The following is based on my observations from our trip though I am aware that we really only saw snippets of the country, since, for the most part, we were in tourist areas seeing the sights and staying in hotels that cater to guests from all over the world. The main purpose of this trip was to take Anna back to her homeland China to visit for an introductory tour, the centerpiece of which was visiting her orphanage and finding place.
Compared to what we saw in 1988, then 1995, and to a lesser extent, in 1999, on our adoption trip when the focus was really on Anna and the adoption process, China is a whole new place on the surface.
There are shopping malls with designer stores inside, many paved roads including highways complete with traffic congestion due to the fact that car/truck/taxi traffic appears to have replaced a lot of bicycle/cart traffic. I'm not sure that this is really progress, but that could be a debate in itself. Over here, we're trying to put bicycles back on the roads and improve public transportation, having suffered the consequences of traffic congestion and resulting pollution. Frankly, I would love to have a bicycle cart to go back and forth into and out of town. Maybe I can adapt my bike.
Also, we found that the bathrooms in China are now mostly outfitted with sinks, soap, and hand dryers or paper towels (as well as western style toilets though the squat type hold some advantages). We did not see one single open vat of water for people to use to wash their hands. This aspect was an example of the positive progress that's been made. Of course, adjacent to the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing, we did see some folks on a lake in a rowboat refilling water bottles with the lake water, but, hopefully, that's an isolated incident. Attempts were made on the part of some of the fellow employees there to try to conceal what the refillers were doing.
One might have the initial impression that the Chinese people are more well off than before, but the behind the scenes' views belay that impression, because it doesn't appear that the standard of living, in passing storefronts, alleys, seeing people on the streets and along the roadsides and in the fields working, has changed very much. We drove by multitudes of open storefronts which looked dilapidated on the inside and out, with few people about, not seeing a lot of action. Farmers were working by hand in the fields as were the laborers on the roads. (Gail and I would have liked to see a rice plant, but didn't have that chance on this trip). Other than lots of cranes in areas where large high-rises are going up, I didn't see any equipment larger than a bulldozer. Bamboo scaffolding continues to be the apparent norm. To add to the above, there are lots of young people in the retail business but it doesn't look like they have enough to do. The showrooms that we felt like our guides were required to take us to seemed large and full of merchandise as well as more than enough uniformed young women whose job it clearly was to push the wares, but it was evident they weren't doing a booming business as we were often the only customers along with other tourists present. The lights would go on and the retailers would emerge from unseen parts of the stores when we arrived. This appeared to be true of the restaurants also. We found ourselves suspecting that there is a whole kickback scheme going on in order to assure money be spread around: "If your group of tourists will buy from us, we'll take care of you/your agency" type of understanding and arrangement. The problem is that it also eroded our trust. As our trip progressed, this feeling grew for me. This all helps us to understand why the kickbacks might be the norm but still leaves us to wonder if regular people in China are making enough money to live on.
While we're on the subject of shopping, I need to mention something hilarious here. There were a few items that we were on the lookout for when we were in China that proved elusive, namely little "giftie" (as Betts would have called them...) items for Anna's friends. Lo and behold, when we were in Target in Annapolis in mid-August after we had arrived home, what did we find? The very sort of gifts that we thought we would find in China! Each for $1 and "Made in China"! The find included fabric covered Chinese food take-out boxes, bracelets with beads the color of jade interspersed with flat discs that resemble Chinese coins, and some pens in the shape of dragons.
What we consistently learned about the government workers, however, is that they're the ones who make money and it's their relatives who are the heads of business organizations. They might be sitting more or less in the lap of luxury, but it's not due to their own work efforts as much as what family you happened to be born into. It's very difficult, if not impossible, to get into government work in China otherwise. Certainly a key difference between our country and China is that it is definitely possible for someone in the US who is motivated, to do well, but that kind of opportunity doesn't seem to be afforded to everyone in China. It's no wonder that kickbacks are resorted to. It goes without saying that our systems of government are based on an entirely different set of values.
Then there's a need here to mention the one family/one child policy that was brought up by our various guides on more than one occasion. There seem to be all sorts of ways that people get around the kernel of the rule which is that each family can only have one child. One child, that is, that is supported by the government. For an additional child, there is a steep fine though I didn't learn the details of that. On the other hand, if there's a divorce, an additional child is OKd (though I wonder if that's true equally for women and men...). Also, the minority groups (of which there are 56) are allowed to have more than one child. (We were made aware of the minority groups as a result of the shows we attended with the various customs and costumes being featured). So there are rules and then there are rules. The topic of abortion did not come up, nor did the preference of gender though, interestingly, several of our male guides referred to the fact that women have more power in China now since there are less women to go around. As a result, some men go to live with the women's parents. A pretty dramatic shift culturally.
The food was fine. Most of our meals were hot, just cooked. The rice and noodles always had the right consistency, as one would imagine, and included a mixture of vegetables and meat - mostly chicken or beef. I especially loved the Sichuan food because of the spiciness, especially the eggplant. Anna chose a variety of foods for each meal, always having noodles at breakfast, I noticed. Of course, we avoided fresh vegetables and ice and stuck to bottled water only. (The hotels provide several bottles of water each day for their guests and there was a written reminder in each hotel to only drink bottled water).
Culturally, it's heartening that longstanding traditions, such as the stylized forms of painting - brush and inside bottles, for example - as well as the dances in native costumes - continue to stay alive. I wonder how much the traditions flourish because they contribute positively financially to the economic base due to tourism. Is this what drives the Chinese to continue in the same traditions, I wonder? The artists do not appear to veer from the styles or themes. To add to this, we couldn't help but notice that many of the younger performers of music and dance had such flat expressions on their faces. Several of the artists learned their skills from their fathers in the manner of apprenticeship. The music makers who seemed the happiest looked to be the older citizens who were singing (in Beijing) or playing their instruments (in Guilin) for the joy of it, but we didn't see such joy or enthusiasm on the part of the musicians at the Tang Dynasty music prelude or on the faces of the dancers who came out after the show in Guilin for pictures. Do the artists find that the stylization of the arts is restrictive or not? Do they yearn to use the styles in a different manner? Maybe we were just "on the beaten path" for tourists and didn't see the art behind the scenes. We saw some contemporary art in Hong Kong that was certainly compelling. Anna reminds me that Chinese artists learn by copying art versus learning methods to create art. She makes a point that is really significant and would be interesting to learn more about.
In summary, it is my hope - and one that I know is shared by Richard, James, and Ross - that Anna embraces her Chinese cultural heritage as well as the American ideals we hold dear in her quest to learn about herself and her passions as a Chinese American - or is it American Chinese (?). That's why we made this journey, and it was incredible.
Several days after our arrival home, Anna spent a quiet afternoon working on a lovely painting of a little Chinese girl holding a basket with fish in it that she says (and I concur) looks like her, amidst a scene that includes mountains in the distance, boats on the water, a rooster in the foreground, reeds alongside, and other details. This appears to me to be Anna's first summary of our journey. I wonder what she thinks.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Wednesday August 4 Beijing to home
Richard, Anna, and I get up early to pack, have breakfast, take the subway and taxi to Jiaoguomenwai to find the diplomatic compound within which the offices of Half the Sky Foundation are located. No longer a diplomatic compound, we learn, but rather offices for local businesses. The staff are very welcoming, taking us on a tour of the space where we see numerous boxes of items ready to be delivered to two orphanage sites such as computers donated by Hewlett Packard, sand and play structure, etc. One of the offices is a special needs office. Anna gives a packet of a small sample of her cards to them and they give her a "Somebody Loves Me" doll and a t-shirt. The doll was designed as a fundraiser for the children who were victims in the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan. We are grateful that they were so welcoming and that we now have a picture in mind when we think of the heart and mind of the work of Half the Sky Foundation in Beijing. Back to the subway we go followed by a quick taxi ride back to the hotel to complete our packing, meet up with our group, check out of the hotel, meet Sunny in the lobby, climb onto the bus. Mr. Han drives us to the airport. Thank yous and goodbyes are said.
