Get It in Writing

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Two weeks of low leaden skies and rain forces the timid to search for indoor diversions to pass away the sunless hours. Alas, (and thanks for) DVDs. The past week has been brightened with viewings of High Fidelity (John Cusack and Jack Black); episodes of Seinfeld (Season 7, with 8 and 9 to come later), A Good Woman (Helen Hunt, Scarlett Johannson, Tom Wilkinson, and wonderful lines from Oscar Wilde); The Devil Wears Prada (Meryl Streep, the winsome, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci).

Coming attractions: Mulholland Drive (Naomi Watts), Matador, (Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear), Hustle and Flow (John Singleton, Producer), The Woodsman (Kevin Bacon), and two Pedro Almodovar directed films: Bad Education and Volver.

Let the DVDs spin!

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I am Wu Gang. I was born in Nan Chong City of Sichuan province. My hometown is famous for the food, especially spicy hotpot. Both of my parents are farmers. They are kind, warmhearted and industrious. I am proud of them.

I graduated from Central China Normal University, and have my further study in the Life Science School of Fudan University. Now I am doing the research on HIV. It’s really a hard work, and sometimes dangerous, but I am interested in it. I think interest must come first. I hope one day, I could make some contributions in the HIV field. I have a dream, that I could be a great scientist in the future.

I spend most of my time in the lab performing the experiment. In my spare time, I read science papers. I like playing electronic games, volleyball and enjoying the music.

I plan to further my study in the US, maybe for my doctor degree or post doctor work..

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Views, not flowers, attracted the camera's eye on a visit to the Lingering Garden. Walking through the 5.8 acre garden charmed the visitor into a space disoriented reverie while meandering through the maze-like structure. Open spaces, rooms, passages presented a panoply of compositional frames that begged to be recorded.
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Occupying an area of 23,300 square meters (about 5.8 acres), the Lingering Garden is located outside Changmen Gate in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. Originally a classical private garden, it is one of the four most famous gardens in China. Possessing typical Qing style, it is well-known for the exquisite beauty of its magnificent halls, and the various sizes, shapes, and colors of the buildings. In 1997, the garden was recorded on the list of the world heritage by UESCO.

(Continued at TravelChinaGuide.com)

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Tiger Hill bills itself as the Number 1 Site in Suzhou. The hill itself is artificial and is the final resting place of He Lu, founding father of Suzhou. He Lu died in the Sixth Century and is said to have been buried with a collection of 3000 swords and to be guarded by a white tiger.

Atop Tiger Hill stands the Cloud Rock Pagoda, a seven-story high pagoda that is octagonal in shape. Its brick construction was innovative at the time it was built in the Tenth Century. The pagoda began to tilt over 400 years ago and now is 2 meters off from its original position. (China Lonely Planet, 2005, page 247).

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A city of around six million, Suzhou, is located north of Shanghai and about a one-and-one-half hour road trip away. It is the most well known attraction in the province of Jiangsu. Visitors come to see its classical gardens or to buy silk. Some call it the Venice of China because of its canals, many of which are now filled in.

Suzhou’s gardens are considered works of art—a fusion of nature, poetry, and paintings designed to comfort, move or assist one’s mind. (China Lonely Planet 2005, page 243).

The Foreign Affairs Office of Fudan University sponsored a one-day excursion to Suzhou for visiting faculty. About 30--teachers, Fudan administrators, and ki--filed into a bus at 8:00 a.m. for the trip, my first outside of Shanghai.

If the expressway connecting Shanghai and Suzhou is representative, the roads in China are quite good. The only problem is that toll booths are on the thruway, which tends to make them not so “thru.� The return trip saw us crawl into Shanghai over the last one-quarter of the trip.

Leaving the environs of Shanghai brings into view open land, lots of trees, fields, vegetable farms, and large industrial and commercial structures, testaments to China’s economic growth. One can guess that the intervening countryside between the two cities was more rural only a short time ago.

In Suzhou we visited the Tiger Hill pagoda and The Lingering Garden. More on them in subsequent articles.

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Hulda Hu View image
October, 26th, 2006

Among the six stories, I like “A Trifle from Real Life� most. There are several reasons, and the top one is that Chekhov is my favorite writer.

As one of the three best short fiction writers, Anton Chekhov’s works are very impressive. His plays and short stories have had enormous influence on readers everywhere. The works of his are easy to recognize because the language is always concise and ironic. Chekhov himself said that he dislikes writing wordy stories. However, the satire on real life is strong and powerful, which is also shown in “A Trifle from Real Life�. Chekhov’s writing reflects ugly aspects of real life. He is like a critic of society, who deserves a lot of respects.

