beijing brian?

Well, I've been here in Beijing for a week now and it's been non-stop.  I guess this is what I asked for!  I've been to Beijing once before but it was part of a family trip and we did one of those tour things so I've never truly absorbed the city until now.  Man, I had no idea China's capital was this BIG.  Shanghai truly is New York while Beijing is LA.  A massive sprawl of land, spread out, such that people live in rings.  I now know that if I need to go to Ring-6, I may as well be taking a plane.  I've hit the ground running and I have so many individuals to thank because of it.  Meetings upon phone calls upon emails with folks in the business here have happened because of some kind people and some hustle and flow on my part.  One thing will lead to another here and I'm quickly getting a feel for the place although there is still so much to learn.

I'm learning that basically, if I want to work out here, I have to move out here.  No other way to find out but to try.  The thing that worries me - and others - is that my Mandarin is not up to snuff here.  I sound like a Taiwan person at best, but probably more so an ABC, which of course, I am.  I have been fortunate enough to meet agents, producers, directors, casting directors, and other actors here in my short stay and the response has been pretty universal: you look the part, but will you sound it?  China is so exciting in terms of the pace it's growing at with all the productions that are starting to happen here, it's really becoming the wild, wild west.  Not many ABCs have moved to China to do this kind of thing - if any have moved East, it's been to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, or Singapore.  The market here is opening up as filmmakers from these respective countries are all coming here to shoot, but it seems no one really knows exactly what will happen in the foreseeable future in terms of productions.  The US, Korea, and HK are especially setting up shop here to do co-productions with China, but what that means exactly to an ABC actor, I don't know.  I don't think anyone really does exactly.  Thus, why the only way to find out is to be here.

Aside from floating about meeting/talking to all these folks here, I've been able to do some fun things like go to the 798 art district (mad cool), have good eats, go on a couple of long runs that helped me see the city a little more (and play human Frogger with all the trafffic), hang out with a friend visiting from Hong Kong over last weekend (Suzie Wong anyone?), play ball with some locals I met here (fun, and good to know there is a scene), and also partake in the Beijing Screenings - a film festival that started today showcasing some of China's finest in independent film.

I've met so many film industry folk this past week and it's been incredibly interesting to soak in the scene here.  Only by being here have I learned there are Italians who live here covering the China film market for their nation, could I have the opportunity to loan the Asia Editor of Varietymy USB cord, meet Malaysian filmmakers, and tonight, hear a Chinese girl speak fluent French. 

I'm kinda fallin' in love with this place and yet I very much still feel like a foreigner - well, maybe because I am!  As I told the Italians tonight, "I can't believe I'm a stranger in my own mother country."  Well, that sort of identity split has been something I've long often thought of, but as I consider coming here for my career, it's something that's coming more and more to the forefront of my mind.

The other night, when I was stranded in the middle of nowhere in heavy rain, looking for the basketball court I was supposed to play in, I felt as lost as one could ever be.  I couldn't read any signs.  I didn't even know how to ask someone about where I wanted to go since I didn't know where I was going  It was in that moment when I sorta felt a little homesick, but when a cell phone call and an understanding cab driver helped me finally find where I wanted to go, I got on the court and all was forgotten again.

I'm still trying to picture it...moving out here...only time will tell I suppose.  For now, it's one more night for me to sleep on it.