Encounters with Alumni from Greater China
Dimi Culcer (Mansfield, 1997) was born in Romania and read Physics at Oxford. He pursued postgraduate studies at the University of Texas and conducted work as a postdoc in Chicago and Washington. Last year he obtained an academic position at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei where he is actively engaged in physics research and teaching. His travels have taken him to all continents except Australia (for now), and he likes to dabble in just about any foreign language, including Chinese. He is married to Roxana, a paediatrician, and looks forward to working in China.
For the westward traveler, crossing the Chang Jiang in Nanjing marks the passage to a different world. Behind stand the prosperous coastal cities, glamorous former capitals and trading outposts, for centuries China’s window to the outside. Ahead lies the first glimpse into the overwhelming expanse of hinterland that is nearer to the start of its journey. With development moving inward off the coast, the borderline province of Anhui captures both the frantic modernization drive and fragments of old China that are vanishing in real time.
Anhui is itself characterized by a curious duality, having been established in the Qing dynasty from two separate entities. Most of the province lies within the cradle of Chinese civilization on the central plain. Yet its southern part, Wannan, whose inhabitants have lived for centuries with little outside interference, is a magnificent stretch of endlessly undulating mountains, from the secular Huangshan to the Taoist Qiyunshan to the Buddhist Jiuhuashan.
To me, two things about Anhui are particularly representative of China. The first is its host of notable personalities, especially in high places. Cao Cao, the famous general of the Three Kingdoms period and hero of every Chinese teenager, was from Bozhou. The highly revered founder of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, was also a native of Anhui. President Hu Jintao and The chief legislator, Wu Bangguo and the likely future prime minister, Li Keqiang both hail from here and President Hu Jintao also has ancestral links to Jixi. One of China’s physics Nobel prizes, Yang Zhenning, was born in Hefei.
For the westward traveler, crossing the Chang Jiang in Nanjing marks the passage to a different world. Behind stand the prosperous coastal cities, glamorous former capitals and trading outposts, for centuries China’s window to the outside. Ahead lies the first glimpse into the overwhelming expanse of hinterland that is nearer to the start of its journey. With development moving inward off the coast, the borderline province of Anhui captures both the frantic modernization drive and fragments of old China that are vanishing in real time.
Anhui is itself characterized by a curious duality, having been established in the Qing dynasty from two separate entities. Most of the province lies within the cradle of Chinese civilization on the central plain. Yet its southern part, Wannan, whose inhabitants have lived for centuries with little outside interference, is a magnificent stretch of endlessly undulating mountains, from the secular Huangshan to the Taoist Qiyunshan to the Buddhist Jiuhuashan.
To me, two things about Anhui are particularly representative of China. The first is its host of notable personalities, especially in high places. Cao Cao, the famous general of the Three Kingdoms period and hero of every Chinese teenager, was from Bozhou. The highly revered founder of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, was also a native of Anhui. President Hu Jintao and The chief legislator, Wu Bangguo and the likely future prime minister, Li Keqiang both hail from here and President Hu Jintao also has ancestral links to Jixi. One of China’s physics Nobel prizes, Yang Zhenning, was born in Hefei.
Its other quintessentially Chinese feature is its large variety of teas. The green teas Huangshan Maofeng, Luan Guapian and the black tea Qimen Hongcha are famous nationally. For my part, I enjoy the weak flavor of Maofeng, and revel in the bitter leaves of Houkui, from the perennially blue Taiping Lake.
With this heritage, one would expect the capital of Anhui, and my new hometown of Hefei, to abound in tourist spots. This is not quite the case. Two main reasons bring outsiders to Hefei: travel to Wannan, and the University of Science and Technology of China. The latter was established in 1958 in Beijing and moved here in 1970, as a result of fears at the height of Sino-Soviet tensions. It is the only university within the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and its research is world- class. You may guess this was the factor that made me relocate here last summer.
Most Chinese think of Hefei as a small city. It is certainly much smaller than China’s megalopolises, though it’s still home to between 2 and 5 million people, depending on where one draws the line. Many are peasants from neighbouring villages. The old city was built after the republic was established, to the effect that little remains of ancient China. There is no downtown as we would understand it, rather a hectic array of broad avenues, linked by smaller run-down streets awaiting modernization. During the past decade large sections were rebuilt from the ground up. A new highway serves Huangshan, Jiuhuashan and the Huizhou villages, cutting the journey to a few hours. The city is poised to become an important transport hub. It is already on the main line linking Shanghai to Wuhan (and soon Chongqing and Chengdu), as well as on the future line between Beijing and Xiamen. The locals are clearly proud of this fast progress. Compared to my last visit five years ago, people are visibly more affluent and correspondingly more demanding. Even poorer people have richer relatives and can now travel by plane and fast train. In Hefei, a new theater and 3D cinema have just opened, and all the main Chinese supermarket chains are present. The suburbs in the west and south of the city were built for the benefit of a newly formed financial elite. At the same time, it pays to remember that, even in these neighbourhoods, one can still afford an apartment in Hefei.
