The Beautiful Island of Lombok

So since I'm a few posts behind I am going to skip forward to my trip to Jakarta. I arrived on Tuesday night at around 8 pm. I eventually made it through the customs line and found Mike. He had been waiting for a while because he came straight from work and still had a birthday cake from his office celebration. I was happy to see him and catch a cab to his apartment. Jakarta is the capital city of Indonesia and it is full of people, cars, mopeds and smog. I don't think it is as dirty as Beijing but it could give Beijing a run for the title. We chatted for a brief bit and then headed to bed. Both of us were exhausted and our flight left for Lombok the next day.

In the morning, I gave Mike his birthday presents, some terra cotta soldiers and an 2008 Olympic pin set. My real present was being here on his birthday. After all the gifting, we headed back to the airport and left for Lombok.

We had a small layover in Jogjakarta which suffered so badly from the recent earthquake. We didn't even have time to leave the plan but did see some of the relief crews unloading supplies. Hopefully, the city can find some quiet time to recover. This is questionable given the continuing aftershocks and the worsening situation with Mt. Merapi, an active volcano located nearby. However, we got out to Lombok with no problems. We arrived in Lombok and taxied our way to our hotel, Quinci Villas. If your ever in Lombok, its a great place to stay. The pool overlooking the ocean makes for great relaxing and the staff and the food are really great. The outdoor shower and bathroom were interesting especially when the geckos showed up at night. Here's some pics from the hotel:

After relaxing by the pool, we agreed to do a little treking in the mountains near our hotel. It was supposed to be soft treking but the uphills killed me. I swear I could swim forever but a flight of stairs will have me gasping for air. First we started off at the monkey house. Mike had a ball feeding the monkeys and talking to them. He really likes monkeys. They were a little agressive but would take the peanuts out of your hand. The monkey king didn't like the smaller monkeys getting in on his action and would routinely chase them off. After the monkey action was done, we began our trek up to the ridge top. As I huffed and puffed my way up, our guide just kinda ambled his way up while smoking a clove cigarette. He does this everyday but I was dying. After we got up to the top, the views were great and the hike much easier. However, going down was pretty treacherous and wiped out a few times and will have some small scar reminders of the trek. Here are some pics of the adventures of Mike and Jen on the mountainsides of Lombok:

After treking, we took the next day off to lounge by the pool. I of course got too much sun but had a restful and relaxing day. Here are some pics from my deck chair:

The next day we headed out for some snorkeling on the Gili Islands off the coast of Lombok. We took off on our small boat, the Kura Kura (or Turtle in Indonesian). Mike and I were both a little tenative about going very far in this little outrigger boat, but we had a great time and the snorkeling was great. Lots of sea turtles, reef life, and colorful fish.

My Last Sunday in Beijing

Sometimes an almost perfect day can make everything all right. Sunday was as close as I'm gonna get for a while. I slept in a bit and then did laundry. I had to move rooms from the second floor to the fifth because of some big group. I could have raised a stink about it but our tour gal, Jasmine, is so nice that I just went with the flow. With my laundry drying, I had a lot less to move which was nice.

Then I grabbed some lunch and headed to the Dongyue Temple in Chaoyang district. I had read about this Taoist temple and was fascinated. In Taoist belief, the world is divided into different departments that deal with everything from birth to death. The temple has a huge courtyard with small rooms or shrines lining it. Inside each is a department dealing with an area such as The Department for Implementing 15 Kinds of Violent Death to the Department of Water. Each room has figures on each side consisting of men, women and a variety of other creatures with a major Tao figure sitting in judgment above them all. Here's a small sample:

The rest of the temple was just as interesting and there were very few people which suited me just fine. I wandered around from room to room to room. At the back of the temple, the Beijing Folk Arts Museum had a nice collection of items from different Chinese festivals with really nice English notes and titles. Often when I go to a museum everything is in Chinese or I get a tour in Chinese. So this was a nice turn around.

