Andy Smart's Blog, page 5

For the Love of Blog: WordPress Friends Never Leave You

I’ve had a number of revelations recently regarding blogging. After years of struggling to find what it’s all about and being blocked by the Great Firewall at every turn, things have accelerated like Road Runner after downing a super-sized coke in one go. Meep Meep!

Friends & Community

I love people visiting my website. It’s like the landline ringing or someone knocking on your door stopping by for a chat and a cup of tea.
I love visiting other people’s sites. Each place I go to has its own unique feel about it. It’s easy to appreciate the time and love that someone goes into creating their own site; the tinkering and readjusting until its right. I can now understand the time and effort that goes into a single post; the detail.
Blogging allows you to express yourself like no other medium. I have WP ‘Community’ and RSS lists. Together they contain the widest range of interests and talent you can imagine. Who said it was important to have a target audience? Poppycock! Ha! There are poets, writers, photographers, cat lovers, musicians, model makers, artists, psychic and paranormal investigators, travellers and people who describe what’s just outside their back door from places I’ve never heard of on that list. There are people that pour their heart out in a manner that allows us to at least absorb a part of what they are feeling in that moment. I can only stand back with admiration of people’s work. Unbelievable!
I am also surprised at how positive and friendly everyone is. There are no egos floating around. People like your post because they genuinely do. It sounds a strange thing to say but compare it to a like on Facebook and they’re light-years apart.
Followers never leave you, well rarely. If you’re not around they wait. For me I even wonder where people are if they haven’t posted for a while. I had to walk away from Justurnleft for months not so long back and when I returned I had virtually the same number of followers as before. 
I’ve experienced a kindness as well. People are genuinely helpful, sharing links, re-blogging and offering advice. Recently I discovered that the slider on my Bromley theme changed images way too fast. I went onto the WP support and posted a request for advice only to be answered by the creator of the theme himself Binarymoon. Incredibly, he went to his desk and changed the speed of the whole theme. If you’re using Bromley and the slider has slowed down it’s my fault. Sorry!
The biggest kindness rush I’ve had though has to be undoubtedly the help that Jason AKA Opinionated Man has given me and other indie authors. I mean help and trust mixed together in the same tikka masala of the highest order. I must say that such selflessness doesn’t come about very often.

Myself

It allows me to write lists with bullet points and not worry about repeating myself, breaking the cardinal rule of all book writing. Ha!
I love the excitement of hitting the publish tab when you’ve finished a new post, to sit back with satisfaction and see it on your site and how different it now looks.
My blog is my own little world I go to like a second home. It kinda reminds me of my Dad’s garden shed. Filled with various tools and paraphernalia, he would be out there in the back garden for hours absorbed by his model building
I’ve always suffered with anxiety problems. I had a huge spike last week which rendered me useless for twenty four hours, phew! I don’t get that here among my online friends. I’m free from any such burden and it’s such a relief.
I’m inspired to go out and research. That’s an awesome one in itself.

If you like my post, I’ll drop by and check yours out as well. If I like it, it  means I really do!

If you follow I’ll follow back. If you go away I’ll wait for you and wonder where you went.

If you follow don’t forget to add me to your Twitter and say hi. I always looks to see what my WP friends have been up to on Twitter and often RT. I’m @AndySmart01.

See you there and happy blogging!

Ha!

 

Filed under: Real lives, Writing Tagged: blog, blogger, blogging, Business, Entertainment, Finance, friends, life, love, poetry, Travel, twitter, Writing

Ten Seconds of Mayhem: Wudaokou Railway Crossing, Beijing China

The distinct shrill of the warning siren from the railway crossing resonates throughout the area so dropping a couple of gears I stand on the pedals and cycle as fast as possible in a bid to get there before the gates go down. It’s a warm early summer’s evening and the red LED rope lights draped across the length of the barriers are visible right from the end of Shuangqing Lu as they are lowered. Damn, I’m not going to make it tonight!

It’s always a sight to behold when a train’s coming. Wudaokou is central to Tsinghua and many other important universities so it’s a really busy area moreso due to the thousands of students who use bikes to get around. The crossing is located next to a double crossroads so the traffic rapidly tails back in all directions either on either side.

Arriving at the crossing the lunacy has already started and I can feel it’s going to be one of those crazy nights.  A motorcyclist has tried to get under the barrier at the last second as it came down and dropped the bike. His passenger limps off and stands to one side while he awkwardly tries to pick his machine up off the tarmac.

The siren is really loud now though a warning message repeated on a loop raises above it hurting my ears

‘Xingren che liang qin zhuyi. Huoche jiu yao kuai guo lai le…’

Passer-by. Please pay attention to other vehicles. The train is coming…

In a massive act of queue jumping a guy drives his white Hyundai up the now empty oncoming lane, parking at the head of the main line. Showing his intent, he’s left it at an angle ready to cut up the car next to him as soon as the barrier’s lifted.

click to enlarge

As per usual the number of bikes, mopeds and motorbikes builds up forming a large crowd around the cars, filling both lanes. Tonight there are a number of fast food delivery riders all in black and yellow with matching top boxes forming a line up front closest to the barrier. There are also a number of three wheeled machines that are built to carry heavier loads such as sacks of rice and whatnot as well as countless machines with pillion. With nothing to do for the next few minutes inevitably lots of people start smoking and the distinctive toxic secondary aroma quickly finds its way under my nose along with an ample dose of exhaust fumes, yeeeech!

