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Virtual China - Perspectives of Xi'an Group #1

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Virtual China - Perspectives of Xi'an Group #1
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From: "HKIS Middle School (General Account #1)" 
Author: Julia Davidson
Date: Monday 18, 1996
Location: Pagoda, on top of one of the star Craigs
Activity: From the perspective of the pagoda on top of the mountain

        My day started out as usual.  The darkness faded and light slowly
began to come as the sun rose high above me.  The morning was dreary and
gray, and the wind blew until I was chattering with cold.  I don't know
exactly how old I am, but I imagine things were pretty different when I was
first built.  Anyway, as I was saying, they didn't look at all promising,
weather wise, but something was telling me that  something new, an event
quite unusual, was about to happen.
        At about 4:00 PM, I discovered what was happening.  People, many
people, were climbing the great mountain to see me, all dressed in red,
the group was made up of big and little people, most of them shorter than
the others.
        I couldn't let them see me like this!  I wish someone had cleaned
me up today.  A slight dusting, here and there and a kick of coke could
make all the difference.  But nobody was here to clean me, so I was not
satisfied with my looks.  I tried to look as good as I possibly could.
        Having each unusual visitor over had never been so much fun.  I
watched as they talked and laughed and took pictures of the beautiful
scenery around me.  I was left soon after, but felt not despair but
delight.  What wonderful beings!  I do hope they will come again.
----------------------------------------
Author: Karyn Gerber
Date: March 18, '96
Location: Xian, China
Activity: From the perspective of a bike

        Every morning, I sit here waiting to be rented or bought.  Almost
everyday, no one looks at me twice.  Sometimes people rent me, but
they're either very poor Chinese people, or foreigners in a tour group
speaking with odd tones and strange words.  Today, I hope a normal person
will buy me, but I doubt that will happen.  I'm too beat-up, and
scruffy looking for anyone to notice.  I can see that it's time for all
the people to work.  The lights in the houses are turning on one by one.
My owner stooped over, and with a tired face, he leaned over all the
bikes, one at a time, all of us in a row.  I am the last.  I think the
owner likes me the best.

        As he leans over me, he gives me a tired smile.  He takes special
care in washing me.  He also washes me twice as long.  Then he does
something he doesn't normally do.  He pats me.  I feel so proud that he
should honor me this way.

        People are now walking in a hurry, to and fro.  I see one middle
class woman giving me and admiring glance, and several children give me a
longing look.  Then one rich man came up.  He looked at me for a time
that seemed like eternity, but was probably only a few minutes.  Finally,
he said, "This is what I was looking for.  I'll take it!"

        I was overjoyed!  The man paid for me, and took me to his house.
Then he found his son and told him, "I'm going to teach you how to ride a
bike."
        "On that scrappy thing," the boy said disdainfully.  I was
mortified.  I almost cried, but restrained myself.
        "Yes on the scrappy thing," the father replied.  "This way if you
fall, the nice shiny one that you want won't be ruined.  This one already
has scratches, so you can use it."

        I'm finally good for something!  I cheered silently.  So that's
how I ended up in the great house of Xian, as happy as can be.
---------------------------------------
Author: Tiffany Wong
Date: March 18, '96
Location: Western side of Xian
Activity: From the perspective of the West Wall surrounding one side of Xian

        As a magnificent, bright green and purple kite swoops overhead, I
watch a little boy running across my top, happily giggling as the harsh
wind palls the kite towards the bare, old tree.  Crowds of people gather
around a brick engraved with ancient characters and pictures. Their brand
new cameras clicking and flashing away -- a typical tourist sight I
usually see.  A black bird perches on top of me, taking in the breath -
taking view of the whole city 12 meters above the ground of Xian.  Stones
rumble along with pebbles and trash across the 14 meters of my huge width.

