Geography is Beautiful

I can't tell you how many people give me weird looks when I tell them I'm getting my Master's degree in geography. "Whaaattt.....???" they ask.

I introduced my students (all 60 of them) to the discipline of geography this week and explained why geography is a required course for graduation at the university (and in all public high schools in Colorado as well). I did my best to explain why the skills they will learn in geography are important and even relevant to their everyday lives, and maybe even their careers. Here's a long-winded version of what I said.

A common misconception is that geography is limited to facts, such as names of states and their capitals, when really these are only the basic building blocks of geography. 

Geography is the study of the world in which we live. Geography is the study of where earth’s landscapes, peoples, places, and environments are located, why and how they have changed, why and how they have come to be, and why and how they are related to one another.  

Some people study physical geography, such as climate change or soil composition, but we are studying human geography in this class. Oftentimes physical and human geography overlap, like in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is not only a fight over power and space, but also over water resources.  

Human geography focuses on the built environment (as opposed to the natural environment) and how humans create, view, manage, and influence space.  Human geography focuses on the study of patterns and processes that shape the human society. Human geographers make observations about human society, such as the cultures, transportation, and migrations of people. Some examples include: red states versus blue states, the Rwandan genocide, South African apartheid, Mexican immigration, Tibetans and other ethnic minorities in China, Taiwan, Indian reservations, the European Union, and homelessness. These are all real examples of what human geographers are studying today.   

My hope is that in this class you will understand more about the world around you. Location, space, and place affect everything, including politics, culture, and economics. 

Who we are as people is determined by our environment. We are all products of our environment. By understanding our own place--where we came from and where we live--as well as understanding others' environments, we can cultivate pride in our own places, as well as a respect and understanding for others' environments and origins, and therefore a respect for other ways of life. 

Understanding geography and understanding the world around us helps all of us to be more socially and environmentally sensitive and more informed and responsible citizens. 

Geography is the foundation of society-- the foundation of our city, our state, our country, and our world. Our environment and how we interact with that environment matters. Our personal experiences in our environments-- growing up, moving, traveling-- makes us who we are as a people, as a family, as a society, as a culture, as a country, as a region, and as a world. Where we are located and where things are located in relation to us matters; it matters for our politics, culture, and economics.

Everybody likes to hear about practical applications to geography. So here are some examples of geography in action in the real world. 

Geography teaches us to think critically about… 

• Political conflict- how does the fight over space and power in this place affect this war?
• Natural hazards and disaster relief
• Food, water, and oil shortages
• Inequality and segregation
• Refugees
• Migration and immigration
• Homelessness and poverty

Some jobs that are available for those skilled in the study of human geography:

• -Urban and Regional Planner
• -Geointelligence Specialist
• -Tour Guide
• -Interpreter & Translator
• -Historic Preservationist
• -Community Developer

Where geographers work (link to read more):

-education

-business

-government

-non-profit

I got this next part from this website: 

Geography informs us about...

• The places and communities in which we live and work
• Our natural environments and the pressures they face
• The interconnectedness of the world and our communities within it
• How and why the world is changing, globally and locally
• How our individual and societal actions contribute to those changes
• The choices that exist in managing our world for the future
• The importance of location in business and decision-making

And that is why, friends and family, I am studying human geography. My specialization within the sub-field of human geography is political and cultural geography. I study demolition, displacement, and redevelopment in urban China, ethnic minorities in China, Chinese political autonomous and borderland regions, and Chinese-Central Asian relations.

Thanks for reading!

A Chinese Girl Would Never Do What You're Doing

As seen in the Trib:

Click here to read the article I wrote!

Fitness experience differs in China

Published: Monday, August 13, 2012, 8:57 p.m.Updated: Tuesday, August 14, 2012 

“You know, if you do too many power squats, your legs are going 

to get big and you won’t look good in a skirt.”

Frustrated to be interrupted in the middle of a set, I looked up at 

the sound of a familiar voice speaking to me in Chinese. The 

gym’s manager and an amateur bodybuilder was staring at me 

with concern. “Aren’t you afraid of that happening? You are 

trying to lose weight, aren’t you?” he asked. I laughed, because 

I actually was trying to gain a couple of pounds of muscle.

“Well, I guess I won’t be able to wear skirts anymore,” was all I 

could muster in reply.

This past year, while studying sociology at Nanjing University as 

a Fulbright U.S. Student Program grantee, I participated in 

fitness activities to gain insight into Chinese society and culture. 

Encouraged by the U.S. Department of State-funded Fulbright 

Program to seek opportunities in facilitating cross-cultural 

exchange, I turned to sports during my free time: running, 

weightlifting and training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Considering China’s consistently impressive showing at the 

Olympic Games — Chinese nabbed 87 gold medals, second only 

to the United States’ 104 — one might assume that the Chinese 

are especially supportive of athletic programs. The Chinese 

showing at the events in the just-concluded Olympics, however, is 

not representative of activities that are accessible to the average 

Chinese person. Badminton and table tennis are two notable 

exceptions; they are two of the most widely practiced and popular 

sports in China.

