2024 China Liase Official Website

The grand canyon was spectacular. In addition to the gorgeous vistas and a ridiculous amount of stairs, there was an array of snacking along the way. the main thing that kept me going was knowing that there was going to be a snack stop coming up anytime soon. We all mostly went at our own pace, but often times met up around the snacks. There was one snack stand selling these stuffed pita pancakes. (I had 3). It was great fuel to get us going. While we were in this beautiful natural land formation there was an interesting intersection between the modern and the old. The trail was mostly composed of stairs, but at one point had an elevator against the side of the mountain to bring you to the top. (I opted for the stairs). They also had multiple escalators up and down the side of the canyon. However, just by looking at it, you wouldnt be able to tell that they were there. The ingenious of the architecture was that all modern installments were masked by traditional structures. This really made a difference when looking at the landscape it looked almost untouched by man. SO SMART! (Aza)

Today, we went to see the factory state-owned farm. We have been introduced to a private family-farm operation and a co-op style operation of rice-crayfish farming. The farming practices were largely similar, except that the state-owned farm still used some amount of fertilizer and bio-pesticide. However, the state-owned farm seemed still a net-positive for the income of local farmers. Rather than incurring all the costs, the state supported them with water control, road infrastructure, utilities, and farmers can rent machinery and equipment from them and use cold storage from the facility if they need. As a result, the income of the farmers in the system is largely improved. Another key detail I appreciated was that “it is impossible to grow”, the land that is dedicated to this state-operation is fixed and they cannot claim more land, I think by extension the number of people farming or within this system is also more-or-less fixed or constant. The only thing that I distinctly disliked about this model is that if a villager with land-use rights decides to move away and work else-where they lose the right to that land, and hence cannot come back to it. I perceived it as a loss of security however, if someone is able to move to a city and build their livelihoods elsewhere, it seems the general understanding is that they will not want to or need to come back. From that perspective it seems logical for the state to take land use-right of the land rather than let it stand unused.

Also, the horse burial site was so much fun. Fascinating history, but what stood out to me the most, it how engaging and interactive the place was designed to be. From the instruments, rock-climbing wall, adult-playground, and the archery—it was amazing to see a combination of natural scenery, a historic museum, and engaging and interactive sculpture or landscape design. It is something I personally have not encountered in the U.S., and something I would like to see more of.

Chiara

On March 5, we visited the more crayfish farms in Qiangjiang as well as a local processing and packaging facility. We got a very in-depth look at all the levels of the crayfish industry and how this industry has expanded and developed in the recent decades.

In the first cooperative farm we visited, we walked up a viewing tower and learned about the farming processes as well as the level of ownership. By adding crayfish to their rice farms, they are able to have multiple seasons of growth and harvest a year and greatly increase their annual income. The co-op farm has both individual ownership of farms as well as the government ownership of the collective farms. Farmers could control their own land usage and cultivation of crops without having to worry about processing, packaging, and exportation, as the co-op relies on the Qianjiang processing facility for that. Farmers can rely on the consistency of the processing facility and focus on land management and cultivating the best possible crayfish and rice.

After our visit, we toured the Qiangjiang Crawfish Exchange where they have crayfish processign and packaging facilites and where we saw all of the products that are shipped out to other parts of China as well as exported out of the country. They add different seasoning and flavors to the crayfish and change the look of the package to market towards the audience they are going to. For example in the crayfish go to Louisiana they will get cajun seasoning, France will get butter and garlic, and other regions in China will get a variety of Chinese flavors and seasonings. 

We also saw how almost all of the crayfish have a purpose. The chitin in the shells of the crayfish are ground into a powder and put into a lot of pharmaceutical products and medicines.

Finally, we went and toured a privately owned family owned crayfish farm. The smallholder farmers faced many more challenges that the collective ownership farms did not. The farmers had many of their greenhouses collapse during an ice storm that happened a week prior and they would have difficulty compensating for the loss. They also grew some fruit and other vegetables in addition to crayfish and rice to create a bit more revenue for their farm. Another issue that they struggled with was having enough labor and younger people to help with the farming and cultivation of the land. Many of the young people have left the village to go to school in other countries leaving mostly elderly people on the farms.

The farmers were very welcoming and invited some of the students into their home. There were also very many little dogs running around that loved having all the attention.

-Lydia

Julia Colón

March 13th, 2024

Our morning began bright and early with a departure time of 6 am. We were all a little bummed out because the hotel breakfast hadn’t opened yet, and it was arguably one of the best ones of the entire trip. Anyways, we made our way to the train station in Chongqing, said farewell to our fabulous tour guide Michael, and boarded the train. 

