http://www.gochengdoo.com/ http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/blog/item/2939/a_chengdu_veteran_commuter_reflections_on_three_decades_of_city_living
During my first years of primary school, my father took me to school by bike. Private cars were rarely seen on the streets in those days. After school, parents and grandparents crowded around the gate, having arrived either on foot or by bike. Those who lived nearby walked home hand in hand with their family. And I, sitting on the back of my father's bike, counted the storefronts. This was how I started to know the city. On the days when my parents and I overslept, my father would rush to send me to school in pajamas and slippers. At that time, I thought it was a bit embarrassing for my father to be in such a mess. But now, I am too old and too heavy for the old man to take me by bike. And guess what—we don't even have a bike.

After I entered the higher grades of primary school, I became more social and wanted to spend more time with my friends and be more independent. So I went to school by bus. There were only two stops between school and home on the number 3 bus, which, 20 years ago, was a short route that circled around my community inside the First Ring Road. Now that route goes well beyond, near Third Ring Road.

At the time, the bus fare was only 1 jiao and of course there was a student pass, which made it even cheaper. The student pass was a small piece of cardstock upon which was glued the cardholder's photo and the month written on it. Every month we had to change it, but sometimes I forgot, so when the conductor approached to check my pass, I would show it very quickly with my thumb over the number. Most of the time, I succeeded—but even if I failed, the conductor would always forgive a little girl.

The following six years of middle and high school offered me lots of inspiration to keep a bicycle diary. For teenagers in the 1990s, a bike was more than a means of transportation. They were a symbol of connection and the bond between friends. We went on dates on our bikes. We waited for each other somewhere to go to school or home together. We skipped classes to go off by bike and have fun. We talked and talked after school by the roadside until the night came and then we pedaled home. We rode our bikes side by side and got dirty looks and gruff words when we blocked other people. Bikes were a carrier of laughter and tears. And definitely, the bike served as proof that we were once young.

It was also in the 1990s that the city witnessed the prelude to modern-day massive and constant infrastructure construction. The Second Ring Road, the biggest municipal project in the city's history, was completed at the end of 1993. And that was just the start. Later, Chengdu locals welcomed the Third Ring Road, then the outer ring road, Tianfu Dadao, and many others as the city expanded. The growing veins of the city have changed how people go here and there too. Cars dominate the roads. Scooters have replaced the bikes, and the bikes have been relegated to a vehicle for leisure and sport. When the metro finally started to run at the end of 2010, people began to move not only above ground but also underground.

Chengdu's transformation over the past 20 years never fails to impress people. The developments are hard to get used to. My mother is still surprised that I can finish my business trip in Chongqing and return home in the same day. It used to take her a whole night from the basin to the hill. However, my father says, "There are more cars. There are wider roads. But these things make it more difficult to go here and there in the city." It takes me one hour to go from my home to the city south around the Second Ring Road by bus or by car when there is a serious traffic jam—theoretically equivalent to the time from Chengdu to Mianyang. It seems as if the so-called development of the transportation network makes moving harder instead of easier. I should acknowledge that there have been improvements. But the problems following development usually seem to be more outstanding.

The day when I wrote this, construction of the second layer of the Second Ring Road was completed. It will be put into operation soon. How this big, ugly, and daylight-blocking structure will alleviate the city congestion, especially at peak hours, we can only wait and see.

This article by Tan Juan was first published in CHENGDOO citylife Magazine, issue 64 ("Traffic"). Photo by Dennis Kruyt. ]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 11:20:00 +0800 http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/blog/item/2939/a_chengdu_veteran_commuter_reflections_on_three_decades_of_city_living http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/blog/item/2938/whats_on_chengdu_may_2426 FRIDAY | MAY 24

youku

Mr. Turtle @ Little Bar
aka Mr. Chelonian. Local pop/ rock. Support: Heermeng. RMB60 (pre-sale RMB50)
Starts at 8 p.m.

Apollo 20 @ Hemp House
Chengdu rock. After party with DJ Loco. RMB30.
Starts at 9 p.m.

SATURDAY | MAY 25

youku

Zuoyuo @ Little Bar
Chinese rock. Support: Monkey Legion. RMB60 (pre-sale RMB50).
Starts at 8 p.m.

Zhu Guangyu @ Machu Picchu
Chinese folk. RMB50 (pre-sale RMB40).
Starts at 9 p.m.

Italian Night @ Vin Restaurant
Dinner buffet with pizza, pasta, lasagna, canelloni,meat balls, gelato, tiramixu, salad, grilled vegetables, risotto ball etc. RMB150 (children under 10 half price).

Mega House Party @ Dojo next to Morning Bar (154 Hongshacun)
with DJs Loco, Marty Heinz, Just Charlie, Luna, Big Snax, Selfdom, Cvalda, Ewan and VJ L3. Free entrance. transport and last resort accommodation upon request (18615749983 or 18615777278)
Starts at 4 p.m.

Big yard sale @ QSI
One table RMB50.
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Show Luo @ Sichuan Provincial Gymnasium
Taiwanese Mandopop. RMB280-1,280.
Startst at 8 p.m.

Deep House Party @ Hemp House
with DJ Gavin & Kolja. All shots buy 1 get one free. Free entrance. Starts at 8 p.m.

