Monday, June 30, 2008

Workday in my (safety) shoes

I noticed that there was a vote for real-life experiences, so I thought I should mention what its like living for me here in TEDA. I'll get to all of you culture folk next!

At the moment, I live at the TEDA International Hotel, a picture of this is to the left.

I wake up at 6:50 am, get dressed and head downstairs to the lobby. I eat breakfast at a place called the "California Grill" which offers a western continental breakfast or a Chinese style breakfast selection. I find the food to be both enjoyable and filling there. The walls are decorated with commemorative plaques of random movies. You can find romance posters (Titanic) random ones (Terminator) new ones (Spider man 3??) and bizare ones (Harry Potter???) the posters follow no theme except for the fact that they are all western films. I then pocket an apple or pear and make my way out on my walk to the PPG plant. For the first few days here, I took a cab until I got my bearings strait. After I tried walking to the plant one weekend, I've been walking ever since.

My walk begins by jaywalking across a busy street, cutting a parking lot in front of the Friendship Mall (sells foreign goods), Tesco's and KFC and then walking for 40 minutes strait North to the plant. Along the way I pass many industrial facilities, some of which I am not able to guess the purpose of! I pass a pharmaceuticals factory, traffic police station a car repair shop, a Tianjin car factory, KRAFT foods, dormitory for the workers of the factory, a food plant which smells delicious, another car garages, the agricultural bank and finally a coal power plant before I reach the PPG doorstep. The entire 40 minute walk is on a street that is lined on both sides by trees. I have never seen so much urban greenery before and its great! It shades me from the morning sun and keeps my walk cool at all times.

I then start work at the plant where I job-shadow my various colleagues and work on my own environmental strategies on how to make PPG's operations greener (they were already quite green before I even got here!). I don my safety shoes issued by the plant (steel toed - non-stick, and tough shoes for entering the factories) so that I am ready for whenever a plant tour invitation pops up. PPG is great in that it provides a shuttle bus service for all employees living in Tianjin. This is because the majority of the plant's workforce lives in Tianjin like many of the factories around here. A free lunch for all employees is also provided. It is served in compartmentalized metals trays and features different selections every day. What I really appreciate is the ample white rice and absence of western food. I swear that I can barely survive without rice! I resume work in the afternoon and by 4:30 its time to go.

Occasionally, I carpool with a colleague back to my hotel but most often I prefer to walk. I pass all sorts of interesting places and people. For example, there are mobile bicycle repair shops set up by people who pedal around on large three wheeled bikes. These three wheelers with a huge box on the back are a mobile garages for bicycles with problems. They can patch popped tires in minutes and also sell you a decent selection of bicycle wares. Their services are popular as I see at least 5x more cyclists than cars on my way to work. There are HUGE cycle lanes here which makes China seem far more advanced in cycling culture than Canada. I've had my fair share of cycling in Canada, weaving in and out of cars and risking one's life daily. These lane-wide cycle areas are a far safer way for the cyclists to travel. They are also separated from the cars by a divider of trees. When I'm back in the friendship mall area, I duck into a side alley for dinner. I found a Chinese restaurant which has a printed English menu which you have to ask for. Its great as there is not a single laowai in sight, the food is authentic and not to mention very well-priced! I used to eat dinners for 30 RMB a day ($4) but this place helped me get it down to 10RMB or Less. My record was a 3 RMB dinner, let's see if I can beat that someday!

I then head back to my hotel room where I have a flexible schedule. Some days I go the gym and do some exercise while watching Chinese television. I also watch Chinese cartoons with Chinese subtitles to help my reading speed. Of course, I blog and check emails as well. I've been trying to teach myself Chinese as well via web-links and a book I brought from Canada. The progress is slow but its getting there! Today I'll be leaving this place behind though as I am moving to a new place in Tianjin city. Soon, I too will be taking that big blue PPG shuttle bus.

Photo source:
http://www.holidaycity.com/teda-international-tianjin/index.htm

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Name Change!

My colleague just informed me that, apparently, green dragons have very very scary connotations in China. I trust her judgement, she's lived here her whole life! Hopefully the new name flies with all of you readers. For anyone coming on board late, the name of this blog went from "Green Dragon in Red China" to "Golden Dragon - Red China - Green Life". Sadly, the url is set in stone, but I guess that is something we will all have to live with (don't be scared).

My mom gave me the name Golden Dragon as apparently, I was born in the year of the golden dragon (1988). Much to my amusement, golden dragon is also a coach bus manufacturer. Some of my colleagues thought that I gave myself the name golden dragon because I liked the coach buses! From what I've heard, a mayor of Beijing also has the same name as me. I hope this name sticks, is culturally sensitive and doesn't ruffle any feathers (or scales) the wrong way.

**UPDATE** Sooo something was lost in translation. Apparently green dragons are not evil, they are just less common than black, silver and golden dragons. Thus, I am happy to announce that it is now safe to return to the old name - Green Dragon in Red China lives again!

Photo source:
http://www.core77.com/blog/images/chinese-dragon-red.jpg

Saturday, June 28, 2008

PPG and Me - My work in China

Yes, actually, I am doing work here other than blogging. As you might have gotten a gist of, I work with the Environmental Health and Safety team with PPG. PPG is an American multinational firm, but the plant itself is run by Chinese nationals. That's me on the left in front of the PPG facilities.

My experiences working here have been very uplifting and revealing as to how socially responsible industry in China can be. Working with EHS, I've been seeing firsthand the rigorous training procedures all employees must go through before being allowed to start work. I also had the chance to attend a training seminar for EHS managers. There were PPG EHS employees from all over China and we were taught by a fine fellow from America. It turns out as well that the young lady who was invited to translate was a Queen's Graduate (Wohooo Queen's Pride)! When work begins, there is a strict adherence to wearing the proper personal protective equipment. This means safety goggles, hard hats, lab coats and gas masks and chemical suits when needed. The generalization that China has low environmental and safety standards is quite an unfair stamp from what I've seen so far. Both American and other international firms are working hard to ensure that the same safety standards they use back home are followed here in China too. At the plant I work at, the international EHS procedures are followed to the letter.

In terms of the work I do, I'm trying my best to gain experience of the PPG life and assist the EHS crew whenever possible. I help the EHS team by translating Chinglish to English and also work on reviewing some of the EHS policies in place here. Often, I get the chance to tour the facilities here with my colleagues for spot safety checks or to assist government inspectors. You read that right - government inspectors. Environmental protection in TEDA is not lax from what I've seen. A government inspector comes quite often to check air and water emissions to make sure this factory and many others adhere to government regulations. This is why I've been saying, the environmental situation in China is brighter than it seems from the outside! I also get the chance to travel to banks, police stations, government bureaus and insurance offices as I shadow my colleagues from different departments working to file work visas, sort out bank anccounts and perform the other essential tasks that keeps a company running.

