As for this week’s news, Tuesday was “No Car Day,” which seems to have been participated in world-wide. As for Kunming’s response, the traffic was slightly less horrible than usual (Kunming is a “small” Chinese city of only 4 million or so). There seemed to be a much greater percentage of taxis on the road, and it was a little easier to cross the street on the way to school. However, if Tuesday was your first day in Kunming, you never would have noticed that something was abnormal in the traffic congestion. Most Chinese people I speak to (teachers, students, etc.), and have spoken to in the past, seem very conscientious and concerned about environmental issues. One of the most popular shopping centers around major cities in China is Carrefour, a French chain where one can buy groceries and house supplies, kind of like a K-Mart. How this has to do with environmental issues is that between the first time I was in China two years ago and last summer Carrefour stopped giving customers bags for their purchases. Customers can sometimes buy a small plastic bag for half of a Renminbi. Very few people do this. For perspective, this winter there was talk about New York City starting a tax on grocery bags. A few people I talked to about this were verging on panic at the thought of having to pay for plastic bags. In my apartment, as in many buildings, our water is heated by solar power. This means that when it’s been really cloudy, we tend to not have hot water. It also means that a pretty sizable percentage of energy is coming from solar power. From my perspective, this is a part of the reason why China gets touchy when the U.S. accuses it of having horrible environmental standards. Don’t get me wrong, the pollution in most cities is palpable. Beijing is in a perpetual smog far worse than L.A.’s, and most other large cities are not too much better. But in other ways, people seem to be more aware and conscientious than most Americans.

As for other things to look out for in the news, next week is the People’s Republic of China’s 60th birthday. It is all over the Chinese news stations – even pieces on development are bent to celebrate China’s 60 years. Yesterday, my roommates were watching Spanish language CCTV (the Chinese news station), which was broadcasting a piece on children’s toys and turned into a history of children and everything the nation has done for them throughout its lifetime. Stages with elaborate flower-sculptures are popping up around Kunming. A large parade will take place in Beijing, and according to the BBC people are being warned not to fly kites or messenger pigeons. It seems very similar to the running of the Olympic torch, as residents along the parade route have been told not to open or go near their windows or have guests over during the parade. In general, there is a lot of excitement.

Several days after the birthday is the Moon Festival, which has added to a celebratory atmosphere. The most notable thing about the holiday is that moon cakes are being sold all over the city – in Carrefour, in small shops, and in a market set up in the pedestrian crossway under one of the major overpasses. So, we have been sampling different flavors of moon cakes.

Today, I went on a walk through the park. I guess it was my way of noting Yom Kippur. It was nice to be among the trees and water, and away from cars and motorbikes for a bit. The park was filled with people, though. There was singing and dancing going on everywhere, mostly among older people. There were performances with live music and fan dancing, as well as individuals who had come with their microphones to sing. One man was playing slide guitar next to the lake. He in particular looked like a street performer, but no one was playing for money or anything. People sat around to watch and listen, sometimes knitting or just chatting. Dancing is a very popular form of exercise in this country, and in most parks you see people following a leader through simple moves of arm waving and simple footwork, accompanied by canned music. There were many crowds of dancers in the park today. Although it is a Monday afternoon, it seems that people are already starting to go on vacation, which might explain why it was so crowded. I’ll have to check back after the holidays to compare.

L’Shanah Tovah!

written by  agentsarainkunming on September 28, 2009 from Kunming, China
from the travel blog: CHINA
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I am so enjoying your blog on China! It is just so much fun to read your thoughts on your experiences there. Thanks for sharing, Sara! L'shana Tovah! Gail

written by  gailmult on September 29, 2009

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