Anna Reisenbichler
My stay in China was fantastic. The country impressed me, in particular because of its rough and ambivalent nature. I felt very much at ease in my living and working environment and was able to enjoy as well as benefit from the time spent there. Beijing is exciting and vibrant, there is incredibly much to see, taste, experience and marvel at. It is, in fact, not easy at all to make time for working. Therefore, I made the streets of Beijing my place of work and always was out and about during the day. I wanted to see as much as possible and I succeeded quite well in Beijing. In addition, I also went to Shanghai and Nanjing, which is easy and relatively inexpensive when you take the high-speed trains. All in all, I had planned to travel much more, but there was simply not enough time and Beijing itself is exciting enough. The city is quite a challenge: The distances are huge, air quality is poor, it is noisy and dirty, you do not understand anything and nobody understands you (unless you speak Mandarin, of course), traffic is dense, the sensory overload is almost unbearable.
I have never used taxis in the city as the underground is fast, clean, inexpensive and absolutely reliable and makes it easier to plan trip durations (no congestions). Nevertheless, it takes much time to get anywhere. I also cycled a lot (there is a good bicycle at the studio), which is easy and convenient (theoretically, there are many bicycle lanes, but they are frequently blocked by parked cars) if you are not afraid of the flexible interpretation of traffic regulations and do not fear the smog. You can buy breathing masks almost everywhere and there are days when you urgently need them. Air pollution is a reality in China.
The support provided in the residency programme is very good. In advance, you receive all the information necessary for preparing the trip in English by e-mail. Then, on site, the residency co-ordinator Xiao Rong is available for all the little and big questions of everyday life, which is really helpful, especially at the start. Moreover, as you are integrated into a programme, you are not on your own but in a small community together with the other international artists-in-residence; joint activities are organised, too. In spite of frequently insurmountable language barriers, the Chinese are very friendly, fond of children and helpful. They often photograph and/or film you without asking in day-to-day settings, but this is a fact that you have to live with. They do not care much about privacy in China. For longer trips on the underground or a train, it is recommendable to bring earphones as most Chinese are buzzy and, when in groups, noisy. They also like to watch videos on their smartphones – with the volume turned up even in public space; some even make phone calls during performances in theatres, but nobody but me bothered about that.
| 1. | My stay in one word: |
| Great. | |
| 2. | Things I miss since I am no longer there: |
| My Chinese massage therapist. The food. Straightforwardness. The team of the Red Gate Gallery. What I do not miss: awful air quality, crazy traffic and poor water quality. |
|
| 3. | Dos & don’ts in this place: |
| Do’s: Eat where and what the Chinese eat. Visit the Peking opera, acrobatic shows, the Great Wall of China and as many temples as possible. Ride a bicycle. Hang out in one of the many beautiful parks and watch elderly Chinese when they exercise or play ping-pong. Take the high-speed train to Shanghai. Bargain for a better price – almost in all cases – and best see it as a game. Take along toilet paper in your backpack because it’s rarely available in public toilets. Have a hand sanitizer with you. WeChat!! Don’ts: Starbuck’s, Häagen-Dazs and Western chains in general: expensive and, of course, as bad as in Europe. Don’t be irritated about the attention you get as a European almost everywhere: put on a friendly smile and wave your hand or also take pictures yourself. Don’t be annoyed about the permanent noise level: earphones or earplugs provide relief. Don’t go to public swimming pools as hygiene standards are horrifying for Europeans. |
|
| 4. | Where to buy great supplies: |
| I bought my materials (pens, notebooks and the like) in normal supermarkets and malls where you can get wonderful writing utensils. For paper lovers, China is paradise anyway. For everything else: just ask Xiao. | |
| 5. | What you should definitely bring with you from home: |
| Soap, hair shampoo, skin care as standard Chinese products are full of chemicals and, moreover, you can’t read the list of ingredients; all imported products are really expensive. Ear plugs. Chocolate. Openness. Basic command of Mandarin. As few notions and as little expectations as possible because China differs so much from all other countries; just go with the flow. | |
| 6. | Concerning art at this destination: |
| I met numerous exciting artists from all over the world. The Chinese art scene seems to be rather male dominated. The arts area Caochangdi is much more interesting in artistic terms than the 798 Art District that is crowded by tourists. You hardly see political art in China. I was primarily fascinated with older artistic monuments (temples, towers, buildings, etc.). | |
| 7. | Around the studio – where I shop, drink my coffee and get the best lunch deal in walking distance: |
| You can find good and affordable places for eating well and shopping all over Beijing at all times of the day. Good coffee is a luxury, so you better switch to tea or take along coffee from Austria and prepare it at home. | |
| 8. | Where I like to spend the evening (dinner, drinks and best sound): |
| Preferably always at a new place; Beijing offers uncountable options. It’s worthwhile to go to the biggest LED screen of Asia at The Place shopping mall after dark. Events tend to start early in Beijing, many vernissages already begin in the afternoon. Apparently, most Chinese get up early and go to bed early as well. I adapted to that rhythm. | |
| 9. | What would have been useful to know before coming here and starting my residency: |
| Nothing. It’s better to get surprised. |
Website resident: annareisenbichler.com