National Day Rehash

National day was a blast.  The day started off rather normally, although with more morning fireworks than usual (hooray).  After that, one of the other foreign teachers (Scottish, specifically) and I hit downtown to check out what was happening.  Here are some of the highlights.

 

Chinese National Day

As I already mentioned, the color red was everywhere you looked.  However, today, there were also throngs of people everywhere you looked; somehow, the city found a way to whip up more people than usual.  Patriotism was also running high, and the people were generally very festive and friendly, and glad to see foreigners helping them celebrate.  Unfortunately, however, I also experienced my first case of open hostility in China.  A man who looked to be about 30 rode slowly by us on his bicycle, and proceeded to shout loudly and angrily at us in very rapid Chinese.  While I could not understand most of what he was saying, my companion (who does not speak Chinese) fairly accurately translated it as "Bugger off, you bloody foreigners!".  After yelling at us for a few minutes, though, he rode off, and my troubled feeling was soon washed away by the beautiful friendliness and curiosity that most complete strangers showed me throughout the day.

Chinese Traditions

I was curious myself as to what the Chinese traditionally do on their national day, and so I took it upon myself not only to see what was happening in the city, but to ask for a number of people's thoughts on the matter.  The most common answer?  Go Shopping.  Of course, these conversations were corroborated by the multiple small armies of young people (mostly students working during the break) walking around with product advertisements, primarily for cell phones and appliances.  I was a bit disappointed at this tendency, and tried to think of what sort of traditions we had in America on our Independence Day.  However, all I could think of was cooking out, drinking beer, and fireworks.  And since Chinese people cook outdoors and set off fireworks all the time, I figured they weren't far behind.  Especially if you watched any of the impressive excitement in Beijing.

Chinese Music

One of the many interesting things we ran into was a group of people playing and singing traditional Chinese music in a small courtyard by one of the rivers in town.  There was a moderate crowd of people watching, although they were nearly all at least forty years old.  After listening for a brief moment, however, the reason became clear: traditional Chinese music is most definitely an acquired taste, which the young, westernized people here have not yet acquired.  While the music itself wasn't exactly like Beijing Opera, it was quite similar, and to the untrained ear sounds a bit like Small Children Banging on Pots, accompanied by Dying Animals.

Chinese Children

(Click on this one!  It will make you happy!)

My favorite part of the day, however, was going by myself to a park near my house during the evening.  The scene itself was magical; families everywhere, children playing together in the huge fountain, a nice sunset... and of course more friendly Chinese people.  One couple gave me a Chinese flag to wear on my backpack (sweet), and multiple families asked me to hold their children for pictures.  Me, hold your cute smiling Chinese child?  I think I can manage that.