I'm going to preface this (entirely late) update with a disclaimer. For unknown reasons (read: coffee at 10:00pm) I managed to toss and turn my way through a colossal 2 hours of sleep last night. As a result, I'm barely lucid. Combine this with hours in front of the computer doing nothing important and a 2 hour bike ride around campus to clear my head, I'm getting that panicky edge of extreme exhaustion. I'm trying to turn that 'edge' to a good purpose in updating you all on my past 10 days or so.
During the time in Beijing I've had to experience a LOT of cultural and social adjustments to living on my own, living on campus, learning another language and being in a foreign nation.
I've spoken to cab drivers in mandarin while they reply in English (with some semblance of understanding hopefully passing through the mishmash of poor language skills).
I've been told that 'Oh! You're from Canada? I have heard that you have REALLY good Kebabs there..' How's that for a stereotype.
I've eaten ox spinal cord, entire fish (sans viscera), boiled meat (Hot Pot is a new found addiction), black fungus (mushrooms that more closely resemble firm seaweed), a pot of hot chopped hot chilies with a few slivers of beef, unidentifiable skewers of meat from streetside vendors for $0.10 CAD apiece and the occasional banana.
I've drank gallons of beer I can barely stand the smell of at home, smoked a few very terrible Chinese cigarettes and cigars, enjoyed a decent hookah or two with some friends at the local college pubs and found out what 'fake' (illegally distilled, methanol-heavy) vodka and spirits does to the body. I've learned that waking up at noon facing the wrong way in your bed with your shoes on and feet on your pillow is a really awful way to realize that you don't really remember anything of the previous evening. I've done it again that same night after a hot shower, a breakfast at the local pub and previously made plans with a big group of people I couldn't in good conscience change.
I've turned down drugs. I've thought about enjoying them, then realized that I have an addictive personality and that the punishments are far too severe should I be caught.
I've ridden a bicycle more in 1 month than in the previous 10 years. I've walked more than in the past 2 years. I've learned that 'cold' is subjective, and that wearing shorts and a tee-shirt in Beijing on an overcast day at 14 degrees will get you even more strange looks than merely being a brighter shade of human.
I've learned to 'deal' with being a minority and being laughed at for being another color and ethnicity. I've not returned that particular favor out of consideration for the way it can make you feel.
I've seen toddlers defecate on the floor of a crowded mall with no one making any effort to stop them. I've also seen a dozen kids having the time of their life riding a single, rickety old bike in the concrete courtyard of run down apartment complex a few km away from campus. I kicked myself both times for not sucking it up and bringing my 'heavy' camera with me.
I've decided that actually trying to find something identifiable to eat is no longer a hassle I can deal with. Point and pray is a new way of life for me. I will no longer be afraid of Canadian food that is called 'spicey'. That's a misnomer.
I've been offered tea in a poorer part of town by a very pleasant older couple just pouring two cups of tea outside their tiny, crumbling brick room. I had enough Chinese to thank them and introduce myself, but not to understand what they were saying in return.
I've learned how incredibly easy it is to communicate with nothing but a smile and a nod of your head.
I've also learned that not knowing how to ask 'do you have toilet paper for sale' can be among the most frustrating moments I've ever suffered.
I've had some awesome times with people I never would have thought could be friends.
I've been so bored and lonely that I've just gone outside and watched people because I ran out of things to amuse me on the internet.
I've had fun. I've been so frustrated it's nearly brought me to tears. I've experienced more loneliness in 1 month than in 22 years previous.
I've questioned where my life is headed. I've replanned what the next 10 years of my life might look like a dozen times and can't decide on how I'm going to balance my life, my goals and the need for money.
I've budgeted. I've scrimped and saved on stupid petty things and I've spent 700元 on beer and concert tickets at the drop of a hat because I didn't have anything else to do. I've kept a daily running tally and budget that lets me know how much money I have to spend every day before I leave.
I've ignored that budget when it's inconvenient, only to realize that I have the resources, capability and support (thanks Mom and Dad) to bounce back from any financial setbacks that this 'experience of a lifetime' might cause me.
I've run out of energy to continue this stream of consciousness. It's interesting for me too, though I'm not going to go back and read what I wrote. It's more fun if it's unedited.
P.S.: I had a couple tests. I got 98% on the listening and 99% on the comprehensive. They weren't big tests, more so 'big' quizzes. Still, it makes me wonder just how much I'm going to be getting out of these classes.