The trip from Chongqing to Beijing is approximately 6/6.5 hours on a high-speed railway train. The majority of us knocked out immediately and woke back up at around 11:30/12 for our lecture on the high speed railway in China and the overall purpose of its development. We learned that the high speed railway trains in China can reach a speed of up to 350 km per hour, which is the fastest speed that has currently been reached by any other high speed railway system in the world. Additionally, one of the overall purposes of developing this infrastructure was to promote urbanization in specific areas of the country. We passed through a city that we were told only existed because a high speed railway station had been placed there. After the lecture, we ate lunch on board the train before arriving in Beijing. 

Upon our arrival, we met our new tour guide, Cathy, who took us straight to the Summer Palace. We learned that the Summer Palace grounds were all man made, including the lake and mountains that surrounded it and was actually reconstructed after its destruction in the Second Opium war by Emperor Guangxu, which he gifted to the Empress Dowager Cixi. We were given some free time to explore the grounds and take in all the beautiful scenery. Right as the sun was starting to go down, we headed back to the hotel to set our stuff down before dinner. 

After dinner, a few of us decided to split off and check out the olympic village which was really fun as many members of the group recall the Beijing 2008 games as the most memorable olympics of their childhood. In all honesty, the London 2016 games were probably the most memorable of my childhood, but it was still an awesome thing to see. We made the trek back to the hotel successfully and called it a night!

Julia Colón

March 10th, 2024

We began this day bright and early at the hotel with an 8 am departure time to make the 2 hour bus journey to the Mountain village adjacent to Enshi. The bus ride was pretty bumpy due to the remoteness of the village. However, we learned that the state has been promoting further infrastructure development to make the village more accessible for tourism. Once we arrived, we were met by one of the village representatives for a tour of the village as a whole. The houses and buildings reflected architectural styles of the Ming dynasty, with many of the original wooden structures still standing, or having undergone some restorative construction with newer wood. 

We learned that through state and local village government collaboration, projects and infrastructure that bolster the tourism sector are being funded. Despite these efforts, around 60% of village income comes from remittances, with a very small percentage coming from the sale of agricultural products like tea and root vegetables. Additionally, it was mentioned that most of the homes we were seeing were only used as weekend or summer homes as most welfare services like schools, hospitals, etc. were absent due to the small population of the village.

After the tour, we were able to walk around and look at the scenery, complete with fields of tea and beautiful traditional architecture, all against the backdrop of the mountains. We eventually boarded the bus to get to our next destination, where we would find a delicious lunch spread followed by a traditional tea tasting. 

I have gotten in the habit of making it a point to try all the condiments, sauces, and garnishes that often go overlooked at meals. Professor Muppidi and I discovered that the green sauce that had been forgotten among the multitude of other dishes we had been served was actually a culinary star in its own right. Luckily for us, the restaurant happened to sell it by the bottle. I got 2, one for my dad, and one of course for myself. 

After lunch, we all took a walk to the tea tasting. We were set up at a long table with a beautiful blue tablecloth, adorned with chocolates and sunflower seeds for us to snack on, not that any of us were even kind of hungry after that lunch. We were slightly crunched for time, but were able to taste one variety of local red tea which I personally found delicious. I ended up buying a small bag to share with friends back at Vassar. 

Our last stop before dinner was Tusi City in Enshi. We were able to roam freely through the park and enjoy the architecture and views of the city from the high balconies and towers. The group was pretty exhausted by the time we got to dinner. Once again, the meal was super yummy and we all left feeling stuffed, which was the perfect way to end the day.   

Max Brenneman

On our second day in Qianjiang, we saw several different sides of the crawfish industry. Ranging from a small-holder family farm to the massive Qianjiang Crawfish Exchange, we began to see how this region’s modernizing economic and cultural identities are being built upon crawfish as a commodity.

By cultivating crawfish and rice at the same time, farmers are able to have multiple seasons for their crops, enabling more financial security throughout the year.

On a cooperative community farm, we learned about different ways that land rights can be allocated among individuals, communities, and institutions. Interestingly, on the co-op model farm, use rights are granted to individual farmers, management rights are granted to the co-op company, and ownership rights—of course— are granted to the government. Out of the many different farming models we researched and visited, we agreed that the co-op model seemed to work the best, in terms of productivity and well-being of the farming individuals and their community. Perhaps this is because labor is well-divided among parties. Farmers are able to worry about the tangible realities of the land they use and the crops they produce, while the company takes care of land management, regulation, and upholding of industry standards.

In visiting all of these different farms during their off season, we were able to get a glimpse into daily life for farmers when they are not directly planting, maintaining, or harvesting their crops. Though it would have been great to see these aspects of agriculture too, visiting in the off season made clear how people in these agrarian communities spend their time.

After the co-op, we went to a large crawfish processing plant. We learned about how the Hubei Province’s crawfish industry was affected by Trump’s tariff war. Ten years ago, much of the processing plant’s products were exported internationally, but now almost none of their product leaves China. If it does, it is consumed mostly by Chinese diaspora communities in Southeast Asia.

