Terminally Me

It started maybe 5 or 6 years back. I was in Beijing for a prolonged visit (back when no one knew what the word “internship” meant), and it was a typical summer day: dry and unbearably hot. I had just been introduced to the concept of hotpot, and thought that it was one of the best ideas in the world. Imagine, getting a big pot and cooking all your favorite foods in it at once, what’s not to like? Problem was, nobody ate hotpot in the summer, along the same lines why most people don’t eat ice cream in a snowstorm. But not to be deterred, I suggested the absurd: “why don’t we have hotpot with the air conditioning on?” My grandpa chuckled, but then seemed to entertain the idea seriously. “You know, we should do it,” he concluded. And that’s how it started. Every summer since then, we’ve gathered around the dining room table, turned on the AC to max, and enjoyed our hotpot without a care in the world.

This summer was the first in many years I didn’t get to visit family in Beijing. However, I’m glad I had the opportunity to come back during winter break, because it gave me the chance to enjoy hotpot under normal circumstances with my grandparents. At the end of the day, I think it’s the small moments like this one that I will remember most vividly when I look back years later.

Whew, what a day! I was only out for 5 hours today, but what a productive 5 hours they were.

My cousin Fan Wei and her husband picked me up around 9:30 this morning, and we headed promptly to Jing Shan Park (景山公园), one of Beijing’s famous historical landmarks. Although I had probably been here at some point in my life, I had forgotten all about it, and today turned out to be quite the refreshing experience. Jing Shan is essentially a mountain with 5 pavilions on it, 2 on each side and 1 on the peak. Each pavilion symbolizes something different, and each was previously occupied by a unique Bodhisattva, until they were looted by the Eight-Nation Alliance during the invasion of Beijing in 1900-1901. It was a beautiful day, and the view from the top of the mountain was stunning. Jing Shan lies directly on the invisible line that divides the city into its east and west halves, and from where we stood, we got a great view of the rear gate of the Forbidden City. After we descended the mountain and made our way through the rest of the park, I was presently surprised by the amount of activity that was going on. From practitioners of Tai Chi to people jumping rope and kicking 毽子 (Chinese equivalent of hacky sack), to calligraphers writing on the ground using large brushes and water as ink, to scores of people gathering around and singing folk songs, there was an inescapable feeling of “old Beijing” (老北京) in the air. The sights and sounds reminded of the Beijing I fell in love with as a kid before all the skyscrapers and automobiles took hold.

After Jing Shan, we headed off to 南锣鼓巷, a historical street buried deep in the historical hutongs of the city. It is now serves as a unique shopping and culinary experience for foreigners and locals alike. We took our time wandering through the shops, stopping to taste some of the famous local food such as stinky tofu (yes, it smells bad, but tastes delicious), homemade yogurt (more flavorful than any froyo I’ve ever had), and triangle cakes (a thin outer shell filled with red bean paste). We had lunch at a restaurant called 鬼味, which is famous for its many-flavored chicken wings. I even had some wasabi wings, which ended up being a bit more tame than I expected. Still I was thankful to have plenty of soda to wash it all down. 南锣鼓巷 is adjacent to 沙井胡同, where my dad’s family used to live, and where I spent a large part of my early childhood. About 5 years ago, the government tore down the family’s neighborhood, and my family was forced to relocate. As we walked by the neighborhood today, the old house was still a pile of rubble. My cousin said it’s probably because the developers ran out of money, but deep down inside I wish that they are taking their time to restore the neighborhood to the way it used to be. There is so much history ingrained in each of Beijing’s hutongs; their slow disappearance marks the end of an era.

After our journey down memory lane, we visited Wang Fu Jing (王府井), our last destination of the day and one of my favorite places in Beijing. It’s one of those places that’s designed to appeal to tourists, because in general the shopping is pretty expensive. However, many locals still go because some of Beijing’s oldest and most reputable stores are  located there. The store we went to today, Li Sheng Sporting Equipment (利生体育用品商店) is one such store. I bought my dad a new ping-pong paddle and some ping-pong balls for back home.

