Door Panels at Da Zhong Si (Big Bell Temple)

Spring, 1981	September 28, 2005
For me, these door panels evoke the feeling of “Old Beijing” that was so much in evidence in 1981. There was a feeling of continuity with the distant past, in spite of recent efforts to eradicate all things old. There was a feeling that these structures that had endured centuries of wind and weather could endure the cultural storms that blow as well. Dusty and old were the best descriptors of Beijing in that time. The “Old Thought” that Mao and others sought to eradicate was still there too, though much diminished and less overt. Often what was lost seemed to be the better side of “Old Thought”—the philosophy that gave people strength and faith—while what remained were of a more pernicious nature. Ethnocentricity had survived, even while healthy national pride had withered. The Chinese were very conscious of their country’s standing in the world, i.e. as being a member of the “Third World.” A typical conversation would start as follows: “What country are you from?” “The United States” “Oh, the United States is a great country. China is such a poor, backward country. Have you been able to get used to the conditions here?” I had the above conversation almost verbatim literally hundreds of times. The words “China is a poor, backward country” are a direct quote from Chairman Mao’s little red book, so it was a politically correct thing to say. It also was part of the culture to be humble and self-deprecating. Still, it always stuck me how humbly the Chinese viewed their status in the world.	The doors obviously have been restored, complete with either a liberal application of wood putty, or perhaps replacement of some pieces, or even the entire doors. As I look at these doors, I get a lot of contradictory feelings. On the one hand, the Chinese are obviously paying more attention to maintenance of their cultural heritage, and maintenance is of course, essential for the structures to endure the continuing march of time and seasons. Still, with all these restored relics, I find myself somehow a little less connected to the past, and perhaps a little less convinced of the authenticity of what I’m seeing. Perhaps it is my own over-reaction against the theme-park phenomenon so common in the U.S., but somehow the balance between preservation and restoration must be struck. Somehow when an object is so obviously old, as in the 1981 photo, it conveys a different sense of time to me, than the restored object. Even if the restored object may be closer to the way it would have appeared in its own time, somehow the feeling is wrong. Something like the difference between visiting a real old-west ghost town versus a Disney-style theme park. I guess with the restored object one must simply trust that the restorers have been faithful to the object, while with the unrestored object, its age is obvious to the eye. One thing that has definitely improved is the Chinese people’s sense of their standing in the world. On a recent trip I did not once hear the “China is a poor and backward country” line. People seem (justifiably) proud of the progress their country has made. A sense of infectious optimism pervades Beijing. Everyone seems to be looking forward to 2008, when Beijing hosts the Olympics. Enormous resources are going to make Beijing a city to be proud of. Much of Beijing is receiving a face-lift, and now has a very modern feel to it. Even the hutong (low-lying old neighborhoods lining narrow alleyways) now have modern plumbing and sewers. Few did in 1981, when one had only to follow their nose to find the nearest public (open-pit) toilet. Although reminders of the ancient past still abound, they seem truly to be reminders, and not so much a part of present every-day life.