My adventures in China

My first tripe to Beijing

Beijing, it's done! I could finally visit and profit from a part of the Chinese capital. We went go Fabien, Cyril and me since 9h30 from the Tianjin train station, Stéphane did not be able to come because of his work. We arrived after 30 minutes (the train have a speed of 300km/h)to the new Beijing's train station(very impressive). It is unfortunately not link to the subway, so we had to take a taxi to go in the traffic jam and go to the nearest subway station.

Direction forbidden city, just near the famous Tian'anemen place. The good weather was here, however it was very cold because of the temperature and the wind but a blue sky, which is rare on Beijing following us during this visit. This settlement cover 720 000 m² is a city in the city. It shelter Chinese emperor from 1420 to 1911. Our visit remain approximatively 4 hors during those we can see the major part of the settlement which is a real maze!There is also many mini-museum which show historic thing, we have visited only some of them.

Since the end ho this first visit we go to the Jingshan park just behind the forbidden city, it contain a plain which overhang le center of Beijing, a great panorama is visible because of the interdiction of built building higher than the forbidden city from some kilometers around. We have been joined by Pierrick and Gabriel to appreciate a sunset without pollution.

After have drunk a Tsingtao beer we went to one of the favorite friend's restaurant which is specialized in the sea food, we have eaten meet skewer naturally. This restaurant have a reputation of a being glaucous for occidental people because when you command fish, the cooker take care of show it to you when it is even living; then you can see the cooker killing the fish by hitting the fish on the flow or the workspace, very elegant! Here the fish have a incomparable freshness.

Then we could appreciate the night life of Beijing, a large quantity of bars and club are opened all the night, we had notice that the party begin at 00pm like in occidental country opposed to Tianjin where the party is full on 10pm. A very good thing in chine is the sociability of people, there isn't any snobby person and it's possible to address people very simply, it's great!

After a short but good night at Pierrick's house we went to the Apple store and then join Gabriel to eat jiaozhi which are very delicious in a kitchen of 10m², very folk! Pierrick & Gabriel explained that many shopkeeper often live in their shop because they haven't got any money to get an accommodation.

We visited the Lama temple, a Buddhist temple where there is the higher Maitreya wood statue (26m), very impressive! Then we went to the Heaven temple where we played to the ancestor of the badminton, it's like the badminton but you smash with your foot, many Chinese people laugh of us.

We finished with a fake market, we could play to negotiate prize, Pierrick was a master at this game! We bought remote control cat and helicopter.(what we are child?)

The day ended with a occidental restaurant in a dilapidated street, we can degustate occidental food like tagliatelles or made home hamburgers, like frites and mayonaise. The returned happenned as we come and we arrivend aroud 11pm at Tianjin.

What I miss about France

I want disorientation I got it!

Even it it's not radical in a city like Tianjin, its present! As I'm very linked to the French culture, and particular, to the French food, I'm begin to feel a big lack. About pork ("charcuterie" in French) it's OK, because of my 4 sausages that I have astutely package in order to the custom does not detect it. Of course, ham, rillettes and appeared as big absents. The worth is the cheese. I'm a real consumer of cheese since my childhood and my passion for it does not regress. The moment of the day that I want to eat some, it's on the breakfast. Yes, some of you will make faces reading this post but I love my Vache Qui Rit slice of bread for example. I can't eat the same breakfast as you, like Nutella or jam, I prefer to don't eat(yeah, I'm not fan of Nutella it's not a joke). In chine, one of the only cheese available is the Camembert for 8 euros, for the present I absent, but It won't continue.

The comportment at the lunch time is also different. Chinese people loves purify their body, they loved scrape their throat to swallow a big yellow spit, event at the restaurant. It not give the appetite but with the time I don't turn my attention on it (what "or not?"). Moreover, Chinese people can smoke everywhere and speak very loudly and it's often difficult to speak quietly.