Hope everyone is well. I'm going to reply to any e-mails that I've neglected right now.
Regards,
Nathan
Monday, October 20, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
Short One
To follow the ridiculously long one I posted a week or so ago.
Sorry about the lack of updates; been busy living life!
I had a fairly fun week, though it got a little expensive by the end of it.
I went salsa dancing (well... I went 'live cuban band watching' more so than dancing, as I'm incapable). Let me tell you that there are some phenomenally talented salsa dancers in Beijing. These Chinese couples were putting Cubanos to shame!
Went out for various sorts of dinners; Hot Pot (which I have to photograph, as it's a right interesting way to eat a meal), Thai, Japanese and Pizza.
Last night I played my first ever Beer Pong game against a fairly loud and obnoxious American from Pennsylvania at the Pizza place where Sarah and I were having a dinner and a beer. We were challenged and we lost (though not by much). Chugging 8 beer between us after 2 pitchers worth alongside dinner (a massive pizza) nearly had us both puking simply due to being over full.
We sat out the next 5 or 6 games (the American randomly grabbed partners and won them all). Then I got dragged back over to the table and proceeded to kick the ass of 4 or 5 more challengers before the American and I were dethroned.
Fun, but it's a gross way to drink bad beer.
Anyhow, today I'm going for a bike ride to Ye He Yuan (The Summer Palace) to take some photos and get some exercise because it's such a wonderful day out.
Tonight some random dude off of Facebook and I are going to go to Mao Live House to listen to a Chinese punk band named PK-14. Should be fun.
I'll post more often, I promise! Just wanted to give you all some time to read the mammoth posts below this one :p.
Hope everyone's well,
Nathan
Sorry about the lack of updates; been busy living life!
I had a fairly fun week, though it got a little expensive by the end of it.
I went salsa dancing (well... I went 'live cuban band watching' more so than dancing, as I'm incapable). Let me tell you that there are some phenomenally talented salsa dancers in Beijing. These Chinese couples were putting Cubanos to shame!
Went out for various sorts of dinners; Hot Pot (which I have to photograph, as it's a right interesting way to eat a meal), Thai, Japanese and Pizza.
Last night I played my first ever Beer Pong game against a fairly loud and obnoxious American from Pennsylvania at the Pizza place where Sarah and I were having a dinner and a beer. We were challenged and we lost (though not by much). Chugging 8 beer between us after 2 pitchers worth alongside dinner (a massive pizza) nearly had us both puking simply due to being over full.
We sat out the next 5 or 6 games (the American randomly grabbed partners and won them all). Then I got dragged back over to the table and proceeded to kick the ass of 4 or 5 more challengers before the American and I were dethroned.
Fun, but it's a gross way to drink bad beer.
Anyhow, today I'm going for a bike ride to Ye He Yuan (The Summer Palace) to take some photos and get some exercise because it's such a wonderful day out.
Tonight some random dude off of Facebook and I are going to go to Mao Live House to listen to a Chinese punk band named PK-14. Should be fun.
I'll post more often, I promise! Just wanted to give you all some time to read the mammoth posts below this one :p.
Hope everyone's well,
Nathan
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Liuyang Day 2
I promised pictures, and there are a BUNCH following this entry. Stay tuned. I have to warn you, this is a LONG entry. Longest by far yet. Still, it sums up the trip quite nicely.
Well, my second day in Liuyang was definitely the best. I was picked up in the morning by Amy and Mr. Xu at the crack of 9:30; giving me enough time to enjoy a morning steam-shower and breakfast buffet.
Once I was in the car, Amy informed me I would be taken on a bit of a sightseeing tour of Liuyang. We stopped about 15 minutes from the hotel and wandered around the downtown area for a bit; just looking at the concrete marvel of the Liuyang River (浏阳河). Tons of people were fishing from the bridge and off the bridge (from 100 feet above the water, no less). It was quite interesting, in a stark and austere sort of way.
After that, we wandered into a park and Mr. Xu and Amy disappeared for a few minutes, leaving me to take a few photos of the park gates and temple nearby. After asking about the temple when they returned, they asked if I wanted to take a look inside. Of course I did, so we went up to the entrance, just outside of which a few groups of people were burning funerary 'money' in massive cauldrons full of coals as a way to honor their ancestors and dead loved ones. The money was just yellow tissue paper covered in writing, but there was smoke and ashes floating through the air all around the concrete temple 25 feet from a busy road. It was a little bizarre, but quite beautiful.
