The World of Chinese, 2013, Issue 3: Wildlife

SHARING STORIES, SHARING CULTURE 发现中国，共享世界

2013 ISSUE 3 BI-MONTHLY 2013年 第3期 总第40期／双月刊

Finding new species takes patience, study and guts

2013年 第3期 总第40期／双月刊 2013 ISSUE 3 BI-MONTHLY

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ELEPHANTS AND MAN IN A LAND OF RUBBER

RAPTORS AND CAPTORS

Farmers face poverty and elephants face extinction in a dying rainforest

Beijing’s birds of prey can use a helping talon

HERE BE DRAGONS The tragic tale of China’s five biggest reptiles

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3/2013 Wildlife with Chinese Characteristics

W

ith summer firmly in gear, life is our focus here at The World of Chinese. Wildlife in China is abundant, dynamic and delicate, encompassing everything from the tigers of South and North China to the ants of Sichuan. But, even as this country teems with life, stories of cruelty, marginalization and extinction abound as the varied wildlife of China attempt to eke out a meager existence away from the destructive human race. However, attitudes are changing and the world along with it as brave conservationists and concerned volunteers educate the world on the importance of the Middle Kingdom’s ecological diversity and fragility.

Terence Hsieh attempts to illustrate this optimism in his “Where the Wild Things Are” (see page 26), trekking trails with ambitious scientists looking for new species in nature reserves in Ningxia. He also brings to life the stories of valiant scientists braving the elements to find everything from new bugs to old goats. Sometimes technology gets the job done; other times a spot of good ol’ fashioned elbow grease is needed. These fearless naturalists are the academics and adventurers that keep their steady eyes trained on new creatures that have managed to survive and avoid China’s development.

We get to the heart of the elephant invasion in the southernmost areas of China’s Yunnan Province, with Ginger Huang’s “Elephants and Man in the Land of Rubber” (see page 42) which took her all the way to Xishuangbanna. Everyone loves elephants, the beautiful and majestic mammalian colossi that they are, but thousands of years of encroaching farmers have put these wonders in a difficult situation; rubber trees have ruined their homes, so they’re rampaging into villages to eat the crops. Rather than hunting them to extinction, the farmers, authorities and conservationists are all looking for a peaceful answer.

Lee Maxwell Simpson and Alicia Zhang found an excuse to stay in the city by taking a look at the capital’s birds of prey (see page 34). As it turns out, the seemingly dreary city of Beijing hosts an array of predatory birds. These raptors, however, face severe challenges in navigating and surviving the urban sprawl that is megalopolis Beijing. That’s where the kind folks at the Beijing Raptor Rescue Center (and more than a few upright civilians) are willing to lend a hand.

Though China is known as the land of dragons, the situation for the country’s largest reptiles looks pretty bleak. “Here be Dragons” (see page 48) looks at how the country’s five biggest reptilian monsters are some of the most fascinating and unlucky creatures in China. From Chinese alligators to snakes as big as a Shanghai apartment, the biology of these cold-blooded monsters is mesmerizing. However, poor protection and dwindling habitats have put many of these lovable dragons on the path to extinction.

There are a few other animal stories peppered throughout, including the character for “beast” for “On the Character” (see page 88); we also had a sit down with a woman who is using her time and money to save South China tigers from extinction in “Tigers Study Abroad” (see page 90). “Street Talk” (see page 13) looks at animal idioms and “Made in China” (see page 19) got a visit from China’s mythical monster master, Bai Ze (白泽).

This issue was certainly a hoot for us, here at TWOC, but it also went down a few dark paths.

There’s no denying that the outlook for wildlife in China and the modern world is grim, to say the least. With this in mind, it’s important to recognize that the status quo just won’t do. So, pick up your pen, shovel, wallet or whatever your weapon of choice; there’s a lot of work to do.

Managing Editor Tyler Roney Issue 3 /2013

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3/2013

48 THEME STORY

HERE BE DRAGONS 五种大型珍稀爬行动物

China is the land of dragons, but there are five unlucky large reptiles in danger of becoming just as mythical in the Middle Kingdom

THEME STORY

ELEPHANTS AND MAN IN A LAND OF RUBBER Illustrations

by

Gao Fei

村民与大象闹矛盾

In the few remaining stomping grounds left for wild Asian elephants in China, these behemoths compete for space and resources with villagers, both trying to survive in a drying and dying rainforest

Issue 3 /2013

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26 COVER STORY WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE 野外考察记 As the green spaces in China shrink, intrepid scientists scour the nation for new species and try to conserve wildlife against the destructive surge of progress

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THEME STORY

BEIJING'S RAPTORS AND CAPTORS 帮鸟儿在城市中生存

Despite being a buzzing metropolis ripe with danger, Beijing has birds of prey in abundance, and a few righteous conservationists and volunteers are helping them survive the big city

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GALLERY

56

WASTE NOT 物尽其用 In a tale of tragedy and loss, artist Song Dong uses his mother’s pain and obsession as an object of art and an emblem for a catastrophic age

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76 SOCIAL CHINESE

LIKE A BOSS! 如何像老板一样说话

Being in charge in Mandarin is a little trickier than you might think; this guide will put you on the path to speaking Chinese like a big wig

TEA HORSE TREASURES 茶马古道今探

Daniel Allen treks the ancient Tea Horse Road once used to trade Tibetan horses for Sichuan tea, finding a land of hospitality and adventure

84

52

20

SAVING CHINA HARMONY AND CHONGMING ISLAND

KALEIDOSCOPE KINGDOM OF CLAY

春笋烧冬菇

崇明岛的未来

瓷都故事

Mushroom and bamboo may not sound like your favorite dish, but with the new spring bamboo shoots hitting a shop near you, it may be time to turn your palate panda

Environmental columnist Kaitlin Solimine takes a look at how the protection of Chongming Island—a getaway near Shanghai—could be a sign of changing conservation trends

A quick stroll through Jingde Zhen puts a lens on the nation’s foremost producer of porcelain; from the artistic to the mass-produced, there’s a reason it’s called china

CHI LE MA BAMBOOZLED!