The distant rumble of the train beings proceedings to the next phase. One of the guards in green uniform signals down the track with a heavy duty flashlight to the driver while the others stand on either side to ensure no one tries to do anything stupid. As the train thunders past, the pack inches forward as close to the barrier as possible in expectation creating a single moment of dynamic tension. The chap on a motorbike next door eyes me up and down as I prepare to go. Dropping his bike into first gear he opens the clutch just enough for the bike to move slightly forward so the front end is now already under the barrier. A guy wearing a suit to my left on a flash new black Yamaha throws his cigarette down on the floor like a gangster in order to concentrate on the task ahead.

There is only one advantage of being first off the block but it’s well worth it. That is you won’t get tangled up in the chaos that occurs as both waves of traffic meet. You have to have your strategy nailed down before the starting gun goes off. I know I can beat Hyundai man but not the motorcyclists either side of me so I plan let the guy to my right go ahead and then cut in front of Hyundai man and use him as a rear guard shield.

And they’re off! The train passes and the motorcyclist to my right is away like a rocket as soon as there’s clearance under the barrier. Obviously he hasn’t done this before though. Hitting the first track way too fast, his arse leaves the seat and he clings onto his machine like he’s riding a bucking bronco. Regaining some semblance of control, he then encounters the oncoming wave of traffic and is forced to slam on the brakes sliding sideways. Nice one on that mate!

As per usual I’m off to a good start and Mr Hyundai is surrounded by bikes weaving all over the place, impairing his cutting in manoeuvre. Slow down at the tracks and be as mindful as possible. They bisect the road diagonally so you have to turn into them to avoid getting your wheels jammed in. Two girls on a moped go into the tracks all wrong and the one on the back drops her ice cream all over her lap before it’s deposited on the tarmac. On the other side, a three wheeler loses a clear blue cylindrical five gallon water container. It hits the floor with a bang, bouncing once into the path of a number of bikes sending them off in different directions.  

It always amazes me how few people you see on the deck along with their bike in Beijing all considering. Really there should be people sprawled all over the tracks.

Maybe they’ve developed some special powers of intuition.

Filed under: Beijing, China, Humour, Writing Tagged: Asia, blog, blogging, humor, life, Photography, Travel, travel tales, travel writer, travelogue

New Featured Sunset Header for May 2016

Before Sundown

Mongolian Sunset by Andy Smart

https://justturnleft.com

“Andy Smart quit the UK ten years ago and now lives in Beijing. So far he has visited half of China’s provinces recording each journey in his own unique streetwise style. He has also been a teacher since 1991 developing his own successful TEFL package for spoken English in the PRC.”

Andy’s About…on his blog site adds interest and a want to read more. Look at the photo of Andy setting up camp in the Khuren Uul Mountain Pass area near the Northern Mongolian/Russian border, and you know there is exciting adventure in his writing. Believe me, his travels had ups and downs, from his goodbye to the UK, his one way ticket to China, and his “mad-cap adventure winds its way through Tibet, the Yunnan, Guanxi, Sichuan and Shaanxi Provinces,” to his “Multi-entry trials and tribulations meandering across Chinese borders.”

The excerpt…

View original post 265 more words

Filed under: Writing Tagged: Asia, blog, blogging, books, China, humor, Humour, life, Photography, Travel, travel tales, travelogue

Visiting the In-Laws: Beisujiagoucun 北苏家沟村 in Lulong County, Hebei Province, China

So we’re packing our things the day before the trip. Our inventory is an interesting one. We have bags of dried hawthorn, mango and dates, two whole roast ducks for Dad and two bumper economy packs of powdered lotus root for Suzie’s Mum. Simply add hot water to make either a sweet drink or a porridge, whatever takes your fancy.

click to enlarge

We’ll be up at five thirty in the morning to avoid the traffic on the fifth ring road. A sense of foreboding hangs over me like a cloud as it’s another national break. Last holiday we took a taxi to the park but had to turn back after only twenty minutes. Oh and also one hour to actually get off the expressway such was the level of congestion. Some Chinese friends also going in that direction this weekend warned us that this was still too late and that they would be setting off at four thirty!

This is the first time to go to Suzie’s folk’s place. “It’s out in the countryside” is the only information I’ve been able to glean so far, that and the address; Beisujiagoucun 北苏家沟村 in Lulong County (beɪ/sju/ʤɑ/gaʊ/sʌn or bay-sue-jar-gow (like cow) –  son). Pasting it into Google maps I find it’s a small village way past Tangshan, far removed from any major roads.

“You can find it when we get there. That’s your job,” says Suzie casually “I haven’t been there in ten years so I can’t remember anything. I think it may have a shop!

Next day in the Godforsaken early hours I pray that my brain can rapidly wake up to deal with the roads.

