I have been visiting some Holy places in China and have found things very confusing.
These very old Holy sites hold the most interesting history of religion in the area and include Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and maybe more. Likely my confusion is mostly related to the fact that the information available is only printed in Chinese, (or Arabic) english is hard to find or minimal.
Much of this report will come from observation and informants, who's knowledge is also limited.
So, there are famous ancient "Twin Towers" in the city of Quanzhou that are temples to the Buddhist community. The grounds around also contain other temples, (many many temples on each site, maybe as many as ten and I am not sure why) It seems that in each temple there are large statues of the Gods or Buddha, and the prayers are offered for different things. I was told that the Deity worshiped had certain qualities and if you wanted to gain these certain qualities, that was where to go to focus your prayers. It could be that that was a Taoist belief, I'm not sure.
While at the Towers my Chinese companion had a conversation with one of the monks. These men were in orange robes with shaved heads. Their housing was within the complex, lots of orange robes out to dry on the porches and in the windows. He was expressing his opinion of community and marriage saying it was like a prison, restricting the growth of one's soul.
At another of the Holy sites (I think Taoist) we watched the 'process' of prayer. You begin by purchasing incense sticks, a small handful and go from alter to alter offering prayers. Each time you hold an uneven number of lit incense (three was a common one, but I saw more than that) and when you finish, you stick the incense in the holders by the entrance and light more and move on to the next station.
I must mention that all these things you need (incense, paper, firecrackers et al are available to purchase on site)
Once finished incense prayers, you borrow two wafers (they are small bamboo half-moon shaped blocks that fit in the palm of your hand) hold them in your hands and pray again for a while. When ready, you throw the wafers on the floor and if they land right (one right side up, the other right side down) it is a yes answer to your prayer and you move to the next step. If not, you must pray again until they land the desired way.
The next step is to approach a container (like an umbrella stand) filled with flat bamboo sticks (maybe thirty or so) about a meter long and grab them with both hands and lift them out a bit, then drop them back in until one from the bunch doesn't fall back but sticks up above the rest. You take that stick and go back to the wafer prayers to make sure that is the proper answer to your prayer. When you get the 'right' result, you take your stick that has certain markings on it, to the monk for interpretation. He asks what the prayers were for, consults his 'list' and interprets the answer as yes or no. If the answer is no, you must start the process over again. If the answer is yes, move on to the final step.
They sell fake paper money (but large and fancy with lots of gold and red colour) This money is burned in a special furnace as an offering of thanks for the answer to your prayers. The higher the monetary denomination, the greater the thanks.
It could be I just don't get it, or I didn't get any of it right. It sure is interesting.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
to market, to market to buy a fat...
My daily visits to the market fill my mind with a million stories so to be told... don't even know where to start. Maybe I could just take you with me this morning and try to paint a brief glimpse for you.
Since it was raining I donned my newly purchased rain poncho, construction yellow with a cartoon sketch of Santa in orange carrying a green sack of toys? Dare I say it's a child's size and that could explain the graphics. They have odd taste here in many things. Lai kwan took her lilac umbrella as usual so we were nicely colour co-ordinated.
The local market is a block away, or should I say there is a market every few blocks. There is the usual street with shop upon shop of veggies, live and dead fowl, meat (mostly pork) dried goods (fish, rice, corn, seasoning, nuts, peppers, things I don't have a clue about) dishes and house wares, electric wires, fruit... so it goes the whole length of the block.
Added to this will be the illegal 'hawkers', those who can't afford a licensed stand of their own but load up their wares, usually fruit or veggies, sometimes ducks and chickens in bamboo woven baskets that they carry on a bamboo stick over their shoulder or a little wagon they pull, or the bicycle with the side cart (or the wagon on the back) These folks line the streets in front of the other shops and shout out their 'good prices'. They need to keep moving along the street to avoid blocking customers from accessing the other shops since the street is very narrow. And you must remember there are a few cars and many other bikes and these miserable motorcycles all wanting the same space that you happen to be standing in. There is danger involved.
Now in this stretch there is a covered area on one side that houses most of the seafood vendors, live fowl, tofu, in fact, I guess most everything. This might be my favorite part because it is all so new to me (and it's covered when it's raining or in cooking hot sun) Here's where you find a million different kind of water-related creatures. This is the wet, mucky, stinky area... to walk through here would explain why the Chinese never wear their street shoes in the house.
The tables in the seafood area, if there are any, are very low and the vendors sit on child-sized chairs with their wares in buckets and basins all around them. They all call to you as you pass by, ready to adjust their price for a sale.
Some of the buckets hold live catches, frequently leaping out at your feet and trying to follow you home, some already expired. The most fun are the bins of clams and shelled things that spit little streams of water at you as you pass by. Included in the price is the killing, gutting, scaling, deboning, whatever you want done. They either do it while you wait or you return after you finish your shopping to pick up your purchase. These folk are ankle deep in fish insides and scales from early morning on.
