The Ugly and the Beautiful: The Ugly
Spring is coming. The FIRST rain happened today. The first rain in three months. So, before things bloom, I thought I should document the ugly, barren winter. Chinese winter in Tianjin outside of the city has desolate, dry dirt with bald trees. Debris, just debris, is everywhere. Debris from construction, demolition, or just errant, plastic trash. Dog shit is a problem. It's not like the states where people are encouraged to pick up their pet's waste and fined if they aren't (at least that's what I thought originally, later on, I did see a phone bulletin about it, but they don't care where I live). They just take dumps everywhere. Sidewalks, sand play pits, the street -- not as many people have dogs here, and they are usually small to medium in size (the standard being a white poodle), but it adds up. I don't even think you would want to pick it up here, because people would judge you, or consider you unclean. The outsides of the buildings range from gray to brown tower apartments with rusted bars around the windows, and people spit. Everyone spits - and they don't just spit, they hock up a big loogie that you can feel from a quarter-mile away. Or maybe I should say a third of a kilometer away. The winter here is Ba-leeek.
There is some surprising warmth in the gaudy gold and red retail buildings and restaurants. A mixture of Chinese characters and English is written all over them. Cartoon characters, usually off-brand Anime or American bubbly figures are shown eating noodles, brushing their hair, or advertising whichever product the building is for. Also, the occasional Communist hammer and sickle. Every now and then you'll also see the giant proud sign of the 100-year celebration of the Communist Party of China. Don't forget that that's considered a good thing here, and has very little to do with any form of Marxism. I could speak on this more, but the tangent would be a whole other post.
The sidewalks are brick-- but not usually smooth brick, much of the time broken and jagged brick. You have to look down when you walk on them or stay on your toes. The cause of this distortion of the pavement are tree roots and shoddy craftsmanship.
The roads are actually not bad - typical big city patch and repair. Many people choose to walk on them instead of the sidewalk, but the traffic is a bit wild. There aren't just two or three types of vehicles here, but six to seven. These range from rental bikes, motorbikes (of which I'm looking at buying one today), blanket/windproofed bikes which are slightly larger, single-person cars about half the size of a smart car, mini cabs with one front wheel, up to finally regular automobiles and buses. The intersections are always one step away from fuster clucks, but by some kind of collective intuition, drivers navigate all of it miraculously, with the smaller vehicles weaving in between. There is an odd art to it.
There is the smell. Tianjin has a distinct stench-- it's in the water. I would describe it as musty, or a dank burnt smell. It is in most city streets, and the tap water, which is why having a filter is essential here. There is also a haze in Tianjin, which varies, but always clears on a Sunday. Sometimes the AQI is red for the entire week, and I don't see the horizon.
There are no mountains. Tianjin is near-ish to the ocean, but nobody goes there. I personally, have been told not to go. It is a massive port, so there are apparently minor beaches that are unpleasant, which have waiting lines. One day I plan to take a pilgrimage to satisfy my curiosity.
Finally, this post would not be complete without mentioning the slop wheelbarrow. There is one poor soul whose job it is to go around to the local restaurants and clean out the food drainage system. I'm not exactly sure how it works, but he basically uses a scoop and dunks it in the decomposing food slop sewer to unclog it, and plops it into his wheelbarrow to cart away. I am tempted to ask him for a photo and tell him he is my hero. Fortunately, I misplaced the slop wheelbarrow picture, so I can spare you the site until I find out which device I saved it on. * Update! I found the slop wheelbarrow picture:
Below is the apartment complex beside my college, before Spring. The before and after will amaze you, if the pictures can do it justice.
These, in a nutshell, are the ugly side of the city, but wait! A few days before Spring, Tianjin transforms, and you'd be amazed at the sheer turn around of the season.
Hey Peoples!
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Take care, and happy cultural awareness!
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