“What is this holiday anyway?” I lamely ask as we open the front door. I should really know this by now.

“It’s Labour Day!”

“So what’s it about?” More lameness.

“It’s for workers to have time off and respect people who work in the countryside like my parents. That’s why they use the word ‘labour’; to labour in the fields. My parents have a field you know.”

“They have a field?”

“Yes of course they do,” laughs Suzie “What do you think they do in the countryside? I also have a field!”

My wife has a field! Well you learn something every day!

The early start pays off and we’re out of Beijing after an hour and a half. However on the G1 Gausugonglu (expressway) things immediately slow down to a snail’s pace. An endless number of bumper to bumper prangs bring the flow to a virtual standstill, no doubt due to the early start and loss of concentration. There are also four and five car shunts as well as trucks and buses that have made side to side contact as they try and jump lanes.

After a long and tiresome morning we finally arrive at Lulong County and exit the expressway. An instant change in road quality is an indicator that we’ve landed into unfamiliar territory. Potholes and cracks send the small city car we’ve borrowed juddering and banging as its poor suspension takes a severe beating. The narrow roads snake past ramshackle hamlets, farmlands and through clouds of sepia dust forcing us to close the windows. Ageing machinery towers rusting and abandoned vividly against the clear blue sky. Empty buildings are left to decay with no reason for demolition. Farm animals wander around aimlessly across the road and empty railroad tracks.

Finally we arrive at Beisujiagoucun. I must admit I’ve never been to anywhere like this before. A single downward sloping thoroughfare with barely enough space for the car connects to six or seven side-roads and around fifty small homes. Our slow crawl down the street means that the locals all stop what they’re doing, gawping at the foreigner inches away from the window.

Suzie’s folks live in a three room one storey house. It has a central kitchen area with a bedroom on one side and living room on the other. They have an outside toilet a couple of sheds and you can climb onto the roof with a metal ladder permanently wired to the side of the building. From there you get a three hundred and sixty degree panoramic view of the whole area. The sense of space is overwhelming, magnified by a legion of pylons suspending crackling electricity lines above the furrowed land off into the distance. Directly below, one of their neighbours spends the whole afternoon meticulously repairing a steel bucket.

Shu Lan (Mum) lays on a huge spread of food. There are a lot of friends and relatives and everyone dives in with gusto. How Shu Lan manages to make so much food from one gas burner I dont know, but she continues to cook the whole time while everyone is eating, adding more dishes to the table. One of the ducks gets broken up and served along with spare ribs, shredded crispy pork and ‘country style’ chicken. There is dofu and spinach soup along with countless other vegetable dishes. Phew! 

Suzie and I go for a walk after dinner. Mile upon mile of dry terracotta soil stretch as far as the horizon. There is hardly any water around here and it’s been in drought for years. Corn is the most common crop since it’s hard to get anything else to grow. Groups of people are working on the land; specks in the distance disappearing in the strong afternoon sun. Oh, and she cant remember where her field is!

There are numerous mounds of earth spread haphazardly throughout the area, some really close to the village. “They are the graves. When people die they get buried in their field. They work on their field all their lives so it’s where they belong. Their family will continue farming around them.”

Filed under: China, Chinese Provinces, On the Road, Real lives Tagged: Asia, blog, blogging, China, life, Photography, photos, Travel, travel tales, travelogue, Writing

Visiting the In-Laws: Beisujiagoucun 北苏家沟村 in Lulong County, Hebei Province, China

So we’re packing our things the day before the trip. Our inventory is an interesting one. We have bags of dried hawthorn, mango and dates, two whole roast ducks for Dad and two bumper economy packs of powdered lotus root for Suzie’s Mum. Simply add hot water to make either a sweet drink or a porridge, whatever takes your fancy.

click to enlarge

We’ll be up at five thirty in the morning to avoid the traffic on the fifth ring road. A sense of foreboding hangs over me like a cloud as it’s another national break. Last holiday we took a taxi to the park but had to turn back after only twenty minutes. Oh and also one hour to actually get off the expressway such was the level of congestion. Some Chinese friends also going in that direction this weekend warned us that this was still too late and that they would be setting off at four thirty!

This is the first time to go to Suzie’s folk’s place. “It’s out in the countryside” is the only information I’ve been able to glean so far, that and the address; Beisujiagoucun 北苏家沟村 in Lulong County (beɪ/sju/ʤɑ/gaʊ/sʌn or bay-sue-jar-gow (like cow) –  son). Pasting it into Google maps I find it’s a small village way past Tangshan, far removed from any major roads.

“You can find it when we get there. That’s your job,” says Suzie casually “I haven’t been there in ten years so I can’t remember anything. I think it may have a shop!

Next day in the Godforsaken early hours I pray that my brain can rapidly wake up to deal with the roads.

“What is this holiday anyway?” I lamely ask as we open the front door. I should really know this by now.

“It’s Labour Day!”

“So what’s it about?” More lameness.

“It’s for workers to have time off and respect people who work in the countryside like my parents. That’s why they use the word ‘labour’; to labour in the fields. My parents have a field you know.”