Out of the food aspect, there is also the social aspect which is a lack. A little thing like kiss or shake hand. In order to bow a girl in France, we kiss, normal. In chine it's not the case, like for Russians, Americans, frustrating! We replace it by a wave with the hand and a smile... Even the market does not bow client.

All of these are trifle and there are not disturb me enough to low my spirit and come back in France, it will may be come with cheese... Many other good things compensate for thees but it's proof of my attachment with the French type of life

ps: Welcome to Cyril who has just open his blog.

Faked idendity photo

We must, my roommate and me, do identity photo for administratives necessities. As we haven't found a photo booth, we decide to go to a professional photograph. The shop seem to be a familial business, a man and his wife welcomed us, their son is playing Counter-strike in front of the clients, it's normal... The shop-windows contain a graphic card and a camera which cost 10 times its real price. The font for the photo is a whitish sheet a half teared and the lighting seem to be a building site reflector.

The most funny arrived, after the photo have been transfered on the computer, that the font is change for a uniform white and that the color balance is calibrated, we have been retouched with Photoshop even if we asked nothing, the proove in video.

  

American Break

Even if chine and United States have stong commercial  and financial relations, the gouvernement don't prefere one of the twice candidate because of the little difference between them. However, the population have a really preference. Base on a chine daily poll (ips source), 75% of Chinese people want that Obame will be elected. As well, this rate is base on people who surf on the internet and are often young and educate, but it's show the Obama tendency. He is young, ambisious, and come from a minority, he is for chinese people the american dream and he is like an example for us. The chine is suffuring the same problem because of the 55 minorities in the chine Popular Republic, it's explain the feeling of Chinese.

chine wait the name of the next american president without panic, howevere this election is historic! America is a political, economical and military power and the present mundial super-power. And currently with; on a internationnal front, the capitalim and the ultra-liberalism are bad, that the ecology is not a preocupation but necessary, on a national front; the bad second bush mandate whith a doubty election and the Irak war which is contest, Obama can do something! We rely on the mentalities evolution about racism which were and be a real problem in america. I wish that the Bradly syndrom will not appeared again, for this one, he did't be elected however he has so many point in the rate because of his skin color.

Many Americans are confused, I can speak with some of them in chine. A black president, a new politic for a new world, it scared but it's attractive. The world look observed americans electors and they known it. I wish that a historic event will happenned, I wait, with impatience, the issue of this election.

Road in chine

"What's about chine, is it different?

That's the question whose many people ask to me, natural curiosity sure, but I don't really know what I can answer! I often give my blog address with a little resume of the situation which contain so many elements... Paradoxical you will say to me because of the big differences between chine and France but It's very difficult to resume it in some second or some minutes!

That's why I will create a category named "What an amazing chine" where I will tell what's surprises me as an European boy. It's difficult to life by rote because we understand, discovers everyday things which amazed, fascinated or feed up us.

For this note I will speak about car.

From our arrived on Beijing we take the highway to Tianjin. All it's good, subway are new because of the Olympics game and very clean. Suddenly I see on the left side, a man wearing yellow clothes cleaning the floor from scraps. Like we still were in Beijing I was thinking that to keep the clean of Beijing. I didn't think good, during all the trip, we had seen the same men with any protection... In France the security of this agent is important and we try to make sensitive driver, it's very not the same in chine!

I can't resist to put this picture, it's a road-sign which have each toll. Geek will understand, not other people :)

Another thing which surprise me, it's the horn. Every time the bus cross a vehicle, it horn. I really didn't know why.

When we arrived on Tianjin, we often take a taxi. No expensive and there are very everywhere. A Chinese taxi don't drive fast without too acceleration and he very like horn. He used it every time he can , when he drive cross a car, a cycle or a walker to inform of his presence. The drive code is very anarchic, everybody change of way as they like, turn without indicator. May be it's an option on car.

Finally, we can imagine that Chinese are fond of their car, except that it's a luxe (fortunately because of their number!) some Chinese does all they can to don't be steal of their car as we can see on this photo. We really don't understand why, if somebody have an idea, say it!