Shanghai

Class was on hold for a week because Robert Mangurian had to be in L.A. 

Ted and I headed for Shanghai. We took a night train out of Beijing. We had the two top bunks in a sleeper cabin. Our neighbors down below were quiet and unassuming -a younger chinese couple. The train ride was about 12 hours, which wasn't bad when you sleep through most of it. The beds had fluffy comforters and two pillows. It was pretty nice, better than the sleeper trains I have been on in europe. A one way ticket cost about $80. 

We arrived in Shanghai 7:30am on a Sunday, and decided to wander around for a few hours to give our host a little more time to sleep. Ted and I strolled through People's Park and checked out all the tai chi and other activities going on. The whole place was bustling.

We called Adam Fox and got directions to his apartment just outside of Shanghai in Pudong. He and his wife Andrea, live in a really nice two-bedroom apartment above the international school where they both teach. After settling in we all went into the city and ate brunch at a restaurant tucked away in a densely packed retail development snaking between buildings. Storefronts carved out of old buildings house boutique shops and restaurants, making it feel like europe....which is probably the intent. Shanghai is very westernized and very international. There are tons of white people there, and many natives speak english, which is a stark contrast to Beijing. The restaurants cater to a western taste, and the menus are in english of course. 

We walked the city for awhile heading towards the pet market to pick up some crickets for the class lizard -a 12 inch bearded dragon. Shanghai feels much more urban than Beijing in that the streets are smaller and the buildings are more dense. It is easy to walk the city, and the public transportation is excellent. We went back to the apartment to regroup and refresh before heading out for dinner.

We ate at a Thai restaurant, and then went to a bar called Abbey Road, and had some drinks in the courtyard area. The weather in Shanghai is hot and humid, so the night is very comfortable. 

Ted and I went all over the city then next day, checking out a couple museums, the fabric market, and random shops along the way. That evening we met with an architect who came to BASE for a lecture the week before, Fei Wang, and his friend Matt (another chinese architect) for some drinks in a fancy tourist area. Then they took us to another bar that had some interesting design stuff going for it. To enter the the building, you walk up a half-flight of stairs to a landing with flat doors on the left and right sides. In front of you are 9 illuminated holes in the wall, and you have stick both of your fist inside two of the nine holes to "unlock the door". When you get it wrong the door on the right side slides open to reveal a mirror. We got it right on the second try and the left side door slid open. Fancy cocktails are close to US prices, about $8 or $9 for a martini, but these drinks were a little better. 

Tuesday, Fei and Matt took us around Shanghai. We visited the architecture school and a few buildings. One of the standout buildings was a slaughterhouse built in the 1930's by an unknown architect (maybe British?) which was in the process of being converted into retail. The building was made entirely of concrete. Inside stairs and ramps snaked up four stories, connecting the periphery of the building to central structure. This is probably the most amazing building I've ever been in. It was like walking through a giant sculpture because the structure was so monolithic -everything concrete. It is unfortunate that nobody knows who the architect was because it would be amazing to understand the design more thoroughly. The circulation was obviously very important, getting the animals in and up to the top, and then assuming the ramps acted like slides, they slid the slaughtered animal down to be shipped out. I'm thinking about heading back down to Shanghai when my program ends to spend more time at this building, drawing and photographing the space.

Ted and I had dinner with Adam and Andrea at a Brazilian Barbeque place, which was having a fundraiser for the earthquake victims. 100 yuan bought an all-you-can eat plate. They come around every few minutes with swords skewering a hunk of meat and slice a little off on your plate. A live band played brazilian music, plus some bob marley. 

On wednesday Ted and I taught two of Adams classes one-point perspective. Each class was an hour long, and Ted and I went through the basics, and then had the students draw a room and furnish it. The kids were in 7th-9th grade, and were very bright. The school is english speaking, but the kids are from all over the world. Their parents are mostly expats. They did very well with the lesson, and we had a good time attempting to teach. In between classes we ate lunch in the cafeteria. The food was far better than what I had in middle school. It was great to see Adam with the kids because he really has a good time with them joking around, but can also get everyone focused quickly, and give them instructions about an assignment. For me the whole thing was a little nerve racking because I imagined the kids turning on me, like I remember kids doing to substitute teachers, but they were a good bunch. 

