Day 16: Li Po

Li Po, or Li Bai, was a wandering poet of China, native of Sichaun. He was born in 701 and died in 762. It is said that he used to be good in martial arts, and before he reached his twenties, he had killed several men. When he was in his twenties, he traveled down the Yangtze River, met his wife, and spent the rest of his life as a traveling poet. Maybe I'll be inspired like Li Po with my own poetry.

Li Po was the major Chinese poet during the Tang Dynasty,and was the poet for the emperor. It is believed that Li Po drowned while drunkenly leaning from a boat to embrace the moon's reflection on the water. Most scholars believe he died from cirrhosis of the liver or from mercury poisoning due to Taoist longevity elixirs.

There's a great movie series on Youtube that goes more in depth on the man behind Li Po:

Here's an example of his poetry:

On a Picture Screen

Whence these twelve peaks of Wu-shan!

Have they flown into the gorgeous screen

From heaven's one corner?

Ah, those lonely pines murmuring in the wind!

Those palaces of Yang-tai, hovering over there—

Oh, the melancholy of it!—

Where the jeweled couch of the king

With brocade covers is desolate,—

His elfin maid voluptuously fair

Still haunting them in vain!

Here a few feet

Seem a thousand miles.

The craggy walls glisten blue and red,

A piece of dazzling embroidery.

How green those distant trees are

Round the river strait of Ching-men!

And those ships—they go on,

Floating on the waters of Pa.

The water sings over the rocks

Between countless hills

Of shining mist and lustrous grass.

How many years since these valley flowers bloomed

To smile in the sun?

And that man traveling on the river,

Does he not for ages hear the monkeys screaming?

Whoever looks on this,

Loses himself in eternity;

And entering the sacred mountains of Sung,

He will dream among the resplendent clouds.

Li Po was not just a famous poet in China, but an inspiration to poets everywhere, particularly Ezra Pound. As a writer, I feel that he heavily contributed to poetry although in at least America he is not well known amongst my peers.

Moos'n Out.

Day 14: History of Rice

It is eaten plain, fried, with pork or soy sauce. It is eaten morning, noon and night. The crop is the second highest worldwide production and is the most important staple food for most of the world's population.

Image Courtesy of wellnessuncovered.com

Rice was first domesticated in the region of the Yangtze River valley, which is where I will be floating down when on a riverboat for a couple days in China. Hopefully, from the river I'll be able to see some rice paddies. Unfortunately it will not be harvest season in nine days.

The majority of rice produced comes from China, Korea, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar,the Philippines and Japan. Overall, Asian farmers account for 92% of the world's total rice production.

During the period before the Qin Dynasty (221 BC – 206 BC), rice was used to brew wines and offered as a sacrifice to the Gods. This rice wine is called sake, and I've never tried it. I've heard it's an acquired taste, but if my family has had it maybe I'll like it. We'll see.

Earlier this month Wellness Uncovered released an article stating that high concentrations of metals have been found in China's rice. The high-paced industrialization of the country has produced a wide-spread contamination, increasing the pollution in cities and waters, which hurts agricultural business, particularly of rice. Rice absorbs metals, particularly cadmium found near the mines and now it is believed up to 10% of the country's produce is contaminated.

As long as it's cooked I'm up for eating it. When I think of how many people in China live in poverty, and that their main food source has become contaminated, I feel bad. I want to do something. The only thing I know of is Freerice.com. Free Rice is a nonprofit organization that helps people learn many subjects by asking multiple choice questions, and whenever someone gets an answer right, 10 grains of rice is donated to third-world countries. What about China? China is the main producer and although it isn't completely a third-world country, the rural farmers need food too.

So when you get bored, play freerice and stop world hunger.

Moos'n Out!

Day 12: Moos'n Out in Mojo

So today we received more detailed information of our trip.

From the 5th through the 10th we will be in the city of Wuhan, doing a home-stay, and taking a river boat cruise down the Yangtze River. Although in March most of the streets in the US are flooded with melting snow, but in China, it is still window. Daily temperatures are reaching up to the 50s, but there is a chance of rain and clouds.

We're advised to wear layers, especially seeing most of Wuhan does not have central heating in the houses.

