Return to China -- Part 6, The Ming Tombs

Our next stop in Beijing was a visit to the Tombs of the Ming Emperors [well, actually, only one of the tombs, most have not been excavated and restored and so are not accessible to tourists]. This is the entrance to the tomb of Zhu Di [pronounced "Judy"], the third Ming emperor, and in the minds of many the greatest emperor of the dynasty. As emperor he took the title "Yongle" [perpetual happiness].

Here's a shot from inside the Changling Exhibition Hall out onto the courtyard surrounding it.

And here's a shot of the interior. Just look at the size of those wooden pillars! Each is carved from a single tree.

Here's what the crowd in the last shot was looking at -- a statue of Yongle himself. Impressive no?

The items on display have changed since my last visit two years ago. Then there were several cases of swords, pikes, bows and other such implements of war. Now they have been replaced with less bellicose exhibits like this. It's a replica of the flagship of the fleet Yongle sent under the command of Zheng He to explore the Indian Ocean. There were seven voyages of exploration under emperor Yongle and they reached as far away as the Red Sea and Somalia. The last of these voyages ended in 1433, eighteen years before Columbus was born. The Ming emperors did not follow up on Zheng He's discoveries, and it is fascinating to think how world history might have been changed if a Chinese fleet had rounded the Cape of Good Hope and appeared in the Atlantic a generation before the Portuguese launched Europe's "Age of Discovery".

Taking our leave of Yongle we passed through the courtyard and walked down the long processional path [the "Sacred Way"] connecting the tombs with the outside world.

The Sacred Way is lined with statues of soldiers, administrators, and animals whose purpose was to serve the emperors in the afterlife. 

After walking for about a kilometer through beautiful parkland we arrived at a gate that serves as the entrance to the Sacred Way and the Ming tombs complex. There we viewed a strange statue.

Our guide insisted that it was a dragon, but it sure looks like a tortoise to me.

Then it was back on the bus and a short trip to yet another shopping opportunity.

Pearls this time.

Blues and Jazz -- As Good As it Gets

Just because I'm in the mood for it, here's the great, GREAT!!! Robben Ford performing "Worried Life Blues".



Can't decide whether I like him better in Jazz or Blues mode -- he's equally amazing in either, but I think he prefers the blues. Still, I wish he would get together with the Yellowjackets again, just for one quick gig.

And now that I'm thinking about the Yellowjackets, I was delighted to find this on YouTube.

It's titled "Even the Pain" and it is one of my favorite cuts from the "Club Nocturne" album, featuring the amazing Jonathan Butler on vocals. This is the best iteration of the group ever, with Haslip, Ferrante, Lawson, and Mintzer all at the top of their form.

Aaaaahhh -- takes me back.

Another Leftist Lie Collapses -- We Aren't Running Out of Energy Resources

Several years ago a friend of mine who had a long career as a petroleum geologist told me that it would be best to think of fossil fuels as a renewable resource because technological advances were constantly increasing the store of fuels available for exploitation. Of course back then Al Gore was all the rage and the public was being barraged by an endless stream of Green propaganda. His words were a direct contradiction of one of the most important green talking points -- the idea that we were running out of cheap fossil fuels. I was intrigued. Here was a guy who knew what he was talking about telling me that the politically approved experts were wrong and I kept his advice in mind as one by one the pillars of the green movement, even Al Gore, came toppling down.

It turns out that my friend was right. Even lefty ideologues like Michael Lind are finally forced to admit that "Everything You've Heard About Fossil Fuels May Be Wrong"! It's a remarkable piece, especially because it appears in the left-wing journal, Salon. Lind writes:

The arguments for converting the U.S. economy to wind, solar and biomass energy have collapsed. The date of depletion of fossil fuels has been pushed back into the future by centuries -- or millennia. The abundance and geographic diversity of fossil fuels made possible by technology in time will reduce the dependence of the U.S. on particular foreign energy exporters, eliminating the national security argument for renewable energy. And if the worst-case scenarios for climate change were plausible, then the most effective way to avert catastrophic global warming would be the rapid expansion of nuclear power, not over-complicated schemes worthy of Rube Goldberg or Wile E. Coyote to carpet the world’s deserts and prairies with solar panels and wind farms that would provide only intermittent energy from weak and diffuse sources.