At the airport, Gail, Anna, and I wander around a bit and run into our friends, Mary and Jack Hall, who were in the next cabin on the Yangtze River Cruise, at the Pizza Hut in the Beijing Airport terminal. Anna runs up to Mary and gives her a big hug. They've been in Beijing in the recent days, and said that they've been thinking about us, wanting to hear more about Anna's adoption story, since they found themselves witnessing adoptive families receiving their adoptive babies here in Beijing. While we wait for our pizza which will take 17 minutes to be ready, we are told, we sit down with Mary and Jack and relate our adoption tale briefly. An arrival and departure board nearby tells us that our flight is boarding so we dash off, abruptly ending our fun visit with Mary and Jack with whom we hope to keep in touch. (They're from Portland, Oregon, and know The Old Scotch Church. She teaches several children of the pastor there.)
Here we are, aboard the plane to take us back home, having said "Goodbye" to China for now. This was Anna's first journey back to her homeland since we adopted her 11 plus years ago.
On the plane, I complete the book that Gail lent me several weeks ago on this trip, entitled Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See, published in 2005. It is fiction based on author's research about the Yao people and traditions in China, including the secret language of "nu shu" amongst women in days gone past. I really enjoyed the book.
We arrive in Newark safely, go through customs, and make our way to the train station to climb aboard a train headed to BWI train station where Ross (D) and John Morton meet us to pick our group up. Ross brings us home to our house while John transports the Vertiz family and Gail home. We're home safely and soundly. It's then that I notice that I'm tired! Was a wonderful and fulfilling trip.
I can't complete our travel journal without noting that Andy, too, had a vacation (- an expensive one at that!) since he was boarded at Greater Annapolis Vet kennel where he's been boarded before. The staff there know him well, always greeting him so warmly when we take Andy for boarding or just a visit, so we were reassured that he would get ample attention since our trip was an unusually long one for us and him. Andy would also have respite from the heat. We were relieved that our dear and now old dog Andy was in such good hands and are happy to have him home safely again.
At the airport, Gail, Anna, and I wander around a bit and run into our friends, Mary and Jack Hall, who were in the next cabin on the Yangtze River Cruise, at the Pizza Hut in the Beijing Airport terminal. Anna runs up to Mary and gives her a big hug. They've been in Beijing in the recent days, and said that they've been thinking about us, wanting to hear more about Anna's adoption story, since they found themselves witnessing adoptive families receiving their adoptive babies here in Beijing. While we wait for our pizza which will take 17 minutes to be ready, we are told, we sit down with Mary and Jack and relate our adoption tale briefly. An arrival and departure board nearby tells us that our flight is boarding so we dash off, abruptly ending our fun visit with Mary and Jack with whom we hope to keep in touch. (They're from Portland, Oregon, and know The Old Scotch Church. She teaches several children of the pastor there.)
Here we are, aboard the plane to take us back home, having said "Goodbye" to China for now. This was Anna's first journey back to her homeland since we adopted her 11 plus years ago.
On the plane, I complete the book that Gail lent me several weeks ago on this trip, entitled Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See, published in 2005. It is fiction based on author's research about the Yao people and traditions in China, including the secret language of "nu shu" amongst women in days gone past. I really enjoyed the book.
We arrive in Newark safely, go through customs, and make our way to the train station to climb aboard a train headed to BWI train station where Ross (D) and John Morton meet us to pick our group up. Ross brings us home to our house while John transports the Vertiz family and Gail home. We're home safely and soundly. It's then that I notice that I'm tired! Was a wonderful and fulfilling trip.
I can't complete our travel journal without noting that Andy, too, had a vacation (- an expensive one at that!) since he was boarded at Greater Annapolis Vet kennel where he's been boarded before. The staff there know him well, always greeting him so warmly when we take Andy for boarding or just a visit, so we were reassured that he would get ample attention since our trip was an unusually long one for us and him. Andy would also have respite from the heat. We were relieved that our dear and now old dog Andy was in such good hands and are happy to have him home safely again.
Tuesday August 3 Beijing
Today, after breakfast, we head by bus to the hutong district in Beijing where we take a rickshaw tour of the neighborhood after a brief introduction by our guide for this portion of the trip named Grace. She is a young, single woman who moved to Beijing with 11 of her friends from another part of China - can't remember which - after completing university 2 summers ago. They all thought it would be easy to get jobs, but it has not been so and only 3 of the 12 young women remain here now. Hutong means "water well" in Mongolian, but now refers to the narrow streets in this part of Beijing first settled when the Mongolians came here in the Yuan Dynasty. Rebuilt in 1420 in the Ming Dynasty and prominent in way of life through the Ming and Qing Dynasties. This is the biggest hutong area in Beijing and the one with the Drum and Bell Towers. Because people didn't have clocks, the bell would be rung at dawn and the drum would signal dusk in the evening. These towers are at opposite ends of a small square in this district along what is referred to as the "dragon line" in which the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square are on the same imaginary line in keeping with feng shui. This is considered for good luck and friendship, Grace describes. Some of the gates (- like large doors) to courtyards remain in this hutong neighborhood; they were like faces in old Beijing in that the number of beams above the large, gated doors reflected the wealth of a family. Typically, an arranged marriage would be between 2 persons with an equal number of beams. However, if a boy was from a family of 4 beams and a girl from a family with only 2, she could only be one of his concubines. (The whole concubine culture sounds horrendous, but certainly weighs heavily in Chinese history). The only person to have 12 beams over the gate would be the emperor. Grace told us the Chinese folktale of the butterfly lovers, one that we've heard several times by guides during this trip so it must be popular. The guides have each told us that it is the Romeo and Juliet story of China. Stone figures of a lion couple traditionally stand outside of the entrance of homes. If there is a carving of a drum under the lion's paw, that symbolizes that an official resides there. If there is a carving of a book under the lion's paw, that means that a scholar lives there. Homes in the hutong district would be divided into 3 areas, the front yard being the living area, the middle yard being for the parents and boys while the backyard would be reserved for girls in the family. Thresholds at the gate were considered to cast off evil spirits or ghosts. Was considered important to step over the threshold without disturbing it. When the last emperor was young, his aunt allowed for the thresholds to be cut so that he could ride his bike around unencumbered, and, sure enough, Grace explains, he became the last emperor. Grace also described the tradition of footbinding: Legend has it that this custom was started by an emperor in the Tang Dynasty who was intrigued with a concubine who could dance like a fox with her small feet in his hand, but I'm not sure I heard Grace clearly. Sounds bizarre. At any rate, the custom was outlawed by Dr. Sun Yatsen in 1911 though it continued for longer until finally stopped in 1949. Grace says there are still some very elderly women alive in their 90s whose feet were bound when they were young.
We climb into rickshaws (- the ones that are tricycles, not carried... Thankfully, that kind of servitude is not employed anymore) to take a tour of the hutong neighborhood. The streets are very narrow with small alleys off of them. The roofs are the traditional old tile atop the one story homes. The general area looks very dilapidated and the people mostly older though there are some children sitting along the street too outside of doorways several of whom are drawing pictures in workbooks. Some of them - mostly men - are gathered in places along the way. Anna and I are sharing a rickshaw and pass the camera back and forth between us. We catch a photo of a cart full of green vegetables. We see a young woman who I suppose is a new mother because of a babe that appears to be a newborn swaddled in her arms and it looks like she is carrying a booklet of some sort. Up the street, after an imposing looking humvee with guards inside drives by, we spot two women in long, white medical coats - one with a stethoscope hung around her neck and the other with a surgical cap on her head so we must be near a community medical facility perhaps? When we left the area where the rickshaws were lined up with many of the drivers asleep in theirs, we were about the only ones taking a tour this way, but when we come back to our starting point, it appears that there are lots of tourists being driven around in them.