The boat trip is easy sailing, never more than 100 meters from shore and pretty smooth.The cruise is 2 nights and 1 full day, sandwiched between 2 half-days. There will be plenty of stops along the river for disembarkation and local exploring, plus some time gawking at the Pride of Chinese Engineering (the 3 Gorges Dam).

We also spent part of class watching Part II of the Gates of Heavenly Peace. This part focused on the days before the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Hong Kong sent money and supplies in support of the students, but by the end of May, the leaders were highly considering leaving. Some of the people present didn't truly care about the protest, but were only there to get famous.

On June 2nd, Liu Xiaobo joined the students and began a hunger strike. Xiaobo is a literary critic and human rights activist and was recently arrested after winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

Day 11: We Will Rock You

In 1974, people stumbled upon a tomb full of 8,000 clay figurines.
Each person was based on a real soldier, so every horse, chariot, and person is individualized.
The army was made for the first emperor of China, Qin's tomb. The accompaniment of the soldiers is supposed to represent his immortality. By bringing these soldiers to the afterlife, it was believed Qin would rule there as well. The whole tomb is still unexcavated, meaning there are more soldiers to be unearthed. The soldiers were in a 35 sq. mi. vault, but the location of the emperor's burial chamber is still unknown. There is a story written that the emperor is buried with pearls and gems on the ceiling to represent the sky, and an exact replica of China on the chamber floor, including mountains, the great wall, and rivers of mercury!
The army was discovered in 1974 in Xi'an province.

Image Courtesy of Beijing discovery tours

If you can't make the journey across the great Pacific, don't worry! All you need is a passport to visit our friendly neighbors to the north. From February 11 to June 26th at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The exhibit consists of 240 warriors.
ADMISSION FEES
· Age 26 to 64 ............ $20
· Age 65 and more ...... $16
· Age 13 to 25 ............ $12
· Age 0 to 12 .............. Free
· Museum VIP's ............... Free
GROUP:
· Age 26 to 64 .......... $16
· Age 65 and more .... $12
· Age 13 to 25 .......... $10
· Age 0 to 12 ............ $2

I vote that this would be the great end to our China exploration.

Moos'n Out!

Day 10: It's Not White, It's Translucent

Image Courtesy of critteristic.com

The panda bear, known for being friendly bamboo eating creatures that are the sign of China, but what people don't know is they aren't actually black and white.The 'white' hair is actually translucent.

When Giant pandas are born it takes them 40-60 days just to open their eyes and the reach puberty between ages 5 and 7. The life expectancy of these cute bears is only 25 years. And when they are born they are so tiny. They are smaller than a person's finger! The cub is 1/900th the size of its mother. Except for marsupials, like a kangaroo, a giant panda baby is the smallest mammal newborn relative to its mother's size.

What's amazing is these big, lumbering bears, like all bears, can climb trees. Can you imagine a tree holding 165- 286 pounds?

There are a lot of common misconceptions about pandas. Pandas don't just live off bamboo. Skeletons have shown that they eat small prey and birds.

Pandas are protected by the Chinese government, and many instead of living in their natural habitat, the Himalayas, live in wildlife reserves, but are these endangered species safer in reserves, away from snow leopard? China might protect them, but what happens to the pandas when natural disasters happen?

It's still on my bucket list to see a panda in the wild, but maybe my best bet is to go to a reserve. I wonder if I can play with them, or is it like a zoo where there is a huge divide. I want to see a panda in the wild. Aren't they just adorable?

Day 9: Who are you?

The average age of people in China is 35, yet China is currently undergoing a crisis with the older generation. No one know how to take care of those with Alzheimer's or dementia. An article released in the New York Times last month, briefly described the situation.

Image Courtesy of The New York Times

Alzheimer’s and dementia used to be a shameful disease, but now China’s attitude is changing to deal with the expected 400 million people over the age of sixty in the next thirty years. Currently, China does not have enough people skilled in coping with dementia patients, including doctors, and there are few nursing homes that are trained to handle dementia patients.

Boston College is working on ways to slow down the onset of the disorder and alleviate health care costs, not only for China’s impending crisis, but globally.

The China Alzheimer's Project believes that in a matter of decades, dementia will be an epidemic. According to their website, Alzheimer's is missed diagnosed more than 75% and that only 21.3% of the patients have taken medicines.The China Alzheimer's Project was launched in September 2009, whose mission is to provided awareness and information about the disease, and to provide a better quality of life for patients and families coping with a dementia.

