- Joined
- Feb 23, 1999
- Messages
- 4,855
Well, I'm back from my trip to China. In general the people were very friendly and we all had a great time. I did have one experience in which I played the fool and learned a lot. Here is the lesson for the benefit of those of my friends who can listen to a fool and learn.
I posted this over on the Hoods forum also.
Setting, elevation 11,000 ft on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in Northwest Yunnan province, Peoples Republic of China. The city formerly known as Zhongdian, now renamed Shangri-La.
I had been touring around the city for a couple of days. Visited the large Tibetan Buddhist temple nearby. Looked into the local knife scene. My guide, a strikingly beautiful Naxi-Tibetan half breed, had warned me of the numerous knife fights among the local Tibetan community. Ethnic minorities in China are given special dispensation from some rules. The Tibetans are allowed to carry knives as a matter of course that would not be allowed for Han Chinese. I searched out and visited a local manufacturer of knives. The workshops were primitive and I was not allowed to go in to see the manufacture. I could see buckets of unfinished forged blades, and a workman working on a grinder. The knives were of decent quality, heat treated well, and fixed with silver and horn handles and silver and wood sheaths. The most popular models had short handles and 4-5 in blades. I bought one and had it shipped to Beijing, as I was told that there was some trouble flying them out of the local airport in the checked luggage.
At the airport flying out I was waiting with Danhua, (my Chinese wife) and my two teenagers in the line to check our baggage. My SAK was stowed in the baggage in preparation for clearing airport security. I was wearing a waistpack (reinforced with aircraft cable) that contained our flight tickets, passports, credit cards, and a considerable sum of Chinese and US money. There were 4 or 5 uniformed Chinese in the airport who were not airport security. They were some government security function which I did not fully understand. I had been having bowel trouble and the line to check the bags was not moving so I figured that I would take the opportunity to go to the restroom and relieve my bowels.
As I walked across the room toward the restroom two Tibetans in long brown coats who were standing in the middle of the room both turned and entered the restroom about 5 seconds ahead of me. I thought this somewhat unusual, but I foolishly went ahead and entered the restroom.
There was a washroom immediately inside the door, and then a door to the restroom. When I entered the restroom I saw it was u shaped, with urinals on the south and east walls, and presumably Asian style toilets hidden on the other side of the U. One of the Tibetans had stationed himself at a urinal at the bottom of the U, and the other one was nowhere to be seen. Although my plan had been to use the toilets, I decided that there was no way I was walking around the bottom of that U. I went to a urinal on the south wall and began to relieve my bladder. (Instead of leaving - another stupid move) Immediately after I started urinating the man at the urinal turned and began walking toward me. (Remember that he had entered about 5 s before me, and had not had time to empty his bladder. He did not seem to zip or button pants.) I figured then that I was going to have to fight and resolved to do whatever was necessary without worrying about stopping the flow of urine or packing away my tool. It could have been messy. I kept eye contact with the advancing man. He walked to me and partly behind me. I think he stopped when he realized I was going to turn and he was going to get pissed on. Then he stopped and turned his back to me, at a point where I could still watch him, but angled between me and the door. This is a highly unusual position for a person to take, not just in US culture but in any culture. Standing a couple of feet from a urinating man, back to back, and blocking the exit, is unusual anywhere. I had a complete adrenaline dump by this time. I realized that if he turned I needed to turn and defend, and that if he turned he would in all probability be holding one of the little Tibetan knives with which I had become familiar. I remember suddenly appreciating the way my credit cards were lined up in the fanny pack. I had never contemplated their utility in impeding a knife blade until that moment.
Ive gone through a lot of stuff in the past few years and all of the stuff I used to think I had to protect is gone. My two teenagers were outside in the airport, and they have shown themselves capable of taking care of themselves the last few years. My new wife is quite capable of taking care of herself. The thought of giving the two bastards in the restroom with me what they wanted in order to survive never crossed my mind. My body was preparing for a fight and my mental energies were focused on the patterns of movement and the flow of energy between the people and the room.
The other fellow came out from behind the wall. Little time had passed, not enough for someone to go through the normal process of defecation. We all looked at each other. It was evident that if they pushed the interaction there was going to be blood and piss and noise and injuries, and that it was not going to be easy for anyone. They decided to exit the restroom.
Upon reflection I think the presence of the uniformed Chinese outside the room was a factor in their decision. If they could leave without noise or a disruption they would have no problem, but if they were caught in the lobby after a noisy and bloody fight in the restroom they were looking at the possibility of swift and harsh justice from the Chinese.
When I left the restroom and returned to the line I took a minute to let my heart slow down a little. When the body prepares to fight and then doesnt it takes quite a while (hours) for the adrenaline to metabolize. But the strongest effects are in the first few minutes. The Tibetans had taken up a position in the lobby again. After a couple of minutes I pointed them out to Danhua and started to explain what had happened. When they saw Danhua and me look at them they left the airport, although no flights had arrived or departed since we came to the airport.