We then entered the temple, where there was incense lit in every corner and gold painted statues of 3 famous figures (about whom I couldn't get a detailed story of). My camera wasn't allowed out of it's bag inside the temple, which I understood, and I had to perform the basic bowing and prayer gestures as instructed by the temple keepers before we were given free reign to explore a bit. After wandering around the tiny interior, we exited the building and got back in the car to head out toward the countryside to visit 像象 (Xiang4Xiang4) Rock, or 'Resembles Elephant' Rock. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I didn't particularly mind as the countryside was very beautiful regardless.
After about an hour in the car, we pulled up to this MASSIVE cliff side in the middle of a range of small mountains. The mountain had been carved by rainfall and water for thousands of years until a little bit of it, from the right angle and a lot of imagination, looked somewhat like an elephants trunk. Yeah, I didn't really see it. I've got a photo later, so you can be the judge. At the bottom of this cliff was a large pond (or small lake) with a dozen or so flat-bottomed river barges anchored at the shore. I stepped onto one of these boats to get a better angle for a photo, and was jolted when Mr. Xu pushed it off from the shore and we started moving around the little lake!
There were a few other boats on the water, mostly filled with kids and adolescents playing in the water and on the ladders dangling from the cliff. It was a lot of fun and I ended up stealing one of the boats from the kids. To be fair, they boarded our boat in an act of aggression first, making my actions defensable by the laws of the sea!
After a couple hours sweating profusely (it was 35 degrees), we left the area and headed back to the town of Guandu for lunch. More chili-laden food, but amazingly tasty nevertheless. I joked that when I got back to Beijing, all the food would be totally flavorless because there weren't any chilis! After lunch we headed for the Cake and Shell factory of Guandu fireworks (where I would be visiting next).
We arrived and were greeted by the production manager for the factory. A young gentleman of about 25-28, he wasn't particularly talkative, unlike the manager for the factory from the previous afternoon. Still, the factory was MASSIVE, employing over 600 people in the various operations and covering over 2 square kilometers. I asked how big it was exactly, and the manager only said "It takes 8 hours to walk to all four corners of the factory". Big.
We toured the cake production likes and the shell production lines, but unfortunately the shell side was cut a bit short because it was getting too hot out for production to continue (fire hazards apparently, though I don't really see how or why). It was VERY interesting to see the production lines though, and the workers all pointed at me and smiled when they saw my camera.
After the tour, I had my ass parked in an air-conditioned room for a few hours to watch a DVD of the Liuyang International Fireworks Competition from last year. If anyone from the Canadian industry is watching this, I tell you that we have never seen a truly 'big' show. There was one show out of the four, from a French company called J.C.O., that was probably the size of 4 Laronde shows put together, and less length to boot. They ripped the sky apart. Nowhere near as artful as the shows we see regularly, but an order of magnitude bigger.
Later that evening, after meeting a couple Americans from Flashing Thunder (incidentally the hosts of PGI next year) and chatting with them for a bit, we were all led to the back of the building for a demonstration. More shells, more cakes. No photos because I was taking notes, but interesting effects that I've never personally seen before.
Tim, Bob, Dan and Maggi: This is an aside for you. The manager of another factory who makes stage fireworks was there. His gerbs were hands down the most amazing chinese products I've ever seen. Absolutely smokeless and odorless silver fountains that were 6 feet high and 2 minutes in duration (with NO perceptible loss of height or choking off). A gold gerb that was 60 seconds long and 5 meters high with the most amazing multi-branching sparks I've ever seen. My jaw was hanging open after that one and Yuleoh (from Aurora) laughed and asked if I had found a favorite. These were amazing.
Anyways, after that it was fairly late and we went for a late supper, just John (owner of Aurora), Amy and myself at another small restaurant. Was dropped off at my hotel and woke up the next morning to begin the trip home. I had to fly economy class this time, which was just dreadful; bundled in amongst the cattle like that. I don't suggest you try it. I'm kidding, of course; the flight back was enjoyable and uneventful. Met Mr. Han (The Chinese Oilman from the flight down) at Beijing International when I landed and agreed to call him for lunch or dinner sometime in the next week or two.
