Truth Hurts

A hutong that has been somewhat preserved

An old home in a hutong behind
Tiananmen Square being demolished

Culture and heritage, two things that everyone has (whether they like it or not). Our culture helps to define who we are and what we believe; our heritage is something we possess as a result of our birth and predecessors. In class we have talked a lot about the development of Beijing and different steps the government is talking to modernize the city. The problems started years ago when China was competing for the bid to hold the 2008 Olympics. In order to attract foreigners and businesses, the city needs to be aesthetically appealing right? But who determines what is appealing? Well, the government took that to mean out with the old and in with the new. Hutongs are narrow streets or alleys, lined with traditional homes. Some of these hutongs have been around for hundreds of years. Generations of families have grown up in these courtyard houses. Since 2000 many of Beijing’s old hutongs have been demolished in the name of development. The residents are compensated less than the market price for their homes and moved to homes farther outside of the city. Unfortunately, there is not much that these residents can do, because in China the government owns all the land. These people are losing a part of who they are.

T-Shirt with a Communist Obama

In traditional Chinese culture it is believed that spirits of the deceased continue to survival, especially within the home they lived in. The Chinese hold a strong interest in their past and where they came from; so as you can imagine, these old hutongs and homes are more than just 4 walls. They represent a family’s life and their identity and to demolish them would be devastating. During some of my urban explorations I have had the privileged to walk through some of the remaining hutongs, and I found them to be beautiful. Everything doesn’t need to be new with flashing lights to be appealing. Yes, some of the old homes could use a fresh paint coat and certain structural improvements, but to destroy all of this history would be a tragedy. So much of the city is like any other modern city, but the old hutongs give a foreigner a glance into what old China used to look like. Old does not mean meaningless.

Bell Tower

Preformance at the Confucious Temple

Our urban explorations have also led us to more new and exciting parts of the city. We got to visit the Drum and Bell Towers on the northern end of the inner city. Thousands of years ago the towers were used for telling time because there were no other devices or pieces of technology to help people live and work on a schedule.  Luckily, we got to the Drum Tower just in time to see the drum performance that is done a couple times a day. As the troupe started pounding the drums, I could feel the beat and rhythm in my chest. It was as if they were doing more than simply making music, they were telling a story. A story of old China.

In addition to our classes, we are also doing group research projects. I am focusing on HIV/AIDS and my group is looking into how stigma affects the sexual and healthcare seeking behaviors of gay men & sex workers in Beijing. These are two of the biggest populations in Beijing at risk for contracting HIV. Dream of Ding Village is a really good fictional book that gives a pretty accurate portrayal of how HIV/AIDS began and spread in China. We read the book for class and discussed it extensively. It’s pretty scary to think that the Chinese government hid and denied the existence of HIV for so many years. They called it the “foreigner’s disease” and didn’t believe it affected their people. That being said, the book is banned in China, but it’s a wonderfully chilling read. It may not paint all government officials in a positive light, but sometimes the truth hurts. Even though China has a low prevalence rate of HIV, the country holds so much of the world’s population; therefore, this should be a major concern.  

Our meeting at the hospital

Sometimes you’ve got to do nontraditional things! A couple of us found an abandoned amusement park online and decided to take a trip there on Saturday. It was a real cool eerie place. The park was supposed to be a huge success and bring in a lot of tourist and money, but the project was put on hold when the money ran out. It’s been years and doesn’t look like anything will ever become of what was supposed to be this wonderland on the outskirts of Beijing. Nevertheless, it was the perfect place for a fun photo shoot. In retrospect it was probably a little dangerous out there, but that’s the thrill of the adventure J

 

Photo Shoot

The group has some weird stomach virus going around, so this week is all about getting healthy because Friday morning we leave for a 10 day trip to the southern province of Yunnan! We will be flying from Beijing to Lijiang and staying there for a few days. Then taking a bus to Shaxi and Shangri-la and staying in both of those cities for some time. Afterward we fly back to Beijing and have less than 3 weeks left in China! I’m excited to experience another part of China and get away from the large international city. That being said, I will be without internet access throughout the 10 days, but will try to keep a journal so I don’t forget any of the excitement.

We found a mexican restaurant!

Yes, we really do wear mask becuase of the pollution

Until Next Time,
*Nicole 

After Easter service