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ON THE ROAD

1 EDITOR’S LETTER 卷首语

7 NEWS 新闻

8 MISHMASH 多棱镜

13 STREET TALK 街头俚语

14 DRAGON'S DIGEST 三味书屋

19 MADE IN CHINA 中国制造 in white

)

88 ON THE CHARACTER 90 PIONEER

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对话先锋

CITY STROLL

TWO DAYS IN DALI

94 ASK LAOSHI

In many ways immune from the march of development and progress, this once independent kingdom has become one of the most relaxing and fascinating cities in South China

酷漫

大理两日

Photographs

by

Daniel Allen (man /horse),Fotoe (dali)

and

C fp ( p e o p l e

魅力汉字

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AUDIO-VISUAL WORLD JOURNEY TO THE WEST: CONQUERING THE DEMONS 《西游降魔篇》 Staff writer Terence Hsieh puts his microscope on Stephen Chow’s latest foray into the world of CGI action and broad comedy

Issue 3 /2013

问老师

9 5 THE GEEK CORNER 高手学堂

96 COMICS

WANT MORE LIKE THIS? You can find more written, visual and audio content on our newly revamped website, www.theworldofchinese. com, which is updated daily with recipes, travel tales, language lessons and more!

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THE SKETCH BOOK: CHINESE PEOPLE The Sketch Book is a collection of 22 beautiful essays by celebrated writers and scholars on different people and customs across China.

Complete with original photos, you can find rich traditions as well as the stories of individual Chinese people that reflect the spirit of the country.

Edited by World Center for Chinese Teaching and Research, The Commercial Press

2013/1/25

人-1.indd

9:02:58

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中国

漫画

36,Wang Fu Jing St. Beijing, 100710, China Tel: 86-10-65258899 ext.407 Email: duanxiayun@cp.com.cn

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新 闻

NEWS

HELP YA’AN QUAKE VICTIMS

LAUNCH PARTY

With an earthquake claiming over 200 lives in Sichuan, April was a tragic month for many. The 7.0 magnitude quake hit Ya’an in the early morning, and rescue teams and volunteers from across the country rushed to the disaster area to lend a hand. The victims of this natural disaster will need help for years to come, as more than 11,000 were injured and in desperate need of aid. The World of Chinese encourages patrons to make a donation to China’s Red Cross or at http://life.baifubao. com/content/gongyi/yaan/, a support fund operated by Baidu.

The Beijing Entrepreneur Association launch party, sponsored by The World of Chinese, Phoenix Culture and Chunhualou (春华楼) Catering Company Ltd., took place on March 30 at Chunhualou Restaurant. With the aim of building a platform for its members to share resources, the association formed partnerships with more than 10 companies and clubs across finance, culture, entertainment, music, dining and education.

GLOBAL LANGUAGE CONFERENCE On April 11 and 12, The World of Chinese representatives attended the Global Language Conference in the International School of Beijing to meet with language teachers and learners around the world and showcased the magazine as a window into Chinese culture. As an expert on Chinese language and culture, web director Keoni Everington also held a workshop session to share his insights with attendees.

CP LAUNCHES NEW BOOK On April 8, The Commercial Press, celebrated the publishing of The Language Situation in China: Language Policies and Practices in China, Volume 1 by the German publishing house De Gruyter. This volume is the English version of《中国语言生活状况报 告》. The first scholarly publication that examines the life of language in China, the book seeks to understand the country’s language issues in a broader context.

Issue 3 /2013

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CHINA'S LEGENDARY MONSTER EXPERT Bai Ze gives his two cents on China's mythical monsters

WOLFF (吴瑞琪)

8

Gao Fei

Over two decades ago, Peng Liyuan (彭丽媛) became famous for odes to brave soldiers. Little did she know, she would one day start her very own revolution… in fashion. While Peng holds the rank of Major General in the People’s Liberation Army, this has certainly not kept her from becoming the object of China’s fashion-minded futurists.

It all started during the President’s first overseas tour to Moscow. Peng turned heads with her simple silhouette. “I love your trench coat! I love your purse!

Where did you get them?” cried all the bloggers.

The lucky designer was none other than Exception

by

The internet is abuzz with “Asians sleeping in the library,” but what about cats? Nanjing, Shandong, Suzhou University and Dalian University of Technology are among the many institutions of higher education that have their very own cats running around campus. So, who are these cats that micro bloggers are raving about? Let’s take a look at some of their (nine) lives.

