It’s been a while since I last posted an entry on this website. I guess I’ve been too busy catching up with my life since the stringent Covid policies ended in December and the Big Wave subsided in January. Since then, it’s been a whirlwind of activities. Despite the big losses of the past year, the energy and spirit of Shanghai has been returning, and the mood is jubilant. People want to enjoy life again, and the cafes, restaurants, shopping malls, cinemas, museums, parks, and bars that survived the previous year are full again.
While December and January were rather grim, and the sounds of ambulances frequent, the Big Wave subsided around mid-January. People came out of hiding or convalescence, and social gatherings started up again. I had been sheltering in my lake house in Kunshan for nearly a month, which makes a total of around four months I’ve spent alone in the lake environment over the past year. I was able to ride out the Big Wave and emerged just as everyone was recovering. Fortunately, I avoided obvious symptoms, and I still don’t know if I was exposed to the virus. Almost everyone I know experienced a few days of misery followed by a few more days of fatigue.
By mid-January, I was hanging out with family and friends again in the city, seeing movies in theaters, going to social events, dining in restaurants, and jamming with other musicians in bars and cafes in town. Life eased back into a state of normality that we hadn’t really felt or seen since before the pandemic started in 2020. The government ended the use of green codes, and there were no longer any barriers to accessing public spaces, nor daily testing regimes. All the testing stations in the city stood empty and silent, grim reminders of the ordeals of the previous year. While many people continued to wear masks, this was now optional and some of us chose to bear our faces to the elements. The Spring Festival holiday came and went, and everyone went back to school and to the work place.
Now, it seems that everyone here in China feels that the Covid crisis is basically over. The government has been easing entry restrictions and apparently just dropped testing for people entering the country. Ripping off the Zero Covid band-aid was an unpleasant experience for certain, yet I think most of us are relieved that life can get back to normal in China, and that this country can reopen itself to the world.
One place where we can feel this change dramatically is the DKU campus. Most international students are now back on campus for the first time in three years. Most faculty are back as well. The campus has really come back to life. No longer do we need worry that classes will have to go online, people will be barred from entering the campus, or activities will be cancelled at short notice. It’s a huge relief for all concerned.
Looking back on the past three years, and all the ordeals we went through, I can now take some time to assess the pandemic as I experienced it. While we went through some very uncomfortable times, I was truly fortunate in many ways. First, I was able to ride out the early phase of the pandemic in my parents’ home in Acton, Mass. While this was a challenging experience in many ways, especially for my two daughters, it was also a rewarding one. Not only did I get to spend quality time with my parents, but I also got to deep dive into the natural world that surrounded us.
I came out of that experience with a much deeper appreciation of the environment in which I spent my childhood years, and a richer attunement to nature. I was able to transfer this new perception to my environment in China upon my return in fall 2020. I think that my enhanced appreciation for the natural environment helped me get through the past year when I spent several months in relative isolation on the lake.
Our ability to continue working and teaching online also helped a great deal. DKU was incredibly fast-acting and supportive of our constantly shifting environment. While I tried my best to teach in person in a classroom whenever possible, we were fortunate to be able to do so online during the weeks and months when we couldn’t access the campus. This also helped me get through some difficult times.
Another outcome for me in the past year was getting into an art practice. I started painting in watercolors and drawing scenes from my surrounding environment during the lockdown period of March to June 2022. Since then, I’ve made hundreds of sketches and paintings. Although my skills are rudimentary, this has been another important way for me to connect to the world around me. My newfound passion for painting also led me to start up a new project documenting a local village that is experiencing its final days as a community. More on that project in future posts, but for now I’m keeping it under wraps.
Now, I’m looking forward to doing more traveling both in China and abroad. And to spending time with my family and friends in the USA later this summer. This has been the longest stint I’ve ever spent living in China. And what a memorable three years it has been.
Here are some paintings I made recently in Shanghai and on the Lake.