After Dongyue, I headed to the Lama Temple which is the largest Buddhist temple in Beijing and its dominated by Tibetan and Mongolian monks. Given China's relationship with Tibet, its interesting to find this small Tibetan oasis in a bustling city. As I exited the subway, I simply followed my nose because the smell of incense was really strong. Fortunately the crowds were small here and I wandered around for another hour. Here's a small sample of pics from Lama Temple:

Eventually I decided to head down the street to find the Confucian Temple and Imperial College. This proved a bit more challenging than I thought, but after some walking and a quick walk down a hutong, I finally found it. As I entered the courtyard, it was clear that renovations were underway which were really needed. China's government has a conflicted relationship with its Confucian past and had really let the site go. It was nice to see the investment in the site even if it meant that I couldn't really enjoy it to its full potential. It was in this college that students were placed into small cells as part of the completion of their degrees. While many were successful and had their names placed on tablets within the temple, many others went mad from the process. The most outstanding feature of the temple was large archway made of green glazed tiles that challenged the students to study hard and learn. Also there seemed to be some sort of art installation being put up involving a scaffolding, old bikes, and a couple of Italians yelling. Here's a few pics of from the Temple/College:

After all of this temple action, I decided to have some American food and headed to the subway to go to Steak and Eggs. Just as I was finishing my meal in walked Asher from our program. We sat and chatted for a few minutes as he ordered some food. Then two more students walked in, Sara and Jenny, and we all chatted and ate. After everyone finished dinner, we headed to Tiananmen Square to see it at night and also because Sunday marked the 17th anniversary of the Chinese army's violent reaction to the democracy protests.

The whole mood was pretty somber and the no one was being allowed in. The police presence was really high and we tried to take some pictures but they only ended up blurry. After that we decided to head to Wanfujing which is a major shopping district in Beijing and also close to Jenny and Sara's hotel. They are working for a very prestigious law firm for 3 weeks after the program ended.

Wanfujing is also known for its food vendors which sell everything on a stick, including scorpions, cicadas, squid, starfish, and lots of other things that I couldn't even identify. Asher wanted to try the scorpions so Jenny and I agreed to try them too. They were so fresh that they were still moving on the stick! But they weren't moving after they were fried on the grill for a few minutes. Then pop them in your mouth and they tasted like fried potatoes or french fries. Could have been the grill but they weren't bad. Asher's got the pics of use eating them so I'll try to post that later. We also tried the starfish and I would not do that again. Imagine chewing on seaweed with a really crispy shell. It was awful! The veggie pancake that I had with a spicy chili sauce was nice. The banana fritters were also really tasty. Here are some pics of the various offerings available streetside:

We said goodbye to Sara and Jenny for the night and Asher and I walked down the street to get a cab. We had a great chat on the way home about traveling and politics. He was excited to be heading home the next day and I envied him a little bit. I was excited to go to Jakarta and see my buddy Mike for his birthday, but I was also ready to come home soon. Finally we arrived back at PKU and I hit the bed for lovely night of sleep.

17th Anniversary of Tiananmen Protests

Sunday marked the 17th anniversary of Tiananmen and several of us went to the square to see what the government's reaction would be. Usually Tiananamen is bustling with people and lights at all hours of the day and night. But on both Sunday and Monday, guards were posted at all tunnels leading to the square and the police force around the square was intense. It was odd to see the square empty with only a few buses, police vehicles and guards marching to and fro. Apparently several people attempted small protests but were immediately detained. I'm glad that we didn't try anything stupid, but we were all hyper vigilant because even we knew that the police were out in force.

It was downright odd to be honest. The state controlled media mentioned nothing about the anniversary despite huge protests in Hong Kong and Macau. This silence extends to young people in Beijing as well. Many students that we talked with at PKU didn't know about the event until they arrived at PKU. Students and professors at PKU played key roles in the protests and several were killed in the resulting violence. Several professors are still living under a pseudo house arrest which does not allow them to leave Beijing.