        People create stalls along me, selling jade, kites, and other
cute items.  I watch them arguing with some tourists, persistent and
quite desperate to get money for food, clothes, and shelter.  Quite
often, I pretty much enjoy their company, but they always enjoy buying
juicy oranges to eat, wrapped in clear, red, plastic.  Their annoying
ways and dilatory ways, perhaps causes them to continuously dump this
garbage on me.  How inconsiderate!  I've been here for hundreds of years,
standing and towering over Xian in order to protect the immense
population of the busy city.  I have drained all my energy possible to
make this place proud - shouldn't they have some respect?!?  Oh well!

        The dust blows around me, making my already weakened sides more
injured.  Dust storms swirl violently atop me, biting angrily for air,
and spreading dirt all over the people.  In my opinion, they ware
monsters which snip of you endlessly.  I don't quite appreciate their
unwanted presence myself.

        Though I can be a nuisance to some, I am also a place of peace
and quiet.  People may like reading a book by themselves with the breeze
brushing softly against their cheeks.  Some young couples may enjoy
cuddling up along the sides of me, absorbing the breath - taking feeling
of looking down at Xian.  You can see to my left a whole row row of small
apartment, houses, and still being built.  Age knows of the sides and
roof tops of these homes, while new ones stand tall and mighty.

        Over on my right, the sights are more busy and bustling.  Cars,
bikes, taxi cabs o different colors, and trams zip across the streets,
but careful to watch that they don't over run anyone.  In the distance,
pagodas are historical monuments are silhouetted against the light, gray
sky, dusty from the dirt swept by the wind.
----------------------------------------
Date: March 18, '96
Location: A vendor's stall, Scholars Street, Xian, China
Activity: From the perspective of a stone axe

        Here I am, a dark piece of rock in Xian, China on Scholars
Street.  The street has many colorful pagodas, and many stores around
me.  I was on a shelf which was near the gate of Scholars Street.  I
didn't live here all my life.  I was once near a farm during the Han
Dynasty.  I was happy where I lived, later, a woman took me and brought
me to the city.  she carved me and put me on a shelf.  I lived here there
for a few years.  She then carved me into a  Chinese axe.

        Everything was the same for many years, until one day, on the
108th day of the year of the rat, a large group of children who all wore
red t-shirts with very weird writing on them came.  They all touched me,
and picked me up so many times, it was very annoying.  There was however,
a boy whose friends called him Jeff Murphy, he looked really interested
in me.  He gave the store keeper some money, and then I was given to this
boy.  Today, I'm still with him, acting as a decoration.
--------------------------------------------------------

Author: Marc Santos
Date: March 18, '96
Location: The town gate at Scholars Street in Xian, China
Activity: From the perspective of the entrance gate to Scholars Street

        I am the town gate at the front of a special roadway known as
Scholars Street.  I normally stand here, watching down upon the street,
watching the hustle and bustle of everyday life.  Once in a while,
something new and special people pass through me.  Here in Scholars
Street, I see street sellers, traders, with their stalls filled with
necklaces and jewels made out of precious minerals everyday.  This place
is like a heaven for tourists.  I also see all different sorts of shops
such as restaurants, artists' shops, herbal shops, Chinese calligraphy
shops, and many other places of business.

        This special street seems to be a special place in China.  I am
proud to have been built to be the entrance to it.  I also see carved
bronze figures, and even a temple, but the most importance sight of all
is the people.  Some who have money in their hands, and some who work
hard just to survive.

        It has been very different since I was first built in the 14th
century.  Many things have changed since.  I have seen emperors rise, and
emperors fall, and different armies of nations marching under me.  I fell
apart once from years of neglect, but some people were kind enough to put
me back together piece by piece, until I appeared what I am today.  From
that time on, I still stand proudly, watching people pass by me, and the
occasional passing of rickshaw cars, with people totally ignorant of me.
Now, it is the time these people call the year 1996, the so called year
of the rat, and life was going gas it did everyday, but today.  I saw a
boy wearing a red shirt coming towards me, carrying a device called a
camera.  At first, I ignored the boy, but he came closer, very focused on
me, and aimed the device at me.  I heard a little clicking sound.  I do
not fully understand what the boy did, but I feel that he did something
special for me, to prove that I am special.
----------------------------------------
Author: Jonathan Leung
Date: March 19, 1996
Location: The market at Sun Que.
Activity: From the perspective of a fly in a local market in Sun Que..