Vintage Market @ Redstar (Tojo @ Hongxinglu 31)
Free entrance.
1.30 - 7 p.m.

Kill the Hill 2 @ Longquan
Fixie/ single speed bike ride in team of four. Afterparty @ Dojo (former Machu Picchu in Sanshengxiang). RSVP with larry[AT]natooke[DOT]com
Starts at 4 p.m.

SUNDAY | MAY 26

Tiger Battle of the Bands @ Little Bar
rock band talent concert. Free entrance.
Starts at 7.30 p.m.

ONGOING

Soft Violence @ K Gallery
Luo Fahui solo exhibition. Free entrance
April 25 - May 24

Science and Technology Festival @ Chengdu East Music Park
May 23-25

The Moment of Blossom @ ViaVia
Contemporary art exhibition with Yining Zhao.
May 14 - 25

Zoige @ West Village Lifestyle Center
Tibetan and Qiang craft and art exhibition. Free entrance.
Though May 27

WANDERLUST @ Moca
Modern art exhibition with Francis Alys, Marcel Broodthaers, Honore d'O, Joelle Tuerlinckx & Panamernko
Free entrance.
April 18 - June 9

Suwen @ Yingmeng Art Salon (Chengdu East Music Park)
Contemporary Chinese art exhibition with He Duoling and others. Free entrance.
May 11 - June 10

Ensemble @ Yijia Art Gallery
Rumen Raykov collection exhibition.
May 18 - June 18

Occasional @ Re-C Art Space
Contemporary art vs Psychoanalysis. Free entrance
May 21 - July 3

UPCOMING EVENTS

Green Drinks with Roi Ariel @ ViaVia
Eco-tourism in Madagascar, Laos, and China. Free entrance.
Starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 28

youku

Longjing @ Little Bar
Beijing reggae/ rock. Support: Saigon. RMB60 (students RMB50).
Starts at 8 p.m. Friday, May 31

youku

J Hood Tour @ Hemp House
Hiphop by Jony J. Support: Big Ty & AnsrJ. Free entrance.
Starts at 8 p.m. Friday, May 31

Backstreet Boys @ Sichuan Provincial Gymnasium
British boyband. RMB280 - 1,680.
Starts at 8 p.m. Friday, May 31

International Networking Party @ ViaVia
RMB60 (incl. cocktails) RMB10 go quake relief. RSVP with etienne.rault@hotmail.fr
Starts at 7 p.m.

Red Water @ Little Bar
Chengdu funk rock. Support: Gramaphonetics. RMB40.
Starts at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 1

Chengdumusic Anniversary Party @ Hemp House
with Wednesday Trip, Stolen, Hi Person & DJs D.Bassman, Andy Mac, Thomas, Ian & VJ Chafei. RMB60 (incl. one draft beer).
Starts at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 1

Hiphop Concert @ Lotus Palace
with MCs TY, Sleepy Cat, Fat Shady, AnsrJ, Lil White, Onstyle, JonyJ & Pact. RMB60 (pre-sale RMB50).
Starts at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 1

Community Charity Clothing Drive & Sale @ Leanna's Bakery
Donations of clothes anticipated. Most items RMB10. Proceeds go to SQR & GEMS Intl. Girls Club. Contact susittko@gmail.com for a list of convenient drop boxes

Sergio Tiempo @ Jiaozi Concert Hall
Classical pianist from Venezuela. RMB80-580.
Starts at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 1]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 11:20:00 +0800 http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/blog/item/2938/whats_on_chengdu_may_2426 http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/blog/item/2937/southwest_chinas_first_modern_tramway_to_operate_in_chengdu_suburb scheduled to start next month.

The 20.24km track will be laid along main roads in Chengdu's Xinjin County, southwest of Shuangliu County, where it will run in the center dividing lanes.

There will be 19 stations along this line, and passenger volume is expected to be between 3,000 and 7,000 people hourly.

Construction is expected to be complete by the end of 2014, and a total of six tram lines, with a total of 86 kilometers, are expected to be running in Xinjin by 2030.



A tramway was selected to meet the city's transit needs rather than a subway because the passenger capacity fulfills Xinjin's expected needs, and stops can be more frequent, solving the "last mile" problem common to subway commuters. And at a cost of RMB1 billion per kilometer as opposed to the subway's RMB7 billion per kilometer, the tramway seemed to be the more sensible option.

An investment of RMB9.1 billion will be made for the six-line project.

Image sources: qq news and Xinjin official site]]> Tue, 21 May 2013 16:55:00 +0800 http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/blog/item/2937/southwest_chinas_first_modern_tramway_to_operate_in_chengdu_suburb http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/blog/item/2936/shooting_stars_big_dreams_from_chengdu_to_the_world Shanghainese model Zhang Wen for H&M.

I first met Kyle (Feng Jiaqi) in 2005, shortly after I'd arrived in Chengdu. There were a few local rock bands playing at the Shamrock, and being in my early 20s and fancying going out to a rock show as an opportunity to dress up, I was wearing my finest torn fishnet stockings and leather and lip ring, and he tapped me on the shoulder and complimented my clothes.

I would find out that he was an English major at the Chengdu University of Information Technology who happened to be really into music and clothes, at the time and on the weekends he would come over and try on my black eyeliner and we would take snapshots in the mirror, and then he would wash it all off before going to eat dinner with what he describes as his "very normal, average family."

