Wizards in China Blog
Related Images
Wizards in China Blog Part IV: Chengdu, Sichuan Province
If Shanghai was history and culture, and Beijing was pomp and ceremony, then Chengdu was emotion. It was in Sichuan Province near the capital of Chengdu, where the earthquake devastated cities and towns last spring. We had a chance to visit some of the affected areas and meet with some the people who had their lives completely changed by the events of May 8th, 2008. Chengdu and Sichuan Province are renown for other historical and cultural features in this part of the world. Also, Randy Foye and his lovely fiancé, Christine joined us for the remaining days of our trip. Of course, Randy is one of our newest Wizards. Just based upon the little time spent with him and Christine in China, it is easy to conclude that we are fortunate to have them in the Wizards family. They threw themselves into the activities, and they were always enthusiastic in participating in all the events. Basically, they fit into the group seamlessly, and added enormously to the good cheer that surrounded our delegation.
Our trip commemorates the visit of the Washington Bullets 30 years ago to China. This important event was only possible because of the establishment of full diplomatic relations between China and the US a few months earlier. The Sichuan Province is the home of Deng Xiao Ping, the Chinese Premier who opened talks with the US which lead to diplomatic relations. Deng Xiao Ping was a proud native son of Chengdu and the Sichuan Province and his birthplace is a proud footnote of history and feature to the people of the area. He was known as a pragmatic leader who differed with the ideologues of the Communist Party. It was Deng Xiao Ping who initiated the reforms that led to China’s re-engagement with the West and are responsible for the new China that we experienced these past ten days.
Sichuan Province is also known for its spicy cuisine. In truth, there really is no true national Chinese food. Rather, Chinese cuisine is made up of myriad of regional cuisines, like Italian cooking, that use local ingredients, contributions from ethnic groups and their cooking in the region, and traditional recipes. A word of advice to the adventuresome foodie who wishes to sample the hottest of Sichuan cooking, the dry dishes that feature meats, poultry, or fish that are mixed in spices or peppers do not really represent the heat of Sichuan cooking. Watch out, trust me, for the so-called wet dishes with the apparently less threatening ingredients like tofu, bean curd, or noodles, that simmer in a broth of red or brown liquids. They are the ones that will blow the top of your head off.
Sichuan Province is the home of Taoism, an ancient Chinese spiritual philosophy that seeks balance and harmony with the physical world. In the foothills of Sichuan Province is the temple that has been the epicenter of the development of Taoism for thousands of years. The temple is open to visitors and it is one of the most beautiful, lush areas in all of China. After a very spicy lunch, we decided to visit the Temple. When our bus stopped on the grounds of the Temple we were led by the Pied Piper of all China, Gheorghe Muresan. Big Gheorghe draws a lot of attention wherever he goes due to his great stature, but he was absolutely the rock star of our group no matter where we went in China. Folks of the highest station to the regular guy on the street wanted to meet him, or take a picture with him, often times without his knowledge or agreement. In fact, I don’t know how he deals with the constant crush of people who flock to him incessantly, yet the “Big Fellow” has a heart of gold, and a warm pleasant temperament that permits him to deal with the situation with incredible grace. Here at the Temple, it was no different, even the Taoist monks left their prayer to flock to Gheorghe as well as the everyday visitor. It was a highlight of our trip to watch Gheorghe with a crowd of people trailing in his wake as he led them to spiritual enlightenment to the gates of the Taoism Temple; all the while he was smiling, touching the people in that particular way that is “Big Gheorghe”. It is easy to see that Gheorghe has found the “chi“ that leads to harmony and balance.
The last and most enduring memory of Sichuan Province was our visit to the new Youai Primary & Middle school to meet with students displaced by the earthquake last spring. In certain areas the devastation was complete as whole sections of a town or village had collapsed due to the force of the quake. With millions of people homeless and displaced, there is an atmosphere of desperation in the area. In Duijiangyan City, there is an oasis for young students who were displaced as a result of the tragic events. A new school with dormitories built to house the students during the school week so they could resume their studies and then return to their parents on the weekends. The comfort of the school during the week improves their situation as most return to parents struggling to rebuild lives after the destruction of their homes and businesses.