We then walk a little ways away and down a small alley and into Mr. and Mrs. Shen's home (- am not sure that I got their name correctly...) where we are to enjoy a homemade lunch "with a local family". We are invited to look at their myna bird who is in a large bird cage hanging in their courtyard. Mr. Shen is not home, and Mrs. Shen is cutting up vegetables to prepare our lunch. The rooms in their home each open to the small courtyard but, except for the middle room which adjoins the dining area, not to one another, so one has to go outside, it appears, to go from one room to another. The room farthest back appears to be their bedroom with a double sized bed in it that takes up most of the space. It is open to the courtyard, and I don't see a French doors there though there must be some sort of a sliding door perhaps? To shield them from the elements, I would imagine. The middle room is about the same size as the bedroom and looks like it can be used for multiple purposes, probably like a family or living room. There is a large open ginger jar with water and several koi fish swimming around in it there. A small net rests on one rim of the large bowl, and it looks like a small hose goes into the water from the back of the bowl, too. Her pet crickets are noisily making a racket in their small 2 level cricket cage; they are fed strips of carrots. We are invited to sit down at their round table with stools around it, and then served lunch. Mrs. Shen does not join us as she is preparing dish after dish and bringing it to the table for us to eat. It's all delicious, but we're disappointed that she's not joining us though she does sit down after we've finished in order to visit. Grace interprets for us. Mrs. Shen tells us that she and her husband have been married for 30 years and have one son who married last year. She points to a photo on the wall of her and her husband all dressed up in Chinese traditional attire, describing that the photo was taken at her son's wedding. When she and her husband were married, typically, there were no wedding celebrations. We give Mrs. Shen a packet of Anna's notecards with her art work on the fronts as a thank you gift and take a photo of Mrs. Shen and Anna together. During our lunch, Mrs. Shen's brother-in-law has arrived to assist us in making some kites after lunch. We are invited to sit around a small table that has been pulled out for us and he proceeds to take out some white paper squares and strips of dried bamboo for the crosspieces of our kites. He then takes out some color markers for each of us to make a design on our kite which is fun before we each tape a paper tail to one corner of our kites. We also give him a packet of Anna's notecards and take a photo of him with Anna. As we are leaving the Shens' courtyard, another set of tourists has come into the courtyard. I hope she doesn't have to prepare another lunch! This has been a lovely opportunity and a bit of a welcome departure from the typical tour. I sure hope that these folks as well as the rickshaw drivers are doing a booming business and making good money off of all the tourists, including us!
Note: Our travel agency, Lotus Travel, has made all of our arrangements including this visit to the Shens' hone. Also, along our travels, they have provided a variety of gifts, via the guides, for Anna and Becky to welcome them back to their homeland.
Back on the bus, we head for our final tour of the trip, that of visiting the Summer Palace. The grounds are beautiful and meander around the large Kumming Lake. Gail pointed out that this is more of what she expected the Forbidden City to look like. We take a water taxi over to the other side of the lake to continue the tour. One of the hallmarks here is the Marble Boat that the Empress Dowager Cixi had built in 1888 with money that was supposed to go to developing a modern navy. The Marble Boat is immobile and it looks like it's fallen into bad repair compared to the grounds and other structures. Maybe the Chinese officials have decided not to sink anymore money into it. The Empress Dowager Cixi was really worse than Cruella da Ville, from everything I can gather. Sunny describes that she only cared about power, pleasure, and luxury. Her living quarters at the Summer Palace were entitled the Hall of Happiness and Longevity. 3 bronze figures sit outside next to that building: A crane symbolizing harmony, a deer symbolizing fortune, and a vase symbolizing peace. We walk down the Longest Corridor with a series of a multitude of paintings that depict Chinese stories. On our way out, predictably, there are souvenir shops and hawkers all about. One kiosk is selling all variety of items including a t-shirt we've seen a bunch of times now with a likeness of our President Obama on the front in a Mao get-up including cap that reads "Obamao". Interestingly, Sunny thinks this reflects that Chinese people can make fun of other people's presidents but not their own.
One final stop is at a park where we fly kites that Anna and Becky have been given by Lotus Travel in an empty concrete stadium in the round. Not much wind but enough to put the kites in the air for a bit.
Back at the hotel, Richard, Anna, Gail, and I decide to make an excursion to Silk Street to look for the one thing Anne had hoped to find that she has not seen at all, that of round silk pillow covers that used to be sold practically everywhere. This will give us a chance to see what the subway system is like if we visit Half the Sky tomorrow morning and to see another part of Beijing. The subway system is clean and fairly easy to use, but the cars are packed with people. We have to make one change to get to our stop. At one place, Richard is assisted in getting into a subway car by someone giving him a big push from behind! We emerge from our stop into a shopping area but can't find what we're looking for so we cross the street to go into a huge building which has a sign that reads "Silk Market". Once inside, the whole thing overwhelms me, but Richard, Gail, and Anna find and make the selections. We exit the building and go around to the side to a little coffee shop to have supper at a table outside. Richard and Gail order beef and chicken curry while Anne and Anna opt for cokes and to share a piece of chocolate cake. Yes, nutrition at its best. There are several older women on the street collecting cans and selling socks, one of whom has a child with her. Anna wants to be sure that I give my can to one of them though I apparently give it to another woman than Anna had intended, alas. This looks like an area that is more metropolitan with a mixture of Chinese and foreigners walking along the streets, lots of traffic, and large, modern buildings all around. Once done, we reverse the process in terms of taking the subway back to near our hotel and walking the rest of the way. This was the way we spent our final evening in China on this trip!
We climb into rickshaws (- the ones that are tricycles, not carried... Thankfully, that kind of servitude is not employed anymore) to take a tour of the hutong neighborhood. The streets are very narrow with small alleys off of them. The roofs are the traditional old tile atop the one story homes. The general area looks very dilapidated and the people mostly older though there are some children sitting along the street too outside of doorways several of whom are drawing pictures in workbooks. Some of them - mostly men - are gathered in places along the way. Anna and I are sharing a rickshaw and pass the camera back and forth between us. We catch a photo of a cart full of green vegetables. We see a young woman who I suppose is a new mother because of a babe that appears to be a newborn swaddled in her arms and it looks like she is carrying a booklet of some sort. Up the street, after an imposing looking humvee with guards inside drives by, we spot two women in long, white medical coats - one with a stethoscope hung around her neck and the other with a surgical cap on her head so we must be near a community medical facility perhaps? When we left the area where the rickshaws were lined up with many of the drivers asleep in theirs, we were about the only ones taking a tour this way, but when we come back to our starting point, it appears that there are lots of tourists being driven around in them.
We then walk a little ways away and down a small alley and into Mr. and Mrs. Shen's home (- am not sure that I got their name correctly...) where we are to enjoy a homemade lunch "with a local family". We are invited to look at their myna bird who is in a large bird cage hanging in their courtyard. Mr. Shen is not home, and Mrs. Shen is cutting up vegetables to prepare our lunch. The rooms in their home each open to the small courtyard but, except for the middle room which adjoins the dining area, not to one another, so one has to go outside, it appears, to go from one room to another. The room farthest back appears to be their bedroom with a double sized bed in it that takes up most of the space. It is open to the courtyard, and I don't see a French doors there though there must be some sort of a sliding door perhaps? To shield them from the elements, I would imagine. The middle room is about the same size as the bedroom and looks like it can be used for multiple purposes, probably like a family or living room. There is a large open ginger jar with water and several koi fish swimming around in it there. A small net rests on one rim of the large bowl, and it looks like a small hose goes into the water from the back of the bowl, too. Her pet crickets are noisily making a racket in their small 2 level cricket cage; they are fed strips of carrots. We are invited to sit down at their round table with stools around it, and then served lunch. Mrs. Shen does not join us as she is preparing dish after dish and bringing it to the table for us to eat. It's all delicious, but we're disappointed that she's not joining us though she does sit down after we've finished in order to visit. Grace interprets for us. Mrs. Shen tells us that she and her husband have been married for 30 years and have one son who married last year. She points to a photo on the wall of her and her husband all dressed up in Chinese traditional attire, describing that the photo was taken at her son's wedding. When she and her husband were married, typically, there were no wedding celebrations. We give Mrs. Shen a packet of Anna's notecards with her art work on the fronts as a thank you gift and take a photo of Mrs. Shen and Anna together. During our lunch, Mrs. Shen's brother-in-law has arrived to assist us in making some kites after lunch. We are invited to sit around a small table that has been pulled out for us and he proceeds to take out some white paper squares and strips of dried bamboo for the crosspieces of our kites. He then takes out some color markers for each of us to make a design on our kite which is fun before we each tape a paper tail to one corner of our kites. We also give him a packet of Anna's notecards and take a photo of him with Anna. As we are leaving the Shens' courtyard, another set of tourists has come into the courtyard. I hope she doesn't have to prepare another lunch! This has been a lovely opportunity and a bit of a welcome departure from the typical tour. I sure hope that these folks as well as the rickshaw drivers are doing a booming business and making good money off of all the tourists, including us!
