ANZAC Day

Future King and Queen of the
Commonwealth Realms in Australia

Happy ANZAC day to all my Australian and Kiwi readers out there (all "none" of you).  Some of you might be thinking, "what is ANZAC Day?"  It just so happens that I am an expert regarding the subject because I spent a few hours last night learning about it firsthand from the person on the bar stool next to me.  ANZAC Day commemorates the soldiers of the Australia New Zealand Army Corp lost during the allied campaign at Gallipoli.  The day is usually celebrated with a sunrise service, breakfast, and afternoon parades that honor Australian and New Zealand's veterans.  The day is sort of equivalent to Memorial Day in the United States, but with some important historical ties to the concept of Austalian and New Zealand's identities as independent nations (both are currently Commonwealth Realms).

An Australian veteran during an ANZAC Day parade

It's also a big deal in other parts of the British Empire, with services in London, Hong Kong, and Singapore taking place this morning.  The guy last night brought me up to speed on some of the more colorful traditions associated with ANZAC Day.  He told me that it is the only day that you can gamble in pubs and bars in Australia because people play this game called "2 up".  The game was a favorite pastime of ANZAC soldiers and the tradition of playing it remains an important part of ANZAC Day.  He told me it is an easy way to spot Australians and New Zealanders living abroad on ANZAC Day.  Despite this fun tradition, the holiday is a quite somber affair, from what I can tell, with the emphasis on honoring veterans and those lost during wars.    

Ceremony at the Cenotaph in Hong Kong

ANZAC Day service in Singapore

Getting to learn about other nation's holidays is one of my favorite things.  Though familiar with the Gallipoli campaign and ANZAC Day before last night, I didn't realize how important it was to the identities of New Zealand and Australians, especially those in the diaspora.  Some even argue that the Gallipoli campaigns galvanized the national identities of Australia and New Zealand, uniting an otherwise fractured group of territories.  Whether or not this is true, expect to see some of your Kiwi and Australian friends visiting the nearest Cenotaph today.  Make sure to remember that it is toughest to be away from home on the holidays most associated with your national identity.  Sometimes people just want to tell you about "home."



Photos courtesy of the BBC World Service              

Cuju: Beixinqiao's Favorite Hutong Hangout

Everybody has that place they don't make it too often enough.  Maybe it's the location or you're just tired after a long day of work, but you never seem to find the right time to visit even though you want to go.  For me it's a bar called Cuju in the hutong behind my apartment complex.  And despite its small size, the bar has a big following in the expat community.  

The composite featured on their website

Quite possibly the world's smallest bar, Cuju is one of those places that you have to know where it is to find it.  It is isolated on a winding hutong alleyway, standing as an oasis in an otherwise bar-less area.  The place is famous in the expat community for showing notable sporting events live.  In the case of the East Coast of the United States, this means 12 hours later, so picture a bar that is willing to open at 4 in the morning for some events.  I watched the NFL playoffs here back in January at 4 am, and the crowd was standing room only.  Considering the place holds about 20 people, this might lessen the accomplishment, but hey this is Beijing, so I’ll give it to them.  The place also has a Moroccan food menu.  I am not entirely sure what the Hell Moroccan food is, but I know enough to know that I like it. 

Intimate space

NFL Playoffs Live.  Look in the left-hand corner
 and you might recognize the dashingly handsome lao wei

Though I love the place, my roommates hate it.  Honestly their hatred for the place, encouraged by my unrelenting praises, has crossed the line to becoming a running joke.

Me:  “Want to go have a drink at Cuju tonight?”

Roommates:  “I'd rather have a cavity filled.”

I must concede that one of their complaints is certainly well founded.  For a dive bar, it is very expensive.  The only thing on the menu below $5 is the happy hour beer.  However, if you like rum, and we all do, they have the most amazing selection in the capital.  They just started stocking Kracken rum from my home state of Indiana.  Though a shot of it will cost you an arm and a leg, you can't really put a price on home.

The bar even hosted a Mardi Gras event featuring cajun food.  And keeping with the general theme of this piece, I missed that event, but I heard through the lao wei grapevine that it was un bon temps (my French is about as good as my Chinese).  

