Fred In The PRC, Part Deux

In case I didn't spell it out somewhere earlier, E (aka Fred In The Can) created a second blog to document her experiences in the PRC. No, I won't link to it here... she uses real names and such, including mine, so I can't have that. I will, however, post a couple of interesting snippets.

People Are People

I found out yesterday that a science fiction nerd looks and sounds the same the world over. this guy came up to me after class and wanted to talk about sci fi movies. I could easily picture him hanging around the comic shop, outside the [coffee shop], or even at [a local bookstore where a lot of RPGers seem to hang out]. Hee. Funny how certain things are universal.

Remember What Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction Said About Similarities Between Europe and the US?

Which reminds me - last night I was hanging out with a couple of the teachers... and we were drinking tea and eating these snack crackers which tasted awfully familiar. I finally identified the flavor - they tasted just like original Captain Crunch cereal!

A Racket is a Racket, the World Over

On the grounds of the tower are also a very beautiful-sounding bell (which tourists can pay 10 RMB - less than $1.50 - to ring with a large battering ram-thingie) and a gorgeous pond with sculptures, swans and of course a bust of Chairman Mao.

We've All Got Hoops to Jump Through

...I've had to tapdance around the queries of my students about religion and individualism. I've become fairly good at the political "non answer". Actaually it isn't a non-answer so much as a carefully worded answer. Each class has a class monitor, who is a Communist Party Member. I'm not sure what kind of notes he or she might be taking, and in general we've been asked to keep things away from sensitive topics, which is fine by me.

Thank God for that, too. I don't want E to go through any of that Brokedown Palace bull$hi+.

I'm Three Degrees of Separation From a Big Star

Speaking of Chinese TV - here's a grand case of "6 degrees of separation" only in this case it's only two degrees (or is it one?). One of the teachers (the Chinese American I mentioned earlier) went to theatre school in Beijing. One of his classmates was none other than Zhang Zi Yi, the young girl from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon! Apparently, some of his former classmates are in Chinese TV dramas these days, too.

And Yet, One Man's Treasure Is Another Man's Trash

The Chinese hate the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and especially despise Zhang Zi Yi, the young woman from that movie. Her acting is deemed over the top and not realistic! Most of the students don't like the fact that Americans only see kung fu movies and don't see other Chinese cinema.

Good stuff, eh?