Note: Our travel agency, Lotus Travel, has made all of our arrangements including this visit to the Shens' hone. Also, along our travels, they have provided a variety of gifts, via the guides, for Anna and Becky to welcome them back to their homeland.
Back on the bus, we head for our final tour of the trip, that of visiting the Summer Palace. The grounds are beautiful and meander around the large Kumming Lake. Gail pointed out that this is more of what she expected the Forbidden City to look like. We take a water taxi over to the other side of the lake to continue the tour. One of the hallmarks here is the Marble Boat that the Empress Dowager Cixi had built in 1888 with money that was supposed to go to developing a modern navy. The Marble Boat is immobile and it looks like it's fallen into bad repair compared to the grounds and other structures. Maybe the Chinese officials have decided not to sink anymore money into it. The Empress Dowager Cixi was really worse than Cruella da Ville, from everything I can gather. Sunny describes that she only cared about power, pleasure, and luxury. Her living quarters at the Summer Palace were entitled the Hall of Happiness and Longevity. 3 bronze figures sit outside next to that building: A crane symbolizing harmony, a deer symbolizing fortune, and a vase symbolizing peace. We walk down the Longest Corridor with a series of a multitude of paintings that depict Chinese stories. On our way out, predictably, there are souvenir shops and hawkers all about. One kiosk is selling all variety of items including a t-shirt we've seen a bunch of times now with a likeness of our President Obama on the front in a Mao get-up including cap that reads "Obamao". Interestingly, Sunny thinks this reflects that Chinese people can make fun of other people's presidents but not their own.
One final stop is at a park where we fly kites that Anna and Becky have been given by Lotus Travel in an empty concrete stadium in the round. Not much wind but enough to put the kites in the air for a bit.
Back at the hotel, Richard, Anna, Gail, and I decide to make an excursion to Silk Street to look for the one thing Anne had hoped to find that she has not seen at all, that of round silk pillow covers that used to be sold practically everywhere. This will give us a chance to see what the subway system is like if we visit Half the Sky tomorrow morning and to see another part of Beijing. The subway system is clean and fairly easy to use, but the cars are packed with people. We have to make one change to get to our stop. At one place, Richard is assisted in getting into a subway car by someone giving him a big push from behind! We emerge from our stop into a shopping area but can't find what we're looking for so we cross the street to go into a huge building which has a sign that reads "Silk Market". Once inside, the whole thing overwhelms me, but Richard, Gail, and Anna find and make the selections. We exit the building and go around to the side to a little coffee shop to have supper at a table outside. Richard and Gail order beef and chicken curry while Anne and Anna opt for cokes and to share a piece of chocolate cake. Yes, nutrition at its best. There are several older women on the street collecting cans and selling socks, one of whom has a child with her. Anna wants to be sure that I give my can to one of them though I apparently give it to another woman than Anna had intended, alas. This looks like an area that is more metropolitan with a mixture of Chinese and foreigners walking along the streets, lots of traffic, and large, modern buildings all around. Once done, we reverse the process in terms of taking the subway back to near our hotel and walking the rest of the way. This was the way we spent our final evening in China on this trip!
Monday August 2 Beijing
After breakfast, we climb aboard the bus to head to the Olympic Village complex of the Beijing Olympics 2008. This stop was not on the itinerary but, after all, I find that I'm glad that this was included. It covers an area quite a bit larger than I had imagined, but a lot of it isn't in use just now though the "water cube" will be open to the public beginning next year some time, Sunny says. Four buildings next to one another have been designed to look like a dragon from afar which is pretty impressive. The Olympic music from the 2008 event is being played for everyone to hear. An amusement park is planned for the area also. Farmers were moved out of the area to make way for this whole complex. (Note to myself: If Annapolis ever tries to vie for hosting the Olympic Games, be sure to get Historic Annapolis Foundation involved and begin to protest right away since an Olympic Village would obliterate the town). During the Oympics, Beijing was pretty deserted because some driving restrictions were imposed and the government paid some people to stay away. We don't go inside the Bird's Nest stadium since it would cost 40yuan per person to do so, but we walk around. The Olympic Village's location is in keeping with feng shui so there is a manmade river next to the stadium. As we approach a small bridge to look more closely at the lotus flowers and plants in the river, we notice a small rowboat on the water with an older woman rowing while a young man is clearly refilling empty plastic water bottles with water from the river. About 10 persons in pink shirts that look like a uniform are on and around the bridge standing around. One young man tries several times to stand directly in front of me, but I move to his side at the railing of the bridge each time to watch the refilling of the bottles while Richard pulls out his movie camera to record the refilling. Don't really know what their intention was with refilling the water bottles, but the young man's attempts to shield me from the sight are enough to raise our suspicions that someone will try to resell this water to an unsuspecting person. Ugh. We have new reason to be cautious about checking to make sure that the water we buy is from a vendor and has is properly capped.
Also while in the area, a group of children with the adults with them ask to have their photo taken with our group. We learn that they are from Hebei, the province that is adjacent to the municipality of Beijing.
Next stop, the Great Wall, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, about an hour and a half away, the later part of the trip on two lane roads. In a word, great. The photos will do a better job of telling about this visit than my words can. My notes here should include a few comments though. We enter the Great Wall at the Mutianyu entrance where we take the cable car up to some flights of steps up to the path of the Great Wall. Of course, there are an ample number of hawkers en route up to the cable car so we can expect to find our "I climbed the Great Wall" T-shirts pretty easily on the way down. When we were last here with James and Ross, we came in at a different entrance, and I think we saw the Ming tombs afterwards. The steps are uneven and there are no railings in some places so we step carefully. The views of the mountains in the distance are gorgeous. At one point, Anna looks over the wall near a Coca Cola kiosk and sees a donkey! We figure that the donkey likely assists with the carrying of Coca Colas to the Great Wall. This is a far cry from the beginnings of the Great Wall back in 220 BC by the first emperor Qin Shi Huang. (Additional note: The Qin Dynasty is credited with the development of Chinese currency, written language, and measurements). The Mongolians took over thereafter and moved the capital to Beijing. Conflict between those in the north and the south continued through the ages so construction of the wall continued for about 200 years. 2 million soldiers at a time continued to work on building the wall during the Ming Dynasty, some of them losing their lives in the treacherous process. The Great Wall can be seen from space, thanks to those builders. Some think that the Great Wall is in the shape of a dragon.
After obliging the hawkers and our impulses to buy (- always wondering "if we will see this again"...), we head to the bus which next takes us to the Flying Acrobats' performance at the Chaoyang Theatre which is nothing short of phenomenal in terms of the performances, choreography, lighting, scenery, costumes, music. I pulled out my IPad during the intermssion which was a big hit with the young children around me.
Out to dinner afterwards in a local restaurant followed by being bused back to the hotel for the night.
Also while in the area, a group of children with the adults with them ask to have their photo taken with our group. We learn that they are from Hebei, the province that is adjacent to the municipality of Beijing.
