A Bryson in China

Labels: Decca Furniture, Dongguan, Life in China, Pousthouse

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 7:29 AM Comments: 0

It's Time to Go Home

Yep! You read it right! I’m going home to the USA! It’s been a wonderful three years here in China, but I need to be in the US for a few years through kidney transplant, and Decca is being kind enough to help make that happen.

It wasn’t exactly the way I thought it would transpire, but you have to take the twists and turns as they come at you sometimes, and this is an opportunity I figure I better take for my own health. I need a kidney transplant, and could be on dialysis in the next six months. I want to be in the US if it gets to the latter, and would prefer the transplant in the US too. But for that I would not be so picky, if it were more available. Only right now, the US looks to be the best option for me.

So this week I head back. I will be managing our upholstery operation in High Point, NC. After a few weeks, I will come back to China to transition responsibilities and should be back to High Point permanently in early May. (That is permanent only in the sense that nothing is ever permanent.)

There is no timing on the health situation, but hopefully I will get active status on the UNOS waiting list soon after I return. At my distance in china, I can only be on inactive status. But at least I am accumulating time against the long wait.

Speedy’s here I come! Throw another shoulder on the spit! It’s time to pigout on BBQ!!

Labels: Decca Furniture, Dongguan, kidney transplant, Life in China

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 5:57 PM Comments: 1

Amongst the Angels

Labels: Angels, Decca Furniture, Dongguan, Life in China, Wedding

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 6:13 PM Comments: 0

Bianlian or Face-Changing

Of course, I’m talking about the magician lady at the recent show. It was the same lady that I got to tie up in the magic act during the second show. (See previous posting.) But in the first show, she put on one of those amazing displays of “Bianlian” or face-changing. One second she had on a blue mask, and with a pass of her hand across her face,……….. Presto…… it was now another color!

I had long heard about “Bianlian.” It is the face-changing technique that started from the Sichuan Opera. Performers used the masks in character, and with a quick wave of the hand or turn of the head, they change the mask. I read that professionals can change up to 10 masks in 20 seconds. And there are only about 200 artists able to perform the face-changing effectively. I guess we were privileged on this night! I sure was. (You may find some videos on YouTube.)

The magician lady did keep the stage lights dimly lit for her act. I’m sure that made the illusion and actions easier. Instead of doing many masks face-changes though, she reverted to a succession of other magic acts. In quick succession she did produce probably about 20 umbrellas, practically from thin air! They just kept coming out.

Other acts were more common, like girls dancing to different themes representing different regions of China. Dance acts of groups of girls seem very common at the many stage shows put on throughout China.

Several singers performed, including one that did a Michael Jackson imitation. I was more than a little confused when that one started. After a song or two in an army style outfit, he stated he was going to do a “Michael Jensen” song. The audience around me got very excited, as one of my co-workers kept calling out “Michael Jensen!” Until he donned the white glove, I couldn’t figure out where this was going. Then it finally hit me: his Chinese dialect was a little off….. “Michael Jackson!”

A group of at least 10 young men did a kung fu demonstration. At one point one performer jumped right into the audience. Another lady did a juggling act, and appropriately for our company, took a large table and spun it in the air with her legs. One odd performance included a man who did impersonations of birds and other noises.

But all performances were good, and everyone seemed to enjoy the night. I sure enjoyed it, particularly the magic shows, both the Bianlian and my magic debut.

Labels: China Shows, Decca Furniture, Life in China, Magic

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 6:02 PM Comments: 0

She Wants Me to Tie Her Up???

Okay, I was actually doing my magic act debut. It started innocently enough. I was seated on the front row of the theater with other management at the Mid-Autumn Festival Show. The company had opted to hire a special troupe for a show of Chinese culture. In the second show, the magician, a beautiful lady in traditional attire invited me up to the stage. Not to be one to disappoint the cheering crowd, I complied. (Or was that jeering?)

I was soon lost. The lights were blaring brightly. She was asking me to do something. Of course, she was speaking in Mandarin. Oh, why hadn’t I learned the language after all this time here? It sure would help now! What is she saying?

Okay, she’s handing me a coat. That must mean she wants me to put it on. Ahhh! That’s it. But great, it is about half my size. At least the audience loves how it fits on me. The arms only reach down to about my elbows. This may have been the first time this trick had been performed with a big American. I hope I don’t rip it.

And now she hands me a rope. Nice…….. Oh, she wants me to do something with it. …..or with her hands. Oh, tie her hands. (At least crowd is really loving my bumbling, in not understanding her Chinese.)

