Hello dear friends of my sister Hillary.. While she is gone I update her blog for her, and since I have access to it I decided to do a little post of my own to help out my dear friend and her family. You might notice a little button of a picture with a cute little boy on it.  His name is Cole and he suffers from Dravet syndrome. They are in the process of getting him a dog that will help detect when he has a seizure so someone doesn't have to be by his side 24/7 (yes that means when he is sleeping).  You don't know these people, but I do. I know how much it would mean to them for just a little help.  Thanks!

TRASHMAN

Yesterday I went with some friends from church to visit the "Trashman." He is located Northeast of Beijing and his store is this large building with all sorts of junk and treasures!  He had some interesting things. Some of it was total crap and other things were really neat and beautiful!  I found one item I really wanted and a couple of other unexpected things.  I found a calligraphy brush stand, an old wooden box painted green that I thought was pretty, and two old flags with dragons embroidered on them. The flags are dirty and worn but I hope to take them to the cleaners to see if they can be "beautified."  I would like to have them framed because I think they would look fantastic.  The "Trashman" himself is a bit of an interesting character.  You can bargain with him but there are some things he isn't willing to bargain on. After we all made our purchases he grab random items and tell us we could have them for free. I ended up with a teracotta buddah face that was painted black. The face is a lid and you can put incence inside to burn and the smoke comes out of the mouth of the Buddah. Also, I learned that if you pull out the cash and just give him what you want to pay rather than what he is asking, you are more likely to get the price you want. One of the girls in our group did that for a beautiful black entryway table she wanted and it worked pretty well.  Most of the other laides found some beautiful things - large vases, hardwood tables, wooden buckets, etc... There was a ton of old jewelry and coins, lots of benches, chests, and porcelin.  I found a bunch of old vinyl records of Chinese opera and music and I really, really wanted to buy them but I didn't because it was really hot and I didn't know if they would be okay.  I also liked the old metal xylophones - really beautiful. I think I may have to go back and get it. The problem is getting it back home or where ever else I end up after December. 
After our visit to the trashman we went to see a place called "George's Lamps."  These lamps were so gorgeous. Silk shades and all the bases were made from Chinese items such as Buddahs, tea sets, bird cages, statues, tibeten horns, old necklaces, etc... They were sooooooo beautiful and I decided I must have one but they are quite expensive so until I make more dinero I will just have to wait. He makes them to export so they are made to work in wall sockets in the states and Europe.  My favorite lamp was the red one with statues of Chinese ladies under it.  So beautiful!

CHINESE CANDY

So I think most people know that "candy" in China is a bit different that what we consider candy to be in the west. My assisstant brought me some Chinese candy the other day and watched as I sampled and tasted to gage my reaction.  I ate a small sweet potato thing, a jelly fruit thing with this styrafoam stuff on it that was edible, and a black bean candy.  I liked them all as well as a few others that I tried.  Western candy is much more sugary and sweet. I think the Chinese got the healthy thing down as far as candy goes though with all the fruits and veggies they use for things. You can even buy corn ice cream bars and ice cream bars made out of peas and beans too.  Red beans are used a lot in candy and desserts here.

BEIJING BIRTHDAY

Last week was my birthday and I wanted it to be really cool and fun but I ended up being slightly disappointed.  I threw on my new qipao and went to hot pot dinner with my friends Samily and Earle and then we went to a kung fu show that came highly recommended. It was suppossed to be this vegas style show with cool kung fu but it was too fake and most of the kung fu action was staged so it wasn't as impressive as I thought it would be.  They had all sorts of smoke and then a couple times they had all these bubbles and I was trying to figure out what bubbles had to do with kung fu but oh well.  They had some acrobatics with the people flying around in the long fabric stuff around the stage and there was some dancing too.  Some of the tricks they did with the weapons were cool and the little kids performing in the show had some impressive moves.
The next day was my actual birthday and I wanted to go back to my favorite place, the summer palace.  I wanted to fly my fish kite from the bridge but it was sooooooo hot and sooooooo overcrowded and God decided I could not have wind on my birthday to fly my kite. So my kite just hung over the bridge unable to do anything. Major "bu hao." God did decide though that happy, old, fat Chinese man could play happy birthday on his flute as I walked past so I got to enjoy that.
My friend Sally at work gave me a beautiful gift that I love. It is a silk wall hanging of two mandarin ducks known as "Yuan Yang."  The ducks represent love, fidelity, and the joining of two opposite people to create balance and love. She wrote me a really sweet note about how she hoped I could find my "Yuan Yang" here in China since I was so far from my family! It was really sweet. I got a super cool Chinese tiger pop-out card from my assistant. So my birthday in China wasn't quite what I hoped it would be but still, I got to have my birthday in China which is pretty cool anyway in and of itself!