I plan to rekindle my love affair with the place during the NBA playoffs.  Go Pacers.  Any Beijinger looking for a fun place to watch some games, matches, and tournaments can't go wrong by checking this place out.  Don't let the small size fool you, this place is big fun.        

http://cujubeijing.com/


  

Capital Sounds

Like Taiwanese and Hong Kong pop music from 20 years ago?  Then mainland China is the place for you my friend.  I must admit that I am not very fond of the genre, and neither are most expats.  However, there is hope because the Beijing music scene is quite exciting and has much more to offer than just soundtracks to Jackie Chan movies.

Carsick Cars playing somewhere

Many of the city's up and coming rock groups have very small followings among the Chinese population.  The band “Carsick Cars”, who just released their new album, are very hot in the west.  They played in Paris a couple months ago, and people simply lost their minds.  They also gained considerable attention when they opened for the Sonic Youth during part of their European tour.  In my personal opinion, their new album is great.  Despite favorable praise from western journalist and a strong following among foreigners, both inside and outside China, the band remains relatively unknown in their home country. 

The Beijing Beatles

Some of the city’s most popular music acts are western cover bands.  Last month it seemed like the Beijing Beatles played a show every single night of the week.  I myself saw them twice in one weekend.  Also, sorry to burst your bubble, but don't expect to see a Chinese Ringo dressed in a Sgt. Pepper's uniform on stage.  This fab four is Australian.  I know...I know.  I was disappointed too.  There is also the Beijing Dead, a local Grateful Dead cover band that is starting to play a lot of shows around town.  I haven't had the privilege of seeing them yet.  Don’t know if I have the patience to sit through a 20 minute rendition of “Truckin’”, but if you’re into that...whatever floats your boat. 

The various venues around town usually hold open mic nights at least once a week.  Prepare to be impressed with some of the city’s talent.  Most of the participants, by that I mean the vast majority, are expats, and they are usually very good.  Anyone looking to see the next hip Chinese act that will have the west talking, before they get jailed for dissidence, should definitely make a trip to Beijing.

Note: My phone and computer are no longer speaking to each other, so I must now rip photos off the internet....enjoy 

ChIKEA

Since I moved to Beijing nearly 10 months ago, the BBC World Service has done at least two stories on the Beijing IKEA.  So in an effort to legitimize my hobby as investigative journalism, I present my own adventures at Beijing's unofficial Swedish embassy:  Please note that much like the furniture sold in IKEA....some assembly is required.

Swedish Meatballs

We started our IKEA adventure by eating Easter lunch in the restaurant on the top floor.  Not exactly the most conventional post-church Easter lunch, but Swedes gotta eat too.  The restaurant was so packed that we spent about 10 minutes looking for somewhere to sit down.  The whole event felt like eating in a high school cafeteria.  Though the food was quite good and inexpensive, I recommend skipping the IKEA brand soda fountain.  $1 for unlimited IKEA brand sodas was the biggest disappointment of the day if that helps put it in perspective.

The Beijing IKEA is famous for the people sleeping on the furniture and foreign tourist have started to go to the store simply to observe the stay-cationing locals.  People literally just take naps on the couches and beds.  We're talking entire families napping in public here.  At least once this trip, we witnessed a father reading a bedtime story to his child while they were tucked into a bed in one of the fake bedrooms....at 1 in the afternoon.  It's all a little too creepy sometimes.  I spent the first half an hour of my shopping trip trying to find passed out customers to take funny photos for this piece.  Odds are, at least one of the people in the photos featured below is a crafty homeless person who found a comfortable place to spend the afternoon.

We were too late to save this woman who was tragically crushed in this pillow avalanche.  The memorial service is next week, and we’d appreciate it if you’d keep her family in your prayers. 

This man (or possibly a woman) is down for the count

A trip to “ChIKEA” makes for a great non-traditional tourist spot.  Yeah you can go to the Cincinnati IKEA and see the same bland furniture displays, but for many western tourists, a trip to IKEA is a peek into how the average Chinese person lives at home....or would live at home provided they had the right clapboard couch and desk set.      

India: Cultural Exchange from a Nation at a Crossroads

My new roommate is originally from Mumbai, and as a result, I am having a great deal of fun learning about India and Indian culture.  It might seem counter-intuitive; go to China….learn about India, but life is funny like that sometimes.  And the timing couldn't be better considering all the interesting things going on in that country.

