MACAO Churches

One Russian scientist in his talk about Chinese culture explained uniqueness of hers telling more less these words: „not surprisingly nation existing along centuries in condition of extreme hunger and poverty has created culture incomparable with others, full of beliefs and expectations coming just from heaven”

In Poland we use to think about China indifferently. We have small experience of Chinese people and their culture. The best describing our debility is a proverb about something written impossible to read: “It have to be Chinese”. Also in soviet times people was telling during discussion about something impossible to be done: “I will never do so and so… even in the name of Peoples China”.

With a help of some rapidly made observations I wished to make this country easier to be understood and known.

1. Residence of Ambasador.

Mr. Anthony in Wednesday before our walk on Macao streets invited me and my fellow Chinese teacher Wang to have a lunch together in his house. Possession belonged to some rich manjourian burocrats 300 years ago. The court has territory 10x10metres and small fountain if I do not mistake. Many flowers. Here Anthony is organizing small concerts for his friends’ time to time singing and playing cameral music.

Anthony at first shower to us two sections of his house, in the third his son Leo was living.

Manjour style of the house may be realized because of high roof comparing other Chinese houses.

Manjours were privileged people in Beijing. In the middle of the capital city many nations were living in very different geographically places in different material conditions depending of origin.

North, East and West to the Emperor Palace privileged peoples were living, on the south the simple ones.

 Lunch as I wished was vegetarian. Sitting and eating we were talking about my past and actual problems but also about Anthony’s family. He showed us his wife’s photos. She was born in Thailand and it was long story to get permanent staying for her in China. The resolution of problem came by private intervention of Zhou En Lai, which is big personality in “Chinese politicum”.

From that time Zhou En Lai became a friend of the Family. I suppose he also visited that house and these mentioned cameral concerts. It made me bit shy, but just in time Anthony proposed to have small singing of polish national song Dabrowski Marsh…it was real pleasure to me singing that song in Beijing.

Anthony as young man volunteered as organist in his native Utrecht, parish priest was origin from Poland and he asked Anthony to train the song. He does and never forgot. I am grateful.

Atmosphere was very familiar and in the middle of the summer I got feeling of Christmas Eve.

I also got information about some particular family history of the people in privileged region of Beijing.

2. Walking on Macao streets

My Hollandese „angel custodian” flew to Bangkok. The last time we met each other on the Mass in st. Joseph’s Church. After the celebration we got a walk on Wan Fu Jien.

Administration of autonomous Chinese enclave of Macao organized just in the center of Beijing exhibition of old city monuments.

The main decoration was a maquet of st. Paul’s church. It is unique example of European baroque style mixed nicely with many oriental motifs. I got impression like Catholic Church was permitted to have missions just in the middle of capital city. On 13 standing big desks showing each of MacaoBeijing anymore but in old Portugal colony. churches inside and outside it was made also in English and Chinese small comment about its history. Every desk was on 10 meters distance each to other, so slowly walking you got impression you are not in

I remember the picture of University from 16-th century. Same age Seminary…no doubt, it is most catholic city in China. Comparing BeijingMacao has same number of churches even more. small

3. Catholics from Hebei Province

Except Macao most Catholics live in Hebei Province. It is the region close to capital city. New Rector of Priest Seminary during a meeting with me explained that Beijing was usually a territory of Lasarist Priests missionary activities. They were brave people but Jesuits which worked in Hebei does rather more. Until today you may observe fruits of their activities. In Hebei Catholics live not only in the cities but also in the forgotten towns. Also by case I was told that my doctor is native Hebei, it helped me to understand his behavior.

One day after having acupuncture one of doctors patients invited us to have a lunch. We got to know that she also is Catholic from Hebei. Her name was Gao Shao Juan. Same as Anthony she liked music. Her instrument, typical Chinese 20 strings horizontally laying guitar on 3 legs.

She served us tomato soup with eggs. Simple but tasty.

Before giving us concert she put on each finger some plastic triangles to make the sound higher and not injure fingers. The music was precious. Later she used CD disc with carols. Doctor took the book and read the text of blessing the house. Lady has blessed water so surprisingly to me I made very important job for this family.

I got impression of Christmas Eve again.

I got to know how spontaneous Chinese people may be...

4. Students exhibitions...

Just after telling good bye to Anthony I met few people telling me hallo and asking where from am I.

One boy does the same but did not go as others own way. He introduced himself as Jason, young artist and invited me to see exhibition of his pictures.

I was walking in the direction of Tien An Men, exhibition was same direction so I agreed.

In fact it was one small room with about hundred small silk designed paper pictures. Each has own small price and were according Jason’s words “for sale”.  At first Jason was telling me prices in dollars but when I explained that I have no intention to buy things he named prices in Yuan. It was confusing me more and more so I excused him and gone my way to Tien An Men.

Without planning I entered the court of Emperors Palace and during walking I was invited twice again to visit „students exhibitions” and forced to buy albums and postcards. Even one Chinese lady proposed to “have a walk”.  She asked if am I Mongol roots, but I explained that I am Polish and perhaps she realized me as Mongol because of my sickness and shortly I explained the problem with kidneys.

After telling that I am sick she said to me good bye and I was back on Tien An Men Square alone.