The University of Chemical Technology in Beijing is home to one particularly proud cat. After sneaking into the amphitheater to escape the cold of winter, this cat could not get enough of physics. Alumni, staff and students alike had figurative kittens when they realized their furry friends had in fact given birth on campus. “好萌啊! ” (H2o m9ng a!) many netizens exclaimed, unanimous in their praise for this loveable pair.

Peking University also boasts its share of furry critters. Last August, the beloved “Academic Cat,” who had been pawing through philosophy and arts lectures at Beida (北大) since 2004, got some feline love.

After fracturing the femur in her left hind leg, students raised more than $280 to pay for the cat’s operation.

Today, the Care Association of Stray Cats continues to recruit new students every semester to feed homeless cats on campus. - RACHAEL

FASHION AND THE FIRST LADY

C fp , I l l u s t r a t i o n

CAN HAZ EDUCATION?

p. 19

by

MISHMASH

Photographs

多 棱镜

TIGERS STUDY ABROAD A sit down with Quan Li, founder of China Tiger Revival

p. 90

de Mixmind. Established in 1996, Exception is now a household name and billion dollar enterprise with over 60 stores in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, The creative genius fueling the brand is fashion designer Ma Ke (马可).

Like any true artist, Ma Ke reeks of irony. Her newest brand, the high-end Wuyong (无用), literally translates as “useless.” While the process behind the designs is simple, including weaving on a 19th century loom and using techniques from the Dong ethnic group (侗族), the collection was artsy enough to walk the runways of Paris Fashion Week.

The accompanying photography exhibition and

documentary stand in contrast to Ma Ke’s typical outdoor fashion shows, complete with dancers and tai chi performers.

While The New York Times likened Peng to Michelle Obama, First Lady Peng can be proud that all she wears is designed and made in China. - R.W.

Issue 3 /2013

TASTY TOAD OVARIES The French thought they had it good feasting on frog’s legs, but they had no clue how good the Chinese had it, gobbling down frog’s ovaries.

Known as hasma (雪蛤 xu0h1), hashima or harsmar, the exact identity of this frog part is a bit of a mystery. Some consider hasma to be the frog’s fallopian tubes, while others classify it as the fatty tissue lining them.

Regardless, hasma is rumored to be the perfect “beauty tonic.” With hormones, proteins, lipids and vitamins galore, hasma reputedly removes excess water from the body, increases oxygen flow and enhances memory.

You can find hasma on the insides of the female Chinese forest frog located in China’s northeastern provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning. Supposedly, the frog is most nutritious right before winter hibernation.

Once caught and dried, the fat surrounding the frog’s ovaries is removed. After a complicated double-boiling process, the end result is a tapioca-looking concoction that tastes like, well, nothing.

Hasma is fairly bland, so it is typically combined with rock sugar to be used as a thickener in soups or served as a dessert. One hot hasma specialty is “three snow soup” (三 雪汤 s`nxu0t`ng), featuring the Chinese snow pear and snow fungus. Cold dishes pair hasma with fruit or coconut milk.

Hasma is also sold as dried flakes in grocery stores and pharmacies for a hefty price tag that can begin at several hundred dollars.

The only caution with hasma is not to overdose. You really don’t need all those extra hormones, do you? - R.W.

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BOOK NEWS Taiwan is getting a fresh dose of mommy porn with a new translation of the final book in the Fifty Shades trilogy, Fifty Shades Freed, the barnburner that set bored housewives alight across the globe. This—well—smut saw print in mid-March, the final installment of the dark BDSM book from E.L. James for the more discerning midnight reader.

Dark is, perhaps, not accurate. In fact, the book has been described by many as just plain raunchy, but, as it turns out, raunchy sells. According to the Apple Daily, the book sold over 4,600 copies in its first few weeks out. It also spurred sales of the previous two books. Together, they took up the first three spots on the bestseller list in Taiwan, with Life of Pi coming in at number four.

Mainlanders can’t really expect a version in simplified Chinese anytime soon; many suspect that, due to the vulgar content, this bestselling book will not see publication on the mainland. The more optimistic smut peddlers, however, think that publication is inevitable, considering that the book has sold over 60 million copies already and that a major motion picture is in the works.

For the libidinous literati here on the Chinese mainland, they will have to make do with the traditional Chinese version, which they can get by tuning into Taobao (淘宝) for an online buy at 225 RMB. For you cave-dwellers out there, the trilogy features the NSFW adventures of Anastasia and Christian, whose unconventional relationship has been the fantasy of many a lustful book lover.

The book itself has taken a lot of heat around the world, and critics have largely panned it for being juvenile and poorly written (Anastasia uses words like “down there” for her unmentionables).

Nevertheless, this scandalous frolic through the world of bondage and love is likely set for the bedrooms of China. - TYLER RONEY

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WEIBO PANDAS IN THE POST

After more than 10 hours on a special FedEx plane and a considerable amount of bamboo and apples later, a pair of giant pandas arrived at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on March 25.

Pandas Mr. Damao and Ms. Ershun were welcomed at the start of their 10-year stay by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife before settling in to their new home at Toronto Zoo. The project has cost more than 8,000,000 Canadian dollars and will include fresh bamboo delivered to them three times a week from Memphis to provide a taste of home. Chinese Weibo bloggers weigh in:

硬虎无变鹿:养一只熊 猫成本太高了，所以 就分包给全世界，减 轻压力。

TALK LIKE THE ANIMALS

IN THE WARD

THE BEAST WITHIN

Animal idioms for the more

A short story from author

Looking at China's linguistic

discerning diner

Beijia of life on the brink

relationship with wildlife

p. 13

p. 14

p. 88

WH A C K Keeping a panda is expensive. To relieve the stress, we have relinquished this duty to the world.