In terms of the work culture itself, this is what I've learned so far from my experiences. The Chinese people are very hard and diligent workers. It is not uncommon for people to work seven days a week in fact. My work day starts at 8 am and ends at 4:30 but many people arrive early for work and also work well into the night in overtime. My colleagues are committed to their efforts and the company, which makes for a very strong, inspiring and successful workplace. They have their cellphones on nearly 24/7 and are always prepared to take work related calls or to return to the factory for some quality overtime. There is a distinct family culture here at the PPG facility. Celebrations are held quite often to note recent successes and there is a PPG "Family" publication for China. As a foreigner, this really helps me to feel part of something much greater. Despite a minor language barrier at work, most of my colleagues can speak excellent English. They are always eager to talk to me and I do my best to help them transform that Chinglish to English! Sometimes though, its hard to correct them as some of the Chinglish sayings are either incredibly funny, unique or both and I think its a shame to lose that! My colleagues have been incredibly kind to me, I have a collection of gifts from them and countless memories of weekends and weeknights they took me to a restaurant, to a wedding or for a new cultural experience of China.

In short - the work at PPG is great and I adore it. Recently, some of those awesome Chinese exercise machines were installed at the plant for use by employees. This was an initiative proposed by EHS to help improve employee health. A lot of work went into finding the perfect machines to remedy hip, shoulder and neck ailments which appear to be prevalent in China from what I've been told. The cement is still drying for these incredible contraptions, but as soon as its all dry, you can be sure I'll be working out alongside my colleagues on-site!

Crazy awesome noisy stuff - Fireworks, Firecrackers and other pyrotecnics

Right now, its high season for weddings and the sound of love is in the air - literally. One thing I've really enjoyed here is the cultural fondness for pyrotechnics to celebrate special occasions.

Just last night I was in my room typing up some new entries in this blog (I'm getting obsessed with this I know) and I heard some loud noises outside. It sounded like someone taking a hammer to a piece of metal. I thought that the culprit would let off after a while but for about 5 minutes, the hammering went on unrelented. Then I got suspicious - the next thing that hopped on my mind was fireworks! I tossed on some shoes and sprinted outside hoping to see a bit of the magic before it faded into thin air. Just outside right by my hotel - I saw a Canada day worthy fireworks display. As I neared the pyrotechnic launch location, I noticed a large crowd with firecrackers about to be set off. Soon, the cacophy from these also joined the mix and grey smoke filled the air. Yep - it was a wedding allright! I didn't feel like crashing the party so I kept a distance to enjoy the show.

In one weekend alone in China, I saw more weddings than I've spotted for my entire life in Canada - that's eight total, and to be more specific it was within one DAY. This year of 2008 with the Olympics, is an auspicious year so I am told, and couples are racing to tie the knot. I attended a Chinese wedding of my own which I hope to write about later. Up above, you see some firecrackers arranged in two hearts with an arrow through them. That fine chap is holding two confetti cannons which create an instant rainshower of glittery confetti.

Instant Audiences in China

What's this you might ask? Those are two dogs enjoying a bit of a wrestle in the street... no big deal right?

Some people seemed to find it to be a big deal! A sizeable crowd started to gather around these two furry wrestlers. This was on the Tangu Golden street - a very popular shopping area in the TEDA region. This phenomenon is quite normal from what I've heard in China, if there is something interesting, people will stop and watch - a lot of people.

I haven't seen any street performers here other than these dogs, perhaps this is what makes people interested in pausing from their busy lives and just stopping for a bit to be entertained.

A friend told me that once he was in an argument on the street and a crowd gathered for him too. From this, we learn that one has to be careful of making themselves a spectacle in China. Good news is, maybe when I have something to say in perfect Chinese, (something about recycling or the environment) all I would need to do is start doing a jig, gather a crowd then give them a speech. Sounds a lot easier than what it takes to make people listen back home (One of my strategies was to dress up like a fairy - dress, wand and all) but I think that's enough about me for now.

Work It! - A guide to outdoor fitness in China

A different kind of exercise phenomenon has taken hold here in China, its the outdoor exercise craze! In public parks, you can find machines such as these for public use. I gave them a go myself!

The parks I visited here are moderately busy during the daytime, however, during the night is when they truly shine! A friend took me on a tour of one during the night and it was a whole new world. Large groups practiced Taiji in Unison, sang songs in preparation for the Olympic games, or practiced ballroom dancing right in the open. The atmosphere was warm, friendly and highly enjoyable. We saw a few people hopping about in an amusing sort of aerobics exercise and we also saw quite a few working it on machines such as these. We gave the hip twisters and airwalker seen below a try. Though after a minute we failed to feel an exercise burn, it was a great deal of fun using these candy-coloured contraptions. We gave up our western self-concern and joined in with the public excitement. We were the only foreigners present, but I felt like I was a part of this great real-life mosaic of life in China. The communal spirit was clearly tangible and it was a wonderful feeling to be part of this fresh new atmosphere.

Though we were not practiced enough to give the taji a go nor sing an Olympic hymn, all was a great deal of fun to soak it. The enthusiasm of the people literally rippled through the air. Kids ran around or used their scooters happily and seas of evening walking folk enjoyed taking in the scenery. Youths our age were there too. I certainly hope that more westerners can give up evening TV Internet and indoor activities and can join in on this daily outdoor festival.

The people are always bustling about doing something interesting in the cities, there is a clear vibe that I'm beginning to feel and will hopefully join in with one day too. Oh, things are just so great here.

The TEDA Flood

Although I did not take this photo, scenes such as the one to the right are quite common in the south of China where there have been horrible rains. This adds to the complications due to the earthquake recently. I do hope that everyone down south makes their way through all of these recent calamities.

I think the storm hitting the south came up North to this area in a less severe form. I was at work and the day seemed pretty normal, the sky was bright in the morning which persisted until about two in the afternoon. Suddenly the sky turned a very dark hue of grey, so dark that it was almost night. At first, the rain began to fall softly. This didn't last and as it grew in strength, the office which I worked in was filled with the drumming of a thousand raindrops falling on the roof. I checked outside about halfway through the storm (It lasted an hour) to find tiny chunks of ice on the ground about twice the size of peas. It was a truly bizarre occurrence. Luckily, the rain stopped just before it was time for me to leave work.

TEDA seemed to have weathered the storm fairly well, there were a few large puddles here and there but they were being drained away rapidly by the storm-drain system. During the rainstorm, from what I could see, some areas were flooded with water that was about calf high. This occurred even in places right above storm drains which speaks volumes about the amount of rain falling. There were a few scattered showers during the following few days but the storm seems to passed us by here in the most part.

