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Roaming Ronin 漂泊浪人Mission: To use humor, wit, and history to bring my distant travels a little closer to my family and friends around the world. As for me: 愚 者 千 盧 ，必 有 一 得 June 10 Reward North Korea with the Diplomacy of SilenceIt's rather amazing living in countries that are neighbors to North Korea. For the most part, they consider North Korea as the crazy little brother who, for the most part, needs to be protected and paid off. They don't worry about North Korea's weapons. But they do worry about Japan deciding to crank up its military in response to the North Koreans.
Diplomacy, rewards, money, joint manufacturing programs; nothing seems to make North Korea happy. Last year at a North/South Korean tourist resort in North Korea, the army shot a 50+ year old housewife because she wandered off into the wrong area. They didn't arrest her, warn her, or carry her back. They just shot her.
This year, after years of negotiations with Russia, China, USA, Japan, and South Korea; North Korea returned to its usual ways. It fired off missiles, tested another nuclear bomb, threatened war on South Korea, and jailed 2 American journalists. Obviously North Korea is hoping that somebody (in particular Barack Obama) will pay them lots of money to calm down.
I hope people just ignore the North Koreans. Don't reward them and don't give them a seat at the table. Talking is worthless. Paying them off has no reward. Maybe giving them nothing for awhile might help. Who knows?
September 04 Beijing DongDan Wushu ClassGood Friends in Beijing Studying Kungfu Together
Beijing's Master Shi and his students in Dongdan Park
Beijing DongDan Park with Wushu Master Shi and his students
Can you go to a park in China and find a good martial arts Wushu teacher and friendly people? The answer is yes, of course. Whenever I come to Beijing, I love to visit DongDan park in the mornings. There I meet many people practicing Kungfu, TaiQi, and other forms of Wushu (martial arts). Master Shi and his students are some of my good friends. I've met them several times for almost 3 years now.
We make a strange mix in the park. I practice my own styles of Chinese Cha Chuan kungfu and Japanese Shotokan Karate-do. Master Shi takes his students through his combination of TaiQi and Kungfu. Master Shi is an amazing man. He is 85 years old and still very flexible, strong, and excellent communicator. His students have a high degree of precision, grace, and a LOT of power in their punches and kicks. Most of all, they have a lot of fun every morning at practice.
Master Shi teaches at the park every morning before 7 AM. His students still enjoy practice every morning in bitter cold of Beijing winters.
If you are in Beijing and looking for an excellent martial arts teacher, please go talk to Master Shi and his students at Dongdan Park. You will be in good hands and meet some very friendly people.
August 31 RESCUE MISSION: Cats Tortured and Shipped to Chinese RestaurantsShanghai Cat Rescue Mission: Trying to Stop Inhumane Treatment
Brave Cat Lovers try to end cat smuggling to Chinese Guangzhou Restaurants
Yesterday I encountered a truly inhumane, sickening event: CAT SMUGGLERS TRANSPORTING CATS TO SOUTH CHINA FOR RESTAURANT FOOD. The cats were being transported in inhumane, torturous conditions. These poor cats were packed 20 per crate so tightly that the cats could not move, drink, eat, or get any relief from heat. Check out these pictures. Cat "SNACK PACKS" Bound for Sale To Restaurants in Guangzhou. Crammed together in these crates in inhumane conditions.
Poor cats crammed together like sardines in a can, except sardines are lucky enough to be dead. 70+ crates carrying 20 cats per crate; more than 1400 cats in this shipment.
Fortunately there was a group of brave, determined people who fight against injustice. The Torture Truck was stopped by a large group of Chinese animal lovers who tried to rescue these unfortunate kitties. These brave people risked the wrath of the "legal owner" and the local police. Responding to an emergency request, I tagged along to be a "foreign face" to bring more publicity and excitement to the matter.
Some cats did not survive the torture
Allow me to introduce the characters in this story.