Ted and I packed up and headed out of town. Initially we were going to go to Sunzhou but we decided to skip it and head back to beijing a day early. We tried to get sleeper tickets on the train but they were sold out, so we settled with soft-seats (essentially airplane seats). It was a bit rough. The other passengers were noisy -cell phones ringing, music playing, talking, vendor ladies yelling. We got into beijing the next day, stumbled into a mcdonalds and ate some strange croissant-like hot pockets filled with egg. We grabbed a cab and rolled into Cao Chang Di around 9:30am. I slept in my apartment for a few hours before heading over to base to begin work. 

Shanghai

Class was on hold for a week because Robert Mangurian had to be in L.A. 

Ted and I headed for Shanghai. We took a night train out of Beijing. We had the two top bunks in a sleeper cabin. Our neighbors down below were quiet and unassuming -a younger chinese couple. The train ride was about 12 hours, which wasn't bad when you sleep through most of it. The beds had fluffy comforters and two pillows. It was pretty nice, better than the sleeper trains I have been on in europe. A one way ticket cost about $80. 

We arrived in Shanghai 7:30am on a Sunday, and decided to wander around for a few hours to give our host a little more time to sleep. Ted and I strolled through People's Park and checked out all the tai chi and other activities going on. The whole place was bustling.

We called Adam Fox and got directions to his apartment just outside of Shanghai in Pudong. He and his wife Andrea, live in a really nice two-bedroom apartment above the international school where they both teach. After settling in we all went into the city and ate brunch at a restaurant tucked away in a densely packed retail development snaking between buildings. Storefronts carved out of old buildings house boutique shops and restaurants, making it feel like europe....which is probably the intent. Shanghai is very westernized and very international. There are tons of white people there, and many natives speak english, which is a stark contrast to Beijing. The restaurants cater to a western taste, and the menus are in english of course. 

We walked the city for awhile heading towards the pet market to pick up some crickets for the class lizard -a 12 inch bearded dragon. Shanghai feels much more urban than Beijing in that the streets are smaller and the buildings are more dense. It is easy to walk the city, and the public transportation is excellent. We went back to the apartment to regroup and refresh before heading out for dinner.

We ate at a Thai restaurant, and then went to a bar called Abbey Road, and had some drinks in the courtyard area. The weather in Shanghai is hot and humid, so the night is very comfortable. 

Ted and I went all over the city then next day, checking out a couple museums, the fabric market, and random shops along the way. That evening we met with an architect who came to BASE for a lecture the week before, Fei Wang, and his friend Matt (another chinese architect) for some drinks in a fancy tourist area. Then they took us to another bar that had some interesting design stuff going for it. To enter the the building, you walk up a half-flight of stairs to a landing with flat doors on the left and right sides. In front of you are 9 illuminated holes in the wall, and you have stick both of your fist inside two of the nine holes to "unlock the door". When you get it wrong the door on the right side slides open to reveal a mirror. We got it right on the second try and the left side door slid open. Fancy cocktails are close to US prices, about $8 or $9 for a martini, but these drinks were a little better. 

Tuesday, Fei and Matt took us around Shanghai. We visited the architecture school and a few buildings. One of the standout buildings was a slaughterhouse built in the 1930's by an unknown architect (maybe British?) which was in the process of being converted into retail. The building was made entirely of concrete. Inside stairs and ramps snaked up four stories, connecting the periphery of the building to central structure. This is probably the most amazing building I've ever been in. It was like walking through a giant sculpture because the structure was so monolithic -everything concrete. It is unfortunate that nobody knows who the architect is because it would be amazing to understand the design more thoroughly. The circulation was obviously very important, getting the animals in and up to the top, and then assuming the ramps acted like slides, they slid the slaughtered animal down to be shipped out. I'm thinking about heading back down to Shanghai when my program ends to spend more time at this building, drawing and photographing.

Ted and I had dinner with Adam and Andrea at a Brazilian Barbeque place, which was having a fundraiser for the earthquake victims. 100 yuan bought an all-you-can eat plate. They come around every few minutes with swords skewering a hunk of meat and slice a little off on your plate. A live band played brazilian music, plus some bob marley. 