Photo source:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/floods-prompt-mass-evacuation-in-china/2007/06/08/1181089306168.html

Get some culture in a bottle

In China, there are an infinite number of different bottled drinks to sample. As some of you may or may not know, the tap-water infrastructure is under development and thus, it is not recommended that tap-water be consumed. As a result of this, potable water is bought in bulk or flavoured drinks can be bought just about anywhere.

At many tourist, shopping or public sites, there are countless drink vendors setting up shop. The vending premises can vary, from little grocery stores to vendors carrying around crates of water, you can be sure that your thirst can be satisfied.

There are all flavours of tea, milk drinks, mini-yogurts, soft drinks, fruit drinks, bottled water and countless others I might have missed trying. Personally, I try to keep my consumption of these delicious drinks to a minimum to conserve plastic. Though I carry my little thermos cup around filled with water, the general trend seems to be to buy these bottles of drinks wherever one goes. Thus, I think there is a lot of potential for advocating the use of refillable bottles.

However, I do see a good number of people carrying around Nalgene type bottles or thermoses of their own. At grocery stores, refillable water bottles fill many rows of shelves so its not like the refillable culture does not exist here. At work for example, thermoses and mugs are the norm.

A network of recycling collectors have sprung up around the ubiquitous nature of the disposable drink bottles. Basically, these immigrants from rural areas try to pick up as much of these plastic bottles and other recyclable materials as possible. This involves going around with a large bag, asking people, searching through garbage cans or picking up these discarded bottles. Because of their efforts, not many of these plastic bottles end up in the landfill but are given a new life. This is made possible by recycling centers offering to pay money for the plastic bottles. At the end of a hard-day's work, the bottle collectors take their treasure troves to be recycled. I would venture to guess that more plastic bottles are diverted in China than in Canada. Because, despite all of our environmental education, I always see people putting their recycling in the trash *cough* Vacouver airport *cough*. Often, these plastics are not recovered (but sometimes, I do a bit of trash diving because I can't bear to think of perfectly good bottles being junked for life) I admit that I'm a bit different in that respect. Thankfully, due to the street recyclers, I haven't had to make a trash diving expedition to ease my conscience yet!

Photo source: http://www.hongfk.net/yl/%E5%86%B0%E8%8C%B6%E7%B3%BB%E5%88%97.jpg

Leaving on the China Train (With pleasant surprises!)

After a trip to Beijing for the long weekend, I had the opportunity to take a Chinese train back to Tianjin City. Compared to a 400 RMB car ride to Beijing from TEDA, the 40 RMB ticket was an incredible deal. Fortunately, when I bought the ticket (with Michael on standby to translate) the attendant spoke perfect English and I obtained my prize without a hitch.

However, I would strongly recommend that if you do not know Chinese that you go to the station with a fluent guide, a Chinese friend or have someone who speaks Chinese fluently on standby on the phone just in case.

When I arrived at the train station, I was very very lost. Though some English was present to help me find my way around, it wasn't of too much use for finding the right platform. I navigated the Beijing station by looking at the LED signs, eventually I found one that indicated that it was the right place to be for my train. The trouble was, down the correct hallway, there were about 10 different entrances for different trains. After trying to get help unsuccessfully, I called up my friend Michael on the phone. I flagged down an attendant, passed her the phone and Michael worked his magic. Like a charm, the attendant led me right where I needed to go.

The wait was not too long and soon a large crowd gathered in front of the entrance to the train platform. I too join the crowd. Soon, an attendant stamped by ticket and I was walking down to the platform trying to find my car and seat. This was an easy task as the ticket clearly marked the car and the seat. I made my way to the right place and sat in the large and luxurious cabin. This was the non-business class and it was spacious, immaculately clean and brand new. The train I was on looked much like the one above. Judging by the speed it reached on the trip, I would say it was not a bullet train but it was very close! It took me a 3 hour drive from TEDA to Beijing but the train took under and hour to get me to Tianjin.

A nice surprise was in store for me after the train ride. There was a young lady next to me who I did not talk to on the ride over. However, I brought out a piece of paper I planned to hand to the taxi driver informing him to take me to the light rail station between Tianjin and TEDA. As I left the train station and started walking, the young lady who was sitting next to me came up and told me that she saw my piece of paper. It turns out that she wanted to go to the light-rail station too. This was a huge help for me as gave the taxi driver instructions and generously paid for it as well (despite my insistence that I should pay). We took the light rail back to TEDA together and she disembarked one station before me. Experiences like this are not rare. Since I have been here, people have been extremely nice to me! Because of the generous spirit of people around, I always feel so welcome here.

Photo credit: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200701/29/eng20070129_345704.html

Friday, June 27, 2008

The Pet Department Store

I haven't seen a PetsMart (Canadian Pet Store) here in China, but I will do my best to detail the Chinese equivalent. As seen to the left, pets of all sorts in China are rapidly gaining popularity!

My colleague brought me to this pet store when she was shopping to buy some treats for her darling Schnauzer. On the first floor, we first ran into a mini seaworld. This part of the department store was full of tanks full of fish of various shapes, sizes and colours. There were also more exotic creatures thrown into the mix - one could find baby ducks (seen below), frogs, strange fish and alien looking turtles in the various shops. This pet place felt more like a shopping mall as there were vendors who each had their own little shop full of whatever wares and creatures they have decided to sell.

Ascending up to the second floor, we left the land under the sea to the land of above-ground fuzzies. Everything in sight was fuzzy, from tiny siberian hamsters, to bunnies with extra long fur to the occasional dog or cat in a cage, there was an animal to meet your pet-craving needs. There were rows of stores especially for cats, dogs and multiple different kinds of rodents. There were both common and rare animals up there for perusal. The rarest ones I saw where snow white chinchillas as well as a snow white ferret. In some places, stores had a mascot cat or dog which sat in the doorway to attract customers. At one of the stands, about 8 puppies were running around on top of their cage and could be petted by passerbies. Surprisingly, they did not jump off of their cage and run away, maybe the two foot drop acted as a bit of a deterrence for them! The interaction concept was prevalent as quite a few places allowed you to pet and interact with the pets they had for sale. There was also a dog grooming salon set up in one of the small shop spaces. Here, a Schnauzer and a well groomed Bichon Frise sat on grooming tables advertising the grooming services. One could tel that these were some very pampered pets! Quite a few of these stores were well-kept and appeared to offer great services to customers. Of course, Chinese language skills are a must, thus I think I'll hold off on buying a pet in China for a loooong time.

There's a baby in the office

Strangely enough, the baby is me! Despite my 19 years of age (legal adult in Canada) my colleagues still find me to be quite young!