The CAT SMUGGLERS. The Cat Smugglers employ people who wander through Shanghai's parks, gardens, and neighborhoods grabbing any cat they find. This often involves stealing people's pets and friendly neighborhood strays who made friends with the local people. These barbarians use traps to catch some cats, use nets for others, and then sometimes just offer food and grab friendly cats.
Chinese cat Trap. Small live birds are placed in small mesh. Cats feet are snared in the mesh when going for the bird
Many cats had collars, stolen from their families.
The cat smugglers take the cats to a staging area in tight cages until they have enough for a shipment. Restaurants in the Guangzhou area of South China buy the cats for serving to their so-called "discerning customers." The Cat Smugglers create a convenient "Cat Snack Pack" of 20 cats jammed into small crates. The cats are kept just barely alive with no food or water and no ability to move. When there are enough snack packs...er...torture chambers stored up, they load everything into a big truck and drive down to Guangzhou for delivery. In today's China, this practice is rather common but not quite legal or illegal. It's sort of a grey area in legal zone. Which, in China, means people will keep doing it until they are forcefully stopped.. The operations center, Kitty Kidnap Headquarters, is located near the center of Shanghai in a standard housing area. Most of the neighbors know what's going on.
The cat smuggler in grey shirt in the center.
His "official" papers proving "ownership" of the meat products...er..cats.
Pictures of the Torture Truck used for transporting the cats
CAT LOVERS AND RESCUE PEOPLE: A brave group of cat lovers in Shanghai fight and try to stop these torture shipments. Somehow they are occasionally able to figure out when a Torture Truck is leaving with its load of felines. Friday evening they caught the truck in the Shanghai suburb of Jiaxing. Braving the wrath of the cat smugglers, they enlisted the help of a local police to delay the cat shipment for as long as they could. The crates were unloaded from the truck and placed on the ground to try to liberate the cats. This whole ordeal lasted nearly 24 hours and gathered a huge crowd of local people, news reporters, and as many foreigners as the cat lovers could call on emergency basis - 2 of us.
Cat Rescue People doing their best to save and liberate the cats, providing water and fighting for cats' protection.
Local Police: True to Chinese way, the police came in force as soon as a big group assembled. First reporters came and started taking our stories and recording things. At the same time, people started breaking open the crates and allowing cats to escape, running to any shelter they could find. The group of people kept growing and suddenly the police appeared in force. The CAT SMUGGLER was very angry and complained to the police that he was the rightful owner of these cats. He showed some photo-copied documents that appeared to look almost official. The police set up a tape police line around the cats and kept people out. They recorded all our faces on video. And then bigger and more forceful police showed up. Leann and I, the two foreigners, were invited to sit in a police car out of the way so we could not watch the next actions.... Soon we were "invited" to board our car and immediately drive back to Shangai without delay. The policeman was kind enough to escort our car out of town to make sure we didn't have a flat tire or engine trouble to delay our safe departure. It was nice to find police who were so (how should I say?)...helpful and friendly.
The rescue people did their very best. They cut open boxes and encouraged some of the terrified cats to escape. Some of the poor cats had just given birth to babies while crammed inside the crates. Born at the wrong time and place, to be sure. Water was poured on the cats to help ease their suffering. But for some time it seemed pointless. The cats escaped on a busy intersection where it was likely they would be hit and killed by vehicles. But quickly the police stepped in to find a solution between the CAT SMUGGLER'S supposed legal rights and the zeal of the cat rescuers.
Unfortunately in the real world, good does not always win against evil. This particular battle was lost. The police inspected the photo-copied fake "ownership" documents and decided in favor of the cat smuggler. The remaining meat products (live cats) were allowed to be loaded up and continue their torture trail to the restaurants. The TV reporter believed that cat "snack packs" are a standard feature of China life and no big deal. The leaders of the rescue people were arrested and taken to jail...rather forcefully. Fortunately they were allowed to leave after a couple hours of questioning.
