Seoul Korea: Day 1

We spent an extended weekend in Seoul Korea.  Two days sight-seeing and two evening one morning sessions in the Seoul Korea Temple.  The Korean people were very friendly and their English is quite good perhaps because all high schools are required to have a foreign teacher on staff for each foreign language that is taught.  Buildings frequently have signs in Korean, English and sometimes Japanese.

On day 1 we visited these popular tour sites:
Blue House (Presidential Palace)
Chianging of the Guard Ceremony
Gyeongbok Palace
National Folk Museum
Jogyiesa Buddhist Temple
Ginseng Center
Changdeok Palace
Insadong Antique Shop Alley
Namdaemun Market



The first surprise of our Seoul, Korea trip occured as soon as we landed at the airport. Who knew what a spectacular rest room awaited us. I never use public restrooms in China, so when John came out and said, "You gotta see this one," I skeptically took a peek and came right back out to fetch my camera. My Chinese students look at these photos in amazement declaring that they look like they've never been used. 

This is a Korean airport public restroom entrance!

The Mother's room with a cute comode for the little ones.

Spacious and CLEAN

THIS is why I fetched my camera:

The public art in Korea is incredible. Every other corner of Seoul has some kind of statuary. The whole city is a feast for the eyes. And it is so clean and orderly.

The next 4 photos were taken at a functioning Buddhist Temple. By functioning I mean the place was packed with senior citizens praying for the prosperity and good fortune of their families. The piles of offerings at the foot of each statue was impressive.

.....so was this colorful canopy near the entrance of the temple yard.

Here is the entrance gate to one of the biggest palaces in Korea. If you look closely at the edge of the roof you'll see small monkey statues lined up. These indicate the importance of the building because the wee statues are protecting it. They are only found on the buildings belonging to the emperor. 


The morning posting of the colors at the palace entrance. 

Gotta love a man in uniform.

Here comes the Band.  

I am so glad we had a chance to see some of the exhibits in this museum. It gave a nice over-view of Korea's past.

Even had some displays of the folk art of other countries, like Africa.

These are Kimchi pots. Within their depths lie mouth scalding culinary creations for which Korea is well known.  If you like a nine-alarm fire in your mouth, you'll love Kimchi.

This is how you'll feel (and maybe look) if you eat a lot of Kimchi.

This cute little display shows some of the foods from which Kimchi is made. Nice disguise. 

Statuary Ode to a Kimchi Lover

....and his friends

War Memorial
...perhaps the theme of this might be: haven't quite got it together  ...aka N. vs S. Korea

The famous Ginseng Root. These specimen are six-year old roots. Look eerily human.

Your typical Korea Emperor's throne room. Nice light fixtures.

...note the importance of the building. Monkeys on guard.

Korean 119 emergency vehicle 

More surprising public art. 

Fun, orderly, crowded outdoor market.

And the award for most interesting display of dried fish:

Yum. Who doesn't love the crunch of roasted larva?

Our reason for going to Korea in the first place: the LDS Seoul Korea Temple...another bucket list check off.

Other Student Views

When we gave students the journal assignment to reflect on our class presentation of Easter we also asked them to write about similar Chinese festivals or traditions according to their understanding. Here are two journal entries that showed me other views of China.

Xu:
My Understanding of Budihism
     There is no legend of resurrection in Buddhism; however, the Buddhists believe that everyone has to go through Samsara. Samsara means that we have numberless lives; if one dies, he/she will be reincarnated. What will he/she reincarnated as? Well, here come another important notion in Buddhism - Karma. Karma is the sum total of what you have done during this life, and it determines what you will become in the next life.
     For example, if you often present flowers in front of Buddha;s statue, you will be very beautiful in the next life. However, if you often insult your parents, you will become deaf and dumb. If you do something heinous like murdering, you may be reincarnated as a pig or dog to compensate for what you have done.
     However, even if you are good-looking, very wealthy and intelligent, you still feel unhappy from time to time. There is only one way to achieve eternal happiness - escaping Samsara and becoming a Buddha yourself. In order to become a Buddha, you need to take three steps. First, you hove to practice self-denial and reduce your desire as much as possible. Second, you ought to a meditate a lot and think about the meaning of life. Finally, in one split second, you get a kind of sudden insight which helps you become Buddha, who is eternal and escapes the Samsara.
     Some wester philosophers were very interested in these ideas. Schopenhauer, the most pessimist man ever seen on earth, accepted the idea that everyone suffers a lot in his/her daily life. He urged people to practice self-denial to get real happiness. He also believed that music is a perfect method to release human beings from mental agony.
     Nietzsche pose the most dreadful notion in philosophy - the eternal Samara. He didn't think human beings have any method to escape Samara, and he didn't believe what we do in this life can have any influence on the next life. In other words, we according to Nietzsche's theory, we will live our life like this one again, again and again. No change at all! If this is true, then Mrs. Kuzmich has already taught us thousands of times! Just imagine! Long, long ago, there's another Mrs. Kuzmich reading Xu's journal which introduce to her the meaning of "eternal Samara." Isn't that amazing? Maybe that's why we are often puzzled by the sensation of deja vu. I hope Mrs. Kuzmich is not offended by these pagan ideas.