As a result of this, some of the pet names for me in the office are memorable ones like baby Mark, little Mark, or my favorite - Mini Mark. I'm didn't know I was that young looking.. really! These nicknames don't come from a rare few people, conversely they seem to be the predominant name for me in the office!

However, when most people try to find out what I'm doing they always ask first if I'm studying. When I reply that I'm working here, an instantaneous look of shock registers on their face, usually accompanied by the phrase "But you're so young!". I'm getting used to this happening, its usually a common conversation for any new people I meet while over here!

I don't mind the "babying" really, it gives me yet another kick in my adventures here in China!

Photos source: Abstract site, its really hard to find a picture of anime babies for some reason

Those Asian Cell Phones

Though I have yet to see any like the ones on the right, Chinese cellphone technology is light years ahead of anything I've seen in Canada.

As soon as you get here, the ringtones are the first cue you'll hear that lets you know you are in Asia. The age old rings of Canadian cellphones are hardly heard here due to the preference for ringtones that are actually popular songs. One can hear a good variety of both Chinese and English songs blaring when someone gets a call. Unfortunately, some song ringtones get very old, very fast.

However, the main difference is found when you call someone else's cellphone. Instead of hearing a ringing noise (which has supposedly annoyed many people in China) music and advertisement messages are played instead. This is great, especially if that person you're calling is taking forever to pick up on the other end. Sometimes, the songs ringtones or the ones I hear while waiting for a call of mine are so good, I am loathe for the person to pick up the phone and start talking to me!

I don't hear too much about telephone service companies. Cellphones are run quite differently from in Canada judging from what I have seen. You can buy cellphones for a lot or a little depending on what you want. After you get the cell phone, it is easy to find a SIM card (provided you speak Chinese). You just plug this simcard into the phone and you're making calls and playing song ringtones within seconds.

Photo credit:http://modemlooper.com/transformer-cell-phone-madness/

Thursday, June 26, 2008

The Water Cooler - Come and get some while its HOT

You know, I haven't seen a water "cooler" in China yet, the cultural preference seems to be geared towards water boilers like the ones on the left! Contrary to Canadian water coolers that dispense cold or room-temperature water, their Chinese counterparts dispense lukewarm or boiling water.

I'm not sure how these things work exactly, but the water they provide is HOT and perfect for tea which most people seem to use them for! These can be found in public buildings, offices and just about everywhere working people are found. Thankfully, these encourage the use of mugs and thermoses instead of disposable cups. The reason for this is simple: Boiling water + thin paper cups with tea leaves = burnt fingers. There is a strong tea culture in the workplace where disposable Starbucks coffee cups have yet to penetrate.

On that note, Michael and I went to a Tea shop in Beijing which was gorgeous on the inside. The decorations, seating and, of course, the tea reflected a true Chinese cultural experience. To our surprise, this splendidly decorate teashop was nearly deserted. Conversely, the Starbucks, and its "standard" decor a few stores away was packed full of local Chinese flocking to experience a bit of Western "high class" culture. I have no problem with the Chinese people and their fondness of new things, my only hope is that they will always have an inner fondness for their own culture, lest it be lost in favour of a more "western" one.

Image credit: http://www.filtersource.co.nz/popup_image.php?pID=95&osCsid=5e956329ef3259042b4d02aa449c981b

About that pollution now

With my previous entries on how clean and green I find China, I think that some of my opinions were being misconstrued.

First off, I know that China has major pollution problems. I also realize that some of the cities here are rated the most polluted in the world (16 out of 20 of the world's cities with the worst air quality are in China). I'm not trying to deny this, I'm just trying to call attention to how much progress China is making towards cleaning things up. As I mentioned with the rapid rate of treeplanting and the institution of new, strict environmental laws, it is clear that the government of China and its people are aware of the environmental concerns they are facing. The efforts put forward by everyday citizens and the government are truly heroic and rival the western world in many of its environmental steps.

There have been western media releases of the governments shutting down chemical and coal plants that violate emissions standards so it is clear that China is starting to crack down hard on polluters. To put things in perspective, it is known that even though China is now the world's top CO2 emitter, per person, western nations emit far more CO2 than the average Chinese. I don't think its fair to outright blame China for its pollution issues - the Chinese people are not mini coal plants belching out fumes to power their appliances. To blacklist China as a nation is unfair to its people and damages the chances the west has to share its knowledge and experiences with China. I think that it is up to industry to help clean things up and soon I will write more examples about how industrial giants are now joining with the government to lead the way towards a greener China. In short, before calling China a polluter, read a little more and try to see what is happening on the ground and I think you will be surprised.

Cartoon source: http://www.sharearide.org/new%20web/gascap_body.htm

About Buses - People Mountain People Sea

Now about that strange title, the translation for the word "crowded" in Chinese is 人山人海。 However, the literal translation of this is "people mountain people sea"! My colleague and I had a good laugh about this. Apparently, a misinformed store used the literal translation instead of the actual one!

I have had the chance to ride on a private Chinese bus twice. Because of its private nature, the bus driver tries to maximize ridership by stopping, yelling at people on the street to hop on, arguing with other bus drivers and is seen stepping out to generously help shove people inside to fill any spare space remaining. I didn't find the experience all that unpleasant but, of course, it was just a tad bit more of a people mountain than Canadian buses! I would not recommend these buses for those who become easily motion-sick as they are quite jerky and even had me (who has never gotten motion sickness before) feeling just a bit queasy! For the cost of only 2 RMB a ride, and provided that you can speak Chinese, these buses are quite the bargain for a real cultural experience!

I have recently been informed by a colleague that the private buses are a TEDA phenomenon. Apparently the buses in Beijing are public ones and will not stop if you try to flag them down. You can get on one of these at bus stations only. I hope to check one out sometimes, I wonder what they will be like!

I walk to work most days and I have to watch out for large vehicles such as these. I don't worry that they will hit me, I trust their driving skills which are quite good, but rather their extremely loud horns. The Chinese driving manner is to use the horn frequently to provide a gentle warning to other drivers and pedestrians that you are coming through. Because of this, the streets are often a cacophony of beeping of which, large trucks and buses such as these are the loudest. To give you an idea of how loud they are, take the loudest horn you have heard in Canada (mine was a firetruck which almost burst my ear drums) and multiply it by two! My worst experience was when I crossed the street once and one of these big guys came up behind me blaring. I think the passengers had a good laugh when I jumped at least two feet into the air before sprinting the rest of the way across the road. Now, whenever I cross the street, I make sure to stare at any vehicles coming my way. When I do this, the drivers never beep as they see that I know very well that they are coming and a curtesy honk is not needed. My strategy has worked as I have not had any other surprise horn experiences!