“They have a field?”

“Yes of course they do,” laughs Suzie “What do you think they do in the countryside? I also have a field!”

My wife has a field! Well you learn something every day!

The early start pays off and we’re out of Beijing after an hour and a half. However on the G1 Gausugonglu (expressway) things immediately slow down to a snail’s pace. An endless number of bumper to bumper prangs bring the flow to a virtual standstill, no doubt due to the early start and loss of concentration. There are also four and five car shunts as well as trucks and buses that have made side to side contact as they try and jump lanes.

After a long and tiresome morning we finally arrive at Lulong County and exit the expressway. An instant change in road quality is an indicator that we’ve landed into unfamiliar territory. Potholes and cracks send the small city car we’ve borrowed juddering and banging as its poor suspension takes a severe beating. The narrow roads snake past ramshackle hamlets, farmlands and through clouds of sepia dust forcing us to close the windows. Ageing machinery towers rusting and abandoned vividly against the clear blue sky. Empty buildings are left to decay with no reason for demolition. Farm animals wander around aimlessly across the road and empty railroad tracks.

Finally we arrive at Beisujiagoucun. I must admit I’ve never been to anywhere like this before. A single downward sloping thoroughfare with barely enough space for the car connects to six or seven side-roads and around fifty small homes. Our slow crawl down the street means that the locals all stop what they’re doing, gawping at the foreigner inches away from the window.

Suzie’s folks live in a three room one storey house. It has a central kitchen area with a bedroom on one side and living room on the other. They have an outside toilet a couple of sheds and you can climb onto the roof with a metal ladder permanently wired to the side of the building. From there you get a three hundred and sixty degree panoramic view of the whole area. The sense of space is overwhelming, magnified by a legion of pylons suspending crackling electricity lines above the furrowed land off into the distance. Directly below, one of their neighbours spends the whole afternoon meticulously repairing a steel bucket.

Shu Lan (Mum) lays on a huge spread of food. There are a lot of friends and relatives and everyone dives in with gusto. How Shu Lan manages to make so much food from one gas burner I dont know, but she continues to cook the whole time while everyone is eating, adding more dishes to the table. One of the ducks gets broken up and served along with spare ribs, shredded crispy pork and ‘country style’ chicken. There is dofu and spinach soup along with countless other vegetable dishes. Phew! 

Suzie and I go for a walk after dinner. Mile upon mile of dry terracotta soil stretch as far as the horizon. There is hardly any water around here and it’s been in drought for years. Corn is the most common crop since it’s hard to get anything else to grow. Groups of people are working on the land; specks in the distance disappearing in the strong afternoon sun. Oh, and she cant remember where her field is!

There are numerous mounds of earth spread haphazardly throughout the area, some really close to the village. “They are the graves. When people die they get buried in their field. They work on their field all their lives so it’s where they belong. Their family will continue farming around them.”

Filed under: China, Chinese Provinces, On the Road, Real lives Tagged: Asia, blog, blogging, China, life, Photography, photos, Travel, travel tales, travelogue, Writing

Visiting the In-Laws: Beisujiagoucun 北苏家沟村 in Lulong County, Hebei Province, China

So we’re packing our things the day before the trip. Our inventory is an interesting one. We have bags of dried hawthorn, mango and dates, two whole roast ducks for Dad and two bumper economy packs of powdered lotus root for Suzie’s Mum. Simply add hot water to make either a sweet drink or a porridge, whatever takes your fancy.

click to enlarge

We’ll be up at five thirty in the morning to avoid the traffic on the fifth ring road. A sense of foreboding hangs over me like a cloud as it’s another national break. Last holiday we took a taxi to the park but had to turn back after only twenty minutes. Oh and also one hour to actually get off the expressway such was the level of congestion. Some Chinese friends also going in that direction this weekend warned us that this was still too late and that they would be setting off at four thirty!

This is the first time to go to Suzie’s folk’s place. “It’s out in the countryside” is the only information I’ve been able to glean so far, that and the address; Beisujiagoucun 北苏家沟村 in Lulong County (beɪ/sju/ʤɑ/gaʊ/sʌn or bay-sue-jar-gow (like cow) –  son). Pasting it into Google maps I find it’s a small village way past Tangshan, far removed from any major roads.

“You can find it when we get there. That’s your job,” says Suzie casually “I haven’t been there in ten years so I can’t remember anything. I think it may have a shop!

Next day in the Godforsaken early hours I pray that my brain can rapidly wake up to deal with the roads.

“What is this holiday anyway?” I lamely ask as we open the front door. I should really know this by now.

“It’s Labour Day!”

“So what’s it about?” More lameness.

“It’s for workers to have time off and respect people who work in the countryside like my parents. That’s why they use the word ‘labour’; to labour in the fields. My parents have a field you know.”

“They have a field?”

“Yes of course they do,” laughs Suzie “What do you think they do in the countryside? I also have a field!”

My wife has a field! Well you learn something every day!