Image Courtesy of Life.com

Other non-profits across the country are working to increase awareness of dementia, and in May and October the Alzheimer's Society is hosting a six-day trek across the Great Wall.

There's a really good video about dementia patients in China on YouTube.

The Chinese has been using a moss plant as an herbal remedy to ward off dementia. Huperzia Serrata that has been brewed for centuries in tea. The moss is supposed to help with seizures, brain swelling, fevers and inflammation. During the 1980s part of the moss was extracted and put in a supplement, Huperzine-A that is fairly inexpensive. The supplement is supposed to help with memory, cognition, and the behavior of Alzheimer's. Research is being conducted currently at Havard to use the supplement as an anti-seizure medication, and it is the only supplement on the market to help with short-term memory loss.

So if you have a bad memory or are suffering from this disease, take these pills and remember to follow me to Beijing!

Moos'n Out.

Day 8: Moos'n out in Mojo

So Thursday's class was more of the same.

We got our itinerary, so you can follow my journey through China when I am out of contact. This is where my footprints will be:

Friday, March 4: Morning flight Burlington, VT to Newark, NJ, to Beijing, China.

Saturday, March 5: Arrive in Beijing in the afternoon. Two-hour flight to Wuhan. Stay in Wuhan’s Xinagu Hotel that night.

Sunday, March 6: Settling into Wuhan; visit with HuaZhong Normal University students and faculty. Home Stay in Single Sex Pairs – Night #1.

Monday, March 7: Wuhan – Home Stay in Single Sex Pairs – Day #2.

Tuesday, March 8: Wuhan – Royal Gorge exploration by boat.

Wednesday, March 9: Wuhan – Royal Gorge exploration by boat.

Thursday, March 10: Wuhan – Royal Gorge exploration by boat. Fly to Beijing – stay in Jiangou Garden Hotel.

Friday, March 11: Beijing – Great Wall of China “Wild Wall” Day Tour.

Saturday, March 12: Downtown Beijing - Tiananmen Square/Forbidden City in the morning; Shopping/markets in afternoon and evening.

Sunday, March 13: Leave Beijing; Return to Vermont.

The rest of class we finished Part 1 of Gates of Heavenly Peace.

The movie showed a clip of Chinese Government footage from the 1976 incident in Tiananmen Square. It was a funeral procession and it showed images of the citizens sad, and lining the streets in honor of the political figure, and the music in the background was grand, and depressing. It reminded me of a propaganda film I watched last year, Triumph of the Will, about a Nazi rally.

Both are propaganda pieces meant to show the support of the nation, with the dramatic music and footage.

The movie is wicked intense. It showed the dedication of the students and that no matter what, or well in their case, the lack of what, the government did, they wouldn't give up their dream. They had a Hunger Strike for over a week, and ended with a peaceful sit in. Students were being rushed away in ambulances from lack of food, yet they never left. They weren't afraid when the People's Liberation Army was ordered to enter the Square, and the leaders of the Student Unions decided to lay their lives on the line.

Can't wait to see what happens next.

Day 7: The Dead is Rising

Mummies were found in Xianjing, China in the Tarim Basin, in the beginning of the twentieth century. Since then more bodies have popped up throughout the area.

These bodies were preserved accidentally, due to the climate and the dry desert. Their hair and most of their clothes are still intact, providing archeologists with a rare glimpse into times that date as far back as 1800 B.C. The strange thing about these mummies is they don't look Chinese. They have hair ranging from blonde, to red, to brown, straight and curly, which isn't what is typical of Chinese hair. So where did they come from?

Researchers have begun dissecting them, which in turn has caused a lot of controversy. It is believed they could be ancient ancestors to today's Uighurs, or Uygur. The Uyghurs claim a body as theirs that has been named the Loulan Beauty. So far there have been similarities, but they are most likely Caucasoids. Besides where they come from, there is evidence of bronze, cotton, and the wheel. These mummies predate the time when any of those were supposedly created in China, but did these bodies bring these technologies to the Chinese?