Young Chinese are generally discouraged from participating in 

sports, unless they are good enough to make a career out of it.

“Chinese people just want to focus on one thing in their life, and 

they put all their time and resources into getting good at that one 

thing,” explained my classmate Zhou Lijuan.

While most students are generally discouraged from any 

activities that distract them from preparation for the high 

school- and college-entrance exams, the exceptionally talented 

athletes are sent at a young age to special physical-education 

academies where they spend all day training.

Li Hua, 19, one of the more athletic members at the Frontier Asia 

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu club in Nanjing, told me that when he was 

younger, his parents thought he would go to the Olympics in 

swimming. “I put all my time and effort into swimming,” he said. 

”By the time we realized I wasn’t good enough to go to the Olympics, 

it was too late. I failed the college entrance exam, and now have 

limited options for a career path. The only reason my parents let 

me continue to train Jiu-Jitsu is because it gives me an opportunity 

to practice English with my foreign teammates.”

While I never did understand why the Chinese were so fond of 

working out in jeans and dress shoes — and they could not 

accept my insistence on wearing barefoot running shoes or my 

aversion to synchronized dance — I engaged in insightful 

cultural exchange with my fellow athletes that revealed 

contemporary Chinese attitudes toward gender and athletics. 

In China, I felt that my identity as a woman had huge 

implications for the way I should be exercising. As I female, 

I should be trying to lose weight — and nothing else.

Working out in China was always an interesting experience. 

Frequently, when doing pull-ups in the adult playgrounds, 

which are equipped with pull-up and dip bars and various 

apparatuses, or weightlifting at the gym, I was stopped by 

men, who would stare, give me the thumbs-up, give me 

advice, or tell me that I am lihai, super strong. They almost 

always made a point to add, “You know, a Chinese girl 

would never do what you’re doing.”

I only ever saw one other woman in the gym, and I never 

saw any Chinese females doing pull-ups, but I still had to 

wonder how the Chinese female Olympic athletes would 

feel about that comment.

My feeble attempts at a single pull-up and 80-pound 

clean and jerks were nothing compared to Wang Mingjuan, 

who nabbed gold for China in weightlifting with a 250-pound 

clean and jerk. Li Xueying won gold with a 300-pound clean 

and jerk. And they are both lighter than me by over 

10 pounds of body weight. That is not even to mention the 

world record that gold medalist Zhou Lulu set this year at the 

London Olympics with a clean and jerk of over 412 pounds. 

In other words, there are Chinese girls that could destroy me 

at what I was doing.

Despite my internal protestations at what were nothing more 

than well-intentioned attempts to give me face (make me look good), 

I knew that their comments were less about what I was doing 

and more about the fact that I was a tall, big-nosed, blue-eyed 

female foreigner working out in China. I was seen as an anomaly, 

an alien in a sea of familiar faces. I challenged my expected 

identity as an American female, and by doing so, my activities 

brought stares and raised eyebrows. And they had not even 

seen me train Jiu-Jitsu.

The Chinese word for different is synonymous with the 

word for weird. My classmate Zhou Lijuan said to me once: 

“In China, everyone just does what everyone else is doing. 

People will say to you, ‘Well, everyone is doing X-Y-Z, why 

aren’t you doing X-Y-Z?’ I’m so jealous of the colorful life 

full of variety that you Americans lead.” She told me later 

that I had changed her life when I introduced her to an 

exercise routine — 30 minutes of walking or running a day — 

telling me she had never thought she could combine exercise 

with time for her studies.

In China’s overwhelmingly conformist culture, it is notable when 

anyone breaks out of the mold. Weirdness arouses curiosity. 

As a foreigner, you are weird just by existing in China. Then, 

you try talking or walking or eating or exercising, and the eyeballs 

practically jump out of their sockets. It is difficult for them to 

comprehend why I was doing something so unexpected and 

atypical. My experiences in China showed me that China is a 

conformist and collectivist, but not exclusive, culture. After all, 

older Chinese would gather in the parks to practice tai chi or 

dance or stretch or play basketball while chatting together. 

Gathering in the park was always a social activity, especially for 

the retired.

One day in the sociology course “Chinese Behavioral Analysis” 

at Nanjing University, we discussed Western individualism versus 

Chinese collectivism. The class roared with laughter as the 

professor described how, in China, “You don’t have possession

of your own body or your own thinking, but instead, your entire family 

owns your body and your thinking.” Someone else usually gets to 

decide whether you are full or hungry and cold or warm.
I laughed, too. 

As a Westerner, I had found it particularly jarring when Chinese 

people insisted that I eat more because I could not possibly be 

full yet, or wear more because I could not possibly be warm.

That habit manifested itself during workouts in comments like, 

“You must be tired, especially because you’re a girl!” I slowly
learned, however, that their comments of “Aren’t you cold? 
Tired? Hungry? Thirsty? Crazy?” were attempts to take on 
my concerns as their own. They expressed genuine concern 
over my well-being, because they saw me as a new member 
of their collectivist society. I eventually embraced it and, 
gradually, felt like I truly belonged.