DANCING QUEEN

I am getting into the habit of dancing at restaurants.  No people. Not that kind of dancing. Sheesh.  Last month I went with co-workers to a restaurant that had a band that played songs from India, Latin America, and Asia. They would play a couple of songs and then there were two girls that came out in traditional costumes to do some traditional dances.  I loved it. The girls would pull people up to dance on stage with them and I joined them gladly.  The second time was at a restaurant where I work. My friend Ryan and I went out for Thai food and there is a group of young people there from the Philipines that sing and perform each night.  They got me out of my seat for "La Bamba" and I joined in the dancing although my movements seemed to be in the opposite direction as theirs.  I think I impressed them that I knew all the words to La Bamba.  So there I was, In China, singing a Spanish song with people from the Philipines, while eating Thai food with my American co-worker.  I also continue to be proof that you don't need alcohol to get up dance and be slightly crazy in front of complete strangers. 
 

KTV

KTV is what we refer to as Karoke in the states.  KTV is EVERYWHERE here in China and it isn't like the states where you go to a bar or club and sing in front of strangers.  KTV here is a business.  It is usually located in a building and you pay to rent a room for a few hours and just chill out with your friends and sing whatever you want like crazy just for them.  I went to KTV yesterday with a few people and I seriously couldn't get over this place.  First of all, this particular KTV venue looked like a fancy hotel on the inside - huge lobby, leather furniture, grand staircase, etc... The karaoke rooms vary in size and in "fanciness."  Ours was like a lounge area with a curved sofa, plasma tv and all sorts of fancy karaoke technology.  Larger rooms have stages and you can even rent banquet halls. Each room has a menu to order drinks and food and the staff bring you whatever you want and there is even an evening buffet.  This was not at all karaoke at some East Texas small town bar folks. This was a fancy gig and we were there for 5 hours just singing and having fun!  My only complaint was the lack of showtunes (ha ha) and I wish I had more of a pop sound to my voice.  

QIPAO

The Qipao is the traditional style dress of Chinese Women.  My friend put on a local Qipao Festival at an art gallery so I got to go and see a fashion show of different styles of Qipao.  I also got to learn a lot about this well-known style.  I thought the style had been around for hundreds and hundreds of years but really it became popular at the beginning of the 20th Century when women of the Chinese elite began to wear the design.  As years passed, others wanted to mimick and copy the style worn by the upper class and eventually it became a traditional style for all Chinese women.  I bought two Qipao tops a couple of weeks ago but they are the typical mass produced kind that you buy at the markets. I actually really like the ones I bought. One is a beautiful blue and the other is black. Both have the same design but I think it is really pretty. I bought a silk qipao shirt a couple of months ago but I wasn't able to try it on at the market and it ended up being too small. Qiapo is traditionally worn for special events  - birthdays, formal dinners, etc...  Here are a few pics from the fashion show

LAMA TEMPLE

Today I went with some friends from church to the Lama Temple.  The official name is actually "Palace of Peace and Harmony Lama Temple."  I'm all for peace and harmony so right on Lama Temple!  The Lama Templ was constructed in the late 1600's and initally used as a monestary, then converted to a residence for the emporer and then later converted again to serve as a monestary for Tibetan monks. It is one of the largest Buddihst Temples in the world.  It houses some very, very large Buddihst statues and artwork.  One of the pieces of art that I loved was a fabric mosaic of a Buddah.  I couldn't determine what year it was made but it was beautiful and the image was made out of fabric pieces that were cut and folded to create the piece.  The Temple is home to the Maidala Buddah which is one of the largest Buddhist statues in the world. It is 26 meters high, with the lowest 8 meters buried in the ground.  I heard that this was done to prevent others from taking it but I don't know who would be able to move something that big anyway without being noticed. The statue is carved entirely out of wood and painted in gold. There was a great deal of colorful artwork and we saw a gallery of smaller Buddah statues and treasures given to the monestary over the last several hundred years.  I didn't burn any incense or pray to any of the Buddahs but I did spin the prayer wheel.  Buddhist prayer wheels come in various sizes and I've even seen some in taxi cabs and cars.  They are usually constructed of bronze or some other metal with prayer incriptions carved on them. When you spin the wheel it is as if the prayer is being read.  The Lama Temple is a working monestary but I didn't see any of the monks while I was there.  Maybe it was their day off??? :)

