The Beijing Tennis Open~ Reminiscing about Warmer Days

Now that it is March and Beijing is still in the chilly throws of winter I am reminiscing about the start of the October National Week holiday when I attended the China Tennis Open on a hot fall day. I don’t follow any professional sports, much less tennis, but am always eager to see the action live in person if the opportunity presents itself.

 

Amongst the famed tennis competitions of the world the four Grand Slams come to mind, but never ever had I heard of the China Open. Yet it exists! And since its 2004 initiation it has been gaining steam as top ranked players such as Maria Sharapova, Roger Federer, Jurgen Melzer, the Bryan brothers, Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka compete in what Beijing claims is the premier tennis tournament in Asia. And it may well be. Hosted in the city’s recent state of the art tennis Olympic facilities- the event had a sense of grandeur, importance and occasion. This was established by the China National Tennis Center’s amusement park layout. Sponsor tents dotted the outdoor mall area, offering tennis fans opportunities to buy merchandise, pose with oversized tennis equipment and refuel on pricey hotdogs.

On Monday October 2^nd- day 4 of the tournament- a friend and I donned our preppy best and hit the courts. From high above in the deluxe Diamond Court stadium stands we watched the WTA number 1 Victoria Azarneka destroy French opponent Alize Cornet and later Maria Sharapova unleashed her notorious shrieks as she struggled against Simona Halep for an eventual victory. At the smaller Lotus Court we got a closer view of two rising Chinese male tennis stars, Ze Zhang and Di Wu. The Chinese media was also excited about women’s powerhouse Na Li who recently put China on the tennis map by making it into the women’s tennis top 10 rankings. At the Beijing Open she participated in the semi-finals.

The games themselves were a mixture of intense anticipation, celebration and scuffling between the crowd and game officials. As each player let out his or her version of a grunting scream slamming the ball once again over the net to win a rally, the crowd would struggle to control their excitement. The officials were forced to announce  reprimands when the stadium got too riled up. It was especially funny when Sharapova was struggling in her match against Halep and slews of Russian men stood up waving ‘Maria’ banners and shouted encouragement.

Although I am not a dedicated tennis fan, it was exhilarating to see international tennis champions battle to the end. We were wrapped up in every point and cheering madly when points went towards our favorite. A nice respite from crowded and over stimulating Beijing, being in the tennis park was spacious, clean and glittered with the excitement of the event around us. Arriving at 1pm and not leaving until 7:30 that night, we had a full day  of thrills and now I know a thing or two about tennis !

Skiing ~ Another Chinese Miracle

Yesterday I did something really amusing. I went skiing in Beijing.

Who knew just a mere hour drive outside of Beijing’s busy sprawling metropolis lies a world of snow sport and skiing? Intrigued and excited, I boarded the Sunday morning bus towards the fabled Nanshan ski area. I was on a solo adventure to conquer the slopes.

Originally I hadn’t thought skiing + cities + China was a natural combination. Yet here at Nanshan was a whole small mountainside of slopes and thick snow, surrounded on 3 sides by brown dry rural farmland and shabby brick villages. So what’s the trick? Its all artificial snow… Clearly some villagers sacrificed their cropland for Beijingers leisure and winter wonderland.

On the bus ride over I met a friendly young Chinese man who called himself Titan and filled me in on China’s growing ski enthusiasm and skills. He mentioned Beijing skiers have really improved since he started skiing here in 2005 when the slopes were full of beginners. Now that Beijing has over 10 manmade ski resorts in the urban area, city denizens have the access and time to hone their technique. Titan himself goes skiing almost every weekend, although his wife does not care for the sport and usually stays at home. This particular Sunday he was skiing but also photographing the Mogul Skiing Semi Championships races, which were going to be hosted at Nanshan that morning.

It’s funny to arrive at a ski spot that survives as a day trip destination. The usual hub of surrounding winter activities and massive infrastructure I recalled from larger ski resort towns just wasn’t present. Yet Nanshan modestly meets all necessary skiing criteria with a little extra grit around the edges for character. A pretty small operation, the ski base had a few low-key places to eat, some casual outdoor seating, 4 chair lifts and many novice slopes and bunny tows. After getting off the bus and gazing at the slopes in anticipation, I struggled to collect my various tickets and gear at different little windows, offices, counters and lockers- blushing when the boot guys made fun of me for having ‘big’ (size 8.5) feet.  I then donned my new skis and unsteadily made my way down to the chair lift, chuckling as I surveyed other skiers and snowboarders all dressed in identical red plaid or neon green winter coats rented from the ski shop.