Weichen:
     The Christian Easter Day is an excellent illustration of the fact that the view of death and what happens after death is an important part in all religions. In today's journal, I would like to note down my general ideas about CHinese religions in terms of the view of death. 
     Among Christianity, Islamism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism only the last two are native to China. Confucianism is quite a special thing, because it does not present typical features of a religion, such as the eagerness to promote itself and valid image of god for people to worship. Confucians generally do not talk about higher existences, out of their respect for them. This respect also goes for death, a case in point is the high standard of coffins set by Confucius himself. As a result, little mysterious things about death and the afterworld can be found in the "religion."
     Taoism goes to another extreme since its notions of life and death are especially complex and different schools hold their own opinions, like how this polytheism views the relations between their gods. Its view of life and death resembles that of Christianity, but also presents an idea of reincarnation. I will try to present a simple illustrate this point:
          At death everyone goes to hell. At such a point one goes either to a good hell of   
          common people with less sufferings and may choose to reincarnation into human life  
          again. Or one who lived a bad life may go to a bad hell of extreme sufferings and 
          reincarnation as animals like rabbits or dogs to be eaten. All dead souls need to be 
          gathered; and if they are not gathered they become wandering ghosts.
Nevertheless, the majority of CHinese do not adhere to a certain religion. They still believe in a sense of "karma." This interesting result may be the fruit of both Confucianism and Taoism.

Journal Reflections of Easter

Because of the large essay projects we are working on this second semester, we have not given  as many journal writing assignments. But Easter was a good cultural topic to discuss and reflect upon. Some of the students thoughts might interest you.

Yunxia:
As we  know, Easter, also called Resurrection Day, is a celebration of Jesus Christ returning from the dead. Because this a religious festival, Christians believe that it is the holiest day in the year. In my view Easter that's a wonderful festival or holiday. Friends give each other colorful Easter eggs and parents hide to have children fin eggs or cant. Although some people who are not Christians, they will dress nicely and to to church on Easter Sunday. 

For most Chinese like me, we don't have religion. So there is no religious festival or official holiday in China, However, it is well-known that China is a socialist country. One-party rule is executed, which means that country could only be governmented by the communist party. It's forbidded  that members of the Communist Party have other religions. In other words, communism is the religion fo the members of the Communist Party and also the religion of Chinese. In my opinion, to some extent, our National Day is kind of like Easter. From that day October 1st 1949 we have a whole new country and since then we have a new future, to build and live in a socialist country.

Zhen: 
Easter is a significant festival in Western countries which ranks with Christmas in importance. It falls on the first Sunday after the full moon following March equinox. It is said that it celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion on Calvary.
Rabbits and Easter eggs are popular cultural symbols of Easter. Rabbits represent fertility and eggs. the seed of life. Easter Day marks the day when Jesus is supposed to have risen from the dead proving He has the power over death to redeem those who will simply believe in him, saving those believers from the wrath of hell. Easter is a great festival because it gives people hope, just like the season Spring. It is inevitable that we did something wrong in our life, but it is never too late to realize it and change yourself. A man who has been a thief all his life realizes his fault at the age of 60 and would not reach into others' pocket when a wallet is available is worth forgiving. A person who doesn't work and plays every day finally aware of his responsibility is worth encouraging. It will never be too late to change yourself. Once you go back on the right track, you still glow like diamond.

Ying Cong:
Most westerners think Chinese don't have religion. However, we have beliefs. Unlike Christians or Muslims, we Chinese don't have a unified God to respect or a book, such as the Bible and the Koran, to observe. In most parts of China, the position of ancestry is just like the God to the whole family. On important Chinese festivals, people will go to clean graves and light incense to memorialize their ancestors. A the beginning of spring, almost the same time a s Easter Day, Chinese people will celebrate Tomb Sweeping Day to recall those who have died and hope the dead can bless the family

Yi:
As I know, Easter is the anniversary of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is the son of God. It is the most important festival of the Christianity. According to the Bible, a disciple named YouDa sold Jesus Christ down the river, then Jesus was arrested and crucified upon a cross. Before death, Jesus predicted that he would resurrect three days later. As expected, he revived on the third day. That's why the Easter got this name.

Hui:
I think Easter Holiday is a very meaningful holiday. Jesus atoned with Life not for his own sin but for human beings. And his rebirth showed that God has forgiven us. Although I am an atheist like most of CHinese, I am still deeply impressed by the mythology. In my opinion, Jesus is the greatest of the ancient Western sages. He is selfless. He saves people from sufferings and sins.

LiLi:
As a Chinese without any religious faith, especially when I really believe in the philosophy of Marxism, I have to admit that I can't understand why people believe in God so devoutly. However, I do admire the state of mind that the faith brings to people, for it makes people more optimistic about life. 