But fortunately a few cats were able to be liberated. Their chance of surviving the next year is not good, maybe 20%. However this is still much better than a guaranteed slow torture and death by cooking. The cat smugglers are learning that they must be more careful. And,most encouraging of all, the cat rescue people are growing in strength and spirit. Someday they might get to the point where laws are changed to require humane treatment of animals. Hopefully someday the torture trucks will stop.
TV Interview Baby Kitten Smothered in the Crate
Babies Rescued from the Torture Packs One courageous Kitty but with gangrenous leg from leg trap. She couldn't survive.
What to do? Good question. First, don't let your cat outside. Many of the prisoner cats had collars and were stolen. Certainly Shanghai and most cities have too many stray and wild cats. More cats should be spayed and neutered. But this is curious: many Chinese think these torture packs are acceptable. However, they think that spaying and neutering cats is cruel and inhumane. More than one of my Chinese friends have told me that it is cruel to deprive cats of their right to have babies. Torture is OK, birth control is not. For sure, this is a cultural disconnect difficult for me to understand.
If you're in Shanghai you can help the courageous cat rescue people in their future fights to stop the cat smugglers. The good fight will continue and they might win more and more battles. If you're interested, please drop a message to me. I'll get the message to the courageous freedom fighters.
August 26 Chinese Recycle People - Barely getting by in StyleChina's Recycle People -
Building the Comforts of Home in a Shack
Homeless people's shacks in Shanghai, With TV and Satellite Dish, of course
People's strength and ingenuity amaze me every day. When times are difficult, that is when you can see the true nature of a person. If you keep your eyes open, sometimes you find people who can survive with a certain style and grace. That includes homeless people in Shanghai who manage to arrange modern electrical comforts in their shacks.
This morning I was startled by an unexpected site outside Shanghai's Zhongtan road Metro station -- a satellite TV dish for homeless people! Outside the Metro station is a village of homeless people who collect garbage and used materials for recycling. Amazingly enough, they had the satellite dish set up for their TV. No wonder. Even homeless people want to see the Beijing Olympics.
Shanghai's homeless people are often migrants from other parts of the country, lured by the dreams of gold and riches in the big city. They come to Shanghai hoping to find a better life than available in their poverty-stricken home towns. Unfortunately too many of them end up living on the wrong edge of life - homeless, no real job, and scraping to live on less than 5 RMB ($0.75) per day. To make a living, they gather and recycle garbage, used wood, glass windows, plastic bottles and other discarded items. They load everything on 3-wheeled tricycles with such heavy loads that 2 or 3 people must walk and pull the tricycle through the city back to the empty patch of ground where they store the materials and sell for recycling.
For lack of a better term, I often call them the "recycle people." They live in a small lot of empty ground and build temporary shacks from their recovered "treasures." The lot is covered with scraps of wood, electrical wire, broken furniture, and other valuable junk. They build their shacks into reasonably comfortable and cozy homes. They manage to tap into the electrical lines and "obtain" free electricity. They find discarded electrical appliances, repair them to working condition and install them in their new shacks/homes. Every morning they rise with the sun, wash themselves, comb their hair, brush their teeth, and prepare for another day. Naturally in today's world, a comfortable home requires a TV with satellite dish. These inventive people figure out how to make it happen with no money.
Unfortunately these homes are knocked down and removed by the police every 8 months or so. The recycle people leave temporarily. But suddenly, like mushrooms, all the shacks spring up again in even better fashion.
It's amazing, just totally amazing how the human spirit can overcome adversity and keep moving forward. When I watch these people, I realize how spoiled I am. I can ride my bicycle just carrying my own overweight body. These people load their tricycles to maximum capacity where 2 or 3 people must walk slowly through the crowded city streets. No question their indomitable spirit is much stronger than mine.
Let's offer some respect and a silent prayer of hope for the hard-working unrecognized people who help to build the new wealth of China.
Living in the recycling area August 13 Dao - Why I study Martial Arts Day by Day道 Dao - the Way of Life, Striving for Daily Improvement Sometimes I wonder, WHY?