In his senior year, he went to Beijing for an internship and said he didn't like the way people talked and that he missed Sichuan. So I was surprised when not long after he announced that he was moving to Shanghai. We mostly fell out of contact over the years, but once he mentioned he was taking photos and did we want to publish any in the magazine? "This is CHENGDOO magazine," I replied. "What do we want with Shanghai party photos? Contact the Shanghai magazines." Another few years passed and I heard from him again. "I'm in Chengdu. Let's meet at the Europe House."

Not exactly my cup of tea, but it's conveniently located, so I went upstairs and took a seat on the rococo-inspired sofa chair while a white-gloved waitress poured me some hot water, and I ordered the most expensive coffee I've ever had in my life. Kyle arrived—he had ditched his plastic-framed glasses for a lip ring and he had a more worldly, confident air about him, but otherwise he looked more or less like the same kid I knew all those years ago.

He ordered green tea ("Too cool for coffee, Mr. Shanghai?" I asked. "No, it's my stomach. I had spicy food last night") before filling me in on how he's become a big-shot photographer.



The photographer in Berlin.

So how did you get started in photography?
I got interested because I always liked rock 'n' roll—it had been always part of my life. In university every week, I'd go to see what new CDs from Western rock 'n' roll bands the sellers had, and also to Little Bar. At that time I couldn't afford an expensive camera, so I just used a digital [snapshot] camera.

Then in Shanghai, I contacted the expat magazine City Weekend. By then I had bought an SLR and was always going to take pictures of some underground rock shows. The third time I sent photos in, they were published, and every issue since then they send me to take photos of shows. I've been shooting for this magazine for almost 20 issues. I think that [gave me confidence] to try to work as a photographer. So then I went to the attached photography institute of Fudan University and studied for a year.

At that time I did a lot of events, parties, birthday parties, corporate events, expos, some food exhibitions. So that's how I made money for a few years, and after that I started shooting models because I wanted to be in the fashion industry as a photographer. I love fashion—it's connected with rock 'n' roll as well, and now it's been two years since I started to do fashion.



Now I do a lot of portraits for magazine editorials, maybe because that's what I'm good at and most of the magazines want that. I shot Guo Jingming, the writer, and the most famous Chinese football star and some CEOs for Harper's Bazaar and Numéro. I've also done some work for Elle Men, and a couple weeks ago for Men's Health I shot a photo of a renowned blood-transfusion specialist in his surgery room. It was very exciting for me. I love portraits—they can show the expression or the moment of the person's sense.

How do you find work?
Weibo helps, and if the editor likes your work they might introduce you to others from the same industry. One time I shot the singer from Massive Attack performing, and I put it on Weibo, and the editor [of Numéro] found it and sent me a message asking if they could buy the picture from me. So then they called me another time and I worked with them to shoot a filmmaker from Paris who worked with [Beijing Bicycle] director Wang Xiaoshuai, and then she e-mailed me again a few months ago because she wanted to use another photo for a French film magazine.

Do you think being able to speak English well helps?
I didn't take this as an advantage, I'm just thinking this is my tool for use. Most of the time, for the editorials, you speak Chinese, but if it's a Westerner, if you take photos of them you have to speak English with them.

Your work has also taken you abroad now.
Yes, I shot the New York Fashion Week. Yahoo! China needed a photographer to cover the shows so I flew there with two writers. Shooting backstage was interesting—you can see a lot of very famous models, doing hair and makeup, and it's not like Shanghai's fashion week. I think the models in New York, why are they international famous top models? They must have something the other models don't have. They are more experienced and more professional; they know how to pose for pictures. Whenever you raise your camera, they look at you and smile even if they are super busy. So this shows me what professionalism is about. I think that was one of the most unforgettable trips.



Did you feel you had accomplished your dream when you were there?
Oh yeah. [Laughs.] I always wanted to go to New York, and I didn't know when I could go. And suddenly this chance fell on me, unexpected, and I felt like, oh my God, it's really happened to me. And when we landed there and then we were in the taxi on the way to Manhattan, I was still like, "Am I really in New York?" But it's really different—New York and what your idea of New York is, it's really different.

What was the most interesting part of shooting there?
I took pictures of the Chinese top models, like Xi Mengyao (aka Ming Xi) and Liu Wen, walking down the street and after the show we interviewed them about their lifestyle and working as a Chinese model in New York. And Ju Xiaowen who worked with [London-based fashion photographer] Tim Walker and modeled for Prada, we shot a video of her in the taxi and some photos of what she puts in her bag. So that's what I did, both photo shoot and video shoot. We interviewed a lot of fashion designers, Diane von Furstenberg and the designer of Calvin Klein.

Did you feel like a fan when you were talking to some of these big names?
I feel more like a busy worker. You don't have any time to think about you're a fan. I even saw Sarah Jessica Parker walking past me, and she stopped for me to take a photo of her standing in front of me. It's such a mess, there's a lot of photographers, they want to catch what they need so the situation is kind of crazy. You have to just take your camera and press the shutter and do it. Some celebrities are coming backstage and you have to take this moment.