麻花Apsaras:大毛和二顺的名字取 得很接地气。可是加拿大人该怎 么称呼它们呢？难道是Diamond 和Earth?

Damao and Ershun are good names.

But what will the Canadians call them? Diamond and Earth?

苏州徐佳:人类这是违反大自然规 律。何必呢？适者生存，大熊猫 明显不适合。 (Keeping pandas) is against the laws of nature. Why bother? Survival of the fittest? The panda, obviously, is not fit.

LOVE AND PARODY He is a high school Chinese teacher and an up-and coming young writer.

She is the school queen bee with countless admirers and his student.

If this were today, the relationship would cause a national scandal. But an excerpt from a letter

he wrote to her, confessing his secret love, has become a timeless classic.

The writer is Shen Congwen (沈 从文), one of the most noteworthy Chinese writers of the 20th Century. In the letter he writes: “I have traveled across many bridges, leisurely enjoyed gazing at the clouds, tasted all kinds of wine, but I have only fallen for one person in her prime.” The story ends with the two getting married. The structure of the famous letter has recently been parodied by Weibo bloggers: Lucia:我跑过许多次的步，忍过

许多顿的饭，办过许多张的健身 卡，却只得到过一个无奈而残酷 的事实: 又胖了10斤。 I have been jogging many times, skipped many dinners, bought various gym membership cards, but I have still have one frustrating and bitter fact: I have gained another five kilograms.

小洋哥:我工作了许多年，攒了许 多钱，咨询许多城市住房，却只 发现房价又涨了。 I have worked for many years, saved lots of money, researched many urban real estate markets, but there is only one result: the price of land has gone up again.

THE PRICE

It turns out you can put a price tag on love. In 2011, a report by the Civil Affairs Department pointed out that only men with a minimum monthly salary of ￥4,000 can afford to be in a relationship. Recently, that figure has more than doubled according to a report by the Family Planning Commission. According to the report, Beijing’s girls require a minimum monthly salary of ￥8,149 their boyfriends. In Shenzhen, the standard is￥8,437, while in Shanghai the requirement is up to ￥9,964.

The result fueled a series of heated discussions on Weibo:

橙ZPXSjQ:这些不是爱情，也不是 堕落。不是人人都拥有得起爱情， 只不过是生存罢了！ This is neither love nor loss. Not everyone can afford talk about true love. What they can have is survival.

星星期待6:生活是由柴米油盐酱醋 茶组成的，爱情又不能吃。 Life is actually a grocery list. You cannot survive on love alone.

- LIU JUE (刘珏)

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T

he ThreeCharacter Primer of Film Please don’t read the Three-Character Primer of Film by Liu Cheng (柳城). If you do, you’ll become extremely wise in the ways of screenwriting, and I don’t need the competition.

——David Seidler ( American playwright, The King’s Speech won for Best Original Screenplay at the American Academy Awards in 2010 )

www. theworldofchinese .com Order online for discount prices Chinese Edition (Yellow) English Edition (Red)

STREET TALK

Illustration

by

Tang Huiqin

A

nimals have long been English simile fodder. If you’re not as blind as a bat you may be as stubborn as an ox, or, if you’re particularly unlucky, as sick as a parrot. The Chinese have a different approach, whereby their similes have morphed into colloquial adjectives in themselves. It’s safe to say that animals have weaseled their way into the word on the street.

As anyone who knows anything about China will tell you, eating is a fundamental part of socializing. Picture the scene: you’re out for dinner with friends. It’s been delicious and you’ve consumed every last morsel, but now it’s time to settle up. Suddenly, we may see the animal in us being brought to the fore.

First up, in the group of diners, we have the 纸 老虎 (zh@l2oh^, paper tiger), instantly questioning the unassuming waitress and accusing her of over-charging you. He seems initially as threatening as a tiger, angrily suggesting the waitress has made a mistake, but when it comes down to it, he stands down, unable to take the ruckus any further.

Next up is the perpetual 铁公鸡 (ti0g4ngj~, iron rooster), the frugal scrooge desperate to split the bill to the smallest amount and stingily counting out every fen. She’ll be sure to pay for what she has consumed and that alone. Next is the “friend” who will eternally attempt to squirm out of paying altogether. The 老 狐狸 (l2oh%li, old fox) is sly, adept at maneuvering her way around others to get what she wants—in this case, a free meal.

If her exploits are exposed, however, and the others

Issue 3 /2013

街头 俚语

HE REALLY IS A PAPER TIGER! T` zh@sh# ge zh@l2oh^！

他只是个纸老虎！

realize her attempted trickery, she may be branded a 地头蛇 (d#t5ush9, snake head), referring to the villain in a group. The 地头蛇 is rarely sniffed out, as she is so familiar with the local territory that she will try to get away with whatever possible at every opportunity; you have to be smart to catch the snake. Thankfully, every group needs its 老黄牛 (l2ohu1ngni%) or old brown ox, who acts honestly and conscientiously, diligently organizing the splitting of the bill and ensuring everyone is treated fairly so the bill actually gets paid.