The Foreign Tourists Hate Me

For some reason, my interaction with 95% of the foreigners I have met so far in China have been very negative.

My finest example is when I was in Beijing. I was taking a stroll down Wangfujing, a bustling shopping area with surprisingly few tourists. I noticed a boy about my age who was also alone and was walking in the opposite direction. When I passed him, I gave a bright smile and said hello in my best English (sarcasm). Strangely, the guy just stared back at me, stone cold. Perhaps he doesn't understand hello, but at least return the smile! The awkward thing was I passed him twice later, still alone. However it comes as no surprise to me that he's having trouble making a friend or two.

This experience is not all that unique. The foreigners I have come across are generally far older than me and look at me in a sort of condescending way. They strut around, going only to the western Coffe shops and restaurants, wearing a condescending look on their face that really shows that in their head, they think they own the place. They seldom embrace local cultures, and new tastes (eg. Teahouses), always opting instead for things that one can find back at home (*cough* Starbucks *cough*).

I have seen foreigners become impatient with Chinese clerks who try their best to help them, and swear rudely in the street. On that famous Wangfujing, I passed by a group of foreigners gawking at one of the new structures going up. One of them had the nerve to comment in a purely condescending manner "There is no way that is going to be finished before the Olympics". I wish that I could have stopped him right there and told him it will probably be finished in a week or two, a full month before the Olympics! Moments like these really reveal how little even foreigners inside China know about the place.

When in Tianjin, I was talking a leisurely walk with a colleague down a street when suddenly, a foreigner emerged from a barbershop swearing at the top of his voice about how they "messed up my [CENSORED] hair. What kind of cultural ambassadors are these foreigners being? This occured on a crowded street full of Chinese locals, this can't reflect well on western culture.

Don't get me wrong, I have met some very nice and extremely friendly foreigners while I have been here. Its just unfortunate that the nice ones seems to in a very small minority.

In short, all that I can hope is that foreigners will improve their politeness, demeanor and openness to the Chinese culture. It would be nice if they could start returning my hello's as well, but I'm willing to let that one slide.

Drawing credit: http://www.kimrichter.com/Blog/2006_12_01_archive.html

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Green Olympics

Something great is happening in China for the upcoming Olympic games.

The central government has put its best foot forward in making the Olympics games as green as possible. As we see to the left, (picture from this article) the new athlete housing facility for the coaches, athletes and support team is green from penthouse to pavement. With solar panels and energy efficient features, it is an international role model on how apartments for athletes should be built.

In preparation for the Olympics, thousands of cars have been taken off of the road to ease both congestion and pollution. Large trucks are banned in certain areas due to their higher levels of emissions than cars. Leading up to the game, efforts such as this are in overdrive. China is certainly making an all out effort to lead by example in holding its world class Chinese edition of the Olympic games. These environmental measures can be found at all levels. In a souvenir store, I sighted an Olympic commemorative torch for sale which was made of the left-over metal from the Bird's Nest stadium. Bids will also be taken on items in the athlete's housing complex after the games. One of the items up for sale is Yao Ming's extra long bed! You can always count on China to take innovation to the next level! I certainly hope that the Vancouver 2010 Olympics can live up to these standards of going green.

Great Stuff at Unbelievable Prices

In China it seems, just about everything with the exception of foreign goods are for sale at great prices. It makes me wonder at times - why in the world is Canada more expensive for stuff that is not quite as good? At right we see a souvenir and antiques market in Tianjin where good prices can be found on anything from the famous Erhu (Chinese musical instrument) to telescopic police batons.

For example, I eat a good meal at a local Chinese restaurant for 10 RMB. That is less than $2 for a meal! One can also feed two for a comfortable 30 RMB or about $4 Canadian! I know that I've definitely had worse meals in Canada at a price of $10+.

This trend does not apply to food alone but also for a variety of consumer goods. A set of two gorgeous T-shirts with Chinese logos emblazoned on the front cost 55 RMB for two, that is about $8 Canadian for the pair. Wheras the best t-shirts I see in Canada cost at least $30 or 310 RMB, absolutely ridiculous. There have been claims that when clothing is sold cheaply, its because someone is working like a slave in a third world country. From my experience, I would have to debate this.

This is because the cheap clothing and the expensive clothing can be of the same quality, the difference is the massive markup. For example, in a news article a sweatshop in India was examined. this T-shirt was renowned in England for being the Primark 2-pound ($4 Canadian dollar T-shirt). T-shirts like this and the one in China are about the same quality and style as the expensive $30 ones. I can attest to this because I've washed one of the T-shirts I bought here and it is in good stead. Thus, the difference is not that the 2-pound T shirt is made in the sweatshop and the expensive one is not, both are made in sweatshops in the same areas but one is sold at a much inflated price! Thus, for people back in the west who claim buying more expensive clothing avoids sweatshops, I don't think this is the answer. What really helps is buying fair trade, organic and all of that good stuff as it gets to the core issues. Also, it seems like industries in China are improving greatly due to stricter government regulations and new laws put in place.

Great prices can be found for just about everything, from souvenirs, to decorations to normal everyday goods. A good pair of shoes can cost 120 RMB which is less than $20. The only expensive things are the foreign brands. Despite the fact that they are made in China, in the same factories by likely the same people, their costs can be up to 100x high than the Chinese brand equivalent. Of course, the name must be a lot and those foreign brands are certainly trying to bulldoze over solid Chinese brands that are making the same things. Effective marketing is key and Chinese brands are putting up a good fight. There are Chinese equivalents of Nike and other sports firms which are fighting the good fight, making solid products and producing exceptional advertisements that rival the world giants we are so familiar with back home.

The price dichotomies between China and the west are a double edged sword. It makes it very cheap for foreigners to shop and live in China. Unfortunately, western prices make it very difficult for hardworking Chinese to travel overseas to vacation. Hopefully, this dichotomy will soon be evened out so more Chinese can get the chance to travel, and bring their learnings home for the enrichment of China! Likewise, I do hope that more foreigners will get the chance to travel to China and return with stories of the wonderful times to be had in China!

Taxi Experiences in China

All of the taxis that I have taken in China so far have been clean, well-kept and notoriously efficient at getting me from point A to B. There are a good variety of options to choose from as well!

As you can see on the left, there are new cabs such as the one shown. This is a Beijing cab which has a different colour scheme from the ones in Tianjin (Which are brilliant sky blue) or any other city. There are many new taxis in the cities I have been so far, all with identical colour schemes. The only way to tell differences between taxi companies is via the Chinese writing on the front doors. There are older taxis as well which are obviously the older looking cars you see driving around. They come in solid beige or red hues and are not all that bad for a ride as well. Of course, they will be just a tad dirtier than the new ones. Both cabs go for the same transport price despite their age. Base price in Tianjin is 8 RMB or 10 RMB for Beijing to which expenses per kilometer are added. All of the seats are covered with a cloth cover of sorts and some even have fancy additions to the seat for your enjoyment. Knowing Chinese is a good idea for most cabs but some drivers I have come across speak excellent English.