THE MORMON CHURCH IN CHINA

Several people have asked me about how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints exists and functions here in China.  The church is under a great deal of restriction but members are able to meet regularly and participate in all the regular meetings and activities just as they would anywhere else.  There is no actual church building and we meet in a tall business building on the 4th floor. There are 3 congregations. The first is of members from other countries that live within Beijing. It has members from the States, England, Germay, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada, Australia, Moldova, Venezuela, and other countries.  The second congregation is made up of members of the church from other countries that live further outside of Beijing in an area known as Shunyi.  The third congregation is made up of Chinese Nationals. Many of these members joined the church when they lived in other places and have now returned to China. The government prohibits the Nationals to participate in religious activities with expats so we have to make sure we are out of the building before they arrive for their services and we can't have church activities together.  Also, we are not allowed to proselyte at all with locals.  We can share the gospel with people from other countries but that is all.  People in China are free to belong to whatever religion they want to but only religions that are officially recognized by the government are allowed to be shared or discussed openly. We do have baptisms here but I haven't been able to attend any of them.  We also have an elderly couple here as service missionaries. They visit different places and do humanitarian work. They once shared a touching story of taking church donated wheelchairs to another town and they were very happy to have been a part of it but were unable to say who they were and what organization they were affiliated with because it was the church.  Christianity is not very popular here in China but it exists. Once on the bus, I saw a girl reading a small Bible. I also saw a man reading scriptures out of his Bible to people passing by and several actually stopped to listen to him. A few weeks ago a friend of mine and I went to lunch and there was a large group of young adults at a table next to us. Before they ate they joined hands and prayed to bless the food. 

The history of the church in China is very interesting. To share it all would take up a ton more blog space but here is a link of a dedicatory prayer given by President McKay.  http://www.ldschinese.com/library/dedications/CD.html

I have become acquainted with some people that have lived in this area of the world for a number of years and have witnessed the growth of the church.  There is still much that needs to happen before this area can be opened up completely but progress is always being made. The fact that the church goes to amazing lenghts to cooperate with laws and governement officials says a great deal and that alone will help open a door for more progress at a future time. I would say it is definitely an exciting time to be here!

MEDITATION CLASS

I worry a lot. I over analyze and have a tendency to always be concerned about what is to come and what is next rather than worry about things in the past.  One of the things I've been interested in learning more about even before I came to China, is meditation.  I really think it is something I could benefit from because I believe it would help me to channel my worry and anxiety differently and help me to remain more calm about things.  So today I went to a Zen Buddihst meditation class at a Chinese cultural center in my neighborhood.  I really had no idea of what to expect but I ended up really enjoying the experience. There were two other ladies there with me and I think it was there first time there as well. The Zen Master was extremely kind and soft spoken.  We did some warm up movements with our arms and bodies that were very fluid and relaxing.  Then we sat on our mats but sitting with my legs crossed is not very comfortable me because I have zero flexibility.  As we sat we continued to do some hand motions about every 5 minutes or so and the rest of the time we sat with eyes closed listening to the Zen Master guide us through the mediation.  A lot of his instruction was about being aware of your body and the space around you.  It was extremely silent which means that it was easy for me to think and worry a lot during the session and that was what I was trying to avoid.  I think I just need more practice.  At the end of sitting, we walked very, very slowly around the room three times stopping when the master hit two wooden sticks to take account of the space and feeling around us.  At the end we finished with sitting again and doing a few more hand and body movements and then he gave a prayer at the End asking for all living beings to have peace.  Afterwards he explained Zen and Buddihst philosophies regarding suffering and overcoming suffering. One of the things I liked was that he explained to live life as moments and to not use the excuse that things happen "naturally" because that means people are usually trying to get out of being responsible for what happens in their lives. He talked about how people can have control over their emotions once they are able to recognize them more and where they come from. He talked about the mind being a storm and through Zen and meditation you can learn to control and conquer the storm. This has to do with Buddihst beliefs that we all endure suffering but that the suffering can be conquered.  I definitely agreed that my mind feels like a storm at times. I always seem to have so much going through it.   I am not a Buddihst but I do find connections in most other religions that align with my Christian beliefs which I love.  At several points during the meditation I found myself just saying my own prayers to God and trying to feel his peace. I don't know when I'll make it to the class again. I do think it would be helpful if I kept going.

FENG HUANG CHUAN QI

There is a Chinese music group that I love called Feng Huang Chuan Qi. The translation is "Phoenix Legend" or I have also seen it translated "Mongolian Phoenix."  The group is a duo that consists of a man that has a more pop sound to his voice and a woman that has a more traditional Chinese sound.  Their music is a blend of pop/rap style and traditional Chinese style and I think it is awesome. My co-workers make fun of me because they say this music is only popular with the older people in China and I shouldn't listen to old people music.  Below are links to two music videos on youtube. I love the song in the first link but the video isn't that great even though I love the use of the traditional shadow puppets.  The second link is another music video of a song I like as well.  
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHEOfXOqp1Y
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wJg952Gymc

SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN

I just read the book "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See.  I purchased it for my kindle and meant to read it before I came to China.  Once I saw that the book was made into a movie, I made sure I read it asap.  I LOVED this book!  And I loved it for so many reasons.  First though I want to say that I think you can get so much more out of reading a book about a certain culture or people when you are actually living among them. I felt like I understood this book so much better having read it while in China than if I were to have read it in the States.  This book was beautifully written. I could visualize the story in my head easily and vividly and I really appreciated the authors ability to convey imagery without being overly verbose or detailed.  I also loved how she explained aspects of Chinese traditions, culture, and symbols in this book. The story was beautiful and heartbreaking.  The friendship of the two main characters in this story is amazing. These girls were pretty much forced to be friends from a very young age and it could have been a disaster but I loved reading of how the two of them clung to each other and learned to love the other.  That made it all the more heartbreaking near the end (I will not spoil it for you) when the friendship became challenged.  The story is also based on a secret language discovered not that long ago that was used among Chinese women to communicate one with another.  I loved this because the culture and society looked down upon women a great deal and this was something they had that belonged only to them and empowered them.  The chapter about the footbinding was too much for me handle. I could not imagine young girls having to go through something so painful and unnecessary.  I will write about the history of footbinding in a seperate post at a later time.
 
I just saw the trailer for the movie and I could tell right away that it wouldn't be nearly as good as the book but I still want to see it. I found a copy of the dvd today but it was apparently all in Chinese with no English subtitles available but I will try another store next week to see if they have one I can watch.  
 
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjg1MDkzODI0.html

BOY BANDS

I just read an article last month that New Kids on the Block and The Backstreet Boys put a cd out together. If I remember correctly, each group had 5 members so together that makes ten which is the perfect number of guys to have in an Asian boy band.  Boy bands here in China, Korea, and Japan can have about 5 members up to about 15. Most bands have about 10 or more which is nuts in my opinion. From what I can tell, these guys aren't really especially talented but are somehow selected to be together in whatever boy band someone with money and in the music business wants to create.  They all dress the same and do dance moves but the dance moves usually are cheesy and so is the music.  Most bands tend to have a couple of hits and don't last very long because really, putting 10+ hormonal, immature guys in a band is just a dumb idea to begin with.  Sometimes the band members are replaced or some decide to go solo. Sometimes the bands just completely break up but no worries about that because next month there will be a brand new group of guys on CCTV trying to make a name for themselves with a one hit wonder.  One of the bands that has actually been around for a number of years is from South Korea and they are called "Super Junior."  Currently there are 13 members of the band and I read that they are the largest boy band in the world.  They totally bug me but I have included the following link of a poor quality music video of them for you to make your own judgement. 
 
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjg4MDI3NTE2.html
 

TEMPLE OF HEAVEN

I went to visit The Temple of Heaven the other day with my friend Richard.  The Temple of Heaven is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Beijing and probably one of the most recognizable structures in China.  The Temple of Heaven is a Taoist temple and was contructed in the early 1400's by the same dynasties that were responsible for the constuction of The Forbidden City.  Emperors and others would pray at the Temple of Heaven for good harvests. The design and architecture involves a lot of symbolism of natural elements such as the seasons and animals of the Chinese Zodiac.  The Temple is to connect the earth with heaven.  I thought it was a very beautiful building and we were lucky to be there on a day when the air was mostly clear.  Outside the temple is a park area that has corridors where locals sit and play traditional Chinese card games and board games.  The park is also a popular place for people to go early in the mornings and do their exercises, tai chi, dancing, etc...  We even saw a couple taking wedding photos there as well.  Going to the Temple of Heaven today was a bit spontaneous but a place I have wanted to visit since coming to Beijing so I was very glad to be able to go and knock it off my Beijing bucket list!  More photos will be on fb within a couple of weeks.

CHOPSTICKS

I have been in China almost 8 months and I STILL suck at using chopsticks.  I never hold them correctly.  I always struggle using them and trying to pick up my food.  I carry around regular western utinsils in my purse so I have a spoon and fork on hand when my chopstick frustration is more than I can handle.  I have a similar issue with holding my pencils and pens when I write.  From the time I was in kindergarten I never held my pencil properly so even now as an adult, I continue to get comments from others about it such as "Why do you hold your pencil like that? It's so weird." and "How can you write holding your pencil that way?"  But my writing is fine and completely legible so I suppose in the end it doesn't really matter how I hold it.  It's the same with chopsticks I guess.  Eventually the food gets to my mouth so as long as that happens then who cares how I hold them right?  Anyway, one of my friends here took pity on me and bout me some "training chopsticks."  They are the kind that the little kids use when learning to hold them for eating.  My training chopsticks are purple and have a panda at the top keep the ends connected.  I've tried using them and sometimes they work okay but I still can't use them very well.   Sigh.