WHY do I crawl out of bed at 6 AM on Saturdays and Sundays to practice martial arts in the park?
WHY do I keep working hard and try to go at 100% speed even when I'm past exhaustion?
WHY do I spend thousands of repetitions of the same move, trying to ensure my stance, my fingers, my toes, all are pointed exactly correct location no matter the speed I'm moving?
WHY do I study ways to fight when I've never been in a violent fight? why not just buy a knife and a gun?
WHY do I keep working hard at martial arts when I'm totally drenched in sweat on hot humid mornings?
WHY do I keep working hard at martial arts on cold snowy days when I can't feel my fingers?
WHY any of this?
Because, it's become a Dao, 道， a way of life for me. Every day is a day where I can improve, both my inner and outer selves. I enjoy becoming better each day, even if just a tiny minute amount. I enjoy pushing past old limits and discovering new limits that (I hope) are also temporary.
For thousands of years, martial artists in China, Japan, and Korea have used the same approach. They realized that dao 道 applies to your inner and outer selves. They spent hours practicing fighting methods to perfect their inner selves. They also studied calligraphy, art, classical Chinese literature, and medicine. People were considered incomplete unless they sought perfection in mental AND physical pursuits. Hopefully, some day I'll approach some small percent of what they knew.
Until then, I remember to enjoy the journey more than the destination. Goals and targets are no more than temporary summits in life.
August 10 American Martial Arts Master comes to ChinaAmerican Master Soke Steve Collins Visits Shanghai's Kungfu Master Pu Rujie
The joy of learning martial arts is the journey, not the destination
Pu Laoshi teaching the wooden stick form to Soke Collins
Yesterday at Shanghai's Zhongshan park we had the pleasure of a visit from an American martial arts master, Soke (宗家）Steve Collins from Indiana. Our Master, Pu Laoshi, quickly warmed to Soke Collins and was soon teaching him our first basic form for wooden stick. The Roaming Ronin (me) was happy and fortunate to act as a humble interpreter and provide introductions between these two masters.
Soke Collins is an instructor of Jukido (柔気道）which is a form of the Japanese art of aikido (合気道）. (I am writing all these terms in Chinese characters so that Soke Collins can print them out and explain more easily to his Chinese friends.) For people who are not knowledgeable in Japanese martial arts, aikido is the form of fighting used by the martial arts actor Steven Seagal in his movies. It is a gentle way (supposedly) to avoid direct attacks and then quickly use pain to persuade your attacker to stop fighting. Soke Collins is an instructor to police and other professionals who face potentially violent situations on a regular basis.
Yesterday Soke Collins visited our park and was happy to see several hundred people practicing martial arts on a daily basis. We saw several types of TaiQi Chuan, TaiQi sword, Cha Chuan Kungfu (Pu Laoshi's style) and Hsing-Yi Kungfu. I explained to Soke Collins that I am part of this group of park rats who come to the park every morning to practice martial arts. In hot weather, everyone is happy that we don't need to waste money on saunas or steam baths. In winter, we still come out to play even on the worst days. Rain is the only thing that stops practice.
Learning the Stick Form with Pu Laoshi and Sharon Tan
Pu Laoshi teaches a style of Shaolin Kungfu called Cha Chuan. Pu Laoshi has been practicing kungfu for more than 60 years and is still tremendously strong, flexible, and graceful as a dancer. He has an amazing way to teach that is always happy, smiling, supportive, and yet demands instant respect. Even though he speaks no English, he still communicates precisely how to do each move.
While Soke Collins watched, the other students and I demonstrated quite a few forms, including the DaDao (2 meter, 3.5 Kg long sword on a stick), the Dao (broadswoard), the TaiQi sword, stick, spear, sparring with sticks and spears, and some empty hand forms. Hopefully we made a good impression on Soke Collins.
Pu Laoshi was pleased to meet Soke Collins and was very happy to share and teach our first basic stick form. Certainly this is a new style for Soke Collins and he had some awkward moments. But it is always easy for one martial artist to spot another master. Soke Collins moved gracefully and his stances were deep, powerful, and precise. We had a good time playing together.