How did people react to your Chinese team?
Once they know you are from Yahoo! China they know you are doing the promotion and they are very accepting. China is very important in the international fashion industry—most of the sales and top luxury brands are here in China, and the manufacturing is here. And Chinese models are more successful internationally because of this—they work with more and more famous designers and photographers.

Which city has the best street fashion?
I think London. Also, surprisingly, I found that Melbourne is a fashionable city—a lot of skinny jeans with T-shirts and rocker style or alternative or hipster, it's really the kind of style I like a lot, and there are a lot of independent designers. Of course, Paris. Paris is just very beautiful. It looks like surreal, I felt like I was in a dream when I was there. And you can see some very stylish people dressing in a very high-fashion style. But I personally more prefer the independent and more rock 'n' roll, hipster style.

What about Shanghai fashion?
Shanghai women love style and high fashion. So they love to have a bag like LV bag or Gucci bag. It's a bit different, their taste is more about they want something expensive and looks good from the outside, looks very luxurious.

Do you think you would have had these opportunities if you hadn't moved to Shanghai?
I really appreciate that I moved to Shanghai. I think that if I didn't, maybe I'd just be working for some normal company daily from 8 to 5. I feel very lucky that I jumped out from this city and got to see more of the world. In Chengdu there are some chances for English majors, but I think Shanghai is a more open city and there are many more opportunities for me.

What do you think about Chengdu when you're back?
The biggest change for me is there's a lot of construction, and the air is a mess. I feel I don't want to breathe the air anymore. Everybody needs to wear a mask. I miss the Chengdu from before I went to Shanghai. It was more clean and quiet. But maybe this is something the city needs to develop and they need to build these things. But I'm thinking do they have to do this? I don't know. Why not keep the city [as it was]?

This article was first published in CHENGDOO citylife Magazine, issue 63 ("people").
Photos by Kyle Fong. ]]> Tue, 21 May 2013 00:15:00 +0800 http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/blog/item/2936/shooting_stars_big_dreams_from_chengdu_to_the_world http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/blog/item/2932/whats_on_chengdu_may_1719 FRIDAY | MAY 17

youku

Li Daiguo @ Machu Picchu
Experimental world/folk.
Starts at 9 p.m.

youku

Mosaic @ Little Bar
Chengdu dance rock. RMB60 (students RMB50).
Starts at 8 p.m.

Red Water @ Hemp House
Funk rock. After party with DJ Cvalda. RMB40 (incl. 1 gin tonic).
Starts at 9 p.m.

SATURDAY | MAY 18

Xi Meng @ Machu Picchu
Chinese folk/ rock. RMB40 (pre-sale RMB30).
Starts at 9 p.m.

Bloom Party @ Morning Bar
with DJs Yang Bing, Kaize, Ewan & XiaoLong. RMB30.
Starts at 2 p.m.



OCC - Out of Countrol @ Little Bar
Beijing rock. RMB40.
Starts at 8 p.m.

TA5TY! & Disco Death @ Hemp House
with DJs Loco, Issy!, Just Charlie. Free entrance. Starts at 10 p.m. Happy hour before 9 p.m.

Chengdu Mustangs VS Shanghai Nighthawks @ Sichuan University (main football field stadium)
American Football match. Free entrance.
Starts at 2 p.m.

SUNDAY | MAY 19

Red Dress Charity Run @ Orchard Villas corner
RMB100 (first 100 to sign get a t-shirt and dinner). Benefits to to Hopeful Hearts.

Hu Defu aka Ara Kimbo @ Jingcheng Art Palace
Taiwanese folk/ world. RMB80-580.
Starts at 8 p.m.

Liu Dongming @ Little Bar
Chinese folk. RMB60 (students RMB50).
Starts at 8 p.m.

Sichuan Symphony Orchestra Weekend Concert @ Jiaozi Concert Hall
Italian opera benefit concert.
Starts at 8 p.m.

Open Guitar Class @ Eight and a half Bar
with Soundtoy guitarist Li Zhe. Free entrance.
2.30 - 5.30 p.m.



Freaking hot @ Nuokenuo Bar (opposite the Main Gate of Chengdu University of Technology)
Local old school punk & thrash metal with Coming Up for Air & TMetal. RMB5.
Starts at 7.30 p.m.

Vintage Flea Market & BBQ @ Old fashioned cafe (16 Paotong Shujie)
2 - 10 p.m.

ONGOING

Oil on canvas: Contemporary Chinese Art @ Chengdu East Music Park (Cengyi Gallery)
Free entrance.
April 20 - May 20

Soft Violence @ K Gallery
Luo Fahui solo exhibition. Free entrance
April 25 - May 24

The Moment of Blossom @ ViaVia
Contemporary art exhibition with Yining Zhao.
May 14 - 25

Zoige @ West Village Lifestyle Center
Tibetan and Qiang craft and art exhibition. Free entrance.
Though May 27

WANDERLUST @ Moca
Modern art exhibition with Francis Alys, Marcel Broodthaers, Honore d'O, Joelle Tuerlinckx & Panamernko
Free entrance.
April 18 - June 9

Suwen @ Yingmeng Art Salon (Chengdu East Music Park)
Contemporary Chinese art exhibition with He Duoling and others. Free entrance.
May 11 - June 10

Ensemble @ Yijia Art Gallery
Rumen Raykov collection exhibition.
May 18 - June 18

