The Engleson Files

Yes, today is the 59th birthday of the People’s Republic of China. Most have the day off today and all will be celebrating. Hope you all have a great day!

Thanks a lot you dirty rotten bastards!!

Just had a huge falling out with Bike Guy #1 and have now moved on to Bike Guy #2. Over the past few visits it was becoming abundantly clear that #1 was a shiester at heart. He was over-pricing for everything by a large amount and could only see short term profits instead of a long term goal, which I tried to educate him on: “Why not make 2000 rmb more in a year rather than 200 rmb in a day?”, but there was no talking any sense to him. So, I have moved on and I now just hope my #2 guy is good with the bikes and wants to build a long term working relationship - I have my fingers crossed.

Today I had to go down and get my Birkenstock sandals fixed up. Now, where in China do you go to get this done you may ask? That answer is easy - down to the row of cobblers just in front of my bike guy in Kaifaqu. These guys, again, work for nothing but can turn magic out of your old worn down and broken shoes. I love these guys because they are such a throw back to the old days, and really, this entire field of work does not even exist in Canada anymore - that and I like to say the word cobbler! These days when something breaks down it just seems the mentality we have is to throw it away and buy something new, when really, it may just need a little TLC from a certified cobbler. I have prolonged many items now because of these guys; just a little glue here or a little stitching there and viola! So, I say to you all, let’s get back on the cobbler program and stop buying into the program that when something is broken it just needs to be thrown away - lets bring back the cobblers!!

You’ll have to forgive me a little while I am on my bike kick here, but one aspect of these bikes that I love so much is just how ingrained they are in Chinese society. Simply put, these bikes are the workhorse and backbone of the blue-collar man in China. For some the bike is their main means of transportation to and from work, while for others it is their main tool for getting the job done and earning a honest living. Much like this guy here: this bike you see (which is also a Yong Jiu) belongs to a traveling beveler who rides up and down the streets with all his tools (and workbench) strapped to his bike. He has a small megaphone attached to advertise that he is in the neighborhood and, just like children to an ice-cream truck, the people then flock out to give him their knives and scissors to sharpen - to which he stops and does the work right there. Each job is usually 1 kuai (15 cents) worth of effort and then once done the traveling beveler packs up all his gear and pedals onto his next destination.

During the May holiday of 2009 China will encounter the first-ever premiere motorbike rally, which will see 16 competitors (on 4 separate teams) race 326 kilometers from Dalian to Dandong over a 3 day span. And just what type of motorbikes will the competitors be riding on? See the above picture for the answer! Yes folks, next May we are going to turn back the clock and have a race like it would have been at the turn of the century (the 20th century, that is) and it is going to be a beauty! Our plan is to separate 16 guys into 4 teams, with each team consisting of the 4 manufacturing companies of Chinese bikes: Yong Jiu (Forever), Hong Qi (Red Flag), Feng Huang (Phoenix), and Fei Ge (Flying Pigeon). I am currently in negotiations with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) to see if we can get a time trial within its borders but talks have stalled as of late. Specific details of the event are a little hazy right now due to the fact we are still very much in the planning phase, but we want to establish a race where both individual and team efforts are recognized and awarded. It is also our plan to hire camera crews to follow each team and document their journey to the North Korean border - look for the DVD soon after! This race should prove to test the limits of everyone who enters. Mechanical and logistical problems are sure to arise and it will be a test of true character to be crowned the winner of the esteemed Tour de Dandong!

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So with two bikes now firmly established in the Lin Hai Gang fleet it is important to get a guy who knows what he is doing when it comes to fixing bikes - and this is where China is such a beautiful country because there is literally a million of them hanging around the streets ready to serve you. But, through a very stringent process I have found a couple of guys who pass the Engleson inspection criteria and have been taking my bike to them on a regular basis. The guy you see before you is without question my number #1 guy. While he has some serious work habit quirks and definitely carries himself as the delicate genius, the man does know how to fix a Chinese bike and is dirt cheap - so I have to just let him be. I love going to him and watching him work (along with all the other guys who gather around) and solve the little problems my bikes cause. Not too sure how he makes enough money to survive but he definitely has my business!

