Made In China

I have discovered why it is difficult to ascertain the age of Chinese women, as they never look their age. When a Chinese baby is born, he/she is already considered to be a year old: age is calculated from the date of conception not the date of birth. If I had been born in China, I could have retired a year earlier.

Most new babies in China are now basically required to be named based on the ability of a computer scanner to read their names on their national identity cards. The government recommends giving children names that are easily readable and they encourage the use of Simplified characters over Traditional Chinese ones. Parents are technically free to choose a given name (father or mother) but will not allow the use of numbers and non-Chinese symbols and characters. There are over 70,000 Chinese characters but at present computers can only recognize 13,000.  

 

The Chinese love massages and I believe I have discovered why. A new born baby starts receiving massages while still in the hospital. It was a wonderful sight to see the look of absolute contentment on Joy's face as she received the gentlest of massages from one of the hospital staff.

 

 

 

Another service not available in Western hospitals is access to a hot tub.  After the massage, Joy was fitted up with a tiny little personal floatation device that fit around her neck, placed into a deep tub of warm water and allowed to float around. She immediately fell asleep, like most of us want to do in a hot tub. What next, a Pedi?

 

 

 

 

 

Chinese hospitals do not provide the same level of patient care as we come to expect in a western hospital. Baby supplies like diapers and wipes are not supplied.  Janie’s mom had a fully functioning laundry going on in the bathroom, to keep ahead of Joy’s needs.  Food is an expensive option, so families are expected to provide meals for the loved ones. Janie’s mom pretty well lived at the hospital along with Janie’s father and Justin.

If you are going to spend some time in a Chinese hospital, leave your Visa at home, they only take cash. Thankfully, not a lot is needed compared to western prices. Here is how it works. You go in with an ailment. You pay an admission fee to see the doctor. He may recommend some tests which you then go and pay for before proceeding to receive the tests or you may have to go and pay the costs after the tests to receive the results of the tests.

 If you require any supplies such as intravenous solutions, antibiotics, catheters, even anesthesia you first must pay for it then pick it up and bring it with you when you return to the doctor with the test results. He completes the examination. He may refer you to a specialist. You once again return to the cashier to pay for your visit to the specialist. He may require further tests, which you then must go back to the cashier to pay for them. Getting the picture? So bring cash and a good pair of walking shoes.  

 

After the birth, the mother is expected to observe a 40 day period of confinement. During this period, she is not allowed to eat food considered ‘cold’ or have cold baths: keeping warm, by the wearing of thick clothes for example, is considered of paramount importance.

 

Diapers are an option in China but it can lead to some interesting challenges. Nonie claims that Chinese children are taught from an early age to only go to the bathroom when requested. Not sure what she had been drinking when she heard this or who in fact told her this but a pee or a pooh on request from any child has got to be the impossible dream.  According to the Grandparents Handbook, Version XII, these bodily functions will only occur at the least opportune moments.  

Zǔfùmǔ Shǒucè VII, Zhōngguó Bǎn (Grandparents Handbook VII Chinese Version)

Meet doctor j, the daughter of Doctors J and J, born December 17, weighing in at 3.8 kilograms, a statuesque 52 centimetres and with a fabulous head of dark hair that I would give a piece of my other thumb for. Her English name is Joy which so appropriate for this time of year. She is a very compelling reason to return to Harbin for a visit.

Nǎinai Nonie (grandma eh!) has been providing sage baby raising advice to Janie, but sadly it is about 35 years out of date.  Then we had two diaper options, cloth and disposable, now they have dozens of options but still haven’t come up with a diaper that changes itself.

Yéye Brett (grampa eh!) has also been free with fatherly advice, but it too is ancient news and has only succeeded in scaring the crap out of poor Justin especially when I described a vasectomy to him.   

As newly proud Jiānádà zǔfùmǔ (Canadian grandparents eh!), we have had to revise our Grandparents Handbook VII as it may not apply to our grandchildren born in China. One thing I am pretty sure of is that babies are made the same way here in China as they are in the rest of the world but that is where the similarities start to drift apart. The “One Child” rule has had some bearing on those differences, that and the 3000 years of history that has preceded the wondrous birth of our third sūnzi (grandchild).  

The history of the “One Child” rule goes back only a few decades having been implemented on September 25, 1980. Like any good law, exemptions to the rule were extensive and today, less than 40% of the population are actually affected by the rule. With a declining infant mortality rate and encouragement by the government to have children, the population of China had almost doubled from 1949 to 1976 (540 million to 940 million). The thinking was that a large population would empower China. 

Around the middle of the 70”s it became apparent that perhaps uncontrolled population growth was not the way to go, so the “One Child” rule was dreamt up to put the brakes on it.  The poorly thought out rule led to infanticide and abandonment, something not uncommon in societies where a male child is perceived to have more value than a female child.