On wednesday Ted and I taught two of Adams classes one-point perspective. Each class was an hour long, and Ted and I went through the basics, and then had the students draw a room and furnish it. The kids were in 7th-9th grade, and were very bright. The school is english speaking, but the kids are from all over the world. Their parents are mostly expats. They did very well with the lesson, and we had a good time attempting to teach. In between classes we ate lunch in the cafeteria. The food was far better than what I had in middle school. It was great to see Adam with the kids because he really has a good time with them joking around, but can also get everyone focused quickly, and give them instructions about an assignment. For me the whole thing was a little nerve racking because I imagined the kids turning on me, like I remember kids doing to substitute teachers, but they were a good bunch. 

Ted and I packed up and headed out of town. Initially we were going to go to Sunzhou but we decided to skip it and head back to beijing a day early. We tried to get sleeper tickets on the train but they were sold out, so we settled with soft-seats (essentially airplane seats). It was a bit rough. The other passengers were noisy -cell phones ringing, music playing, talking, vendor ladies yelling. We got into beijing the next day, stumbled into a mcdonalds and ate some strange croissant-like hot pockets filled with egg. We grabbed a cab and rolled into Cao Chang Di around 9:30am. I slept in my apartment for a few hours before heading over to base to begin work. 

Ass-less Chaps

This child is wearing the typical get-up for potty-training. The open seam runs front to back.

Thoughts

Travel

 

The tourist takes photos as an attempt to consume what can’t be brought back in a small suitcase. The photo acts as proof of the tourist’s experience of a place; the frame is adjusted to represent the space as accurately as possible in a fixed boundary. The tourist is an outsider at the place of tour, and quickly becomes an insider back home, as they gain experience of the outside beyond what their tribe, friends, or family possess.

 

The word tourist carries with it the notion of leisure, as opposed to someone passing through like a migrant or traveler. Regardless of titles, any person in an unfamiliar place reads the environment through visual inputs, and reacts through output action –what is impressive, what is passed by, and what is purchased or taken. The input-output system is essentially a cross-referencing structure based on what is familiar and unfamiliar. Rooted in primitive thought, place is studied and interpreted through the location of positive and negative stimuli, negotiating between danger and safety as two extremes. Within that dichotomy lies a field where curiosity can be explored based on differences and similarities of familiarity. 

 

The tourist remarks “look how they do this…look at that broom…look at that weird toilet.” The danger-safety realm is constantly being negotiated, if one decides that squatting over an open hole on train is good idea or a bad one, or whether drinking water from the tap is safe or dangerous, or even eating the chicken that seems to have all the parts still attached. What this quickly becomes is cultural perception of what is safe and dangerous, and meaning and value are derived and assigned accordingly. As meaning and value are assigned to objects and experiences, the economy of travel is exposed, and the disillusionment of capitalism becomes accessible.

 

Inefficient Objects and Meat

 

The broom that is made of weeds one can find on the highway holds tremendous value for the westerner, not because the broom is a good broom, but because it reveals the labor of the individual who made it. The factory made broom is anonymous and uniform, although a very efficient tool both in production and use, but it lacks a personal story. The westerner is impressed by banal objects because they gain meaning through unfamiliarity and uniqueness, the conceptual narrative.

 

The economic conditions that permit brooms to be made of weeds, or hand-objects, are unfamiliar to the western tourist. Crossing over from a synthetic, sterilized, digital lifestyle, to an analog, gritty, and modest existence becomes a living museum for the tourist to experience. The state of advanced capitalism is in many ways just as abstract as a primitive tribe who relies on witchdoctors and spiritual cleansings. The media allows the westerner to visualize what cannot be seen, like germs, microscopic airborne particles, and abstract threats like terrorism. This abstract visualization exists in foods as well, as the westerner has developed more and more iterations of taste. Snack foods boast flavors like pizza, chips & salsa, and guacamole, which are abstractions of ingredients. A stroll through a Chinese supermarket reveals chips that have 1:1 flavors, like chicken, or cucumber. Advanced capitalism has removed western sensibilities away from direct experience of what is being consumed. The western supermarket is lined with meat that most people would never be able to extract from the animal themselves, and if they could the act alone would be visceral enough to convert carnivore to vegetarian. The western palette has evolved so far beyond the thing that is actually being consumed, that visualization is no longer necessary because it exists abstractly in thought, and texture has become the common denominator weeding out “mystery meat” for “pure meat”.

