack in the middle of a bustling commercial zone in the Jing An District. It’s quite bizarre to see huge gleaming high-rises and shopping complexes juxtaposed with this 100-year-old classical Chinese temple, with all of its pagoda-esque eaves and whatnot. Inside the temple’s courtyard, you could spy obscenely huge billboards hawking Western products. The worst, for me, was a Calvin Klein men’s underwear ad that served as a backdrop to the temple’s north building. Imagine this solemn, historic structure, that people are praying to…and behind it is a super cut dude posing provocatively in his skivvies. Welcome to modern China.

The temple was very crowded, though it wasn’t a special Buddhist holiday, nor the weekend. Admission was a little more than a buck, and included a small bundle of incense offering. You pop your money into a contribution box, pick up a bundle of incense and move into the main courtyard. There were volunteers manning the incense tables, but it’s not like they were watching you like a hawk. It’s pretty much an honor system…though I can’t imagine anyone actually not contributing. Cuz that would be wrong.

Inside the courtyard, people are jostling each other for a good spot near the open-flamed metal urns in order to light their incense. It’s light or be lit. I have always associated Buddhism with calmness and serenity. Not here! Many of the worshippers were urgently pushy; jockeying for position at the open flame, at the various altars. I guess their urgency is another expression of their faith and devotion. But that’s one end of the spectrum. On the other end of the spectrum are the serenely faithful, who amidst the hustle and bustle of the courtyard, they stand quietly, solemnly still, facing their chosen object of worship, incense in hand, hands raised above their head, silently praying. It’s quite a moving sight. I say “chosen object of worship” because the temple houses various gods and images and incarnations of Buddha.

There were three main altar areas, one with a large stone Buddha, one with the Goddess of Mercy, and a large, cavernous area with eight golden statues of lucky gods, as well as a smiling Buddha, and a militaristic god. It was humbling to see followers prostrate themselves fully on the ground, and silently crawl towards their object of worship. People pushed, but pushed patiently, if that makes any sense, to get to the prayer pillows directly in front of each altar.

I can’t say that I believe in any god in particular, but I believe in a higher being, and I think this higher appears in various manifestations. Given this, I also prayed to every altar I visited, asking that my friends and family be blessed with good health and happiness. You know, one of those fool proof requests….kinda the equivalent of using one of your three wishes to ask the genie for a 1000 more wishes.

The main courtyard had some booths selling Buddhist prayer beads, along with a chart indicating what type of stone brings what type of protection or blessing to what Chinese zodiac animal. Some tiger’s eye beads caught my eye, and after consulting the chart, I saw that the tiger’s eye brings prosperity and good fortune, so that worked for me. My second non-food purchase in Shanghai. I also got a little certificate certifying the beads were original and blessed by Jing An monks. Also in the courtyard was a tall structure (it looked like a well, with a large dragon sleeping atop it) with intricate carvings and sayings and a hollow top with openings that people were tossing coins into. Think of a wishing well that you throw up at, as opposed to down into.

The temple had staircases that lead to the second floor of the various buildings. The second floors provided a less hectic space to people watch and drink in the atmosphere, as well as a higher and different vantage point for the temple grounds. One of the doors were slightly ajar, and I was able to see the Goddess of Mercy statue’s face up close and personal. It is a truly beautiful and serene face.

As class time was rapidly nearing, I left the temple at its main exit…and was accosted, twice, by different “fortune teller ladies” whose opening remarks were the same: “You have a lucky aura, miss! Let me tell you more…” At this point, I thought it best to use the “no comprende” defense and simply said, “Sorry, I don’t understand” in Chinese and get the hell outta dodge.

I noticed a small park across the street and decided to check it out before hopping on the metro. It was a lovely green space, beautifully landscaped, and truly being enjoyed by its citizens. And on a weekday to boot. People strolled leisurely, some sat on benches and read or chatted, and a few people practiced Tai Chi near the small man-made lake, at the other end of which sat a charming little Thai café. I came across another wedding couple having pictures taken…it must be wedding season! I’ve seen seven different hotel room doors with the lucky wedding “double happiness” hangings at my hotel to date.