The early start pays off and we’re out of Beijing after an hour and a half. However on the G1 Gausugonglu (expressway) things immediately slow down to a snail’s pace. An endless number of bumper to bumper prangs bring the flow to a virtual standstill, no doubt due to the early start and loss of concentration. There are also four and five car shunts as well as trucks and buses that have made side to side contact as they try and jump lanes.

After a long and tiresome morning we finally arrive at Lulong County and exit the expressway. An instant change in road quality is an indicator that we’ve landed into unfamiliar territory. Potholes and cracks send the small city car we’ve borrowed juddering and banging as its poor suspension takes a severe beating. The narrow roads snake past ramshackle hamlets, farmlands and through clouds of sepia dust forcing us to close the windows. Ageing machinery towers rusting and abandoned vividly against the clear blue sky. Empty buildings are left to decay with no reason for demolition. Farm animals wander around aimlessly across the road and empty railroad tracks.

Finally we arrive at Beisujiagoucun. I must admit I’ve never been to anywhere like this before. A single downward sloping thoroughfare with barely enough space for the car connects to six or seven side-roads and around fifty small homes. Our slow crawl down the street means that the locals all stop what they’re doing, gawping at the foreigner inches away from the window.

Suzie’s folks live in a three room one storey house. It has a central kitchen area with a bedroom on one side and living room on the other. They have an outside toilet a couple of sheds and you can climb onto the roof with a metal ladder permanently wired to the side of the building. From there you get a three hundred and sixty degree panoramic view of the whole area. The sense of space is overwhelming, magnified by a legion of pylons suspending crackling electricity lines above the furrowed land off into the distance. Directly below, one of their neighbours spends the whole afternoon meticulously repairing a steel bucket.

Shu Lan (Mum) lays on a huge spread of food. There are a lot of friends and relatives and everyone dives in with gusto. How Shu Lan manages to make so much food from one gas burner I dont know, but she continues to cook the whole time while everyone is eating, adding more dishes to the table. One of the ducks gets broken up and served along with spare ribs, shredded crispy pork and ‘country style’ chicken. There is dofu and spinach soup along with countless other vegetable dishes. Phew! 

Suzie and I go for a walk after dinner. Mile upon mile of dry terracotta soil stretch as far as the horizon. There is hardly any water around here and it’s been in drought for years. Corn is the most common crop since it’s hard to get anything else to grow. Groups of people are working on the land; specks in the distance disappearing in the strong afternoon sun. Oh, and she cant remember where her field is!

There are numerous mounds of earth spread haphazardly throughout the area, some really close to the village. “They are the graves. When people die they get buried in their field. They work on their field all their lives so it’s where they belong. Their family will continue farming around them.”

Filed under: China, Chinese Provinces, On the Road, Real lives Tagged: Asia, blog, blogging, China, Chinese Culture, life, Photography, Travel, travel tales, travelogue, Writing

For the Love of Blog: WordPress Friends Never Leave You

I’ve had a number of revelations recently regarding blogging. After years of struggling to find what it’s all about and being blocked by the Great Firewall at every turn, things have accelerated like Road Runner after downing a super-sized coke in one go. Meep Meep!

Friends & Community

I love people visiting my website. It’s like the landline ringing or someone knocking on your door stopping by for a chat and a cup of tea.
I love visiting other people’s sites. Each place I go to has its own unique feel about it. It’s easy to appreciate the time and love that someone goes into creating their own site; the tinkering and readjusting until its right. I can now understand the time and effort that goes into a single post; the detail.
Blogging allows you to express yourself like no other medium. I have WP ‘Community’ and RSS lists. Together they contain the widest range of interests and talent you can imagine. Who said it was important to have a target audience? Poppycock! Ha! There are poets, writers, photographers, cat lovers, musicians, model makers, artists, psychic and paranormal investigators, travellers and people who describe what’s just outside their back door from places I’ve never heard of on that list. There are people that pour their heart out in a manner that allows us to at least absorb a part of what they are feeling in that moment. I can only stand back with admiration of people’s work. Unbelievable!
I am also surprised at how positive and friendly everyone is. There are no egos floating around. People like your post because they genuinely do. It sounds a strange thing to say but compare it to a like on Facebook and they’re light-years apart.
Followers never leave you, well rarely. If you’re not around they wait. For me I even wonder where people are if they haven’t posted for a while. I had to walk away from Justurnleft for months not so long back and when I returned I had virtually the same number of followers as before. 
I’ve experienced a kindness as well. People are genuinely helpful, sharing links, re-blogging and offering advice. Recently I discovered that the slider on my Bromley theme changed images way too fast. I went onto the WP support and posted a request for advice only to be answered by the creator of the theme himself Binarymoon. Incredibly, he went to his desk and changed the speed of the whole theme. If you’re using Bromley and the slider has slowed down it’s my fault. Sorry!
The biggest kindness rush I’ve had though has to be undoubtedly the help that Jason AKA Opinionated Man has given me and other indie authors. I mean help and trust mixed together in the same tikka masala of the highest order. I must say that such selflessness doesn’t come about very often.