        I am a little fly flying through the market in Sun Que.  I heard
all kinds of noises, a splash, honks, bangs and all sorts of noises as I
went to a hawker store that sells sweet and salty buas.  A truck came on
my left and blew me away, he also honked and frightened me to death.  I
quickly got back in control, I turned to my left and went on another
street.  Here were all these stores that seemed to go on and on.  I
started to go down the street and heard some people talking.  they were
not talking loudly but they sounded really loud.  i saw a slipper store
with all different colors.  A store that caught my eye was a store that
sells things that you could burn for dead people  Things like necklaces,
money, and very interesting things.  If you burn these objects people
feel that the dead will get it from a distance in their second lives.  I
hear a noise and I looked back.  A motor scooter came up and knocked me
down to the ground.  I was covered with dirt, mud, garbage and a lot of
unknown rubbish.  When I gained back my conscious, I cleaned myself off,
feeling sticky because of the humidity.  I slowly got back up, being more
careful with vehicles.  I decided to call it a day, and go back to my
house.  I would explore the market another day.
----------------------------------------
 Author: Alan Kwan
 Date: March 19, 1996
 Location: Moslem quarter Xi'an, China
 From the perspective of a goat.


        "Wooh", I sighed peacefully on the side of a narrow alleyway in
the Moslem quarter of Xi'an. I am a young goat tied to a pole! The street
is muddy since it is very rainy. Today many bikes passed through this
narrow alley.
        Oh well, life's tough. I'm going to be depressed of my wool after
the frigid winter. When I'm old enough, I'll be killed for my meat. I can
see the butcher's table with fat and juicy slabs of goat meat.
        Besides just providing some fun and meat for people, I mainly
produce milk. The Chinese seem to love my milk. They drink my milk
practically everyday.
        The winter is very cold this year. Us goats don't grow fur like
sheep. Our thin layer of fur don't give us that much warmth. I am cold
now. There is no place in my master's house for me, so I am cold, old,
and wretched now.
        The streets are all muddy and filled with some strange kind of
odor. I just can't stand that odor! I'm tired but I can't sleep because
it's too cold. If I sleep, I may never wake up again!
        This flock of students are coming down the street now. They have
so much clothes on! I wish my master will buy some clothes like that for me.
        Now, let me tell you about the daily life of people on the
street. People on the street often just walk around.  Most of the people
are Muslims.
        These Muslim-Chinese are quite sometimes though. One of their
most important festivals is Ramodan. The people fast from dawn to dusk
everyday during the season of Ramodan. At the end of the festival the
people have a big feast. During the Ramodan season they from dawn to dusk
I have to fast too, but at the end of the season I am included in the big
feast too. My master gives me lots of food at the feast. Passer-bys also
drop food in front of me at the time of feast.
        Any day these Muslim-Chinese go to the Great Mosque's prayer hall
to pray to Allah, the Muslim god. They go to the mosque five times a day
to recite prayers for their holy boot, the "Koran" of Allah.
        On sunny days, many vendors push their carts onto the street.
        I stand strong and proud in the middle of Xi'an. I've been
standing here since 1384 A.D. and I am known as the Bell Tower. When I
was first built in Xi'an, I was nice, new and young, but then I was old,
and dusty, and so I moved to where I am standing now. I look like an old,
worthy man's palace. In the old days there were carriages led by horses
and people pulling rickshaws, going here, there and everywhere. I've been
through wars, cold, and snowy winter and famines. There weren't as much
pollution as now, maybe because there weren't cars and all the stuff that
makes a lot of pollutions now. People rung my bell before dawn and at the
end of each day, but they don't do it anymore. Now it's all rusty and I
could hardly see what was done around me, but I could still hear and
smell. I hear cars honking and there are traffic going on every day. My
nose is usually stuff, because of all the pollution I smell. During cold
and snowy winters, I am usually cover with snow. Even though nobody rings
my bell and tourists only takes pictures of me, but I feel really proud
to be in Xi'an all these years!
---------------------------------------------
Author: David Chang
Date: 3-19-96
Location: Big Goose Pagoda
Subject: Perspective from incense burner