All in all, the trip was a resounding success and only marginally more expensive than I had budgeted for. The start was a bit rocky, but it turned out to be an amazing experience and I learned a lot about how the fireworks industry in China is run and how their production processes are laid out. It was educational, interesting and a lot of fun. I wasn't lying when I repeatedly said to Yuleoh, John and Amy that I will definitely return to Liuyang sometime in the future.
Alright kids, here come the photos! These are links to larger versions, so if you want more detail just click the image to open a bigger one. There are a lot, but only small captions by each one.
My Hotel's Lobby
Chrysanthemum Stones. These are another famous export of Liuyang, and are fossilized sea anemones extracted from the mountains in Liuyang county. Artisans often carve the stone around the Chrysanthemums. This particular one was about 4 feet tall and cost about 36000 yuan (about CAD $5700)
Me in front of Liuyang River
Amy in front of same.
Mr. Xu and Amy at the park in Liuyang. That's not a temple or anything at the top; just a tower for the public.
Entrance to the temple. That's all incense in the holder to the right
Boats and such tethered in the pool by Resembles Elephant. I liked the colors
Me! Resembles Elephant is in the background.
Mr. Xu and Me at the Resemble Elephant Rock
Kids boarding our boat in an act of piracy!
Making his getaway
Boats and such tethered in the pool by Resembles Elephant. I liked the colors
Me! Resembles Elephant is in the background.
A worker cautiously and carefully (read: frighteningly fast) measuring lift for cakes.
The star production line of the first factory. The building in the foreground is on the powder production line
A lady putting effects into tubes with lift in them. The lady in the background (hard to see) is tamping the effects and putting those damned paper caps on top
Tube plug production. These two churned out an easy 40 in the 5 or 6 minutes we were there
Cake tubes in the sun letting the glue dry
A man pressing cylindrical stars with a mallet and a bronze form. He was making them so quickly it was mind-boggling
Piles of coal next to the boilers. These produce the steam used to heat the drying rooms.
Cakes being fused together
Lady putting effects tubes into fused and lifted cakes. Apparently she makes about 200 per day (I have no idea how long their 'day' is)
Anyone from the industry see a familiar shape in this logo? Guandu has no affiliation with Dancing, despite almost identical logos.
That's rice. ALL the roads had massive swathes of rice drying in the daytime heat on the roads all around the countryside.
Well, my second day in Liuyang was definitely the best. I was picked up in the morning by Amy and Mr. Xu at the crack of 9:30; giving me enough time to enjoy a morning steam-shower and breakfast buffet.
Once I was in the car, Amy informed me I would be taken on a bit of a sightseeing tour of Liuyang. We stopped about 15 minutes from the hotel and wandered around the downtown area for a bit; just looking at the concrete marvel of the Liuyang River (浏阳河). Tons of people were fishing from the bridge and off the bridge (from 100 feet above the water, no less). It was quite interesting, in a stark and austere sort of way.
After that, we wandered into a park and Mr. Xu and Amy disappeared for a few minutes, leaving me to take a few photos of the park gates and temple nearby. After asking about the temple when they returned, they asked if I wanted to take a look inside. Of course I did, so we went up to the entrance, just outside of which a few groups of people were burning funerary 'money' in massive cauldrons full of coals as a way to honor their ancestors and dead loved ones. The money was just yellow tissue paper covered in writing, but there was smoke and ashes floating through the air all around the concrete temple 25 feet from a busy road. It was a little bizarre, but quite beautiful.
We then entered the temple, where there was incense lit in every corner and gold painted statues of 3 famous figures (about whom I couldn't get a detailed story of). My camera wasn't allowed out of it's bag inside the temple, which I understood, and I had to perform the basic bowing and prayer gestures as instructed by the temple keepers before we were given free reign to explore a bit. After wandering around the tiny interior, we exited the building and got back in the car to head out toward the countryside to visit 像象 (Xiang4Xiang4) Rock, or 'Resembles Elephant' Rock. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I didn't particularly mind as the countryside was very beautiful regardless.
After about an hour in the car, we pulled up to this MASSIVE cliff side in the middle of a range of small mountains. The mountain had been carved by rainfall and water for thousands of years until a little bit of it, from the right angle and a lot of imagination, looked somewhat like an elephants trunk. Yeah, I didn't really see it. I've got a photo later, so you can be the judge. At the bottom of this cliff was a large pond (or small lake) with a dozen or so flat-bottomed river barges anchored at the shore. I stepped onto one of these boats to get a better angle for a photo, and was jolted when Mr. Xu pushed it off from the shore and we started moving around the little lake!