Myself

It allows me to write lists with bullet points and not worry about repeating myself, breaking the cardinal rule of all book writing. Ha!
I love the excitement of hitting the publish tab when you’ve finished a new post, to sit back with satisfaction and see it on your site and how different it now looks.
My blog is my own little world I go to like a second home. It kinda reminds me of my Dad’s garden shed. Filled with various tools and paraphernalia, he would be out there in the back garden for hours absorbed by his model building
I’ve always suffered with anxiety problems. I had a huge spike last week which rendered me useless for twenty four hours, phew! I don’t get that here among my online friends. I’m free from any such burden and it’s such a relief.
I’m inspired to go out and research. That’s an awesome one in itself.

If you like my post, I’ll drop by and check yours out as well. If I like it, it  means I really do!

If you follow I’ll follow back. If you go away I’ll wait for you and wonder where you went.

If you follow don’t forget to add me to your Twitter and say hi. I always looks to see what my WP friends have been up to on Twitter and often RT. I’m @AndySmart01.

See you there and happy blogging!

Ha!

 

Filed under: Real lives, Writing Tagged: blog, blogger, blogging, community, featured, friends, happiness, life, love, social media, Travel, Writing

Nu Qiang Ren and Shen Nu: Power Women and Leftover Woman in China

Happy Families: Images reinforcing early age marriage are everywhere in China. This poster was an ad for cooking oil on the subway.

Names have been changed in this article and dialogue has been translated into English.

A recent advert by the cosmetics company SK-II telling the story of China’s ‘sheng nu’ or ‘leftover women’ has created a viral storm. ‘Sheng nu, a phrase from State-run media in 2007, refers to woman in their late twenties who are unable to get married.

Still image from the SK-II advert (link below)

Gender imbalance and a rise in the divorce rate are but two of the reasons for this phenomenon. Since the birth of the phrase there has been an ever increasing stigma for those who are unable to tie the knot, the term ‘leftover’ conjuring images of unwanted table scraps.

In China, the family is the most important thing in anyone’s life so the pressure to get married is a continual burden that gets heavier as time ticks by for a single woman. Your children will be the ones to take care of you when you are older after all. Grandparents normally live with the family and look after the kids while mum and dad are at work.

As one of my friends Zhang Fu pointed out, failure to get married is a stain on the family reputation.

“Most Chinese women feel really guilty and depressed about having no husband. They don’t want to meet others and they feel ashamed when they come back home especially during Spring Festival. They feel like that is their fault and they are sorry to everybody. People think you should get married no matter how bad their relationship or life is.”

Here are a few facts about China we need to get sorted before we move on:

A person is considered single until they are married in China.
Most Chinese people will only have one or two partners in their life.
Most Chinese people enter into romance with marriage at the top of their agenda.
Most Chinese people will live together only after they are married.
China is still very traditional regarding roles of husband and wife. Generally the man earns the mainstay of the family income and the woman will do the housework.
When a woman is divorced it is unlikely that she will be able to remarry.
It seems crazy but there is now even a trend where you can hire a fake boyfriend from the internet and take them home to deceive the parents.

Zhi Li is twenty four years and old and is still not married. By Western standards it may seem somewhat strange to use the word ‘still’ at such an early age but this is just the way things have been in China since ancient times.

Though still in her early twenties, Zhi Li comes across with the confidence of a professional who has made up her mind what she wants. She has a degree in accounting from the Capital Normal University and is one of the many educated woman now termed as ‘Nu Qiang Ren’ or ‘Power Women’. These are the professional woman who have made a conscious decision not to get married.

Whereas those who consider themselves ‘sheng nu’ will rarely want to reveal their inner sadness to the world, in contrast there were many single professionals such as Zhi Li who were more than happy discussing the subject and their life choices.

What’s most important to you? Getting married or having a career?

“In the future I want to be a teacher. I don’t believe that relationships with men are so solid. I have no faith in relationships and that the right man is out there.”

What if you met someone who you felt was the right person for you unexpectedly and you had to choose between your career and marriage?

At this point Zhi Li sits back and our conversation, falling into an unexpected silence while she ponders on this. A sudden change in her demeanor, she starts to look more thoughtful at this time.

“My parents divorced and this has influenced me. I am not very sure about things. I still need time to consider what I want. Maybe I don’t want to be in a relationship.  I’ve never had a boyfriend. It’s because I’m looking for someone who I trust. Also for Chinese students when we are at primary school, high school, senior school our parents forbid us to have a boyfriend as it detracts from our study.”

What does your Mother think about you being single?

“She says she doesn’t care about it but she has asked a lot of people to try and find someone for me. Actually I know she is very anxious and worried but she doesn’t show it. Some men have already shown some interest but my Mother decided that they weren’t suitable for me.”

Does your Mother give you pressure about getting married?

“My Mother doesn’t but my relatives and friends all do. They keep asking when I’m going to get married. They ask if I have found the right person. Maybe a colleague. Will I find the right person in the future? Will it be this year? Will it be next year? I should find someone soon and so on. Everyone asks me. My peers already have children. There is pressure from everywhere, even on the TV. Some of my colleagues married as soon as they graduated from college. They have had a boyfriend when they were at college and they didn’t want to waste any time. This may have been a secret from their parents. All of my friends from college were in a hurry to get married as soon as they left.

