The Chinese believes that the most ethereal beauties are often found in the most remote places where the pristine environment nurtures the body and soul. Far from being an ethereal being, I however fully took in the benefits of good air, clear water and rolling hills covered by cedar and pine trees in Canada.
I spent a good couple of days in the valleys of British Columbia where little towns were almost like a movie set complete with modern amenities. It was utterly different from the mountain regions in China where living condition tends to be a lot more ‘rudimentary’. Driving across the region, I was stunned by the sheer volume of trees, mountains and lakes. And there were so many stars scattered across the sky that they almost seemed chaotic.
Of course, I couldn’t miss a trip to the sacred land of Canada: the Hockey Hall of Fame where the meaning of the sport became alive for me. I bought a special champion’s edition puck of the Detroit Red Wings. Why don’t we have a table tennis hall of fame in China?
First of all, thank you all the Canadian poddies for your welcome messages. Despite a 15-hour jetlag, I am enjoying Vancouver tremendously.
So far, I’ve been enchanted by the pristine blue sky and cotton candy like clouds. It’s like what you see in the opening credits of the Simpsons. If you ever see someone sky watching with morbid fascination, that’s probably me.
I am living with a friend in the suburbs. We\ve been driving around to the city and along the way, there’s a lot of modest looking shops and restaurants, which look quite run down. But once you step in, great adventure begings. You find authentic food from different parts of the world and unique local produce. A stark contrast with the excessively promising exterior of shops in China, the substance of which often leaves you in disappointment.
And lastly, I\ve finally had a taste of suburban horror. Gotta run now.Till next time, take care!
The finding is that most see it as a ‘quiet’, ‘friendly’ place suited for immigration and retirement. But overall, Canada has a bland and even dull image in China.
However, Canada is home to two beloved foreigners in China. Norman Bethune, or 白求恩/bai2 qiu2 en1, a surgeon who came to China and helped to treat wounded Communist troops in the 1930′s. And 大山/Dashan ( Mark Rowswell), who has a daunting command of Chinese and was the first ’sinophile’ known to the general public.
Most Chinese don’t know the down to earth, even self-deprecating attitude of Canadians. Nor do we get the sacred popularity of hockey.
All these I shall experience when I leave for Canada today. A much anticipated trip.
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Xiexie!
Jenny Zhu’s China is a visual commentary on the fascinating facets of Chinese culture and society. Each episode fatures a selection of videos showcasing an interesting aspect of China, everything from news to user generated content. Thanks to Aric Queen for helping me shoot and being the observing friend on the pilot. Like the lighting, there is a lot of room for improvement. I deeply appreciate your thoughts and suggestions!
In this episode:
1. Dancing in the park
2. Potato chips—the family glue
3. Journey to West: a Chinese animation from the 1950′s
The ban on using ‘super thin’ plastic bags for free (<0.025 mm in thickness according the regulation) kicks in today, June 1st 2008. ChinesePod will have an upcoming media lesson about the very topic.
There has been a long build up to this bold and revolutionary change. In China, even the smallest purchases such as a bottle of water comes with a plastic bag. For too long, we’ve taken it as a given without any pondering of the evironmental consequences.
So what happens in this new chapter? Well, on the first day, thoughtful and frugal moms make sure they bring their own bags (many still plastic but it’s from their own reserve), baskets or a big travelling tote to the grocer. Their purchasing decision is heavily based on economical considerations. And this is where the policy of charging for plastic bags work the best. But then, there are the forgetful ones, me included, who are faced with a devil and angel at the check out counter. Do I pay a few cents for a plastic bag or 3 RMB for the linen tote? The answer seems easy, both economically and morally. But I had gazillion items which would require at least 5 totes. And I have a few of them at home. So I defaulted to the old habit, albeit feeling guilty, which I think is a major contribution of this policy, how it’s slowly altering people’s attitude.
Other shoppers presented a variety of solutions. Some came prepared, some like me, some bought linen bags at the supermarket as this clip shows.
The first thing I did when I got home was to put a linen tote in my bag, to prepare myself for the new deplasticised age. But as I was emptying the bags of purchase, I realised that I also need a garbage disposal alternative. No more used plastic bags to line the bin. Buy proper garbage bags instead. That’s why this new policy claims to solve the problem from the root and trickles down to minimise the peripheral use of pastic bags as well.
I think I’ll have a good story to tell in 50 years: amongst many of the ground shaking changes in my days is the demise of plastic bags.
