Hello, Macau, We Have Arrived!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

The morning is hectic with organizing luggage and two more stops in Zhongshan before we head off to Macau.  We have a stop at the Cultural Arts Research Center – I guess that’s why William was asking if any of the contestants knew Chinese calligraphy earlier in the week.  The Center is celebrating cultural heritage with a Chinese calligraphy exhibit.  I’m amazed with the old and middle Chinese calligraphy.  I have learned basic traditional Chinese calligraphy, and now, I am intrigued to learn early and middle Chinese calligraphy now as well.  Some of the girls can read traditional Chinese, but they don’t necessarily understand what each of the poems or sayings mean.  Sometimes they have specific meanings, and sometimes it can be up for interpretation.  The ceremony is a bit long winded, and the girls are getting a bit fatigued sitting up straight with their ankles crossed.  They finally get called up for pictures and are, unsurprisingly, the center of attention.

As we leave the space, our drivers have lined up the cars for a quick picture to advertise the cars.  They have the girls match up with their numbered cars and drivers.  Having beautiful girls posing with hot imports is a long standing tradition in the automobile advertising world.  Today is no exception.  As we head off to the last stop in Zhongshan, the traffic gets worse, and it is hard to maneuver the caravan.  We weave in and out of the heavy morning traffic trying to keep up with the rest, but the drivers in China will take any centimeter’s worth of space to wedge into traffic.  It is a bit frustrating as an onlooker to see how inconsiderate drivers are in China, more so than most countries I’ve visited.  That same mentality seems to spill over into general society as well.  For a culture based on saving face, familial honor, and so many rules of comportment, women are still considered either property or second class citizens, and men seem to be allowed to say and do whatever they want with little to no repercussion.

As we roll up to the elementary school, specially chosen children are lined up waiting for the entourage.  The children are all in their uniforms and are holding red plastic flowers.  As the girls file in, the children start welcoming them with a unified voice.  The principal has a few opening remarks, and then, we are led into the school for a little tour.  We see a wall of colorful hand prints which the children make their first year at the school.  Then, the hand prints are framed and hung on the walls until the children graduate after 6^th grade when the hand prints are planned to be presented to the children as gifts and souvenirs of the school.  There are approximately 1,300 children who attend this specific Zhongshan City public school.  That is nearly three times my high school’s graduating class.  Another wall has a photo mural of every child who has attended the school, and it seems like there is plenty of room to add photos.  We get to the gym, and a large group of children greet the girls with cheers and clapping.  The children have prepared a game where you transfer hearts over straws held only by mouth, no hands, ma’!  The more hearts, the more chances the girls will have to get puzzle pieces which turn out to be the map of China.  It is riotous fun, and everyone is having a ball.  Once the hearts are passed and the map is put together, the contestants happily take pictures with the children and their families and hand out gift bags to the children.  The bags were so cute, I was tempted to snatch one, but there was just enough for every child to have just one.

We have one last meal the Zhongshan International Hotel.  At lunch, there is a big round of applause and gratitude to Ken, our host and part owner of the hotel.  We rush through the meal to get everything on the bus to Macau.  The bus ride is short, and we arrive at the China Customs and Immigration stop.  Everyone and everything off the bus while we hand in our departure cards and have our pictures taken.  Back on the bus with the luggage, and after a very short five minute ride on a bridge, we get to Macau Customs and Immigration and have to take everyone and everything off the bus again to have it go through immigration again.  I have the stamps on my passport to prove it. 

We get to the Galaxy – it’s not just a hotel, but an entire complex with several hotels.  We pull up to Hotel Okura, and the girls are rushed off to rehearsal since we arrived late.  Dinner will be poolside at the rooftop deck pool, and the girls have a bathing suit and evening gown strut on the catwalk.

The evening is nothing but rush, rush, rush with hair, makeup, and costume changes. 

