Date Night

Friday night is date night in Shenyang.  Couples typically spend Friday evening having dinner together and then going to a movie or shopping.  My friend Lili had been set up on a date for Friday night with a gentleman, someone her mother’s friend had recommended.  Unfortunately, she was not especially interested in having a date with him.  So, she invited me to go shopping after school, and told her date that she needed to entertain the foreign teacher and that she was very, very sorry. She meant for this conversation to cancel the date, but to Lili’s surprise, he did not cancel and was excited to meet me and practice his English.  Lili was a little embarrassed when she told me that a man would be joining our shopping trip, but I didn’t mind. Hurray for date night!

After school, Lili and I took the metro train to Middle Street where there are lots of posh new shops and restaurants.  Traffic is closed on Middle Street, and so pedestrians can walk up and down it safely.  We passed by two Starbuckses, two Kentucy Fried Chickens, and a Pizza Hut.  We walked into Zara, which I think we have in the U.S., but which is a very big department store in China, and we looked at the beautifully decorated electronic signs.  After a few minutes of wandering, we stopped at a fountain to wait for Mr. Han, Lili’s date.  He was on time, and very polite, but a bit nervous, I think. 

After our introductions, he suggested we eat some dinner, and he took us to a very nice restaurant that sells Korean-style noodle bowls.  He urged us both to order more so that I could try lots of different tastes, and paid for the whole meal before it was even served so that we couldn’t.  Lili was only lukewarm to him and talked mostly to me about work and about an American school group from Chicago that will be visiting next week, and I felt a bit sorry for Mr. Han.  So, I tried to include him in the conversation by telling him about my husband and my dog and my school, and I asked him about his work and about Chinese pop music and about Shenyang.  We talked about what we were eating, and he complimented me on my proficient use of chopsticks.  It was fun.  After dinner, Lili wanted me to buy souvenirs for my friends and colleagues while she was there to help me bargain with the merchants, and I think she was hoping that Mr. Han would go home.

But, he did not want to go home.  He wanted to have his date with Lili. He went into all of the stores with us.  He helped me pick out silk scarves for my friends and made sure I was getting a fair price.  He wanted to carry our coats and bags for us.  As we walked through the jewelry section, he paid close attention to what Lili liked.  When we got thirsty, he bought us each a bottle of water and found a comfortable place for us to sit down.  He was a very good date.

By about 20:30 I told Lili that I should be getting back to the apartment because Vicky and Harry go to bed early.  We walked outside, and Mr. Han hailed a taxi for us.  I think Lili thought this is when she would finally say good-bye to her date, but no.  Mr. Han made sure we were safely buckled into the back seat, and then he climbed into the front seat of the taxi to give the driver instructions to Vicky’s apartment complex.  When we arrived, he opened the door for me, and I thanked him for the generous dinner and music recommendations.  He made the taxi wait so that he and Lili could see that I made it safely into the building.  I thought he was very nice, but I think I had more fun on Lili’s date than she did!  I doubt poor Mr. Han got a goodnight kiss.

Saturday was also an exciting day.  My new friend Lucy, who is a bilingual science teacher at my school, invited me to go sightseeing with her.  We met at the gate to our school and then took the metro to Shenyang Station.  This is an older train station that was built during the Japanese occupation of this region.  The architecture of the station and the buildings around it looked somewhat Russian, and Lucy told me that they had classic “Shenyang character.” 

We walked from Shenyang Station to another new, upscale market street, called New Mart.  It was almost identical to Middle Street, where I had been the night before.  I saw several of the same stores, and Lucy wanted me to shop while I had someone with me to help with the bargaining.  Again, this was a very nice gesture, but I was all shopped out.  I don’t much like shopping at home, and I’m not really interested in shopping for clothing or cosmetics in China, so I just had fun looking at everything.

When we reached the end of New Mart, we took a taxi to Beiling Park, and on the way we passed a huge statue of Chairman Mao.  I will have to go back to take a picture, because it really is something.  Beiling Park is the city’s most famous park.  It is very large with lots of lakes and ponds and walking trails.  But the real treasure in Beiling Park is the famous Zhaoling Tomb, which was first completed in 1643 to memorialize Emperor Taizong.  Emperor Shunzi, who was one of the first Qing emperors, expanded it a few years later.  It is a very large complex.  A wide boulevard, now paved with asphalt, leads up to the gates of the tomb, and along either side are several intricately carved stone statues.  One pair of statues reminds anyone on horse to dismount before approaching the tomb, another pair work as sundials, and another pair keep guard.  The avenue is lined with beautiful, ancient pine trees, a symbol of longevity.  Before we reached the gate to the tomb, we crossed a gorgeous stone bridge.

There are two gates into the tomb.  The outer gate is an archway made of stone.  It is beautiful and even more intricately carved than the statues before it.  It was meant to show the power and prosperity of the emperor.  I can see how it would make a visitor to the tomb feel quite humble.  The ramp leading up to the stone gate is blocked off with modern handrails, as is the stone fence nearby.  I presume this is to protect them from kids on skateboards.  The gate is still standing, but there are large metal ribs helping support it.

Behind the stone archway is the main gate.  It is a large red wall with three doorways through it.  The one in the center is for the divinity, the one on the east was for the emperor, and the one on the west was for the officials.  Lucy and I couldn’t go beyond the main gate, but they had the emperor’s door open for us to look through.  Beyond this main gate, are two other buildings, including the tomb itself.  The buildings and courtyard areas beyond the gate all had ceremonial functions.  For example, one area is for slaughtering animals, and one is for a tea ceremony.  All of these rooms and places would have been used in rituals honoring the late emperor.  The timbers under the eaves of the main gate are decorated with beautiful, colorful paint.  Lucy said the paintings were original, but given Shenyang’s violent climate, I don’t see how this is possible.  I think they must have been reconstructed and are continually repainted.  Still, they were beautiful, and I feel lucky to have seen them.

We wandered back through the park and then caught another taxi to a “hot pot” restaurant.  I enjoyed this very much.  Lucy and I talked about our schools and our students.  She is a truly kind person, and I think probably an excellent teacher. We are both looking forward to staying in touch in the future, and I hope that one day I can take her sightseeing in Atlanta. Between Lili’s date and sightseeing with my new friend, I had a very fun weekend!