Eric's Beijing Diary

Time to get up. I have been sleeping since 4 o'clock this morning. "Xing nian hao!" (That's Mandarin for "Happy New Year!") It started yesterday at noon. Leander managed somehow to get me a ticket to the free lunch put on for the students by the University. This really was a very nice meal. Not sure if I was supposed to be in on it or not, because I'm not a student, but when it comes to food, I don't ask impertinent questions. There was a group of seven or eight young people at our table. Some of them I had met, of course, the others were new, but not for long. Chinese students are some of the friendliest folks I have met. After lunch, Eric and Leander told me that they would find a place for supper and call me. I knew this was no small feat, because the whole town is pretty dead on New Year's Eve. Even the working man's restaurant was closed this morning. Well, they called at 5 pm and told me to meet them at the North Gate. Sure enough, they found a place that was open. Eric (he's forgiven me for "copying" his name) told the waitress to recommend their very best. I groaned a bit, 'cause I knew he was really going overboard, and this was going to cost. We got some fish, lots of other spicy food, and some exotic desert with cotton candy and what looked like eggrolls with a delicious banana desert inside. That meal cost me a little more than $6 US, which is about five times what the evening meal would cost me in the student cafeteria. You only live once. While we were eating, Eric and Leander and Lucy told me about a special New Year's tradition: they said that after dinner, families gather around the TV to watch the special New Year's Eve presentation. From eight to twelve. Then they had a brief discussion about where they would go to watch it. Very brief, because I was the only one with a TV. I said, "Sure, that would be fine." Well, I managed to catch a few winks during the four hour show. Just before midnight, the Taikonaut appeared on the stage, gave his speech, and the fireworks started.

But of course, the night was still young. Next on the agenda was karaoke. The Chinese version is quite a bit different from the karaoke American style. I have to admit that I am not qualified to speak from personal experience, because I have never been to a karaoke bar in the States, but my impression of karaoke in America has been as an excuse to get drunk and make a fool of yourself. Here it is very different. They lead your group to a private room, pour everyone some tea, and show you the controls for the video system that plays the music. Limited as my experience is, I like Chinese karaoke a lot better. Of course, some could argue. One might wonder who is crazier, the guy who gets drunk and makes a complete fool of himself, or the guy who can be completely sober, and still thrill to the echo effect of his own voice singing "She'll be Comin' Round the Mountain" while some words are flashing across a screen. You really do feel like a complete idiot. But I guess the feeling is ameliorated by the fact that everyone has to take their turn. Sort of. Every once in awhile, they come to your room and pour some more hot tea, but the pain just won't go away. Still, I very much prefer the sober variety as a group activity. Chinese young people sometimes talk about "catching up" with the United States. When it comes to karaoke, I hope they take their time.