Elections – The world’s largest democracy is going to the polls.  Mountbatten and the British might have taken a lot with them when they left in 47, but the Westminster system remains.  It has been pretty cool having someone who knows the details about the Indian political system, especially considering the ceaseless coverage by the BBC.  The outcome of this election will have a significant and long-term impact on Indian politics, especially considering the troubles of the Indian National Congress and the rise of the anti-corruption party.  It will also have a significant impact on Sino-Indian relations.  India is due to surpass China as the world’s most populous nation in the near future, and despite their strange and often strained relationship, not one Chinese person that I have talked to seems to know that the two countries fought a war in 1962.  This is especially interesting considering China won the war.

Google "India Cricket" and you'll likely get a photo of Sachin Tendulkar.  I think this is him.....

        

Cricket – The Indian Premier League began earlier this week, and from what I understand, the real drama takes place of the field.  Most of the owners in this league make Jerry Jones and Mark Cuban look like passive observers, and as a result, the league’s one month (that is right....it only lasts one month) season tends to have the atmosphere of a carnival.  Due to the elections, the first matches were held in Dubai this year.  Though the world’s second most popular sport remains an enigma to most of us in the United States (they literally break for tea during international test matches....hilarious), it continues to boom in the Commonwealth and is growing in popularity as mainland China experiences Hong Kong-ization.  My roommate is a fan of the Mumbai Indians, and despite my jibes about having the world's least inventive mascot, he is very excited about this season.     

IPL Clubs

   

Economic Growth – Beijing is famous for its smog…..but it has a new challenger for the title of smoggiest capital.  New Delhi’s population is emblematic of the country’s rapid industrialization.  While the Chinese are betting on Commonwealth Africa becoming the next “workshop of the world” many others are betting on India.  The economic fortunes of India and China seemed intertwined as rising wages and slowing economic growth are forcing manufacturers to look outside China for the next “gold rush” economy.  Both countries are also going through military build-ups with China’s love affair with its first carrier and India continuing its program of naval “indigenization”. 

I have always found the sub-continent fascinating, especially considering its different approach to plurality from the United States.  For example, different religions are governed by different laws in some cases.  India’s complicated relationship with China has only made it more interesting to me during my time in Beijing.  Then again, what nation on earth doesn't have a complicated relationship with Beijing?  The interesting people you meet in Beijing really help put the world in perspective, and I have learned a great deal about many of the other lao weis’ homes during my time here.  It just shows that a good cultural exchange doesn't always have to be between your home country and the nation you are living.

Lunch

An exciting opportunity came up last week; I got the chance to have lunch with an old high school friend that I hadn't seen in years.  It’s great to catch-up with people and find out how things are going.  Usually events like this happen in a more familiar environment, like when you visit home over Christmas.  But in this case, the Local had to do.  My friend, Sieg, made a joke about how he never thought we'd be meeting up on the other side of the world, and I am glad one of us finally pointed out the absurdity of two Hoosiers in their mid-twenties having lunch at a nondescript restaurant in Sanlitun.  It was tough to believe any time at all had passed considering that he had refused to age and still looked like his 17 year old self.  Not bad for him considering that my balding has started to gather pace.    

  

As we chatted and ate, I must admit I started to feel slightly guilty for not staying in touch over the years.  Getting out of Floyds Knobs is no easy feat.  The gravitational pull of 47119 is something akin to a small-medium sized star.  Sometimes you think that you’re out, but it pulls you right back in (like Michael in the Godfather: Part III).  Information sort of gets lost in the shuffle, so most of our meal was spent learning about the last five years of our lives.  I didn't even know that he’d been engaged.  He asked some questions about what I’d been up to with my life (the short answer is not much).     

 I have very little contact with anyone I knew before college, and this probably says more about me than it does any of them.  However, I am more than okay with this 99.99% of the time (this instance being the exception).  I didn't really like growing up in Cell Block 47119, and I make no apology for my open contempt when the numbers 9, 2, and 3 are placed too close together.  Yet I am a very proud Hoosier and want to move home to Indiana someday.  This perplexes my girlfriend who is originally from Hebei Province about 2.5 hours outside of Beijing.  She doesn't understand how I can love Indiana so much but hold Floyds Knobs in such low standing.  What I have really learned from trying to explain this is that the old adage “You had to be there” is still truer than ever.  My lunch the other day showed me that sometimes the “good” of a “bad” situation can sometimes be lost on you at the time.  It took me years to realize this.