It could be argued that any one of these characters is the 千里马 (qi`nl@m2, thousand-li horse); the qianlima has honed abilities and revels in their particular specialty.

So, the next time you’re coughing up for your food, keep a beady eye on the snake heads and always try to imitate the old brown ox.

- LEE MAXWELL SIMPSON, RESEARCH BY ALICIA ZHANG

(张华阳)

13

三味 书屋

DRAGON'S DIGEST

IN THE WARD B#ngf1ng Zh4ng 病房中 Beijia (贝加), real name He Xiaotang (贺晓堂), is a professor at Beijing Language and Culture University by day and a novelist and playwright by night. He doesn’t particularly care if his work gets published; he writes because of compulsion, a way to keep his mind in balance. Nevertheless, his short story “Face to Face” (《面对面》Mi3n Du# Mi3n) was picked up by Dangdai (《当代》), one of the most prominent literary magazines in China, and his novel collection, The One Who Enjoys Stealing (《乐偷者说》L-t4uzh0 Shu4) saw publication in 2000. The World of Chinese is proud to present his latest story, which he completed this March.

T

he quiet in the ward is broken only by a buzzing fly. Occasionally, it bumps the ceiling and crashes into the glass window. It bangs into the window; the buzzing never stops.

“Hungry yet?” a young woman slinks towards the sickbed. “Hungry yet? Tell me. Squeeze my hand if you are.”

A few mumbled, inarticulate sounds bubble from the sickbed; the voice is dry and hoarse.

“I can’t hear you,” says the young woman. “Don’t try to speak, just squeeze my hand. Are you hungry or not?”

“Bzzzzzzzzzz!”

Mumbles arise again, mixed with gasps.

Sounds emanate from a toothless gaping mouth that seems as though it has never closed—a deep black hole. Saggy cheeks form two small pits on the leather of the face. Above the black hole, there is a wad of thick gauze and a mess of bandages where the nose should be, from which extrude two plastic tubes. Above this pile of white medical mess, stare two deeply sunken eyeballs, seemingly congealed in their sockets, unable to move. With the eyelids taped, the head must move for the eyes to meet the object of their gaze.

Finally hitting the mark, they stare like a fish; at this particular moment, they are locked onto the face of a young woman bending over the bed.

“You don’t have to speak, just squeeze my hand,” the young woman says, shaking the withered 14

Author’s Note: In my work, I focus on life and the existentialism of the contemporary Chinese, trying to explore the people’s genuine circumstances in certain social, political and economical contexts. Feelings deep inside our hearts and minds are the themes of this story: the loss of values of living and being a human, internal emptiness and helplessness, and the individual’s loss of independence. What I describe is a mockery of reality.

hand. “Do you want to eat? Squeeze my hand if you do.”

No response, not even a mumble, only the cavernous mouth and the vacuous eyes.

“You don’t want to eat? I want to; I’m starving!”

“Bzzzzzzzzzz!”

She sorts through the jumble on the bedside table to make room, opens a plastic bag from which takes out a lunch box. She lays it on the table, taking out a pair of disposable chopsticks, splitting them deftly with one hand.

The buzzing fly skims over her head. It is huge, robust, even; its entire body is royal, metallic blue and full of power, like an airplane.

“A fly!” shouts the young woman, slamming the lunch box shut: “Nurse! Nurse!”

“Yes, coming!” The woman with glasses bursts in from the next room, her footsteps a series of light, energetic beats. Her white coat is too big, but it’s still not enough to cover her rotund waist-line. “What’s going on?”

“A fly!”

“Stop making a fuss,” says the nurse, “I thought it was something serious!”

“Not serious? How can a hospital have flies? It’s the ICU! How can you let flies in?”

“That’s enough. Did I let it in? It’s none of my business, really.”

“Shouldn’t you take care of it, at least?”

The nurse picks up a newspaper off the bed, rolls it in a paunchy fist and moves in the direction of the fly. After a few heavy swipes, the fly disappears, gone without a trace.

“Okay, it’s gone,” she throws the paper to the floor.

“From now on, don’t shout unless it’s about a patient.”

“I can’t even have a quiet lunch,” the woman grumbles, pulling a stool closer to the small square table. “The hospital food is terrible.”

“Stop eating, then,” the nurse says, from the door.

“Nobody invited you.”

“His son invited me. You think I’m happy here? If it wasn’t for the damn money… ” “How much does his son pay you?”

“Fifteen kuai an hour. That’s low, right?”

“You should be happy. An ordinary caretaker only makes ten kuai an hour.”

“But this guy is rich,” the woman sighs, “You’ve met his son right? He drives a BMW.” “Saw him twice.”

“His son is super rich, but the richer they are, the stingier they are. Other relatives pull out thirty or forty, easily. You think my job is easy? I brought this up to him several times, but he still won’t fork over a raise. Rich people are so tightfisted,” she spits indignantly.

“You should be content,” says the bespeckled nurse as Issue 3 /2013

SOUNDS EMANATE FROM A TOOTHLESS GAPING MOUTH THAT SEEMS AS THOUGH IT HAS NEVER CLOSED

she opens the door and leaves.

The caretaker sits down again to eat. It’s quiet on the ward, other than her forceful chewing. The crunching and slobbering stops. She sees a withered hand sticking out of the white comforter. The hand seemed to sneak towards the nose, like a lurking saboteur. “What is your hand doing?” she asks. “What is it doing?”