Next stop, the Great Wall, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, about an hour and a half away, the later part of the trip on two lane roads. In a word, great. The photos will do a better job of telling about this visit than my words can. My notes here should include a few comments though. We enter the Great Wall at the Mutianyu entrance where we take the cable car up to some flights of steps up to the path of the Great Wall. Of course, there are an ample number of hawkers en route up to the cable car so we can expect to find our "I climbed the Great Wall" T-shirts pretty easily on the way down. When we were last here with James and Ross, we came in at a different entrance, and I think we saw the Ming tombs afterwards. The steps are uneven and there are no railings in some places so we step carefully. The views of the mountains in the distance are gorgeous. At one point, Anna looks over the wall near a Coca Cola kiosk and sees a donkey! We figure that the donkey likely assists with the carrying of Coca Colas to the Great Wall. This is a far cry from the beginnings of the Great Wall back in 220 BC by the first emperor Qin Shi Huang. (Additional note: The Qin Dynasty is credited with the development of Chinese currency, written language, and measurements). The Mongolians took over thereafter and moved the capital to Beijing. Conflict between those in the north and the south continued through the ages so construction of the wall continued for about 200 years. 2 million soldiers at a time continued to work on building the wall during the Ming Dynasty, some of them losing their lives in the treacherous process. The Great Wall can be seen from space, thanks to those builders. Some think that the Great Wall is in the shape of a dragon.
After obliging the hawkers and our impulses to buy (- always wondering "if we will see this again"...), we head to the bus which next takes us to the Flying Acrobats' performance at the Chaoyang Theatre which is nothing short of phenomenal in terms of the performances, choreography, lighting, scenery, costumes, music. I pulled out my IPad during the intermssion which was a big hit with the young children around me.
Out to dinner afterwards in a local restaurant followed by being bused back to the hotel for the night.
Sunday August 1 Beijing
Well, we've clearly been spoiled in these fancy hotels because the one we're in now seems a bit worn and we notice. We're a bit surprised since this is a Japanese Airlines hotel. Once again, we've been told that there is "free Internet" but that does not appear to be the case at all. I mistakenly thought that we would have the most capability of being wired here of all the places we've been in China. It is possible but at a very high price. The breakfast buffet is satisfactory though the selection is a bit less than in our previous hotels. Probably a good way to ease back into a typical breakfast at home! (Addendum: In spite of the literature to the contrary, we are, in fact, not charged for the internet so the word that we got when we checked in that the Internet is free was correct after all).
Sunny, our guide, and our bus driver, Mr. Han, take us to the Forbidden City for a tour by Sunny that begins at the north gate and ends at the south gate where we emerge at the edge of Tiananmen Square. Sunny tells us that the Forbidden City is also referred to as the purple Forbidden City, because the color purple refers to the North Star and symbolizes Heaven. The Emperor would be seen as the son of heaven. The official word is that the Forbidden City has 999 and a half rooms, 9 being a lucky number, but there are actually 8074 rooms. Lucky numbers seem to figure into lots of beliefs in China and thus into their buildings such as there being 81 golden nails in the Emperor's Gate for 9x9, of course. The Forbidden City has been home to a total of 24 emperors in the Ming and Qing Dynasties: 14 in the Ming; 10 in the Qing. The Forbidden City was built in 1420 by about a million laborers. The foundation is 15 layers thick of stone to prevent anyone from tunneling in. The last emperor, Puyi, wrote a book entitled From Emperor to Citizen (- would underline that since it's a book title but don't know how to do that on this machine...) describing how he became successfully reformed from being an emperor to that of a common citizen, Sunny tells us. (We have that book at home. Richard read it after our last trip here in 1995. Blatant propaganda, Richard adds.) The last emperor died in Beijing in 1965 at the age of 57 of kidney cancer. Early on he had been a prisoner first in Russia and then in China before being "reeducated". He married a nurse. They had no children but he raised a nephew who is now a famous calligrapher.
In keeping with feng shui, a mountain should be behind a home with water in front of it so there is a manmade hill behind the Forbidden City with a manmade river in front of it. We first go through a garden area in which trees that are tagged red are 400 years old and those tagged green are just 200 years old. The rocks in the garden are from Taihu Lake, 1000km away; having rocks hauled to the palace from that distance would show the power of the emperor. That is the last garden we see in the Forbidden City. Sunny explains that the rest of the area was kept sparse in terms of any type of vegetation in order to maintain an aura of seriousness and protect the emperor from those who might ambush him using vegetation for cover. Trees that were present were brought down in 1530 due to such an attempt. The open areas of the Forbidden City now look neglected due to lots of grass growing up between the slabs of stone. On the flip side, the Forbidden City buildings sure have great paint jobs! Sunny explains that renovations were undertaken in 1990 including painting in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, using 18 carat gold paint. The colors of red, blue, green are vibrant and so characteristic of colors used on buildings throughout China. Another characteristic feature outside buildings is the use of the lions - female on one side with one paw on a baby lion and male on the other with his paw on a globe of the world. Finally, the animals on the corners of the roofs in China ward off evil spirits and also show the importance of the building, also keeping the tiles from sliding off, Sunny explains. The emperor's throne looks more like a sofa; it's apparently a Chinese sofa. There are 4 Chinese characters above the throne that read "Justice" on one side and "Benevolence" on the other. The 2 carved dragons on the ceiling were believed to be able to discern an imposter from the real emperor and come down if an imposter ever tried to seat himself on the throne. Reportedly, this never happened.
The names of the various offices sound very imposing but, for the life of me, I can't recall the purposes of each. Besides, my guidebook gives me different information than Sunny, too, so I'll just jot down the names of the buildings and you can decide what sorts of activities might have occurred there: Hall of Mental Cultivation, Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Middle Harmony, and Hall of Preserving Harmony, the latter of which was where imperial exams were given.
Put it this way: Even if I was an empress, I wouldn't want to live here. Too much upkeep, too austere, and too many crowds. I would, however, like to hire the painters they use.
We emerge from the tunnel that goes under the road from the Forbidden City to Tiananmen Square with the Gate of Heavenly Peace, with a giant portrait of Mao hung in the center, at our back. It was one of the gates to the Forbidden City in earlier times. In Chinese characters on the left, it says "Long Live the People's Republic of China" and to the right, it says "Long Live the Unity of the Peoples of the World". in front of us lies the huge, open square with the Great Hall of the People where elections are held every 5 years by the National People's Congress to our right, the National Museum (that Sunny tells us is "closed" today) to our left, and the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall where Mao's body is entombed, in front of us at the other end of the square. In about the center of the square stands the Monument to the People's Heroes. The big star on the national flag of China stands for Communism while the four small stars stand for soldiers, farmers, technicians, and children. Sunny explains that farmers used to make up 60 or 70% of the population while only 30 to 40% do now due to the fact that more younger folks are attending universities than used to be the case. He tells us too that two other squares in the world that are comparatively large are Red Square and Trafalgar Square. We ask him whether he has seen photos of the mall area near the Capital in Washington, DC, but he has not. Interesting. Sadly, no kites are allowed on Tiananmen Square anymore. We walk out into the center of the square to get a sense of what it's like compared to the families packing the square with lots of kites in the air in 1995 when we were here with James and Ross and the Knoizens and the rest of our group: Family groups are milling about or enjoying picnics, but it is not at all crowded. A Chinese mother and her daughter approach Gail to ask to have a photo taken together. (Will be a sweet photo). We also remember that, in 1995, guards seemed to be present in many places and were armed, but on this visit, we haven't seen as many and the ones we do see, in Tiananmen Square, for example, appear to be very young - maybe 15 or 16yo? - and are not armed.
