SNAFU number one

On a project of this kind, there are apt to be multiple SNAFUs.  One occurred a week ago Friday, when I received an urgent email from one of our Chinese partners.  Wanted to know if I and my group could document recent examinations of our lungs and livers, since some of our work in Jinan will be with small children.  Otherwise, said the partner, we could have these tests done in China.

I didn't want to subject our students to the joys of a Chinese physical, but there's no way around it, since time is short, the tests are expensive, and their probably insurance won't cover it.

I'd been through one of these checkups in 2006.  It is a co-ed procedure where everyone is lined up and ordered to strip to the waist.  I'm not a modesty freak, but the procedure exceeded my threshold, especially when people stared curiously at my uncovered breasts, which are quite a bit larger than those of a Chinese woman.

The blood test was quick and efficient. I'm OK with needles; but all they gave us to stanch the bleeding were Q-tips, and I bled like a pig.  No one else did this.  Presumably, the Chinese stop bleeding when ordered to do so.

My doctor's office squeezed me into the schedule, and I had my tests run on Tuesday.

Expert orientation

Tomorrow, I head to China once more, this time as leader of a study abroad program with four education students. John, my former graduate assistant, was recently hired as an instructor and serves our project coordinator.

We will be following the same itinerary as our group did in March, but we're spending just over a month.  First stop is Beijing, where we'll be climbing the Great Wall and experiencing a bit of China's historic culture. Afterwards, we go on to Jinan where we'll do some teaching at Shandong Institute of Commerce and Technology.  We'll finish up with a trip to the beach in Weihai.

There was a week long seminar before we pushed off.  On Thursday, four of our visiting scholars attended the class and gave us pointers on Chinese customs and culture.

Cramped Quarters

We began our journey home with a sixteen hour train ride from Weihai to Beijing.  Spaces in the more comfortable "soft bed" compartment were not available, so we rode in the three tier "hard bed" section.  In deference to my age and notorious clumsiness, my companions gave me the lowest berth. Bolstered with quilts, the beds weren't really uncomfortable, and I actually prefer it to flying.

The others slept reasonably well.  I however, had developed the traveler's trots and spent much of the night squatting over a Chinese toilet, attempting to tidy things up with a whisk broom, the only implement on hand for this purpose.

Mission Accomplished

Yesterday, the cooperation agreement with the University of Shandong was finalized with a ceremonial signing and the exchanging of gifts before the flags of both countries.  Afterwards, there was a ritual banquet.

 Such formality is considered essential to make things official, but since I am inclined to be snarky, I wondered if we were negotiating nuclear disarmament or academic exchanges.

The objectives of this project were to further develop our relationship with North China Institute of Commerce and Technology, to establish a new partnership with Shandong Institute of Commerce and Technology, and to formalize a new program at Shandong University, Weihai.  Successful with all of them, we begin our journey home to the States later today.  

Great Firewall

This is the downside of being in China. For the last 24 hours, I have been shut out of email. Even the brand new address Dennis Cope created for me wasn't working. I  couldn't see any incoming mail, nor send anything.  The Internet was functioning. The problem was what is euphemistically called “Information control”—censorship, in other words.  In China, many websites are blocked, and the minute one says anything remotely controversial, one’s email is discontinued.

It’s scary when this happens, particularly when I’m traveling solo.  Eventually, my access reopened.  It’s all made to look completely accidental.  A thousand thank yous to Dennis Cope who manages my blog site  and runs interference.    

Memory

Yesterday, we toured the Weihai peninsula and then caught a ferry to Linguon Island, site of many battles between the Chinese and Japanese in both World War II   and the Sino-Japanese War. The wounds of these conflicts have not healed, and there is still much bitterness toward the Japanese.

One exhibit tells the story of a Chinese family whose ten members jumped down a well rather than be captured by the Japanese.

  

 Today, this beautiful island is peaceful with gardens, a temple, and monuments to the dead. There are several historical museums and even a zoo.  Cable cars in an array of bright colors carry their passengers to a pagoda at the top of the mountain.

Reverence

Yesterday, we visited the Temple of Confucius in Qufu, a complex of ancient stone buildings with ornate doorways, courtyards, and old trees. It is built on a hillside, and one gradually ascends to the higher levels via stone stairs.  At the Temple’s entrance is a reminder that everyone, even the highest official ought to show Confucius respect.

Confucius was not a god, but a teacher and social philosopher. He lived between 551 and 480 BC, a chaotic period in the history of China. His ethical teachings, which resemble those of all the great religions, greatly influenced Chinese thought.

Each day, there is a ceremony at the Temple venerating the sage.  When government officials visit, the ceremony is more elaborate, and we were fortunate to visit on one of these days. Trumpets were sounded, and incense burned. Red robed celebrants carrying peacock feathers brought flowers to and altar where incense burned.  There is something universal about reverence.