If you were wanting, say, fresh prawns, you must reach in to the writhing bin, with bare hands, and sort through, and chose the cutest ones. If I had to do this on my own, I'm sure I would be a vegetarian for sure.
I'm sayingthis job would not interest me, but the fresh seafood... priceless.
Since it was raining I donned my newly purchased rain poncho, construction yellow with a cartoon sketch of Santa in orange carrying a green sack of toys? Dare I say it's a child's size and that could explain the graphics. They have odd taste here in many things. Lai kwan took her lilac umbrella as usual so we were nicely colour co-ordinated.
The local market is a block away, or should I say there is a market every few blocks. There is the usual street with shop upon shop of veggies, live and dead fowl, meat (mostly pork) dried goods (fish, rice, corn, seasoning, nuts, peppers, things I don't have a clue about) dishes and house wares, electric wires, fruit... so it goes the whole length of the block.
Added to this will be the illegal 'hawkers', those who can't afford a licensed stand of their own but load up their wares, usually fruit or veggies, sometimes ducks and chickens in bamboo woven baskets that they carry on a bamboo stick over their shoulder or a little wagon they pull, or the bicycle with the side cart (or the wagon on the back) These folks line the streets in front of the other shops and shout out their 'good prices'. They need to keep moving along the street to avoid blocking customers from accessing the other shops since the street is very narrow. And you must remember there are a few cars and many other bikes and these miserable motorcycles all wanting the same space that you happen to be standing in. There is danger involved.
Now in this stretch there is a covered area on one side that houses most of the seafood vendors, live fowl, tofu, in fact, I guess most everything. This might be my favorite part because it is all so new to me (and it's covered when it's raining or in cooking hot sun) Here's where you find a million different kind of water-related creatures. This is the wet, mucky, stinky area... to walk through here would explain why the Chinese never wear their street shoes in the house.
The tables in the seafood area, if there are any, are very low and the vendors sit on child-sized chairs with their wares in buckets and basins all around them. They all call to you as you pass by, ready to adjust their price for a sale.
Some of the buckets hold live catches, frequently leaping out at your feet and trying to follow you home, some already expired. The most fun are the bins of clams and shelled things that spit little streams of water at you as you pass by. Included in the price is the killing, gutting, scaling, deboning, whatever you want done. They either do it while you wait or you return after you finish your shopping to pick up your purchase. These folk are ankle deep in fish insides and scales from early morning on.
If you were wanting, say, fresh prawns, you must reach in to the writhing bin, with bare hands, and sort through, and chose the cutest ones. If I had to do this on my own, I'm sure I would be a vegetarian for sure.
I'm sayingthis job would not interest me, but the fresh seafood... priceless.
Friday, June 5, 2009
the traffic
The greatest danger to me here in China is not a healthy diet as I had worried, but staying alive outside the house.
My experience with traffic here in Quanzhou could be the worst I have seen but if not, it's high on the list.
There is a lot of it. There are a lot of people. Some say with a population of only 1 million, I ain't seen nothing yet.
The traffic rules are, um, kinda, you could say... more relaxed than you would find in Canada.
For example, imagine traveling on a bus, albeit early saturday morning, rocketing along the four lane road that runs straight through the smaller communities, the driver constantly on the horn. Now I don't mean a beep beep here, a beep beep there, I'm talking BEEEEPP,BEEEEPPP, non stop for the duration of the ride. He only stops beeping occasionally to massage his overworked horn wrist. You can get a size twelve headache in short order.
When coming up to traffic in the two lanes ahead, and the horn can't move it (as there is nowhere else to be besides where they are) he skirts out into the two left oncoming traffic lanes!!! It's here I have my eyes closed and have stepped up the prayers. The horn doesn't stop but as I steel for the impact, I squint ahead to see a couple of motorcycles passing us on the left?? It is a wonder to me how the population got to be so large, I think the traffic here aught to be working to control that. I must admit there are few accidents that I have seen. A mystery to me.
The main streets here are often four lane with two extra fenced off lanes for bikes and motorcycles (I thought) Then the sidewalks are huge wide tiled affairs so it looks like there is room for safe passage for all. Mistake. The bikes, cars, motorcycles, busses... everything really, go everywhere and anything with wheels always has the right-of-way. The walk lights at the intersections include the bikes and motorcycles and push carts, and anything short of a car can cross in the cross walk with the walk light. Very hairy, and terribly dangerous. I didn't mention that the turn lanes are still operating with the right-of-way to the traffic as the other hundred or so (people, bikes, motorcycles etc) attempt to make it safely to the other side alive of the multi-laned road, on the very short walk light.