We board the bus again to go to our next destination, that of the Temple of Heaven where we walk through a beautiful park and end up watching a group of mostly older singles and couples ballroom dancing to music from an amplifier. In another part of the park, we hear some singing and move closer to listen to older retirees singing songs from a Chinese songbook. The songs sound like military music. Sunny explains that retirees gather frequently to dance or sing. He relates that one of the songs is about the cypress tree, another about a man in prison during the Cultural Revolution who later became a teacher - Sunny describes this as a. "tragic" situation, and others are army songs. He says that younger people in China cannot relate to the retirees' music. Men retire from the government at 60yo while women retire at 50yo; both men and women receive pensions. Other workers retire at 55yo (men) and 45yo (women) with a smaller pension while farmers receive no pension at all. Medical insurance covers everyone for about 90% of their needs. The summer holiday period is 2 months long while the winter holiday period is 2 months long also.
Something about Sunny: Like other tour guides, he has chosen his own English name for himself to use for work.
One family/one child policy comments: This topic is a recurring one. Difficult to get a handle on it actually, but sounds to me like those who are wealthier than others can have more children is they can afford to. There are rules and there are other rules. In the case of divorce, can have another child. Also, those who are in minority groups may have more than one child.
Back to the Temple of Heaven: Used for animal sacrifices during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Thresholds were raised. The higher the stature of the person in the residence, the higher the threshold. The central entrance up the steps to the Temple of Heaven was reserved for God while the east entrance was for the Emperor, considered to be the son of Heaven, and the west entrance for family members and high ranking officials.
Back on the bus we go to go back to the hotel. Richard, Gail, Anna, and I walk to a Chinese restaurant - all Chinese characters, pictures on the menu, the second business in to the left from the mint building - for an enjoyable time figuring out what to order with the assistance of my IPad and Anna correcting my attempts to speak Chinese. Anna's pronunciation, I must say, sounds pretty fine, and the waitresses understand Anna when she tries to correct me! I'm getting more comfortable in trying out what I've learned since it doesn't appear that anyone feels offended by my ill attempts. The waitresses are intrigued with my IPad. They bring us "porridge" on the house (which we don't like too much but politely have) and the dishes that we order. We have ordered a bit too much food (since we couldn't figure out how much to order), but it's all delicious and the bill comes to about $20US. During our meal, a mother and daughter who is about 7yo arrive and sit down at the next table. Feeling a bit more confident in my language efforts and being enticed by Anna, I say "Ta shi Piao liang" for "She is pretty", and the young girl replies in perfect English, "Thank you". We laugh all the way back to the hotel. Another fine day.
Sunny, our guide, and our bus driver, Mr. Han, take us to the Forbidden City for a tour by Sunny that begins at the north gate and ends at the south gate where we emerge at the edge of Tiananmen Square. Sunny tells us that the Forbidden City is also referred to as the purple Forbidden City, because the color purple refers to the North Star and symbolizes Heaven. The Emperor would be seen as the son of heaven. The official word is that the Forbidden City has 999 and a half rooms, 9 being a lucky number, but there are actually 8074 rooms. Lucky numbers seem to figure into lots of beliefs in China and thus into their buildings such as there being 81 golden nails in the Emperor's Gate for 9x9, of course. The Forbidden City has been home to a total of 24 emperors in the Ming and Qing Dynasties: 14 in the Ming; 10 in the Qing. The Forbidden City was built in 1420 by about a million laborers. The foundation is 15 layers thick of stone to prevent anyone from tunneling in. The last emperor, Puyi, wrote a book entitled From Emperor to Citizen (- would underline that since it's a book title but don't know how to do that on this machine...) describing how he became successfully reformed from being an emperor to that of a common citizen, Sunny tells us. (We have that book at home. Richard read it after our last trip here in 1995. Blatant propaganda, Richard adds.) The last emperor died in Beijing in 1965 at the age of 57 of kidney cancer. Early on he had been a prisoner first in Russia and then in China before being "reeducated". He married a nurse. They had no children but he raised a nephew who is now a famous calligrapher.
In keeping with feng shui, a mountain should be behind a home with water in front of it so there is a manmade hill behind the Forbidden City with a manmade river in front of it. We first go through a garden area in which trees that are tagged red are 400 years old and those tagged green are just 200 years old. The rocks in the garden are from Taihu Lake, 1000km away; having rocks hauled to the palace from that distance would show the power of the emperor. That is the last garden we see in the Forbidden City. Sunny explains that the rest of the area was kept sparse in terms of any type of vegetation in order to maintain an aura of seriousness and protect the emperor from those who might ambush him using vegetation for cover. Trees that were present were brought down in 1530 due to such an attempt. The open areas of the Forbidden City now look neglected due to lots of grass growing up between the slabs of stone. On the flip side, the Forbidden City buildings sure have great paint jobs! Sunny explains that renovations were undertaken in 1990 including painting in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, using 18 carat gold paint. The colors of red, blue, green are vibrant and so characteristic of colors used on buildings throughout China. Another characteristic feature outside buildings is the use of the lions - female on one side with one paw on a baby lion and male on the other with his paw on a globe of the world. Finally, the animals on the corners of the roofs in China ward off evil spirits and also show the importance of the building, also keeping the tiles from sliding off, Sunny explains. The emperor's throne looks more like a sofa; it's apparently a Chinese sofa. There are 4 Chinese characters above the throne that read "Justice" on one side and "Benevolence" on the other. The 2 carved dragons on the ceiling were believed to be able to discern an imposter from the real emperor and come down if an imposter ever tried to seat himself on the throne. Reportedly, this never happened.
The names of the various offices sound very imposing but, for the life of me, I can't recall the purposes of each. Besides, my guidebook gives me different information than Sunny, too, so I'll just jot down the names of the buildings and you can decide what sorts of activities might have occurred there: Hall of Mental Cultivation, Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Middle Harmony, and Hall of Preserving Harmony, the latter of which was where imperial exams were given.
Put it this way: Even if I was an empress, I wouldn't want to live here. Too much upkeep, too austere, and too many crowds. I would, however, like to hire the painters they use.
We emerge from the tunnel that goes under the road from the Forbidden City to Tiananmen Square with the Gate of Heavenly Peace, with a giant portrait of Mao hung in the center, at our back. It was one of the gates to the Forbidden City in earlier times. In Chinese characters on the left, it says "Long Live the People's Republic of China" and to the right, it says "Long Live the Unity of the Peoples of the World". in front of us lies the huge, open square with the Great Hall of the People where elections are held every 5 years by the National People's Congress to our right, the National Museum (that Sunny tells us is "closed" today) to our left, and the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall where Mao's body is entombed, in front of us at the other end of the square. In about the center of the square stands the Monument to the People's Heroes. The big star on the national flag of China stands for Communism while the four small stars stand for soldiers, farmers, technicians, and children. Sunny explains that farmers used to make up 60 or 70% of the population while only 30 to 40% do now due to the fact that more younger folks are attending universities than used to be the case. He tells us too that two other squares in the world that are comparatively large are Red Square and Trafalgar Square. We ask him whether he has seen photos of the mall area near the Capital in Washington, DC, but he has not. Interesting. Sadly, no kites are allowed on Tiananmen Square anymore. We walk out into the center of the square to get a sense of what it's like compared to the families packing the square with lots of kites in the air in 1995 when we were here with James and Ross and the Knoizens and the rest of our group: Family groups are milling about or enjoying picnics, but it is not at all crowded. A Chinese mother and her daughter approach Gail to ask to have a photo taken together. (Will be a sweet photo). We also remember that, in 1995, guards seemed to be present in many places and were armed, but on this visit, we haven't seen as many and the ones we do see, in Tiananmen Square, for example, appear to be very young - maybe 15 or 16yo? - and are not armed.
We board the bus again to go to our next destination, that of the Temple of Heaven where we walk through a beautiful park and end up watching a group of mostly older singles and couples ballroom dancing to music from an amplifier. In another part of the park, we hear some singing and move closer to listen to older retirees singing songs from a Chinese songbook. The songs sound like military music. Sunny explains that retirees gather frequently to dance or sing. He relates that one of the songs is about the cypress tree, another about a man in prison during the Cultural Revolution who later became a teacher - Sunny describes this as a. "tragic" situation, and others are army songs. He says that younger people in China cannot relate to the retirees' music. Men retire from the government at 60yo while women retire at 50yo; both men and women receive pensions. Other workers retire at 55yo (men) and 45yo (women) with a smaller pension while farmers receive no pension at all. Medical insurance covers everyone for about 90% of their needs. The summer holiday period is 2 months long while the winter holiday period is 2 months long also.