At one point, the girls are asked to pick the most charming gentlemen out of the crowd and bring them on stage.  When asked why they picked the gentlemen (and one lady), Ivy Hu replies that he reminds her of her father, so that’s why she chose him.  The MC heard her wrong and asked if he were her father, and such a loud outcry of laughter came from the crowd.  When Danni Wang replied, she said because he was the closest cute guy near her.  Stacy Wang managed to pick the the cousin of George H. W. Bush out of the crowd.  What a surprise!  When Ke Ke replied, she mentioned that she really loved his hairstyle – I guess sexy, bald men really do have a following in Asia.  The evening was over as quickly as it had started.  Now, off to sleep in my five star, US$622.81 (5000 Macau patacas) a night hotel room.  Oh, and is it luxurious!  Tomorrow, photos all over the island and the hotel and a farewell party.  Me?  I’m going to roam around this complex.

From the Mountains to the Sea

Monday, July 11, 2011

Another early morning with an unwelcomed morning call from the front desk – I roll out to breakfast and yawn through the bites of food.  The stir-fried noodles are a welcome surprise and super tasty.  There is a last minute change in events, and the girls have to go change into clothes they can ride bikes in.  Miriam Lau (contestant #6) is front an center on the morning newspaper.  The luxury import cars are back to take us out again.

I was under the impression that the girls would go for the bike ride first to beat the oppressive heat, but after a long ride up to the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park which encompasses the land on which he grew up, replicas of his home later in life, and a museum, it’s just another stop on the press junket.  My father is going to be so envious!  He has always wanted to see where Sun Yat Sen grew up.  The girls attract a lot of attention from the other visitors, and it’s a lot of commotion to handle all at once.  Just trying to get in to hear the tour guide and see the exhibits was a bit tough in the tight space and all of the gawkers.  Some of the girls did manage to ask some questions of our tour guide amidst all of the flashing light bulbs.

Back into the cars to make it to the next stop . . . a riverside bike ride.  The driver of our car is a local, so he has been filling in the gaps about the history of the Zhongshan, it’s most famous prodigal son, Sun Yat Sen, and the disappearing local culture. 

He points out buildings and structures.  We drive past large swathes of farmland still being tilled by hand.  The next generation is not going to know what a crop field looks like , and they won’t know where their food comes from . . . an effect of education, I suppose.  The sun is beating down on the concrete roads.  The Coast Guard posted at the gate is sweating bullets as we drive up to our destination.  When I stepped out of the car, the heat is so much more oppressive than I was expecting.  The weather forecast did predict thunderstorms for the region, and the heat and humidity were the build up to a big summer thunderstorm payoff.

All of the girls set out with a few of the drivers bringing along umbrellas to shield them from the sun.  The breeze off the of the river is actually very cooling, but the rays of the sun are overpowering, and a few people come back early. There was a nurse on standby, but luckily, none of the bike tour need her services.  My riding companions and I are so very thankful for our driver who already had the forethought to park the car in the shade and start the air conditioning a few minutes before we get there.  Off we go for a seafood lunch at a restaurant down the street.  The selection was amazing for a building that looks so old and rundown.  It’s a bamboo log building sitting on stilts out on the mud brown river.  It is actually one of many along the road, and judging by all of the construction along this tin concrete road, it won’t be the last one either.  A lot of the fishing culture will change in the area as the government takes over the land forcing the illegally built homes to be taken down, etc.

A long ride back to the hotel brings a welcomed afternoon nap.  The thunderstorms predicted earlier begin to settle into the region as we get ready for the poolside party.  At the last minute, I decide not to go because of the thunderstorm.  A few of us order in some Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and sit around and chat for a bit.  I highly recommend the peach topped custard tarts at the KFCs in China, if you ever get the chance to stop by.  There is a national toll free number to order delivery, or you can order online, but the website is a bit more confusing than it ought to be.

I can’t wait to see what Macau is like.  I’ve only ever seen it in the movies and on the travel shows, but sometimes, there isn’t any better view than in person.  A few people have already gone ahead to scope out photo backdrops.  The driver mentioned that it’s only about a 30 minute bus ride there, so should be nice.  I have to fill out separate forms in order to enter the country, so this is going to be interesting tomorrow.