Now another assistant comes out. Good someone to help me. I need that! She has a big rope and starts wrapping the magician lady, and hands me an end. Oh……. I’m supposed to wrap her up too. ………….. Oh, oh…… I got it = I’m supposed to tie her up!! Okay. I can do that. Wrap and tie. That was easy. Now what?

Over. That was quick. There goes the tent. Wait a minute. Where’s my coat? Okay, I thought I felt something under that tent. But where’d it go? Wait, she has it on? Huh? The ropes are still tied on her! Over the coat I had on! Now how did she do that?

Oh, she wants me to do something else. Oh, I’m supposed to untie her. Should I do that? ……………. Okay, I guess the fun in the tent is over anyway. So I do untie all my knots from before. They are the same ones. And there is the coat on her. Now how’d she do that?

Since the show, a lot of folks have asked how she did that. But I don’t know! …… I was right there. Okay, my head was out of the tent, but I was close. But I have no idea how she did it. I felt the coat go right away, but I still don’t know how she got it on so quickly under those ropes. I guess that was magic.

Whatever, my magic debut sure was fun! Even in Chinese! What a great place to work and live!

More photos by clicking here, or using link in right column.

Labels: Chinese Holidays, Decca Furniture, Life in China, Magic

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 5:40 PM Comments: 0

Full Moon = Mid-Autumn Festival

If the moon is at its fullest, that must mean its Mid-Autumn Festival, and…….. time for another Decca party!! Yeah!!!

Decca holds three parties every year. One is before the start of the Chinese New Year, another on return from the Chinese New Year, and the last is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Last week’s party was like so many: good food, plenty of toasts, good time together, and a wonderful atmosphere.

Our company has doubled in the last couple of years, so we were fortunate the weather was cooperative. Many had to eat outdoors. Our garden is a pretty nice place for that though.

The Great Wall wine was good. The Tsing Dao beer was very good. As usual, everyone was happily toasting each other before the evening dismissed to a special show across town. But there were a lot of surprises in that event that I’ll get to in later postings.

More pictures of the Decca party available by clicking here, or using the link in the right column under Photo Links

Labels: Chinese Food, Chinese Holidays, Decca Furniture, Life in China, Mid-Autumn Festival

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 5:57 PM Comments: 0

Ahhhhhhh! A New Chef

I have the pleasant opportunity to taste a lot of excellent Asian cuisine every day here. Fortunately, our factory even has a great chef on staff. Right now we have several on staff. The latest is from the Hubei province, and the meals have been far more colorful and exciting.

Gone is the typical standard fare. Its amazing that even someone like myself from a far different culture and distinctively different tastes can now find that our meals were getting repetitive. I could almost guarantee what would be served on day to day just from knowing who would be in attendance. If there were Western guests, it would be the vegetable soup and sweet & sour pork for starters. If no guests were present, it probably meant fish heads and lotus soup. (I really like guests!)

But with the new chef, it is even adventurous with guests. The other day we had a group from Italy, accompanied by some associates from Russia. The soup was the great vegetable offering, and the sweet & sour pork was served, but there is where all common familiarity ended.

Next out was a dish of a platter of tortilla type shells served with duck. Then came morning glory vegetables. Yes, I said morning glory flowers. Actually tastes remarkably good. Next was hot spicy tofu with ground beef. Between was placed a platter of a mushroom type mixture wrapped in a phyllo type pastry and tied at the top like a special wonton.

But last, was the really unique dish. It arrived, and the Hong Kong staff greeted it with “Ohhhhs” and “Ahhhs.” It is amazing how impressed they are about good presentation. It must be the presentation, because, I usually then ask, “What is it?” To which, I get this, “I don’t know, but it looks great! It’s Sichuan (or Cantonese or whatever).” They always seem to know the style and don’t care so much about what the food actually is.

I used to not care so much, and would dig in and try before finding out the true source of a meat. Then my doctors started warning me to pass on so many foods, that I had to start taking more time to understand the dish before partaking.

Well, I finally got an answer on this platter. It was duck feet! Okay, it doesn’t look like feet. All right, on closer inspection, maybe it does. But it sure isn’t like the popular chicken feet. No these are soft and floppy. Actually tasted pretty good too. At least until I hit the cartilage. I don’t know how they can east so much bone in things. Their teeth sure are strong over here.

BTW, our guests passed on the duck feet. They sure like the sweet & sour pork though.

Labels: Chinese Food, Dahlingshan, Decca Furniture

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 12:59 PM Comments: 0