Nepal: People, Culture, & Natural Beauty

One thing that you learn early on here in China is that when it comes to national Holidays, it is best to leave the country.  I recently read an article from a US newspaper outlining the Kaos which was to become the National Holiday or Golden Week in China.  It is true that these national holidays (Chinese New Year and Golden week) afford most people the only opportunity to go “home” to see their families.  If however, they are lucky enough to be living and working in their hometown, then they may choose to “go on vacation”.. It is really a stay-cation.  Many of my colleagues decided to pamper themselves with a holiday week at a local 5 star hotel.  This works well because the foreigners usually stay away during this time and it gives the local people the opportunity to occupy the fancy hotels (at least in the larger cities).  But for many, they use the time to sightsee in the local region.  As my kids may remember, Hanzhou is a beautiful town situated around the central lake with beautiful gardens and lake views.  Well for this week, it was so mobbed by people that it was virtually impossible to see the lake for the people!!  In talking with our taylor shortly after the vacation week, she recalled the experience of her brother on his travels to a nearby point of interest; what was normally a 2 hour drive, took more than 12 hours.  Fortunately the week had cooled significantly from the summer heat which kept the actual incidents to a minimum. So not to be “stuck in traffic” we headed for the neighboring country of NEPAL. 

Although Nepal does border China it is a long way (6 hour flight) from Shanghai.  Nepal does have some simularities with China but it really seemed to be very much a part of India (except for the language which is unique to Nepal).  When you think of Nepal you probably (like us) think of what must be high elevations and cold temperatures.  Well, come to find out, you to not need coats or long pants in Nepal in October.  The temperature was between 75 and 90 degrees all week (the lower temperature being the “cool nights”).  Actually,  everything about Nepal is a contradiction. It’s a tiny landlocked country of amazing topographical diversity. From the tallest mountains in the world, Nepal plummets to subtropical tiger jungles stretching at sea level along its southern border—all within a distance of 92 miles. Although Nepal is an independent counrty and has never been colonized, the Nepalese cannot reach the outside world without the expressed approval of its powerful neighbors. Iso much for independence! 

Nepal’s history seems to play a big role in its 21st century culture. The legends recount that the Katmandu valley was once a great lake and that Buddhist people believed Manjushiri broached the valley wall with a magical sword, draining the water and creating the Katmandu valley. The Hindus claim it was Krishna (God of Hindus) who performed the mighty deed, hurling a thunderbolt to create the Chobar Gorge. At least scientists agree that the Katmandu valley was submerged at one time and the rivers of the valley do indeed flow southwards through the narrow Chobar Gorge. Choose whichever legends you prefer; but what is generally accepted is that Buddha was born in and lives in Nepal.  But today, the Hindu and the Buddha religions co-exist peacefully.

 It’s a country that was born in—and is stunted by—an archaic caste system that traditionally supports ethnic marginalization, gender repression, and absolute rule: Our tour guide pointed out that there are 4 distinct classes in the caste system.  The Brahmin class which consists of the educators, priests and rulers, the 2^nd class which Our tour guide is a member of the is the Kshatriya class and generally consists of soldiers, and government officials.  The third class is  the Vaishya class and consists of merchants, business people, farmers, and artisans, and the fourth class is Sudra and consists of laborers, service providers and any non Hindu person.  The first three classes are generally well respected but the fourth class is considered un-clean and normally kept separate from the other three classes. Membership is both hereditary and permanent.  Our tour guide’s parents told him that although he was free to marry the girl of his choice he must marry a girl in his same class. Inter-caste marriage also carries with it a social disgrace.   If he did not do this then his class and his future generations would have to be members of the his wife’s lower class.  The caste positions determines an individuals behavor, access to land, position of political power and authority.  So although things are changing and people do tend to get along well together, Your position in the caste system is still very important.  Although the caste system was officially abolished in the 1950’s it is still an important factory in your social position in Nepal.

Nepal has a monarchy that has managed to cling to its throne—with varying degrees of success for 238 years but within the past 10 years the government parties have managed to upsert him and now the elected parties rules the country.