UPCOMING EVENTS

Agnes Kain @ Little Bar
Aussie accustic pop. RMB80 (RMB60 pre-sale).
Starts at 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 21

This will destroy You @ Little Bar
Indie/ post-rock from Texas. Support: 48V. RMB80 (pre-sale RMB60).
Starts at 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 22

youku

Mr. Turtle @ Little Bar
aka Mr. Chelonian. Local pop/ rock. Support: Heermeng. RMB60 (pre-sale RMB50)
Starts at 8 p.m. Friday, May 24

Apollo 20 @ Hemp House
Chengdu rock. After party with DJ Loco. RMB30.
Starts at 9 p.m. Friday, May 24

youku

Zuoyuo @ Little Bar
Chinese rock. Support: Monkey Legion. RMB60 (pre-sale RMB50).
Starts at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 25

Zhu Guangyu @ Machu Picchu
Chinese folk. RMB50 (pre-sale RMB40).
Starts at 9 p.m. Saturday, May 25

Show Luo @ Sichuan Provincial Gymnasium
Taiwanese Mandopop. RMB280-1,280.
Startst at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 25

Tiger Battle of the Bands @ Little Bar
rock band talent concert. Free entrance.
Starts at 7.30 p.m. Sunday, May 26]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 10:55:00 +0800 http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/blog/item/2932/whats_on_chengdu_may_1719 http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/blog/item/2935/sticky_business_kendoka_in_chengdu Elizabeth Bergen-Bartel's father put on Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai for his daughter to watch, he unknowingly set into motion a series of events that would lead the lively blonde from Arlington, Virginia, all the way to a kendo dojo in Chengdu, China. From this tentative, film-inspired interest in martial arts, Bergen-Bartel began her kendo practice at the age of 14, and through this practice, she met the man she would later marry, a Chengdunese martial-arts practitioner who was studying at the same university as Bergen-Bartel.

In 2003, the couple decided to move to Chengdu and start careers, she, teaching English, and he, refereeing for the Asian Karate Federation (he holds a sixth-degree black belt in karate), work they continue to this day. Two years later, they opened a kendo club where they both teach and train. In the meantime, they also had two sons, who are starting to practice kendo but "mostly are busy with homework," according to their mom.

Against a backdrop of nonstop energetic battle calls and the sounds of students smacking their bamboo swords (shinai) against helmets, Bergen-Bartel sat down and shared her insights on kendo—the "way of the sword."

What is the state of kendo in China and in Chengdu?
Officially, China joined the international federation in 2009, so before that time it was pretty unofficial. It's slowly just going to different cities. There are lots of people practicing in Beijing and Shanghai—those are the major powerhouses for kendo because there are more foreigners there. Right now China doesn't have a lot of high-ranking practitioners; the highest is fifth dan [rank]. Eighth dan is the highest rank you can get. I'm third dan now, and currently my husband is fourth dan, so he's the highest dan in the southwest. They have a lot of high-ranking practitioners in Japan, U.S., France, Korea, and Taiwan.

In the southwest [of China], we are the first official club. In China, I think Beijing has the first club, they were founded in 1998. In Chengdu there are a couple other clubs. There are affiliated clubs and then there are non-affiliated clubs. There's quite a few affiliated clubs, I can't remember how many now. Then there's maybe one unaffiliated club that I know of, close to Sichuan University. We host the Chengdu Open in July, we have people coming from all over China, sometimes we get people from Hong Kong if we're lucky, and there's been a couple of Japanese who live in Beijing.



How do people react to it given its ties to Japan?
Originally people were like God, what's this? But then of course you get anime lovers, Japanese-culture lovers, who are interested. And slowly you just get people who are more interested in the sports, martial-arts interest. I think karate, jujitsu, and judo are definitely more widely practiced in China. But kendo's slowly gaining its place. There's a deeper aspect of spiritualism in kendo, I feel. You do a lot of kata [form work], so in general that's the attraction a lot of people have to kendo, and also you get to use a sword, so that's fun. A lot of people get interested [first] in the swords.

What were your goals and what challenges did you face starting up a kendo school?
For my husband, I think he wanted to be a teacher, he wanted to teach martial arts and he wanted to bring back more purified martial arts to China, to Chengdu because at the time there was only one karate school, and it was not very authentic. So he wanted to bring that kind of culture and let everyone enjoy the physical activity of martial arts.

We had a lot of trouble starting because not many people knew of the martial art, so just promoting kendo was hard, and slowly over the years more and more people were informed about Japanese culture and Japanese martial arts and they came to watch or try out, and that garnered more interest. I think most interest is spread by word of mouth because we don't have a Web site. Occasionally we've done demonstrations at Ito Yokado for Japanese fests, and there were a couple TV programs that we've been on, but we haven't done that much promotion.

How many students do you have, and what kind of people do they tend to be?
We have about 100 who are regular, more than 80 have obtained first-degree black belt or above. A lot of times there are people who are interested in anime who show up but normally they don't stay that long, sadly. There are other people who come and say, "Wow this is so cool, I want to do it," and they normally stay longer, and now there are more people interested in budo culture. [Students who have practiced other martial arts] have been educated on the culture behind martial arts, so they're not as likely to have preconceived ideas. So they're more adapted to this kind of culture in the first place and so they're more likely to succeed.