        I stood in front of the temple facing the main entrance. As the
rain poured onto my body, putting out the incense causing the smoke to
pollute the sky. A man came in front of me and stabbed a bunch of incense
into my body.  The greedy flame ate through the incense until ashes
emerge.  The rain stopped and more  people appearrd and more incense was
placed on me, but rain started to fall again.  I stood bravely in front
of the temple and I am the most attractive one.  Although I've been here
for years, I'm still that new looking.  Faces of people that I had seen
before appear in front of me but they look older  I never grow old and I
never die because I am the incense burner.
------------------------------------------------
Author: Anna Macknica
Date: 3/19/96
Location: Big Goose Pagoda and Da Cien Temple
Subject: From the perspective of a squirrel in a Cherry Blossom Tree at
the Da Cien Temple and Big Goose Pagoda

        I woke to the pit patter of the rain against the ground.  As I
opened my eyes from my nap I looked over at the Da Cien Temple and saw
many children in bright colored jackets and backpacks.  I could smell the
burning incense in the air from the Temple.  I shivered as the cold wind
blew against my fur.  I scurried behind a branch on the Cherry Blossom
Tree while people were taking pictures.
        The children left the temple, I ran down my tree and hurriedly
followed them, slipping in the slush on the ground.  They stopped at the
entrance at the Big Goose Pagoda.  I followed the children in the pagoda
and climbed the steep steps all the way to the seventh floor.  When we
got to the seventh floor everyone was huffing and puffing.  I watched the
children take pictures out the windows in the Pagoda.  I decided to look
out the window.  When I did I saw the most gorgeous thing I had ever
seen, it was a large, gold Buddha.  I had never seen anything so beautiful.
        When the children and I got back to the bottom of the Pagoda I
thought about the gold Buddha.  I followed the children form the mighty
175 foot Buddha.  When we arrived at the Da Cien Temple I looked at my
Cherry Blossom tree which was my home, and realized it was even more
beautiful then the gold Buddha.  The flowers were light pink and the long
branches swayed in the wind.  Some of the most beautiful things are made
by nature.
--------------------------------------------
Author: Elizabeth Powers.
Date: March 19th, 1996.
Location: Sun Que construction site, 5km south of Siu Hing.
Activity: From the perspective of a poor seven year old Chinese boy in
Sun Que.

        It was 10:30 in the morning and I was heading home from school.
As I walked along the old dirt road, I walked through puddles that
splashed mud up onto my old sandals and thin pants. My mother would
probably be mad but at that point, I didn't care. My father had gotten a
job! He would be hauling bricks for a company that was building a new
school in the area. Maybe I thought as I walked along I might be able to
go there! As I turned the corner, my father's worksite was near. As I
walked closer and closer, I could see that a group of my school-mates
were crowding around some fine quality bikes, while pointing and laughing
at something. I followed their gaze and jumped. It was gweilos
(foreigners)! They were talking to my father and his friends! I couldn't
believe it since my mother had told me to stay away from these "white
devils" and here was my father talking to them! As I walked forward
tentatively my father came and greeted me. One of the gweilos, a girl,
came over and smiled at me. I felt as if I was going to sink down into
the soft wet mud that was beneath my feet. This girl was very strange,
she had large round eyes, white skin and said things like, "Hello." My
father urged me to say 'Hello' back, but I couldn't. I was too afraid.
Disappointed, my father told me to go home and tell my mother that he
would be home soon. I ran all the way from there, and didn't stop until I
had reached the safety of my own home. My home is made of old bricks,
painted white, with an old, weathered roof. Inside, my mother was
preparing my father's tub of water in which he washed off his hands and
face of the dirt he acquired during the day. When she set the tub down I
told her all that I'd seen and heard today. To my surprise, she didn't
seem bothered. I wondered why, if she didn't like the gweilos she didn't
get upset if my father talked to them. I think today the gweilos are
welcomed in China and most Chinese are happy and willing to talk to them.
----------------------------------------
Author:  Lei Lei Shan
Date:  3-20-96
Location:  Xi'an, Shaanxi (Scholar's Street)
Activity:  From the perspective of a lonely, poor shopkeeper on Scholar's
Street.