 

Economics determine western taste. If America was a developing country and much of the population lived in poverty, the entire animal would be consumed. Waste would be limited to only the inedible. To illustrate this point, flip through a “soul food” menu, which has been historically confined to a challenged socioeconomic culture, and notice what parts of the animal are available. In a positive economy fueled by consumption, the edible palette can become very particular, eating only the “best” parts of the animal, fruit, or vegetable. 

New Socialist Village

The BASE program is comprised of several different courses under one umbrella. One of which is the Socialist New Socialist Countryside and Village, which is a government sponsored program to enhance rural life and make it more attractive to offset the massive migration to the cities. The term for migrant workers in chinese cities is the "floating population" (migrant, meaning they have come from the countryside). Part of our class went to visit one of these remote villages two hours outside of beijing. We will then develop a proposal to improve the village (probably a single project). There are over 200 hundred villages that are affected by the latest 5 year plan of the chinese government. 

The journey begins @ 7am

We hired a small bus to drive us out of Beijing. There were 16 of us (including the driver) packed into a bulbous van on steroids. The initial push off was crazy. To get onto the airport expressway, there is a shortcut you can take, which requires one to drive the wrong way up the exit ramp and then do a U-turn into oncoming traffic. We left during rush hour. A few of on the bus who noticed that we were in fact going the wrong way spoke up, in a last ditch effort nervous pleas were yelled, and then countered by "no it's okay, they do this all the time". I sat so that I was facing traffic during the U-turn, and from my judgement this task seemed impossible, but nonetheless he swung out into two lanes before straightening out into one, horns going off everywhere, the driver got the old diesel up to speed and we were off. Jesus. 

Within an hour we were out of the city, and the terrain became mountainous. We wound our way up switch backs through steep, lush-covered mountains, honking at every turn and at every person who the driver thought was not paying attention (everyone). The sun blared in the blue sky, and the air was hot and dry. People stopped and stared as we drove through neighboring towns and villages. Along our route we stopped at the great wall of china where the road intersected the wall along a river and a dam. We walked along the top of the damn, crossing the river, and paid a man on the other side 2 RMB to climb the side of the mountain up to the great wall. We were the only tourist here, so it was probably one of the best ways to see the wall, even though it was just a quick stop. Our presence attracted a few local merchants who were selling fireworks. We bought some and lit most of them off at the dam. They're fireworks are essentially black-cats ranging in size. Ted bought a huge string, lit it, and threw it off the 80 foot dam. It landed in the water and popped a couple more times before going out. The merchants loved it. We also picked up a variety that explodes when you throw them on the ground. A similar concept to the small, white "whipper snappers", but along the same magnitude as a black cat. I wish I could get these back to the states, but there is no way.  

We arrived at the town outside of the village and met with the "leader", as it translates from chinese to english. One of our chinese classmates, Sen, translated the conversation between the group and the mayor over loose-leaf tea in the city building. We talked on the third floor of the city building in a room with a big conference table. The air was cool and reeked of cigarettes. 

After our conversation, we walked up the main road to one of the many traditional chinese courtyard homes lining the streets. Inside the modest home was an elaborate meal set on two tables. We ate lunch, and then drove to the village, and met with their leader, again over hot loose-leaf tea. An hour later, we walked around the 200 person village, investigating each narrow street, and peering behind the courtyard walls. The homes were made of brick, and sometimes a combination of stone, mud, and straw. The roofs were covered in traditional tiles. Each home had a small garden within the walls of the courtyard, and several smaller structures to house chickens, rabbits, and goats. Many of the fences were made using tree branches, but were arranged so neatly they looked very nice. The streets were newly redone, and were one of the worst things in the village. They basically smothered everything in concrete, and smoothed over the embankments and topographical changes into one continuous flow. 

We took photos and made some sketches, then headed down to a tea house shrine, which was nothing more than a few traditional residential-like buildings. A few us hiked along a small road that led into the mountains. There was a communication breakdown along the way because Ted and I thought the tea house shrine was nestled somewhere back in the hills, not at the base of the trail (which is telling to how unassuming these structures looked) After 15 minutes the rest of the group wanted to turn back. Ted and I decided to jogged the rest of the way (it was supposed to be 3-4km away) We took off at a steady clip, and ran for 10 minutes. We never found anything, except for two pheasants that suddenly emerged out of the brush, eliciting screams. The trail continued, but we were quickly running out of time and needed to be back for the dinner. We turned back to catch up with the rest of the group, but our guides who became worried at the base of the trail met us half way between. They were not interested in jogging, so we caused the group to wait for us at the bottom. 