Most of the students are full-time workers. We don't have many stay-at-home moms or anything. But we do have a lot of girls—the ratio is about 3:7, female to male. Normally there's a lot more guys in kendo so our dojo's pretty lucky in that way. The jujutsu club is mostly guys—I've only seen one or two girls in there before. We try to promote it toward women more and try to make the women feel equally comfortable as the guys in a situation and if they receive a mis-strike or something we make a joke and make sure the guys don't do it again.

Sometimes there are championships where women compete with men, but usually not in China. It's more interesting, I find. Men are a lot more physical with their fighting—they use more power—and women are more technical. They're smaller so they have to use technique to succeed in fights. So it's interesting to see them fight with each other.



Are there martial arts that are more female oriented?
There's a martial art in Japan, naginata, it's with a long spear. That's more female-dominated in Japan—I guess it's the culture; a long time ago the women could defend their homes with long spears and still take care of their kids on their backs and guys would go to the battlefield with swords.

How practical would kendo be in a real-life fight?
Not practical. I should just get a gun [laughs]. No, it's not very practical. In some way I think having the experience fighting people helps because you can confront people with loud screams and maybe scare them, but if I came into a difficult situation, I'd probably just throw my wallet and run.

How often do you practice, and do you practice any other martial arts?
Typically two to three hours a day. On the weekend normally more, six hours or something like that. I do iaido and jodo, iaido's with the real sword, and jodo's with a staff, and I started karate recently but I'm not practicing regularly.

Do you think there's a kendo-Star Wars connection?
I don't think I'm qualified to judge what George Lucas had in mind! But I think the ethics behind the Jedi philosophy is kind of connected to kendo or budo culture in general; I think that's what inspired the Jedi knights, I don't know. I think George Lucas said The Hidden Fortress was one of the films that inspired him to write Episode 4.

Have you participated in major tournaments?
We have five national team members that participated in the last world championships in Italy. My husband and I participated in the previous world championships, the 14th world championships [in Brazil]. So I actually got to play as a [China national] team member—a lot of people were like, "What? There's a blond girl on the Chinese team?" It confuses the hell out of people. People who have practiced in the country and technically started in the country can get permission from the national organization to play for the national team. So since I got my first dan in China, I'm considered like a Chinese practitioner. It's a little strange.



And you've won some too, right?
I've won the women's division national championship twice in China.

Have you received any honors or accolades from the government for your work?
I wish! Not yet. Kendo's very small compared to the other sports in China, and it's not officially recognized as a sport so the government is not that interested in it. But I think slowly as the popularity grows the government will get more involved. Right now they're getting pretty involved through the wushu association. Some tournaments have prize money, but not in China. Here, there are trophies and equipment for prizes.

What's the best way to train?
I think a lot of smart and hard training helps, and understanding that it takes a long time to build up the proper techniques and ability to use your body along with the sword. So just knowing yourself and practicing hard and practicing right will help you. Training right, knowing yourself and having a cause I think is what's going to help.

What does kendo bring to you?
I think kendo's a good way to learn more about yourself, your own spirit—that's a little out there, but that's why I do kendo, to learn more about myself and overcome my weaknesses.

Mugen Ryu Martial Arts Academy offers courses in kendo, jujutsu, iaido, jodo, budo taijutsu, and self-defense for women. Classes are held on weeknights and during the daytime on weekends.

This article was first published in CHENGDOO citylife Magazine, issue 63 ("people").
Photos by Dan Sandoval. ]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 00:45:00 +0800 http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/blog/item/2935/sticky_business_kendoka_in_chengdu http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/blog/item/2933/faces_of_bangladesh
One of my friends told me that he had heard stories of people going to Bangladesh and then getting back on the plane out the very same day. I can believe it.



I landed in Dhaka, paid 50 USD for a visa on arrival, and my adventure began. To fully experience the intensity of the place, I stayed in the old part of the city. I thought I was prepared, but even with my previous exposure to the Indian subcontinent, Bangladesh tested my nerves and patience and pushed me out of my comfort zone. I will never complain again about the bad traffic back home! I will appreciate the effectiveness of Chengdu's traffic light system, the importance of bus schedules, and the comfort of brushing my teeth with tap water.




But there would be no Bangladesh without the people! Despite facing poverty, corruption, and vulnerability to climate change, the people I encountered were incredibly friendly, generous, curious and open-hearted, at times bombarding me with questions. Besides encounters with locals, the country has a lot to offer: Tea plantations in the northeast, the biggest mangrove forest in the world (Sundarbans), the world's longest natural sandy sea beach, fishing with otters, amazingly sweet and tasty cakes and desserts are a few of the things that make the country worth a visit.





































































This article was first published in CHENGDOO citylife Magazine, issue 63 ("people"). Photos & text by Michal Pachniewski.]]> Tue, 14 May 2013 13:55:00 +0800 http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/blog/item/2933/faces_of_bangladesh http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/blog/item/2934/crouching_pepper_hidden_panda_another_chengdu_promo_video
The animation features dancing chili peppers escaping from a hot pot to party around the city, enjoying somoe of the most notable traditions of Sichuanese cultlure, including face-changing at the opera, drinking tea in the tea fields, and then flying by the Global Center.

youku

The video was created by a group of five young IT employees who call themselves "Chengdu IT Sisters." The women said that they were inspired to start working on the video after they saw the "9 Minutes to Know about Chengdu" video last summer.

