As the photo above shows, bugle playing is clearly prohibited on the grounds of the Tongji University Guest House. Not so elsewhere, as the quasi-musical multi-modal cacophony continues.
Hailing a taxi, leaping into that torrent, is the only way. How so? Find a native Mandarin speaker to direct the taxi driver, or hand him a little slip of paper with directions in Chinese. No English.
There are places, however, where some English is spoken. Around the Jade Buddha temple, my first stop, I was literally overwhelmed outside by the number of people approaching and grabbing me and saying clearly in English: money. Once inside? Statues and gardens and incense and tourists, as expected.
After that was Yu Garden and Bazaar, with more tourists and buying and selling and bargaining. And hot as hell. As in Hong Kong, I wanted to want to further contribute to the Chinese economy, but the only goods I encountered where those a tourist (?) might buy.
As I was carried along by the current of people, a Hanshan verse came to mind:
Yesterday I saw the trees by the river’s edge
Scarred by blades of a thousand axes.
Frost strips the yellowing leaves
River waves pluck at withered roots.
This is the way the living must fare
Why curse at Heaven and Earth?
So, no cursing, but I would like to get off the beaten path if there's a practical way.
Tomorrow? Meetings at the School of Software Engineering.
No comments:
Post a Comment