Ric Swenson on sun 1 jul 07
Hello from China, Weather here is like Atlanta...Hotlanta, should I say. Hu=
mid and warm and a time to wear little and move less quickly. Or is that ju=
st my age talking? Many exhibitions of student and faculty at the Universit=
y now. Senior projects, Graduate school exhibitions...lectures at Caroline=
Cheng's POTTERY WORKSHOP at the SCULPTURE FACTORY here in JDZ and at San B=
ao. Many foreigners here now.....studying, working, exploring the culture a=
nd the Porcelain City. Met a teacher from Queen's College, NY, the other da=
y..... Sin-ying Ho, ceramist, she and her husband Phil, art historian and =
painter, are here exploring the possibility of bringing students to China f=
or a tour and some clay work. Always good to talk to some Americans here. C=
harming couple. We attended the wonderful going away party the other day fo=
r Noel O'Connell, Wisconsin grad. who now after several years in China is r=
eturning to the U.S.A to attend graduate school at the Rhode Island School =
of Design. There was a real cross-section of people in attendance...Takashi=
Yasuda from Japan via Bath, England, Americans who are working now at the =
Pottery Workshop here in JDZ, Indians, many Chinese friends, and folks from=
al over the planet. I get every morning at 6 and go to bed by 10 PM or so.=
A regular habit from many years of teaching...even during the summer it is=
difficult for me to get up later or retire later..... Habits are hard to b=
reak. I have been asked to exhibit in November at a show of teapots at Wu y=
i Univ. in Wu Yi Shan. I will be one of the few foreigners there...invited=
to exhibit works...2 Koreans, 2 Japanese, 2 British 2 Americans.....and o=
thers. I have to decide soon whether I want to spend a week there. It would=
certainly be a great opportunity to learn more about the tea ceremony and =
meet others artists who are interested in tea service.
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Fireworks are common during the July Fourth festivities in the U.S. In Chi=
na, whenever there is a wedding, store opening, promotion of a sale, etc. f=
irecrackers are used to mark the occasion. Loud and long displays of M-80 t=
ype firecrackers are used. One learns to stay clear and cover the ears.
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My former Tutees from last year, a young boy and girl (each 14 years old) f=
rom JDZ, returned home for a short visit last week from Singapore, where th=
ey are finishing high school and will attend college later. We talked well =
into the night one evening about their adjustment to living in a very diffe=
rent culture from P.R. China. Their studies are all in English and they com=
pete with Singaporeans who have grown up speaking English for the most part=
. They say they are ahead of classmates their age in math and science, but =
lag behind in oral Engish skills. They are priviledged to have this rare op=
portunity to study abroad and work very hard in their studies.
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Purchased a new computer and it is great to have access at all hours in my =
own dorm room to watch U.S. news, listen to music and news on NPR and watch=
movies in English. HASEE brand, made in China, 60 Gig of memory, compact, =
but not a laptop...the box is hidden behind the large, flat, thin screen...=
regular sized keyboard. (cost, with color HP printer included, about $400.U=
SD.) With the semester at an end now, I have plenty of time to review my 4=
000+ photos, work on my portfolio, etc. In a week or so I will go to Beiji=
ng for a month...then on to Inner Mongolia for an adventure on the grasslan=
ds of China. Hope to have a horseback ride and eat Mutton Barbeque and hot-=
pot too.
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Table manners: Keep your chop sticks off the table, lay them across a bowl=
or plate. Choose an area on the common serving plate and pick your food f=
rom that area. Have a bowl of rice and heap some of the food from the dish=
es into your rice bowl and mix with the rice. There are several types and t=
extures of rice...some is quite sticky, some is lose and drier....large gra=
in and smaller grain rice....white, brown, and even black rice is available=
in certain dishes. Do not blow your nose at the table...but it's okay to s=
pit out fish bones onto the table top near your bowl.=20
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Dragon Boat Festival was great. There is a type of glutenous (sticky) rice=
concoction made with various vegetable or meat fillings that is traditiona=
l. They are wrapped in Bamboo or corn leaves and tied into a triangular sha=
pe. I think I erred in my last missal about the origins....I stated that a=
poet was killed and dumped in the river...I was wrong...according to the l=
egend...He was disgraced and committed suicide by jumping into the river...=
then the townsfolk threw rice into the river so the fish would not eat his =
body because they believed him to be a great and wise poet. There were man=
y boat races in the big cities where a river is available...rowing in a fra=
ntic fashion, by several dozen paddlers.... in long slim "dragon boats".
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I delivered one of my 20 inch diameter porcelain platters, with colalt blue=
geese all aflutter to the young couple whose wedding I was honored to atte=
nd a fe weeks back. Vivian teaches English here at the University and Kevin=
is a psychologist on campus. Most Chinese that teach or learn English take=
on a western name. Some of the names they choose are very creative.....ie=
. Smiling Princess, Simple, Inigma, Wonderful, Phillipa, are among my favor=
ites. My Chinese name is Zhao Yuan....but everyone calls me Ric. When they=
say it, it usually comes out "REEK" however. I estimate that I have given =
western names to about 300 students since I have been here. I have a 60,00=
0 name "baby book" that I picked up at Borders in Atlanta to make choices m=
ore varied...and it lists the meanings of the names too...and that is impor=
tant in taking on a name.
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I am continually amazed at the variety of food here. Each cook has their o=
wn admixture of flavors to add to the vegetables du jour. The translation I=
now have of a lengthy menu helps me explore the cuisine. I enjoyed '5 inn=
ards Water Buffalo' the other day. They don't waste much....and food is VER=
Y important to their social structure here. Each region and ethnic groups =
has their own favorite recipes for dishes, but again, they vary with the ch=
ef. Lately I have become fond of the (Ethnic Islamic) chow mien. Cut rice o=
r wheat noodles with beef and various vegetables, tomatos, etc.
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Bachelor's degree and graduate students ceramic works and works in photogra=
phy, painting, sculpture, drawing, etc., abound on campus now. There are f=
ormal exhibitions, reviews by faculty, and spontaneous sidewalk shows all o=
ver the old campus now. Lots of varied and creative work shown. The cone 1=
3 porcelain is the main media for ceramists doing either sculptural or func=
tional work. Blue and white is explored in ways the originators a thousand =
years ago never would have imagined. There is lots of on-glaze color used t=
oo.
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I attended the commencement ceremony last Friday for some of the Foreign la=
nguage students. Caps and gowns and the whole schtick. Audience of about 1,=
000 students and faculty and parents packed the auditorium. Not different f=
rom any graduation ceremony anywhere in the world I suppose.
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More later...after trip to Beijing and Mongolia.
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"keep your stick on the ice"
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Happy potting to all.
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Ric
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