Thanks, Zhongshan’s Corporate Sponsors!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

The Zhongshan International Hotel happens to be housing the atheletes and their families of the World Youth Badminton Championship.  Breakfast was a zoo.  People hovered over seats and pounced as quickly as possible to take your seat even if the table hadn’t been cleared, yet.  I welcomed the American hashbrowns which I hardly eat when I’m back in the States, but the added variety is nice.  The girls were expected at an outdoor event at Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park.  Angela Gao (Contestant #8) was well enough to join in the events today; however, Melody Wu (#12) and Allison Ye (#10) will not be able to make it.  When we gathered in the lobby, we noticed there wasn’t a bus.  What waited for the girls was a caravan of luxury import cars to take them to the park.  After being bounced around from car to car, a couple of us press staff end up in the very last car.

After driving around for more than half an hour, the driver is a bit turned around.  We had driven by the park, and he hadn’t realized it.  We ended up taking a very roundabout way to catch the girls walking up the steps to the Sun Yat Sen statue.  In the half an hour spent outside in Zhongshan today, everyone had already sweat through their clothes.  I overheard that most people had sweat so much that the sweat had reached down to their underthings.  It was nice waiting in the hotel lobby for everyone to arrive because I had cooled off and almost dried out by then.  Everyone gets to rest a bit and then it’s lunch in the hotel.  I am starting to like this not having to travel to eat luxury.

Like last night, we are having lunch on the third floor of the hotel in the International Room.  The Cantonese dishes come at a leisurely pace and the service is wonderful.  Overall, the majority of the pageant contestants and staffers have well-preferred the cuisine of the Guangdong (formerly known as Canton) region to all of the others combined.  Today’s lunch, however, is exclusively Zhongshan delicacies.  Melody and Allison joined us for lunch, and both seem to be recovering.  It’s been a grueling pace of early morning makeups and styling, intense heat and humidity, and frequent changes in temperature, climate, and food.  Only the very resilient are dodging sore throats, allergies, and stomach ailments.  The girls meet the sponsors and owners of the hotel and restaurants where we are staying and eating.  My first impression was, “My!  What young dudes are running this hotel!”

The girls at my table did a great job clearing the table of dishes.  The girls must rush and unpack evening gowns for the dinner.  The girls will have the use of the luxury import cars again, but they are expected to stop at at least five of the corporate sponsors this afternoon before dinner.  One of the sponsors is one of the largest LED manufacturers in all of China and probably globally.  Melody and Allison are still not quite recovered, so I choose to stay behind in case they need a chaperone.  It gives me a chance to relax a bit and do more laundry before the crazy schedule that I won’t be able to opt out for our last few days in China are upon us.  I am thankful that we are across the street from a mall with a supermarket.  Melody and I end up going to get supplies and treats for some of the staffers.  I pick up a tiny room air freshener, some liquid detergent, and a few other things to take back home like mosquito repellent happy face stickers, fancy flavors of potato chips, and cheap packs of super cute tissues – things I always like to pick up from Asia that we can’t really get in America easily.

A grand gala style dinner is scheduled at the event hall next to the hotel – evening gowns, jewelry, and probably a lot of photos with sponsors will be required.  There is a rumor that some of us will be going out for some karaoke tonight.  This Taiwanese-American girl can’t escape the need to sing to a mismatched video and a midi beat!

On the Road to Zhongshan

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Right after breakfast, we meet at 11AM to meet the bus to take us to lunch.  Yes, food right after food.  The one funny thing that happened this morning was the fact that we now simply had too much luggage to fit under the bus.  The entire back row of seating had to be used as luggage storage, and we managed to fill it nearly up to the ceiling.  We end up at the same restaurant that we went to for lunch yesterday.  I wasn’t hungry in the least, so I eat some green veggies and go across the street to pick up iced coffees and custard tarts at Kentucky Fried Chicken for people.  The KFCs have far fuller menus than the ones back in the States.  You have rice bowls, bentos boxes, milk tea, and even iced lattes that some with soft serve ice cream, not whipped cream.  Everyone was elated to have some food that wasn’t exactly the same as the day before.  Banquets seem luxurious for the first few meals, but after a while, you want something different, yet simple.

