上海探险 (Adventures in Shanghai)

The Bund, Shanghai's economic hub during the British colonization.  This is the Bank of China building, the first Chinese owned bank building on the Bund.

The first hotel in Shanghai to have an elevator. The "place to stay" in the early 1900s.

Across from downtown Shanghai.

The Oriental Pearl Tower at night.

Shanghai skyline at night.  The Bund is across the river.

This is a baby-holder intricately hand-stitched by the Dong minority tribe in Southern China (in the Shanghai Museum).

The 1st currency in China. It was literally a coin in the shape of a shovel.  I believe these coins are from 300AD.

One of the stunning calligraphy scrolls I saw at the Shanghai Museum.

The Shanghai museum has pottery form 900BC.  I was so captivated by the intricate pottery work, this is the only piece I took a picture of.

At the Propaganda Poster Museum--me and Mao.

The Propaganda Museum had hundreds of original Mao busts from the Cultural Revolution.

Real dazhibao or "big character report" used to denounce a person during the Cultural Revolution.  The large, black characters over the smaller characters were written by the denounced person to defend themselves.

Needlepoint poster.

Sunday morning in the park is matchmaking time. Parents congregate in the park to find a spouse for the child.

Parents looking at ads trying to find a match for their child.

Overwhelemed

I am once again overwhelmed by all the suffering in the world.  The longer I work to combat injustice, inequality and systemic problems the more darkness I discover.  The more I hear individual stories, the larger and more grandiose the problem becomes.  If a small business can exploit over 200 people, how many people are being exploited by multi-national corporations? It seems like every time I check the news I am inundated with stories of fresh horror I never knew existed.  The weight of the pain human beings can inflict upon each other is staggering.  Sin is literally killing us.

When I think about the scope of injustice, it threatens to consume me.  I am one person, how can I make a difference?  Will my effort have an impact when I have worked so hard and seen little visible change in an unjust system?  What about the people who have no one fighting for them?  Selah!

BUT…………………………. I serve the Creator who did not intend for the world to be so unjust.  He hates the evil we inflict upon one another and sent His son to overcome sin and death.  When he looks at the unaccompanied minor or pregnant woman fleeing their war-torn country, His heart shatters.  His heart breaks more than mine when He hears stories of abuse and exploitation.  Thought the problem is overwhelming, He is just and will correct everything in the end.  Also, the moment my heart ceases to break when I hear stories of pain means that I am bitter and no longer passionate about my work.  Even in the painful reality of the human condition, I can celebrate the ultimate victory of good over evil, life of death, justice over selfishness.

出去 (Going Out)

This week I finished reading Leslie T. Chang's book, Factory Girls.  Factory Girls follows the stories of three teenagers who 出去, left their rural farming village to find factory work in the big city. This booked fascinated me on so many levels.  As an ex-pat I identified with the girl's struggles to establish relationships in a foreign place.  As a history/political science student I was fascinated reading the consequences of globalization when examined from the perspective of the person working in the factories that produce Nike shoes, Apple computers, and designer handbags.

Chang spent three years in the factory town of Dongguan, building relationships with the migrant workers and visiting as many factories as possible.  In the book she details each women's journey: changing jobs multiple times a year, losing contact with everyone you know when your cell phone is stolen, and changing family dynamics as they begin earning more money then their parents.  

Though I made notes throughout the book, two quotes have helped me better understand the world in which these young women live and how it parallels the lives of the women I befriend.

•  "To stay outside and work your entire life is better than staying home."  Failure is returning home, not being able to make it in the city. Working 10-12 hour days with little time off does not matter when you are achieving success and earning more money in the city than your entire family can earn back home. [This parallels the American Dream, the ideal that through hard work and effort each generation can surpass the achievement and success of their parents.] As I have established friendships with migrant women in my city and see the demands of their jobs, I have often though "this is just not worth it." After reading this book I feel I better understand the thinking of these women and their desire to succeed.
• "In the end we must rely on ourselves." The women who work in exploitative situations are incredibly strong, determined, and gifted women. They have the strength and courage to make a living in an extremely harsh environment. I am constantly amazed by their determination to succeed in the big city and provide for their families back in the countryside. Their ability to survive, however, comes at a price. Understandably, these women must learn to protect themselves, their hearts and emotions. High, thick walls have been built. Most of the women do not trust very easily because of failed relationships. Past hurts have taught them that other people take advantage of you, trick you, and that people ultimately cannot be trusted. You cannot rely on anyone other than yourself. While this helps them survive in their current work environment, I know that this is not the truth. We were created for community, friendship, to be in a supportive network. I ask our loving Father to guide me as I build relationships with these women. I ask that my actions will help correct the lie that people cannot be trusted. Most importantly, I long for the day when each of these precious women discover the blessing of community and healthy relationships.