While this seems like a somber way to leave Beijing its pretty symbolic of my experiences here. Despite my lack of Chinese language skills, I have found myself impressed with the people I have had the good fortune to meet. They are optimistic and resilient folks and for the most part they understand the system. Most people seem to work within it to get where they need to go. But there may a time in the future when the younger generation begin to rise in power in the Communist Party and change may start to happen. I'm not sure though. Being able to make money and live a better life is a good substitute for counter revolution. We will all have to wait and see what happens.....

Finally done....

Just finished up my exam and now I'm off to see the National Museum on Tiannanmen Square. We have a farewell banquet tonight at Summer Palace which should be fun. Then hopefully some dancing and such later.

Last night I went to a local Battle of the Bands at 13 Club down the street from Peking University. Interesting to say the least. Typical punk club with bands of boys making noise and all in Chinese of course. Nonetheless it was a nice break from studying and I think it was worth the walk and the cover to get in.

My pictures and stories about Xi'an will have to wait until later. Maybe until I get to Jakarta and have a bit more down time. Sunday and Monday will be filled with last minute sight seeing
and picking up gifts to bring back. Then I head to the airport to go to Jakarta on Tuesday. It'll be a long day with some more layover time in Hong Kong. I'm looking forward to Mike and I's trip to Lombok for some beach sitting, snorkeling, and volcano trekking. But mostly just to be able to get some sleep and relax.

Guess that's all for now and I promise to get the Xi'an pics and stories up soon!

Winding down.....

One more day of class left and then we have our final exam on Saturday. Despite the fact that only one person has ever failed the thing, its still makes for some nervous moments. I'm trying to study today but its the hottest day since we arrived. With temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius or 91 degrees Fahrenheit, its kinda miserable. Most places are open air so AC is hard to find. I've never been able to study in bed so my room is out of the question plus my roomie is driven me up the wall. So here I am at Ao Tu or the Uneven Photo Bar again to check up on the world and study.

As I was typing this one of the owners, Xiao Tu, brought a treat over for me. Yesterday was the Dragon Boat Festival and everyone celebrates by eating zongzi which consists sticky rice with dates wrapped in bamboo leaves and then cooked. I wish I could have seen some of the races, but yesterday was booked with class and an invitation to meet with law students at Peking University.

Yesterday, the Peking University Law Student invited us to a forum to talk about studying the law and many other topics. The students were eager to talk and had many questions for us. I feel as though I learn far more from these brief interactions than I have on any touristy outing that we've gone on. Several students wanted to talk politics and we discussed constitutional law issues and Nixon a while. One student wanted to discuss JFK's assassination which is a topic of interest to me personally. We also discussed Taiwan's threatened succession from Mainland China and its timing to coincide with the 2008 Olympics.

They were particularly concerned with our opinion about if the US would step in to defend Taiwan if China were to launch some sort of military attack. I was honest that I knew very little about the situation but sincerely hoped that a peaceful solution could be worked out. Taiwan is a particularly sensitive issue among many Chinese from the mainland. They view the tiny nation as part of China and many feel that they should rejoin PRC as Hong Kong has done. However, there are still many in Taiwan who are opposed to this and bad feelings persist from the Communist victory over nationalist forces in 1949. I would compare it to our own Civil War, but Taiwan is still a lingering reminder of this civil war that has yet to be resolved. While a lot of time has passed many people are not willing to simply forget and Taiwan's independent existence serves as a constant reminder of the remaining unresolved issues of China's civil war.