Fortunately, many of the youngsters escaped the quake without physical injury. They were able to participate in our basketball clinic learning basic basketball skills; passing, shooting, dribbling and team play. The more adept had the opportunity to challenge Randy and Gheorghe to shooting games on their new rubberized outdoor basketball court. Randy showed the range and accuracy of a NBA guard in his demonstrations and during the shooting games with the kids. Big Gheorghe got his legs under him during this clinic and hit some shots. Until that time, the “Big Fellow” was zero for China in mid-range jump-shooting. While the kids were impressed with Randy’s obvious NBA skills, they howled with delight when Big Gheorghe started to knock down shot after shot.
After working with the healthy youngsters, it was now the turn of the injured and disabled youngster to try their hand at basketball skill development. Some of these children were confined to wheelchairs, or used crutches and prosthesis to move as a result of devastating injuries suffered during the collapse of school buildings. Many had lost limbs as a result of the quake. There was a particularly poignant story of an eleven year young girl who when trapped for days under rubble was forced to cut-off her own leg to crawl to safety when she heard rescue workers digging in her area. When she rolled on to the court to make a shot, tears flowed from everyone as her face lit up with a smile after Gheorghe lifted her up to make a shot. For certain, we had an impact here with our visit, and hopefully we made a small difference in the lives of these courageous young people.
On to Guanzhou.
Wizards in China Blog Part III: Beijing - A Capital City Filled with Formality and Ceremony
My last blog was a tad long to give a sense of the wonder of modern China. The bustling energy of China is felt each and every day as one sees something remarkable from one of China‘s ancient dynasties, or witnesses something extraordinary from China’s modernity. Shanghai was a study in this juxtaposition of past, present and future.
Beijing, on the other hand, was filled with formality and ceremony. Most of our meetings were with members of the government, and these meetings were formal and filled with the pomp and circumstance that gave gravitas to the moment.
Before I go any further with my report on the Beijing part of our trip, permit me to return to our last moments in Shanghai. On our way to the airport to fly to Beijing, we made a stop at the Shanghai Children’s Welfare Center. We visited young children who were orphaned at an early age, who await adoption in the Center. This was one of the very best moments of our trip to visit with the children who range from toddlers to adolescents. The impact of your visit was apparent immediately by smiles and giggles that ensued. Truly emotional scenes were everywhere as some of the world’ s most fortunate people shared a moment with some of China’s least fortunate who like all of us want love, affection, friendship and security.
Our most entertaining moments of the Center’s visit were in the activity rooms where Wes Unseld and Caron Butler engaged in some martial arts training with young boys between 8 and 12 years old. Given big Wes’ size and strength, it makes one wonder if he would ever need it. Caron was quite good in his form, so we all knew he watches kung fu movies.
The martial arts training gave way to our version of ping pong diplomacy as Big Wes and Caron tried their hand at table tennis with some of the teenagers. To be diplomatic, we did not leave the room undefeated. Ping Pong is a very popular sport in China played at outdoor parks everywhere. Tough Juice (Caron) needed a few practice sessions before he was ready to take on the best children of China. A few minutes later, it was Gheorghe Mursean’s turn to team with Caron to play 2 on 2 with a few youngsters on the outdoor courts. Gheorghe insisted on being the point guard in this duo launching jump-shots from the perimeter. After two basketball sessions, Big Gheorghe is zero for China on jumpers, but we have high hopes for his return to form later in Beijing.
On to Beijing, and the tone and feel of our trip changed. The capital of China is a place that can inspire and intimidate at the same time with its grand squares and its extraordinary halls of government. The scale is so large that any one individual feels small and insignificant. Alternatively, one cannot help but to be impressed with the majesty of their governmental architecture. If it was designed to exude power, it most certainly succeeds.
Despite the overwhelming scope of the buildings and their meeting halls, the hospitality, and graciousness of our host did not change. We were greeted with respectful cordiality everywhere we went. One of the highlights of the day was a visit to the General Administration of Sport, and the Madam State Counselor who heads this massive organization. Apparently, anything to do with sport in China is planned and administered here. We were informed this is akin to a Presidential Cabinet position is the US.
