Where’s My Summer Palace?

Yesterday saw me at “recreational” places that the rich and powerful Chinese frequented in the past: Old Summer Palace and Summer Palace. These places I learned were of equal importance to the royal Chinese as the Forbidden City. Forbidden City may have been where all the formal ceremonies took place, but much governing took place at these summer abodes of the emperors and empresses.

Old Summer Palace: It was known for its extensive and diverse collection of gardens and architecture ranging from traditional Chinese style to that of Tibetan that mirrored the equally diverse population of the Chinese society during Qing Dynasty. Therefore, I was extremely disappointed to see that all that remains are few small

gardens, lakes full of lotus flowers, and European styled buildings in ruins. These ruins were so puzzling to me, because I felt I was no longer in China. I felt cheated out of another opportunity to witness Chinese buildings meticulously constructed with great care and innovation. It was only later on that I learned Old Summer Palace has been destroyed more than once by foreign forces, and to this day, its destruction remains an extremely sensitive subject for the Chinese.

Summer Palace: One would not believe that this entire “Palace” is

man-made from the 60-meter-hill to a lake, which covers three fourths of its great expanse. Temple of Buddhist Virtue was of

course revealed to be another breath-taking sight of a huge Buddha statue only after climbing long and steep flights of stairs (What is up with so many inclines to climb here in China? No wonder the elderly regularly exercise! Also, why are the floors, steps, and just about everything that we walk on so slippery? I found myself way too many times on my butt). Of course, to top another sweltering day of seven hours of tourism, I saw a boat made entirely of marble and rode on a boat fashioned after a dragon.

But, to be honest, I found my evening excursion with a fellow classmate to a public park more interesting. Already dark, we feared the park may be already empty. But, surprisingly, the park even in dark, was alive with quiet murmurs of lovers sitting on benches, friendly conversations of the elderly, unabashed snores of middle-aged men half-naked on benches, and heavy breathing of young men on their jogs. One elderly man was kind enough to talk to us about this “recreational place” for present-day Chinese. Early in the morning, many come to the park to practice their taijiquan and walk their caged birds. Later on in the afternoon, many come to play badminton. Towards dusk, many women come to dance (such as disco!) in unison. Many others come to the park to escape the heat, chat with their friends, and play chess. When night falls, the park becomes a cozy nest for lovers. Back at home, there are three parks near my house. I believe I have frequented these parks less than five times per year. I have always thought parks were where people went to occasionally play tennis and soccer, bum around, and smoke few joints. We, Americans, can definitely learn from Chinese about how to make best use of such public space.

Since coming to China, I’ve eaten McDonalds’s twice, which is two more times than I would have liked. Here in China, it is considered trendy to eat McDonald’s and KFC, unlike in America where it is considered a taboo to eat a Big Mac due to countless concerns the industry raised: health, animal treatment, environment, etc.

Also, especially younger generation of Chinese loves eating bread. At first, I believed Chinese diet consisted mainly of rice, noodle, and dumplings. Surprisingly, from what I hear from my language partner, many cannot go a day without eating some kind of bread. Of course, I cannot understand why one cannot since rice, noodle, and dumplings here are of heavenly taste.