Propaganda in Old Nanjing

I like translating propaganda because it demonstrates the government's agenda in a clear and succinct manner. I also think it displays a sense of insecurity--because if everything was dandy, why do you need to convince people that it's right? It's extremely challenging because the Chinese often use four character phrases similar to idioms that are hard to culturally translate into English, but I'll do my best. These are pictures I took in or around my neighborhood during the past year. 

"Construction in the lot...

...brings inconvenience...

...please forgive."

"Create an ancient song that will mix today's splendorous harmony with the historical and cultural tourism of classical masterpieces." They mean to say that we should mix modernity with historical culture to create something more beautiful. Read: support demolition for the creation of something better.

"Revive the old city's style; Welcome the Youth Olympics grand assembly." This propaganda is in support of the urban renewal projects around the area that built replicas of ancient Chinese architectural style. They're using the 2014 Youth Olympics as a reason to put on a better face for the visitors of the city. 

"Flood control is a responsibility that is weightier than Mt. Tai; The benefit to the masses exceeds everything else."

"Thank you to the numerous residents and workers [who homes] were demolished for their understanding and support."

"Expedite Construction, Bring Benefit to the People, Take the Interests of the Whole into Account, Develop Together"

This poster is not propaganda, but rather anti-government. It reads: "In avoiding the erosion of the original inhabitants, the cultural roots of Old Nanjing are staying here to live: Oppose demolishing and evicting all of the residents of the old city, and turning our private dwellings into some sort of tourist trap and amusement park, making the historical and cultural blocks lose the traditional lifestyles and customs."

"Safety is productive. Fight to create a civilized urban construction site."

"Demolish"

"Lighten up [the city] and make this ancient city green by planting trees and flowers; Prepare a new and beautiful Nanjing

Abide by social ethics; Protect and uphold the appearance of our urban environment

Love Nanjing deeply; Launch new construction in Nanjing; Beautify Nanjing; Promote a prosperous Nanjing

Share one blue sky together; Construct a new homeland together
Build an elegant environment; Live a longer life

We can voluntarily replace the current situation with extreme cleanliness
Create a civilized city; Ride a civilized bus; Be a civilized person"

"Speak in a civilized manner. Break away with the old customs and establish the new; Let's build a new, civilized city together, hand-in-hand

The civilized Nanjingese are lovely people; If you participate too, it will be even more wonderful."

"A green Youth Olympics, a Youth Olympics with vitality,  a cultural Youth Olympics"



(Behind the trees) "Put together a good Youth Olympics: Construct a New Nanjing."

“Practice '3 fights and one creation' to implement Qinhuai District's property tax development."

Left: "Preserve the People's Life, Implement Harmony, Revive the Old City, Welcome the Youth Olympics." Right: "Support the government's policies, Relocate lawfully,  Hold a discussion within reason, Rationally compensate." 

"Relocate According to the Law, Be Civilized and Serve, A Public and Transparent Operation Welcomes Surveillance" 



This is just a picture of the above propoganda posters zoomed out to show the context.

This family's home has been marked twice. The two red faded Chinese characters in the circle say "relocate", while the bright red characters in the rectangle say "already relocated." The family has not been forced to move out yet. The white propaganda poster on the left side reads, "Expedite Construction, Bring Benefit to the People, Take the Interests of the Whole into Account, Develop Together." 

"Care for the People's Lives, Revive the Old City, Pass on and Inherit History, Build the East Gate"

"2014 Youth Olympics: Share in the enjoyment of youth, Build a future together"

“Public Hygiene is Everyone's Responsibility: Hastily come to the toilet, and just as excitedly flush when you leave."

(In front of a school): "New Semester,  New Weather, New Goals, New Improvements."

Dragon Boat Festival

On June 23, 2012 the Chinese celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival, when they eat sticky flavored rice with pork wrapped in bamboo leaves and race dragon boats (like crew) with paddles and drummers. I loved the sound of the drums, both the war cry-like drumming at the beginning and the steady rhythm during the race to keep the competitors in sync.

It was extra special because 4 friends--two guys from the jiujitsu club and their girlfriends--were competing in the races as representatives of the British School of Nanjing. It was fun watching them and cheering them on.

Here's a video of one of the races I put on YouTube.

Here's another video of us cheering for the rowers

Here are some pictures I took on the day:

3 boats raced at a time, then the best times from each race would move on to the next round

Oh, China and your pollution... this was actually quite a sunny day for Nanjing!

Showing the newspaper article

I wrote an article about the Chinese New Year in February.

Click here to read the article.

Click here for my blog post about the article

When my high school friend Megan came to visit me in April, she brought along copies of the article in print as publish in The Pittsburgh Tribune Review. I had the great pleasure of showing my neighbors, who were featured in the article, the article and pictures of them in the newspaper. Here are the pictures my college friend Amy took that night:

The dinner they made for us

Megan, me, and Amy

Megan and Amy also brought some English learning materials from the US for them

We took a walk around the neighborhood with Big Brother Guo and the girls

Old Nanjing <3>

I MISS YOU, BIG BROTHER AND BIG SISTER!