In Tianjin, there are a great deal of female taxi drivers as well. To date, Tianjin is the only place in the world where I have seen so many female taxi drivers (With the exception of one I had a ride from in Kingston who drove a Toyota Prius!). Also, there is absolutely NO smoking in all cabs. This can explain why the cabs are all so clean here. Each cab also has a cage system to protect the driver and your safety. The cage is usually in the form of a grille between the front and back seat but some older cabs have a sort of cage enclosing the passenger side seat as well. One thing to note about driving in China is that almost nobody wears seatbelts. This is the same story for Japan as well. Taxis are no exception to the rule. Sometimes, there are no seatbelts, or the belt is present but the buckle is missing. Once, I tried to put on a seat belt for the front seat but the driver patted my hand until I eventually relinquished my efforts (I think that he took my desire to wear a seat belt as an insult to his driving!). Coming from Canada, you'll have to give up that seatbelt habit if you're going to fit in seamlessly in Asia's driving world!

The drivers are also quite adept at getting through tight spaces and getting you from point A to B fast. A friend of mine told me that one of the cabs she has taken drove up on the sidewalk to skirt a red light! There is also the potential to bargain with the drivers. They usually turn on the meter and give you a receipt but this money will go to the company. You can bargain by getting into a cab, telling the driver where you want to go and then naming your price. If they agree, they begin to drive, but if not, they look confused (if you are a foreigner) or get mad (if you look like you are from China). With me, I think they are so surprised that I speak chinese that they go a bit easier on me with deals! So far, my best deal is getting a 12 yuan trip for 10 yuan. I'm hesitant to go lower and risk getting a hard-working driver angry!


In larger cities there are also more amusing types of cabs for the enjoyment of locals and tourists. According to my colleague, pedicabs such as the one to the right are mainly a big hit with tourists! I had the priveledge of riding the one in the photo in Tianjin with my friend Michael. There are a good variety of pedicabs as well. There are the motorized type as seen here and also the pedal variety which of course I prefer due to their lack of carbon dioxide emissions (Not counting the cycling driver's breathing!). There are a range of seat configurations for the pedicab as well. From four seaters to single seaters, there is an ample range of configurations to meet your travel needs. However, like taxi cabs these pedicabs will not satisfly a seatbelt craving! The advantage of these smaller pedicabs is that they can go where no cab dares to venture. They can easily take you down crowded side streets or through popular shopping areas, weaving between people and honking to part the red sea of people between you and your destination.

Hospital of heaven - made in China


On Monday this week, I had the misfortune of falling ill with a Chinese cold. I'm fairly sure that it is not one of its Canadian counterparts as it is quite a different sensation. Strangely enough, it is not quite as miserable as its Canadian cousins which are always far more severe and uncomfortable. Nevertheless, it was significant enough that I decided not to head into work. One of my colleagues, who takes a great interest in my personal well being, insisted that I go to the hospital just in case my ailment was more than just a cold.

Thinking of hospitals back home, lengthy wait lines and more severe cases than my own, I insisted that I need not go. However, this was met with equal if not greater insistence and eventually agreed to go with her. We rode in a cab together to a large, marble clad edifice with a prominent sign with the inscription "TEDA Hospital". This building was certainly different from the hospitals one would initially expect to see in China. A large, artistic statue was outside, next to an expansive parking lot. Upon entering the facility, I observed that not a single surface was clad in a material inferior in quality to the marble that covered everything in sight. This had the effect making the entire inside area even fancier than even North America's top malls. The use of marble was not unusual. As its seems in China, most surfaces, from sidewalks to subways to bank headquarters are clad almost exclusively in marble. My colleague registered me with an efficient nurse in the reception lobby. This lobby was not like the ones I had become used to in Canadian hospitals. With its short lines and efficient service, it was far more like something one would expect to find in a hotel. My colleague then led me upstairs via an escalator which ascended to the second floor in front of a wall of glass that revealed a lush garden courtyard beyond the window. She led me to a room which consisted of an arcade of doorways. We tucked into one of these where a doctor attended to me right away. The doctor was a young woman, dressed in an immaculate lab coat. She gave my throat an examination and wrote some prescriptions for me on a sheet of paper. This paper we took downstairs back to the reception where a pharmacist attended to us immediately. While my medication was being gathered by the pharmacist, I noticed a very obvious foreigner behind me talking to one of the hospital staff. Fortunately for her, from what I could hear the staff member was speaking perfect english.

The overall experience was pleasant, rapid and left me completly awe struck. I find it incredible that my common cold was attended to in less than ten minutes wheras when I had a fainting spell back in Ottawa it took nearly a five hours wait before I was given any service.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

China - Green Roof Leader

Can you believe it? China is a world leader in green roofs! The photo on the right was taken from this article at treehugger.com which details China's green roof situation which is looking bright.

So far, I've seen two green roofs during my short stay. When I first arrived at the Beijing Airport, the largest green roof I have ever seen greeted me. This green roof is situated on top of the huge parking garage for this facility. The cover was lush, espansive and quite inspiring! The second time I ran across one of these spectacular green roofs was on top of a government building in TEDA. I was on the top floor and looking out, I was shocked to see a green roof stretching out as far as the eye could see, covering the entire roof of the building. It defintely seems that GROOF could get a lot of work here in China, I look forward to spotting some more of these green roofs done the Chinese way!

China Washrooms - A Cultural Experience

One thing I find that not a lot of people know about are the major style differences between Western and Asian washrooms.

I'll start off with the essentials - the squatter toilet as seen here (image credit:http://www.relfe.com/toilet_ seat_constipation. html). That link also has a lot of information on how these toilets are healthier for you! Supposedly, they even reduce the risk of colon cancer, but I'll leave the physics of this to the article.

I prefer these toilets to the western style ones as I find them to be far more hygenic for obvious reasons, only your shoes are touching any washroom surface, nothing else! The ones I've come across in China have all been very clean (With the exception of one in a shady restaurant my colleague took me too, but that was a no brainer anyway) contrary to many rumors circulated (not by the media of course because washrooms are not big news). In public washrooms, you must bring your own toilet paper which you don't flush for some reason but drop in a bin next to the toilet. I still haven't figured out why you aren't supposed to flush it. Some toilets you supposedly flush yourself with a water bucket but all of the ones i've come across have an auto flush. That being said, western toilets do exist in hotels (my room has one) and in workplaces too for some variety I guess (my office has one two). Note, most asian western toilets have dual flush for water conservation. The dual flush feature is standard in Asia unlike in North America where politicians still don't take action on getting this feature standardized. That's it for potty talk for now though.

