August 10, 2008

Qingdao CHINA

The boat from Japan arrived at Qingdao's international terminal at 6:00 p.m., delayed by the Olympic boat races taking place just off the coast of Qingdao. I was met at the terminal by Anshuo Liu, a Chinese friend who I first met while studying in Shanghai two years ago. Although we have not seen each other since then, we have kept in good touch and will even room together upon my return to Georgia Tech this Fall. Waiting alongside him was his grandfather's chauffeur, which is one of many benefits afforded to those affiliated with the Chinese government; his grandfather is the former head of education for Shandong Province.

I packed my luggage into the trunk and climbed into the front seat of the brand new black Passat, a fairly typical car among the well-to-do all across China. China is the world's fastest growing car market, and will soon overtake the United States in terms of volume of automobiles on the roadways. Anyway, I was then given a 20 minute driving tour of Qingdao, which is beautifully situated along the eastern coast of China. The city has a strong German influence as parts of the city once belonged to Germany, and as there is strong business in the area the city is well-developed and clean.

Anshuo's grandfather arranged for us to stay in our own private suite in a government complex tucked away within quiet tree-lined streets in an upscale part of the city. I ate dinner with both his mother, grandmother, and grandfather, and the specialty dish was, naturally, GONG BAO JI DING, which is a spicy dish with vegetables, diced chicken, peanuts, and red peppers. It is a long-running joke that this is my favorite Chinese dish, so much so that Anshuo has always introduced me as JI DING (literally: diced chicken.)

Anshuo's family was extremely kind and we got along great. At one point, his grandmother asked that we switch places, and allowed me to sit in her wheelchair while she pushed me down the street. It was priceless watching the faces of Chinese locals as we passed by - it isn't everyday they see a foreigner in a government dominated part of the city, and it is even more rare to see an 86 year old Chinese woman pushing around a 22 year old Westerner.

We stayed at Anshuo's grandparents' suite to watch the China-Belgium football match, which turned ugly as China received two red cards en route to a 2-0 loss. Instead of watching the match I spent much of the time chatting with his grandmother about her artwork. She is a very accomplished painter with several books published and art displays, which I found remarkable. Even better, her paintings were truly astonishing as they are done in the Chinese style on scrolls of silk. At the end of the night, she presented me with two first editions of her work. I felt honored receiving such gifts as I know how much they mean to her, and they will be displayed in a very prominent position in my bedroom.

Afterward, Anshuo and I headed over to our suite - it was really more of an apartment with two bathrooms and multiple living areas - where we watched the United States dominate China in basketball. My prediction of a 30 point blow-out was close as the United States cruised to a 32 point victory of the Yao Ming-led Chinese team. For now, the Chinese are still leading the medal count, and it will be interesting to see how the final tabulation ends up as because China will make a strong push to overtake the habitual medal winners, the United States.