There were a few other boats on the water, mostly filled with kids and adolescents playing in the water and on the ladders dangling from the cliff. It was a lot of fun and I ended up stealing one of the boats from the kids. To be fair, they boarded our boat in an act of aggression first, making my actions defensable by the laws of the sea!
After a couple hours sweating profusely (it was 35 degrees), we left the area and headed back to the town of Guandu for lunch. More chili-laden food, but amazingly tasty nevertheless. I joked that when I got back to Beijing, all the food would be totally flavorless because there weren't any chilis! After lunch we headed for the Cake and Shell factory of Guandu fireworks (where I would be visiting next).
We arrived and were greeted by the production manager for the factory. A young gentleman of about 25-28, he wasn't particularly talkative, unlike the manager for the factory from the previous afternoon. Still, the factory was MASSIVE, employing over 600 people in the various operations and covering over 2 square kilometers. I asked how big it was exactly, and the manager only said "It takes 8 hours to walk to all four corners of the factory". Big.
We toured the cake production likes and the shell production lines, but unfortunately the shell side was cut a bit short because it was getting too hot out for production to continue (fire hazards apparently, though I don't really see how or why). It was VERY interesting to see the production lines though, and the workers all pointed at me and smiled when they saw my camera.
After the tour, I had my ass parked in an air-conditioned room for a few hours to watch a DVD of the Liuyang International Fireworks Competition from last year. If anyone from the Canadian industry is watching this, I tell you that we have never seen a truly 'big' show. There was one show out of the four, from a French company called J.C.O., that was probably the size of 4 Laronde shows put together, and less length to boot. They ripped the sky apart. Nowhere near as artful as the shows we see regularly, but an order of magnitude bigger.
Later that evening, after meeting a couple Americans from Flashing Thunder (incidentally the hosts of PGI next year) and chatting with them for a bit, we were all led to the back of the building for a demonstration. More shells, more cakes. No photos because I was taking notes, but interesting effects that I've never personally seen before.
Tim, Bob, Dan and Maggi: This is an aside for you. The manager of another factory who makes stage fireworks was there. His gerbs were hands down the most amazing chinese products I've ever seen. Absolutely smokeless and odorless silver fountains that were 6 feet high and 2 minutes in duration (with NO perceptible loss of height or choking off). A gold gerb that was 60 seconds long and 5 meters high with the most amazing multi-branching sparks I've ever seen. My jaw was hanging open after that one and Yuleoh (from Aurora) laughed and asked if I had found a favorite. These were amazing.
Anyways, after that it was fairly late and we went for a late supper, just John (owner of Aurora), Amy and myself at another small restaurant. Was dropped off at my hotel and woke up the next morning to begin the trip home. I had to fly economy class this time, which was just dreadful; bundled in amongst the cattle like that. I don't suggest you try it. I'm kidding, of course; the flight back was enjoyable and uneventful. Met Mr. Han (The Chinese Oilman from the flight down) at Beijing International when I landed and agreed to call him for lunch or dinner sometime in the next week or two.
All in all, the trip was a resounding success and only marginally more expensive than I had budgeted for. The start was a bit rocky, but it turned out to be an amazing experience and I learned a lot about how the fireworks industry in China is run and how their production processes are laid out. It was educational, interesting and a lot of fun. I wasn't lying when I repeatedly said to Yuleoh, John and Amy that I will definitely return to Liuyang sometime in the future.
Alright kids, here come the photos! These are links to larger versions, so if you want more detail just click the image to open a bigger one. There are a lot, but only small captions by each one.
My Hotel's Lobby
Chrysanthemum Stones. These are another famous export of Liuyang, and are fossilized sea anemones extracted from the mountains in Liuyang county. Artisans often carve the stone around the Chrysanthemums. This particular one was about 4 feet tall and cost about 36000 yuan (about CAD $5700)
Me in front of Liuyang River
Amy in front of same.
Mr. Xu and Amy at the park in Liuyang. That's not a temple or anything at the top; just a tower for the public.
Entrance to the temple. That's all incense in the holder to the right
Boats and such tethered in the pool by Resembles Elephant. I liked the colors
Me! Resembles Elephant is in the background.
Mr. Xu and Me at the Resemble Elephant Rock
Kids boarding our boat in an act of piracy!
Making his getaway
Boats and such tethered in the pool by Resembles Elephant. I liked the colors
Me! Resembles Elephant is in the background.
