Kaiping! Beautiful Kaiping!

A couple weekends back Andy and I met up with my good friends Nick and Vicky to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Diaolou sites around Kaiping, Guandong. In Kaiping there are five government-sanctioned Diaolou and village sites that we needed a ticket for entry (Zili Village, Majianlong Village, Jingiangli Village, Li Yuan Gardens and Yinglong tower, 150 RMB for all five over two days) and there are countless of other individual Diaolous scattered across the countryside.

The Daiolous are family villas that were built by “overseas Chinese” in the 1930s. These Chinese families spent time abroad, typically in South Asia, Australia and North America, then returned to Guangdong, bringing with them a new architectural taste.

The buildings are considered a significant architectural form because their defensive features and for the way they combine Western and Chinese styles. To protect from bandits of the day they built high walls with ironclad windows and slots for firing weapons. Wealthy families built most of the Diaolous, but each village would also have a less decorative Diaolou that was shared by the rest of the village population during a raid. Today village residents and visitors alike only need to be weary of modern-photoshop-bandits like these two outlaws.

Family portraits and artifacts were displayed in the buildings. Artifacts ranged from chopsticks and chopping blocks, to a 300 year old toilet and an Ashland, Ohio made water pump. The design of the buildings, with tall stories, internal windows, and shaded upper story balconies allowed for air circulation and kept the insides a cool temperature (much appreciated on hot summer days!)

In 1980s many of the families entered into entrusted management agreements with the Chinese government. The government took charge of maintenance and repair of the buildings, while the families remain the owners.

The different sites were in varying states of repair and slow deterioration. The Li Yuan Garden site was by far the best maintained and all the buildings still boasted their original bright yellow paint. At the Ruishi Lou Tower I could see how sun and rain was washing away the once vibrant blue paint. In the tall stairways, protected from elements, colorful stencils still line the walls.

On our first sightseeing day we hired a driver to take us between three sites. On our second day we started early to beat the heat and rode tandem bicycles the 11km between Chikan, where we stayed the night, Zili Village and Manjianlong Village. And we even found the almost fully paved “Guangdong Greenway” to ride home!

All together it was fantastic trip that couldn’t have happened without Nick and Vicky!

How to Look Cool on a Bike in Shenzhen

Sorry about the delay, folks. The internet has been really picky lately here in the People's Republic, and Work Obligations have really picked up lately.

Excuses, excuses. Where were we? Right. Now that you've rented a bike, what is there to do?

You can put a bunch of stuff on it, of course:

But maybe you should leave that to the styrofoam wranglers of Rubble Street. No, I recommend you head toward the OCT Art Enclave, your typical warehouse-cum-hipsterville full of designer's studios selling found art with birds (or bloody hearts?) on it.

And then pop down to the brand new waterfront greenway! Until the British handed Hong Kong back to China, this area was patrolled by military vehicles to keep people from swimming out of the country. Don't worry, they've got hidden cameras to catch deserters now. This is Jerry, and he helped design it. I think. Regardless, he's cool, even if he does wear a helmet and ride a crazy belt-drive folding bike.

Proper attire is very important:

You'll know you've done it right when others want the moment they were near you to be captured in time and hung upon their mantle!

And try to find this thing, why not.

I have nothing funny to say about this last photo. Enjoy!

Small Victories

True fact: You can rent bikes in Shenzhen for about 25 cents a day. Here's how!

1. Search the internet for "Shenzhen bike rental." For best results, use the finding-a-plausible-set-of-characters-via-Google-Translate technique.
2. Have your Chinese roommate (who speaks a little English) call them and see what the deal is.
3. Upon discovering that it is indeed a real company, head to the business park where you believe their office might be. It doesn't look that big on the map, really. I'm sure you'll find it.
4. Wander for a bit. Upon finding what is surely a locked-up kiosk full of tiny bikes, call the number your roommate gave you for Mr. Zhao. Give them the name of the building you're sweltering under and say "I'd like to rent a bicycle" in English and unintelligible Chinese. Repeat as necessary. Eventually, they might transfer your call to someone who can speak a little of the Queen's Tongue. Do your best to explain your whereabouts and desires.
5. Have a McFlurry or something while you wait, hoping someone will come to where you are and rent you a bicycle.
6. Realize that this is not going to happen and begin looking for other places where a bicycle kiosk might be. There will be several, all in out-of-the-way places, and all closed.
7. As you realize that this Hi-Tech Park is far too large to be searched thoroughly on foot and prepare to give up this snark hunt, you will receive a text message with an address that you can show to the delivery guys, auto mechanics, and wealthy businessmen you see. Become encouraged when they all point in more or less the same direction.
8. Praise the Gods, old and new! Off in the hazy distance there's a little shack with bicycles out front! Watch elation turn to dread as you realize the man staffing the kiosk speaks no English, and his forms are entirely in Chinese characters.
9. Take a slow breath. You are so close. But this is a rather more complex transaction than ordering barbecue with grunts and finger-pointing (which you are so good at, by the way). You must now draw upon the bike karma you've earned in Portland and your local guanxi and get someone who speaks Chinese to interpret your desires to this man. Watch your phone's battery level drop precariously low as you telephone everyone who has ever offered to help you out with translation in China.
10. Success! Ali's incredible friend Nick and his incredible Girlfriend are on the line to help you! Make sure you understand what is happening. 200RMB for a deposit. Fair enough. One hour for 3RMB and one day for 15RMB? That's a steal! One month for 30RMB? Are you serious? Is anyone even making money here? Who do these guys rent to, anyway? And why is this service only offered in the Hi-Tech Park?
11. Stop asking questions! Just give the man his money, scrawl what you suspect is the information he wants on his form, and ride off into the sunset! Be sure to thank everyone who helped make this successful transaction possible. And remember, now you owe them one. Such are the rules of guanxi.

For reals, though: www.fqbike.com

There are four locations in the Tian An Cyber Park area. We had success at the Tian Parking Service Point station. It is located on the side of that building that looks exactly like all those other buildings, near that road that smells funny.

Stay tuned for part 2: How to Look Cool on a Bike in Shenzhen