An unanticipated change of plans. Instead of going from Hailar (Inner
Mongolia) to Qiqihar and then to Harbin (Heilongjiang), my traveling
companion and I decided to split our trip into two parts. We spent 3
days in Hailar, returned to Beijing, and if all goes well, will go for
Northeast China II next week. My friend had to come back by the end of
this week in order to complete some urgent paperwork (a new, tenured
job at one of the most prestigious research institutions in China), and
well, when all is said and done, I was finished with my research in
Hailar. I could have stayed for a few more days on my own to enjoy the
blue sky, emerging green grass (the finest pastures in all of China),
and the local delicacies (Mongolian milk tea, which many
non-Northeastern ethnic groups consider to be smelly and poisonous,
fried sheep's cheese pressed into pancakes, and lamb cooked in various
forms). I also affirmed that I just enjoy being around Mongols and
other Northeastern minorities. No matter what stereotypes are to be
regarded about them, I feel safer in their home regions than in other
parts of the country. We'll have to see about Harbin, which as an
industrial giant, still harbors the reputation that I discussed in the
previous entry. I still think people are grumpy about the bad weather
and perceived economic disadvantages more than being "terrible" in
nature.
The city of Hailar was quite a surprise. I had been to
Huhhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia, and the second-largest city,
Baotou. However I never tried going to the border cities. I found
that Hailar, and by association its neighboring cities, are developing
at a comfortable pace. All the roads are wide but uncrowded (you can
cross anywhere at your leisure). There's very little pollution and
everything stays clean, unlike in Beijing which is quite aptly deemed
the dust bowl of China. People take their time with tasks and enjoy
three-hour lunch breaks (no martinis involved, although beer and vodka
are probably taken with every meal). The architecture is
Russian-style, and if you just go out west another hour, you will enter
the city of Manzhouli where Chinese citizens peer across a river to the
Russians on the other side, and vice versa.
I think that the toll of
fast-paced research and travel has gotten to me, so I'll continue this
description tomorrow. For now, I have posted two pictures: one of the
Hulubeir League Archives and one of a mural to the side of the Ewenki
Autonomous Banner Museum.
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