This video, created by "Chengdu IT Man," gives a nine-minute overview of Chengdu's history and current economic and social situation (in English and Chinese).

youku

The IT Sisters, co-workers at the Chengdu Hengfeng Animation Company (成都恒风动漫制作公司), decided they would release their own short promotional video about Chengdu before the Fortune Global Forum this June and worked on it during their free time for half a year.

After the warm reaction to the first video, the IT Sisters hope to create another video featuring kung fu peppers.



Although most of the hundreds of comments on the Youku post of the IT Sisters' video were positive, some were cynical: "This is all in the past, now the calling card of the city is exhaust, exhaust, exhaust."]]> Tue, 14 May 2013 12:20:00 +0800 http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/blog/item/2934/crouching_pepper_hidden_panda_another_chengdu_promo_video http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/blog/item/2931/interview_with_sichuan_quake_reliefs_peter_goff Volunteers sort donated materials after the Wenchuan quake in 2008. Photo by Julien Rideller

Sichuan Quake Relief is a Chengdu-based, community-response NGO that formed in May 2008 in response to the Wenchuan earthquake, providing immediate relief as well as working on longer-term assistance projects west Sichuan. The organization also provided aid following the 2010 quake that hit the Yushu region of the Sichuan-Qinghai border.

Days after the Lushan quake, we sat down with SQR founder Peter Goff, who had gone to Lushan following the jolt and reported that search-and-rescue efforts were shifting toward relief work—providing the displaced with temporary shelter, food, water, and medical aid. Frequent and heavy aftershocks, landslides, and rain were causing logistical difficulties, especially in the most isolated parts that were cut off from road access.

At the time of writing, the quake and subsequent aftershocks had left nearly 200 people dead, around 20 missing, more than 11,000 injured (among which 1,000 cases were classified as severe), and 150,000 homeless.

Can you give us a general update on the situation in Lushan?
The lack of access is a bit frustrating. All the NGOs are waiting to get in. After the last experience they are well prepared, but the permits to go in will be restricted – I think there will be tighter restrictions [than in 2008] because of the potential for congestion and the extreme dangers going up there. You're surrounded by mountains which must be four, five thousand meters high and with just straight cliff faces. The day I was there, two vehicles went off the edge, one excavator and one truck that was carrying some soldiers. And this was in dry conditions, so you can imagine what's like when it's wet up there.


Lushan citizens in front of their collapsed home. Photo by China News

Like in the 5.12 [May 12, 2008] quake, you have structural engineers going up there carrying three pots of paint, green, red, and yellow. If your house is OK, they paint it green, if it needs reinforcement, they splash it yellow, and if it has to come down they splash it red. Out of the 150,000 homeless some get the green splash, and they can move back in, and the ones with a red splash have to be rebuilt. This time they started putting up tents really quickly. In Lushan Middle School, they had them fully erected by Saturday night [the day of the quake]—200 tents, each accommodating 12 people or so. And that was one of eight tent centers in Lushan. Somewhere on the road between Ya'an and Lushan they have 60,000 tents, so there should be enough tents and enough medics on the road to help.

What is SQR doing at the moment?
While we're waiting [to get in to assess the situation], we're preparing hygiene packs like we did for 5.12. We take a plastic basin and fill it with detergents, hand wipes, soaps, toothbrushes and toothpaste, Band-Aids, plus things that are useful in a camping environment—strings, scissors, waterproof tape, disposable ponchos, candles, lighters. We can make any number of those—depending on what you put, they in probably cost less than RMB100 a pack. People can donate items or cash for those, but it should be noted that it is illegal in China to distribute used clothes—everything must be new.


Photo provided by Peter Goff

What were the gaps in relief efforts following the Wenchuan quake?
Those things like hygiene products were a very obvious gap. The Red Cross fed everyone and provided water, but those things like hygiene and basic sanitation were not really taken care of. Any kind of rehabilitation—mental rehabilitation, building communities and temporary shelters was an important factor to get people into a more organized and positive life and entice them to improve their own quality of life and look after the most disadvantaged, the disabled, and the dislocated with a poverty-stricken background.

What major projects were you able to complete?
We set up a community center in the old earthquake area and a school, which runs by itself and doesn't need too much day-to-day care, we're just on the board to advise. In the community center we run development projects and grassroots NGO incubation and cultivation projects.

Since 2008, SQR ran through three stages. The first year after the Wenchuan quake was helping with emergency relief. Then in years two and three we dealt with people in temporary tent villages and tried to improve their lives with physical and mental rehabilitation, sanitation, and education projects. And when people moved back into permanent dwellings in the fourth and fifth years, we did grassroots incubation—training people with disabilities and giving them microloans so they could set up their own businesses.

The 5.12 network was quite active in training people in civil society development and NGO activity. Where these people are working, what their projects are doing now, I'm not sure, but they will probably get involved in this. It probably needs the same coalition like the last time, but the scale is obviously a lot smaller.