Even the time zone of Nepal seems like a contradiction. Although the country is located atop India and China, we had to set our watch back 3 hours and 15 minutes. I think Nepal just wanted to be “different”.

 Given the rapid change of pace of it’s neighbors, it seems surprising that little has changed in Nepal.  The infrastructure in non-existant, the counrtyside is still managed wih hand tools, and the dust permiates everything.  The country is relatively poor and exists mostly due to its agriculture and tourism. Some industrial development has been to happen but only little.  The real assest of the country is it’s mountains.  50% of the country is covered by mountains and another 30% by large hill regions.  This makes development difficult but it is interesting to see how many of the hilly regions have been terraced so that agriculture is possible.  However transportation infrastructure is almost non-existent.  85% of Nepalis live a remote, agrarian existence. Most areas have no electricity, no roads, no schools and no medical facilities. Most of the transportation up and down the mountainsides is of the two-footed variety.  Poverty prevails and is accentuated by corrupt local authorities. Donkey carts and oxen-powered plows are high-tech. Even if there is a primary school nearby, peasant children are expected to help with the family harvests and livestock by the time they reach the age of six. It follows that illiteracy remains as high as 60%--some reports say as high as 80% among women, who do most of the fieldwork.  The urbanized areas are jarringly different. Poverty and illiteracy still abound but new technology can be seen everywhere.  What one sees in Kathmandu and the other industrialized areas are cyber cafés, cell phones, very poor air quality created by non-regulated auto emissions, and trash everywhere.  We would often say how nice the towns and landscapes would be without the trash.  

The unification of Nepal occurred ten years before the American Revolution. AGorkha warlord—the first of Nepal’s kings—conquered and consolidated scores of independent principalities to establish a central government that is still seated in the Kathmandu Valley. Nepal enforced isolationism and thus few foreigners were permitted to enter. Western influence was almost non-existent until World War I and World War II, when the British Army utilized the famous Gorkha soldiers as vanguard troops in conflicts throughout Asia, Europe and Africa. These fearless combatants returned to their homeland with new concepts and new expectations based on what they had experienced abroad. Also, by the end of World War II, the British Empire’s control of the subcontinent had given way to the Gandhi-inspired “home rule” in India.

Nepal opened its borders in 1950 which then saw the end of isolationism. Nepal had attributes the rest of the world desired. Because of Nepal’s amazing beauty and medieval culture, Western adventurers and tourists flocked to Nepal, and labeled it as one of the most dramatic and exotic destinations on earth. 

And then there is the monarchy. Up until a few years ago, the Hindu king—the only one in the world—was revered as an avatar of Lord Vishnu. But in the late 80’s the people’s revolt forced the king to relinguish his power and he allowed the existance of political parties.  So the 1990’s saw the first free elections. On the ballot was a wide variety of political parties from which to choose: from royalists, to centralists, to communists and Leninists—and everything in between.
In terms of corruption, these political leaders proved themselves no better than the king. New elections were held, one after another. Each successive government seemed more cynical and self-serving than its predecessor:
It is true that freedom of speech improved during the 1990s. Other civil liberties increased as well. But by and large the elected officials’ interest in democracy played second fiddle to favoritism, personal financial gain, courting and siphoning NGO money, securing contracts for building projects through family-owned companies, and other abuses of power. With this type of political upheaval, the country saw no real advancement. 

After many years of civil unrest, in February 2005: King Gyanendra dissolved Parliament altogether, dumped the so-called constitutional monarchy and, with the support of his loyal army, became dictator. An exodus arose, especially among the young people who faced recruitment into the Maoist Army and agonized over the impossibility of continuing their education if they remained at home. In mid 2006 The Rhododendron Revolution was in full swing and was a huge turning point. After 19 days of increasing civil unrest, King Gyanendra was forced by his own generals to step down as leader of the nation.

Due to the unstable government, the unrest and exodus of talented people,  Nepal remains as one of the poorest countries in the world while its neighbors economies are booming.  The average annual income has dropped below the $200 mark—this in a country already listed as one of the ten poorest countries in the world. 20% of Nepal’s infants continue to die in their first year. Illiteracy is still 70%. In many areas, life expectancy for men is 50—lower for women, who face inordinately high risks before, during and after pregnancy.