In an article of the New York Times, it is said that phallic symbols have been found next to some of the female bodies, and is believed to be because infancy rates were low. The chances of a woman to have a baby and for it to grow old were slim, and these women were most likely revered, and buried with these symbols. The article also states that for the first time, these mummies will be on display outside of China at Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California near the end of March.

National Geographic has a great video about these Tarim Mummies.



There is also a five part video series posted on YouTube that goes more in depth.

Above image courtesy of Heather Pringle

Day 6: Reading Leaves

Image Courtesy of the Tehran Times

There are all sorts of teas. There's green tea and black tea, white tea and oolong tea. Tea with flavor like lemon and orange spice. You can have tea with milk, sugar, honey, or just plain. Tea can be loose leaves, or in a bag. But with all these options, do people know it's history. We look at cultures from the Middle East and Asia and assume it originated there, for instance China. But is this true?

Tea plants are native to the region around southern China, India, Tibet, and Burma. It's not exactly known when people began drinking tea, but there are records that people drank it during the Qin and Tang Dynasties. Over time, tea made it's way into rituals of the culture. Japan and China have tea ceremonies, and customs surrounding tea.

Image Courtesy of the New York Times

-It is shown as a sign of respect for the younger generation to pour to for their elders.
-It is poured at family gatherings
- Used in a sign of apology
- When a bride and groom get married they pour tea for their parents as part of the Chinese Marriage Ceremony

According to travelchinaguide.com, "Legend has it that Yan Di, one of three rulers in ancient times, tasted all kinds of herbs to find medical cures. One day,as he was being poisoned by some herb he had ingested; a drop of water from a tea tree dripped into his mouth and he was saved." Tea was used mainly as a herbal medicine, brewed, or eaten as a vegetable. If you prefer coffee over tea, and are skeptical about drinking it, there are studies showing that people who drink tea have are healthier in many aspects of their life.

Drinking tea slows the cognitive decline in the body. Don't you want your brain intact longer! Tea also helps normalize blood pressure, lowers cholesterol and prevents coronary heart disease and diabetes by reducing the body's blood-glucose activity. In studies tea decreases obesity and it even lowers your risk at certain cancers, including ovarian, digestive, and oral. Pass me a cup of that miracle drink!

For more in depth answers as to how tea is great for the body, teausa.com is a great site.

Moos'n Out.

Day 4: What is an Erhu?

I was in Seattle, WA for the weekend of the 21st visiting my aunt, and on that Saturday I wanted to go Pike Place Market. We sampled all sorts of honey and jelly, had tea and shrimp. We saw paintings, clothes and jewelry. Anything you could image they probably had. They even had election coins that were really old and were $35. Inside it was cramped, and loud. Everywhere you look there was a person practically touching you, but outside there was space and music. On the street corner there was a Chinese man playing a strange violin.


The man was playing an erhu, a two stringed violin, dating back to over 1,000 years ago, to the Song Dynasty. Precursors of the erhu were called a huqin during the Song Dynasty, and the ji qin, during the Tang Dynasty. The resonating part of the erhu is covered in snake skin, more specifically python, and the body is usually sandalwood or ebony. Because pythons are now an endangered species, it is illegal to import and export erhus. Now a new synthetic cover has been devised to save this musical instrument from extinction as well.
Image by Abbie Clark
The strings are typically tuned to D and A, creating this beautiful sound commonly associated with the Chinese culture. As someone new to what the culture is behind the land mass fourteen hours away by plane, when I heard it at the marketplace I immediately thought of China.

The erhu is commonly found as a solo instrument or mixed with an orchestra, and has been used in many Cantonese operas.

I also believed it to be an odd-version of the horse-head violin.

Here is an example of what the erhu sounds like:

If you would like to learn more about the erhu, there is a wonderful website.

Making Moose antlers and dancing to the erhu until tomorrow!

Day 3: Would you eat genetilia?

So Thursday my China class met and we were going over what everybody had been doing in their personal blogs.

The main consensus was that most people's knowledge of Chinese culture came from their childhood, with movies like Mulan. Many people in the class had links to video clips, I being one of them, and it was fun to watch the clips.

But the weird thing that came up was someone had posted a blog about the penis restaurant in Beijing.

I didn't realize that people actually ate penises. The laughing in the class got progressively higher with each commentary given by Billy Fairchild, not to mention we laughed when we heard yak penis was the most savory. (our teacher has a yak farm)

But who would've thought that frying deer penis and coating it with teriyaki would actually be good?

