Laoshan's Mountain Water 去崂山游山玩水

If the title of this post baffles you or you are worried about the degeneration of my English skills, fear not. 'Mountain water' is in fact a literal translation of the ever economical Chinese word for landscape, 山水 (pronounced 'shanshui'). Hence, landscape paintings are called 山水画, drawing of mountain and water. I also used a Chinese idiom, 游山玩水, which means to go on a scenic tour, and literally means 'to roam the mountains and play in the waters'. Not that I played in the water, as it was -2'C. Even so, it was a beautiful clear day, and we got to see some fantastic views. The landscape invokes images of traditional Chinese watercolour painting, and it's not hard to see where the old artists got their inspiration from. 

The scenic area of Laoshan is just under one hour East of downtown Qingdao, and is China's tallest coastal mountain, at 1,132.7m. We were stopped from entering in our taxi, and had to buy tickets to then continue on in a minibus. The tickets weren't cheap either, ¥100 for a senior and ¥70 for a student. Laoshan is huge, being the major mountain range of the province, so I don't understand how they managed to seal off all roads to tourists and force them to take minibuses. 

As for tourism on the mountain itself, Laoshan boasts terraces, temples, a cable car, and the Laoshan springs. Our aim was to catch a leisurely ride on the cable car to glide over the tree tops. However, the wind was too strong so the cable car was forced to shut. We also managed to get a little lost, as none of the maps actually pinpoint their location, although through guesswork we muddled along just fine. We also caught a dodgy people carrier with a loose door back to the first carpark because we couldn't find the minibus drop-off point. 

  

Now I guess I'll leave you with a few mountain based chengyu;

青山绿水 (qing shan lü shui) green hills and clean waters.

湖光山色 (hu guang shan se) beautiful lake and mountain landscape.

依山傍水 (yi shan pang shui) mountains on one side, water on the other.

背山临水 (bei shan lin shui) with one's back to the mountain, facing the water. This is a very important principle in Chinese culture, and houses built in these locations will fetch much higher prices. I believe it's to do with the energy flow between them, and not just the nice scenery. 

Qingdao Travels 在青岛旅游

Last month in November, we were visited by some friends from Beijing. The great thing about showing people around somewhere you are already familiar with is that through their eyes you get to see it for the first time again, and whole discover new aspects that you'd completely overlooked. We we also lucky to catch the last throes of Autumn, enjoying a long weekend of crisp blue skies and pleasant temperatures.

Qingdao Train Station

A day of glorious sunshine and healthy air quality. Will and I were mobbed outside the station by a gang of map sellers while waiting for our friends to arrive. When it became apparent that we were not going to buy maps, they hung around anyway to ask Will his height and if he was a basketball player. Except all questions were directed to me and I became a spokesperson of sorts. Ah well, practice is practice.

Now these photographs might leave you feeling confused; I thought Holly was in China and it is Winter there? Correct and correct. Although the pictures may look warm and Australia-esque, it was still under 10'C. But ain't nothing gonna stop a man with determination and a pair of speedoes. Even in mid-November, men in just shorts saw fit to play a game of beach volleyball. Rather them than me.  

Discerning readers may recognise the pagoda at the end of the pier, and if you did, well done, because it looks like every other pagoda in China to me. Except that it's on the end of a pier. It is, in fact, the small pagoda icon that appears on every bottle of Tsingtao beer. Despite being a popular tourist attraction, it was thankfully lacking the herds of tourists complete with flag-waving megaphone-blaring tour guides. As it happens, our Beijing friends managed to escape from the Beijing hubbub and unwind listening to the sound of the waves lapping against the base of the pier.

Subverting the State? Me? Never. 

Next stop on our quick tour of Qingdao's old town was the Naval Museum. The map was extremely useful, revealing that currently over 80% of the site is under construction. The museum of artefacts was more an exhibition of mildew and rising damp, but that didn't stop intrepid explorers like us, oh no. Because outside was a collection of tanks, planes, fighter jets, a submarine, two warships and piles of unexploded missiles that I was reluctant to approach. To reach the warships, you had to cross over a rickety bridge of wooden planks that gave slightly underfoot, and through the gaps you could see the ocean swirling far below. It was like being in a Final Destination instalment. The ship itself was... shippy. When I learn know something intelligent about ships/naval warfare/the Chinese navy, I'll let you know. But for now that's the best description you're going to get. At least I know I won't be pursuing a job with the Royal Navy.