Chitin, the chemical material that composes a crawfish’s shell, has a multitude of uses for humans. This byproduct of the crawfish industry can be used in cosmetics, fertilizers, and traditional Chinese medicines. The processing plant specialized in turning crawfish shells into raw chitin for these purposes.

After visiting the processing plant, we had lunch at a local restaurant tucked in an alley behind the town’s main street.

There we were treated to some great food including fish soup, chicken legs, and Chinese Celery.

After lunch, we headed to the massive Qianjiang Crawfish Exchange, a centralized packing and distribution center for the Hubei Crawfish industry.

The absolutely massive scale of the Crawfish Exchange was shocking, and it gave us a fresh perspective on just how much the local economy had been built around the crawfish/rice cultivation model. A promotional video made it clear that Qianjiang’s long-term goal was to become the Crawfish Capital of China and beyond. Personifications of crawfish themselves in packaging, decoration, and architecture mirrored ways that the Lobster industry in Maine or the Peanut industry in Georgia are bolstered by nostalgic, often kitschy aesthetics of ritual consumption.

Finally, we visited a family farm. Though this farmer engaged in the crawfish aquaculture, he said that he had to grow fruits and vegetables year round to make ends meet. I think the visit to the family farm was surprising to many of us because it disrupted the romanticized imaginaries of the smallholder farm. Though it was a family endeavor, we saw mostly old people in the village, a representation of China’s demographic particularities with rural-urban migration.

We saw how the family farm struggled in ways that other models did not. Specifically, with the ice storm that had impacted Hubei several weeks prior, many of the farmer’s greenhouses had been irreparably damaged. He said that it would take two good seasons to make up for these losses.

Despite this hardship, our interactions with the family were positive. They kindly invited us into their wonderful home. And we chatted informally for a while about daily life in the village.

Here is a vlog, presented by thee Sebastian Montanez, of our last day in Beijing and our travel home. We had our morning fun in the 798 art district, and made our way home!

In the morning, we attended a lecture from Professor Xia at CCNU on the crayfish-rice agricultural complex. The CCNU campus was very beautiful and I was ready to stay for much longer, but we quickly hopped on the bus and drove to our next stop.

On March 4 we left Wuhan and arrived in Qianjiang where we had lunch at Lobster City. The image above shows a sculpture of a crayfish that stood in front of the restaurant complexes. The sculpture stands about two stories high and is surrounded by plastic rice plants in a fountain. Behind the sculpture are new apartment developments.

Lobster city and the other crayfish restaurants were recently built as a summer tourist destination and as a way to develop Qianjiang’s crayfish based tourist economy. It felt very empty since March is during the off season and we were some of the only guests in the restaurant.

After lunch we drove to the Fanwan Lake National Wetland for Birds. At the preservation we attended a lecture on the wildlife in the park and technology used to monitor wildlife activity. 

-Lydia

Crossroads and Culinary Homecomings: A Vassar Voyager’s Return to Wuhan

Returning to the streets where I played as a child, now with friends in tow from my life at Vassar, was an experience I can only describe as deeply moving. Each step through Wuhan felt like retracing the lines of an old, favorite story; one that I was now sharing with new characters. Seventeen years of growth mirrored in the city’s own evolution, its streets a chronicle of change as palpable as my own.

Tucking into a reunion with my family amidst the familiar corners of Wuhan, the city that raised me, was like flipping through a well-loved photo album. My Vassar friends in tow, we dived headfirst into the flavorful riot of my childhood – spicy frog legs that kickstarted conversations, duck heads that nodded to inside jokes, and duck necks that crunched like crisp memories. Grandma, ever the culinary artist, ladled out her lotus soup, a bowl brimming with the warmth only a grandma’s kitchen can muster. And breakfast, oh, the Wuhan breakfast! Long-missed flavors greeting me like old friends at a homecoming.

Feasting in Wuhan wasn’t just about the food; it was home-cooked comfort, an edible slice of self-care. To have my friends there, laughing and soaking in my city’s stories, was to see my two worlds – the one I grew up in and the one I’ve grown into – embrace. I stood there, feeling a mix of pride and nostalgia, a bridge between my heritage and my present, grateful for every spicy, savory, soul-soothing bite. It’s in these shared meals, these shared moments, we find the happiest of times, reminding us that no matter how far we roam, our roots remain nestled in the dishes of home, and in the hearts that beat for us.

For breakfast, I had some authentic Wuhan flavors I’d longed for since my semester began—a comfort only understood by those who’ve tasted nostalgia in the form of food so deeply tied to their identity.