In my first 45 minutes on the mountain I conquered every slope, chairlift and roped off trail. So I spent the next hour re-skiing the easy blues and yearning for the glory days of family ski vacations to the blissfully diverse mountain slopes of Colorado and Utah. Wow back then I had it so good! Fresh powder, tree runs, enough trails to get lost on and multiple mogul fields. Despite my nostalgia, it was great to be gliding down the mountain- an exhilarating and satisfying feeling wherever you are.

That afternoon I got hooked on an awesome loop. I turned my back on the easy blue and green slopes of the larger mountain and rode down Nanshan’s single black diamond course about 25 times, blasting spirited dance tunes. The slope featured some huge moguls, that usually got the better of me, as well as a steep decline seeminly built for speed. I got some serious air on the small jumps at the slope’s base and waved to the cheering old lift attendants as I hurtled past them and plunked myself on the small lift that rose vertically through the trees and back to the mountain summit. For most of the afternoon I was the only one on the slope, it was magnificent.

I arrived back in Beijing that night thoroughly pleased and a mere $60 poorer. Three cheers for urban skiing and Chinese snow miracles.

Badminton~ a Chinese sport of Champions

Unfortunately I have not nailed down a gym in my new neighborhood, but I have picked up a habit that brings me many more laughs and even a bit of cardio: badminton. My crew of my close friends has started meeting regularly every Thursday night to duke it out on the court with rackets and a birdie.

American sports are all about impact- we love the crush of football. In contrast Chinese prefer sports like volleyball, badminton, tennis and ping pong- all games where a net limits aggressive interaction between teams. But don’t let your guard down- Chinese are fierce competitors at whatever they set their minds and flexible flicking wrists to do. Mark my words, they will slay you in badminton in minutes.

Just tonight I gaped wide-eyed as my friends and I plunked the birdie around our court and the Chinese doubles next to us engaged in a stunning duel. Our shots soared and arched, landing wherever they pleased as we contorted our bodies in odd and embarrassing ways attempting various swings.  Their birdies bulleted across the net targeting hard to reach sweet spots. The players were so elegantly athletic they looked casual.

What is more the courts are always packed! Badminton is often considered goofy backyard game in the US, but here in Beijing it is a very popular past time and athletic endeavor. We reserve our court days in advance and work up a decent sweat trying to imitate the smooth finesse of our Chinese counterparts on the surrounding courts. Every week our shots get better and we have enough laughs to smile all evening, but in a gym full of Chinese pros we are still only child's play ! 

Beijing Apartment Hunting~ a Speed Dating Drama

Unless you are enrolling in a formal program, most other things in Beijing are almost impossible to preplan from abroad- the ball gets rolling once you hit the ground. Although my daily life is a bit difficult due to my poor Mandarin skills, it helps that life’s bigger decisions seem like a breeze in this otherwise complicated city. When I left Beijing in December I gave up my jobs (art: gallery, museum, magazine) and apartment, knowing that when I landed back on Chinese ground in mid January I could have a brand new life in the space of a week. Extraordinarily the big things like apartment leases and job contracts are that easy to arrange when you are in China.

At first bit daunted by finding a place on my own, a night spent sleeping on a friend’s couch quickly motivated me to get going on my search. I browsed the cryptic adds on Beijing’s most popular expat websites, scanning broken English and strange exclamations to decipher the basics. Several halting phone conversations later, as Chinese agents barked ‘HUH’ and ‘OK’ in my ear for several minutes, I had 9 appointments set for the following day, each with a different agent. And the speed dating began- I had decided the location (I was only looking at apartments in the downtown hutong area) and now I was going in to see the goods! ~frightened yet prepared to either leave empty handed or get lucky.

