October 12th | 12 октября

Notes

9.30 a.m. - Hostel "На Набережной" (n°2)

• Waking up. I've seen three women here including a couple. (R1)

10.41 a.m. - Hostel "Voyage" (n°1)

• Storing my bags there until I come back in the evening.
• A group of young boys, around twelve years old, are in front of the hostel. They wear jackets with Russian colors, and the words "wrestling team" are written on it. An event might be happening in the area.

12.17 p.m. - Library

• There is an event. The space where I usually sit has been moved. I go to another room.
• (R2), (R3).
• Discovering the Институт истории, археологии и этнографии народов Дальнего Востока. On this page they mention something called "ethnographic expeditions". (R4)
• (R5), (R6), (R7).

7.27 p.m. - Hostel (n°1) kitchen

• Talking with VanBo, about tea, Chinese writing, songs, his video blog (he did a video of the KFC we were going to with the young group), book, administrative paperwork, his plan to go to Vladivostok tomorrow... And Alex joins us. The translating apps are in use! And we take a photo together.

Reflections

• R1: My imagination ran wild when I heard the word "bandit" the day before, plus the weird gesture of a guy staying in the hostel. I emotionally overreacted to something I did not understand. But I also didn't want to take suspicious, maybe threatening signs, lightly. When I uncover the reason why I could only stay one night there, what is the registration, maybe I will spend a few nights there again. If it's a hostel for "workers and not for "travellers", it might be very interesting for me. Maybe some of them know about the construction site.
• R2: On this field I choose, a lot of informations are on the internet. Social medias, news, institutional and corporate websites, emails, phone calls. It's ok to spend some time behind a desk in the library, to browse through all of this. It's part of what people do and share, so it's part of the ethnography. Even spending time looking at the short videos that are produced here (TikTok and Dzen type) sometimes give some interesting insights, about what is funny, beautiful, ok and not ok, what is consumed, etc.
• R3: I'm going to work with people that will use strategies to articulate Chinese and Russian culture. Scientist, politicians, engineers... So they will know what my work is about. I had a feeling of artificiality, when seeing the groups in uniforms and dancing on scenes, filmed, and interviewed for tv broadcast, meanwile I was eating KFC and going to VR gaming zones with them. But the question of authenticity and artificiality is irrelevant. Of course, people use strategies to adapt to the new societal problematics they face. People produce society to live, as Godelier said:

"Les hommes ne se contentent pas de vivre en société, ils produisent de la société pour vivre".

So, I just have to keep in mind to "me décentrer", and not jump to conclusions nor get blindly influenced by emotions.

• R4: I remember seeing a similar term (ethnographic expedition) on the Amour State University website. I need to know more about the methodology used for this kind of expedition.
• R5: I try to understand the principle of UNESCO.
• R6: Maybe there are interesting things to look for in the три кита shop, where Russian and Chinese retailers meet. What would it be like to spend some time in a "Chinese" neighbourhood in Russia, and vice versa?
• R7: What does local religious actors and institutions think about liking Russia to China?