In China if a girl reaches the age of twenty eight they will seldom find the right person. Generally after that it is regarded as too late to get married. Also it is thought that a woman at that age is not as beautiful as before and they won’t be able to get enough money or social status or something like that. You know when a girl is in her early twenties she won’t have any financial ability so she needs to rely on her family to get married. In China parents always give a lot of money for their children to get married. For boys, their parents will buy a house or car or other things. The girl will also receive money from the boy’s family. We call this ‘cai li’. But people get married too early. It’s one of the reasons why people get divorced these days.

My final question to Zhi Li is whether she would ever like to get married?

Zhi Li

 “I want to but I dare not to. I am really afraid that I will get a divorce with my husband and this will influence my life. You know it’s common for a man to have a relationship with other woman, especially if he has money. The things that happen around me are always like this. My parents divorced when I was four years old because my Father cheated on my Mother. Although I was very young I still remember that time clearly. I think it is something that has been with me my whole life. Now I belong to my Mother by law so I can never meet my Father, even during the Spring Festival.”

When we parted, Zhi Li was unphased by the interview and returned to the work. Rolling her sleeves up it was merely business as usual. I wish her well on her journey and am sure that her determination will lead her to the success that she deserves.

To see the complete SK-ii advert click here (go to cc at the bottom of the screen for subs)

Filed under: China, Chinese Culture, Real lives, Writing Tagged: Asia, blog, blogging, China, Chinese Culture, life, love, Travel, travel tales, travelogue, Writing

Nu Qiang Ren and Shen Nu: Power Women and Leftover Woman in China

Happy Families: Images reinforcing early age marriage are everywhere in China. This poster was an ad for cooking oil on the subway.

Names have been changed in this article and dialogue has been translated into English.

A recent advert by the cosmetics company SK-II telling the story of China’s ‘sheng nu’ or ‘leftover women’ has created a viral storm. ‘Sheng nu, a phrase from State-run media in 2007, refers to woman in their late twenties who are unable to get married.

Still image from the SK-II advert (link below)

Gender imbalance and a rise in the divorce rate are but two of the reasons for this phenomenon. Since the birth of the phrase there has been an ever increasing stigma for those who are unable to tie the knot, the term ‘leftover’ conjuring images of unwanted table scraps.

In China, the family is the most important thing in anyone’s life so the pressure to get married is a continual burden that gets heavier as time ticks by for a single woman. Your children will be the ones to take care of you when you are older after all. Grandparents normally live with the family and look after the kids while mum and dad are at work.

As one of my friends Zhang Fu pointed out, failure to get married is a stain on the family reputation.

“Most Chinese women feel really guilty and depressed about having no husband. They don’t want to meet others and they feel ashamed when they come back home especially during Spring Festival. They feel like that is their fault and they are sorry to everybody. People think you should get married no matter how bad their relationship or life is.”

Here are a few facts about China we need to get sorted before we move on:

A person is considered single until they are married in China.
Most Chinese people will only have one or two partners in their life.
Most Chinese people enter into romance with marriage at the top of their agenda.
Most Chinese people will live together only after they are married.
China is still very traditional regarding roles of husband and wife. Generally the man earns the mainstay of the family income and the woman will do the housework.
When a woman is divorced it is unlikely that she will be able to remarry.
It seems crazy but there is now even a trend where you can hire a fake boyfriend from the internet and take them home to deceive the parents.

Zhi Li is twenty four years and old and is still not married. By Western standards it may seem somewhat strange to use the word ‘still’ at such an early age but this is just the way things have been in China since ancient times.

Though still in her early twenties, Zhi Li comes across with the confidence of a professional who has made up her mind what she wants. She has a degree in accounting from the Capital Normal University and is one of the many educated woman now termed as ‘Nu Qiang Ren’ or ‘Power Women’. These are the professional woman who have made a conscious decision not to get married.

Whereas those who consider themselves ‘sheng nu’ will rarely want to reveal their inner sadness to the world, in contrast there were many single professionals such as Zhi Li who were more than happy discussing the subject and their life choices.

What’s most important to you? Getting married or having a career?

“In the future I want to be a teacher. I don’t believe that relationships with men are so solid. I have no faith in relationships and that the right man is out there.”

What if you met someone who you felt was the right person for you unexpectedly and you had to choose between your career and marriage?

At this point Zhi Li sits back and our conversation, falling into an unexpected silence while she ponders on this. A sudden change in her demeanor, she starts to look more thoughtful at this time.

“My parents divorced and this has influenced me. I am not very sure about things. I still need time to consider what I want. Maybe I don’t want to be in a relationship.  I’ve never had a boyfriend. It’s because I’m looking for someone who I trust. Also for Chinese students when we are at primary school, high school, senior school our parents forbid us to have a boyfriend as it detracts from our study.”

What does your Mother think about you being single?

“She says she doesn’t care about it but she has asked a lot of people to try and find someone for me. Actually I know she is very anxious and worried but she doesn’t show it. Some men have already shown some interest but my Mother decided that they weren’t suitable for me.”