The next morning I battled the 8am subway crush from my friends place in the university district to my first 9am appointment in the city’s inner loop. It was going to be a long intense day- I was scheduled to meet new agents every hour at alternating subway stations. My real estate agents: Cody, Jack, Andy, Linda, Bob, Tim, Lena, Tonny and Alan- all masqueraded by their convenient English names and met me one by one on coughing scooters and motorcycles. The places they showed me were the epitomy of good, bad and ugly. Thus despite being long, the day was also fun because of the entertaining characters I met and thrilling motorcycle rides.

Let me tell you what I saw- it ranged from the bizarre and charming to downright distasteful and utterly unlivable. Yet there was one that struck my fancy!

Originally I thought I wanted to live in a hutong house- the ancient courtyard dwellings that were Beijing’s original homes. Renovated hutong residences and shops are positively the most charming places you have ever been. But I forgot that for my budget there would be nothing so pretty. The first hutong spot I saw was down so many winding allies I thought we were trapped in a labyrinth. Once inside this hidden apartment I missed the kitchen because it was so small, was startled by the toilet hunched under the steep ladder-like 2^nd floor stairs, and sadly discovered that the advertised ‘terrace’ was a tiled roof filled with a large solar heating panel. Despite its authentic hutong location, I decided the apartment wasn’t for me.

The next agent spoke little English so I toured the second apartment with his cell phone against my ear chatting details with his more English-literate colleague. Several other apartments I looked at still had people living in them, a detail I realized only when we burst in on a girl sleeping and the agent unflinchingly told me to walk around the room to see how I liked it. Young tenants were moving out of yet another place and the rooms were strewn with weeks worth of take out containers, food and bone remnants, used qtips and sunflower shells. Other places had the typical cheesy-as-hell Chinese décor~ basically the equivalent of cheap Vegas style furnishings- strange shiny tile, all chrome fixtures and ‘elegant’ lights.

As the day unfolded it also entertainingly unraveled. I saw several apartments twice yet with different agents and some agents told me to cancel my next appointments because I was scheduled to meet agents from their same office with the same apartment offerings. Best of all I accidently Shanghaied someone else’s agent and went to a completely bizarre hutong apartment that was in the thick of renovation with debris everywhere. To make matters funnier this particular apartment had a vaulted hotel like ceiling and the bedroom walls were covered with heavy dark brocade.

I was mind boggled. I have never actually been speed dating, but this is what I imagine it would be like if you subbed real estate agents and apartment portfolios for hopeful lovers and their inevitable baggage. In the end I guess it was cheaper than a real date~ I just had to buy tea between every appointment to warm my numb fingers!

The next day I went in for speed date madness round two, with more agents and offerings, to make sure the apartment I had liked the day before really was the best out there. Midday I realized that I had fully penetrated the web of semi- English speaking agents and their complete listings. I still liked my original pick so I called the appropriate agent from the day before and we met early afternoon to sign the lease and pay the deposit. Just like that and I had a new apartment, three days start to finish. A Chinese friend asked me later, “Three days, what took you so long?”

My new place!~ made me smile for the next two days straight as I moved in and rejoiced at my new surroundings and wonderful home. My old apartment this past fall in Wudaokou, the university district, was close to my friends going to language school but was over an hour away from anything else I wanted to do in the city. By contrast, my new apartment is in the thick of it all! I feel like I am now in the center of Beijing’s universe (from a foreigners point of view that is), and I am very happy about it. I chose my apartment because it is conveniently located on two different subway lines and is in one of the city’s cutest hutong neighborhoods- chock full of vintage boutiques and international cafes (coincidently I blogged about this neighborhood in the fall under ‘Yonghegong Hutong Wanderings’ and ‘Meandering ~Vintage Quirk Design’). 

With my background in religious studies I am overjoyed that my apartment is also right next to the biggest functioning Tibetan Buddhist temple in Beijing, called the Lama Temple. Thus the other half of my neighborhood is devoted to Buddhist ritual goods and music. Additionally the impressive and important ancient Temple of Confucius and Imperial College is right down the street. As you can tell, I am nuts about the location.

The apartment itself is wonderful- spacious yet cozy, with character   but not too corny. Conveniently located on the second floor of a 7-story pollution stained apartment building, I am surrounded by charming hutongs but have the luxury and space of a real apartment unit. 

My place has two bedrooms (my new Australian roommate Kate~ whom I adore~ will be back to Beijing in late February) and a large living room with a giant salmon colored couch. 

