Local Culture

Beijing Immersion Trip 2007胡同 – Hu Tong StreetsDay 8 – 25.11.2007

The Streets of Hu Tong can be found near the Tiananmen Square in Beijing. In a glance you would think that it is a place where the poor settles in, as the houses are small and compact and the walls, very disheveled and peeling off. It is pretty hard to imagine how people live in such conditions, given the luxury and comfort of Singapore’s environment.
Some of the houses were already abandoned, with cement and bricks everywhere. I think it is natural that the wealthier Chinese are moving out to better places. However, and surprisingly, the costs of these houses are really exorbitant, matching to the higher-end flats in Beijing.
We took a trishaw ride through the narrow streets of HuTong, and I can say the bumpy ride is really a refreshing experience. The riders were really heartwarming and enthusiastic in introducing this place. However, their attempt to seek tips from us kind of pisses some of us off.
We had a dumpling meal with one of the family living there. En route, we passed by a toilet, with the wastes exposed to the open air outside. We all felt disgusted by that sight and quickly moved on. I think more or less, our appetites were affected. We later had a hands-on session to make our very own dumplings. Some of them were perfect, while others resembled the shape of our local curry puff. We tried something like pickles, but I think is soaked in a lemon concoction rather than the normal mixture of vinegar, salt and sugar. We later had a chance to eat our dumplings, and though the exterior differs, the dumpling still tastes the same in our mouth.
On the way back, we passed by a street with shops comprising of all bars and pubs, which was alike to Singapore’s Clarke Quay as there was a very large river opposite, akin to The Singapore River. The trishaw-rider told us that the place is very lively and full of entertainment at night, but it’s a pity we visited the place in the day.









Beijing Immersion Trip 2007景泰蓝– Cloisonné
茶博士 – Tea house
玉博物馆 – Jade Museum
珍珠- Pearl CentreOn Various Days

Empress Dowager Cixi has a typical liking to Cloisonné, a pottery that goes through many stages before it is formed. This form of pottery can display many vibrant colours, unlike the common traditional pottery, which does not portray colours vividly. In the factory, most of the workers are female, perhaps due to their nature of being more careful. (omg feminist) On top of that, the workers are quite old, wearing spectacles with extra thick lens. However, the eventual product is very dazzling and beautiful, but the cost is dazzling as well.
The Tea House we went to was very special. The entire group went into a room whereby the staff introduced 4 types of tea for to us and allowed us to sample them. They then taught us how to see if the water is hot enough for tea-making, by using a tool which resembles “Crayon (蜡笔小新)”. The extent of it “urinating” the hot water out displays the temperature of the water. There was also a fragrant cup that is used to pour water into the tea cup. Upon adding the hot water, the dragon carving on the cup will change its colour from blue to red. Upon pouring away the water, the fragrant cup will then give off a very fragrant smell.
In the Jade Museum, many types of jade were introduced to us. It allowed us to abolished the our original mindset that jade is only green in colour. In the Jade Museum, they also showed us how jade is carved and polished to the final shape. However, the actual jade factory is located in rural areas as they produce lots of noise and pollution. Similar to Cloisonné, the final steps of jade-making is done by females as they are more careful and precise than males.( omg sexist ) We learnt a lot of knowledge on jade, and why some jade are specially used for different purposes. E.g. Ice jade used to place on car seats or on pillows which will aid in our constitution.
Once we stepped into the Pearl Centre, the staff showed us how they “grow” pearls – oysters. He opened up an oyster for us and there were about 8 pearls inside it, while we were guessing about 1 or 2. He then let us sample a type of cream that is formed by such pearls and everyone was trying to take the most out of it. We then walked around the place to shop for accessories or creams, but most of them were too exorbitant for us to afford.




Beijing Immersion Trip 2007杂技 – Acrobatic ActsDay 6 – 23.11.2007

We were late for the Acrobatics Show on that night. Before we reached the place, we passed by a Sex Shop and it aroused curiosity of many of us, especially those at the back of the bus. Yiwen was so excited that she knocked her head.
The exterior of the building looked kind of run-down, as well as the inside. When we stepped into the theatre, the show had already begun. We had troubles looking for the seats as the place was not well-lit, as well as some of the audience changed the seats privately. Eventually, most of us had to sit at the very back row.
The show began, and the entire theatre went quiet, with camera flashes everywhere. The acrobatic acts were superb and amazing, making everybody in the audience seat jaws drop. Other than the music played, only “Wow!” or other words of astonishment could be heard. The bodies of the performers are very flexible, as they can do splits and other postures that seem so uncomfortable just by looking at it. There were some traditional acrobatics acts performed, like rotating plates on a stick, balancing on a plank of wood as well as 扯铃. However, what amazed me more was that 12girls can climb up onto a moving bike and do a formation which resembles a peacock.
The other performances such as 3 men that were striking some poses, with one of them just using his hand to support the other in the air and some boys jumping through hoops with different styles. I believe that these performers had endured toughest trainings in the childhood in order to be what they are today. If they have to hand such trainings and studies, I think that they are really admirable as they can handle such stress at such a young age.
During the break in between the two halves of the show, some of the staff began selling magnum ice-cream at 10Yuan each. Though it was more expensive there, some of us could not reject the temptation and forked out our money willingly. The Caucasians bought a lot of ice-cream while watching, and this really shows how they are willing to spend, compared to Asians.







Beijing Immersion Trip 2007功夫 – Kungfu ActsDay 8 – 25.11.2007
Learning the lesson that being late would not get us good seats we were very punctual for the KungFu show, too punctual, in fact. We then went to buy some chips and roasted sweet potatoes before entering the theatre. This time, we have to wait for the other audience than them waiting for us. Haha.The storyline of the show is that there is a monk who learnt martial arts secretly but managed to learn it from his master. He then chanced upon a secret manual which led him to become more powerful. He then challenged the Bronze Men thinking he could defeat them, but the outcome was not what he expected. Eventually, with much training, he managed to become the chief of his sect.
However, throughout the show, he was in love with a woman whom he met. Surprisingly, there was no ending that if the two leading characters were together, making me feel a bit curious.
Throughout the entire show, there were several scenes of kungfu display. What was more memorable was the couple swirling round the stage using cloths. Water came running down the stage as though it was rain. It was a very memorable and touching scene between two lovers. Another scene was a monk who whacked his head using 2 metal bars, causing the metal bars to split. I feel that this kungfu act really displays the prowess of Chinese kungfu to the tourists. Not only does it show the traditional kungfu, but also the mindsets of the martial artists, which is much more important than the stances and moves.



Preben =)

This entry was posted by Jaddam Hussien, on Sunday, January 13, 2008. You can leave your response.