I have heard of Easter before. And I gradually realize the importance of God to Christians and the strong power of the religious faith as the spread of Christianity is becoming more popular in China. Then I can understand the significance of Easter.  Resurrection of Jesus means hope and immortality that all people long for. It's not just a festival when people can wear new clothes, but a religious rite and a part of worship for God. And that's why they will never lose these festival customs, such as the Easter eggs, the Easter bunny and fireworks.

Things are quite different in Chinese festivals. Although al or out traditional festivals have historical meaning, people are gradually losing those traditions. In modern China, to a large extent, the meaning of the festival is no longer as important as they were before. But the atmosphere of the day and the joy of family reunion make it more meaningful. Without religion, without the strong desire or power guiding us, we seem to lose our traditional culture and custom.

When people feel disappointed, have faith in the heart will make you never give up and never feel desperate. I think that is the charm of religion. When you  come across great difficulties in your life, especially when there is no one who can really help you, the religious faith can give you courage and power to defeat them. Besides, I believe those who believe in God and Easter are more likely to be a friendly and kind people because they want to be in heaven with God after death.

Maybe I still won't believe in any religion in my life, but I am willing to believe that there is a God in this world who are watching us and help people. That will make me feel more optimistic about the difficulties and enjoy the happiness as well as the sorrow in my life.

After posting our Afternoon Adventure of the crowded bus in Jinan, my brother sent me an interesting email. Forty+ years ago he served an LDS mission in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Adding to our bus adventure he wrote:

"Nothing like 20-hour humid, raining bus rides in Brazil...standing all the way...with Gauchos holding their chickens and goats...and smoking their cigarettes...tobacco rolled in corn husks...and no bath for 2 months..."

I'm sure bus rides have greatly improved in Brazil by now. But, what a memory to have. I prefer mine, thanks.

An Afternoon Adventure

We spent a few hours with two outstanding Chinese nationals, Lily and Alexandra (their English names), traveling by bus to buy two Hulusi wind instruments.  The lunch was fantastic and the bus ride back was as crowded as a legendary Japanese subway. 

We met Lily (left) two Sundays ago while taking the bus to church. She stood up and gave John her seat because he is old and venerable. He then struck up a conversation with Lily and she offered to be our guide to help us navigate the bus system so we could visit the Jinan Zoo the following weekend.
We met Alexandra (right) when she was a contestant in a speech contest we judged last semester. Sheis one of the smartest, hardest- studying college sophomores I had ever met. As a freshman she majored in philosophy but decided on a more practical major so she switch to Law. That meant she would have to take a double load of classes and pass a withering pile of exams to catch up with her Law classmates.
She'll be all caught up by the end of next semester. She plays the Hulusi and helped us purchase two good instruments. We will be taking lessons from her for the next few months.

                        Lily                                                                            Alexandra

Around the corner from the music store was the famous Jenny's Cafe, Western oasis. English ballads sung in the background. Western menu in English. Casual French atmosphere. Good Western food.

This was Lily's very experience eating with a fork & knife. Not as easy as it looks for hands trained to clamp two sticks together.

Just had to take photos of this uber crowded bus! The driver kept telling people to move back to make room for new passengers. Riiiight!  It was a comedy of sardines.

At every stop they just kept piling into the bus!

John was the only one of our group lucky enough to get a seat. 
Can you tell?

Easter at Shandong University

Roslyn and I had a great time today, Easter Sunday. We attended Church at the Hanlin Hotel with our regular "twig" members and enjoyed and pot luck Easter dinner together with them. Then we headed over to Central Campus and spent Easter afternoon with other foreign teachers and many African students who attend Shandong University from all over the continent of Africa. 

We met some new foreign teachers from Australia who married Chinese citizens and now live and work in Jinan. It is surprising how many people from different cultures live and work together here in China; especially within the Shandong University campus system.

You can see a video of their singing if you scroll down a few slides.




The Chinese have a love affair with rocks. The scraggily or multi-faceted the better. I think it might stem from the beauty of their written language both in its appearance and the depth of implication.

It is very common to have huge rock formation "sculptures" placed in parks, street corners, highway intersections, courtyards and business entrances. The 'rock garden' in the Forbidden City in Beijing is a moonscape of rocks on steroids. They love rocks/

Speaking of 'steroids' ... vases like this one often stand in places of honor in buildings and palaces.
I had John stand next to it to give you a sense of its enormity. It's a stunning piece of workmanship.

I can only imagine the size of the kiln this was fired in.

Here is a video of the Easter potluck feast entertainment featuring the African students who attend Shandong University singing Easter hymns. There is a strong Christian presence in Jinan, albeit small in numbers; maybe several hundred thousand...

in a city of six million.

Around the corner from our apartment building and on the way to school is a hotel with a sideway "parking lot." This gentleman is the watchman for the sidewalk parking space making sure its few spaces are available only for hotel/restaurant guests. The cars we see here are high end sedans.
The friendship we have struck up with this fellow consists of a smile, a wave and "Ni hao."
His special, smiling face is such a warm greeting each day as we walk to school. He was on duty this Easter Sunday so we had to capture his smile for you.