If the governmental apparatus of Beijing proved impressive, it paled in scope and wonder when we visited the Great Wall of China, and the Forbidden City the next day. Words fail when attempting to describe the scale of The Great Wall. Needless to say, one visits sections of the Wall and the quarter mile or so area of your visit is overwhelming. Then one has to imagine the effort it took to create a 2,500 mile barrier through mountainous terrain. It is said that the Great Wall of China can be seen from orbit by astronauts circling the earth. It defies description.
The Forbidden City across from the world’s largest square, Tiananmen Square, has a similar effect. With 9,999 rooms the palace of the Emperor floors you with its majesty and beauty.
Later that evening, a special treat for our retinue; to visit the American Embassy to be toasted for our goodwill efforts by Ambassador Huntsman. The American Embassy in Beijing is a beautiful new structure that is befitting the strategic importance of our relationship with China. One is most impressed by its assembly hall space for receptions and parties where the task of diplomacy is undertaken. The Ambassador spoke to these issues of goodwill, international friendship, and multi-layered engagement. We left the Embassy feeling as if out trip had played an important, albeit very small part in the ongoing process of improving US-China relations. It was admittedly a very good feeling.
Later that the night, Wes Unseld Jr., Ken Hutman, our consultant from Starbridge Media Group, and I accompanied Caron Butler back to the American Embassy not in suit and tie, but in workout clothes to use the Marine Corps security attachment’s gym to get CB a workout and some shooting. It was a good workout for Caron, and lot of fun for all of us to visit with the Marines in their leisure hours talking NBA basketball. The Marines who came by the gym to watch were from everywhere in the US and each had their favorite team and star player. I think we made a few Wizards fans during our visit because Caron autographed practice jerseys to give to the guys, and we left one authentic NBA basketball for the guys to use in their pickup games.
The next day Caron and his lovely wife, Andrea left us to return to the US. It was like a member of the family left. Both Caron and Andrea were wonderful travel mates who threw themselves into all the activities with enthusiasm. They left China like all of us will leave China, with a greater understanding about the developing importance of the Pacific Rim.
The last night in Beijing was capped with a elegant reception and banquet held by our gracious hosts the Chinese People Association for Friendship with Foreign Counties; who along with the China Basketball Museum presented a delightful night of basketball memories. Several players from the Beijing team and one of the referees from the game were in attendance. They were given an award along with Wes Unseld in commemoration of the game 30 years ago. During the ceremony, it was revealed to us that one of the players in the Shanghai game that played against the Washington Bullets was Yao Ming’s father. What an amazing coincidence.
The banquet was held at the Reignwood Center, a fabulous performing arts center in central Beijing. In another surprising and never seen experience, the banquet floor of the Center was a lift that ascended from below to present the banquet tables a most amazing manner. It appears that every day of our visit, China has found a way to top the previous day.
Next: On to Chengdu!
For more on the trip to China check out these links below:
Beijing:
Chengdu:
Wizards in China Blog Part II: Shanghai - Culture & Basketball
The last two days have been filled with a world wind of activities that has required that we split into discrete groups to meet our obligations. However, Monday morning started with everyone in the delegation visiting the Pearl Tower in the Pudong section on Shanghai. Pudong is home to some on Shanghai’s tallest and architecturally progressive office towers. The Pearl Tower serves as a massive antenna, and it also houses a museum of Shanghai history.
Driving up to the Tower, we observed a large brass band in formation outside of the entrance of the building. We wondered who the band was waiting for; to our surprise, it was us. As soon as we stepped off the bus the band began to play and continued to play until our entire delegation had entered the building. Even more surprising, the band waited until we finished our tour of the observation tower and the museum. As we left, they once again played a march as we exited the building and got on the bus. Admittedly, everyone had a smile on their face when we left to sounds of the marching band.