But in spite of it all we found the people to be happy, friendly and outwardly expressive.  So despite the poor living conditions, and lack of any kind of infrastructure, the people are making progress.  The government is stabalizing, there seems to be plenty of food and a decent distribution system, and the government is looking to tap the increadible hydro-electric potential to enable growth in many regions of the country. 

Our arrival into Nepal took us to the Katmandu valley, which is home to ancient Hindu, and Buddhist sites where temples, monasteries and stupas dominate the landscape. All the temples, monasteries and stupas are decorated by enormous arts and architecture. The Katmandu valley also is rich in culture and beautiful mountain views. Our first stop was Kathmandu Durban Square.

Katmandu Durbar Square:

Katmandu Durbar square “Pashupatinath” is protected by UNESCO world heritage site and is the holiest Hindu pilgrimage destination in Nepal. On the day we were there, they were celebrating the return of the living goddess and hordes of thousands filled the square.  This site is a conglomeration of royal palaces the first of which was built in the 12th century. It is also a site of numerous temples including Kumari Bahal (House of Living Goddess), and Kasthamandap (house of wood).

Next it was on to Bouddhanath, built in the 5^th century, it is protected by UNISCO world heritage site. Bouddhanath is among the largest Stupas in the south Asia and it has become focal point of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal. The painted eyes on four sides represent the all-seeing eyes of Buddha and are keeping a watch on the people.  This is a very religious shrine of Buddhists. The stupa is located at the ancient trade route to Tibet and Tibetan merchants rested and offered prayers here for many centuries. .

Another famous square in Kathmandu is Patan Durbar square which is a concentrated mass of temples; this area is an amazing display of Newari architecture, probably the best in Nepal. 

There are many others temples including Krishna, Bhimsen, Taleju bell, Bhai Dega and many others.  This gives us a glimpse into the Nepali people, their faith and respect for religion. All the temples are decorated with elaborate reliefs. The whole complex of Durbar Square consists of different sections of ancient palaces like Sundari Chowk (beautiful court yard) where exquisite windows and door carving are seen and the Tushahity (Royal Bath) with its magnificant stone carvings. In front of the palace in the main square where there is a statue of King Narendra Malla sitting on the stone pillar.

From Kathmandu we travelled southwest more than 7 hours over some of the worlds worst roads to get to The Royal Chitwan National Park (932 sq. km). In route to the Chitwan national park we enjoyed white water rafting, it was exciting and refreshing on a hot afternoon. 

This park is Nepal’s largest and most popular safari destination. More than 43 species of animals are found in Chitwan. Here we went into deep jungle on elephant back to view the wild animals in their natural habitat. Although we missed the elusive one horned rhino, we did see many species of deer, a wild boar family and alligators in the adjoining river.  We (especially Catharine) also enjoyed the daily washing of the elephants in the river.  As you can see from the adjoining picture, Cath also enjoyed the elephant assisted bathing.

After spending two days in the park we drove 8 hours to the Pokhara Valley, which is one of the most picturesque spots of Nepal. The beauty of the valley is enhanced by its lakes Phewa, Begnas and Rupa, which have their source in the glacial region of the Annapurna range of the Himalayas. The lake in the center of town is surrounded by mountains and made for a great place to hang out and escape the afternoon heat. The next morning we ventured to the top of the hill (small mountain) to view the morning sunrise.   Although surrounded by many other view seekers, we had magnificent views of the Annapurna range and the magnificent peak named Machhapuchre (fishtail). 5 other peaks of the Annapurna range surrounded the beautiful lake in the city below. Pokhara is one the few places in the world to provide such dramatic views in a subtropical setting.

Pokhara is an adventurer’s paradise, from here you can do trekking in the Annapurna region, hang gliding from the surrounding mountain range, take an ultralight for a close up view of the Himalayas, or enjoy boating on the lake.  For us a day at the lake was a great way to relax before the lovely walk home in a torrential downpour. 

