Gratianus

Friday is excursion day in the Yale-PKU program. Ningping organizes all kinds of pleasant and instructive excursions to various places around Beijing. Today we were meant to go to two libraries, the Beijing Center for Chinese Studies and the Chinese National Library. Both essential places for anyone who wants to study China seriously, or to study seriously in China. So it was disappointing that only three students (our of seven) indicated that they were interested in going. Even more disappointing when Ningping was waiting on the subway platform (our usual meeting spot) and the only one who actually came was I. It is rather pathetic, in the first place, that they are not more interested in serious study, but it is almost unforgiveably rude first to say that you will come and then not come without leaving any clear message to that effect. Something that I believe is all too common in the present generation of students, having been brought up by curling parents. This is rude towards the administrators of the program who go to great efforts to organize useful tours. (In all fairness, I should point out that one of the students, poor thing, was sick and had told us ahead of time.)

In any case, Ningping wanted to go anyway, with only she and I. We had a good time and we learnt stuff that one would have thought should be valuable to students. A very nice employee showed us around the Beijing Center, which aims (and apparently succeeds rather well) at collecting all literature about China in English (why only English? Valuable things are published also in other languages.) They also have a remarkable collection of rare books (in every language) with publications about China since the sixteenth century, plus old maps and old artefacts. A very nice place to visit. I saw a lot of books I know, and it was a good guided tour. If I ever would make reality of my old dream to do research on China, this would be the place to do it.

Afterwards, Ningping and I went to Metro, where I picked up my shopping card (preprinted with my name in Chinese) and also some muesli and wine. We had a great lunch, featuring a delicious cold leg of lamb, Mongol style.

Here I am at the Beijing Center next to a replica of a general from the terracotta warriors in Xian. The replica was made by the museum, so it is very good quality.