Something about Sunny: Like other tour guides, he has chosen his own English name for himself to use for work.
One family/one child policy comments: This topic is a recurring one. Difficult to get a handle on it actually, but sounds to me like those who are wealthier than others can have more children is they can afford to. There are rules and there are other rules. In the case of divorce, can have another child. Also, those who are in minority groups may have more than one child.
Back to the Temple of Heaven: Used for animal sacrifices during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Thresholds were raised. The higher the stature of the person in the residence, the higher the threshold. The central entrance up the steps to the Temple of Heaven was reserved for God while the east entrance was for the Emperor, considered to be the son of Heaven, and the west entrance for family members and high ranking officials.
Back on the bus we go to go back to the hotel. Richard, Gail, Anna, and I walk to a Chinese restaurant - all Chinese characters, pictures on the menu, the second business in to the left from the mint building - for an enjoyable time figuring out what to order with the assistance of my IPad and Anna correcting my attempts to speak Chinese. Anna's pronunciation, I must say, sounds pretty fine, and the waitresses understand Anna when she tries to correct me! I'm getting more comfortable in trying out what I've learned since it doesn't appear that anyone feels offended by my ill attempts. The waitresses are intrigued with my IPad. They bring us "porridge" on the house (which we don't like too much but politely have) and the dishes that we order. We have ordered a bit too much food (since we couldn't figure out how much to order), but it's all delicious and the bill comes to about $20US. During our meal, a mother and daughter who is about 7yo arrive and sit down at the next table. Feeling a bit more confident in my language efforts and being enticed by Anna, I say "Ta shi Piao liang" for "She is pretty", and the young girl replies in perfect English, "Thank you". We laugh all the way back to the hotel. Another fine day.
Saturday July 31 Xian to Beijing
Packing for the last part of our journey in Beijing and the breakfast buffet herald the day. Then we're off by bus to the south gate of the old city wall in Xian in order to ride bikes around it, but we are first ushered to a room where a man gives us a short talk about feng shui, followed by an "invitation" to see some jade after telling us how "lucky" we are to be here today since they're only open about 6 days a month. (Really?). I notice from the corner of my eye that our guide has been ushered up a different stairway while we are taken up a set of stairs to a small showroom where we are shown jade pieces. I'm feeling irritated that this "opportunity" has been thrust upon us again when it has not been mentioned and we did not indicate interest in this. We were very clear about our intention to ride bikes on the city wall this morning. At any rate, we exit as expeditiously and politely as we can without buying a thing. We make our way up to the area where we rent bikes to ride around the city wall. The bikes look pretty worn, but we hope they're in decent enough shape to set off and get around. Probably goes without saying but there are no helmets. The city wall was constructed during the Ming Dynasty in 1370. The old part of the city is within the rectangle shaped perimeter of the wall. The perimeter is 14km while the height of the wall is 12 meters. There is a moat around the whole perimeter. It is oppressively hot but we are instantly delighted that we inserted this into our itinerary here. Beyond the starting point of our bike trip, it appears that we have the path ahead practically to ourselves. The width of the wall is about 20 feet, but that's a guess since we didn't measure it. We stop to take some photos along the way of the old part of the city inside the wall with special attention to the old rooflines as well as some photos of the juxtaposition of the wall in relation to the new high-rises outside of it. We also stop so that Richard can fix the chain of my bike which popped off as I rode through a pothole and adjust the seat on Gail's bike to make it a comfortable height. We stop briefly to watch a drumming group practice with two lines of soldiers costumed in attire from a previous century lined up perpendicularly to them while standing at attention. We move on with the wall ahead of us still to ourselves. No matter the heat, this is fun and a nice diversion from the typical tour. We ride through a series of large, nylon, inflated figures of tigers (- this is the "Year of the Tiger") and lotus flowers and other things and then we notice a large area inside the wall that appears to be rubble where whatever was there was demolished. Old homes? We make it back to our starting point after about an hour and a half, tired, hot, sweaty, but happy to have done this. We agree that this has clearly been a highlight of our time in Xian.
Later, we're even happier that we spent the morning riding bikes on the city wall after we arrive at the airport to fly to Beijing only to learn that the flight is delayed. A few more delays make for a late arrival in Beijing - about 9pm, but our guide "Sunny" is there to greet us along with our bus driver Mr. Han who transports us to the Nikko New Century Hotel where we will stay while we're in Beijing. We're tired and hungry so we head to the restaurant in the hotel to get something light to eat. Our waitress is from Yangzhou! Small world it is.
Later, we're even happier that we spent the morning riding bikes on the city wall after we arrive at the airport to fly to Beijing only to learn that the flight is delayed. A few more delays make for a late arrival in Beijing - about 9pm, but our guide "Sunny" is there to greet us along with our bus driver Mr. Han who transports us to the Nikko New Century Hotel where we will stay while we're in Beijing. We're tired and hungry so we head to the restaurant in the hotel to get something light to eat. Our waitress is from Yangzhou! Small world it is.
Friday July 30 Xian
By now a routine and savoring the luxury of it, we enjoy another breakfast buffet in the hotel before setting off in the mini bus with our guide Sean and bus driver Mr. Lee (or is it Mr. Li?). We are off first to the factory where reproductions of the terra cotta warriors are made in an authentic manner, compared to ones people can buy off the street, so we're told. (We're all getting more and more suspect of the quality of products, given the information we get and the manner in which we receive it. It seems that everywhere we land - "I give you best price". We were each interested in picking up some things for mementos and gifts but the lack of trust has erased that desire, so these "opportunities" are nothing but an uncomfortable ordeal). This time, however, we are pleasantly surprised to learn about what the process of the reproduction entails followed, in the next area, by watching the process of the polishing of lacquerware, putting designs on lacqueware, and painting the pieces. It is explained that the carvings that overlay the lacquerware begin as uncut flat pieces of jade over which a free hand pattern on a piece of paper is placed and the design is transferred onto the jade after which the design is cut by a very fine saw that resembles a bow. Then it is glued atop the lacquerware after which it is painted. The designs are so intricate. Most of the pieces are folding screens. We then choose a few items to buy which we actually want and about which there is no haggling, thank goodness.
On to the Terra Cotta Warriors' Museum where, in spite of the oppressive heat, we are captivated by the whole exhibit, considered by some to be the eighth wonder of the world. The written descriptions don't do justice to the magnitude of the entire spectacle. Qin Shi Huang (- his actual name was Ying Zheng, born in 259 BC), became the first emperor of China at age 13 years old in 247 BC. He is credited with unifying China, came up with the ideas of the Great Wall and the tomb for himself for his anticipated afterlife. It took a total of 38 years for 700,000 workers to build it, making the life-sized and larger than life-sized figures of sitting and standing archers, warriors/infantrymen, officers, generals, horses, cavalry, charioteers, and others such as members of the honor guard. The tomb was placed in this location presumably because it was considered to be advantageous to be between a mountain (Qin Ling Mountain Range there) and a river, one of the tributaries of the Yellow River. Excavation and research and reconstruction in the area have been in progress since the initial discovery of the tomb was made by a local farmer digging for a well in 1974. Apparently, the secret of the tomb had been maintained secondary to the workers building it being buried alive at it's completion. There remain areas that have not been excavated yet, including the remains of the emperor, his family members, and his slaves. Upon excavation, the paint on the figures disappears within a week or so due to oxidation? Some of the parts of the tombs were destroyed by invading forces not long after completion, it is believed, while other areas were plundered by local farmers in the years after the discovery of the tomb was made: Our guide told us that they removed the heads of the figures to sell. First, we visit Pit #1 containing the figures of the infantry with weapons in fighting formation facing east to protect the emperor behind them, then Pit #3, the smallest of the pits, which housed all of the 7 generals that were discovered as well as the honor guard - probably the headquarters of the generals and officers. Pit #2 is the final pit we visit and is in the shape of an "L", housing 4 different kinds of soldiers within including archers and charioteers that carried soldiers and weapons. A remarkable sight, the whole thing. And, by the way, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.