The moving hand stops beside the open mouth. The head turns slowly with the eyes fixed on her, like two dry wells— dry but deep.

“Listen!” she shouts. She stands up, throws back the covers and puts the rebellious hand back inside the blanket as she tucks him in. “Good boy, we can’t pull the tubes out, can we? Your life will be in danger, you know that, right?

Even if you pull them out, they will have to be put back anyway.”

She sits back down, resuming her lunch, while the dry well-like eyes fix on her, still as death.

“If you don’t feel like eating, you should go to sleep,” she says. “Eat when you wake up.”

Something creeps under the white comforter. This time, both hands appear. And all of a sudden, they’re clasped, fingers folded on the sagging chest as if begging.

“Why did you stick your hands out again? Put them back.

Behave, or you will be tied up!”

The begging continues, never stopping.

“Such a pain; Can’t you wait until I finish my lunch?”

“Bzzzzzzzzzz!”

The fly returns, more gregarious and energetic than ever, on a crash course into every stable object, like a panicking cartoon character.

“So annoying,” she mumbles. She covers her half-eaten lunch and turns to the bed. “What do you really want to do? Thank me? Do you want to thank me?”

All she gets is that fixed stare and those pleading hands.

“You don’t need to thank me. All you need to do is do what I say. That’s the best kind of gratitude… Do you miss your son? How long has it been since he showed up? ” 15

“Look at him, he got his catheter out. Thank God At first, the fly seems to have he still has the drainage 开始时，苍蝇还显示出相当的战斗力， tube in.” dodging and hiding, appearing and disappearing with mysterious ease. The nurse can’t help but 它 躲 闪 灵 活 ， 神 出 frown at the scene and She has no chance of hitting it. scolds her: “What kind of caretaker are you?”

A s t h e f l y ’ s t e r r i t o r y i s l i t t e r e d w i t h f r a g i l e “What kind of caretaker?

It was just for a moment things—transfusion bottles, the monitor and the patient— when I was having lunch...

I can’t even get a break for a quiet lunch!”

“Whatever, tidy this up quickly! Change the whole the caretaker can’t make a real swat worth a damn; bed.” 苍 蝇 净 在 这 些 怕 碰 的 东 西 The waste is cleaned, the she’s only bluffing. But the nature of the fly leads it to its doom. ass wiped and the bedding changed. The caretaker 不 过 ， 它 天 然 grumbles through her work. The body on the bed is pliant, as light as a “Bzzzzzzzzzz!” piece of worn-out cotton filling, adept at manipulation: The withered hands begin to shake like a hen pecking unfold, fold, turn over, turn back, lift and lie down. at grain. She angrily grabs them and forces them With everything settled, the nurse returns with a tray in down. hand.

“That’s enough. You must miss your son. Squeeze my “Xiao Cai, have you finished your meal? Come over hand once if you do.” when you do.”

She feels a faint tremble.

“Sure!”

“Turns out you want to see your son. I told you; he is The sounds of light, energetic footsteps return, and too busy to see you. After I finish lunch, I will give him the previous nurse with glasses bounds to the sick bed. a call, telling him you miss him. Will that do? But you “You, help me hold his legs. Yes, bent and wide apart. have to behave right now and listen to me. Do you hear Hold still. Good, just like this. This might hurt a little; me?” do bear with me.”

The only response she gets is an open month and a The tall nurse spreads two of her fresh bamboo pair of staring eyes. Suddenly, the miniature airplane shoot-like fingers, grabbing the shriveled eggplant-like seems to lurch into Kamikaze mode. With full force, genitals, swiftly inserting a plastic tube through the it buzzes across the room and begins to dive bomb urinary passage. The open mouth twists, the corner the floor. Suddenly, she realizes something is wrong. twitches convulsively. From that deep black hole, a She lifts her head to sniff the air. There is an unusual pained moan meanders forth. smell. She throws back the white cover to reveal the “Don’t pull it out again,” she warns. naked body underneath. It is waxy-yellow, emaciated; “Otherwise, you’ll have to suffer again.” bandages wound about the chest. A tube extends out While the nurses work, the caretaker fights off the from the bandages. Under the body, flows a yellow and miniature airplane. She waves the pile of newspapers, brown pool. besieging and chasing the fly across the ward. She swats “Oh, my God!” screams the caretaker. “How did you everywhere while shouting: “Go on buzzing, go on shit the bed? I told you before, you should let me know! flying, go on running away; I’ll find you wherever you Why didn’t you say anything? You even managed to get hide! Die! Die!” the catheter out. You just… nurse!”

At first, the fly seems to have considerable strength: A tall nurse comes to the room and says: “Yes, yes! dodging and hiding, appearing and disappearing with What happened this time?” mysterious ease. She has no chance of hitting it. As the

她

根

本

再者，病房中净是些怕碰的东西，吊 瓶啦，监测仪器啦，

16

DESPITE THE RUTHLESS SLAPS OF THE NEWSPAPER, IT FLUTTERS DESPERATELY AGAINST THE WINDOW, UP AND DOWN, LAMENTING ITS FATE

fly’s territory is littered with fragile things—transfusion bottles, the monitor and the patient—the caretaker can’t make a real swat worth a damn; she’s only bluffing. But the nature of the fly leads it to its doom. When scared, it crashes into the glass window, believing it to be a vast world where it can fly free: its only escape. However, every time it rushes toward that hope, an invisible obstacle stops it. Its buzzing slowly turns sad and tragic.