From here it was back to the Kathmandu region and the bumpiest 9-hour ride of our lives.  Finally we arrived at the top of the mountain in the town of Nagarkot: Nagarkot is situated at an elevation of 7500 ft., and affords an amazing panoramic view over the surrounding hills to the foothills of the Himalayas. We arrived in the evening to a mist filled valley.  The next morning (5am) we awoke to the sunrise viewed from our hotel room balcony that had to be one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world.  The glow of the rising sun illuminated the tops of the Himalayan Mountains and burned off the morning mist on the valley below.  This ever-refreshing memory of the majestic panoramic view of the Himalayan ranges from Dhaulagiri in the west and Mt. Everest in the east will be a memory that we will carry with us from this beautiful place. 

 

From here it was back to the city of Kathmandu and a trip to another Durban square, Bhaktapur (Bhadgaon) Durbar Square. As you enter the gate of Durbar Square of Bhaktapur the whole complex open up into a beautiful square with a beautiful Lion Gate Golden Gate, The Palace of 55 windows, Batsala temple, The huge “Barking Bell”, the statue of King Bhupatendra on a stone pillar, a public bath and the temple of Pasupatinath. The Temple of Nyatapola is an impressive Pagoda type building with 5 tiers representing the 5 basic elements of nature. The steps leading up to the highest pagoda temple of Nepal is lined with guardian statues of increasing importance; King Bhupatendra Malla built it in 1702.

The final morning it was once again a 5am wake up for one of the most beautiful flights in the world.  Leaving from Kathmandu it was a 15-minute flight to the top of the Himalaya range where we experienced some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.  The tops of the mountains seemed to sparkle in the early morning light and we enjoyed seeing Mt Everest and many other mountain peaks. It was a great way to say goodbye to the beautiful country of Nepal.

Go for the mountains, but enjoy the people, their culture, their traditions and the amazing country.

 

More Pictures On Picasa:  https://picasaweb.google.com/116382736159542073538/Nepal

Raising a family in China

Raising a Family in China

I am sure that most of you have heard and understand the Chinese policy for having only one child; but only a few might understand the true meaning of this policy. 

It was interesting to learn that when the couple gets married, neither changes their name, it is only when the child is born that the man’s name is used.  So when it comes to having a baby, it is true for the majority of families that they are limited to having only one child without special dispensation.  If your hometown is a relatively large city then the one child policy applies to you. If you are born in a rural town, then it may be possible to have more than one   However if you and your spouse are both only children then you can have two.  Or if you choose to “Pay The Price” then you can have two.  Or if you have multiple births (i.e. twins, triplets, etc.) then you can keep them all.  So when I say, “Pay the Price,” you can have a second child if you agree to pay for the privilege.  That privilege will generally cost you 1 ½ to 2 years salary; which is quite substantial when you consider that the majority of Chinese are just managing to scrape by. 

It was however interesting to learn that although many of the so called “Middle Class Families” could actually afford to have two children, many of them choose not too.  The reasoning is this:  If you want to give your child the ability to succeed, then you will need to make sure that he/she has the best education possible.  This means that you will need to send them to a foreign school as early as possible.  There are many distinguished international middle and high schools in the major cities but these come with a hefty price tag.  Then you must consider a foreign university, which can be very costly for students from abroad. So if it is pricey for one child then it becomes unaffordable for more than one.  Hence many well to do families decide to have only one. 

So this phenomenon presents an interesting question, if the potentially less educated families in the rural areas can have more than one (presumably to help the family earn a living), and the richer, more educated families can, or choose to have only one; what will the future mix of capabilities in China look like.  I leave that for you to ponder. 

Another interesting aspect of this policy is that, since the majority of Chinese would prefer to have a son (for I assume historical reasons), in some cases, the family may decide to abort the baby if they believe, or know, that it is a girl.  So the government has instructed the doctors not to inform the couple of the sex of the baby before the birth (but most of them are able to find out anyway). 