*Sigh* . . . I don't know what to do . . . my life is falling apart,
crumbling like a piece of bread.  My kids are starving, my wife is mad,
and I . . . I am running out of energy.  I remember in the old days.  I
would run after my customers, yelling at them, begging them to buy my
materials.  Soon they would come over, and buy my materials, getting
ripped off in the process . . . But soon this method did not work, my
customers weren't  interested and bigger stores began to develop.  I was
becoming a . . . nuisance!  Slowly I was beginning to have hope in a
future in foreign worlds, and I just made enough to keep my family
living.  I am sad now, for I have lost interest in my work.  My days are
no longer exciting with customers wanting to buy my materials.  Now there
is such a thing called bargaining which has destroyed my business.  I
feel trapped.  If  I don't bargain my prices down, I won't sell, yet if I
do, the customers will ask for lower, and lower.  Soon, I am losing money
instead of gaining it.  Once in a while, a stupid guy (foreigner, fat,
and ugly) buys material from me for ten times the original price.  But
still, these days business is slow and painful.  Yesterday though, was a
big boom  in the business.  Some stupid foreigners came to my stall and
bought the stuff for ten times its regular price.  By the way, they
thought they actually bargained me down, but I started at a price 20
times too high.  These foreigners are like the usual, taking pictures
with their high tech equipment.  But some how, these foreigners revived
me,  made me realize that I still had a few years left in this old body.
Well , let's go be a nuisance.
--------------------------------------------------
Author:  Luke Gracie
Date:  March 20, 1996
Location:  Huaqing Hot Springs
        I stand strong and proud in the middle of Xi'an. I've been
standing here since 1384 A.D. and I am known as the Bell Tower. When I
was first built in Xi'an, I was nice, new and young, but then I was old,
and dusty, and so I moved to where I am standing now. I look like an old,
worthy man's palace. In the old days there were carriages led by horses
and people pulling rickshaws, going here, there and everywhere. I've been
through wars, cold, and snowy winter and famines. There weren't as much
pollution as now, maybe because there weren't cars and all the stuff that
makes a lot of pollutions now. People rung my bell before dawn and at the
end of each day, but they don't do it anymore. Now it's all rusty and I
could hardly see what was done around me, but I could still hear and
smell. I hear cars honking and there are traffic going on every day. My
nose is usually stuff, because of all the pollution I smell. During cold
and snowy winters, I am usually cover with snow. Even though nobody rings
my bell and tourists only takes pictures of me, but I feel really proud
to be in Xi'an all these years!
---------------------------------------------
Author: David Chang
Date: 3-19-96
Location: Big Goose Pagoda
Subject: Perspective from incense burner

        I stood in front of the temple facing the main entrance. As the
rain poured onto my body, putting out the incense causing the smoke to
pollute the sky. A man came in front of me and stabbed a bunch of incense
into my body.  The greedy flame ate through the incense until ashes
emerge.  The rain stopped and more  people appearrd and more incense was
placed on me, but rain started to fall again.  I stood bravely in front
of the temple and I am the most attractive one.  Although I've been here
for years, I'm still that new looking.  Faces of people that I had seen
before appear in front of me but they look older  I never grow old and I
never die because I am the incense burner.
------------------------------------------------
Author: Anna Macknica
Date: 3/19/96
Location: Big Goose Pagoda and Da Cien Temple
Subject: From the perspective of a squirrel in a Cherry Blossom Tree at
the Da Cien Temple and Big Goose Pagoda