I guess the Chinese did. Beijing opened a restaurant, Guolizhuang, whose speciality is the penis of a variety of animals, from snakes and ducks, to more endangered animals like tigers and bulls. Don't worry the endangered species' penises come from animals that died.


(Image Courtesy of reuters.com)
According to BBC News, the owner Mr. Guo fled China in 1949 and moved to Taiwan. Later he moved to Atlanta, Georgia where he became interested in chinese medicine and began experiments on the appendages of dogs. He discovered that they are low in cholesterol and good, not just for boosting the male sex drive, but for treating all sorts of ailments.Currently the business has four franchises in Beijing, and if you're one of those people who will try anything once, but can't go to China, there's one in Atlanta, Georgia's Chinatown.

The menu also serves testicles, which it is recommended that women do not eat because it could increase testosterone in the body. No woman wants more hair than necessary and a deeper voice.

Image Courtesy of LIFE

If that's on the menu in China, I'm not sure if I want to eat authentic food.

Day 2: Ni Hao Ma

Sorry that this is a later post, but I was committed to starting the New Year off with the daily blogging, so these first couple entries may be a tad late.

Monday, January 31st, 2011
8 a.m.

It's freezing cold outside. The sun was shining and the thermometer read 0 degrees. Now I live very close to campus, but the wind was biting at my face, turning my nose and cheeks instantly the color of raspberries, and when I get to class there is a woman called Jill. Without a formal introduction she starts speaking to us in Chinese.

It was like the episode in Friends where Joey tries to speak French. We tried to speak Chinese, but I highly doubt we were saying the words correctly. None of us knew what she was saying but our reptillian brain was telling us to repeat after her. Ni Hao Ma. Wo hao. over and over until the meaning of what she was saying sunk it. It was like I dove under water and all of a sudden, sprouted gills. How are you? I'm good. The rest of class was the same thing.
Kuai zi - chopsticks
bu- no
xie xie- Thank you
bu xie- Your welcome
Word after word, the chinese language came to life. Granted when this moose is in China, I highly doubt I'll be able to converse in fluent mandarin, but I could get by. Unfortunately I don't know how to say Where is the bathroom?

Now learning Chinese is up to me. I've heard chinesepod.com is a gret place to learn. Upon first glance it looks kind of like Rosetta Stone, except it's free, which is always great to hear. And there are fun, interactive ways to learn chinese online.

Until next time, Wo Xing Clark.

Day 1: Year of the Rabbit

Image Courtesy of Telegraph.co.uk

Today is the Chinese New Year. The Chinese lunar calendar is divided into twelve animals, this year being the Year of the Rabbit.

According to the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, people that are born in the year of the rabbit are articulate, talented, and ambitious. They are trusted, and typically lucky. The other 11 zodiac animals are the rat, ox, tiger, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. It is believed that the Festival began during the Han Dynasty to thank the gods for a good harvest.

Chinese culture is superstitious, and during many holidays the Chinese rely on certain foods that are believed to be lucky. A Lettuce Wrap is supposed to be lucky, and clams and spring rolls are supposed to bring wealth. The most common food found on the New Years are tangerines and oranges, symbolizing luck and wealth. Other traditions besides food is the giving of lucky money in red envelopes to children.

The Chinese New Year is a 15 day celebration, ending on the 17th. The festivities end with the Festival of Lanterns. The celebration is a very family-focused event, where families travel around their cities to see their relatives and neighbors. They eat dinner and attend the festivities. People migrate home to see their families, and sometimes the New Years is the only time they can make it back to China.

Image Courtesy of oneinchpunch.net

If you're planning on traveling to China, I hope you didn't fly this past week, or will be flying around the 20th because flying will be a nightmare. In an article posted on MSNBC.com, it is estimated 230 million people will be heading to China over the week to be with family, or to just experience China over the New Years.

Maybe it's just coincidence, but as I sat down to write this blog something ran across the snow outside my window. I looked out and it was a brown rabbit. It was big and fluffy, pausing at the top of the hill looking back toward me. Maybe that means I am being blessed in this new year, and my trip to China will be a lucky experience. Keep a look-out for these lucky creatures outside your windows.