How do you relax after all this sea-based excitement? Head to Daxue lu (University Road), perhaps the most chilled street in Qingdao. Both sides of the road are lined with mature plane trees, and colonial architecture sits beside traditional Chinese buildings. My favourite feature has to be the charming coffee shops. One has to be entered through a tunnel of bamboo, and inside is decorated like a beach hut, with a pair of cats cuddling up to customers. Another boats a glass roof, which allows you to fully enjoy the towering plane trees that filter in dappled light onto the shop floor. The coffee is pretty good too.

Ice Mocha-licious

Petty Romance and Korean Romances

Another perk of working for UK based Asian film distributor, Terracotta Films, was watching this hidden gem of a film: Petty Romance. I read another blog focusing on the inadequacies of the film's name, but that doesn't even cover it. Terracotta's founder and director is (a great guy) committed to bringing Asian film to UK audiences, but this film was such a marketing conundrum for him and his team. I'm guessing most people reading this haven't watched the film, but if I say to you Petty Romance, the name doesn't really sell itself. Not only that, but it doesn't tell you anything about the characters, the motifs, or even the film's ambience. Whereas, the best thing about Chen Kai Ge's 2011 offering of 'Caught in the Web' was its name. Seriously. Now I've mentioned it, forget it, it's not worth remembering.

So, overlooking the mediocrity of Petty Romance as a title, I'm here to sell this film to you. The leading characters' lives converge when they are forced together by money troubles; Da-Rim has just been fired from her job as a sex columnist for extravagant lies and a hyperactive imagination. Soon after, during an argument with her brother she swears she will move out of his flat. On the other hand, Jung-Bae is an unsuccessful manga artist, although he lacks no skill in the drawing department, his plot-lines fail to impress. His father was also an artist, who only achieved posthumous recognition. In order to save his father's portrait of his mother, Jung-Bae has to find a huge sum of money to buy it off his corrupt uncle.

This is where a main element of the story comes in; manga. More importantly, an international manga competition where the winners could bag enough money to, say, buy a portrait AND buy your own flat. Of course this isn't just any old manga competition, it's adult manga. Desperate to win the prize-money, Jung-Bae advertises for a story writer. This is where over-imaginative sex columnist Da-Rim steps in to save the day. Except not really. Because she's actually still a virgin. And lying about most of her work experience. She's also demanding, a bit of a drama queen, and gets on Jung-Bae's nerves.

However, they actually balance out each others problems and realise that only together they can create a manga capable of winning. Manga is woven artfully into the film by having several brief scenes with animation, giving the film a playful and unconventional edge. Not only this, but it strips back the conventions and tropes of the romance genre; we see the leading lady poor a bottle of water on herself before knocking on Jung-Bae's door for pity, even though it's not raining. Hell, we even see her in a toilet scene, which has to be a first for a female Korean protagonist, whose only bodily function seems to be exuding beauty. Romance fans, don't worry, you've still got some kissing-in-the-rain scenes you can squeal at.

Then obviously you're going to have the romantic complication. I'm not going to give it away, but while watching the film with my boyfriend, he turned to me with a worried look on his face and said, "are they going to get together at the end?". I watched this film with my mother, and we had a riot. I was confident enough to show it to my boyfriend, and it even made him have a little chuckle.

I'm constantly in awe of how Korean cinema can invent and reinvent romance, and Petty Romance no exception. I was never bored; I laughed, I cringed, I sighed. This film was so hard to market because it had so many layers, a romance, a comedy, an adult manga. Every time I watch a Hollywood romance, be it a romantic comedy, or regular a weepy one, my cinematic stomach is just not satisfied (excluding 50 First Dates and She's The Man). Demand more from your Romances. If you feel the same way, I have compiled a list below of my favourite Korean romance films for you to get your teeth into. Happy romancing!

My Sassy Girl - a classic, and a good starting place for people new to Korean film.
A Millionaire's First Love - Your classic Korean tragedy, prepare the tissues, it's gonna get messy...
My Girl and I - high school tragic romance in beautiful korean countryside, with the added dimension of the Grandfather's story.
Daisy - a more grown-up tragic love triangle, an interpol agent chasing a master assassin, when an innocent girl gets caught in the middle. You'll need tissues again.
200 Pounds Beauty - although there are ongoing debates about the overall message of the film, as the protagonist gets full body plastic surgery, I found it very entertaining.
Crazy First Love - example of a well named film. I liked it.
Lost and Found - great film poking fun at Korean romance stereotypes, in a similar way to Petty Romance, so you should probably watch the above films to get some of the jokes.
Please teach me English - characters are refreshingly normal, mundane even, the leading male is an assistant in a department store's shoe section. Which makes the dramatic romantic parts all the more touching!