5. Beijing streets...

There are many policemen on the Beijing streets but they are not aggressive like in Russia to the people.

I had such experience during asking registration in Police Office. I came in 10-th day of my staying. It have to be done in 3 days term, but I explained my health problems again and I was forgiven without problem. Nobody was asking money as use to be in other communist countries.

Policeman have hard job kicking out beggars from main streets. Once I realized they sleep just in the garden of st. Joseph Church on benches around the garden.

There are many kiosks on the streets with papers and thanks god there are no so called “yellow press” with pornography. Also you may have a call from public phone in these kiosks.

Many other stories happen just on the street. People make laundry, cut hairs, make massage, repair shoes, boil and sale corn sausages or potatoes…all these activities make the Beijing street some permanent theater full of tasty smell and music from small radios.

One day I saw a movie about some old Japanese man who visited China in same place he knew from war times. He was permitted to serve all the people in the town big dinner. People were sitting and eating just on the street…all the street long. Very interesting parable explaining nicely what is going on in some Beijing streets.

Old man like to play some „Chinese shah” play.

At entrance of shops you may find stone statues of lions with horns. Facades are designed as pagodas, red lamps are hanging on. Near friseur office there is white-red-blue spiral decoration which moves 24 hours a day. At the entrance to many restaurants young and nice stewardesses wait inviting people walking.

In some entrances you may meet decoration fresh living of flowers.

Many gardens have stone decorations with fountains perhaps it is so famous a Fen Shui.

Also many unknown to me trees.

Beijing is growing daily, new buildings everywhere. Each is hidden behind green net and many red inscriptions on them glorifying Communist Party as I suppose and grate Chinese nation.

In Poland we were very familiar with these inscriptions so I can suppose without reading what the topic is. In Beijing are many viaducts each has own name.

6. Traveling in the city

8-th of September in Holly Mary Birthday I made „bus excursion” to the city. After having a mass in Qian Wu Men I took bus 9 and traveled West Direction. I never been in the west part of the city, so I was very happy when I saw the famous well known from movies Beijing mountains. Also I was happy realizing that bus 9 is finishing hi travel on train station. I got opportunity to see Chinese railway.

Similar as the main station the Xi Zhan has some big towers in pagoda style.

In the entrance big queue.  As in airport police is looking for metallic subjects in the packets.

5 lines of electric stairs bring us to the 2-nd flour. There are many rooms for passengers so the big number of people rapidly disappear in these places. The number of police was confusing me and rapidly I returned down.

I took the bus 703 going to extreme east so that I have one hour travel in peace.

There was nothing special on my road except big protestant church in empty field near the resting zone of Beijing.

I paid again 4 Yuan in next bus 735 and returned to the west.

It was the noon and I wished return to the center. I took bus 26 but the lady misunderstood me and wished me go out just in the middle of the way so I took trolley bus 114 and with a help of good people changed for subway.

There are only 2 lines of subway. Red west-east direction and blue “circle road”. Travel ticket cost 3 Yuan.

Finally I way in Yong He gong station near to my doctor’s office on Tung Zhi Men.

7. Chinese food...

It is dangerous for me without knowing chinese food to eat something. My kidneys do not like salt and pepper. Most of food here has many salt and pepper so I prefer to cook myself some noodles with champignons.

Mostly I can eat together with my doctor but in these places he likes in many cases I am the first foreigner for the visitors. In on place the owner of the pub asked permission to make photo with me so later all the workers wished to do the same.

Eating is kind of ceremony.

At 12.oo in any place and office you may feel smell of noodles.

The most popular in Beijing is a dug.

In many shops you may see the body of dug just prepared to be served.

Eating is a part of Chinese medicine, every food is plus or minus oriented mean has element yin or yan (masculine or feminine)…it came from Buddhism I suppose.

The spoons are ceramic and heavy people take the spoon in left hand, right hand is for chopsticks.

I like also local mushrooms they may be taken in very small box but in contact with water you got all the dish full of food.

In each restaurant the green tea is for free. I never met something more tasty as local green tee.

In every public place air condition it helps to survive hot summer.

8. Excursion to the school

One day Gao Shao Juan, catholic lady from Hebei, invited me to the school near her house.

Nothing special. Guard informed somebody about the strange people and we were able to have a visit.

In the entrance of the school some red desk with the names of teachers on them. Corridors very clean, flowers on the windows. Children dressed nicely in the same sportive form.

Big boys not shy to take hand of girlfriends…hundreds of bicycles…some children after clesses as everywhere in the world smoke cigarettes in conspiracy…

Memories

In my childhood the knowledge about China was coming with cheep school belongings.

Also I remember with other boys at the river we use to play cards, many different plays, but one of them was called Macao!

Studying in middle school I remember I was reading popular teachings of Confucius…my professor was proud of me, it was prestigious these days to know Oriental teachings. I studied even some characters…

As a priest I got nice and cheep Chinese shoes which I used in French Taize and later in my first mission in Russia. Later I got as a gift Chinese black kimono bayed by friend in Bangkok. I liked this dressing very much and used in Sakhalin daily even it broke in some places I repaired and still dressed.

I ever liked Chinese things, small but without a reason enjoying heart…

Jaroslaw Wisniewski

Beijing 13-th September 2006