Changchun 
cctv.com 02-13-2004 09:45
"Suffering" from its successful automobile industry center status, Changchun is often mistaken as a sole industrious city and skipped by many most winter thrill seekers.
But as matter of fact, Changchun is covered by more than 35 percent of greens in and around the city, fairly high by Chinese standard. It is also known as "city of the green".
So for nature- minded winter travelers, so far still less touristically exploited Changchun can be an even better choice than many more established winter destinations.
Latitude- wise, northeastern china is the answer to Nordic countries in Europe. If Chinese ever believes in Santa, he would most likely be coming from here!
Could that be the reason these two remote parts of the world starts teaming up? Sweden and Changchun? Collaboration between Swedish sport foundation and Changchun government brought some world top cross-country skiers from all over the world.
The competition is called vasaloppet, a Swedish sport tradition with a history of more than 80 years. Over the years, it has developed into the world's biggest cross-country skiing competition and started to be held in countries like USA and Japan. Now china! and it is changchun!
After the professional skiers dashed out for their 50km journey and lost in horizon, the 500m competition for kids started and drew even more cheering and support from the crowd.
The true spirit of vasaloppet seems to reflect something rather Swedish, challenging yourself, no need comparing to others. Esp. it is not a winner- takes- all competition, more of a everyone- takes- part- in kind of game.
No surprise, the five-fold World Cup winner, pretty boy Jens Arne Svartedal from Norway succeeded defending his title.
Unlike PINGPONG, obviously our Chinese ski athletes still have a long long way to go before they could pose any substantial treat to their Swedish counterpart鈥
The other section of the competition was specifically designed for youngsters to have some taste of cross-country ski. Many of these enthusiastic participants are actually first timers.
Jingyuetan
Jingyuetan natural reserve park is one of the best winter resorts in Northeastern China鈥攃ollectively known as Dongbei area.
The natural reserve park emphasizes on family-friendly skiing and that has been an especially effective draw to pull people from all over china.
Personal instructors are available anytime when the ski ground is open to public but most parents seem to believe their mental and physical support works better on their kids鈥
Ice sculpture exhibition has almost become obligatory in most winter major winter cities. Changchun takes a slightly different approach.
Snow sculpture is often considered to be difficult to be polished as detailed as ice sculpture.
Heilongjiang, liaojing and jilin provinces in north eastern china are collectively known as Dongbei. Changchun is the capital city of Jilin.
Commonly the name "Dongbei" conjures images of rich land, lush forest, and cold and long winter, it was the stereotype of Dongbei.
Motorized ways to explore the wildness are still most common here. Maybe out of a kind of oxygen overdose in the woods? It was almost hypnotizing and difficult to remember the so-called real world outside.
If you want, you can always take even smaller routes and explore by foot. It is hard to imagine these are not naturally grown trees. There are those who planted most of them 50 years ago to thank for: today their effort starts to pay off. Forest this old has all the attributes of the natural forest. For travelers, even better鈥攊t is easier to explore on one鈥檚 own.
Yangge
In Dongbei there is very popular arts named Yangge. This is the folk dance mostly played for high occasions like festivals, anniversaries and in this case look like on the way to a wedding ceremony. Dongbei is one of the important origins of this widespread cheerful form of this art, Chinese swing dance!
It is said the yangge dance was originated by imitating plaguing rice in the field and celebrating harvest. So It became the trademark sound of joy in the countryside.
It has also spread into the city parks and evolved to be a kind of popular morning exercise for pensioners who are too restless to practice slow motion taiji.
They may not be the best dancers, but that was the yangge show with fullest flavor I have ever seen. But such blissful sound and movements can only be coming from a sense of true attachment to their own land.
Changchun is China's answer to Detriot, famous for its heavy industry esp. automobile. But walking in the busy city center, it doesn' feel too noisy, thanks to all these trees. It is such a green city!
Royal Palace
Modern Changchun is a relatively young city. Most worth-mentioning ancient architectures are some remanants from Japanese occupation time from 1930's when it was set up to be the capital of the so-called "Manchuria",a colonized puppet state actually reigned under Japanese military power.
