Page 26

Student life for the language students at SWUN was self-contained, an island within an island. The campus was built in the 1950’s. It was surrounded by a wall with three gates manned by campus security. Two small gates exited to the northwest and northeast. The western gate led out to the Tibetan neighboorhood while the eastern gate, close to the foreign students’ dorm led to the edge of the neighbourhood and the busy thoroughfares of the downtown. Helen and I had arrived by taxi through the large main gate to the south.

Most of the buildings on campus, including the dorm for foreigners dated from the 50’s and 60’s while a few buildings seem to have been built later, possibly in the 80’s. Small lawns, fountains, and wooded areas separated the different buildings in a grid-like layout. Students, professors, and staff strolled along the paths and roads, to and from classes and work, sometimes with their children. It was quite peaceful, languid even. In the evenings, a lone tentative clarinette could sometimes be heard high up in one of the dorms rehearsing.

My room on the top floor of the dorm was comfortably spartan. It had a simple wooden desk and bed, a television, and a modem. Early in the semester, our internet was upgraded to unlimited hi-speed dsl and I started downloading movies and music from home. From the top floor, I had a great view of the city and the downtown skyline. At night, it vibrated with neon in the distance. Below my window, I loved hearing the bustle of shoppers and passersby down below beyond the campus walls.

Across from my window, a large older building outside the campus walls was in the process of being torn down. It seemed to have been a hotel or residence of some kind. When I arrived, they were starting to sell off its contents. This took several weeks. Tables, chairs, and sundry furniture were set out front like a garage sale and I could see people poking around, looking for bargains. After a month or two, workers began to comb through the building, gutting its pipes and innards until eventually the building was skeletonized. After several months, a demolition crew came in and levelled it with a skillful implosion. It was quite poetic in a funny, post-modern kind of way. It seemed to reflect a deeper truth about how China was changing.