A very smart idea I've seen in China is having a shared sink and a mirror between the male and female washrooms. This saves constructing two sets of everything for both washrooms which is a pretty smart idea I think. The only downside is a lack of privacy if you want to put on makeup, wash your hands and etc. Since privacy isn't a huge concern for Chinese (myself included) this doesn't seem to be a problem as you can look at yourself all you want in the public mirror as long as you don't get too self conscious. Also, this sink is past the washroom doors so your hands are are cleaner when you leave the washroom. This is different from western washrooms where of course you wash your hands in your male/female section then get them dirty again by opening that pesky washroom door. Here, you open up the door before you wash your hands!

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Dude, don't touch my fruit

One thing I've liked greatly about Chinese people are that they are very open and upfront about their curiosities. I first noticed this when going places with my colleagues that if you are interesting to look at, people will look at you and, when I say look, I really mean Stare! When I would enter a restaurant, some people would begin to stare, others while others continue eating their food. However, when I start speaking English, then heads start to pop up and eyes swivel my way. This happens in the train and just about everywhere I go. Its great for kicks as you sort of become a mini-celebrity! Now by staring, I don't mean it in a rude way, people won't grimace, point or scowl, they will just politely stare at you in an interested way. If this happens, be flattered! This may happen more where I am in Tianjin and there are not many foreigners compared with Beijing or Shanghai. In Beijing, I didn't notice this happening quite as much.

I notice that the locals like to stare at me more than other foreigners and I think I have an inkling about why judging from the questions they ask my colleagues. (Note: Some people will talk to you or your Chinese counterpart and ask about you which shows that they are interested in you and not staring at an animal at the zoo). The common questions are "Where is he from?" or "What minority group is he?". The staring may be greater for me as locals are not sure if I am a foreigner or one of the minority groups in China. There are some minority groups along the Russian border who are mixed just like me, hence it is a good guess that Chinese guess that I am from that area (Hopefully you can add some more information on these minority groups Michael!). Seems like I'm just a walking Rubik's cube that the locals try to solve by staring!


Now onto the experience for the title of this article. I bought some fruit from Tesco's just the other day and was standing in the checkout line.

Sidenote:
[The fruit I bought is a Chinese delicacy called Mangosteen and is seen in the picture to the right (Image credit:http://www.foodsubs.com/ Fruittroex.html). To eat this fruit, you squeeze the hard other shell until it cracks and you pull it away to reveal a fruit inside that looks like soft garlic and is the sweetest thing you've ever tasted in your life!]

Two 20something men behind me started to stare not at me for a change but at the fruit I had in a bag and had placed on the checkout counter. I was surprised when the staring evolved to them actually starting to poke my fruit, talk about it and pull the bag closer to them so that they could look at the price tag. I didn't mind it really, I just found the "touching" experience interesting. Fortunately, I was not buying any underwear or other personal items for them to start poking and picking up as well!

Also, thought this may not apply to China, if someone wants to get by you, they will usually provide you with a gentle nudge with their hand or shoulder. If this happens don't take it as rude, you're just in the way! This happens to me all the time at work, at the grocery store and many other places. The upside is, you can do it too as I have discovered and nobody seems to mind. This works for me as it is far easier for me to give someone a gentle nudge out of the way than to try and ask them politely in Chinese and answer and risk facing any questions they may decide to ask of me!

Blue Sky?

Yea that's right! Whenever the western news presents an article on China, it never fails to mention insane amounts of pollution that essentially block out the sky. Inevitably, this makes China seem like a perpetually grey-skied verson of mordor.

Conversely, from my experiences I realize that the pollution (At least in my area) is not as bad as the media tries to depict in its smear attempts against China. As seen in the picture to the left, China too can enjoy the beauty of blue skies. The photos was taken at the large monument right outside of my hotel. This blue sky persisted for about 5 days. Other than that, China is a bit cloudy but this is not only because of pollution. In China, clouds and water vapour exists too (The BBC will be shocked to discover this!) which is also grey and can be mistaken for pollution.

Specifically, on the note of pollution, China is definitely trying to make a difference. New, present news and research articles are starting to emerge which describe Chinese municipalities instituteenvironmental measures so strict that whole coal power plants have to be shut down. Also, some very environmentally concerned industries are packing up to go an pollute Vietnam. These role model industries are just so concerned with environmental quality that they are moving to places with even lower pollution standards than the new China so they can continue with their profit and pollution making ways.

Now, I'm not saying that China doesn't have pollution problems, of course it does. But, so does Canada in industrial areas the United States and Europe as well. Maybe if these places had populations as large as China the pollution would be at the same level or even worse. Just remember, if you're trying to compare pollution between China and other developed nations, it is not a fair comparison due to historical, demographic and sheer population factors. Just try and get the inside story, China is a lot better than seen from the outside. Not only that, but China is moving forward thanks to the Olympics and government efforts. Auto, Industry and other emmission standards are improving to gradually bring China forward into a new era.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Big Bad BBC

While writing my last entry I came across and article in the BBC that I find grossly misconstrues the state of China's media reporting. The original article may be found here. Essentially, this article is smearing the Chinese Government with a claim that it censors everything the media has to say. An article such as this is obviously meant to lead the reader to believe that as a result, nothing bad is said about China. I'd like to say that I find this article to be insulting to the quality of the Chinese media and also overtly biased. In fact, I've been browsing Chinese news websites for the past few days which openly report on the problems that led up to the quake or the aftermath. I read open reports from the Chinese media which acknowledged that building contractors were to blame for faulty construction and that corrupt officials which embezzled some money were found and punished. I also read a balanced report on how some party officials were caught embezzling relief money. This money was recovered fortunately and the officials suitably punished. I found an up to date example of such reporting here. Note: If China was anything like BBC claims it to be, any mention of quake relief embezzlement would not be mentioned because stuff like that is obviously not good for government appeal. Note as well, this is on CCTV, the news body that BBC claims to be so censored.

In short, I find the BBC to be a tad unreliable for honest information about China. This is because from its articles, I do not see much evidence of on the ground reporting on events such as the bag ban. I'm surprised that I can repudiate some of the claims of the BBC from just reading the Internet and Chinese newspapers which is the real groundwork required to write an article about China. I sincerely hope that the BBC, which I have loyally accepted as my source of news for at least five years now, reforms its way to become far more balanced and fair to the Chinese people, media and government.

