June 15, 2023
Stories from China (Part 32)
By Simon J. Lau
I spent the day at Solitary Hill, on the northwest corner of West Lake. It’s the lake’s only natural island, while the others are all man-made, and it covers about 50 acres. Once home to an imperial garden during the Qing dynasty, the park was renovated and reopened in 1927 to honor Sun Yat-sen, the father of modern China, who is celebrated in both Mainland China and Taiwan.
Another notable figure honored here is Qiu Jin, a revolutionary, writer, orator, and one of China’s earliest feminists. Born in 1875, she lived during a time of political turmoil and growing resistance to imperial rule. Qiu Jin was known for her sharp intellect and fiery speeches calling for women’s education, gender equality, and the overthrow of the Qing dynasty. She even left her arranged marriage to study in Japan, where she became involved with revolutionary groups plotting to end dynastic rule.
Her activism came at a high cost. After a failed uprising in 1907, she was arrested, tortured, and executed. At just 31 years old, she became a symbol of both political and feminist resistance. When she was later laid to rest on this island, Sun Yat-sen, the Father of Modern China, personally ordered the word “heroine” to be inscribed on her tomb.
Later, I explored the area around Qian Liu’s statue. Qian, a 9th-century warlord during the late Tang dynasty, is often credited with laying the foundations for Hangzhou’s rise to prominence. At a time when much of China was fragmented by war and political upheaval, Qian established stability in the region and focused on strengthening its economic and military base. He poured resources into large-scale infrastructure projects, most notably seawall construction and the dredging of rivers and lakes. These efforts not only protected the area from devastating floods but also opened up waterways for transport and irrigation.
Qian Liu’s vision extended beyond basic infrastructure. He encouraged agricultural innovation to feed a growing population and actively promoted maritime trade with neighboring kingdoms, recognizing Hangzhou’s strategic location near the coast. By the end of his reign, Hangzhou had transformed from a provincial outpost into a thriving capital and regional power, setting the stage for its later golden age under the Southern Song dynasty.
Finally, I visited not one bar, but two that evening. At the first bar, March Bar, I ended up chatting with two bartenders. Among other things, we talked about dating traditions in China. They explained that it is rare for single people to meet strangers at bars because that is simply not how things are done here. Bars are usually places for business gatherings or for friends to meet up in groups, not settings where strangers approach one another. Dating, they told me, is more often arranged through close friends or family rather than chance encounters.
What surprised me most was learning that a typical first date usually involves three people: the two being introduced and the mutual friend who arranged it. 😳 I had heard of this before but did not realize it was standard practice. If I were to live in China, I joked, I would probably stop introducing my friends to each other entirely for fear of always ending up as the third wheel. 😅
The next stop was a burger bar that served a savory goose liver and beef burger totally worth dying for. 🤤
I spent time talking with the owner and bartender, the most gregarious person I’ve met so far in China. She laughed and said it’s not considered a desirable trait for women here. Chinese men, she explained, tend to prefer women who are more reserved. I told her that in America, it’s different. People often see being outgoing as a desirable attribute.
Eventually, our conversation turned to her business. This was actually her third location. Her second bar had been much larger, but COVID lockdowns and a slowing economy made it impossible to justify the cost. She closed that space and opened this smaller, cozier bar instead. It’s a welcoming spot with excellent burgers, including some very creative ones, and it’s the only place I’ve found in Hangzhou so far serving locally brewed craft beer. I loved it.
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