It did take me several hours to come down from the adrenaline rush. I was able to empty my bowels on the other side of the security checkpoint, where I was pretty sure most of the people (not just me) had given up their knives.
I posted this over on the Hoods forum also.
Setting, elevation 11,000 ft on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in Northwest Yunnan province, Peoples Republic of China. The city formerly known as Zhongdian, now renamed Shangri-La.
I had been touring around the city for a couple of days. Visited the large Tibetan Buddhist temple nearby. Looked into the local knife scene. My guide, a strikingly beautiful Naxi-Tibetan half breed, had warned me of the numerous knife fights among the local Tibetan community. Ethnic minorities in China are given special dispensation from some rules. The Tibetans are allowed to carry knives as a matter of course that would not be allowed for Han Chinese. I searched out and visited a local manufacturer of knives. The workshops were primitive and I was not allowed to go in to see the manufacture. I could see buckets of unfinished forged blades, and a workman working on a grinder. The knives were of decent quality, heat treated well, and fixed with silver and horn handles and silver and wood sheaths. The most popular models had short handles and 4-5 in blades. I bought one and had it shipped to Beijing, as I was told that there was some trouble flying them out of the local airport in the checked luggage.
At the airport flying out I was waiting with Danhua, (my Chinese wife) and my two teenagers in the line to check our baggage. My SAK was stowed in the baggage in preparation for clearing airport security. I was wearing a waistpack (reinforced with aircraft cable) that contained our flight tickets, passports, credit cards, and a considerable sum of Chinese and US money. There were 4 or 5 uniformed Chinese in the airport who were not airport security. They were some government security function which I did not fully understand. I had been having bowel trouble and the line to check the bags was not moving so I figured that I would take the opportunity to go to the restroom and relieve my bowels.
As I walked across the room toward the restroom two Tibetans in long brown coats who were standing in the middle of the room both turned and entered the restroom about 5 seconds ahead of me. I thought this somewhat unusual, but I foolishly went ahead and entered the restroom.
There was a washroom immediately inside the door, and then a door to the restroom. When I entered the restroom I saw it was u shaped, with urinals on the south and east walls, and presumably Asian style toilets hidden on the other side of the U. One of the Tibetans had stationed himself at a urinal at the bottom of the U, and the other one was nowhere to be seen. Although my plan had been to use the toilets, I decided that there was no way I was walking around the bottom of that U. I went to a urinal on the south wall and began to relieve my bladder. (Instead of leaving - another stupid move) Immediately after I started urinating the man at the urinal turned and began walking toward me. (Remember that he had entered about 5 s before me, and had not had time to empty his bladder. He did not seem to zip or button pants.) I figured then that I was going to have to fight and resolved to do whatever was necessary without worrying about stopping the flow of urine or packing away my tool. It could have been messy. I kept eye contact with the advancing man. He walked to me and partly behind me. I think he stopped when he realized I was going to turn and he was going to get pissed on. Then he stopped and turned his back to me, at a point where I could still watch him, but angled between me and the door. This is a highly unusual position for a person to take, not just in US culture but in any culture. Standing a couple of feet from a urinating man, back to back, and blocking the exit, is unusual anywhere. I had a complete adrenaline dump by this time. I realized that if he turned I needed to turn and defend, and that if he turned he would in all probability be holding one of the little Tibetan knives with which I had become familiar. I remember suddenly appreciating the way my credit cards were lined up in the fanny pack. I had never contemplated their utility in impeding a knife blade until that moment.
Ive gone through a lot of stuff in the past few years and all of the stuff I used to think I had to protect is gone. My two teenagers were outside in the airport, and they have shown themselves capable of taking care of themselves the last few years. My new wife is quite capable of taking care of herself. The thought of giving the two bastards in the restroom with me what they wanted in order to survive never crossed my mind. My body was preparing for a fight and my mental energies were focused on the patterns of movement and the flow of energy between the people and the room.
The other fellow came out from behind the wall. Little time had passed, not enough for someone to go through the normal process of defecation. We all looked at each other. It was evident that if they pushed the interaction there was going to be blood and piss and noise and injuries, and that it was not going to be easy for anyone. They decided to exit the restroom.
Upon reflection I think the presence of the uniformed Chinese outside the room was a factor in their decision. If they could leave without noise or a disruption they would have no problem, but if they were caught in the lobby after a noisy and bloody fight in the restroom they were looking at the possibility of swift and harsh justice from the Chinese.
When I left the restroom and returned to the line I took a minute to let my heart slow down a little. When the body prepares to fight and then doesnt it takes quite a while (hours) for the adrenaline to metabolize. But the strongest effects are in the first few minutes. The Tibetans had taken up a position in the lobby again. After a couple of minutes I pointed them out to Danhua and started to explain what had happened. When they saw Danhua and me look at them they left the airport, although no flights had arrived or departed since we came to the airport.
It did take me several hours to come down from the adrenaline rush. I was able to empty my bowels on the other side of the security checkpoint, where I was pretty sure most of the people (not just me) had given up their knives.
!
Now would you mess with someone like that?
