The Heguang Guild Hall

Our internship wraps up this week, and we've been trying to cram in a lot of last-minute sightseeing before our departure. On Thursday we say goodbye to Western China, heading to Hong Kong and then Beijing. I'm going to try to post some short, picture-heavy updates in the next few days so I'll be all caught up before we leave!

We visited the Heguang Guild Hall when Tony and Jenni were in town. This site is pretty impressive in it's scale, and even more so because it's inconspicuously tucked away into high-rises on the southern edge of the Yuzhong peninsula. Built during the Qing dynasty, the complex now houses several different structures along with a museum documenting the history of immigration to the Chongqing region (unfortunately, entirely in Mandarin). Some of the buildings date back to the late 18th century, but have been restored more recently. The buildings on this site serve as a great example of some of the varieties of traditional Chinese architecture.

Here are a some pictures from the Guild Hall:

Tucked into the high rises, nestled below the bridge.

Dragon sculpted railings, adorned with colorful ribbon.

Entrance into the temple on the Guild Hall complex. 

Traditional Chinese lanterns 

Some re-creations of scenes from back in the day.

Different style building; same site.

I want a door-knocker like this!

New/old. 

Gardens on the site. 

All the elements that define Chongqing: bridges, mountains, rooftops. 

Some more dragon sculpture!

Ciqikou and Visitors from Shanghai

This past weekend, my friends from Shanghai came to visit. I stayed with Tony and Jenni earlier in the summer for a week after landing in China, and in return I tried to show them a good time around Chongqing, now that I have my bearings.

After catching up a bit, we headed to Ciqikou, the old redeveloped part of Chongqing that's known to be touristy, or as my colleague here put it, "crowded, dirty, and not good." We didn't find it to be nearly that unpleasant, and actually had a pretty good time wandering around two of the main sites: the Zhong Residence and Baolun Temple.

We sort of accidentally visited the Zhong Residence, thinking at first that it was the Baolun Temple. Only realizing after we paid the 5 yuan apiece that it was not, we stayed to look around and it was pretty worthwhile. The Zhong Residence was built about 120 years ago, at the end of the Qing Dynasty. The residence used to have 46 rooms but only about 20 have been maintained, the ones that surround the central courtyard. Here are some photos.

The Courtyard of the Zhong Residence

Some antique furniture

Jenni photographing the ornate bed

More furniture

Can I have one of these awesome bed/rooms?

We ultimately did make it to the Baolun Temple, which is considerably older than the Zhong Residence - built over 1000 years ago. Probably the oldest thing we have seen so far in China, even older than the Dazu Caves! This temple manages to stay quietly separated from the snack shops, noodle shops, knick-knack shops, and hoards of people in Ciqikou.

Chongqing Sightseeing: Hua Yan Tourist Spot

Last weekend, our friend Frank offered to take us to his favorite temple in Chongqing. This turned out to be a fantastic afternoon, if a little hot. The temple complex, called Hua Yan Tourist Spot, was not listed in the Lonely Planet, so Lucia and I felt pretty lucky to have found out about it from someone in the know.

It was about an hour and a half away from our house, via two metro transfers and a bus transfer (almost feels like living in LA!). We stopped mid-way for some noodle lunch with Frank after meeting up with him at the appointed metro stop.

The most incredible thing about this "tourist spot" is how tucked away it is, yet how firmly it remains in the urban landscape. It doesn't look like much from the street, albeit a beautiful gateway.

Hua Yan Temple on the approach...

Lucia, Frank and I in front of the entrance gate to the Hua Yan Tourist Spot

 Once inside, though, the intricacies of the extensive temple grounds begin to present themselves.

Lunchtime Adventures

Anyone who knows me as American Chelsea knows that I'm a vegetarian, have been for nearly two decades, and generally steer clear of food that has shared frying pans, utensils, cooking broth, etc. with meaty things. An exclamation I heard often in my household growing up was "I didn't use the same spoon for yours, don't worry!" I think I've gotten better / less neurotic about it over the years, but this is truly a test of my limits.

Our organization generously provides stored-value cards for a restaurant near our office so we don't have to pay for lunch. This restaurant is a fast-paced, loud, noodle-slinging cafeteria-style joint. The menu is entirely in Chinese, no English or even pinyin. We've had a colleague translate the menu for us but even this is only marginally helpful (though he has made an effort to identify vegetarian-friendly food!).

News Roundup

I've been reading a lot of thought-provoking articles about Chongqing and China. I thought I'd post some of them here, for your reading enjoyment and also to have the links handy if I ever need to find the articles again. (Some of these are NY Times and Foreign Policy links - registration/logging in with social media may be required.)

