We’re lucky enough to do all sorts of interesting things when studying Architecture. For design studio at the moment, we’re doing “Culture”, a series of tasks organised by Peter Corrigan. So, in roughly 500 words, a (far too pithy) critique/analysis of The Quiet American:

Set during final years of the French occupation of Vietnam, and the increasing combat successes of Ho Chi Minh, the Quiet American (based on the seminal Graham Greene novel of the same name) stars Michael Caine and Brendon Fraser.

Metaphor is pervasive throughout the film. Fowler is England: old, weary, and with the cynical experience of gaining, running then losing an empire. Diametrically opposite is Pyle, the young America: naive, moralistic, paternalistic, innocent; but also possessing increasingly dangerous powers. The political tensions are mirrored in the sexual tension between the old and the young man as they vie for the affections of the elegant, gorgeous and equally pragmatic Vietnamese lady, Phuong.

The film is far more critical of America’s actions than the occupying French, who are shown as demoralised and losing their grip on the country. Pyle is depicted as increasingly out of touch, wrapped up in the ideas of “York Harding” and paternalistically believing that the people of Vietnam need, want and will ultimately accept democracy (via the “third-force” — America). Indeed this interventionist attitude to political relations has brought America to war several times last 50 years, most recently in Iraq.

Similarly, as Fowler struggles with the journalistic ethic of being completely detached, this again is a metaphor for the struggle of policy and actions in international politics. Finally submitting, Fowler utters: “this is war.”

Phuong is somewhat characteristic of a young lady in a society where most do not have the financial means nor independence to marry for love. She is worldly and able to use her femine wiles pragmatically in order to assure and secure not just her own future, but also that of her family. An analogy could be drawn that Vietnam, with it’s separate and warring factions are similar to that of Phuong’s allegiences to her family, Fowler, and Pyle. Phuong may chose to be the lover of Fowler, but ultimately her family (perhaps a veiled analogy to the grass-roots Vietnamese Communist movement) is more imporant as she knows that Fowler may never be able to fulful her desires for marriage and a stable future.

Stylistically, the film attempts to contrast the foreign zones in Saigon with the mass of humanity in the other areas. This is relatively successful, as there is a definite pathos as the “European” calm is shattered by two simulataneous bomings, as well as Pyle’s final minutes - spent running down twisting alleys. However, the reality is that almost all South-east Asian cities are actually far more crowded, dirty, chaotic and interesting than the Saigon depicted by the film. In the film, the actors are able to successfully navigate the footpath, whereas it is actually the norm to walk on the shoulders of roads (the footpath being cracked, uneven and covered with a maze of bicycles and food stalls, and the road offering relative ease of pedestrian movement).

The film makes for enjoyable viewing, with a sharp political commentary veiled behind a social drama. The Quiet American continues to be relevant today.

Well this is the last week of teaching in Sheyang High School, so I thought I’d try and give a good overview of my experiences of the past four months in this place.

Sheyang itself

Sheyang is a small town (well technically Hede in Sheyang County) of around 100,000 people, an hour from Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province. Shanghai is 5 hours away, by often cramped and smoke filled bus (you can smoke almost anywhere in China). It’s not particularly famous, although a former general and national defence minister grew up in Sheyang.

Like most Chinese towns, you’ll probably see plenty of weathered concrete apartment blocks, or white-tiled structures, which do make for a most depressing sight were it not for the presence of some greenery. The local roads are haphazard in terms of repair, a stark contrast to the well maintained national highway system. There aren’t many cars around (they’re very expensive), and most are small taxis. More prevalent are bicycles, scooters, motorbikes, mopeds and rickshaws. There is small river which runs through the town, and it’s quite common to see low barges meandering their way along it.

The place has very few foreigners (who are apparently all Conversational English teachers), perhaps 8 in total, and I never actually saw any around. As a result, staying in Sheyang has introduced Joe, Eliet, Heather and myself to the phenomena of being minor celebrities. This is double edged sword, as we gained free lifetime entry into the only Disco in Sheyang (more on this later), but at the same time endured the now stale mutterings, comments and exclamations of “Lao Wai” and “Wai Guo Ren”.

There isn’t actually much to do in Sheyang, besides eat. On that note, there is a pretty good selection of restaurants, so long as you wish to eat various types of Chinese food. Feeling game, we sampled so called Western-style “Berfsteak” [sic] and “TF Coffee” — both overpriced and major let downs. I never tried the local KFC (they always seem to be next door to “TIMES” supermarkets). Actually, a word of advice: avoid “Western” food in China. It’s just not the same, and definitely not worth the expense.

Table manners are much simpler than in the West. It’s polite to fill someone’s drink before your own. Never remove the main dishes from the centre of the table — move your bowl to them. Remember to match people’s toasts (ie: if they go bottoms up [”gambei”] you must as well). And lastly, never point your chopsticks at anyone, or stick them vertically into rice. Aside from that, it’s no holds barred. You can make a mess, leave your bones and scraps on the table, and it’s not a problem. There is no obligation to eat what is in front of you. You can eat dishes in any order (although here in Sheyang, people usually eat rice last). You only have to worry about Chopsticks, as they are your only utensils.