The naming strategy is also very interesting.  And you are thinking; why is naming a child interesting.  Maybe because of the family name, or traditional names or because of the meaning of the name; well you would be correct in each case but I learned something else.  If the woman is expecting a boy then the grandfather names the boy, and if he is nice then he will let the father choose the middle name and of course, the family name (which is the first name said and written) is the father’s family name.  If the baby is to have three names (as ours do) then the wife will generally choose the third name.  It is however uncommon to have three names plus the family name.  If it is to be a girl, then the father can name it without the approval of the grandfather.  But it is now common practice for the mother and father to jointly choose the girl baby’s name.  Another interesting aspect is that the official naming happens 100 days after the birth.  I guess this affords the opportunity to get to know the baby a little and decide if he is really a James or maybe a John instead.

Then once the baby is born, the mother takes care of it together with her parents for two months then she returns to work and it is the grandparents that take care of the baby until it goes to school and more normally until the young person no longer needs their care.  We often see the young kids on the metro with the grandparents but even on the weekends the parents are rarely with them.  If in the rare case we see the entire group then we think it is sad to see the kids preferring to be with the grandparents.  Not only is this common but it is actually the grandparents responsibility in the culture to be the primary caregivers.  I hope the USA doesn’t switch to this system any time soon; regular visits sounds great to me.

SO once you have spent your life working hard 6-7 days a week 10-12 hours per day; then it is time to raise the kid!  Raising a family should not be a spectator sport, the kids should have physical and mental interaction from their entire family; but in a society where your job is number one, this seems not to be possible. 

In a previous post I mentioned about trying to implement cultural change in terms of quality improvement at the plant.  I wanted the operators to “own” quality and make it personal, so I suggested that we start a campaign to keep their workplace clean.  But this is a new concept as it is not in their job descriptions so I suggested that we have a “Family Day” and invite the families to see the operators’ workstations and in this way they would want to make their workplace very clean.  Ok so how does this relate.  Well when I presented the idea, the head of the union said that this is a good idea but that it would be difficult to implement because many of their families do not live in the big city with their parents, but rather in the hometown where they grew up, with the grandparents.  So the two national holidays (Chinese New Year and Golden Week) become very import as it is the only time that they have enough time off (7 days) to travel what are often long distances back to their home towns.  This is not only true of the plant workers but many other groups such as the construction workers and road builders; there are many “Migrant workers” in China.  As a matter of fact, Catharine teaches English at one of the migrant children’s school near Shanghai. 

So although the opportunities for many Chinese are improving, it may be at the expense of a family life!

Fast Pace... Slow Change

Fast Pace……  Slow Change

I guess that it shouldn’t be surprising that a country that is steeped in history and tradition would be slow to change; but when you are surrounded by modern skyscrapers and the incredible transportation infrastructure; it remains a little surprising.

The everyday life of a Chinese person, living in the big cities, has undergone a major transformation in the past 20 years.  I relate well to a conversation that I had recently with one of my colleagues.  We were talking about the rapid pace of change that the world has undergone in the past 100 years.  I related a conversation that I had not so long ago with Grandma McCloskey wherein she described the major shift in life style in her lifetime (100 years).  She began with the sanitary infrastructure (in house water and toilets) which completely changed the way of life for many people.  This coupled with conveniences like electric lights, heating systems, gas stoves, telephones, radios, TVs, refrigeration , washers, dryers, vacuums, and so on really made life much easier and afforded people a chance to really use their time more productively. 

Hence the dawn of the industrial revolution. 

During this time, life in China remained virtually unchanged.  Labor was plentiful and hence the need for modern conveniences was minimal and actually posed a threat to the livelihood of much of the population.  Even today there are many signs of this parochial thinking.   Case in point:  we are discouraged from clearing our table at McDonalds for fear that we would be jeopardizing someone’s livelihood.  It wasn’t until about 25 years ago that the government took on the task of transforming the country into a 21^st or 22^nd Century powerhouse.  This task didn’t come lightly.  The skills necessary to transform the infrastructure did not exist in the Chinese population as the Chinese had resisted outside influence and therefore the people were not educated based on global advancements rather only those that were locally invented or those that the government deemed “non threatening” to the power and authority of the government.  So how do you convert a country from rural life to world power status in a matter of 25 years?  They had to rely on the expertise from global sources; they started importing technology from the leading countries around the world.  Unfortunately their approach was to copy rather than invent but it was a start.  As the changes were beginning to take place, the people began to see the importance of education and change.  People were taught the necessary skills to transform the landscape but something was still missing.  When you are taught without experiencing or experimenting yourself your learning really isn’t complete.  People need to be given the authority of decision making and the ability to experiment, to be able to really understand the technology behind the action. I equate it to a persons ability to drive a car without ever being in the car, practicing and learning by doing.  Something is missing; and this same issue we see in almost everything they do.  Without understanding the reasoning; life becomes a cookbook and advancement is a forced function. 