Vegetarians are few and far between in China.  All of the banquet meals we have been extremely heavy on meat and seafood with no rice and few purely vegetable-based dishes.  I already had a preconception that vegetarians would find it extremely hard to stay properly nourished in the Mainland, and each banquet has proven the case to be true just a little bit more.  Perhaps there are actually more choices than meets the eye, but since we don’t get to wander on our own with the packed schedule of appearances most days, I will have to stick to my preconception until proven otherwise.  Vegetarianism is far more prevalent in Taiwan because freedom of religion is allowed, and Buddhism mixed with Taoism and Confucianism is the most popular religion deeply rooted in Taiwanese culture.  Many Buddhists practice vegetarianism based on the principle of not harming other living creatures and less so for the health benefits; though, in recent years, there has been a rise of vegetarianism based on its health benefits.  It has become so popular that New York’s Chinatown sports an all Taiwanese vegetarian market at Hester and Centre called May Hwa.  You can check out my interview with one of the managers in Spring/Summer 2011 edition of Asian Fusion Magazine.

As we board the plane to Guanzhou, there are free newspapers at the cabin door, but I don’t really pay attention to them.  As I am ambling towards my seat, one of the staffers is holding up one of the covers of the periodicals featuring Angela Gao (Contestant #8).  There isn’t an article in between the covers, but it’s still really great to see.  Another cover that William Yip is holding up features the whole group with a little paragraph, but again, nothing between the pages resembling an article.  The final article I see is a full one-page spread with Jasmine Hayter’s (#14) full length photo and a headshot of Angela’s (#8).  The other passengers start piecing the puzzle together and start trying to match the girls to their photos in the periodicals.  This is just the beginning of their flirtation at being celebrities.

The bus ride from the Guanzhou airport is about an hour and a half.  The thunderstorms in the area that had delayed our flight cooled the temps to 79ºF, but the evaporation has contributed greatly to the humidity.  Zhongshan, renamed in honor of the father of modern republican China Sun Yat Sen (hanyu pinyin: Sun Zhong Shan), is in the southeastern part of China in the Guangdong province where Cantonese is the prevalent dialect aside – more so than Mandarin.  We are getting that much closer to Macau and Hong Kong!  As we roll into town, the city is lit up like a Christmas tree. 

One of the girls mentioned that Zhongshan is known for its LED (light emitting diode) industry, and as we pull into town, she was completely right.  The Zhongshan International Hotel was built in 1988 – as I found out from the commemorative sculpture fountain in the lobby, so some of the “amenities” are outdated, but the internet seems well faster than any of the other hotels we’ve been staying in so far.  Oh, and there is a 7Eleven just across the street.  We’re actually in a city center!  Tomorrow, corporate appearances and a fancy welcome dinner!

Wipeout!

Friday, July 8, 2011

First thing this morning, I had to find out about how the two game shows went yesterday.  Exciting news, the girls dominate both shows.  You know what that means – Mr. Yip is matching the winnings yuan for yuan.  The promise has been extended to anymore winnings they may receive as a result of any other game shows on the trip.  In addition to doubling their earnings, Mr. Yip has requested that a fabulous room at the best KTV (karaoke) in Macau be reserved for the girls after their packed schedule.  You can tell that the board members sincerely care about the girls, and it’s not just all for show.

The morning has a delayed start of 10AM, which was a nice change of pace.  The reason for the delay wasn’t as nice.  Several of the girls’ have fallen ill, and the delayed start was due to trips to see doctors and hospitals.  The rest of us climb aboard the bus on our way to the first stop of the day which is Hefei’s version of “It’s a Small World”.  Each building houses a multitude of information about different East Asian nations with scaled down replicas of historical landmarks.  There are also interesting sculptures peppered throughout the park.  The crew from the television station is there to capture every second of the girls walking through the park.  Once they get to the amphitheater for the water show, the girls are split up to do different little ads for the station and probably the park.