Another reason for my admiration for this story is that Aliosha is an image of the author himself. Chekhov’s Dad is a person who ignored his sons’ emotions and needs. Chekhov suffered a lot when he was a kid. I guess the last sentence “This is the first time in his life that he had come roughly face to face with deceit.� is Chekhov’s real feeling. I can sense the writer’s deep sympathy for the little boy and for himself. And the true feelings are always touching.

Undoubtedly, Chekhov is a language master. The characters he sets up and the description of emotions are vivid. The little boy is clever and pretty and Belayeff is narrow-minded. The conflicts of the two main characters are obvious.

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Hi, everyone,

My Chinese name is Ruihua Zhao, and Rita, my English name, suggested by Ron at the day my friends and I had dinner with Ron at his apartment, I am sure you already saw the picture on this blog too. “Rita� just sounds like my Chinese name, I like it actually.

I have been in Shanghai four years and I entered Fudan University as a assistant researcher last year. My research is mainly directed in Biomedical sciences, we researchers do lots of experiments usually and I hope I can make progress each day.

I know Ron from Yolanda, and we three together bought the television set and DVD player one day. And now, I often meet with Ron at the track in the morning. When we meet, we jog two or three laps together and communicate some words in English or Chinese. I hope Ron will have a good experience at Fudan all this year, and some day I wish I could meet you too. If that happens, I wish I can be fluent in English as you are.

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Not as in “putting on weight,� but as a stage in the language learning process. Thanks to a couple of lessons using some audio files, the language game took a step forward today. The chunking stage of language learning comes on the heels of learning words. Word chunks widen the communication range.

While shopping at B&Q, a British chain that is a cross between Home Depot and Lowe’s, the need arose to get the help of a salesperson. What a pleasant surprise it was to say, in Chinese, “I don’t speak Chinese; do you speak English� and be understood. Actually, those are more than chunks. They are sentences. Progress!

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Prompt. Of the six stories we read, which one did you like best? Why?

Yi Li View image
November 2, 2006

I like the story “Village� by Estela Portillo Trambley most among the six stories I have read. The reason why I like it is not easy to tell clearly. Somewhere my heart was touched when I was reading it, and it also caused me to think about something above the superficial meaning of this story, such as responsibilities of an individual to the society and the free heart in one’s inner world. Mostly, I love the language the author uses to describe Rico’s mental activities and the techniques she employed to appeal to readers to the world that she constructed for Rico.

I always love stories that not tell things directly. Some writers tend to put everything that they have recognized into stories they write, and thus, to some extent, prevent readers from thinking deeply by their own. A story is supposed to be narrative rather than to indoctrinate the author’s beliefs or opinions into the audience. It is not an argument. Trambley does a good job to tell the story. She uses descriptive language, especially in segments that represent the conflict between Rico’s mind and his free heart, to make this story affecting. I can clearly feel Rico’s feelings, not only his love to the peace of the village but also his hesitancy to take violent actions to stop the inhumane mission. The many detailed scenes make the story real and appealing.

A wise narrator always conceals his or her attitude towards the action that the main character has taken in the story. It is like writing a fable that induces people to get something original and valuable. Of course, the author can use techniques to direct the reader to finally hit something, but the author should leave the central problem to the readers rather than to interpret a unique answer clearly in the story. For example, after reading “Village�, I began to think whether the injury that Rico did to the sergeant is right or not, and why he must do this. The answer has changed from time to time. At first I thought Rico is a hero, but I changed my mind. He is an irresponsible person as he betrayed his country only for the guess that the villagers are not enemies. The author has told the reader enough about the scene, the circumstance and the background except the judgment she makes to Rico. I like this story most because it enables me to seek for a special answer according to my own thought.

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Prompt. Of the six stories we read, which one did you like best? Why?

Allan View image
October 26th, 2006

I like “The Street-Sweeping Show� by Feng Jicai best for the following reasons.

First and foremost, the story was written by a famous Chinese writer. I have already read a lot of works by Feng, which makes it possible for me to get a fuller understanding of this very story. As far as my knowledge extends, Feng frequently wrote short stories to satirize the government and politics at that time. Although many authors did this, Feng is outstanding in that he always tried to depict in his story a particular and typical scene. This story is not an exception.

Second, the story is set in China. Like most Chinese students, I have read a lot of books on Chinese history and Chinese culture formation. The words in the story echo with the knowledge in my brain. Secretary Zhao goes beyond time and space. The story is indeed a cross section that reveals the true complexions of China at that time.

Last but not the least, it is short. Its shortness makes it easier for me to grasp its ideas and thesis. I can also concentrate on some paragraphs and analyze in depth. The story describes a few scenes clearly in its short content. It’s concise and complete, which are the virtues I like most.

For all the reasons mentioned above, I like this story best.

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