....


Eventually civilization may well run out of natural gas and other fossil fuels that are recoverable at a reasonable cost, and may be forced to switch permanently to other sources of energy. These are more likely to be nuclear fission or nuclear fusion than solar or wind power, which will be as weak, diffuse and intermittent a thousand years from now as they are today. But that is a problem for the inhabitants of the world of 2500 or 3000 A.D.

In the meantime, it appears that the prophets of an age of renewable energy following Peak Oil got things backwards. We may be living in the era of Peak Renewables, which will be followed by a very long Age of Fossil Fuels that has only just begun.

 Read the article here.
 
This is an amazing admission. Not only is the "renewable energy" fad sputtering and about to expire, but the abundance of cheap energy also undermines the major tenets of another lefty cause -- the "new urbanism" which assumes that expensive energy will reverse the flight of middle class people from urban areas. It also is a repudiation of much of the current administration's energy policy. If the lefties at Salon can accept that, maybe the idea stands a chance of penetrating the minds of even the most benighted liberal. At least we can hope.

Return to China -- Part 5, The Great Wall

Our next day began with a visit to the Great Wall at Juyongguan Pass. This section of the wall is famous, having been a military stronghold since the 88th century BC, and because of its proximity to Beijing is a favorite tourist destination. It is traditional for people to climb the steps to view the wall from a high place. I had done that two years ago and had no interest in repeating the experience so I remained at the main gate while others tried to prove themselves to be "real" men and women.

This is a picture of the more difficult climb. Three of our party ascended and only one returned. The other two took a wrong turn and wound up in a parking lot some distance away from the main group, which caused our guides no small amount of consternation. Eventually we were all reunited.

The easier slope favored by most. It's actually not all that easy, largely because the steps are very uneven. You have to keep an eye on where you place your feet because it's a long tumble down.

I wasn't the only one to remain on the lower levels of the wall.

And while we amused ourselves in various ways, our guide took a short nap at a coffee shop.

Then it was back onto the bus and off to our next destination -- a government-run ceramics outlet for one of many "shopping opportunities" we enjoyed.

Return to China -- Part 4, The Summer Palace

 Our next stop in Beijing was at the Summer Palace, yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site. The current structure is little more than a century old, although parts of it go back to the mid-eighteenth century. It served as the summer residence of the infamous dowager empress CiXi in the early twentieth century and many of its features date from that period. The story always told about the Summer Palace is that it was largely constructed with funds diverted from national defense and was thus a betrayal of the nation's interest by irresponsible rulers. The most infamous symbol of this fecklessness, which we hoped to see, is the "marble boat" which lay at the opposite side of the lake from where we entered the palace grounds.

Our first view of the complex upon arrival featured the Kunming Lake and, in the distance, the Jade Peak Pagoda. It makes a nice picture, no?

Normally we would have crossed the lake on one of many "dragon boats" that were available, but there was an extremely high wind that rendered the lake unsafe.

The tour boats were berthed so we had to hoof it if we were going to see anything up close. Of course walking, or in my case ambling, presented lots of opportunities for pictures.

Here's another shot of the Jade Hill Pagoda. I was shooting into the sun, so many of the details are obscured, even with a polarizing filter. Along the lakeshore in the center of the picture is the beautiful Jade Belt Bridge. I wish it had come out better, it really is gorgeous.

And here is a closer shot of the palace complex. Too bad we only had a limited amount of time to see it.

And this is the famous "Seventeen Arch Bridge" on the far side of the lake. It was crowded with pedestrians heading toward the palace.

We finally arrived at the palace. This is a shot of the famous "Long Corridor", an intricately decorated passageway that leads to the heart of the complex and eventually to the infamous marble boat.

Unfortunately we were now out of time. Besides, the place was getting crowded and included these unsavory looking individuals. We rested for a few minutes, then began our journey back to the bus without seeing the marble boat. To my mind it's not really all that impressive [here's a picture I took of it a couple of years ago] but some of the party members were quite disappointed.

