All this week, Ophelia Chong will be touring China, all the while recording her observations, thoughts, and insights right here for you. To view more of her online diary entries, click here.
You would think by my previous posts that the Chinese (including me) don't have a sense of humor. You have to have one to be a driver or passenger in a car, it's your first line of defense when there's no rule book to go by and if there was one, no one's read it.
Road Kill
In the last few days that I have been here, and I have been coming to China for over thirty years, I have witnessed the subtle moments of levity. Today I found the motherlode. I went to the art district called 798 or Dashanzi Art District, a sprawling mini-city of galleries. The area was originally set up for factories during the 1950's which were large machine shops that are now massive art galleries, bookstores, cafes, local fashion shops, schools and contemporary theater spaces.
How much is that dead doggie in the window?
As I wandered down alleys, and through galleries I came upon a small shop, The Beijing Happy Sheep Art Area. What grabbed my eye was the stuffed pets, a small lap top dancing on a world globe, a white furry dog reading a book, guinea pigs holding up the Olympic rings to the small black dog playing tennis.
Even though there was a "No Photos" sign, the very sweet salesclerk let me take photos. I was in heaven. Where else could you find a dog playing tennis? What mind could come up with this and not laugh all the way through the taxidermying? Only a local Chinese could. Not that the Chinese have weird taxidermying locked up, a website called CrappyTaxidermy.com requests submissions from readers of their weird sightings from across the globe, but the Chinese has brought it up to a level of high art. This Beijing Happy Sheep Art Area is across from the international gallery Pace.
Pedestrian Rule No.1: Look both ways and run
A few years back in Shanghai, I witnessed an accident, a cyclist was hit by a concrete truck and it was ghastly. And the Chinese did what the Chinese do best, they gathered around and stared at the aftermath. No screaming, no wincing, just the quiet observation of life and death. It's not that they take dying lightly, it just happens more often and in public because of the amount of traffic.
Stat: The total number of cars for civilian use stood at 24.38 million, up by 24.5 percent, of which private-owned cars numbered 19.47 million, up by 28.0 percent. (From the National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2008)
Driving Rule No.1: The First One to Blink Looses
Only in the last five years has the majority of the car drivers been on the road. So if you can imagine a country full of drivers sort of obeying the rules, you have China. Hence the numerous traffic mishaps. Its a country of "oopps". If you can't sit back and just realize that this is the way it's going to be, then you will just drive yourself into an early grave, even if you can't laugh at it, at least roll your eyes and move on.
Rule No.2: Just keep moving, the other guy will get out of your way.
You have to have a sense of humor here. If you didn't you would never experience the daily joy of just being alive. And I think I found out where all the Feral Lap Dog go to Heaven.
Images: Ophelia Chong / 798 Art District 10.29.09
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