The overthrown emperor of former Qing dynasty Pu Yi lived in this so-called Manchurian Royal Palace as the puppet state head for more than 13 years. Some parts of Bernardo Bertolucci' s Oscar winning movie about him -- "the last emperor" was actually shot. I have to admit the latter was a much more intriguing reason for me to visit this place
On the 2nd of December, 1908. 3 years old Puyi was put on the emperor chair. His father Price Chun served as his regent was standing besides him. Little Puyi was scared by the scale of ceremony and the huge number of strangers around him. He burst into tears by fear. His father comforted him: "don' t cry, my boy. It will all soon be over! Soon!"
The Qing dynasty did came to the end 3 years later. Young former emperor was allowed to stay in the Forbidden City.
He was lectured in Chinese and Manchu, later at age 13, also English, taught by Reginald Johnston. He and the boy became close friends. Pu Yi was heavily influenced by Johnston and developed a fascination for the West.
Pu yi was certainly reluctant to sit on the emperor chair for the first time. According to his autobiography young Pu yi was also longing for free life so much that he tried to escape from the Forbidden City several times.
Ironically in most of his adult years, Pu yi seemed to be addicted to only one thought-- "re- crowned to be an emperor", even just for the name of it and, regardless of price.
Entire Dongbei fell into Japanese colonial reign during 1930' s through military invasion. Japans military power started to plan to establish a puppet government and pu yi became an ideal choice
In 1934, under the directing of Japanese military extremists, pu yi played a crowning ceremony and retained an "emperor" title that no one took seriously except himself.
It is not often you get chance to peek on the bathroom of en emperor. But I don't knowifit accounts this time. Cause puyi was only the puppet state head of this so-called Manchurian state. He was not allowed to sign "no" to whatever documents presented to him. So he was said signing many of them while sitting on the toilet. People in dongbei also called him "the emperor on the toilette" , you figure out that why!
Janpense needed puyi as disguise for their colonial reign in China and built this palace as a gift for him. To show his gratitude, Pu Yi called this place "tong de hall" companion place. But neither partner ever trusted each other.
He used this tongde palace mostly for entertainment. Fully aware of his real position in the so called Manchuria, Pu Yi spent lots of his hours here鈥
It is slightly out of the tone. But even it is in perfect condition. How fun is it to play in this golden cage?
Pu Yi must be the only emperor in Chinese history that could play golf and billiard. The rules here are simple: one, the while ball hits the red one, two, the emperor always wins!
A very westernized emperor learned to be Japanese in this place. This was the place he met his "onorable"Japanese guest. Pu Yi hated this place. Because in this place, there was no guarantee that emperor always wins.
The Japanese also ordered Pu Yi to convert to Shintoism.. Publicly he embraced the Japanese religion, but secretly he became a devout Buddhist. It was said he even forbid his servants kill flies. But seemingly the last emperor didn' practice a truly important Buddhist doctrine of "orgive and forget" When he found out his wife' adultery, he showed no sign of mercy!.
Wanrong was famous for her beauty and intelligence among former Manchurian royal families. She was said to good at poetry and music and spoke fluent English.
She was chosen to the Forbidden City at the age of 16 but the life in the palace didn' turn out to "happily ever after".
When Puyi discovered Wanrong had an affair with one of his guards, he swore never to see her face again. But the Japanese boss didn't approve to remove Wanrong's empress's title or have Wanrong removed from the house. So Puyi punished her in the cruelest way he was allowed. And Wanrong was confined in a little room for 9 years! She could only peek through the window!
9 years living in house arrest, without even being allowed to meet any visitors, deteriorated Wangrong mentally and physically. The empress eventually became an opium addict.
She died at the age of 40. Pu Yi's autobiography mentioned little about her.
The puppet emperor himself worked as a gardener in his late days in Beijing and never returned here.
Traditionally, Earthy northeastern locals, dongbeiren cherish warm bed, warm bath and warm family life in a winter night like this more than anything else.
But it is the same with most cities, for the young and the restless-- there is always something exciting to get them out of warm bed.
It looks like Chuangchun has gone an excellent joy in city marketing. After have been working on attracting winter sport enthusiasts from all over the world, it is also catching up on cultural aspects.
Changchun also has one of china's biggest film studios. Many musical and movie stars were born here!
No everyone could become a super star. You are lucky just to meet one. Today, it may not be my time to shine, but at least I can be happy with meeting one shinning star!"
Musician Robert Wells is a Swedish household name back home. He toured with ABBA in Beijing before. But seeing his performance on a stage in Changchun, that's something out of my expectation!
Editor:Zhang Source:CCTV.com
