Dongmen shopping center (Shenzhen), March 2010
Wangfujing Shopping Center (Beijing), July 2010
Ditan Park Temple Fair (Beijing), February 2011
Beijing Metro, June 2011
Shenzhen Bus, March 2010
That same bus, from the outside
Xi'an Train Station, October 2010
Exactly one year ago today, I boarded a plane bound for Beijing, China. And what a year it’s been.
Tiananmen Square on March 20. Photo from Reuters
It’s widely known that China’s air is pretty badly polluted. For the last few weeks in Beijing, a combination of dust from the Gobi desert sandstorms and pollution turned the air brown.
Last week, the sandstorms reached Southern China. In Hong Kong, the pollution index hit 400. (An index 200 is considered “severe”). On Tuesday, I visited Hong Kong to finish some errands. Here’s what I saw:
Pollution along Victoria Harbour. These buildings on the island are not very far from Avenue of Stars, where this photo was taken.
The pollution definitely had a noticeable effect on my health. On Monday, I began to develop a deep cough. I assumed I had just come down with something until I read about the pollution in the news Tuesday. By Wednesday, I lost my voice and the cough became painful. My voice was so gone that I needed a microphone to teach my classes. Luckily, the worst of both my cough and the pollution were gone by the end of the week.
One of the recurring themes of China in the Western media is, of course, the pollution. It’s a classic example of framing. (Sidenote: Communication Studies terms FTW!) While I agree that it’s a problem, I sometimes think it’s overhyped. Yes, some days here in Shenzhen, a city in Southern China, the pollution can be pretty bad. But often, the skies are almost completely clear.
A lot of the news that comes out of China tends to come from Beijing, a city that is far more polluted than the rest of China. But I think it’s unfair to portray China solely from the Beijing perspective. China’s a big country, after all. It’d be like saying all of the US is just like New York City.
I’ve heard some crazy facts and rumors about the pollution: Living in Beijing is like smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, each month spent in Beijing takes a year off your life expectancy, expats who return to their home country tend to bounce back, etc. I can’t prove the validity of these statements, especially since I’ve only visited four cities (Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong) and seen the countryside only once (on my 27-hour train ride from Beijing to Shenzhen). But I can say that every day here ISN’T miserably smoggy, requiring us to wear facemasks all the time. But if your main perceptions of China come from AP photos and CNN, you might think we do.
I went a little crazy with the Christmas decorations in my dorm room. Note the Charlie Brown Christmas tree.
Question: Do people in China know about Christmas?
Short Answer: Yes.
Long Answer: Yes, but China has a funny way of dealing with the holiday season …
On Thursday, November 5, 2009, I had the unique opportunity to see the opening ceremony for the Guangdong Cultural Festival in Shenzhen. The event was held at Window of the World.
I captured some photos and footage from the event, and compiled them together in this short video:
(If Vimeo isn’t working, try the Youtube version)
From the Washington Post: “Mark Okoth Obama Ndesandjo … has lived in the Southern Chinese city of Shenzhen for seven years and has just produced his autobiographical novel, ‘From Nairobi to Shenzhen.’”
Word on the street is Ndesandjo owns a restaurant here. I am determined to find it.
EDIT: Shenzhenparty.com details the book release press conference here. I have also learned that Ndesandjo owns, not one, but a chain of restaurants called Cabin BBQ (木屋烧烤 or mu wu ciao kao) in Shenzhen. He also owns WorldNexus, an Internet consulting company in the city.
The weather in Shenzhen for today, November 4
It was just 60 degrees outside when I walked to school this morning, according to Weather Underground. That’s a dramatic drop in the temperature I’ve been getting used to here.
You’d think being from Michigan would mean I wouldn’t have any problems with this “cold” weather. But it’s surprising how quickly I’ve adapted to Shenzhen’s tropical climate. I was a little ashamed to find myself shivering and desiring a coat.
As you know, I am living in Shenzhen, China. The city is one of China’s Special Economic Zones (SEZs). Without going into too much history, it’s basically a city that was designated by the government to have more flexible economic laws. SEZs were created as part of China’s Economic Reforms (改革开放 or Găigé kāifàng; literally: “The Reform and Opening Up Policy”) of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
I’ve been told by many people here that the Shenzhen as we know it now did not exist 30 years ago. It’s been hard for me to picture this bustling city as a small fishing village.
That is, until I recently discovered these photos of the city from 1980 by Flickr user Leroy W. Demery, Jr.
The shirt reads "Beijing Huar." It's making fun of the distinct Beijing accent which sounds a little bit like that of a Pirate.
Back in August, I spent close to three weeks training in Beijing to receive my TEFL certificate. One major difference I’ve noticed between Beijing and Shenzhen is the accent people in both cities have.
Beijing ren (Beijing people) tend to add a distinct “arr” to the end of words. Nanfang ren (Southern people) avoid the “arr” because they believe it is bu hao ting (hard to listen to).
The “arrr” is known as erhua or the “Beijing huar.” It has the tendency to make speakers sound like a pirate. (Pirates say “arr” a lot, get it?)
Taxi drivers in Beijing had some of the thickest erhua I’ve ever heard. Their words seemed to be slurred, making it difficult to get around the city.
The concept of the “Beijing huar” amused me, so I decided to look it up online. The first thing I found was a website selling these t-shirts making fun of the accent.
Says the homepage:
“A distinctive feature of Beijing Mandarin is the “arr” sound at the end of many words, making you sound like a pirate! Celebrate this cultural synergy!”
Brilliant.
Bridget O'Donnell, 24, is a designer for the Shanghai Daily. She previously worked for the China Daily and graduated from the University of Michigan in 2009. More »