We drove back into town and ate dinner at a restaurant in town. It might have been a hotel or someone's house, it's hard to say. Dinner was another iteration of the lunch we ate earlier with many of the same dishes, like hard-boiled duck eggs sliced in half (very salty). A new dish was rabbit stew that was very good. We drank tea and beer, and did the best we could to eat all the food. Under the cool florescent lights we talked about architecture, representation, and Robert and Mary Ann's olive oil business in Italy. 

After dinner we collected our things from the bus and Sen showed us where we were staying. Most people stayed in the same house where we ate lunch earlier. Several beds lined the walls of two little rooms, and in the main living area was one huge bed that sleeps six people. Traditionally, the whole family would sleep on the large bed, and it would be heated from beneath with coals to stay warm in the winter. I think the modern versions have radiant heat, but they still maintain the same form. About five of us, including the bus driver, slept in another house on a large bed. My only complaint was the snoring, but I had my earplugs with me. In the courtyard I brushed my teeth in a sink, and then got ready for bed. The bathroom was typical, a little porcelain thing punched into the ground summoning the squatting method. 

We ate breakfast at 7:30a, which was another iteration of the same meal we had for lunch and dinner. We drove the bus back the village to do a final read of the place, taking measurements, more photographs, and some sketching. Ted and Sen and I hiked up one of the mountains and got a nice view of the village from the ridge. We left at 11am, and made a pit stop at one of the satellite cites along the way, picking up snacks and some souvenirs at a hardware store. We wound our way back through the mountain, and arrived at BASE around 2:30p.

Pets

The last posting was sabotaged for some reason, this is

 full story. 

Everyone has a dog in the cao chang di village, and there are also a handful that seem to run wild. Although the wild ones probably aren't strays because the chinese gov't requires dog owners to register their pet with the local police. Most of the dogs here are muts, or not very pure purebreds. The villagers favor the pekingnese, german shepherds, and few random toy breads. They're also pretty lax when it comes to picking up after one's pet. But also wonder if I am mistaking dog droppings for babies-wearing-ass-less-chaps droppings. 

Yesterday Ted and Andy and I ventured to the pet market id downtown beijing. It was insane. You could find almost anything there. Ted came home with a tiny turtle -not sure of the species, and I picked up a green tree frog for 3 RMB (about 50 cents). The pet market is similar to the way an antique mall is set up, a giant space filled with smaller rooms housing individual merchants. There is also an outdoor section that winds it's way through some other outbuildings. Some of the stand out pets for sale were: chipmunks, squirrels, giant frogs, giant crickets (very chinese), and stingrays. 

Earlier that morning I had gone to the flower market and picked up a couple terrariums and was able to make a nice home for the frog. I'm going to smuggle the frog on the plane when I leave. If it stays healthy, and survives the plane ride it should live for a long time. I tried to get the smallest one out of the lot (about 1-1/4 inches). There were others that were at least three inches long, so I think this species can grow to be very big. This little guy even chirps at night. 

Ted's turtle is doing well, we've been feeding it meal worms, and it seems to think they're pretty good. I think ted is going to smuggle his turtle on the plane too. 

Andy almost bought one of the only puppies we saw at the market, this white fluffy thing. They were asking 100 RMB (about $14.00) It seemed healthy and happy, but it is difficult to register the dog and ship it back to the states. One of our guide books explains how to do it, but is was enough of an obstacle to thwart the sale. 

I have plans to bring a big cricket back to the states. Our professors have brought them through security without a problem (meaning they haven't been caught). At the pet market there are elaborate accessories for them, like hand-carved wooden cages and hollowed gourd containers to house them. Keeping crickets is deeply rooted in chinese culture, which is why there is such an array of products made to keep them. The big crickets are green, and about 2-1/2 inches long with fat abdomens. They live for three to nine months, and chirp loudly and frequently.

Pets