Paparazzi Ethnography

March 18-28: Colloquium Lecture, Shandong University, Department of Anthropology, Jinan, China.


In Moscow, I received an email from Zongze Hu, Chair, Department of Anthropology, Shandong University, inviting me to China to take up a post as Associate Professor.

Previous to Zongze’s email, I did not expected to visit China, let alone take up a faculty position there. I suggested to Zongze that we should also discuss a Plan B, such as a Research Appointment, where I could blow in and out of Jinan at will, examining energy policy on construction of long distance natural gas pipelines.

I arrived. Zongze made me a generous offer that I could not accept, and so we moved to Plan B. I am now in the process of negotiating a Visiting Associate Professor position, as a Research Appointment for short-term teaching (2-6 weeks) and long term research on energy issues.
China made a strong impression on me. I felt as if I had not flown to a different country, but in fact, boarded a time machine for a visit to the future. It took for absolutely ever to get there — 14 hours– unheard of by my body clock. And when I arrived, I could only marvel at the way they built everything new.

Upon arrival, the translator, Shing-Lui (Madison in her English name), picked me up at the airport, and chatted me all the way into Jinan. Without Madison, my trip would have been worse for wear. In this image above, she is seen sitting across from me in what I now refer to as my favorite coffee shop in China.

I had arrived and lunched with Zongze at the University Hotel, where I was staying. After taking a long hot shower, around 4PM, I decided to wander through the city, to see what was there to my liking. That first evening was an adjustment. I could see everything, but I could not recognize much.  In short, I was lost. But I kept wandering.

The next day, Madison gave me a tour of the City, through its heart, and we spent quite a bit of time at Boutu Spring Park and Five Dragon Pools, which are a series of springs along a canal that is nearly in the same part of the town of Boutu. We crossed Quancheng Square, with its mighty sculpture in honor of the springs and then passed through Furong Street (seen directly below), where we stopped for a wonderful bowl of noodle soup, shown in the first image above.
Quail eggs on the street next door to a monster of a business building.

But that is Jinan.

I plan to go again, perhaps next year, to teach a course, and begin a research project, of more I will write soon.