Now the very lovely road set up, roadway, bike lane, sidewalk... means nothing. Again everything goes everywhere. There are cars, bikes, motorcycles... are everywhere, even on the sidewalks!! and they have the right-of-way!! So there is much honking, ringing, and leaping for safety as you walk along since the traffic travels in either direction on either sidewalk. Quite unbelievable and not so fun.
When I say motorcycle, it is mostly scooters and the small-engined Suzuki's and the like that we called 'foo-foo' bikes cause they had so little power. But power be damned, they load those little bikes up with everything you can imagine (or could never imagine), boxes, animals, up to 4 or 5 people, furniture, vegetables, sheets of glass... The bikes here often have a sidecar that allows an even greater usage since they can carry more. They use them as people carriers too, equipped with a seat for your comfort, and covered with advertising to gain extra money.
There is a motorcycle helmet law that they are slowly instituting. For now it is just for the drivers, I guess the passengers are more expendable. However, the helmets are few and far between, probably less than 40 percent, and they are never on the kids. But the kids are always on the bikes, often standing on the scooter between someone's knees. And yet they live to grow up.
China is full of mystery.
My experience with traffic here in Quanzhou could be the worst I have seen but if not, it's high on the list.
There is a lot of it. There are a lot of people. Some say with a population of only 1 million, I ain't seen nothing yet.
The traffic rules are, um, kinda, you could say... more relaxed than you would find in Canada.
For example, imagine traveling on a bus, albeit early saturday morning, rocketing along the four lane road that runs straight through the smaller communities, the driver constantly on the horn. Now I don't mean a beep beep here, a beep beep there, I'm talking BEEEEPP,BEEEEPPP, non stop for the duration of the ride. He only stops beeping occasionally to massage his overworked horn wrist. You can get a size twelve headache in short order.
When coming up to traffic in the two lanes ahead, and the horn can't move it (as there is nowhere else to be besides where they are) he skirts out into the two left oncoming traffic lanes!!! It's here I have my eyes closed and have stepped up the prayers. The horn doesn't stop but as I steel for the impact, I squint ahead to see a couple of motorcycles passing us on the left?? It is a wonder to me how the population got to be so large, I think the traffic here aught to be working to control that. I must admit there are few accidents that I have seen. A mystery to me.
The main streets here are often four lane with two extra fenced off lanes for bikes and motorcycles (I thought) Then the sidewalks are huge wide tiled affairs so it looks like there is room for safe passage for all. Mistake. The bikes, cars, motorcycles, busses... everything really, go everywhere and anything with wheels always has the right-of-way. The walk lights at the intersections include the bikes and motorcycles and push carts, and anything short of a car can cross in the cross walk with the walk light. Very hairy, and terribly dangerous. I didn't mention that the turn lanes are still operating with the right-of-way to the traffic as the other hundred or so (people, bikes, motorcycles etc) attempt to make it safely to the other side alive of the multi-laned road, on the very short walk light.
Now the very lovely road set up, roadway, bike lane, sidewalk... means nothing. Again everything goes everywhere. There are cars, bikes, motorcycles... are everywhere, even on the sidewalks!! and they have the right-of-way!! So there is much honking, ringing, and leaping for safety as you walk along since the traffic travels in either direction on either sidewalk. Quite unbelievable and not so fun.
When I say motorcycle, it is mostly scooters and the small-engined Suzuki's and the like that we called 'foo-foo' bikes cause they had so little power. But power be damned, they load those little bikes up with everything you can imagine (or could never imagine), boxes, animals, up to 4 or 5 people, furniture, vegetables, sheets of glass... The bikes here often have a sidecar that allows an even greater usage since they can carry more. They use them as people carriers too, equipped with a seat for your comfort, and covered with advertising to gain extra money.
There is a motorcycle helmet law that they are slowly instituting. For now it is just for the drivers, I guess the passengers are more expendable. However, the helmets are few and far between, probably less than 40 percent, and they are never on the kids. But the kids are always on the bikes, often standing on the scooter between someone's knees. And yet they live to grow up.
China is full of mystery.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
toilets
You knew this was coming, didn't you?
I am experienced with toilets, been using them most of my life and my mom says I have a quite advanced 'pee pee dance'.
But of all my experience I don't understand squat toilets... these are the ones that are most used in China. They are just as they sound, two footprints straddling the porcelain trough. To use, as with the bowl type we use in Canada, lose the clothes in the appropriate location and instead of sit, you squat over the trough and release. Sometimes the trough is one continuous trough going from one stall to the next, not nice at all as all the... never mind. You will find them everywhere, public toilets, restaurants and even homes (and the school dorms).
So here are the questions... why? why? and why? It's not like there is all that much more porcelain involved in producing a bowl, and add a plastic seat, and bob's yer uncle, and it's so civilized. But no!! they chose the other...
