TSF

Beijing, China – We lost part of Saturday as we crossed the International Date Line, but we will find it again in two weeks. The sun never set on Friday night as we flew to Asia. We were in daylight from Friday morning until Saturday evening, despite changing days and dates. The ability to fly over the Arctic, Siberia, and the Gobi Desert and into the People’s Republic of China is not only a physical miracle, but also a political miracle since the end of the Cold War.

It was very eerie to land at the same airport where President Nixon had landed in 1972. It will also be the airport where guests from all over the world will land in the summer of 2008 for the Olympic Games. Beijing is being prepared for their arrival, and it is obvious that the government wants the city to make a favorable impression. There is already a strong presence of international businesses, including many American companies. We visited briefly today with a young American engineer who had graduated from Iowa State. His company is working on the construction of a power plant and he has been in the country for two months. At breakfast, we visited with a professor from the University of Pennsylvania who is teaching courses in an M.B.A. program. It’s certainly not our father’s China.

We were treated to dinner by Joe Graves last night, and many TSF Guild members will recognize that he is the reason that we are here. Joe has directed and acted in numerous TSF productions, but he has been in China for the last three years. He arranged for the festival to bring an American play to the University of Peking this summer. Joe has been a wonderful host, and not until last night did we realize that he had been a student of Raymond Caldwell’s at Ouachita Baptist University more than thirty years ago. There are also students here this week from Ouachita to attend the various performances of plays written by American authors.

Joe took all of us to dinner and we sat around tables with a “lazy Susan” in the middle for a meal that included marinated cucumbers, cashew chicken, corn with sunflower seeds, broccoli, beef with bell peppers, fried bread, and finally, Peking Duck. We ate too much, but at least that wonderful meal came at the end of our thirty hour day. Finally we slept. If you like firm beds, China is the country for you!

We took our first tourist excursions on Sunday and Monday, and we visited the Summer Palace of the Qing Dynasty (pronounced “Ching”), Tiananmen Square, and The Forbidden City. Joe Graves arranged for two of his Chinese Theatre students to be our guides. Their English is excellent since they began learning our language in elementary school, and they obviously enjoyed using it with us. These young people were excellent guides, very helpful, and very sweet spirits. One was majoring in Management of Information Systems (that’s computers) and the other in Geology for Petroleum Exploration. We thought that last major was quite appropriate for Kilgore!

The Qing dynasty replaced the Ming Dynasty in 1644 when invaders from Manchuria took over the capital city. Despite being a minority race in the nation, the Manchurian emperors lasted until 1911. The emperors and later the Empress Dowager lived in The Forbidden City and visited the Summer Palace as an escape from their “emperor duties”. The Summer Palace and the lake that adjoins it are beautiful reminders of the history of China, and both Chinese and international tourist families were there enjoying the grounds.

The Summer Palace had to be rebuilt in the 1880’s after the Anglo-French invasion forces destroyed them around 1860. In addition to the palace buildings and gardens, there is a covered walkway known as “The Long Corridor” that is over 700 meters long and includes more than 8,000 paintings recounting Chinese historical figures. It is sad that part of that history includes destructive encounters with the western world. Despite the distrust that lingers, we sense an enthusiastic desire to build close relationships with the western world, especially among the young people.

The Ming Dynasty began in the 1400’s and the buildings in The Forbidden City are over 600 years old. After entering The Gate of Heavenly Peace, there are a series of buildings named as The Hall of Supreme Harmony, The Hall of Middle Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony, all leading to the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Perhaps since “commoners” were not allowed in this “Forbidden City” six hundred years ago, the attraction to the Chinese people is even greater today. Just outside the Gate of Heavenly Peace (with the massive painting of Chairman Mao), the Tiananmen Square spreads across a great expanse. The Square is flanked by the Great Hall of the People and the Chairman Mao Mausoleum, and it is the symbolic center of the Chinese universe. We know it best as the site of the ill-fated, student protest for democratic reform in 1989. It is simply the world’s largest paved square. Joe Graves shared with us that among the demands of 1989 that resulted in an army assault on the students, all except the request for free elections have since been implemented. In the words of one of our student guides, “Who knows what Beijing will look like next year?”

The sights and sounds of these symbols of China, accompanied by the sunshine, were a challenge to our senses, and so we decided to spend a short time recovering in a down-town shopping zone! It resembled Times Square, including a giant screen attached to a tall building. Modern stores stretched for blocks and included all kinds of the latest billboards and products. The young Chinese people shopping looked like they could fit into any American mall. There seems to be little doubt that a capitalistic economy is welcomed by these shoppers. The biggest question seems to be how fast change can be implemented. The approach of the Olympics seems to be a driving force.

There is still poverty and ignorance among a portion of the people. It is hard to guess what percentage. Education seems to be the best answer for the next generation whether we are in Beijing or Kilgore. It has to be a priority for both countries.