Does your Mother give you pressure about getting married?

“My Mother doesn’t but my relatives and friends all do. They keep asking when I’m going to get married. They ask if I have found the right person. Maybe a colleague. Will I find the right person in the future? Will it be this year? Will it be next year? I should find someone soon and so on. Everyone asks me. My peers already have children. There is pressure from everywhere, even on the TV. Some of my colleagues married as soon as they graduated from college. They have had a boyfriend when they were at college and they didn’t want to waste any time. This may have been a secret from their parents. All of my friends from college were in a hurry to get married as soon as they left.

In China if a girl reaches the age of twenty eight they will seldom find the right person. Generally after that it is regarded as too late to get married. Also it is thought that a woman at that age is not as beautiful as before and they won’t be able to get enough money or social status or something like that. You know when a girl is in her early twenties she won’t have any financial ability so she needs to rely on her family to get married. In China parents always give a lot of money for their children to get married. For boys, their parents will buy a house or car or other things. The girl will also receive money from the boy’s family. We call this ‘cai li’. But people get married too early. It’s one of the reasons why people get divorced these days.

My final question to Zhi Li is whether she would ever like to get married?

Zhi Li

 “I want to but I dare not to. I am really afraid that I will get a divorce with my husband and this will influence my life. You know it’s common for a man to have a relationship with other woman, especially if he has money. The things that happen around me are always like this. My parents divorced when I was four years old because my Father cheated on my Mother. Although I was very young I still remember that time clearly. I think it is something that has been with me my whole life. Now I belong to my Mother by law so I can never meet my Father, even during the Spring Festival.”

When we parted, Zhi Li was unphased by the interview and returned to the work. Rolling her sleeves up it was merely business as usual. I wish her well on her journey and am sure that her determination will lead her to the success that she deserves.

To see the complete SK-ii advert click here (go to cc at the bottom of the screen for subs)

Filed under: China, Chinese Culture, Real lives, Writing Tagged: Asia, blog, blogging, China, Chinese Culture, life, love, Travel, travel tales, travelogue, Writing

Beijing’s Vanishing Hutong: Last House Standing

2008: Qianbajia and Houbajia Villages. My way in to college every day.

2008: I remember it clearly like it was yesterday. The route from the apartment to Tsinghua University would take me through the warren of narrow streets, alleyways and dirt tracks of the Qianbajia and Houbajia villages the likes I’d never seen before. This twice daily half an hour overload of information to the senses was everything I’d come to China for.

It took ages to work out how to get through to the other side but talk about worth it! Thousands of tiny buildings roughly thrown together, an attestation to the resourceful nature of Chinese people. Households all recycle. Used materials get stacked outside stored under tarpaulins saved for maintaining their property, bike or for growing plants. This is Beijing’s Hutong.

Qianbajia and Houbajia Villages: Now Gone

Maybe twenty five percent of the population of Beijing still lives in the hutong and it’s been this way for centuries though as Beijing’s population continues to sky-rocket, these areas are now rapidly being torn down. In less than a week nearly the whole of Qianbajia and Houbajia was demolished in order to make way for new development. I couldn’t believe it! A way of life gone forever!

Last remaining building of the Qianbajia and Houbajia villages still defiantly standing (click to enlarge)

My first reaction was somewhat misplaced. A Westernised romantic view of the hutong, the local people hounded out by the wicked ‘powers that be’ and the sad destruction of a bygone era. Actually, it turns out that people around here have a special reason to keep smiling if they are asked to move on. Indeed they get a couple of choices. The first is to move to a new place with the ability to move back again after the building has finished and pay half the cost of a new place. The other is to receive from what many locals tell me around here, is a substantial pay-out.

The new apartments on the Qianbajia and Houbajia site (click to enlarge)

The honest truth about many of the villages here are they are so incredibly poor that people live in really filthy conditions. They only have public shared toilets and when you use one you will turn instantly green, especially during a nice hot summer’s day. When it’s cold, life is harder than hard and keeping warm is all existence is about. Who’d want to bring their kid up in that?

I cycled home in a torrential downpour through a hutong area the other night. The whole area became instantly flooded and the amount of rubbish and ‘matter’ in the water was ridiculous. I could feel myself instantly going down with some foul germ from hell and was sick for days after.

click to enlarge

Reality aside, from the Qianbajia and Houbajia the next hutong in line is the SiJie Village right around the corner from where I live. Hemmed in between the Qinghe River, G6 and 5th Ring Road, SiJie continues as if it’s trying to go on unnoticed; a hidden vibrant community filled with life. That it will be levelled for new apartment blocks is pure speculation, but I can’t help but worry how long it’s going to be before it’s gone. Based on how things move and change so quickly in Beijing I’m not holding much hope.

SiJie Village

I love SiJie and consider myself lucky to be around while it’s still here.

 

Filed under: Beijing, China, Chinese Culture, Urban Exploration Tagged: Andy Smart, Asia, China, Chinese Culture, Photography, Travel, travel tales, travelogue, Writing