Return to China -- Part 3, Tiananmen Square

We exited the Forbidden City through the Tiananmen Gate and crossed over to Tiananmen Square just across the street.

The large pillar directly before us is the Monument to the People's Heroes, constructed back in the 1950s to commemorate the communist takeover of China. The writing on it literally says "The People's Heroes Ever Upright Not Decayed". The structure behind it is the mausoleum of Mao Zedong, leader of the revolution and the greatest mass murderer in the history of mankind.

The "Heroic People" themselves, portrayed in the act of rising up under the leadership of Mao to smash their "feudal" oppressors and to usher in a socialist paradise on Earth.

This building, stretching along the Western edge of the square is the Great Hall of the People where the Chinese parliament meets.

Directly opposite, along the Eastern edge of the square lies the National Museum of China. I would have liked to have seen it, but there was no time to do so.

We made our way southward along the Eastern edge of the square and encountered this structure -- the Zhengyangmen Gate, which once was part of the now destroyed city wall. It's a lovely building that formerly served as a military barracks and an archery tower protecting the entrance to the old city.

We waited for our bus to pick us up on the corner opposite this lovely old building, an example of the British imperial presence a century ago. It once was the main railway station. Today it is a railway museum and shopping arcade.

Then it was onto the bus for a short trip to see these guys. In Beijing you must try the Peking Duck and this place serves some of the best. It was yummy -- one of the best meals we had during our trip.

Retreat From Democracy

The media today is filled with news of the "Arab Spring" which they portray as a pro-democracy movement spreading through the Muslim world and to some extent this is true. The popular movements that have overthrown or threaten to depose strongmen throughout the region has the potential to advance democratic values, but such a felicitous outcome is by no means assured and hopeful characterizations of the disturbances as an advance for democracy mask a far broader, and far more disturbing trend -- a global retreat from democracy.

Back in January Freedom Watch issued a report that stated:

A total of 25 countries showed significant declines [in freedom] in 2010, more than double the 11 countries exhibiting noteworthy gains. The number of countries designated as Free fell from 89 to 87, and the number of electoral democracies dropped to 115, far below the 2005 figure of 123. In addition, authoritarian regimes like those in China, Egypt, Iran, Russia, and Venezuela continued to step up repressive measures with little significant resistance from the democratic world.

With regard to the Arab world the report noted:

The Middle East and North Africa, which has long been the region with the lowest levels of democracy in the world, continued its steady decline in 2010. In addition to a reduction in Egypt resulting from the country’s sham elections, declines were seen in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iran. There were no status or ratings improvements in the region.

Of course things have changed since then and it might be argued that the revolts currently troubling regimes throughout the region were a direct response to the anti-democratic trends noted in the report, but this optimistic take must be considered within a far more depressing wider context.

Bertelsmann Stiftung recently released a report titled A World of Change: New Challenges for Economic and Political Transformation that observes:

The “democratic retreat” thesis has resurfaced in the context of several trends, including the autocratic tendencies observed in Russia and Venezuela, the erosion of rule-of-law standards in Nicaragua and South Africa, and the violent ousting of democratically elected governments, as happened in Thailand and Mauritania.

It is not so much that countries are shifting from "democratic" to "non-democratic" systems of government, but that an alarming number of nominally "democratic" countries are displaying authoritarian tendencies.

Over the last four years, the proportion of moderately defective democracies among all democratic systems has fallen from 62 percent to 49 percent, while the share of highly defective democracies climbed from 10 percent to 20 percent in the same period. In other words, although the number of democracies may have remained almost unchanged, the quality of several political systems outside of a highly stable top group is showing significant erosion.

These authoritarian tendencies include significant restrictions on freedom of the press and of rights of assembly, as well as disregard for the rule of law, widespread corruption, abuse of office, the weakening of stable and representative parties, and a general breakdown in trust and social capital in the national societies.

Some of these, you may note, are becoming problems in our own society.