This policy along with a declining birth rate in the general population has created some incongruities that are now being felt. The current world ratio for male to females is 103/100 while for the last ten years China’s ratio has been around 117/100. That ratio is very visible to us here at HIT where the men clearly outnumber women by a wide amount. The party has also come to realize that with the declining birth rate, their ability to support its burgeoning senior population will become very difficult. As well, they are beginning to experience labour shortages in some areas of the country. 

But new winds are starting to blow threw China. At the recent Party Plenary session, a decision was made to relax the “One Child” rule. If either the man or women is a product of a one child family, they may have a second child.  As new parents, I asked Justin if they would consider a second child. Fresh from changing a really messy one, was probably not the best time to ask him that question.




It took Nonie and I nearly a year after our first born to make a commitment to have a second one. 35 years later, I can still smell some of the worse ones. Perhaps I will ask the question again in a few months.

There are some interesting cultural differences in how things are done with babies and new mothers here in China then in the West so stay tuned for a future blog, “Made in China”.

 

 

 

 

 

Shèngdàn jié kuàilè

The gingerbread men were giddy with excitement. There was a blazing fire on the television and multi-ethnic Christmas music blasting away on our computer.

It was the setting for our 4^th almost annual “Deck the Halls of Dormitory 13” party and the kick off for evoking our Christmas spirit.

Our multi-national elves came prepared for some serious Christmas tree ornament manufacturing.

 

One diligent elf spent the evening making to paper snow and ensuring that we would have a white Christmas.

While incidents of dangerous scissor work were rampant, everyone went home with the correct number of fingers.

There was some grumbling about the crowded working conditions but when we threatened to withhold the many desserts that were prepared, the elves were quickly brought back in line.  

It was all worth it. From all the piles of craft debris, some inventive and cutting edge ornaments now decorate  our tree including a beautiful paper cut winter diorama, with light show illuminating our window ledge.

 

 

 

Shèngdàn jié kuàilè,  Meli keuliseumaseu, , S Rozhdestvom, , Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noel,  Buon Natale

See you all very soon.

Thanksgiving Guanxi

In China, Canadian Thanksgiving takes a back seat to the OTHER one celebrated in November.  In large cities around the country, 5 star hotels fire up their ovens and produce a few turkeys to add to their already massive buffets and if you are lucky an accompanying bowl of mashed potatoes, stuffing usually with a Chinese twist and a gravy that looks like gravy but may not be gravy and all this at a cost of $60 to $80 CAD. Outrageously expensive, anywhere in the world! Turkey is currently selling for $0.79 a pound in Beamsville

 

I have heard rumours that you can buy a butterball in Beijing if you know the right people. It’s called turkey guanxi.  Guanxi: “It’s not what you know but who you know”.  While guanxi exists to some extent in most countries, in China, it is a cultural imperative.  Business cannot be carried out without it. We have experienced guanxi firsthand when Nonie was able to see the top eye doctor in Harbin thanks to a friend who had a friend who was a friend of the doctors. 

 

 

As Canadians, we abhor line jumpers, line jumping is an Olympic sport here. Just try boarding at a busy bus stop. Those tiny little Chinese nainai’s (grandmothers) can be mean when you get in close. We Canadians do especially well in “bus stop boarding” thanks to “Hockey Night in Canada” and Don Cherry, his immortal words to young hockey players, “Keep those elbows up when going into the corners” ringing  in our ears.  

Thankfully, we were able to avoid the expensive buffet line and were treated to a fabulous Thanksgiving buffet at branson’s place that rivaled any buffet we have experienced in China.

Sadly no turkey listed on the menu but a beautifully cooked chicken that had been brined over night, more than satisfied our poultry desires.  The chicken was accompanied by homemade gravy, bread stuffing, mashed sweet and regular potatoes and not one but two salads.    

While Nonie quilted, I watched a downloaded, delayed telecast of the Grey Cup on his big screen, it was a pretty sweet day.  Watched the first quarter and then fast forwarded through to the half time show and then final fast forward to the last five minutes. If you saw the game, you would understand.

As an added surprise, a well formed turkey leg found its way onto the table for desert.  So a savoury turkey sandwich the next day took care of my tryptophan addiction for a few months. 




 

 Thanks to branson and Xinxin for a lovely evening.   

 

Dallying in Dalian

 

China now has over 10,000 kilometres network of high speed train travel.  It has been over five years in the making and has experienced some hiccups along the way but China is poised to become, if it is not already, the leader in high speed train technology.  California has shown an interest in the technology and hopes to establish a high speed rail system from the top to the bottom of the state. 

  

 

 

Only open about a year or so, Harbin has been connected to the city of Dalian by a high speed train system. With a top speed of over 300 KPH, a trip of just under a 1,000 kilometres can take 4 hour and 15 minutes. With ten trains a day going either way, it has made it easy for us to enjoy a long weekend in Dalian. 