The history exhibit is located in the basement of the Tower, which is one of the highest towers in Asia. After a trip to the observation 1000 feet above the city where one can stand on a clear plexiglass observation floor, which gives the feeling of standing on air, it was comforting to ride the elevator to the basement and stand on solid ground. The museum was a quick trip through the long history of the city of Shanghai. Shanghai as a settlement dates back 6000 years. Known currently as a vital banking center, Shanghai’s museum displayed some of history’s earliest money dating back over 3000 years.
A large part of the exhibit focused on the forced opening of China in the middle of the 19th century. This was an era associated with term “gunboat diplomacy”. Gunboat diplomacy seems to be a contradiction in terms like aggressive passivity or uninformed awareness. It obviously was a very difficult time in Chinese history, and Shanghai was the epicenter of aggressive diplomacy by Western powers.
Our second cultural and historical experience was the Shanghai Museum that displays the key features of Chinese life and culture. The history of China is divided into the dynasties of its ruling families who enjoyed absolute power as Emperors. We saw the craftsmanship of early Chinese furniture builders and how each dynasty developed its own style and aesthetic. The painstaking process of Chinese calligraphy was prominently displayed, and the explanation of the development of Chinese language and writing left one reeling with its complexity. Ancient Chinese language did not use an alphabet, rather it employed characters that used in combinations communicated concepts and ideas. The written form of this communication became an art form. Chinese artists who worked in the art form of calligraphy dedicated their entire lives to the pursuit of the perfect form and sequence of characters.
The Chinese development of money was also chronicled here. Chinese merchants were the first in history to use the concept of a money belt. Ancient Chinese coins were minted in different sizes to represent different values, but they all were produced with holes in the center of the coin. The holes in the coins permitted Chinese merchants and money changers to string the coins with rope and tie the ropes around their waist so they could travel efficiently with their “money belts” Ultimately; Chinese coinage gave way to paper currency. But paper currency was first used in China long before any other civilization around the 12th century.
The biggest hit with our group in the exhibit of Chinese commercial life was the display of the $100,000 bank note; the equivalent of a $100,000 dollar bill. Apparently this is the largest amount ever issued in paper currency.
Later in the day, Wes Unseld, Caron Butler, Georghe Muresan, Wes Unseld, Jr. and I traveled to the Shanghai Nanyang Model High School for our first basketball clinic. We were all excited to gain greater understanding of the level of grass roots basketball skill and development in China. This would be our first chance to equate Chinese youth basketball to our equivalent of AAU basketball in the United States.
We were happy to see that the 50 youngsters we were scheduled to work with were enthusiastic and highly skilled. There were quite a few big man involved that big Wes and Georghe were delighted to show the nuances of inside play. So, we organized the youngsters into camp style, with rotating stations so every youngster worked with each of the coaches on different skill development. Big Wes and Georghe demonstrated post play and footwork in their station, and I was in charge of ball handling and passing. Wes, Jr. and Caron were responsible for showing proper shooting technique. We wanted Caron to work in his area of expertise since he was the only one of us without coaching experience. We were delighted to see Caron so enthusiastically embrace demonstrating shooting techniques. He shot, and shot, and shot, and shot some more to show correct form and technique.
We were surprised to note that we were able to conduct the clinic with almost no involvement of the interpreters. The youngsters had a surprising command of English basketball terminology. In fact, it appeared that all of them had some English language instruction. If there was a gap in their collective knowledge, there was always one youngster whose command of English permitted him to serve as interpreter for the group.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the work of Tony Cheng in this clinic. Tony, a prominent DC businessman and resident, who is the Washington DC Chinatown representative on this trip, traveled to the clinic in typical business attire. After a few moments, Tony had shed his coat and tie, rolled up his sleeves and was busy helping us organize the clinic. We have named Tony as our honorary coach and team manager.
After the clinic, we were treated to a wonderful luncheon with the Mayor of Shanghai, members of the Municipal government, and amazingly, players from the 1979 Shanghai Team that played against the Wes Unseld led Washington Bullets thirty years ago. It was wonderful to witness the emotional reunion of competitors who played in the first game ever by a NBA team in China. This trip is a commemoration of that event and its significance. Formal diplomatic relations between the United States and China had just been established after decades of tension and lack of dialogue. The Bullets visit was one of the first cultural exchanges between the US and China during this period, of what was at the time termed “ping pong diplomacy”. After thirty years, it is basketball diplomacy, encouraged by the presence and popularity of the NBA, which is a major feature of exchange between two nations whose dialogue may be the most critical strategic relationship in the world.