So, celebrate the Arab Spring if you will, but keep in mind that the outcome is already becoming problematic and that it is set against a much broader trend that threatens to reverse the dramatic democratic gains that were made in the two decades after the end of the Cold War.

Return to China -- Part 2, The Forbidden City

Of course once we were in Beijing a visit to the Forbidden City was practically mandatory. It seems to be the starting point for nearly every tour, so early on the morning of our first full day in China we were up and on our way there. In the past we had entered the Forbidden City through the South Gate which fronts on Tiananmen Square and immediately found ourselves in one of the city's famous immense courtyards [here]. This time, however, we came in through the North Gate and entered the more intimate environs of the imperial residences.

Here's our local guide, "Susanna", who showed us through the complex.

And here is a picture of "Gavin", our national guide who stayed with us throughout the trip.

Both of them were pleasant, competent, and quite helpful. Gavin in particular proved to be invaluable to us later in the trip.

Most of the pictures taken in the Forbidden City feature the immensity of the place -- 9999 rooms including huge courtyards. Indeed these were what had impressed me on our first visit. But this time I chose to focus on smaller details, like this ornate gate through which we entered the imperial compound.

Or this elaborately decorated roof,

Or these stones decorating a walkway,

Or this pomegranate decoration on a door,

Or a lonely plant clinging to these roof tiles,

Or even some chipped paint on a doorway,

And of course I had to take a picture of this mama lion -- everybody seems to.

Since we were there, I might as well include a look inside one of the rooms of the royal residences. Nice to look at, but it doesn't seem very comfortable.

And, because it is expected, here a a shot of one of the courtyards. Impressive, no?

As we were leaving we passed these guys on their way in. I'm not sure what their purpose was, and couldn't stick around to find out.

A final glance back as we left the Forbidden City and went on to our next stop, Tiananmen Square, right across the street.

Rethinking the "Good War"

During our recent trip I had an interesting conversation with a friend regarding revisionist views on World War Two. Coincidentally, the New York Times this weekend published a nice review article by Adam Kirsch on that same subject.

Kirsch, of course, is writing from a Left perspective and his most important objection to the standard World War Two narrative [which emphasizes America's moral commitment to democracy and human rights, the heroic valor of Anglo-American participants, and nourishes the notion that America won the good war] is that it encourages a belief in American exceptionalism. He notes that Anglo-American involvement in the war was little more than a "sideshow" compared to the horrific slaughter that took place on the Eastern front. He also questions Anglo-American claims to moral superiority, noting that our ally Stalin was easily as horrific a figure as was Hitler, that Churchill was motivated by profound racism not much different from that of Hitler, and that the Allies knowingly committed atrocities every bit as nasty as those perpetrated by our enemies.

Leftist myths are just as easily challenged, [For instance it is now quite clear that Fascism is not a creation of capitalism and that Fascism and socialism are far more similar in their origins and values than is generally admitted. Nor is the old Frankford School canard that conservatives are closet Nazis sustainable. Nor can the global catastrophe of the war be attributed simply to an excess of nationalism.] but Kirsch doesn't consider these at all. His only concern is to challenge the idea of American exceptionalism. Still, it is important to note that our common understanding of World War Two and the lessons we draw from it are problematic and that historical revisionism is not just a normal, but a healthy, enterprise. So, despite its biases and blind spots, Kirsch's piece is worth a read.

Check it out here.

Return to China -- Part 1, Airport to Airport

The first day of our trip started, as usual, at Dulles Airport. The terminal building once was an impressive, state of the art structure but is now beginning to show its age.

Sun reflecting off pack ice in the Arctic Ocean. Once again we took the polar express -- direct from Washington to Beijing, about a fourteen hour flight.

The famous ceiling at Beijing International Airport -- the second busiest airport in the world [after Atlanta]. Last time we were here it was supposedly the biggest airport in the world (Heathrow, we were told, could be contained within one of its parking lots) but has since been surpassed by Dubai. There seems to be a continuing competition between the Arabs and the Chinese seeing who can build the biggest and best prestige structures. Similar to the competition a century ago between the French and the Americans. Aaaaah. adolescents -- they never learn.