After training with Pu Laoshi, I took Soke Collins to meet the Hsing-Yi Kungfu people in another section of the park. My French friend Claude trains there on a daily basis. He and his teacher showed us their powerful, graceful basic moves and techniques. It was a great way to make new friends.
Similar to me, Soke Collins is unfortunate enough to have a real job where he works for money. His job involves coming to China about 2 weeks per month and then returning to his home in Indiana. Pu Laoshi and the rest of us in the park say, "WELCOME! Please come anytime and often!"
Tea Ceremony for Wyoming CowboyThe Art of Tea - The unlikely education of a Wyoming Cowboy
Japanese and Chinese Tea Ceremony, beautiful traditions
Roaming Ronin and Shigeta-San; Japanese Tea Ceremony My Brother Alan and Chen Jing, Chinese Gungfu Tea Ceremony
In the last few years I have been exposed to the beautiful tradition of Japanese Tea Ceremony and Chinese Gungfu Tea Ceremony. This is quite a change from my formative years growing up in the Cowboy Country of Wyoming. Sometimes I wonder if it is possible to educate and bring culture to someone like me. In general, the stubborn young boy inside my head hopes the answer is...no! I hope you can take the cowboy out of the mountains, but can't take the mountains out of the cowboy.
First, let me explain some of our own proud traditions
Typical Wyoming Cowboy Bar, Unchanged since 1870's Driving Home from the Cowboy bar after drinking normal quantity
In Wyoming tradition we have 3 types of beverages: beer, whiskey, and coffee strong enough to dissolve steel nails. In winter the temperatures hover around -20 to -40 degrees and the wind blows like hell. Consequently the people are tough and learn to drink all 3 beverages with equal gusto. Towns are scattered at 100 mile (160 Km) intervals and people are scarce. Our main entertainment is hanging around, drinking the 3 main beverages, and telling tremendous stories that occasionally involve some truth. Most Wyoming people are well known for taking small, boring truths and stretching them into big, exciting lies.
But everything changes as you get older. Age gets to all of us in one way or another. The other day on the phone I caught my dad telling a truth. I was stunned! I asked him if he was doing OK? He said, "Well, I'm not sure. I'm feeling a little bit weak. Last week I was bit by a poisonous rattle snake. After 2 hours of excruciating pain, finally the snake died." I was surprised. I said, "Dad, that's terrible! In the old days, the poison snakes died immediately after biting you." I'm a little worried now, but he is over 70 years old. Age gets to everyone at one time or another. I just hope I don't catch him telling too many more truths before I get back to visit with him.
Now I am spending most of my time in China and Japan and other parts of the Orient. I'm learning about the traditional art of Tea. In Chinese they call this Gungfu Tea. In Japanese they call it Chado 茶道 or Chanoyu 茶の湯. History tells us that Tea Ceremony, the Way of Tea, was first invented in China and then introduced to Japan by Buddhist Monks more than 1000 years ago. In their standard way Japanese took the Chinese ceremony and modified it into their own beautiful style. Typical of rivalries everywhere, both the Chinese and Japanese each think their way is best and most beautiful.
Chinese Gungfu Tea. Most people think that Kungfu or Gungfu means a fighting art from Shaolin Temple. In truth, the term "Kungfu" means to do something in a very skilled and trained manner. "Kungfu" actually applies to any art; such as painting, calligraphy, singing, tea ceremony, and martial arts. Cultured Chinese people have enjoyed the art of tea ceremony for thousands of years. It is a way to seek peace in stressful times.
Chinese style Tea Ceremony - The Way of Tea Chadao 茶道
The Chinese tea ceremony is ornate and follows tradition and rules. To my rough, untrained eye it seems to be wasting a lot of water and tea. They heat water, pour tea in the cup, drain it out, pour it again, drain it, and finally decide it's time to drink. But I have to admit, it is relaxing and tastes great.