Food aside, there is a local Disco, which had a bouncy floor and the usual terrible techno, and it was good fun after a few drinks and with a few fellow friends. The drinks are essential as you need the confidence to get the party started! (There seems to be a propensity to do outrageous things like this when you’re away from home for extended periods…) Surprisingly, the local supermarket (”TIMES”) offered some interesting things, including the famous snack food “Wang Wang” (Joe and I dedicated a short film to it) and really cheap alcohol, especially the infamous “Baijiu” (White rice wine).

A word on Chinese drinking culture: Alcohol generally is only drunk with meals. Beer is usually to be had at dinner, but I’ve seen people drinking it at breakfast! “Baijiu” is generally reserved for more formal occasions, though depending on who you know, any excuse will do! Women generally tend to avoid the drink, or only in small quantities. This does not apply for men, and the universal competitive spirit exists among guys (”man points”) in relation to drinking prowess! Although there is no legal drinking age, most people under 18 don’t drink (it seems the Chinese start having a life once they reach university).

Sheyang High School

School here is not fun for the students, by any stretch of the imagination. Classes of 60. Cramped classrooms. A school day starting at 6am and finishing at 10pm (with only a 2 hour break at midday). A 6 day school week (sometimes even 7!). Mountains of homework. School consumes their lives — there is little time for much else. Many of my students used to do extra curricular activities when they were younger, but these were dropped due to sheer necessity. It’s very, very sad.

The reason for this madness: gaining entrance into University. Competition is extremely fierce, more so outside the major cities.

The school’s built environment is also pretty depressing — white tiled concrete buildings. They do, however, make for some interesting urban exploration. What is bizarre, considering the lack of space in classrooms (and absence of lockers for school books), is how many rooms are under-utilised or just not used at all. The school library is an eerie place indeed, and a testament to the fact that the students pretty much only read their textbooks. I never actually saw any library books inside — only dusty taxidermy exhibits and a room full of awards and medals. The school has a proper domed telescope, but again, it seems to be never used. Heck, the school even has a gym and an oval (with a running track), but they’re not used much either. It’s actually a real shame.

It’s not all gloomy however. There are two places of interest on the school grounds: the basketball and table-tennis courts, and the so-called “teacher’s garden.” The former attests to the popularity of these two sports, and the garden is actually very pleasant (Joe and I held our English corners there). I personally have little interest in basketball, but many students have asked me about various NBA players and teams — it really shows the paradox of China’s relationship with the United States. The culture is quite popular (this extends to pop music, clothing, and food, too), even though most people express a dislike towards the US.

Chinese students are immature relative to their Western counterparts, work ethic being the major exception! At the subtlest hint of kissing (or even a mild romantic moment) in a film (even an animated one), many looked away or appeared embarrassed. This is more pronounced with girls. That said, my students were always curious about whether or not I had a girlfriend, and had no qualms about expressing their views of my sister (many cries of “so beautiful!”), and jokes involving love or marriage got an easy laugh. They don’t receive any form of sex education whatsoever, and again I think that their social world (relationships, sex, etc) really unfolds once they leave high school.

That said, I am speaking in generalisations. The female students are generally very shy, but there are notable exceptions. For example, one asked me whether I thought pre-marital sex was okay, much to my surprise! Another regularly turned up outside Joe’s or my apartment door, invited herself in, and proceeded to demand things, much to our chagrin. I relished in small acts of revenge against this recalcitrant (she was not a student of either Joe or I).

Memorable Quotes

Many students left me some rather amusing messages, so here are some golden ones:

• “I love you, but I’m just a boy.”
• “A good dream every night!”
• “I want to kill you, because you will go!”

I shall recount my first few days in my next post, but for the moment here is today and yesterday:

Saturday — Chinese New Years Eve

Got up at 4am. People still in the streets of Beijing. Went to airport. Plane delayed by fog. Asked for how long: they replied “20 minutes”. Hah! Waited. Got on plane via bus across tarmac. Uneventful plane trip. Really good airline food (pick the “Chinese”, avoid the “Western” food [that they provide] like the plague. Some foreigners got suckered.) Landed. Very Very Foggy. Collected Luggage. Met GAP people, and link teachers. One of the GAP managers for Jiangsu was really cute. Met Huang Yao (William) for the first time in person. Car journey. Napped. Stopped for a really good lunch. Continued journey. Napped. Arrived in Sheyang. Got shown apartment. Only bedroom is heated. Still it’s all good. Unpacked. Went out to dinner with the principal of the school. Really really good food (again)! Learnt how to determine the head of the table on a round table and sundry seating arrangements in a formal situation (look for the special napkin, the door, and eggs). Came home. Lots of crackers and fireworks. Watched the celebrations on TV. Rather amusing. Very tired. Slept.

Sunday — Chinese New Year!

I got up at 8am today. Still lots of crackers. We walked with Huang Yao to his parents’ place, and had an excellent lunch (must be a universal constant that home cooking is pretty good). Had quite a few toasts (”ganbei!”). I like the rice wine and the beer here. Met Jerry Yang, a former student Huang Yao and now Joe and my school. He showed us around. The atmosphere here is very lively and friendly. The built environment is more dense compared to Melbourne, and there were plenty of people around. Had a great dinner. Then we (Jerry, Joe and I) went to Karaoke. I wasn’t expecting it, but it was good fun!

So for now: Xin Nian Kuai Le! (Happy New Year!)