Beijing
Wednesday, May 05, 2004
Old Man Tree
Many trees in the Forbidden City, and elsewhere in Beijing’s historic sites, are so old and weak that they need to be supported by these big green crutches. This one looks like an old man trying to bend over without falling over. It’s pitiful, and beautiful, too, in an old and gnarly kind of way.
It reminds me of the dryads, tree spirits of Greek myth. Even though dryads were usually young and female, they had a vulnerability that is still here in this old tree.
In most cases, it would be the old trees that sacrifice themselves for us, in the form of paper, lumber, or a host of other purposes. Tourism is a force, however, that makes us bend over backwards to protect the few trees that tourists will see. Vast forests people don’t see—or more particularly, don’t spend money to see—are also something people rarely spend money to protect.
Sunday, May 02, 2004
Gateway at the Great Wall
The beauty of China is ancient and glorious, yet everywhere you go, you can see the marks of modern life scratched onto its ancient surface. On the sides of this doorway, for example, you can see the names of various Chinese tourists who have been to that spot over the years.
Any moment now, you may also see someone walk up from the stairway just below the scene you’re trying to capture here, right into the field of view of your photograph. They know that by the time they’ve seen you, they’ve already gotten in your way, so rather than back down and wait for you to take your master photo, they just keep on coming. Sometimes it seems that there are hordes of tourists coming in waves upon waves, and you’ll never get your scenic photograph.
Drawing the lesson from missed opportunities, we often say “carpe diem” or “seize the day.” At a Chinese tourist attraction, however, armed with your camera, the most important principle is “seize the instant, or be prepared to wait an hour for another one.”
Saturday, May 01, 2004
How Steep It Is
In China they have a saying that: “If you don’t make it to the Great Wall, you aren’t really a good man.” I always chuckle when I think of that because I think “wow, women really got it made!” but I have to admit that the intention of the saying is that the Great Wall is not only a great sight that you must see—it is a challenge to overcome.
You have very likely heard many things about the great wall: that it is the only man-and-woman-made thing which can be seen from space (which it isn’t, actually), that David Copperfield walked through it one night (which he obviously couldn’t have really done), and that people periodically try to soar over it in a non-aerial vehicle (sometimes with unfortunate results.)
But one thing that is very difficult to understand, even when you see pictures of the great wall, is just How-Steep-It-Is. When you take the average picture up or down the great wall, you see that it is steep indeed, but you don’t really get the proper feeling of vertigo that you have in real life, as if you’ve come to a great precipice and the wind might just push you to your death at the bottom of the stairs.
This photo tries to capture something of that feeling. It’s about the relationship of the stairs to the mountains and trees behind them. You have to imagine how looking down to the left actually feels more dangerous than peering over that edge at the needle-like trees far below.
Friday, March 19, 2004
Back in Business
I haven’t written for Brightwind for over a month. In the meantime, a group of American students from my old high school came for a school-sponsored trip to China. The school here where I teach hosted them for a while, and during that time, they met with Chinese students here, danced, played and talked with them, and also visited nearby cities in the daytime. After about five days there, I took them on another adventure to Beijing. We saw the Great Wall, the Forbidden City (which is hardly forbidden anymore), the Ming Tombs, the Summer Palace, the Beijing Opera, and some Chinese Acrobatics.
I was lucky that the two teachers, husband and wife, that came with the students to China both happened to be artists. The man was my art teacher when I went to school there almost 10 years ago. Both of them gave me lots of really neat tips on my photography, and I feel much inspired from meeting them.
The students also proved to be fascinating people. They were very mature, and they embraced their new experiences with open-minded enthusiasm. I’m very proud to have attended the same school as them.
I have much more news to share, but I will save it for my next entry, which, now that I have a bit more time, will be coming much faster than this one has.
Photos • Beijing • Way of Life • Religion • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
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