We were informed that more than 450 million people watch the NBA in China. That is more fans in China than we have people in the United States; Incredible! It is a fabulous experience to be part of this commemoration of a wonderful event thirty years ago, and to witness the evolution of the relationship between the nations and the growth of our sport.
The day continued with a visit to the 2010 Shanghai Expo site and the United States Pavilion, another example of the growing presence of China on the world stage, and the deepening relationship between the US and China. We concluded a very busy day with a warm reception at the US Consulate in Shanghai, hosted by the US Consul General Bea Camp. It is most interesting to converse with members of the United States diplomatic corps who explained to us the importance of these types of visits in the development of Sino-US relations. I think we all left the Consulate with a much greater appreciation of the value of our trip.
Next: on to Beijing!
For more on the trip to China check out these links below
Wizards in China Blog Part I: Chinese Architecture and Traveling
In the darkness of early morning, a segment of our group met at Reagan-National Airport for a full day of air travel to Shanghai, China. As any seasoned traveler knows a trip that starts well usually ends well, and any trip that starts poorly has the potential to be an exasperating ordeal that cannot end soon enough. Thankfully our group of Rick Moreland, Vice President of Sponsorship Sales and Mindy Pipes, Partner Service Manager, were up to the task of making our trip smooth as glass.
The chance to sit for fourteen hours in an aluminum tube, six miles up in the sky hurdling at six hundred miles per hour is not to be undertaken without due consideration. A trip to China is absolutely worth the aggravation. Unfortunately, I am still used to our NBA team charter flights. Not withstanding the wonderful quality of the meals served to team members on our charter flights, it is the convenience of not waiting in long security lines, parking that is a short walk from the plane, and if you are the Head Coach, no chance of having the plane leave without you that make the charter so special.
After a five movie marathon of a trip that was as pleasant as more than half a day on an airplane can be, we finally land in Shanghai, China. China is exotic; it is particularly exotic to Westerners who rarely venture to this part of the world. So, just the anticipation of arriving in an exotic land with a different culture and customs makes all the time getting here worthwhile.
Our hosts, the China People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), were waiting for us at the Shanghai Airport. With expert knowledge of navigating the airport and warm hospitality, they had us in downtown Shanghai in no time and the real adventure began.
The ride into Shanghai was a mesmerizing ride through the suburbs of one of the world’s largest cities. Even on a Saturday there was activity everywhere. One cannot image the scale of construction and public works that are currently underway in Shanghai and other major cities of China. Peter Biche, President of Business Operations, joked that all the building activity had made the “construction crane” the national bird of China.
As we entered the central city of Shanghai, size and scope of a city that has 23 million people hits you like a ton of bricks. There are skyscrapers everywhere; think Manhattan and Las Vegas multiplied by a factor of 3 or 4 times. In fact, Shanghai is so big it could hold, New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago combined.
Shanghai during the day is an architect’s dream. Your eye wanders from one fabulous building to another. Each of the magnificent towers has its own distinct creative style. Each building has a top that sets it apart from its companions in a skyline that goes on for miles. Shanghai at night is riot of neon, LED, and other special effects lighting that illuminates a skyline that has to be seen to believe. Your eye is drawn from one tower to another as they all compete to take your breath away. Shanghai’s skyline and lighting maybe the most dynamic in the world. All of us in the group professed to seeing nothing like it anywhere else.
Everyone’s camera was in action during our cruise including mine (as you can see one of the buildings above ). I should have asked Wes Unseld Sr. to take the pictures. Clearly, our Hall of Famer knows his way around a camera. His rig is bigger and better than anyone’s on this trip, and I am going to ask him for lessons to improve my photography.
This concludes the first part of Wizards in China. I will have more about the culture of China, and report on our first basketball clinic at a local high school.
For more on the trip to China check out these links below.
.jpg "Wizards 2011-12 Family Fun Pack")