A worker cautiously and carefully (read: frighteningly fast) measuring lift for cakes.
The star production line of the first factory. The building in the foreground is on the powder production line
A lady putting effects into tubes with lift in them. The lady in the background (hard to see) is tamping the effects and putting those damned paper caps on top
Tube plug production. These two churned out an easy 40 in the 5 or 6 minutes we were there
Cake tubes in the sun letting the glue dry
A man pressing cylindrical stars with a mallet and a bronze form. He was making them so quickly it was mind-boggling
Piles of coal next to the boilers. These produce the steam used to heat the drying rooms.
Cakes being fused together
Lady putting effects tubes into fused and lifted cakes. Apparently she makes about 200 per day (I have no idea how long their 'day' is)
Anyone from the industry see a familiar shape in this logo? Guandu has no affiliation with Dancing, despite almost identical logos.
That's rice. ALL the roads had massive swathes of rice drying in the daytime heat on the roads all around the countryside.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Liuyang Day 2
Well, after the annoyance with the tickets on the first day, I have to say that Liuyang is kicking ass so far.
I was met at the airport last night by Amy, Yuleoh and Mr. Xu (this is how we were introduced; I'm Mr. Wu and he's Mr. Xu). They were very gracious and spoke excellent english, and we chatted on the 30 minute drive from Changsha to Liuyang. On the way, they informed me that they had changed my hotel; the first one did not offer breakfast and was 3-stars, while the new one offered a free (buffet!) breakfast and was _5_ stars.
5 stars indeed. This is one of the absolute nicest accomodations I've ever stayed in. The room is MASSIVE. I have a king-sized bed, a wide-screen hi-def television (with 1 english channel), a steam shower and a jaccuzi and fresh effing fruit delivered every morning. Oh, and did I mention that after all those problems with the tickets, I realized that the only ticket I could get for the next day was first class? That's right, I lounged in the first class lounge. I flew in the front of the plane with a Chinese Oil-man who had been to Calgary many times and spoke wonderful english. I felt like a king.
Anyhow, back to the present. Today I was picked up (after a tasty buffet breakfast, Chinese Style), and was taken to the Aurora Fireworks office to meet with the head of the company (Yuleoh's brother, Mr. Jin) and his wife (Nancy Jin). I toured their sample room (pictures to come), browsed their catalog and talked about fireworks with Yuleoh and Nancy for a few hours. After that, we stopped into a hole-in-the-wall restaurant with wonderful food. The food here is almost universally wonderful, but the majority of the ingredients is a single vegetable.
The hottest damned chilis you've ever had. I swear, this food is _so_ damned spicey, I walked into a restaurant this evening and my eyes watered and I started coughing because the AIR was spicey. It's good stuff though!
After the meeting and the lunch, they dropped me back at my room for a nap and quick shower. An hour later, I was taken to two factories where I toured their production facilities for Roman Candles and Shells. These things are MASSIVE; upwards of 260-300 employees apiece. I saw most of the machinery and such, but as it's a national holiday everyone went home early. The production managers were both very, very knowledgable and VERY kind and helpful. I got a few neat pictures, which again will come up a little later.
The neatest part of the day was the tour to a remote little area just as night fell. I met the owners of both factories (candles and shells) and their families and we all sat and watched as they demoed about 30 different shells (2"-6") and another 15-20 candles (30mm-75mm). They had some VERY interested effects and I took notes about 'em all. This was awesome, and the two owners were just unbelievably nice and happy that I enjoyed their fireworks.
After that was the aforementioned spicey-aired restaurant for dinner (the restaurant is owned by Nancy's Aunt, so we got wonderfully traditional food). Great food again. They then took me back to my room and told me to expect them at the Hotel tomorrow t 9:30 for a sight-seeing tour.
I came up to my (top-floor) room and was about to sit down when my room phone rang. Amy and Mr. Xu were downstairs and wanted to know if I would like to join them on the 2nd floor of the hotel for KTV. For the uninitiated (read: me), KTV is Kareoke in a private room, with music-videos set to the kareoke. I walk in and am introduced to 4 members of the Liuyang city council, including the CCP's regional business and export manager (whose name escapes me) and the mayor of the city of Liuyang.
We drank a lot of beer. The tradition is that for a guest, the give you a cup. Then everyone wants to fill your cup, drink it all, then do it 2 more times. There were 7 people in the room. I had 21 glasses of beer in about 15 minutes. This is the equivalent of shotgunning about 8 cans of beer back to back. I sang a duet with one of their wives on the only Chinese song I know the words to and then just clapped and laughed as everyone got more and more trashed.