Even as the twenty first century encroaches upon Hefei, a foreigner cannot escape the feeling of being thrust into the middle of old China. The word ‘laowai’ is on everybody’s lips here, as are the long, blank stares at foreigners that vanished in many other parts of the country after the Olympics. The local accent is very pronounced, and addressing locals in Putonghua may yield incomprehension and even utter bemusement. Smoking, spitting and queue- jumping are ubiquitous, and taxis can be hard to find. While traffic jams are rare, the driving follows a parallel set of rules long discarded in Beijing and Shanghai. Pollution, mostly from old vehicles, can cause great discomfort, exacerbated by the stagnant air quality. The cold is a problem in winter, since - buildings in this region are still being built without central heating.
With this heritage, one would expect the capital of Anhui, and my new hometown of Hefei, to abound in tourist spots. This is not quite the case. Two main reasons bring outsiders to Hefei: travel to Wannan, and the University of Science and Technology of China. The latter was established in 1958 in Beijing and moved here in 1970, as a result of fears at the height of Sino-Soviet tensions. It is the only university within the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and its research is world- class. You may guess this was the factor that made me relocate here last summer.
Most Chinese think of Hefei as a small city. It is certainly much smaller than China’s megalopolises, though it’s still home to between 2 and 5 million people, depending on where one draws the line. Many are peasants from neighbouring villages. The old city was built after the republic was established, to the effect that little remains of ancient China. There is no downtown as we would understand it, rather a hectic array of broad avenues, linked by smaller run-down streets awaiting modernization. During the past decade large sections were rebuilt from the ground up. A new highway serves Huangshan, Jiuhuashan and the Huizhou villages, cutting the journey to a few hours. The city is poised to become an important transport hub. It is already on the main line linking Shanghai to Wuhan (and soon Chongqing and Chengdu), as well as on the future line between Beijing and Xiamen. The locals are clearly proud of this fast progress. Compared to my last visit five years ago, people are visibly more affluent and correspondingly more demanding. Even poorer people have richer relatives and can now travel by plane and fast train. In Hefei, a new theater and 3D cinema have just opened, and all the main Chinese supermarket chains are present. The suburbs in the west and south of the city were built for the benefit of a newly formed financial elite. At the same time, it pays to remember that, even in these neighbourhoods, one can still afford an apartment in Hefei.
Even as the twenty first century encroaches upon Hefei, a foreigner cannot escape the feeling of being thrust into the middle of old China. The word ‘laowai’ is on everybody’s lips here, as are the long, blank stares at foreigners that vanished in many other parts of the country after the Olympics. The local accent is very pronounced, and addressing locals in Putonghua may yield incomprehension and even utter bemusement. Smoking, spitting and queue- jumping are ubiquitous, and taxis can be hard to find. While traffic jams are rare, the driving follows a parallel set of rules long discarded in Beijing and Shanghai. Pollution, mostly from old vehicles, can cause great discomfort, exacerbated by the stagnant air quality. The cold is a problem in winter, since - buildings in this region are still being built without central heating.
The culture of Anhui is on display at its provincial museum, including historical relics and examples of the rich local architecture. The western district of Dashushan, next to a pleasant hill, houses the Anhui Celebrity Hall. The aptly named Huiyuan Park in the south is a miniature replica park of Anhui, with houses and exhibits from each region of the province. Outside the city, on the site of ancient Xincheng, the Three Kingdoms Park was recently built.
Yet Hefei has made strides to become a pleasant modern city and represent its heritage more faithfully. It is surrounded by a ring of parks; the beautiful Temple of Lord Bao and Xiaoyaojin, site of one of the ancient Three Kingdoms battlefields, stand out. For a spectacular view of these parks, go to the rotating restaurant in the Gujing Holiday Inn.
Yet Hefei has made strides to become a pleasant modern city and represent its heritage more faithfully. It is surrounded by a ring of parks; the beautiful Temple of Lord Bao and Xiaoyaojin, site of one of the ancient Three Kingdoms battlefields, stand out. For a spectacular view of these parks, go to the rotating restaurant in the Gujing Holiday Inn.