While we were waiting for our group to assemble I took a few pics of other passengers standing around. This one turned out pretty well, I think.

Then it was off in a bus to our hotel, then to dinner and to bed. The real adventure would start in the morning.

Deconstructing Tarentino

For years we have been told that Quentin Tarertino's genius was his near photographic memory for film images and plot situations and his ability to inject them into new projects. Of course all director/screenwriters do this to a certain extent, but this remix shows just how completely unoriginal is Tarentino's work.

Whale Watchers

For years now environmentalists have been screeching at the top of their voices about the depletion of oceanic resources. Fish stocks are depleted, they cry, and will soon disappear, and whales, especially, are being hunted to extinction. But that seems to not be the case after all.

Science Daily reports that studies supposedly documenting the depletion of fish stocks are based on erroneous methods. They count the number of fish caught and subtract them from the estimate of the total population without considering that stocks replenish themselves over time. An alternative approach that measures biomass rather than catch shows that many stocks that have been portrayed as depleted and on the path to extinction are in fact quite healthy and sustainable. Read about it here.

And as for whales, scientists from Duke University have found that while the number of whales appearing at older feeding and breeding grounds has declined recently, new "superaggregations" of whales have appeared in previously unstudied areas thousands of miles away from older, better studied, grounds. In other words, instead of declining the whales have simply moved. The scientists, of course, attribute this to climate change, but it could simply be a natural movement in response to the serial depletion of krill in feeding areas. Or, perhaps they are trying to avoid all those pesky humans who keep bothering them in their old feeding grounds. Read about it here.

A Concert of Mishaps

Last weekend "She Who Must Not Be Named" and I accompanied some friends to the latest in the Shriver Hall Concert Series. The featured artist was clarinetist Gleb Kanasevich, a remarkable young talent. It was one of the most fun concerts we had attended in recent years, mostly because everything that could go wrong did, and Gleb was more than able to deal with the sequential challenges.

The first piece on the program was an old standard, Bach's "Sonata No. 2 in E-flat Major for Flute and Harpsichord". It was a bit different from what you usually hear because it was performed by Clinton Adams on piano and Gleb on E-flat clarinet, but was nicely done. The same two performers then did "Five Dance Preludes for Clarinet and Piano" by Witold Lutoslawski, which was more to my taste. I was starting to really enjoy the program.

Then things began to go agley. Next on the program was Andre Jolivet's "Sonatine for Flute and Clarinet" with Elena Yakovleva joining Gleb on the stage. Unfortunately, Ms. Yakovleva was still en route to the concert hall, so Gleb and Dr. Adams  performed instead a short piece by Camille Saint Saens that did not go very well. It was clear that they had not been able to rehearse the piece. Still, both were fine musicians and the piece was pleasant.

Then came intermission during which Gleb reappeared on stage to announce that there was yet another change to the program. He was scheduled to perform Mozart's "Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in A Major", but some of the string players had not appeared. So he was going to improvise, performing two pieces that did not need external accompaniment. The first of these, Valentin Silvestrov's "Misterioso", was scored for piano and clarinet and Gleb proposed to perform both parts himself. Here is a video of Gleb rehearsing the piece. Weird, but impressive. I liked it. I was also struck how much it, like many modern chamber pieces, sounded like the sound track to a horror film.Things were starting to get really interesting.







Gleb then announced that his next piece would be Steve Reich's "New York Counterpoint" which he would perform backed by ten clarinet parts he had previously recorded, but first he had to take care of  some "technical problems" with his instrument. He left the stage.

A few minutes later he reappeared accompanied by a beautiful young woman and announced yet another change in the program. Elena Yakovleva had finally arrived and they would be performing the Jolivet piece they had originally promised. Here's how it sounded.



With that the concert, and the seemingly endless series of mishaps, came to an end. It was an interesting experience. I was impressed by the virtuosity of the young man and his ability to substitute appropriate pieces from his repertoire -- ones that did not rely upon accompaniment. Discussing it afterwards we all agreed that we had thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Our congratulations to Mr. Kanasevich, may his career flourish. I expect it will.