Japanese Chado or Chanoyu Tea Ceremony
Japanese ChaDo Tea Ceremony: At the risk of angering my Chinese friends, I must say I love the Japanese art of tea ceremony. They took the Chinese Buddhist tradition and refined it to a beautiful Japanese art. Japanese military generals made a habit of going to tea ceremony on the nights before battles. This ceremony allowed them to reflect, relax, and gather their inner strength. It is still a great ceremony for reflection and finding our inner selves.
i have only witnessed either Chinese or Japanese tea ceremonies a few times. Usually I lack the patience and inner stillness to sit quietly for more than 5 or 6 minutes. Then I feel compelled to jump into action again. This is a weakness on my part. Someday I must settle down and try to learn these traditional arts.
Fortunately for an old beer drinker like me, Japan, China, and Korea all enjoy drinking beer. I can feel at home on occasion:
Drinking contest with a Sumo Wrestler? No...I didn't dare try challenging him.
At the end of the day, I wonder if refinement is possible for someone like me. Can I be civilized and yet still maintain the frontier traditions of my home? Just like catching my father telling an occasional truth, I've observed myself starting to settle down as well. Sometimes I walk past a bar without stopping for a quick 5 or 6 beers. I've started to drink coffee that has sugar and creamer added in the packet -- the metal spoon no longer dissolves when I stir my coffee. And yes, I hate to admit it, but just last week I caught myself telling an actual truth. Quickly I corrected myself and tried to change it into a big lie. But it was too late...the truth slipped out before I could stop it.
Ah...life is tough, but with discipline I can recover. I will start thinking some big lies and tall stories about my new home in China. That way I won't need to worry about too many truths slipping past my lips again. Discipline, hard work, confidence...that is the best way to keep improving my lies, stories, and cowboy ways even while I am in the cultured traditional areas of the Orient.
漂泊浪人,がんばります！
大坏蛋加油！
August 02 China's Internet Spying - How to protect your Computer Data in BeijingTop 10 Ways to Protect Your Computer Data in Beijing Big Brother and your hotel are spying on your computer and mobile phone! The Wall Street Journal and other American newspapers report that a complaint published by U.S. Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas claims that the government of China has ordered Beijing hotels to spy on guests during the Olympics. Apparently the hotels have installed computer software and equipment that can spy on your emails and internet surfing, possibly even trying to download data from your computer or smart phone. I've always wondered about this, and in fact it might be true. My Australian friend Cam claims Chinese spies recently stole his laptop computer. Several weeks ago he forgot and left his laptop computer in a Shanghai taxi. By the time he remembered and called the taxi company, his computer had already disappeared. Could it be simply the result of forgetfulness and a common thief? No way. This was the work of Chinese spies. A beautiful female spy slipped a "no brain" pill in his tea, forcing him to forget his computer in the taxi. The spy quickly downloaded all of Cam's crucial data, emails, and pictures of shopping in Shanghai, Beijing, and Qingdao. The next time he gets in a taxi, his office ladies will guard his computer. For my part, I assume that my internet use is being monitored, even though I don't have much proof. One day in Shanghai I was typing a long email to one of my clients in Italy regarding some questions about space satellites. Suddenly my mobile phone beeped with a text message. The message said, "Hello Sir. Your email is quite good. But on the third paragraph you have a math mistake. Could you please correct it before sending out?" Fortunately for concerned foreigners, there are suggestions to protect your data while traveling and visiting China. A news article on Network World by security expert Richard Stiennon offers 10 tips for keeping your important computer data secure. Unlike me, Mr. Stiennon writes without humor or excessive exaggeration. His article has some good instructions. I offer some commentary on them below:
All these security steps make me wonder a bit. Am I naive and stupid? Or are the so-called "experts" overly cautious and a little paranoid? I've been working on computers and using the net here in China for many years with no problems. Maybe all my computer data is being drained without my knowledge. Maybe I'll never know. My biggest concern is the spies and their "no brain" pills. I must make sure China's spies don't force me to forget my computer in a taxi or bar. Leaving my money is bad enough. July 29 Beijing's Air Pollution Cleaning up for the 2008 OlympicsA Tale of 2 Origins:
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
Which side is closer to the truth?