Tomorrow, I’m visiting my cousin Meng Meng’s house. It’s my first time going, and also the first time seeing him since he got married, so I’m looking forward to it.

= automatic food coma.

As it turns out, I only had around 30 unread messages. Not bad, but still enough to give me a headache. I just got back from Fan Wei’s house, where I was able to go on the internet for the first time in over a week and also enjoy some home cooking. Afterwards, we chatted and played Monopoly on Xbox 360. Apparently there’s an alternate version of Monopoly called “Richest” which goes a lot faster but also involves significantly more luck. There is a set number of rounds, and at the beginning of each round, a number of dice are rolled (equal to the number of players). Then, a mini game is played to determine turn order. Each player chooses which dice to choose, and the value of the dice determines how many tiles on the board you draw. If you draw a property that hasn’t been owned yet, you get the property, but if you draw someone else’s property, you have to “pay” them by giving them one of your existing properties. Thus, it’s advantages to choose bigger numbers at the beginning of the game to increase your chances of hoarding property, but probably safer to go for lower numbers towards the end to prevent the possibility of landing on other people’s property. Like normal Monopoly, you can upgrade to houses and hotels once you have established a monopoly, which results in other players paying you more (in property) every time they land on the monopoly. If you’re out of properties, then you don’t have to pay. The exciting thing about Richest is that it is fast-paced and dynamic. Chance, Community Chest, and Tax tiles have been modified so that instead of paying or receiving money, you have to pay in property (or have the chance to steal others’ properties). At the end of the game, the winner is the person whose total real estate is worth the most.

It’s been a busy couple of days. On Saturday, Fan Wei, Meng Meng, his wife, and I had dinner at a restaurant (Wang Shun Ge) famous for its fish head (I’m pretty sure the English translation is just “Fish Head Restaurant”). Although I have never been a big fan of eating fish head, the one we had on Saturday was delicious. I never thought one fish head could be so filling, but I was proved wrong: some of the bigger fish heads weigh five of six kilograms! If you’re ever in Beijing, I highly encourage you to give this restaurant a visit. The next day, Fan Wei had to teach a class in the southern part of Beijing, so I made the long trek to meet her and her husband Feng for lunch. We then drove to Pan Jia Yuan and visited Beijing’s famous “Glasses City,” where I managed to purchase a pair of glasses for 150 RMB! The most ridiculous part was that I got them in about a half an hour. In the U.S., the same thing would probably cost at least $150 and take at least a week or two to manufacture and deliver. Of course, the quality in China isn’t as great, but for the price and convenience, I think it is completely worth it. Plus, I primarily wear contacts, so it’s even less of a problem for me.  After feeling very good about the bargain price that we got for the pair of glasses, the three of us went and saw How to Train Your Dragon in 3D. I have to admit, was a little hesitant at first, but I was presently surprised by the movie and the 3D effects. It was the first full-length 3D movie I’ve ever seen (yeah I know, I’m a loser for not seeing Avatar), and the whole experience was amazing. And while the movie itself is geared towards a younger audience, I saw plenty of adults in the audience who were having a great time (myself included). I feel like with recent films like Avatar, Alice in Wonderland, and now How to Train Your Dragon, 3D movies are making a bigger impact at the box office, which only means that there will be more and more 3D movies in the future. While not all films will be appropriate in 3D, I think that those of the action and animated genres will benefit greatly from the growing prominence of 3D technology. If implemented correctly, the 3D effect will definitely be a great draw for audiences of all ages.

Earlier today (Monday), I traveled to my grandparents’ house in Mai Zi Dian, where I’ll be staying for the rest of my time in China. It feels good to have visited all of my closest relatives after nearly a year of absence. All in all, it’s a good change of pace, and it’s a trip that I’d like to keep making every year for as long as possible. I spent a good portion of my childhood here, so I always feel like I’m coming back to a second home rather than just visiting.

Of course, no trip to China would be complete without my getting demolished by mosquitoes, and as if to prove a point, one mosquito gave me no less than 20 bites last night (my very last night at my uncle’s)! FML.