It's just starting to hit me, so I'm going to eat some fruit and head to bed. I'll post again tomorrow with pictures from today and a run-down of the cake factory and demo they're taking me to tomorrow night!
Thanks for reading all. Hope you're well.
Nathan
PS: Mayan, the words to Muo Li Hua are _so_ much different than what we all sang. We weren't even close :P.
I was met at the airport last night by Amy, Yuleoh and Mr. Xu (this is how we were introduced; I'm Mr. Wu and he's Mr. Xu). They were very gracious and spoke excellent english, and we chatted on the 30 minute drive from Changsha to Liuyang. On the way, they informed me that they had changed my hotel; the first one did not offer breakfast and was 3-stars, while the new one offered a free (buffet!) breakfast and was _5_ stars.
5 stars indeed. This is one of the absolute nicest accomodations I've ever stayed in. The room is MASSIVE. I have a king-sized bed, a wide-screen hi-def television (with 1 english channel), a steam shower and a jaccuzi and fresh effing fruit delivered every morning. Oh, and did I mention that after all those problems with the tickets, I realized that the only ticket I could get for the next day was first class? That's right, I lounged in the first class lounge. I flew in the front of the plane with a Chinese Oil-man who had been to Calgary many times and spoke wonderful english. I felt like a king.
Anyhow, back to the present. Today I was picked up (after a tasty buffet breakfast, Chinese Style), and was taken to the Aurora Fireworks office to meet with the head of the company (Yuleoh's brother, Mr. Jin) and his wife (Nancy Jin). I toured their sample room (pictures to come), browsed their catalog and talked about fireworks with Yuleoh and Nancy for a few hours. After that, we stopped into a hole-in-the-wall restaurant with wonderful food. The food here is almost universally wonderful, but the majority of the ingredients is a single vegetable.
The hottest damned chilis you've ever had. I swear, this food is _so_ damned spicey, I walked into a restaurant this evening and my eyes watered and I started coughing because the AIR was spicey. It's good stuff though!
After the meeting and the lunch, they dropped me back at my room for a nap and quick shower. An hour later, I was taken to two factories where I toured their production facilities for Roman Candles and Shells. These things are MASSIVE; upwards of 260-300 employees apiece. I saw most of the machinery and such, but as it's a national holiday everyone went home early. The production managers were both very, very knowledgable and VERY kind and helpful. I got a few neat pictures, which again will come up a little later.
The neatest part of the day was the tour to a remote little area just as night fell. I met the owners of both factories (candles and shells) and their families and we all sat and watched as they demoed about 30 different shells (2"-6") and another 15-20 candles (30mm-75mm). They had some VERY interested effects and I took notes about 'em all. This was awesome, and the two owners were just unbelievably nice and happy that I enjoyed their fireworks.
After that was the aforementioned spicey-aired restaurant for dinner (the restaurant is owned by Nancy's Aunt, so we got wonderfully traditional food). Great food again. They then took me back to my room and told me to expect them at the Hotel tomorrow t 9:30 for a sight-seeing tour.
I came up to my (top-floor) room and was about to sit down when my room phone rang. Amy and Mr. Xu were downstairs and wanted to know if I would like to join them on the 2nd floor of the hotel for KTV. For the uninitiated (read: me), KTV is Kareoke in a private room, with music-videos set to the kareoke. I walk in and am introduced to 4 members of the Liuyang city council, including the CCP's regional business and export manager (whose name escapes me) and the mayor of the city of Liuyang.
We drank a lot of beer. The tradition is that for a guest, the give you a cup. Then everyone wants to fill your cup, drink it all, then do it 2 more times. There were 7 people in the room. I had 21 glasses of beer in about 15 minutes. This is the equivalent of shotgunning about 8 cans of beer back to back. I sang a duet with one of their wives on the only Chinese song I know the words to and then just clapped and laughed as everyone got more and more trashed.
It's just starting to hit me, so I'm going to eat some fruit and head to bed. I'll post again tomorrow with pictures from today and a run-down of the cake factory and demo they're taking me to tomorrow night!
Thanks for reading all. Hope you're well.
Nathan
PS: Mayan, the words to Muo Li Hua are _so_ much different than what we all sang. We weren't even close :P.
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