We file back on the bus, and it’s time for lunch already.  After lunch, we head to the water park next to the Hefei Aquarium.  Five of the girls have volunteered to compete on “Boys vs. Girls”, an obstacle course game much like “Wipeout” in the States which we got from Japan, if I’m not mistaken.  Two groups of youth martials arts groups perform for the intro.  The first group is mostly older elementary school kids with nunchuks.  The second group are little kindergarteners showing off their kick and punches.  Too cute . . . and deadly!  Yi Yao (Contestant #1), Isabella Chan (Contestant #11), and Danni Wang (Contestant #7) all get a chance to perform before the competition begins.  Yi sings a classic Mandarin song.  Isabella raps which throws the hosts of the program completely for a loop.  Danni performs a sultry dance involving a chair, a hat, and some hip shakes in a bright red, fringe-filled outfit.  The five volunteers, however, are not the performers, but the brave Ivy Hu (#4), Yufei Liu (#5), Miriam Lau (#6), Allison Ye (#10), and Mei Shao (#11).  With all of the obstacles moving and sprayed with water, it’s not an easy course to navigate.  Unlike a typical ropes course, there isn’t hardly anything to grab a hold of when your foot gives way, so the girls have to get creative.  The hosts give the team members a lot of pointers like the faster you can make it through each obstacle, the safer you will be, and the longer you take the more fear will build up.

Allison volunteers herself to go first.  She makes it to the spinning bit before she hits the water which is about 1/3 of the way through the course.  The makeup was most definitely waterproof because she still looked great being hoisted out of the water.  Yufei is 100% sure that she will make it through the entire course when the hosts interview her.  She gets to the top of the moving staircase before she’s thrown into the water which is about ½ through the course and the farthest any of the five girls get.  When the hosts ask for the next volunteer, the three girls point to Pan Pan, who stands in for Contestant #8.  He tries his best, but the fourth “toadstool” gives him trouble. Miriam is next, and she takes the hosts advice about going through the obstacles at quickly as possible . . . perhaps a little too quickly because she overshoots the trampoline and takes a header into the water getting passed just the first obstacle.  Ivy is our last hope, but the fourth “toadstool” also proves to be her foe.  The game ends pretty early, so Pan Pan gives it another go and wrestles again with the final “toadstool”.  Though the game was short, I am thankful to get out of the sun and heat and head back to the hotel.  

A quick shower and costume change, and the whole gang is back in the lobby.  I am greeted with a big hug by Miriam, the W&M alumna, and then, we’re on the bus for our farewell dinner.  We pull up to this secluded spot in the hills.  The parking lot is packed, and people crowd the entire area.  The  entrance is like entering a grand Chinese home with a large door where you must take a big step to cross over the threshold.  You pass through a hallway where there are sample dishes on display as well as aquariums holding future meals.  Once you get passed the line of woks and cooks, the space opens into a great hall decked out much like the inns you see in Chinese period movies with a lofted second floor where you can see those down below.  The woodwork is intricate and reminiscent of times gone by, as if you were gazing into the inner chambers of a wealthy family.

Little did we know what we were in for, but all of a sudden a disembodied, male voice in the operatic style starts speak-singing to the customers.  The lights on stage are lit, and an actor in operatic costumer walks out and begins to sing followed by an actress also in period costume.  I wasn’t expecting dinner AND a show.  A few more actors come out and sing very classical songs; then, it’s time to dig in.  One of the most well-known, well-attended establishments in Hefei, dish after dish of local eats come out from the kitchen.  The waitresses end up stacking dishes on the lazy susan because of the large amounts of food going uneaten.  For this foodie, I was not impressed with the amount of oil and salt in the food, but thus is the style here in Hefei, Anhui.  The typical cuisine is also heavy on root vegetables and legumes like sweet potatoes, purple yams, peanuts, soy beans, and taro.

Tomorrow we leave for Zhongshan, Guangzhou.  I will need to brush up on my Cantonese if were going to be in the province where the language started.