This week I also stopped by the People’s Square, which is becoming the primary cultural center of Shanghai, with architecturally stunning buildings such as the Grand Theater, the Shanghai Art Museum, the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Urban Planning and Exhibition Center, and various government buildings.

Again, the area was packed, even for a weekday, so aside from admiring the buildings, the pleasant green space, and the various art sculptures in the plaza, I didn’t have a chance to explore very much before having to hop back onto the metro in order to make it to class.

I went back to the Jing An Temple area once more later in the week, with two goals: one, to pick up a ticket for a Cirque de Soleil-esque show called “Era – A Journey Through Time”, and two, to visit “Wong Family Cooks” a shop that has sold “small eats” ie, snacks and small bits to eat on the run, for nearly 100 years. The tiny, dilapidated corner storefront is still there, with a kindly lady selling fresh, hot, pan-fried onion cakes, packs of fresh dumplings, stewed pork, grilled shrimp, and other goodies. I bought a couple of the soft, yet crisp onion and spice-filled cakes (20 cents each!) and made my way back to the metro. On my way, I passed a larger, more modern, cleaner, “Wong Family Cooks” that basically sold the same stuff, only in a “food court” environment. I was curious as to the relationship with the tiny hole in the wall. They seemed to sell the same stuff. They MUST be related…with the old shop there for historical reasons…

Other Miscellaneous Musings from Week Deux:

Escalators. I don’t think I’ve spent as much time on escalators in such a short period of time! Shanghai is laden with skyscrapers, and within each are elevators and escalators galore. And then we have the cavernous metro stations…People’s Square alone has 9 exits. Actually, probably more, I just happened to notice 9 as the highest number. The metro station spans a huge, huge area. Also, each metro station has some sort of shopping within it, be it small booths, or larger boutiques, and at least one vendor selling food and drink. It’s nice to know that wherever you go, you will always have access to quick sustenance. But back to the escalators. Initially, I was quite surprised that people stop moving when they hit the escalator. Shanghai peeps seem to always be on the move, that I expected them to keep moving even on the escalators. Alas, no. They know when to rush and when to stop. And of course, all bets are off when you hit the streets aboveground. Each escalator, without fail, has a small plastic sign hanging under the upper level, informing curious, wayward, oglers who strain to see below/above them as they ascend/descend to “Watch Your Head” or “Mind Your Head”. It is with much amusement that I realized the sign itself would be the first thing to hit you if you were not ‘watching your head’. Guess being whacked by a thin plastic sign beats getting bonked in the head with a concrete ceiling/wall any day.

Nature. I have a much greater appreciation of nature ever since arriving in Shanghai. Shanghai cherishes its green space, and the parks are meticulously maintained. Also, many of the main boulevards are lined with well-maintained greenery. It’s been an absolute delight meandering down a charming cobble-stoned sidewalk, crunching on lovely fallen leaves in various shades of autumn brown and yellow, swatting at flitting butterflies, thinking they were mosquitoes or moths before realizing that they were beautiful butterflies. Jumping out of the way as bikes and motorcycles screech past you on said cobble-stoned sidewalks. Cussing good-naturedly as tree branches and bushes sway in the breeze as you play the “keep right, dammit” chicken game with people walking from the opposite direction. Admiring a leaf of brilliant, bright green then yelping, startled, when it starts moving and you realize it’s a monster of a grasshopper. Enjoying the serene chirping of crickets at midnight. Appreciating the sweet songbirds that land sprightly on your windowsill and croon for you at five in the morning. Learning to see, with new eyes, every leaf, and every speck that you step past on the ground. That lovely copper-tinged splotch, for example, looks like a looping figure eight, as if a tiny ice skater had drawn out the figure in time to a Celine Dion ballad. And that charming graceful swirl is, to quote Al Bundy, “curly like a mouse’s tail.” Wait. Oh sheet. You know…that figure eight kinda looks…Oh sheet. That was a mouse. I have just been waxing poetic about rodent roadkill. Bloody. Hell. Naturally, I screeched like a girly girl when the mouse-shaped splat revealed itself to my mind’s eye. I pictured Ratatouille being run over by a wayward motorcycle. See, that is how spontaneous and unpredictable Shanghai drivers are: Even nimble little rodents can’t avoid ‘em.