Plastic Purgery – The true story of the ban on plastic bags

On June 1st, 2008, China made history by banning plastic bags. Considering Ontario hasn't even done so yet, I think that one of the world's largest countries banning the near ubiquitous symbol of western consumerism – the plastic bag - to be an incredible impressive feat.

However, what many sources of western media fail to portray is the on-the-ground implications of the ban. Many sources I've seen make it seem like an all out ban on plastic bags. It is important to note that the BBC frequently takes an anti-China stance, which I'm not particularly fond of. This is far too draconian and it definitely is not the case. There are still plastic bags, but now they are thicker and you MUST pay for them when you buy something. Also, the ban seems to have affected grocery stores first but it does not apply to everything just yet. Note, these observations are made with reference to my travels with friends in China and my own visits to the Tesco's grocery store near to my hotel.

Here is how I see the ban actually working: Grocery stores are no longer allowed to hand out the free ultrathin bags with customer's purchases. At Tesco, thicker plastic bags must now be purchased from the teller which is a HUGE disincentive. I saw this in action with a man in the line in front of me. Like many people must be who either cannot read or do not have access to the new, he had no idea of the ban. He looked very surprised when the teller informed him that he must pay extra for the bag. He opted not to and instead, wrapped his arms around the crateloads of goods he had just bought. There we go, I saw first hand that the ban works! I just hope that the rest of the world can follow suite soon!

If there is a debate about affecting the plastic bag industries (Most of which are in China anyway) guess what – though some ran into difficulties some could adapt to the change and instead moved to making thicker plastic reuseable bags or focused on producing the cloth bags.

However, its not like ultrathin plastic bags have disappeared completely from China. Some places like a shoe store I went to or a street vegetable market I had the chance to visit still use the bag. In the shoe store, I was handed a bag when I bought a pair of shoes, and did not possess enough Chinese to inform the teller that I did not need it! Oh well.. Also, when I was in Beijing, I was with a friend as she bought eggs from the street vendor. The man informed her that bags were banned and was trying to convince her to carry her dozen eggs in her hand. However, due to the difficulty of this, she unfortunately opted to buy a bag instead which was charged extra. From this we see that the bag ban does not appear to apply to every single retail operation just yet (Such as that shoe store) but even street vendors are rallying behind the ban as well!

In the stores I visit, I see frequent advertisements for the newest cloth reusable bags. Thus, the ban doesn’t cripple retail, it offers new room to grow creatively and offer new options. I also see the bags becoming a fashion statement with girls carrying purse style bags emblazoned with the word “I'm not a plastic bag” or an occasional Chinglish one with the obvious mistake “I'm a plastic bag”.

I find this ban to be a microcosmical example of the versatility of the Chinese people. Whatever happens, retail and people find a way to adapt to the change, and live harmoniously in the new way. This is so different from the bull headed stubborn resistance to change I've so often encountered in my environmental pursuits back home!

**Update**
I'm proud to say that companies in China are taking the lead in reuseable bags. The company I work at PPG, recently created this bag which I helped hand out to employees. Though I can't read the Chinese (hopefully one of the readers can help me!) this bag was created to ensure that employees are well equipped to "survive" post plastic bag ban! I was given one myself which I enjoyed using at my local Tesco's! It certainly seems like innovation is around every corner everywhere in China.

***Update***
My colleague has just informed me that the bag reads "To lead the green age with innovation, and to support China in energy saving and emission reduction". That makes sense to me!

Trees in Revolution


That's right, China is planting a nationwide army of trees in preparation not only for the Olympic games but a changing environment. I first came across this climate change combat force on my drive from the Beijing airport to TEDA (Technological Development Area). There were 5 meter wide bands of newly planted trees on either side of the highways as seen in the photo. I soon learned that these were all planted in a grand scheme initiated by the central government. Contrary to so many countries, China has gone far beyond empty talks by putting its shovels, workers and enthusiasm where its mouth is. On my two and a half hour drive from the airport, the highway was lined the WHOLE way by these trees. These were not the only trees to be seen as beyond the highway, forests stood waving in the breeze, undisturbed by the farms and industries nearby.

In my travels from TEDA to Tianjin, I see these swathes of newly planted trees in various stages of development. Be it new, mature or just getting there. I frequently see workers clad in army fatigues planting new trees, watering established ones or conducting maintenance. From what I've seen, these trees are not plonked into the middle of nowhere, they are cared for even better than the ones in some Canadian backyards!

This project does not extend only to national highways, I see such tree planting schemes all around me as I walk to work in TEDA and travel in Tianjin. Old concrete sidings, barren sidewalk and old walls are blasted away to make way for the vibrant, new green development of China. Tianjin and TEDA are both very green cities, teeming with more boulevards than I can count. There are wide canals in Tianjin and green parks in the most unexpected places. From what I've seen, there is a great diversity of wildlife. At the plant I work at, swallows frequently fly low over just about everything. Bugs buzz through the air and I see the occasional exotic looking bird diving into the lush green turf which is ubiquitous in TEDA.

Introduction


Enter the Dragon – Cheesy title, real implications

China – does anyone really understand it completely? I had the opportunity to come to China in the summer of 2008 as an Environmental Health and Safety Intern at the PPG Tianjin facility. Despite my half-Chinese background, my knowledge of China was extremely limited and essentially composed of a mishmash of biased media presentations, angry derisions from classmates at my university and the disrespectful pot-shots from westerners who believe they know everything about this great, mysterious land. However, nothing could have prepared me for the real China. Upon arrival, my expectations were exceeded, ideas changed and admiration heightened. In this blog, I hope to paint you a picture of a real experience of China, without all of those condescending biases which seem to be so often applied. I just want to say it outright that I adore China, and hopefully you’re interested in finding out why this is the case.

As for the title of the blog, I came to China with an environmentalist’s background. I am currently studying Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences at Queen’s University in Kingston. As you might have guessed, my education and surroundings often convey the idea that corporations are large and evil polluters, and that China is a scourge upon the world’s environment. Those certainly are strong and overtly biased lessons, but they seem to be stamped in many people’s minds over in the west. Conversely, as a green leaf blowing in the great winds of China’s change, I am more than pleased with the progress over here! I believe that China is taking great strides to improve its ecological footprint and is quickly becoming a world leader of environmental conservation. In this blog, I hope to communicate my daily experiences and powerful moments which have helped convince me that this is the case. I hope that this blog can stimulate debate, change minds and open eyes to the place I’m now experiencing. There certainly is a smokescreen up around China. I’m not sure why it is there, but I certainly hope that this blog will change things. Hopefully, my experiences will help cast off the shadowy veil of groundless, negative opinions that so many have used over time to blanket China. Hopefully, this blog can be a step towards more mutual East - West cooperation and understanding.