 

 

New stations and new track systems have been built to accommodate these new high speed train routes.  

 

 

 

 

The new Harbin station would stand out anywhere in the world, all be it with the usual Chinese touches; hard waiting room seats and no hot water in the washrooms.  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Dalian is a coastal city, situated on a peninsula that has the Bohai Sea to the west and the Yellow Sea to the East and is just a short ballistic missile flight from North Korea.   

 

 

Our first thoughts, as we explored the city, were how much it reminded us of Vancouver.  So it was no surprise when we discovered that Dalian and Vancouver are sister port cities. 

 

While is lies a bit further south than Vancouver, its weather pattern is a little cooler than Vancouver’s in the winter and hotter in the summer, with about half the rainfall of Vancouver.  Dalian’s mountains aren’t as huge as Vancouver’s so may not trap those moist ocean breezes like Vancouver’s does.

 

 

 

But one thing is very much alike and that is the vibe created by the strong tourism industry in both cities.   

 

 

Once a semester, Nonie and I take a “Escape from China” weekend. We check into a five star hotel, order western food from room service and spend the weekend watching CNN, BBC and movies on HBO. We combined that with our trip to Dalian and included a long overdue visit with one of our extended Chinese family who we affectionately call our Japanese Granddaughter.  We spent a lovely day wandering the campus where she works as well as exploring the immediate area around it.  

 

 

 

Day two saw us wonder along the well developed ocean frontage and parks that attracts all those tourists.   

 

 

 

 

 

 It is here where we really saw similarities to Vancouver.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

High rises are sprouting up everywhere, many which did not exist only five years ago. Real Estate is booming here, much like it is everywhere in China.  They have been forecasting, for years, that this boom is about to bust, but not seeing it here in Dalian.  

 

 

Time flew by and before we knew it, it was time to catch our ride back to the train station and the end of another "Escape From China" weekend.

 

 

 

Our return to Harbin was a bit slower than the 318 KPH we hit on the way to Dalian. It started snowing shortly after we left Dalian and it didn't stop till we reached Harbin, over two hours late. 

 

 

 

 

We woke up the next morning to a record snow fall in Harbin, although they have only been keeping records since the early 60's. Winter has finally arrived.

Happy Samhain All You Pagans

I like to consider myself a poster Canadian, with a concoction of nationalities coursing through my veins. I am ½, eighth generation French Canadian, ¼, fourth generation Newfie/Brit and ¼, second generation Irish.  It is those ¼ Irish genes that make celebrating Halloween almost a genetic necessity.  In addition, I am driven to introduce the tradition to as many cultures as I can. Hence the fourth annual HIT Halloween celebration was born.  

Halloween is believed to have begun as a pagan festival called Samhain.  Samhain was a time used by the ancient Gaels (Celts) to take stock of supplies and prepare for winter. They believed that on October 31^st, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops.











They celebrated with huge bonfires, dressing up in costumes consisting of animal skins and heads in an attempt to fool the spirits into believing they too were spirits and leave them alone.  As time passed, the animal skins and heads were replaced with masks. 

Those pesky Christians got involved when they named November 1^st as “All Saints Day”, a celebration of martyrs.  The day was also called “All Hallows” and the night before, October 31, Samhain, became known as “All Hallows Eve” and eventually “Halloween”

 

 

 

It is suggested that trick-or-treating" dates back to the early All Souls' Day parades in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called "soul cakes" in return for their promise to pray for the family's dead relatives. The distribution of soul cakes was encouraged by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for roaming spirits.

 

 

 

In the mid 19^th century, the great potato famine saw hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrants settle in North America, bringing with them the traditions of Halloween. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the late 1800s, there was a move in America to mold Halloween into a holiday more about community and neighborly get-togethers than about ghosts, pranks and witchcraft. By the turn of the century, Halloween parties for both children and adults had become the most common way to celebrate the day.

 

 

Beginning in the 1920’s, the centuries-old practice of trick-or-treating was revived. Trick-or-treating was a relatively inexpensive way for an entire community to share the Halloween celebration. In theory, families could also prevent tricks being played on them by providing the neighborhood children with small treats. A new American tradition was born, and it has continued to grow.

 

 

Spooky pumpkins started out as spooky turnips. Turnips were hollowed out and spooky faces were carved into them. Lit with candles, they were carried or left in windows or front doors to scare away the spirits of the dead. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the tradition arrived in North America, pumpkins replaced turnips as a cheaper alternative for scaring away the spirits. I believe that it was also the birth of pumpkin pie. They had to do something with all those pumpkin guts!

 

Today, we spend an estimated $6 billion annually on Halloween, making it the second largest commercial holiday in North America. Can you imagine if this celebration catches on in China?  You might want to start buying shares in candy companies because I think I have lit the fuse. 

 

 

 

Happy Halloween everyone and a special Happy Samhain to all you pagans