Jei Fung Bei (inevitably spelled incorrectly) is the heart of downtown Chongqing, much like Times Square of New York City. Judging by my limited trips into the city, Jei Fung Bei is an hour fifteen-minute bus ride from Beibei or a 45-minute cab ride. Why the growth? Chongqing played an important strategic role in World War II, becoming the capital of China as both Communists and Nationalists fought together under the cover of dense fog and mountainous caves. In 1997, Chongqing broke away from Sichuan province to become a municipality directly governed by Beijing (think New York City breaking away from New York State). Chongqing is a major port city because of the confluence of the Jambei and Yangtze rivers. At their meeting point in Chongqing, both rivers are larger than the Mississippi in the Twin Cities and both are able to support barges and cruise ships. Chongqing acts as a gateway between Sichuan, with a population over 80 million, and industrialized Eastern China.
Jei Fung Bei is the booming China that increasingly occupies the American consciousness. Since my arrival, I have heard from numerous, potentially unreliable, sources that Chongqing is the fastest growing metropolitan center in the world. The entire city is under construction, with scaffolding and cranes at or around nearly every building. Bamboo is used as scaffolding and (apparently) provides support while increasing efficiency- a resourceful terrorist could cripple the city by unleashing a heard of hungry Panda bears.
Back in shirtless, littered, phlegm spitting Beibei (the China I love), I played basketball with my Sichuanese friends. To repay their generosity, a few of us foreign teachers decided to invite them to a night in Jei Fung Bei. They instantly and adamantly refused, complaining that Jei Fung Bei is too expensive. We insisted that they join, that we would pay, and we all would have a good time. They reluctantly submitted.
The bus ride from Beibei to Chongqing cost 10 quai a person, less than a $1.50. We found a restaurant by the bus stop that smelled of methane or some other industrial chemical and enjoyed a communal meal of spicy pig intestines. The owners of the restaurant brought out their baby girl to see us foreigners. A round of beer and food for eight people totaled 140 quai.
We walked 15 minutes into Jei Fung Bei, and then there was light- flashing lights, lasers, spotlights, and lights on buildings as if they were Christmas trees. People everywhere- poor people, a beggar missing his foot with exposed rotting red flesh, unaccompanied children, foreigners, limousines, prostitutes, police officers, and business parties. Overwhelming.
We walked to Club 88, a faux steamboat two stories above the street. To enter, we walked a flight of wood stairs with beautiful young employees dressed in trim white sailor outfits saluting us. We were ushered into the club, which felt like the Ball Room of the Titanic with a trendy flair. This was a China I had never seen, a China of luxury and excess that trumped anything I had ever seen back in the States. The club was full of Chinese youth, but these Chinese youth did not stare or even notice us foreigners. We sat at the only remaining table in the back corner. I realized we would probably only be able to afford one or maybe two rounds of drinks based on the decor and clientele of the club. A server, also dressed in sailor attire, came to our table with a drink menu and unapologetically stated the club was done serving beer for the night, and now only sold bottles of wine and liquor. The cheapest bottle cost 550 quai (nearly 100 dollars), while many bottles were over 3000. I was sitting next to my basketball friend Will, a college graduate from a poor family in rural Sichuan. Will works in an office in Beibei and his salary is 2000 quai a month. Most other tables, tables of impeccably dressed Chinese youth, had three or four bottles. Very few seemed to be drinking their bottles excessively like youth would in the States, almost as if the bottle and its contents meant much more if not consumed.
We decided to try or luck at other places, but only found more of the same. My Chinese friends were disillusioned and anxious, knowing that they could not afford to buy us a drink and would feel guilty if we insisted on buying drinks. We decided to catch a cab back to Beibei, which felt like home more than ever. We raced to our favorite bar and bought rounds of drinks. We danced, we sang, we met new friends, and enjoyed what has become a brotherhood.
Imagine if the Minnesota Twins won the World Series, but you were unable to go to one game or even watch them play on TV. My friends feel pride in the wealth and growth of China although their benefits are moderate. This is a very interesting paradigm, which seems (for the time being) to be working quite well in China.
Love,
John Murray
No comments:
Post a Comment