        I woke to the pit patter of the rain against the ground.  As I
opened my eyes from my nap I looked over at the Da Cien Temple and saw
many children in bright colored jackets and backpacks.  I could smell the
burning incense in the air from the Temple.  I shivered as the cold wind
blew against my fur.  I scurried behind a branch on the Cherry Blossom
Tree while people were taking pictures.
        The children left the temple, I ran down my tree and hurriedly
followed them, slipping in the slush on the ground.  They stopped at the
entrance at the Big Goose Pagoda.  I followed the children in the pagoda
and climbed the steep steps all the way to the seventh floor.  When we
got to the seventh floor everyone was huffing and puffing.  I watched the
children take pictures out the windows in the Pagoda.  I decided to look
out the window.  When I did I saw the most gorgeous thing I had ever
seen, it was a large, gold Buddha.  I had never seen anything so beautiful.
        When the children and I got back to the bottom of the Pagoda I
thought about the gold Buddha.  I followed the children form the mighty
175 foot Buddha.  When we arrived at the Da Cien Temple I looked at my
Cherry Blossom tree which was my home, and realized it was even more
beautiful then the gold Buddha.  The flowers were light pink and the long
branches swayed in the wind.  Some of the most beautiful things are made
by nature.
--------------------------------------------
Author: Elizabeth Powers.
Date: March 19th, 1996.
Location: Sun Que construction site, 5km south of Siu Hing.
Activity: From the perspective of a poor seven year old Chinese boy in
Sun Que.

        It was 10:30 in the morning and I was heading home from school.
As I walked along the old dirt road, I walked through puddles that
splashed mud up onto my old sandals and thin pants. My mother would
probably be mad but at that point, I didn't care. My father had gotten a
job! He would be hauling bricks for a company that was building a new
school in the area. Maybe I thought as I walked along I might be able to
go there! As I turned the corner, my father's worksite was near. As I
walked closer and closer, I could see that a group of my school-mates
were crowding around some fine quality bikes, while pointing and laughing
at something. I followed their gaze and jumped. It was gweilos
(foreigners)! They were talking to my father and his friends! I couldn't
believe it since my mother had told me to stay away from these "white
devils" and here was my father talking to them! As I walked forward
tentatively my father came and greeted me. One of the gweilos, a girl,
came over and smiled at me. I felt as if I was going to sink down into
the soft wet mud that was beneath my feet. This girl was very strange,
she had large round eyes, white skin and said things like, "Hello." My
father urged me to say 'Hello' back, but I couldn't. I was too afraid.
Disappointed, my father told me to go home and tell my mother that he
would be home soon. I ran all the way from there, and didn't stop until I
had reached the safety of my own home. My home is made of old bricks,
painted white, with an old, weathered roof. Inside, my mother was
preparing my father's tub of water in which he washed off his hands and
face of the dirt he acquired during the day. When she set the tub down I
told her all that I'd seen and heard today. To my surprise, she didn't
seem bothered. I wondered why, if she didn't like the gweilos she didn't
get upset if my father talked to them. I think today the gweilos are
welcomed in China and most Chinese are happy and willing to talk to them.
----------------------------------------
Author:  Lei Lei Shan
Date:  3-20-96
Location:  Xi'an, Shaanxi (Scholar's Street)
Activity:  From the perspective of a lonely, poor shopkeeper on Scholar's
Street.


