Sanitation? Mei You! (Non-existent)

As long as I'm talking about the differences between China and the West on issues of cleanliness, I must talk about sanitation, or rather, lack thereof. China is a dirty, dirty place. If you're reading this from the comfort of your home in a Western country you really can't understand just how dirty it is. Sorry, you just can't. It's unfathomable. I could write a whole novel about this, but I'll attempt to keep it short.

Public spitting is rampant. People spit on the street. People spit on the floor inside of restaurants. People even spit on crowded buses. For me, the spitting itself isn't as bad as the pre-spit wind up, a long phlegmy hawking sound as the offender prepares to clean his sinuses. I've now lived in China for eight months and I still cringe every time I hear that sound.A writer once deemed this sound the national anthem of China. Quite right I say.

Beyond spitting, there is just a high general level of dirt, grime and sludge. Most people throw garbage on the street without a second thought, even in beautiful scenic areas. City and country alike are awash in discarded beer cans, cigarette butts, and instant noodle containers.

Pollution is so unchecked that large portions of the Yangtze have become uninhabitable for most river-going creatures. The skies in Chinese cities are perpetually brown, and you can only see blue if you crane your neck and look directly up. When it rains, it rains acid.

But, like almost everything else in China, sanitation standards are rapidly changing. The Communist leaders in Beijing are in a tizzy about how foreigners will view their country during the summer Olympics next year. Will they find it overcrowded, polluted, and full of rude, callous people lacking the most basic of manners? This is the fear of the government.

So, to prepare China for the world, Beijing is undergoing vast renovations, both to it's infrastructure and to the very way of life for its inhabitants. Public transportation is being revamped and the subway is being expanded. Bad English signs (lovely termed "Chinglish" by foreign residents of China) are being corrected and replaced. And Beijingers themselves are being given a crash course in Western manners. No cutting in line. No cursing. And, perhaps the most ambitious aim of the government, no more spitting. A hilarious article was posted today in the NY Times about Beijing's efforts to revamp itself for the games. "Given that Chinese leaders regard the Olympics as a milestone event to showcase China to the world, they obviously do not want to be embarrassed," says the article. A highly recommended read.

*On a side note--My last two posts have touched on the grimier side of China, but make no mistake, I really love this country and it's people. I'll try to touch on China's more pleasant side in some future postings.

Erasing the Sun

China is changing and evolving by the second, and I along with it.

I came to China in the summer of 2006 after spending a year out of college at a miserable job and losing myself and my dreams in the process. Hey, nothing like moving to the other side of the world to reignite some sparks and passion for life, right?

I don’t care how many articles you’ve read, or how much history you’ve studied, unless you have actually lived in China you have little idea what the country is like. China, as I have quickly learned, is a country that must be experienced through the senses. My home in China, the city of Changsha, is a place where the air can be both tasted as well as smelled. On a good day the air is thick and sweet with hints of durian and cigarette smoke being gently puffed nearby. Even the ground is abuzz with both noise and feeling as seven million people rush through the crowded streets oblivious to everything but their immediate goal.

One day, during my first month in China, I emerged from my hotel around noon to find the entire sky colored burnt sienna. The pollution was so heavy you could see it rolling through the streets like fog. I looked up and found myself staring at a dimly glowing orb high above. It was the sun, and it had been nearly completely blotted out by the slew of carcinogens permeating the air. It looked as if it was smoldering; like a fire torn between flicking out or igniting into something larger and more powerful. I have never before looked directly at the sun at the height of daytime, and I doubt if I ever will again, but it was stunning. For a few hours that day China had erased the sun.

The city of Changsha has its own unique sounds, sights, and rhythms, all of it rushing by at the speed of dreams. It is leagues apart from everything I had expected or prepared for when planning to move here, and, often, despite my best efforts, it often defies written description. It might seem pointless then to write a blog about my experiences living here, and in truth, I could never hope to succinctly pen what it means to live in modern-day China as an American expat. Further, I can’t claim to know or describe what life in the whole of China is like. I am witness to only a small part of China, mostly life in and around Changsha, and I only hope to give a small glance at some of the things I find most interesting, share some stories, and maybe, shed a bit of light on what my life here is really like. I hope you enjoy this blog and whatever insight or humor it may occasionally offer. Please feel free to leave questions and comments!