So, as I related at the beginning of this entry, my colleague related to me his vision of the future when he was a boy just 25 years ago.  At the age of 7, one of his neighbors bought a car and he thought that this was the most amazing thing; that an individual could own a car and come a go as he pleased.  He vowed that one day he would be successful enough to one day be able to ride in a car like that; he would never have dreamed that he may one day own one himself.  Needless to say, he now owns his own car and one day dreams of owning a BMW.  Times here in China have changed so quickly that many of the normal learning’s never happened.  I remember having a discussion with my Mom about Brad Weage.  He was the smartest kid I knew growing up and I was telling my mom that he didn’t belong in elementary school but he should go to high school.  But she would say that “there is a lot in life that you need to learn and most of it doesn’t come from books”.  So True!! Many abilities that we take for granted (Painting for instance) are in scarce supply here, I recon that this too is a result of the fast growth and strict adhesion to the rules. 

So all this is to say that the Chinese understand well the requirement for commerce and success in the China Market, but what they lack is a real understanding of the global market requirements.  Success in China has been easy for a Chinese company because of the rapid growth of the economic and personal “wealth”.   However this is changing.  As I mentioned in a previous entry, the Chinese people now have little confidence in the Chinese products because of the quality level of Chinese products.  I had an interesting experience recently when I was trying to get my colleagues at the manufacturing plant to better understand the difference the BMW level of quality from what they produce today.  I asked a room full of operators if they would rather buy a locally made product or a foreign made product.  Almost without exception they would choose the imported item.  When asked why, they stated that the quality of the imported item was better.  When I pointed out that they are directly responsible for the quality of the Chinese automotive product, they did not understand.  Try as I might I could not convince them that they determine the quality. They were insistent that the car manufacturing plant and the designers determine the quality level of the components.   With this view of quality, it will be very difficult to reach global levels of quality in our plant.

Quality seems to be something that every Chinese person is looking for but they don’t seem to know how to achieve it.  I also asked a group of managers at the plant if they believe that the quality of an instrument panel for a $20,000 car should be different than the quality of an instrument panel for a $50,000 car.  Everyone agreed that the $50,000 car component should have better quality.  On the surface this may be true but I believe that the quality should be the same.  The execution of the design should be equally as good for both products only the quality of the materials and the features in the component for the $50,000 car should be better.  So they seem to be able to justify things like, poor fits, grease, dirt and scratches on the components because the customer is building cheap cars.  So my job has again become one of culture change.

We were recently putting together a “Quality begins with ME” campaign and we needed to agree on an approach for this campaign.  The HR director presented his plan; it consisted of telling the people what to do and punishing them for non- compliance!! When I suggested that better learning takes place through employee involvement (i.e. letting them decided what was better quality) he said that it would never work.  So you can imagine what happens to their ideas for process and quality improvement. 

So since we have to be able to supply premium quality parts for BMW now, we have had to change the way we do business.  We set up an area inside the plant where we would reach these high quality levels with special facilities, specially trained operators, and special high capability machines.  So after constructing this “building inside the building” we brought BMW to see the progress we had made.  When they went to open the door to this new facility, the door stuck, when they looked at the brand new floor, it was full of scratches, when they looked at the work benches, the drawers would not work because of the excessive amounts of paint and the poor fits.  The Chinese fail to see that quality is not just the elimination of mistakes but the care that you take in everything that you do.  

Chinese car quality has significantly improved over the past 15 years but as the gap narrows, the challenge becomes greater.  

I expect that as the market pressures increases and the global awareness of personal expectations does likewise, that the Chinese products will adjust not unlike the change that the Japanese products underwent in the ‘70s.  For now I will continue to raise my expectations and hope that it, in some way, it rubs off on my colleagues.