November 10, 2009

Prolegomena to a Future Blog

Liu Bolin

The flight was unremarkable: the 13 hours really flew by.

So I’ll start with a quick rundown of the crucial details about my stay in Beijing, each of which is subject to further elaboration as my Adventure in Chinaland unfolds:

1.) I arrived on October 19th and will be in Beijing for just over two months. This duration, in and of itself, is significant, as it is just enough time to get a feel for a city without getting sick of it. The finite amount of time is (to use a favorite metaphor) a double-edged sword: December 23rd represents both a deadline that motivates me to explore my new territory, foreign in some ways and familiar in others, and a conclusion to I can look forward to, since the past three weeks have been more than enough time for me to miss New York.

2.) The last time I was in China was just over four years ago, in the summer of 2005. Last year’s summer Olympics were only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the slightly haphazard and often over-the-top Westernization that has occurred in a short half-decade. My grandparents are older, Beijing is younger, and—just as (or maybe because) I am a different person at a different place in my life—it feels like an entirely different city. Also, you wouldn’t think there was a one-child-per-family policy by looking; it’s like Grand St. x 10000, everywhere, all the time.

3.) The exchange rate is roughly $1 = 6.8 人民币 (RMB), so for quick calculations, 10RMB = $1.50, 20RMB = $3.00, etc. Additionally, I have derived a conversion rate based on cigarettes and/or meals for practical purposes. Suffice it to say that living in China is dirt cheap—usually at the expense of being, well, dirty.

4.) I am staying with my grandparents. This was a choice that I made early on and would/has/will inevitably define my entire experience here [further explanation to follow].

5.) My command of the Chinese language is conversational at best. I can understand 75% of ordinary speech but my responses are limited to a fraction of that vocabulary. I am largely unable to read or write; technical jargon—about half of the news, anything related to my job—is lost on me. I’ve been trying to improve my 普通话, but the proliferation of English signage is an annoyingly useful crutch for someone trying to learn how to walk the walk (or rather, how to talk the talk).

6.) I am working at an aunt’s media company, doing web (re)design, media research and consultation.

7.) Finally, I should note that China is 12 hours ahead of EST… which is not to say that the difference between New York and Beijing is like day and night; on the contrary, the disparity is far less stark and therefore less tangible (most of the time, at least; Roberts might argue otherwise) in uncanny and sometimes insidious ways. While jet lag lasts a few days or a fortnight at most (as was the case for me), cultural acclimation can take months, even years, if at all. One of my uncles, who has spent most of his time in the States since emigrating some 20+ years ago, claims that he can’t stay in China for more than a few months at a time without returning to America to “unwind”—despite spending the first half of his life in the motherland.

More to come soon…