Another issue we discussed was Japan's potential entry into the UN Security Council. As with Taiwan, relations with Japan are a very sensitive subject in China. Japan's invasion and domination of parts of China before and during World War II. The Rape of Nanking was a very controversial book documenting the Japanese actions in the city of Nanking in 1937. Since this time Japan has failed to recognize or apologize to China for its actions. To this day, Japanese leaders honor their war dead without recognizing the atrocities committed against Chinese citizens. This is reflected in the attitudes of many Chinese toward Japan and Japanese people. One of my classmates who is Korean is often asked if he is Japanese which would probably lead to folks not talking to him or interacting with him very differently. One of our student assistants stated that he hates the Japanese government but likes most Japanese people. Another example happened when we were in Xian where a bar sported a sign that in English that "No Japanese allowed." So feelings still run very deep around this issue and the students we talked with were concerned about how this might give power to Japan. I explained that I had heard little about the issue and asked what their concerns were about the issue. As we began to discuss their views, our session ended and it was time to go. I have already received emails from two students and I look forward to continuing our discussions via email so that we can both learn from each other.

After all that talking I just wanted some quiet time. So I went to a local Starbucks wannabe coffee shop and read and emailed. Later I went with some folks to play pool at an Irish pub. We had a good time wandering around in the embassy district trying to find the bar as we were passed by little groups of soldiers marching around the block. It ended up being a late night because we are all horrible pool players. I'm looking forward to a quiet, early night as we get ready for final exams. Several of us are planning to go to a local battle of the bands tomorrow night featuring a death metal band, a pop band, hard rock, and a British style band. The guys are excited because the theme is "Keep defending men against injustice" and there's no cover for guys. I guess I've taken advantage of ladies night around town so I can't blame them for some equal treatment.

I still have to post about Xian but I am so tired and need to study some before heading home. So keep an eye out for it soon......

The Forbidden City is a Really Really Big Place so Wear Comfortable Shoes

This afternoon we went to the Forbidden City or Imperial Palace. This was home to two dynasties of emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The complex is immense consisting of around 9,000 rooms although the legend is that there are 9,999 and 1/2 rooms which is just under the 10,000 in the heavenly palace. Many buildings are being renovated in anticipation of the upcoming 2008 Olympics so there was lots of construction as there is all over Beijing. However, I enjoyed wandering from building to building for four hours and probably only saw 1/3 of the complex. I'm not sure if I'll go back, but I enjoyed what I saw including some wonderful clocks, including a gigantic water clock from the Ming dynasty. Here's a sample of some the sights:

Other things of note today....If you happen to find yourself touring the Forbidden City and looks like rain, rent an umbrella as you enter. Give the nice lady 10 yuan and she'll give you an unmbrella and a ticket to return when you leave. Upon return, you get your 10 yuan back. What a brilliant idea....

Today's class focused on Family Law in China, primarily marriage and divorce. I enjoyed our professory today the most. She was very honest and younger than our other professors. Her presentation allowed for lots of questions and she asked us to comment on current cases dealing with family law in China. I have some questions to email her about her pro bono work with local gay and lesbian groups in China on the issue of gay marriage here. I hope she has some good questions for me as well.

Not sure if I'll get to a post about Xian today. I am really wiped out and ready for dinner. Toting a computer on your back around the Forbidden City may not have been the best idea, but I did it anyway. So off to a comforting dinner of grilled cheese and french fries. All of the Chinese food is starting to taste the same to me so its nice to get something familar. Yesterday I had a veggie sub from Subway which is opening franchises here like crazy. And yes it was the same as at home.

One more week to go.....

I have one week left in Beijing before I head to Indonesia. Mike has promised a good time and a wonderful trip to Lombok, so I'm looking forward to not being able to see the air and some quiet time. Traveling in any group is taxing and a large group of 30 is simply draining. I really enjoy getting away from the masses to see other parts of the city. Yesterday I took the 30 minute walk from Peking University to the nearest subway stop and went to see the Nuijie Mosque in the Anglo person that I saw all morning and it was great. The mosque was quite nice but small compared to the large mosque in Xian that I had seen the day before, but there will be more on that later.

I kept wandering around and eventually came on a flea market in an old temple. It was great to wander around and just look without being hassled every other second by an aggressive salesperson. Only two people even said hello and they seemed content to ignore me which I also enjoyed. I didn't find anything to take home with me but it was fun to just stroll and look at the old Communist books, old coins, and odd things that had been laid out for sale.