Reading and listening to the news reports here in China, it is difficult to tell which version of "truth" is closer to reality.
From China's People's Daily news, July 23. The air looks amazingly blue.
China's version: Beijing's air pollution is substantially better than before. What we see now is haze and fog that is normal in many cities during hot humid summers. On August 7, start of autumn in China, the air will naturally start to improve. Beijing guarantees that the air will be clean during the duration of the Olympics.
Foreign newspaper pictures from July 28, the same day as the opening ceremonies for the Olympic Athletes' Village
The air pollution looks pretty bad. I wouldn't want to go out running in this stuff.
The version from many foreign news reporters: Beijing's air pollution is still TERRIBLE just before the start of the Olympics. It is difficult to see to the next building. Athletes might decide to wear respiratory protection masks. The biggest worry is whether wearing masks will cause Beijing to lose face and make people angry.
Wow. Such different images. Such different stories, and different pictures. Which is truth? Which is fiction? Or is the truth somewhere in between?
All this makes me wonder where I stand? Many people are cheering and applauding China's efforts. Many others are scoffing and mocking China for distorting the truth. But for me, I prefer to cheer people who are making good efforts. I'm a builder and problem solver at heart. I hate to sit back and throw stones at the people who are trying their best. Beijing is taking heroic and very expensive steps to improve the air for the Olympics Let's give them a break and say, "Let's GO China!"
I love Beijing but there is no doubt the air pollution can be stifling and overwhelming like a thick blanket. Hopefully Beijing's version of the truth is closer to reality this time. I hope the air will be clean enough for foreign athletes and visitors to enjoy the beauty and friendliness of Beijing. July 28 Shanghai Metro Subway Security Bag ChecksShanghai's Metro Subway increases Security for the 2008 Olympics
Now checking bags at random -- not always a pleasant job.
The story of soaked, sweaty Kungfu clothes
Sometimes the security checks can be unpleasant, especially when the police woman sticks her hand in a bag full of soaking wet, sweaty clothes.... I am the "bad foreigner" of this story:
Every morning I travel by subway to Shanghai's Zhongshan park to study Kungfu and Chinese Wushu. Saturday and Sunday mornings, I'm usually burdened with my traditional weapons: DaDao (long broadsword on a stick), a large Dao (broadsword) and a TaiQi Sword. Usually I get MANY FUNNY looks as a foreigner carrying these strange things on the subway and then through the subway stations. (OK, actually I never see any Chinese people carrying these weapons on a subway.) Do you think the police want to look at my weapons? NO. They want to see inside my daypack bag. SURE....go ahead...
When I practice in the mornings during the summer it is VERY HOT AND HUMID. I sweat and perspire like a fire hose. Whenever I punch or kick, a spray of perspiration shoots out from my hand or foot like a focused "sweat jet." NOBODY will want to fight me. Not because they will lose, but because they will be too disgusted after being smothered by a thick perspiration mask. My teacher Master Pu has no worries. He demands I keep working hard at full speed for many repetitions.
After the end of the lessons, my clothes are TOTALLY SOAKED IN SWEAT as if I had spent an hour in a swimming pool....a swimming pool full of perspiration. I quickly change clothes and head back home or to the office.
The other day I was walking back through the subway station on my way home. The police woman waved me over for a random security check. Did she want to see my big DaDao? no... How about my swords? no.... She asked me to open my bag. I unzipped it and she put her hands inside. And then quickly she pulled them OUT! Looking at me I struggled with how to say, "Those are my wet, sweaty kungfu clothes." Somehow she understood me and quickly waved me through the toll gate.
Now when she sees me, she just smiles and tells me to go through...go...go quickly, please.
So much for random bag checks!
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