I remember playing ‘Jianzi’ when I was a kid growing up in Singapore. There, it was called ‘chatek’. The object was constructed with three or four feathers attached to a weight of sorts; usually rubber discs. The goal was to pass this object to your friends using any part of your anatomy but your hands. If it fell to the ground within your immediate vicinity, you got a demerit point. The person with the least points won.
Haven’t played it in years…
You should have signed a newspaper or magazine contract before you made this trip, your writing is that excellent. Guess you can always do it later, but it would have been very cool if it had been immediate. Did you try?
Hey,you are up in our neck of the woods. My wife comes from Fenghuangcheng (Phoenix City, located just under Phoenix Mountain) just up the road. I went to Dandong once before my wife and I started dating and never got around to The Museum of American Aggression. I’ll have to stop by during our Spring Festival holiday. Wonderful article.
When we were in Baishan city—also one of the three Chinese cities closest to North Korea—Ilearned local people were just crazy about kicking Jianzi too. You can see them playing everywhere; it was like their only thing for recreation; and I bet there are kids who love kicking Jianzi more than the online games.
I was one of the tourists on the Yalu River speedboats unfortunate to have been attacked by projectiles thrown by North Korean longshoremen.
I was told they don’t like to have their pictures taken and are annoyed because the speedboats go to the same little dockside destination along the North Korean shore all day long.
In Dandong there is a neat antique market where you can purchase Korean War memorabilia (military medals) and North Korean currency as well as those Kim Il Sung pins. Another highlight is “Tiger Mountain” located 30 minutes to the north where the Chinese have reconstructed a part of the Great Wall overlooking a small parcel of land north of the Yalu which officially belongs to North Korea.
Chinese tourist literature touts an attraction there called “Yi Bu Kua” where you can literally take “One Step Over” onto North Korean soil.
See my Hushan page at VirtualTourist.com for more details.
Best wishes to Dan in southeast China!
Confucius
On Oct 27, 2004 2:56 AM, Richard said:
Re: “What happened?” about English skills in the PRC. 50+ years of Communism happened. When Mad Mao and the Commies took over China, China still had a vibrant, Western-educated elite in places like Shanghai. By the time Mao passed away, those who were not prescient enough to flee had been sent to the countryside, tortured to death, or driven to suicide; and their children had been denied anythng more than a basic education.
On Oct 30, 2004 11:44 AM, Jing said:
Thats simply not true Richard. The so-called Western educated elite were the tiniest percentage of a fraction, hardly enough to make a difference and to argue that if the communists had not seized power that the calibre of English in China is nonsense. Just look at Japan, Engrish all over the place and barely a commie to be seen. In any case, I think the propaganda leaflets used during the Korean war were likely issued by the central government who would obviouslly have access to a significant number of speakers fluent in English. I would wager that most public signs are likely fashioned by local governments who likely do not have access to the same calibre of skilled personnel.
“I think the propaganda leaflets used during the Korean war were likely issued by the central government who would obviouslly have access to a significant number of speakers fluent in English.”
I doubt it. Think about all the atrocious signs around national tourist destinations in Beijing (which is basically controlled by the national government) and this is after 25 years of “opening up” — those propaganda leaflets were created just a few years after the end of the civil war. There were precious few fluent English speakers around at the time.
I’d put money on them being designed in the Soviet Union.
13 Comments
This entry should become a magazine feature article. Nicely written.
Great.
I remember playing ‘Jianzi’ when I was a kid growing up in Singapore. There, it was called ‘chatek’. The object was constructed with three or four feathers attached to a weight of sorts; usually rubber discs. The goal was to pass this object to your friends using any part of your anatomy but your hands. If it fell to the ground within your immediate vicinity, you got a demerit point. The person with the least points won.
Haven’t played it in years…
You should have signed a newspaper or magazine contract before you made this trip, your writing is that excellent. Guess you can always do it later, but it would have been very cool if it had been immediate. Did you try?
Great article Dan. And yes, it should most definitely be published as widely as possible. You have a great talent, and I’m looking forward to more.
Hey,you are up in our neck of the woods. My wife comes from Fenghuangcheng (Phoenix City, located just under Phoenix Mountain) just up the road. I went to Dandong once before my wife and I started dating and never got around to The Museum of American Aggression. I’ll have to stop by during our Spring Festival holiday. Wonderful article.
When we were in Baishan city—also one of the three Chinese cities closest to North Korea—Ilearned local people were just crazy about kicking Jianzi too. You can see them playing everywhere; it was like their only thing for recreation; and I bet there are kids who love kicking Jianzi more than the online games.
I went to Dandong in Oct and didnt see anyone swimming in the Yalu. It was freezing during the national holiday!
Ash.
I love the way you ended the article there. Make me think if I have been brainwashed by Fox news too. I can’t help it, Long live President Bush!
I was one of the tourists on the Yalu River speedboats unfortunate to have been attacked by projectiles thrown by North Korean longshoremen.
I was told they don’t like to have their pictures taken and are annoyed because the speedboats go to the same little dockside destination along the North Korean shore all day long.
In Dandong there is a neat antique market where you can purchase Korean War memorabilia (military medals) and North Korean currency as well as those Kim Il Sung pins. Another highlight is “Tiger Mountain” located 30 minutes to the north where the Chinese have reconstructed a part of the Great Wall overlooking a small parcel of land north of the Yalu which officially belongs to North Korea.
Chinese tourist literature touts an attraction there called “Yi Bu Kua” where you can literally take “One Step Over” onto North Korean soil.
See my Hushan page at VirtualTourist.com for more details.
Best wishes to Dan in southeast China!
Confucius
Re: “What happened?” about English skills in the PRC. 50+ years of Communism happened. When Mad Mao and the Commies took over China, China still had a vibrant, Western-educated elite in places like Shanghai. By the time Mao passed away, those who were not prescient enough to flee had been sent to the countryside, tortured to death, or driven to suicide; and their children had been denied anythng more than a basic education.
Thats simply not true Richard. The so-called Western educated elite were the tiniest percentage of a fraction, hardly enough to make a difference and to argue that if the communists had not seized power that the calibre of English in China is nonsense. Just look at Japan, Engrish all over the place and barely a commie to be seen. In any case, I think the propaganda leaflets used during the Korean war were likely issued by the central government who would obviouslly have access to a significant number of speakers fluent in English. I would wager that most public signs are likely fashioned by local governments who likely do not have access to the same calibre of skilled personnel.
“I think the propaganda leaflets used during the Korean war were likely issued by the central government who would obviouslly have access to a significant number of speakers fluent in English.”
I doubt it. Think about all the atrocious signs around national tourist destinations in Beijing (which is basically controlled by the national government) and this is after 25 years of “opening up” — those propaganda leaflets were created just a few years after the end of the civil war. There were precious few fluent English speakers around at the time.
I’d put money on them being designed in the Soviet Union.