After this, I trekked back to the subway and made it back in time for class at 1:30 pm to spend 4 hours on intellectual property law in China. Fairly interesting but not really my major area of interest. Although on my way back, I did see the subway stop for the Wal-Mart Supercenter and had to take a picture. I may try to stop and check it out on my way home one day just for the hell of it.

Later on Monday, we went to another university, Central University of Finance and Economics, to meet with law students and enjoy dinner. The dinner was good although there were not many veggie friendly options. After that we went to another building to talk with students. Actually there was a long series of speeches and introductions by everyone in the room including yours truly. Apparently I talk too fast which should surprise none of you. We had a good time talking with Chuck and Bill, I won't even try to tell you their Chinese names. Both were very nice young men and we had fun answering questions and spelling out words. Then back to PKU and I went off to do laundry which finished up at midnight. And finally to bed.....

What exactly are you doing in China?

Many have asked and even fewer have gotten the full explanation. So here it is:

My law school, University of Missouri-Kansas City offers an opportunity to study Chinese law in Beijing every summer. The program takes place at Peking University, or Bei Da to the locals, which is home to one of the best law schools in China. Each day we have at least one four hour class on some part of Chinese law. For example, yesterday's class was on property law in China. So far we've covered Chinese history and politics, the Chinese Constitution, criminal law and procedure, finance and banking and civil law. We will also cover intellectual property, family law, torts, and a few topics I can't remember. The rest of the time is filled with scheduled sightseeing trips, such as the Great Wall or the Temple of Heaven or we're free to go see whatever else we want. This week we've had more free time which has been nice and a lot more relaxing. At the end of our three weeks, we take a final examination over what we've learned and UMKC students are assessed on a pass/fail basis. We receive 4 hours of academic credit and can write a paper comparing some aspect of US and Chinese law for 0.5 more credits.

As for my own motivation for coming, there are several reasons. It's a great opportunity to study abroad which I never really did previously. I did spend time in many places when I was on Summer Cruise right after high school. But an extended stay in another country is different from the experience of hopping from port to port. Also this program is realitively affordable and the cost of living in Beijing is realatively cheap for us, as opposed to the costs in Ireland, another program offered by UMKC. It's also a great opportunity to learn more about a country that is a rising power in the world economically and politically. And finally, I really wanted to visit China and experience another culture and have the opportunity to travel while I can. I know that it may not seem true, but this will be my last degree for a while and work is soon to follow. Long hours of work that won't allow me to experience something like this for a while. So I guess those are my reasons or at least the most important ones.....

Was that really a trial or a puppet show?

This afternoon we visited a criminal court to watch a trial. Unlike trials in the US, trials here are closed to the public. When our program wanted to view a trial intially, they got a lot of static. The first year that they were granted permission the defendant recanted his confession which shocked everyone in the room and meant that the trial process would be a lot more difficult than anticipated.

About 80% of defendents confess to their crime making the trial more like a sentencing hearing than a trial in the sense that we know from Law and Order. The trial we watched today is a great example. The defendent, a woman, was accused of stealing 1660 yuan. She was arrested on the spot and confessed, but claimed that she had taken a sleeping pill and drank alcohol so she didn't remember the event. She had been in detention for 5 months prior to this date.

One key concept in Chinese criminal law is the guilty line. In the US, you break the law and you commit a crime. Here there is more discretion on what is considered a crime. If you steal something, like a bicyle, then that is below the guilty line. You will likely have to reimburse the owner and pay a fine or some other type of smaller punishment but no jail time. You have violated the law, but have not committed a crime. If the amount stolen is over this amount then you have committed a crime and are subject to more serious punishment in addition to the supplemental or smaller punishments.