How long did it take to build houses and reinstall infrastructure?
Last time, the lucky ones were back in their house 18 months to two years after, and the unlucky ones three to four years—but there are still people not in houses. After three years they took down temporary shelters regardless if they had homes to go to or not. Because there were enough houses in the area, people who didn't have homes could at least rent rooms in somebody else's house. Back then Sichuan kind of benefited from the government's stimulus package.
In Lushan, obviously, the infrastructural damages are not on the same scale. You can drive 10 to 15minutes from Lushan, and there is no damage whatsoever, but then you get into the area that's obviously stricken, but it's not as widespread as last time.


Tongji, Pengzhou after the Wenchuan quake. Photo by Qingwei

Does it even make sense to rebuild in a quake area if there'll just be more quakes?
Last century there were several quakes in the area, and next century there will be quakes in the area. The fault line runs right down to Yunnan and up to Qinghai. So it's extremely likely there will be a bigger quake in the next 20 years. What do people do? In Beichuan they decided that building in that landscape was a bad idea initially and moved 25km down the river. But that option doesn't really present itself here because most of the people affected are farmers. If you're a 50-year-old farmer with nothing but an acre of land or two, what are you options? I don't know what [the authorities are] going to do in terms of the bigger picture.

I guess you can take some confidence out of the fact that the schools built after 2008—the Lushan Middle School, for example— 1,600 kids walked out in 20 seconds without one scratch [the incidence of school buildings collapsing in the 2008 quake was infamously and disproportionately high]. So there is truth that buildings kill people, not earthquakes. If they are rebuilding properly there don't have to be future fatalities.

[We were able to call the people] at a library we donated to a temporary school in Baoxing. They remembered us from before and told us that the rebuilt school stayed up along with all the rebuilt schools stood up in the area. But Baoxing wasn't the worst hit part—I imagine that there were houses that came down twice [once in 2008 and again in 2013].

Who is behind SQR currently?
If you'd asked me that on Friday, I'd have said no one. There are a few people, Catherine [Platt, "Found in Translation" columnist in Chengdoo Citylife Magazine and active member of the Chengdu expat community] and me, who are still working on it every week.

How do you ensure transparency?
We've got a committee. Last time the treasurers in the chambers of commerce supervised all incoming and outgoing money. For the moment, I don't have that problem, because there is no money yet. But once there is, I will do something similar. When we work with multiple organizations, like the chambers of commerce and Chengdu International Women's Club, the Rotary Club, they all have their own internal sort of reporting systems, and they have their treasurers, so there are checks and balances in that alone.

We also appoint someone who's not involved with any those to supervise the finances. As much as possible, we try to link the donor with a specific project. For example, if a significant donor would come, we would ask them to buy the tents and pay the factory directly. That way we don't touch the cash at all. We also tried to document what all the different NGOs and relief groups were doing and what their contacts are so that we can better coordinate them and match donors to projects. Sometimes other NGOs come in and we help them and do logistics and provide them with a driver and translator and access. It worked last time, and that's why I guess people are offering to help us this time.



On that note, how can concerned citizens help? Is the best way just donating money?
We could have Chengdu-based volunteers later. But it won't be getting on a truck and going up for 48 hours [like some volunteers did last time], it could be fundraising, updating Web sites. Quite a few people who were living here in 2008 are now scattered around the world and are starting fundraising initiatives.

The events at the Bookworm [the barbecue and concert as well as the Des Bishop comedy night] are raising a bit of money and initial awareness, and then people and start to get together and discuss options—different groups are doing different things. In terms of funding we recommend people coordinating projects to wait a bit, see what the state is going to do, what the Red Cross is going to do, and what the other NGOs are going to do. And we'll see what gaps appear and fill those gaps. But that won't become apparent before a couple of weeks, and we move on from that point.

More info on how to help the Lushan quake relief efforts

This article was first published in CHENGDOO citylife Magazine, issue 64 ("Traffic").]]> Mon, 13 May 2013 13:50:00 +0800 http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/blog/item/2931/interview_with_sichuan_quake_reliefs_peter_goff http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/blog/item/2930/mandarin_made_easier_the_radical_person learning Chinese characters with radicals

This month, I'm going to introduce the 人 and 亻 radicals. Both are known as the person radicals; the former can be a character as well as a radical, but the latter is always just a radical. The character 人 is a pictogram. Doesn't it look a bit like the splayed legs of a person walking when viewed from the side? Characters with radical 亻 are usually related to the activities of human beings, and this radical is always placed on the left side of a character. Let's look at some examples:

从 (cóng) – to follow, to obey. This character look likes two people (人/rén), one following the other.
众(zhòng) – crowd. As the saying goes, three's a crowd. Three 人 together make a crowd.
休 (xiū) – to rest, take a rest. It consists of radical 亻 and the character 木 (mù), which means tree. A person rests by leaning against a tree, just like in this pictogram.

们 (men) – added to personal pronouns for the plural. 我 (wǒ) means "me," "I," or "myself," and when 们 (men) is added to it, as in 我们 (wǒmen), it means "we" or "us." Similarly, 他们 (tāmen) means "they" or "them" (masculine), and 她们 (tāmen) means "they" or "them" (feminine).

仆 (pú) – servant
你 (nǐ) – you
他 (tā) – he, him
仅 (jǐn) – only, merely

This article by Lucy Wang was first published in CHENGDOO citylife Magazine, issue 63 ("People").]]> Thu, 09 May 2013 12:20:00 +0800 http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/blog/item/2930/mandarin_made_easier_the_radical_person