*Sigh* . . . I don't know what to do . . . my life is falling apart,
crumbling like a piece of bread.  My kids are starving, my wife is mad,
and I . . . I am running out of energy.  I remember in the old days.  I
would run after my customers, yelling at them, begging them to buy my
materials.  Soon they would come over, and buy my materials, getting
ripped off in the process . . . But soon this method did not work, my
customers weren't  interested and bigger stores began to develop.  I was
becoming a . . . nuisance!  Slowly I was beginning to have hope in a
future in foreign worlds, and I just made enough to keep my family
living.  I am sad now, for I have lost interest in my work.  My days are
no longer exciting with customers wanting to buy my materials.  Now there
is such a thing called bargaining which has destroyed my business.  I
feel trapped.  If  I don't bargain my prices down, I won't sell, yet if I
do, the customers will ask for lower, and lower.  Soon, I am losing money
instead of gaining it.  Once in a while, a stupid guy (foreigner, fat,
and ugly) buys material from me for ten times the original price.  But
still, these days business is slow and painful.  Yesterday though, was a
big boom  in the business.  Some stupid foreigners came to my stall and
bought the stuff for ten times its regular price.  By the way, they
thought they actually bargained me down, but I started at a price 20
times too high.  These foreigners are like the usual, taking pictures
with their high tech equipment.  But some how, these foreigners revived
me,  made me realize that I still had a few years left in this old body.
Well , let's go be a nuisance.
--------------------------------------------------
Author:  Luke Gracie
Date:  March 20, 1996
Location:  Huaqing Hot Springs
        Urghh! my old bones are aching badly, I'm getting too old for
this type of weather.
        What's this? There are a group of westerners and Chinese looking
people wearing Western cloths. They must be from Hong Kong or someplace
like that.  Hey, maybe they are the people that were here about one year
ago. I remember them. They gave me two photos of myself by some sort of
special camera that paper comes out with
my photo on it!
        Here they come up the stairs toward my shop.  Hey, that guy there
with the gray mustache, I remember him from last year, but I don't
remember any of the other kids.
        All the kids are sitting around my store having a rest, hopefully
they will buy some
drinks.  The man with the mustache knows how to speak mandarin, that's good.
        He is asking me what I do for a living, when I told him that I am
a fortune teller,
he told me to tell someone's fortune. Here she comes now.  I'm telling
her that she will have long life and will get rich soon.
        I am very happy because they are taking my picture from the
special camera
again.  All the people are leaving now, maybe I see them next year.  I
hope so.
-------------------------------------
Date:3-20-96
Author:Saya Dempsey
Location:Road in front of Terra Cotta Warrior museum
Activity:From the perspective of fur sellers (hats and scarves)

