Mandarin Immersion (Part 32)

This entry is part 32 of 39 in the series Mandarin Immersion

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June 15, 2023

Mandarin Immersion (Part 32)

By Simon J. Lau

I spent the day at Solitary Hill, located on the northwest corner of West Lake. It’s the only natural island inside the lake (the others are man-made) and occupies an area of approximately 50 acres. This park was formerly the site of a Qing dynasty imperial garden. It was renovated and reopened in 1927 to commemorate Sun Yat-sen, known as the father of modern China. (He is celebrated in both Mainland China and Taiwan.)

Another notable figure found here is Qiu Jin, a famous Chinese revolutionary, writer, orator, and feminist. During her short life, she opposed dynastic rule and actively participated in the resistance movement. She was eventually arrested, tortured, and executed at the age of 31. When she was laid to rest on this island, Sun Yat-sen had the word “heroine” inscribed on her tomb.

Later, I explored the area around Qian Liu’s statue. Qian was a notable warlord during the 9th century Tang dynasty. He is often credited with developing Hangzhou into one of China’s most prosperous regions. Several of his key accomplishments included investing heavily in important infrastructure projects such as seawall building and dredging rivers and lakes. He also improved agricultural output and encouraged sea transport and trade with neighboring kingdoms. This elevated Hangzhou, the capital, into a regional power.

Finally, I visited not one bar, but two bars in the evening. At the first place, March Bar, I met with two bartenders. We talked about dating traditions in China. It appears that it’s rare for single folks to meet with strangers at bars. That’s just not done in China. They explained that bars are generally intended for business or for friend groups to gather (not to be interrupted by strangers). Instead, dating is usually arranged by close friends or family.

In fact, for the Chinese, the first date usually includes three people. The two people being introduced and the mutual friend. 😳 I’ve heard of this before, but it never occurred to me that this was standard practice. If I were to live in China, I’d just never introduce any of my friends to one another for fear that I’d be the third wheel. 😅

Next place was a burger bar. They had this very savory goose liver and beef burger that was totally worth dying for. 🤤

I also spent time with the owner/bartender. She was very gregarious, the most boisterous person I’ve met so far in China. I let her know this. She laughed and mentioned that this is not a desirable trait for a woman in China. It’s too loud. Chinese men prefer women who are more reserved. I shook my head and explained to her that it was very different in America. Americans enjoy people who are more outgoing.

We then moved on to discussing her businesses. This is actually her third location. Her second location was much larger. Unfortunately, because of COVID lockdowns and a slowing Chinese economy, she wasn’t able to justify the cost of such a large footprint. She has since closed the second location and opened this smaller bar to replace it. It’s a cute space, the burgers were excellent (and unique!), and it’s the only spot I’ve found in Hangzhou so far that has locally produced craft beer. I hope that it does well!

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