In the shared laughter and wide-eyed wonder of my friends, I saw my city anew. The joy of bringing my two worlds together, of showcasing the streets and flavors that crafted the person I’ve become, was immeasurable. I basked in the pride of my origins, the love for my family, and the joy of my culture. The intersection of my Wuhan upbringing and my Vassar experiences was no longer a crossroad but a merging path, and the journey we shared is a memory I’ll treasure, a reminder that no matter where I go, Wuhan will always be home.

In the midst of this grand adventure, as each day unfurls, my heart swells with gratitude for the unwavering support my parents have provided for my dreams at Vassar. Their belief in my path is the wind beneath my wings, propelling me toward my aspirations with a sense of home that never fades, no matter the distance. Life’s journey often winds away from our starting points, but it’s these very departures that make the return sweeter, the cultural ties deeper, and the family bond stronger. This land that has nurtured and sustained me, with its myriad of tastes, sights, and sounds, remains the cornerstone of my identity. As I chart new territories, I find comfort in the knowledge that the values instilled in me by my homeland serve as my guiding stars. For their love, their sacrifices, and their confidence in me, my gratitude knows no bounds.

Big thanks to the Luce Fund for backing our China trip, Prof. Zhou for making this happen, and Ziyao Zhang for being an ace co-worker on this ride!

A Whimsical Morning in Beijing’s 798 Art Zone

Demi

Stepping into Beijing’s 798 Art Zone for just a morning spin felt like walking onto the set of a sitcom where the past and modernity are old friends with complicated love lives. They flirt, they bicker, and just when you think they’ve made peace, modernity texts its ex. This place is a comedy-drama of art’s struggle in the fast lane of progress, offering a cocktail of insights with a twist of enigma.

From the get-go, 798 hits you with its electric vibe, a perfect setting for a rom-com between innovation and nostalgia. Here, art isn’t just on display; it’s in a full-blown situationship with commerce, questioning its purpose like a philosophy major after one too many at the pub. Walter Benjamin’s ghost haunts the alleyways, mournfully swiping through Instagram, lamenting how reproduction has snatched art’s ‘once upon a time’. Here, art engages in a bold flirtation with commerce, reflecting upon its existence in a world where concerns about the loss of the ‘aura’ in the age of mechanical reproduction have become palpable realities. Yet, amidst the sea of copy-paste, 798 rebels, celebrating moments of authentic creation where each artistic expression defies commodification.

Diving deeper into this artistic soap opera, the shops selling vintage treasures and knock-off antiques aren’t just retail spaces; they’re like that one friend who insists on keeping vinyl alive, curating a past for the digital age. They mirror Jean Baudrillard’s musings, not offering a time machine to the real deal but rather a hall of mirrors reflecting our lust for a ‘good ol’ days’ montage.

However, the true essence of 798 lies in its embodiment of the concept of plasticity. The zone, once industrial in nature, now hosts a myriad of artistic expressions that are both unique and endlessly duplicated. This dynamic serves as a testament to art’s capacity for transformation, shaped by and yet resisting the forces of culture and economy, in a quest to redefine its core beyond mere market values. This dance of authenticity versus duplication in 798 showcases a complex interplay of self-discovery among artworks. It’s a masterclass in identity, pushing you to look beyond the canvas and question the very fabric of form, identity, and metamorphosis.

Emerging from a half-day dalliance in 798, you’re left with a lingering thought that art, in its rawest, most untamed form, dodges labels and laughs at attempts to box it in. It’s an ongoing conversation, a witty banter of evolution and reinterpretation, stubbornly elusive and infinitely richer for it. Maybe, in the grand scheme of things, that elusive spark of creativity playing hard to get is what keeps us coming back for more, episode after episode.

In the crisp air by the vibrant hues of the 798 Art Zone, our group gathered around Terry, our tour guide, who had unexpectedly become so much more. As we handed him the postcard signed with our wishes and signatures, his eyes glistened with unshed tears, a silent testimony to the bond we’d unknowingly woven. It was a card, yes, but also a parchment of freedom, each signature a nod to his dreams, encouraging him to chase horizons beyond the mapped routes of tour itineraries and familial expectations.

Terry, the quiet force behind our enriched exploration, shared not only his knowledge but the silent victories of his life—like the marathons run, the cigarettes never lit, and a birthday that came and went with the stealth of a whisper. There he stood, on the cusp of a new journey, his emotions held in a delicate balance as the warmth of our collective gratitude wrapped around him.

Our shared laughter and those spontaneous moments of awe—that’s what we’ll carry with us, more than any souvenir could ever offer. It was a silent toast to fresh starts, to Terry’s next chapter, and to our own unfolding stories. As we say goodbye to China, we imagine a future where, in three years, we’ll look back, maybe not entirely different, but evolved. Closer, even by inches, to the dreams we’ve only dared to voice amidst the rich backdrop of our adventures.