The fly might be wondering: “It’s a simple thing, what’s stopping me?” Such a physical and mental toll (if a fly has such a thing) puts the fly in a state of confusion.

Despite the ruthless slaps of the newspaper, it flutters desperately against the window, up and down, lamenting its fate. In despair, it turns for a counterattack, throwing its body right at the face of its opponent. “Ouch!” Shouts the caretaker, shrinking back.

As Nurse Cai attempts to extract sputum from her severely ill patient, she holds a plastic tube with one end of the aspiration canal above the bed, the other end stuck in her patient’s mouth. She twists the tube while shoving it further down, evoking spasms and rough coughs.

“Yes, cough hard! Cough it out; don’t swallow it,” says Nurse Cai. Afterwards, she removes the tube and shows caretaker the fruit of her labor. “Look, this much. It would have been very dangerous if I didn’t suck it out.”

The caretaker lets out a sudden scream: “Oh, my God!” She extended a pointing finger.

“Why are you always making such a fuss? What happened?”

The skinny skeleton on the sick bed trembles and writhes violently. A long cough smothered. His face Issue 3 /2013

turns purple. The withered hands wave in the air, trying to a scratch for life.

“What’s wrong?” asks the panicking Nurse Cai. “What’s happening?”

“The fly,” the caretaker says through trembling lips, pointing. “The fly, it’s in his mouth! Suck, suck quickly!”

“Ah!” Nurse Cai goes back to what she was doing without hesitation. The tall nurse runs to help without hesitation.

After the panic, the robust body of the royal blue fly is dragged from the deep black of the open mouth, accompanied by empty dry coughs and feeble gasps.

“It’s all your fault,” says Nurse Cai, vexed.

“How is it my fault? Did I ask the fly to go into his mouth?

Don’t blame other people just because your hospital is unsanitary.”

“Enough of you! I tell you, if you are still looking for trouble, I will ask his son to fire you.”

The ward is quiet again, no disturbances. Seeing the halfeaten lunch on the table, the caretaker feels a little sick. Her appetite is gone. She bends over the sick bed.

“You’ve shit and pissed; it should be time to eat, right?”

She receives only that same emotion in those same eyes, that same stare, the mouth letting out of few mumbles.

“You don’t have to speak, just squeeze my hand. Do you want to eat? Squeeze my hand once.”

The withered hands fold across the chest, begging again.

“You want to thank me, right? You are welcome. I am thanked if you eat your meal.” She holds that hand and asks: “Do you want to eat? No? Do you want to see your son?

Should I call him?” She stood up and said: “I will call him, but I don’t know if he is free. I can’t guarantee he’ll show up.”

She turns with her back to the door as if she is forgetting something. Then, she sees those withered hands shaking again, those eyes staring straight at the ceiling as if the stubborn gaze is trying to penetrate the layers and layers of the building’s floors, right into the sky above. The dry wells are clearly filled with tears.

“Who are you thanking now? Put your hands back. Listen to me, be a good boy,” she says at his bedside, thinking for awhile. “No, you have to be tied up. Nurse!”

Those light, energetic footsteps echo again, but the tall nurse shows up at the door.

“What now?”

“He’s not behaving with his hands.”

“Tie them up then.”

Those withered hands are tied to the guardrails on each side of the bed. She opens the door and leaves. No one notices the tears slowly pouring out of those dark wells.

TRANSLATED BY LIU JUE (刘珏) AND TYLER RONEY

17

On the Chinese Road TRAIN TRAVEL ADVENTURES ACROSS THE COUNTRY Brand New from The World of Chinese Books!

Sharing Stories, Sharing Culture

CHINA IN SCOPE

The real lives and stories of contemporary Chinese people through photography

CULTURAL FILES: INTANGIBLE HERITAGE

CULTURAL FILES: CULTURAL RELICS

Feast your eyes on mouth-watering delicacies and truly magnificent traditions

A mysterious mountain mansion, kung fu fighting monks and all the places you will want to visit

Order online for discount prices

中国 制造 MADE IN CHINA

China’s Legendary Monster Expert

Illustration

by

Gao Fei

W

hen the great—supposedly mythical— beast Bai Ze (白泽) showed up at our office door, we knew our prayers had been answered. As our graphic designer passed out from sheer shock, the beast bellowed: “You humans look weird, just as I remembered,” rather rudely seeing himself into the conference room. As to the appearance of the beast itself, we could only really agree on his color: white.

I saw him as a giant ox with goat horns and a lion’s mane, three eyes on its head and more on its body.

One editor believed him to have an old man’s face with a goat’s body. The beast itself seemed to have some sort of quantum field enabling him to distort perception or, as he put it, “bein’ mythical, like a boss.”

Normally shying away from interviews, the last time this creature appeared was more than four centuries ago when the Yellow Emperor was on a tour to inspect his territory. On his way to the Eastern Sea, he found Bai Ze chilling on the beach, as was his want. In a good mood, Bai Ze told the stunned emperor, in human tongue, of a large underground population of monsters and ghosts in his land. Upon hearing this precious information, the Yellow Emperor took notes on everything the beast said (a total of 1,520 creatures were mentioned), charting a guide to a previously uncharted realm of mythical creatures. Unfortunately, these notes have been lost to time (much to the creature’s chagrin), leaving behind only legend and Bai Ze’s famous reputation as a royal guard against evil.