Both the bathroom and kitchen are amply sized, hallelujah, compared to the broom closet sized equivalents in my last apartment. Although my light fixtures are corny and some of the kitchen tiles feature little dogs playing in soap bubbles (why, why…?!), most of the furniture is sturdy wood which balances out the over-the-top feeling of other apartments. Ok some of the wood furniture is also a bit tacky- namely two oversized decorative Adirondack chairs. 

 

No Chinese situation is without its funny quirks and sure enough my apartment has its own as well- the fridge is prominently wedged next to the salmon couch in the living room and all my clothes storage space is on the clothes drying porch and therefore the same temperature as outside freezing winter air (I recently forced my agent to squeeze a wardrobe into my room so I wouldn’t be afraid to get dressed in the morning).

I can’t wait for Kate to come back and together we will make this new house our home !

Fruit Daze

I am a big fan of food vendors and sampling street eats. Because of my street food curiosity and love I have begun to notice patterns among vendors- what food they sell at what time of day, what is in season each month on the produce stands, and what holiday is around the corner.

Because I buy fruit every few days, I am particularly tuned into what comes in and out of season at my local stands. When I arrived in Beijing in early September little green and brown apple looking fruit and large spiky smelly Durian fruit abounded. Later in October small red crab apples appeared, and fragrant persimmons popped up around November. When I arrived back from the US in January I was surprised to see fruit vendors at every corner boasting strawberries! Seeing these juicy little fruits sparked fond memories of picking strawberries on the East Coast of the US in late…June! Baffled, I asked many friends about the mysterious winter strawberries. Finally a friend informed me that winter strawberries are in fact a tradition and appear at this time every year, right before Chinese New Year in early February. These strawberries are grown in China’s southwest province of Sichuan, nourished by mild valleys between the region’s celebrated peaks.

Although not as cheap as China’s famous mandarin oranges, winter strawberries are very soft and exceptionally sweet and juicy, making them well worth the price. Distinct from summer strawberries’ firm tangy sweetness, these winter strawberries have a soft sugary sweetness and pulpy flesh that seemingly melts in your mouth. As a declared fruit lover, I am happy to have one of my favorite summer berries brightening up smoggy cold Beijing winter days.

A Blanket of White

Recently Beijing’s pollution has been extreme and filled the city with thick hazy air. So it was magical to awake the first morning in my new apartment to softly falling snow and a pristine blanket of white- covering the past week’s film of dust. After enjoying a cozy morning on my bright salmon couch with a book and cup of tea, I bundled up and ventured outside- half afraid of the cold flakes falling on my face but also mesmerized by the beautiful calm they lay upon the city. 

Also enjoying the snow was a little girl building a squat twiggy snowman outside my building entrance. She grinned as I took a photo of her clever creation. 

Turning onto my neighborhood’s little ally ways I was intrigued by Chinese characters traced onto the windshields of resting vehicles and little metal rickshaws. Happily I recognized the same snow instincts my friends and I had at home, but this time temporary snow graffiti was in Mandarin! 

I was headed for the perfect wintery date. My friend Wayne and I were going to a new microbrewery nearby called Slow Boat Taproom for a special craft beer and cheese pairing event. 

On the way to the brewery’s hidden hutong location we passed a row of tailors specializing in florescent puffy winter coats in a variety of boastful styles and shades. Seeing small shops like this with lengths of material covering one wall and little sewing machines cramped against the other really reminds me that so many products really are ‘made in China.’ It is a novelty to see these coats materialize and be customized before your eyes, something that rarely happens anymore in the US. 

Passing the tailors we continued down a quiet hutong with gnarled branches swathed in white- creating a picturesque winter corridor. 

Presently we arrived at our destination. The façade of the taproom had a cool concrete brick design that let light filter through to its minimalist interior. The place is so new that Wayne noticed it still smelled like Home Depot. The front of the small room boasted a wall of at least 15 taps, a brightly decorated chalkboard and two American bartenders. For a moment I had to remind myself I wasn’t in Brooklyn. 

We took our flight of dark beers and wood slab of precious paired cheeses back to a modern picnic table. After running into my co-worker from Tang Gallery and chatting a while, Wayne and I had a wonderful afternoon of good conversation, food, and of course-drink. The snow framed such a pleasant day.