This one is about a bombing in the Beijing Airport this past weekend. It was a very small incident, and no one was killed. But the history behind the incident is tragic, particularly in light of this article about very recent police brutality against illegal vendors.

On to tragedies of a different sort, here is some coverage of the earthquake that hit northwest China this morning. And earlier this month, there was tons of coverage about all the flooding in Chengdu, very close to Chongqing. Here's an article and some photos from Huffington Post.

For something less tragic, check out this incredible New York Times spot on the "New Silk Road" - documents the opening of the railroad west through China to the EU. This is one of a number of articles about the "rise of the West" and how important this region is becoming for manufacturing.

Finally, here are a couple older articles about the local and infamous ex-politician, Bo Xilai. This one is about how he directed the growth of Chongqing to become a critical city in China. This one is about how much he loved gingko trees and the long-term damage that it might cause. (For more information about the rise and fall of Bo Xilai, check out the wiki article, and don't feel bad - I had no idea who he was 4 weeks ago.)

ChaoTianMen, an Evening Boat Ride, and Chongqing's Cable Car

This weekend, our friend and classmate, Carlos, visited Lucia and I here in Chongqing. He's living in Chengdu for the summer, working at the Chengdu Institute of Urban Planning and Design. Chongqing and Chengdu are very close cities, and Lucia and I plan to return the visit in a couple of weeks. Having a guest gave us a chance to show off Chongqing, to see some of the tourist attractions we haven't been to yet, and to trade stories about living in central China as a foreigner.

On Saturday, we visited the Chongqing Urban Planning Exhibition Hall. They had some pretty neat scale models of the city and the region, but I won't bore you with more photos of tiny buildings. If you really want to see them, feel free to email me and I'll send them your way.

The Exhibition Hall is right under the plaza at ChaoTianMen, which is the tip of the peninsula that makes up the Yuzhong District (downtown) of Chongqing.

China's Love Affair with Scale Models

One thing I have noticed in the few weeks since I've been here: China loves scale models.

I'm a complete sucker for these intricate displays, a reaction that probably could have been predicted by my obsession with miniatures as a child (and as a young adult...and in my 20s...Have you ever been to the Art Institute of Chicago's Thorne Miniature Rooms? They're incredible! But I digress.).

Anyway, I posted some pictures already from the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, and we will be visiting the Chongqing Urban Planning Exhibition Hall this weekend, but in the mean time (in case anyone else has hidden obsessions with miniatures), I'll post a few photos of two of the private scale models we've seen. These seem to be a favorite tool for real estate developers, to demonstrate what their project will look like and sell space.

Week 1 in Chongqing

The city I'll call home for the next 8 weeks is quite a bit different from Shanghai.

For one, it's hotter. Topping out in the upper 90s each day, with major humidity, I'm reminded of the hottest weeks in Chicago, except this is never-ending. I got truly spoiled in one short year with the LA weather, and by the time I acclimate to this weather, it may be time head back to the States.

There are some fascinating articles out there about Chongqing, some of which I've already linked in previous posts. Here is another great one in the NY Times, brought to my attention by my roommate/classmate/co-intern/friend Lucia. This article, in particular, captures some of the vibe I've been feeling here as a Westerner in a city with very, very few Westerners.

T-minus 9 Days

I've finished finals (and my first year of graduate school!) and I'm now home free for the next 9 days, before departing for China until September.

I'm going to be living and working in Chongqing, an large (by American standards) city in the middle of the country - about 6.5 million residents in the city proper, and 28.5 in the municipality. The city features prominently in this New York Times article about the massive urbanization process underway in China right now. 

Here's another article chronicling the growth in Chongqing specifically. The stories of people living through this transition are endlessly fascinating and moving, and I'm very excited to be there to experience the development. 

Of course, learning about people is a challenge when you don't speak the language. I've been trying, slowly, to learn the Mandarin basics. I doubt I'll gain fluency by the summer's end, but hopefully some level of competence, or at least the ability to order a beer off a menu. 

The other exciting thing about Chongqing is the local cuisine. Situated near Sichuan, the food is known for being spicy. The city is known particularly for it's hotpot, and lucky me! An article from today, discussing the dish and recommending the best places in Chongqing to go. I'll have to watch out for "tummy upsets" -- perhaps the most adorable way of describing indigestion I've ever heard. (And also blood pudding. I will have to watch out for blood pudding.)

Until next time, 

CR.