            Today we were trying to sell our fur products to these two
young students from Hong Kong International School. I knew because one of
the boys wore a jacket saying so. Their names were Carmen and Saya. They
were polite, but they didn't seem to want to buy. But we kept insisting.
I guess you might call us aggressive They still said "Wo bu yao" though.
That means "I don't want it".
           I put the hat on Saya's head. She was embarrassed. I could
tell because she gave me a funny look. She kept saying no, so I gave up.
On the other hand, my friend was really aggressive. He was trying to sell
Carmen a fur scarf. He was doing everything he could think of! He kept
showing her how the mouth opened, and it could wrap around her neck. He
put it on Carmen and would not let her give it back.I was kind of
surprised. He would pull his arm away when Carmen tried to give it back.
The two girls started laughing. They really didn't want to buy from us.
Then the girls' teacher came over to get them. I think the girls were
relieved. My friend then took it back. I think my friend was too
stubborn! He started to get almost annoying. I was really surprised when
he moved away when Carmen tried to give it back. I guess he was really
desperate to sell it. The girls were very persistent. I guess they really
didn't want our products. We kept asking "How much are you willing to pay
for it?" But they still said "No thank you!" I think they were annoyed.
           Anyway, they walked down the street with their teacher. She
seemed kind of mad, but we still followed them. Then they wanted to take
a picture of us, but we said "Not unless you buy!" I think they got one
anyway. I wonder if I was looking!?!  They had kind of a weird camera, I
wonder what for?!? Oh well!
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Author:  Kim Gordon
Date:  March 21, 1996
Location:  Siu Hing, Song Tao Hotel
        Hi, I'm Kim Gordon from Wayne, Pennsylvania.  I am doing a
perspective of a bike.
        As I ached to reach the top of the hill, sweat ran down my
handles.  The scalding sun beat down on my back.  Mud flew up to my legs
as somebody's feet pushed down hard on the pedals.  Those feet kept
pushing harder and harder until we reached our destination:  the village
called Sha Tin.  By now I was filthy and wet and my back hurt due to
carrying such heavy loads.  I was relieved when I was able to take a rest
from my hard labor, for my leader was visiting an elementary school.  I
felt closed in as the children were surrounding us, as if we were
aliens.  Before long we were back on the road again.  I started to feel
very tired and I wanted to stop.  around 5:00 p.m. we stopped at a gas
station.  Then I was picked up and smashed together with all of the other
filthy bikes.  We rode for awhile and I was bounced and tossed the whole
way through.
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Author:  Manny Canizares
Date:  March 21, 1996
Location:  Siu Hing, Song Tao Hotel
        I was made 30 years ago to serve Mother China.  I've been ridden
on by soldiers, trucks, and other vehicles.  I never saw so many
foreigners riding on me.  They were sweating and looked as if they were
going to die, but they kept going like the pink energizer bunny.  They
stopped at schools and played with the kids and they interviewed the
teachers. They kept riding on and visiting factories.  They stopped to
find information and interviewed the workers.  They moved on and kept
going.  They stopped at villages to find information about the history.
They kept going until I lost sight of them.
----------------------------------------
Author:  Johann Kirsten
Date:  March 21, 1996
Location:  Taishan
"Ouch! oh ouch!"  My fellow front wheel said to me,"I'm  in pain!"  I
hate his complaining.  I'm a back wheel on a bike, always hearing him
complain.  But it's trueall we do is go round and round, never a change
in scenery.  But today was different.  It all started off the same- in
the back of a truck.  But then things got better- first off my front
wheel and I went and stopped by a volleyball game.  I watched the ball go
back and forth, a hundred times for an hour!  Then some kids started to
play with me.  It was very very funny.  Looking past the kids who were
playing with me, I saw a man run out with a red banner so I figured out
that it was a championship banner- in which it was.  (I overheard the
person who was ridding me.)  Then we were off again, but at a much slower
pace then usual - my rider got in trouble for going too fast the other
day and had to slow down.  Up ahead I saw a dirt road ( The front wheel
started to complain again!)  The bumps were really fun and exciting!
Finally, we arrived at our final destination- the bridge overlooking the
river and a whole lot of clams.  My rider and his friends we were really
early( about an hour early), so we back tracked and went to a clay pot
factory.  That was boring- all I did was sit still in a puddle of mud.
After, we went back to the bridge and back to our final destination and
then it was back to the truck for me...
-------------------------------------
Author: Eliza Notides
Date: March 21, 1996.
Location: Taishan
Activity: Perspective of a volleyball player

I woke up this morning and got dressed.  I got my breakfast which was a
bowl of rice.  Then I went out and did my daily chores.  I got the water
from the well, and also fed the pigs and chickens.  Since I start working
at 12 PM along with the people in my village, we decided on a game of
friendly volleyball.  We split up into two teams and began playing.  We
attracted a lot of people in my village - everyone came, including the
children who got off from school.  Our volleyball game is pretty good -
we won second place in our area division.  Our team was ahead about ten
to seven when we a bunch of kids who were about thirteen come near our
village.  They stopped and looked at us playing volleyball.  They pulled
their bikes to our volleyball court and watched us play.  They even took
pictures of us playing!  It was very funny; they all wore red t-shirts.
They started asking the people in our village questions, such as how long
our village had been around.  After a while of asking questions, they
asked to get a group picture of us.  We all got together in a group.
Then, one of my friends ran over to his home and got our second place
banner, which we were all very proud of.  Then they had to leave, and so
did their bikes.  I was disappointed to see them go, but I had to go to
work anyway.
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