Are you a rebel or rule follower? Most people fall in one category or the other. I tend to lean on the rule follower but when there are rules/guidelines that I don’t think make sense I break them. Yep, I April break rules.

Most cities in China, except for Hong Kong, have architectural designs that are not laid out in a logical arrangement. Or maybe it is, and the Chinese rather take longer routes to get somewhere, but my Western mind thinks, “What’s the fastest path to getting where I want to go?”

Details on Our Complex’s Layout

(Helpful to read to understand the stories)

This long path mentality was combated when we first arrived to our apartment in Qingdao. The complex we live in has about three 31 story buildings and one long raven iron gate that wraps around it. No matter which direction you come from you have to walk around the gates to get to the two entrances: the underground parking lot or the small gate by foot that passes the guard stand. To get to our building you have the pleasure of walking past the “welcoming committee” the friendly guards, meandering through some Chinese gardens and then walking around a pool size patch of shrubbery to get to the one door that enters into our 31 story building. These are a lot of long routes to take everyday that take time. Where are the short cuts? Where are the direct paths?

Well I am human and as humans we always want to naturally find the quickest routes. Except if you’re Chinese, their architecture says otherwise. I have a theory. I think it might have to do with the mentality that the majority of Chinese people don’t like strenous exercise so they design their environments to give themselves more “light” continuous exercise.

What do you think? Does this theory sound accurate? What’s your theory for their designs? 

Skip the Shrubbery

Months into living in our apartment I found a little path in between the shrubbery that led to our building’s door. I of course took it because it shaved a few seconds from my walk. A few seconds each time adds up to a lot of minutes in the course of a year. After months of enjoying this path, one day there was a small shrub that was placed in front of this path. I told myself that wouldn’t stop me. I continued to walk the course of the unruled path to find I was denied by two large pipes that crisscrossed. The pipes are still there and that shortcut is gone. Have you ever been communicated to through in-animated objects?

Jumping with My Husband

Sometimes having to walk all the way around the gate can be annoying and time consuming when you’re pressed for time. (Like being late for work.) My husband Denny, the rebel, convinced me to jump our gate as a form of exiting. I hadn’t jumped gates since I was a kid. The cautious person that I am was terrified of the height but it was at the same time adrenaline rushing. It’s pretty cool to prove to yourself you can do something one moment you thought you couldn’t do a second ago. What small fears have you conquered recently and you surprised yourself?

Sadly, that shortcut too was denied when months later the mayor ordered for a forest of twenty-plus-year-old prickling trees to be planted right next to that jumping spot. They were up in a weeks time. The Chinese are incredible like that, forest go up quickly and not in the fire sense. Trust me when I say those trees are spiking. It only took one time for me to learn not to take this shortcut after receiving an itchy rash. Never again am I taking that shortcut.

I Break Into My Home

Is that a Crime?

I saved the best shortcut story last. For the last couple months before we are leaving China, I found a small gap in between the gates that adjoin.

There is a enough space for me to squeeze right through and cut my walking time in half. I am hoping it will stay open for the less than two weeks we have left here. I love this entrance/exit. It’s always fun to have different company around me with reactions that make my day and the thrill of rebelling from the Chinese path designs.

“I GOT CAUGHT”

Sometimes when I wiggle myself between the long wraparound prison gate I feel like a school girl skipping school, the school girl that never did do really anything rule breaking. But hey, why not start now? One day while I was squeezing through this gap there were two elderly Chinese women afar watching. After I got through the gate and was on the other side they stepped closer to the gap and looked in awe like I performed magic. Their expressions said, “I am in awe of how tiny you are. How did you do that?” In a land where you don’t speak the language body language can definitely give you smiles.

Another time, in this same spot a middle age Chinese man, who was on the inside of the gate with his daughter witnessed my rebellous act and all I heard was praise. I don’t speak a lot of Mandarin but I did hear him say in Chinese “(something) very good” with a smile painted on his face. It had to of been a compliment. Hey, my rebelling is making the Chinese people smile. I am making the world a happier place. Who knew rebelling could do that?

 

10,000 Smiles

Below are pictures for the 10,000 Smiles Project. Don’t forget to vote for the picture that makes you smile today.

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