Beijing: Take II

The most recent scattered blog post was written in the confusing daze of jetlag and I realize that I need a proper introduction.

As an Asia-Pacific Studies/International Relations student at the University of Toronto, I received a Faculty of Arts: Dr. David Chu Scholarship to fund Mandarin study at the Beijing Language and Culture University. The school was founded solely for educating foreigners in Mandarin, so its population is extremely international. After a week in Hunan surrounded by Chinese people, BLCU's students are a familiar reminder of Toronto. I've met people from: Australia, Thailand, Greece, Italy, Tunisia, the US, Russia, Japan and a French guy from Hong Kong. There is also a massive South Korean population as well.

I'm enrolled in two intensive courses at BLCU, from June 24 to August 19. Having taken two beginner Mandarin courses at U of T, I have a very basic foundation but I'm frequently reminded that I speak and read with a "white accent". Hence the attempt to learn to actually speak Chinese properly here in Beijing. However, I'm not sure that being surrounded by other students with similarly incorrect accents would actually help.

On weekends and after my courses end, I hope to take as many trips as possible out of Beijing, such as my weeklong excursion to Hunan. It would be nice to see the terracotta soldiers in Xi'an, and I have an inexplicable desire to visit Mongolia and ride a camel. Outer Mongolia (the independent country) requires a visa, so inner Mongolia will do. I would love to see as much as China as I can, but this desire has triggered such anxious responses for my safety from Chinese natives that I'll be limited by the need for travelling companions.

The dichotomous reactions I received when I announced my desire to go to China has been extremely intriguing. One group, dominated mainly by recent Chinese immigrants to Canada are extremely alarmed for my safety, and they cluck their tongues at my naiveté and question my sanity. They hurriedly offer me the phone number of their friend/mother/sister/acquiantance who lives in Beijing.

The polar opposite reaction I've gotten has been mostly from white Canadians who have lived/studied/worked in China and believe it to be perfectly safe. A Chinese scholar once wrote (and I'll locate the source shortly), something to the effect of : China is so vast and immense that anything you say about China can be true. China is both developed and undeveloped, both modern and backward, both rich and poor, etc." Anyone who has studied China can attest to the validity of this statement. So I suppose that China can be both safe and dangerous. Which is not exactly reassuring considering that a well-intentioned friend asked if I wanted my organs to be harvested.

There is much to learn about China. Although I've studied East Asian politics, I've never taken a course solely focussing on China so my knowledge on the inner workings of the Chinese Communist Party as well as China's history is quite lacking. If you notice any mistakes or misinterpretations, please email me at rhema@asiapacificreader.org.

I returned to Beijing two days ago and the weather is unmistakably different. Although the aerial view of Beijing was an uninspiring brown, the sky is clear, and there is a sun that burns with painful strength.

I intended to write more about my recent adventures but if I stay any longer in this smoke filled internet cafe, I will surely suffocate. Another feature of China.