It was good to see Sieg again and knowing another Lao Wei in China will bolster my guan xi.  We spent about two hours laughing at some of the more “unique” sights we'd seen in the Middle Kingdom.  We both had great stories, especially considering our different living situations.  He lives in a small provincial city, and I reside in Beijing.  As a result, I got to learn about life in smaller Chinese cities.  Truthfully, it didn't sound all that different than Floyds Knobs, or any other suburb for that matter, except for the smog of course.  I am still holding out hope of more friends and family visiting me in Beijing, but I am not really holding my breath.  That is one luxury in China not even political connections can get you.            

Chicago: Second City to None

We have all heard the jokes about Chicago....“Chicago: Come for the food, stay because you got murdered”.  However, this city has a lot to love, including its undying loyalty to its recently lackluster sports teams.  So in an effort to show you that Chicago is second city to none, I have highlighted some positive categories that the city of Chicago dominates. 

Food:  Find me someone that doesn't like Chicago pizza, and I’ll show you someone that shouldn't be trusted.  Chicago boasts some of the world’s greatest and most American food.  Where would the world be without Chicago pizza and the Chicago hot dog?  Skinnier yes, but far less happy and full.  The city’s rich history of immigration makes it a must for anyone interested in Polish and Mexican food.

Jazz/Blues:  I’ll admit it.  Other than Louis Armstrong, I can’t name a single jazz artist.  And I really only know him because he had a funny nickname.  But that doesn't prevent you from enjoying the rich musical heritage of the city.

Politeness:  Most of my fellow Mid-westerners might laugh at this, but as far as mega-cities go, Chicago has the most polite people.  There is a running joke that even the muggers say please and thank you.  During my trip to Chicago, no one cut me in line or shouted at each other on the streets.  This kind of restraint and manners would be unheard of in Beijing, or New York for that matter.  In fact, I often worried about coming off as unintentionally rude while working in the Windy City.  

Sports Fans:  No city on earth loves sports more than Chicago.  Win or lose, this city loves its teams.  From baseball to football and hockey to soccer and basketball, this city loves its teams.  Of course there is the social litmus test that comes with having two baseball teams.  However, judging by the recent efforts of both teams, they are unlikely to meet in the World Series anytime soon…..if ever. 

Cool Neighborhoods:  Gentrification might be slowly destroying New York and London’s cool, but not in Chicago.  From Logan Square to the South Loop, the city boasts many great and exciting communities for young working professionals.  Ever want to realize your dream of not needing a car without moving outside of the Midwest?  Chicago is still your only option.  Despite the stagnant, and in some cases nonexistent, growth rate of the city, many of the city’s neighborhoods continue to be experiencing a renaissance.  I know what you’re thinking….Trevor were you there when that CTA train derailed at O’Hare?  Yes I was.  However, it’s still safer than driving, and after living in Beijing, I’ll never complain about the “L” being crowded ever again.      

Zhong Guo Revisited

It’s no secret that Beijing doesn't winter very well.  The layout of the city means walking a half an hour to get anywhere, and all the coal needed to support government sponsored heating encases the city in a bubble of toxic smog.  However, Beijing does summer right, so I am lucky to return to a warm, relatively unsmoggy city after my three week trip to America.  I waited all winter to use the deck at my apartment, and I have already logged some serious hours on it playing xiang qi (Chinese chess).  I also get the opportunity to enjoy the city’s countless rooftop cafes and bars.  Although, let’s just say many of them likely wouldn't be “up to the safety codes” in the United States, they are still a great, if unsafe, way to enjoy the warm, dry Beijing summer. 

The tourist started their migratory return to Beijing's many tourist sites, so knowing how to dodge the masses has become a key to navigating the city, especially since my move inside the second ring road.  I am hoping to entertain some visiting tourists of my own, and I am currently pressuring my mother and father to come visit China this summer. 

Not going to lie, it was kind of tough leaving Mei Guo to come back to the uncertainty of Zhong Guo.  I am still unsure about my plans for next year, but I will likely be spending another year in the Chinese capital.  This is good considering that I haven’t gotten to travel very much in Asia.  There are many great places, both inside and outside of China that I want to visit.