If you do come to Anhui, do sample Hui Cai, the local cuisine. It is not spicy, and the vegetables are fresh and tasty; eggplant is my top recommendation. In Hefei the laomuji chicken soup is branded a specialty, while locals protest that duck, labeled by textbooks as a mainstay of Hui Cai, is actually not often eaten. The newly opened Xueji Shanzhuang at the foot of the mountain offers rather pricy but good quality local dishes in a beautiful setting. The Hilton near the railway station has a delightful mix of Chinese and foreign cuisines, including Indian, with a different themed buffet every few weeks. For the best latte in China stop by Habitat Coffee on Changjianglu. And if you want genuine Anhui fare head down to the southern villages, where many converted mansions await with cooks to delight your palate under the famous Wannan eaves.
After half a year in Hefei, while the urge to flee to more familiar habitats still rears its head occasionally, I am nevertheless absorbed by a panorama in which the blend of old and new is ever changing. The old yields to glistening modernity overnight. Historical relics are reconditioned, and forsaken quarters rise anew. In Anhui, as elsewhere in China, the path to prosperity is marked out, yet the face of tomorrow is a mystery. The longer I stay, the stronger I feel that this part of my journey is only the beginning.
Hefei Address Book
Temple of Lor Bao 包孝肅公墓園 Baohe Park 72, 安徽省合肥市包河区芜湖路72号
*** Xiaoyaojin: 逍遥津公园, 16 Shouchunlu, Hefei, 寿春路16号, *** Gujing Holiday Inn 古井假日酒店, 1104 Changjiang Donglu, 长江东路1104号, +86 (0) *** Anhui Provincial Museum: 安徽省博物馆, 268 Anqinglu, 安庆路268号, , http://www.ahm.cn ***Anhui Celebrity Hall: 安徽名人馆，8, Yulan Dadao, 玉兰大道8号, +86 (0) 551 538 8275*** Huiyuan Park 徽园公园，Cuiweilu, 翠微路*** Three Kingdoms Park 三国遗址公园，Gongyuanlu 公园路*** Xueji Shanzhuang 雪霁山庄, Shusanqu 蜀山区(located on an street inside the park) +86 (00) 551 538 9788 *** Hilton Hefei 合肥元一希尔顿酒店198 Shenglilui 胜利路99号+86 5512808888
http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/HFEHIHI-Hilton-Hefei/index.do***
Habitat Coffee Changjiang Zhonglu BaiDa CBD Gouwu Zhongxin 长江中路百大CBD购物中心***There are many good and affordable restaurants, spanning several cuisines, in Wanda Guangchang, 万达广场，芜湖路和马鞍山路交口 (intersection of Wuhulu and Maanshanlu).
--- Written in March 2011 ---
After half a year in Hefei, while the urge to flee to more familiar habitats still rears its head occasionally, I am nevertheless absorbed by a panorama in which the blend of old and new is ever changing. The old yields to glistening modernity overnight. Historical relics are reconditioned, and forsaken quarters rise anew. In Anhui, as elsewhere in China, the path to prosperity is marked out, yet the face of tomorrow is a mystery. The longer I stay, the stronger I feel that this part of my journey is only the beginning.
Hefei Address Book
Temple of Lor Bao 包孝肅公墓園 Baohe Park 72, 安徽省合肥市包河区芜湖路72号
*** Xiaoyaojin: 逍遥津公园, 16 Shouchunlu, Hefei, 寿春路16号, *** Gujing Holiday Inn 古井假日酒店, 1104 Changjiang Donglu, 长江东路1104号, +86 (0) *** Anhui Provincial Museum: 安徽省博物馆, 268 Anqinglu, 安庆路268号, , http://www.ahm.cn ***Anhui Celebrity Hall: 安徽名人馆，8, Yulan Dadao, 玉兰大道8号, +86 (0) 551 538 8275*** Huiyuan Park 徽园公园，Cuiweilu, 翠微路*** Three Kingdoms Park 三国遗址公园，Gongyuanlu 公园路*** Xueji Shanzhuang 雪霁山庄, Shusanqu 蜀山区(located on an street inside the park) +86 (00) 551 538 9788 *** Hilton Hefei 合肥元一希尔顿酒店198 Shenglilui 胜利路99号+86 5512808888
http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/HFEHIHI-Hilton-Hefei/index.do***
Habitat Coffee Changjiang Zhonglu BaiDa CBD Gouwu Zhongxin 长江中路百大CBD购物中心***There are many good and affordable restaurants, spanning several cuisines, in Wanda Guangchang, 万达广场，芜湖路和马鞍山路交口 (intersection of Wuhulu and Maanshanlu).
--- Written in March 2011 ---