In the case today, the line had been crossed and she had committed a crime punishable by up to 3 years imprisonment. The evidence was presented by the prosecutor, the confession, the victim's statement, witnesses, and some photos. All of the evidence was admitted and neither the defendant or her lawyer added more information. Based on the evidence the judge determined that she had stolen the money and was guilty of the crime.

Next they moved to sentencing and punishment. The prosecutor pointed out the strength of the evidence and left her case there. The defendant and her lawyer argued that she had taken a sleeping pill and had been drinking. Because of this she did not remember the events. However, there was no evidence of taking the drug offered to the court which might have helped her case. Instead the judge determined that a sentence of 6 months to one year was appropriate. Since she had served 5 months already, she would be released in one month's time.

As we watched and listened to a translation through headphones, I wondered how much of this was real and how much was staged for us. They obviously knew we were coming and at first I thought that the whole thing was not genuine. However, some students closer to the front said that the defendant was crying during the entire trial but this was not obvious to us because her back was to us for the entire trial. Still it seemed strange.

In the US if you confessed, there would likely not be a trial at all. Probably on a sentencing hearing. However, in China, all cases go to trial apparently unless they are settled out of court and this only applies in cases of civil trials. Definitely some interesting things to think about from the whole experience.

After the bus ride home, we hopped into a taxi and headed to the horrible Silk Street again. I wandered around a bit and might pick up a few things, but it has to be some suburb of hell for me. Now I'm sitting in my favorite little cafe, having a beer and some sweet popcorn which makes me happpy. I love the quiet! Later on to dinner for American food, who would have thought real grilled cheese sandwiches would taste so good.

Tomorrow we leave for Xian to see the terra cotta soldiers. I also found a listing for a gay bar with floor shows so we are going to try to find it on Friday night for some fun. So check back Monday for more pictures and commentary........

Half way there...

Today marks the half way point in our program here in Beijing. Today we had a class on property law which was really interesting.

In China, you can own a building but not the land underneath. So you either buy a land use from the government or lease it from someone else. They currently have no property law which is not too surprising given that they are a socialist state. Even the recent moves towards property law have been marked by letters from Party leaders that the shift to a market economy would be counter to the goals of the revolution and the Communist Party. Either way, there is brisk market in real estate here, but not in the same terms that we understand in the US. There is no such thing as speculation of land because when you purchase a land use right, you must complete your building or project within 2 years or the land is forfeited. While this is what the law says, the reality is often very different. Often projects are delayed and people look the other direction. This gulf between the written law and the reality of law in China has really been the most common and confusing part of this program.

Today I attempted to do something off the beaten path. I wanted to visit the Wanshou Temple which houses the Beijing Art Museum and the Watu Temple, an Indian style temple. I enlisted one brave soul to go along for the ride and we set off in our taxi. Luckily the driver knew where we were going and dropped us off right in front. As we attempted to enter, we were directed to another door to buy tickets and then directed again back to the initial door to enter the temple. Then we had an entire tour of the temple in Chinese which I do not know. We were polite and followed along for a while, reading the placards that were in English. Finally, we came to the end and were shown out while others continued the tour. Not sure what the big secret was but I'm okay with not knowing. We wandered around and looked at modern Chinese paintings and some really lovely fans. While the temple was nice to look at I am not sure that it was worth the 20 yuan entrance fee. After this, we decided to set out the Wuta Temple.

Despite my map, we got royally lost. We couldn't find the road and after about 30 minutes of hiking I was done. So we decided to get a taxi to the subway and go back to the internet cafe. Once again, I need to take a class on map reading. I got us another taxi and off we went to Beijing North Train Station. Our taxi driver seemed confused at the request but most drivers seem confused when I try to tell them our destination or point to my map. So off we went only to realize that I had directed our taxi to the train station NOT the subway station. Fortunately, there was free taxi and we jumped in to head to the Silk Market which is near the lovely internet cafe that I now sit in. So much for the road less traveled, hopefully tomorrow's excursion to see Mao's tomb and other Tiananamen sights will go better.