To say that this has been a difficult year for the Chinese people would be a complete understatement; simply put, the Year of the Rat has been absolutely devastating. First off, during the Chinese New Year, China was hit with the worst snow storm in 50 years bringing much of the southern country to a complete standstill. Transportation, communication and all necessary rations were damaged and hundreds of thousands of people suffered greatly because of this. Next (which many of you may not have heard about) was a recent train accident just outside of Shanghai that killed almost 300 people and has been claimed the worst train accident in Chinese history. Then we have all the Olympic/Tibetan turmoil that has really divided ideologies of many living here and has put a real negative media spin (whether deserved or not) to the country itself. And now, finally, the absolutely devastating earthquake in Chengdu, which currently has estimated at least 10 000 people have lost their lives - to which those numbers will only get worse. This earthquake is a horrible tragedy and one can only hope that all the people affected are getting the best help they need and deserve. Registering 7.9 on the Richter Scale, this is easily the largest earthquake to hit China since the devastating 1976 earthquake in Tangshan, which killed over 250 000 people. While I may question how business gets done by the Chinese government from time to time, I certainly feel extremely sorry for them right now. They have been hit with a lot of horrible tragedies in a time when they are supposed to be celebrating. The Year of the Rat was supposed to be a year of celebration but it certainly looks as though the Rat has other plans. While this devastating event will certainly overshadow the Games a little, I sincerely hope that nothing else happens between now and then so all involved can take that time to enjoy themselves and celebrate their first-ever Olympiad. The Chinese people deserve those two weeks to just enjoy themselves and cheer on their favorite athletes. Year of the Rat, what have you done?

Click here for more on the 1976 Tangshan earthquake.

What can I say about this place? Quite simply - I love it! This place you see before you is what I call the Poster Place and for the past five years while living in China it has been my one-stop shop for all my creative outleting. One aspect that I have truly loved about China has been the vast amount opportunities that there are for projects. I love to create projects for myself that allows me to branch out into the community to find people who will help me get a certain job done. From day 1, the Poster Place afforded themselves to be up to any challenge I threw their way: embroidery, posters, graphic designs, wood carving, stamp making - you name it they could get it done! Next to my own home, I honestly think this place is where I spend most of my time. Anyways, with the Dong Bei Cup on the horizon I have taxed these guys to death with my demands and I just want to say a little “thank you” to everyone down there, because without them it just would not be the same! Thanks guys!

Yes, once again the big May holiday is upon us in the Middle Kingdom and depending on what job you have usually determines how many days you get off - but with the new holiday calendar initiated by the government the norm seems to be three days (although we get seven!) The most common scene I see around this holiday time is people huddled close together on the streets taking in the sunshine, playing a nice game of cards, talking boisterously to each other and smoking their cigarettes. After all, isn’t that what the holidays are for? Happy May 1st folks!

With the calendar flipping into the warm season here in China, the Xiangqi boys of are officially back in full action and ready to see who will take claim to the 2008 season. With this being the Olympic year and all you can imagine how the stakes are going to be that much higher. Can Lao Xu continue his domination, or will Xiao Feng fulfill his prophecy as being the next one? Stay tuned, it’s going to be a barn-burner of a season!

All photos courtesy of Hubert Wong

This past Friday night the 2nd annual Chinese Championships of Crokinole were held at the Robin Bar in Dalian, Kaifaqu. Here, sixteen crokinole enthusiasts put it all on the line to see who would come away with the national title and represent China at the World Crokinole Championships in Tavistock, Ontario. While none of us would actually be able to go to this tournament, the prestige of winning this honor is still huge! Coming into the 2nd annual affair there was plenty intrigue: a. would Adrian Conradi take his second straight title, or could Patrick Spensley steal one away? b. which newcomer would proceed furthest in the tournament - Brent Foster or Don Colangelo? c. who would pass out first from drinking too much alcohol?

The night turned out to be a great success and in the end Adrian Conradi walked away with his second straight victory, once again earning him a spot in the world championships. The shock of the evening came from one Blake Defieux (or Jacques Lemaire) who was in an absolute crokinole zone all night and made it all the way to the championship final. I, on the other hand, was beaten fairly early in the night and was not able to repeat my third place performance of last year. All in all, it was a great night and I would like to thank everyone who participated and helped out where they could. This night has officially stamped itself on our local calendar and crokinole fever still continues to rage on in the Middle Kingdom.

Yes, proof that next to golf, crokinole is one of the whitest sports still out there!

One advancement we had this year in our tournament was the creation of crokinole nicknames. I am not too sure why I like doing this for events I create, but it is definitely a thing of mine. Now, for this every player had to make a name using a little play on words with the crokinole term: Doogie, which is the term used when you sink your chip/jeton/wooden thingy into the middle hole for 20 points. There was a lot of creativity used in this process and all came into the tournament with some great nicknames: Snoop Doggy Doog, Dirk Doogler, Doogie Howitzer, Doogs of Hazard, Archdoog Ferdinand, Ron Doog, eh? and mine, that scary childhood creature - The Doogie Man!