Friday, May 21, 2004
Taking Humble Steps
As long as I don’t understand why I’m behaving in a certain way, I tend to feel guilty about it. I’ve felt guilty for not updating as often as I have wanted to in the last few weeks. Thinking about why this happens sometimes, I can of course blame it on being occupied with various things, but really I think it comes down to expecting too much of myself. I have tried to learn a lot about writing and web-design, and I have a number of goals in both of these fields that I’m still far from attaining. I have a pretty clear idea of what I like in good writing, but I often feel that I’m not in the right mood—too tired, too sick, too busy, or whatever—to put down writing that lives up to my own standards.
But the real mistake here is to let that stop me from trying—even with just a few words at a time. I need to remember, as many people do, that real progress comes about mainly through the little steps we take on the path towards our goals. The steps that count most are the ones that no one congratulates us for, when we tripped up a little or even just accomplished some small success. Countless little steps cover far more distances than great marathons ever will.
Whatever it is that may be taking place in my life or in the world around me, there is invariably something beautiful there waiting to be discovered… but the approach to that beauty requires humble steps, patient walking, and a steadfast resolution not to let expectations get in the way.
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.
Monday, May 03, 2004
The Shanghai Taxi/Shopping Problem
The thing about Shanghai is that it’s not quite like what you’d expect China to be. Standing on the pedestrian overpass, you see just how much light there is down there in the intersection and you wonder how China got to be this way. Major shopping centers, such as this one, feel like the beating heart of the city. This is where thousands of young people come each day to hang out, watch movies, eat pizza hut and buy new computers. You could buy an iPod here, eat some French-style vegetarian food, and then go shopping for underwear all without breaking a sweat—if you wanted to, of course.
People are everywhere in places like this, and getting a taxi feels a bit like cutthroat competition at best—if you wait in some sort of respectable line, you’ll never get where you want to go. The first time I tried to get a taxi in this intersection, I waited through about 40 minutes of frustration before a kindly Chinese gentleman finally noticed my plight and had pity on me. Later on, I got good enough at it so that I can go to the right place, cut some other people off, and get in my taxi like an old pro.
The only thing is: I still feel guilty about it. A real Shanghai pro would be past that.
This feeling represents the contradiction that Shanghai presents us with: modern China versus traditional China in all the little aspects of life. Somehow the proper Chinese gentlemanly spirit would be to look around you and see if there’s anyone who needs help getting a taxi, especially a foreigner, a mother, or an elderly person, and then assist them to get one. Even in a crowd, a Chinese gentleman would do that. Having to play along with the regular Shanghai big-city-rules feels very much like going against the civilized rules of greater China.
Is China growing to encompass new things, like shopping megacomplexes and busy city ethics, or does embracing such new concepts mean betraying the values that have always made China what it is?
China • Photos • Shanghai • (48) Trackbacks • Permalink
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.”
What's This?
Some things look rather alien when you see them close up. I took this photo at my friend’s house when he was so kind as to let my mom and I stay there during our travels last winter. You’ll find it in a kitchen.
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