We all know that if you pour liquid from any height onto, say, a hard flat surface or a bowl of liquid, there is going to be splash. For example, we all are familiar with urinals, and men's toilets, yes? There are always puddles, wet tracks and smell, I am not wrong on this. No woman will, by anything except desperate choice, use the mens room. The seat is always up, and sprayed with pee and the floor is wet and it's all stinky.
Well here in China, the same is true of the women's toilets too. I don't love it at all.
And I have learned what a bad aim I am too. As a kid in the great outdoors I didn't worry to much when I came out of the bush with my right foot warm and wet, but here in China, I get a little red in the face. And of course the floors are all like swampland and so stinky. Just try to have a successful trip, with no toilet paper (and nothing allowed in the toilet but bodily waist, the paper is not to be flushed but goes in a smelly little bin nearby), no soap, no paper towels, often no water, your pant cuffs and shoes badly sprayed or dragged through... I'm sorry if you haven't eaten yet.
You might wonder about getting down to assume the position, being comfortable while there, being productive and then trying to get up again? There is nothing to help you, no handles, knobs, railings, nothing. Nor is there a hook for your coat, purse or very heavy backpack. So you will be trying to take care of all this with your tissues in your purse or pocket and your nickers at your ankles and then get back up, all the while keeping your cuffs as dry as possible. I think you might be laughing by now at the thought but for me, it makes me consider never drinking again before going out.
I didn't mention the doors? Or might I say lack of doors? Or even walls for that matter. Sometimes the walls are only waist high so there is never a problem wondering if your friends are still in the toilet or have exited already. There is no lingering in Chinese toilets. No comfy chairs to wait for your friends, no space to change a diaper, no nursing your hungry babe... There is much to be enjoyed with no doors though. Ever been in those toilets that forces you put one foot in the bowl so the door will close? Well with no doors, no problem. And the ones that you need climb under the toilet paper holder or sit side saddle to use the bowl? Right, with no paper, no problem.
So I want you all to enjoy your cushy toilet seats, dry floors and doors, but don't forget me over here, building my thighs for next snowboarding season.
I am experienced with toilets, been using them most of my life and my mom says I have a quite advanced 'pee pee dance'.
But of all my experience I don't understand squat toilets... these are the ones that are most used in China. They are just as they sound, two footprints straddling the porcelain trough. To use, as with the bowl type we use in Canada, lose the clothes in the appropriate location and instead of sit, you squat over the trough and release. Sometimes the trough is one continuous trough going from one stall to the next, not nice at all as all the... never mind. You will find them everywhere, public toilets, restaurants and even homes (and the school dorms).
So here are the questions... why? why? and why? It's not like there is all that much more porcelain involved in producing a bowl, and add a plastic seat, and bob's yer uncle, and it's so civilized. But no!! they chose the other...
We all know that if you pour liquid from any height onto, say, a hard flat surface or a bowl of liquid, there is going to be splash. For example, we all are familiar with urinals, and men's toilets, yes? There are always puddles, wet tracks and smell, I am not wrong on this. No woman will, by anything except desperate choice, use the mens room. The seat is always up, and sprayed with pee and the floor is wet and it's all stinky.
Well here in China, the same is true of the women's toilets too. I don't love it at all.
And I have learned what a bad aim I am too. As a kid in the great outdoors I didn't worry to much when I came out of the bush with my right foot warm and wet, but here in China, I get a little red in the face. And of course the floors are all like swampland and so stinky. Just try to have a successful trip, with no toilet paper (and nothing allowed in the toilet but bodily waist, the paper is not to be flushed but goes in a smelly little bin nearby), no soap, no paper towels, often no water, your pant cuffs and shoes badly sprayed or dragged through... I'm sorry if you haven't eaten yet.
You might wonder about getting down to assume the position, being comfortable while there, being productive and then trying to get up again? There is nothing to help you, no handles, knobs, railings, nothing. Nor is there a hook for your coat, purse or very heavy backpack. So you will be trying to take care of all this with your tissues in your purse or pocket and your nickers at your ankles and then get back up, all the while keeping your cuffs as dry as possible. I think you might be laughing by now at the thought but for me, it makes me consider never drinking again before going out.
I didn't mention the doors? Or might I say lack of doors? Or even walls for that matter. Sometimes the walls are only waist high so there is never a problem wondering if your friends are still in the toilet or have exited already. There is no lingering in Chinese toilets. No comfy chairs to wait for your friends, no space to change a diaper, no nursing your hungry babe... There is much to be enjoyed with no doors though. Ever been in those toilets that forces you put one foot in the bowl so the door will close? Well with no doors, no problem. And the ones that you need climb under the toilet paper holder or sit side saddle to use the bowl? Right, with no paper, no problem.
So I want you all to enjoy your cushy toilet seats, dry floors and doors, but don't forget me over here, building my thighs for next snowboarding season.
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