This blog is inspired by a WhatsApp text conversation with a current student, Sheila, who came back to my classes after a gap of more than 20 years.
She'd taught English and edited an educational magazine, among other things, out in China on various trips. She mentioned a Chinese chap in charge of the foreign experts who disliked foreigners. I thought it was very sad for him (to be doing something he didn't like), and for the foreign experts (to be under his charge, as they wouldn't be getting much help from someone like that). This then reminded me of the woman we were given to look after us as our guide throughout.
On the 1988 film shoot (37 days from Shanghai to Xinjiang along the Silk Route), we were assigned a 国陪 guó péi / “state accompany” (national guide; vs 地陪 dì péi / “land guide” / local guide).
She was a very sad specimen of a human being and a guide. Didn’t like people, didn’t like her job. Made our days a misery, hampering our work instead of helping. We were spending a lot of time arguing with her as well as with the local authorities, the local drivers, the hotel staff, everybody, when she was supposed to be on our side as our guide.
On our last day in Xinjiang before we went our separate ways the next day (we to Pakistan, the drivers back to Beijing), we were eating dinner with the two drivers (of the minibus for us, and of the pick-up truck for the filming equipment). The 国陪 wasn’t there as she didn’t like mutton.
The film crew (British) said we should give her a farewell present to reflect her and her service style: a lump of turd.
The minibus driver 小李 Xiǎo Lǐ / "little Li" immediately said, “I’ll contribute the chopsticks!”
(Xinjiang, China, 1988)
No comments:
Post a Comment