I asked: “Why did you go up to the Yellow Emperor in the first place? Did you have a cloying urge to save humanity from these beasts?” He furrowed his brow and answered, “What? No. I was bored. Have you ever sat on a beach in ancient China? It’s dull. No cabanas or cocktails. Also, none of the other monsters speak to me. They all think I’m a terrible gossip.” When I asked what kind of friends Bai Ze does have, the creature happily explained some of the strangest mythical

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creatures I have ever heard. “Some of them are evil and some of them are just odd. Occasionally, you can even find some good ones, like me. Make sure you print that,” said the beast, motioning a pen in the air with his hoof.

According to the great Bai Ze, many of these creatures are a bit on the dark side, such as Qiong Qi (穷奇), who resembles a tiger but with wings and who barks like a dog. This beast is extremely intelligent and likes to listen to a good argument, like a flying, terrifying Anderson Cooper. Unlike Anderson Cooper, Qiong Qi will eat the more sensible of the two. Whenever it encounters honest and virtuous people, it bites off their noses. To further encourage evil deeds, Qiong Qi treats vicious people with great respect by offering them small animal prey as tribute.

Of course, not all of these mythical creatures are malicious. Jiao Ren (鲛人), Chinese mermaids, live in the south and east seas. These peaceful souls produce the finest waterproof silk and trade with people on the land.

If you ever perform a kind deed for one of these polite and gracious creatures, it will cry tears of pearls for you.

“Maybe I’ll have them drop by someday. This has been fun,” said Bai Ze at the end of our interview, clacking at his iPhone with his hoof. He pulled a gasmask out of his bag saying, “I’m immortal, not stupid,” clomping his way out of our office. - LIU JUE (刘珏)

19

镜像 中国 KALEIDOSCOPE

KINGDOM OF CLAY A lens on the ancient city of Jingde Zhen 行走于古今瓷都景德镇，探寻陶瓷艺术 的过去和未来 PHOTOGRAPHS AND TEXT BY GARRIE MAGUIRE

20

Y

ou might not have heard of Jingde Zhen (景德镇), but—chances are—you’ve been closer to it than you think. It is the home of China’s porcelain. The city has a documented history of over 2,000 years, and for most of the last 1,700, it has been the center of porcelain production and technology in China and around the world.

I had originally been asked to photograph Zhou Jun, who moved there to explore making 3D sculptures of his photographs, giving me the opportunity to discover

the city alone among the locals. This is a city that has incorporated porcelain art into its very fabric.

The main ceramics market, which is located in the center of town, is huge, featuring mass-produced, handmade and historic porcelain. In the back alleys, beyond the new buildings, you will find small shops selling pieces from the Cultural Revolution and the early 20th century, which is about as antique as it gets for foreigners, as earlier pieces are illegal to export. Near the Jingde Zhen Ceramic Institute, you can find another bustling street of shops

Issue 3 /2013

selling contemporary handmade works. For those willing to search a bit deeper, a little further out of town, at the village of Sanbao (三宝村), there are many international residency programs that offer the opportunity to mix with local artisans. If you climb the hill in the city center and look over the houses, you can see people hard at work on rooftops alongside rows of pots.

Jingde Zhen is relaxed and polite with a fascinating history; however, it’s important to remember that tourism may be a bull this china shop can’t take for long.

21

THE TRIED AND TESTED METHOD FOR EXTRACTING PORCELAIN CLAY FROM THE GROUND LOOKS AS THOUGH IT HAS BARELY CHANGED FOR A THOUSAND YEARS

22

SMALL BACK ALLEY SHOPS PROVIDE INTERESTING SCENES OF THE LIFE OF PORCELAIN IN CHINA

HAND-SPUN CUPS READY FOR FIRING AT MASTER WANG TING’S STUDIO

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23

ZHOU JUN IN HIS STUDIO

ZHOU JUN CREATES SCAFFOLDING FOR A NEW WORK

24

IN SANBAO, OUTSIDE JINGDE ZHEN, WHEN THE RUBBISH BIN ISN’T PORCELAIN, THE RUBBISH IS

A DRAGON MADE OF BLUE AND WHITE PLATES AND BOWLS

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25

封面 故事 C O V ER S T ORY

S

omewhere in the mountain pass, below the remnants of an earthly cataclysm, Hu Tianhua (胡天华) crouches among the rocks and motions “silence” with his free hand, a finger across his lips: “up ahead,” he points. About 40 meters away, a group of blue sheep (also known as the bharal) graze along the foothills of the mountain slopes. The only visible vegetation is dead, dry brush: hence the skinny complexion of these sheep. Though they skittishly bound away as soon as they hear the click of the camera, these sheep seem hungrier than not and, upon discovering that we are not much of a threat, quickly return to their grazing. “During the winters, the blue sheep become very anemic,” Hu says. “Since there’s no vegetation, they just eat the dead grass.”

WHERE

THE WILD THINGS ARE Discovering new life in China’s nature reserves

野生新物种发现之旅 B Y T E R E N C E H S I E H (谢燕辉)

26

Illustration

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27

by

Gao Fei