Xian was the capital for 6 dynasties including the Shang, Western Zhou, Qin - the first feudal empire, Han during which the silk road first started to go west from Xian, Sui, and Tang (1300 years ago) considered to be the golden age of the feudal kingdom before it's fall in 907 AD. The main commodities of the silk road included gunpowder, papermaking, silk, carpet, and printing. Xian is the capital of the Shaanxi province. (Shanxi province is adjacent to Shaanxi province. There are different ways to spell the names of these provinces in Pinyin since they have different tones, but the tones are not on any keys on the keyboard...). Before China became the Republic of China, our guide Sean tells us, Xian used to be a poor area, but is now thriving due to the following industries: airplane, textiles, electronics, scientific research including a center for satellites.
Based on what we've seen, Xian has exploded in growth compared to what we saw in 1995. When we visited the Terra Cotta Warrior exhibit in 1995, the access to it was a 2 lane road and the parking lot was unpaved. Now, there is a highway that goes there and the parking lots are enormous and paved. Additionally, there are a number of modern, high-rise buildings in Xian that have occluded the small streets with open storefronts in older buildings with typically Chinese rooflines. There is also a great amount of traffic congestion of cars, taxis, buses with many less bicycles. Our guide ascertains that development in China has occurred at a very fast pace, there is more money in China now than there ever used to be, and that government workers make the most money. A bit of a conversation ensued here about the government being made up of about 5% of the people and the reality of the lack of ease in becoming a government worker since there seem to be family connections from generation to generation. Our guide tells us that females hold more power now than years ago since there are more men now than women. This is the second guide that we have who has moved to his wife's hometown. He also affirms that the one family/one child rule is in effect in China. If rich, can have more. There seem to be slightly different understandings of that rule, depending on who one talks to... One of our guides who is in her early 50's has 5 siblings while the others thave no siblings. On the whole, it looks like girls and boys are both equally treasured now just by what we see in passing on the part of parents/grandparents.
We have lunch at the Qin Jin Tang Restaurant followed by a lesson from a chef in how to make jiao zi - Chinese pot stickers (which Anna has learned from Mrs. Haas prior to this so this is a bit of a review).
En route to the art museum, the passing views include small groups of men sitting in circles on small children sized chairs, an open front fish market with a variety of seafood placed on ice, and birds in cages hanging on tree branches in several places near small groups of people visiting with one another.
Next stop: Tang Dynasty Art Museum. Nice tour through farmers' paintings from 1950s followed by art work from 1960/70s that was used for propaganda during the Cultural Revolution, and then folk art of the 1980s. We also see art from the Han, Qin, Tang, and Qing Dynasties. While the girls are being instructed in a bit of calligraphy "wo ai ni" for "I love you", I learn from one of the art museum staff that there are four types of art in China: farmer (not learned in school but passed down from generation to generation), Chinese traditional (learned in school), modern, and oil.
We go back to the hotel to quickly get ready to go to a dinner theater and arrive at the theater later than our guide had wanted us to but, in fact, it looks like we are there in more than enough time to have a 4 course dinner before the show begins. The theater is not at all full and some of the other audience members seem to be westerners, so I surmise that this is a tourist attraction. The instrumental music is lovely and includes some musical instruments that are not used often anymore but I'm not sure which ones they are. The instruments in the ensemble include flute, erhu, what looks like a mandolin, and what looks like a zither, and what looks sort of like a banjo. (Remind me to check them out in our book at home about Chinese musical instruments). The show is made up of different kinds of dances including cloth dances. Some dances employ more ballet, some more gymnastic abilities, but the choreography doesn't look like it's from the Tang Dynasty era. The costumes are very glitzy and appear new but we also wonder if the styles are really authentic to the period of the Tang Dynasty. Hmmm... Nevertheless, it's been an enjoyable evening.
General note: We are left to wonder at more times than not what the guides are required to take us to no matter what - in particular, regarding the pressure to shop/buy - and if there are any sort of kickbacks involved... Also, the factors of time have seemed to shift inexplicably in Xian. We are told that it will take a certain amount of time to get somewhere, for example, when that is quite inaccurate. Traffic congestion explains part of this discrepancy but not all of it. I'm not sure that our guide understands a lot of English which also might be part of the problem in terms of our communication and understanding of one another.
On to the Terra Cotta Warriors' Museum where, in spite of the oppressive heat, we are captivated by the whole exhibit, considered by some to be the eighth wonder of the world. The written descriptions don't do justice to the magnitude of the entire spectacle. Qin Shi Huang (- his actual name was Ying Zheng, born in 259 BC), became the first emperor of China at age 13 years old in 247 BC. He is credited with unifying China, came up with the ideas of the Great Wall and the tomb for himself for his anticipated afterlife. It took a total of 38 years for 700,000 workers to build it, making the life-sized and larger than life-sized figures of sitting and standing archers, warriors/infantrymen, officers, generals, horses, cavalry, charioteers, and others such as members of the honor guard. The tomb was placed in this location presumably because it was considered to be advantageous to be between a mountain (Qin Ling Mountain Range there) and a river, one of the tributaries of the Yellow River. Excavation and research and reconstruction in the area have been in progress since the initial discovery of the tomb was made by a local farmer digging for a well in 1974. Apparently, the secret of the tomb had been maintained secondary to the workers building it being buried alive at it's completion. There remain areas that have not been excavated yet, including the remains of the emperor, his family members, and his slaves. Upon excavation, the paint on the figures disappears within a week or so due to oxidation? Some of the parts of the tombs were destroyed by invading forces not long after completion, it is believed, while other areas were plundered by local farmers in the years after the discovery of the tomb was made: Our guide told us that they removed the heads of the figures to sell. First, we visit Pit #1 containing the figures of the infantry with weapons in fighting formation facing east to protect the emperor behind them, then Pit #3, the smallest of the pits, which housed all of the 7 generals that were discovered as well as the honor guard - probably the headquarters of the generals and officers. Pit #2 is the final pit we visit and is in the shape of an "L", housing 4 different kinds of soldiers within including archers and charioteers that carried soldiers and weapons. A remarkable sight, the whole thing. And, by the way, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.
Xian was the capital for 6 dynasties including the Shang, Western Zhou, Qin - the first feudal empire, Han during which the silk road first started to go west from Xian, Sui, and Tang (1300 years ago) considered to be the golden age of the feudal kingdom before it's fall in 907 AD. The main commodities of the silk road included gunpowder, papermaking, silk, carpet, and printing. Xian is the capital of the Shaanxi province. (Shanxi province is adjacent to Shaanxi province. There are different ways to spell the names of these provinces in Pinyin since they have different tones, but the tones are not on any keys on the keyboard...). Before China became the Republic of China, our guide Sean tells us, Xian used to be a poor area, but is now thriving due to the following industries: airplane, textiles, electronics, scientific research including a center for satellites.
Based on what we've seen, Xian has exploded in growth compared to what we saw in 1995. When we visited the Terra Cotta Warrior exhibit in 1995, the access to it was a 2 lane road and the parking lot was unpaved. Now, there is a highway that goes there and the parking lots are enormous and paved. Additionally, there are a number of modern, high-rise buildings in Xian that have occluded the small streets with open storefronts in older buildings with typically Chinese rooflines. There is also a great amount of traffic congestion of cars, taxis, buses with many less bicycles. Our guide ascertains that development in China has occurred at a very fast pace, there is more money in China now than there ever used to be, and that government workers make the most money. A bit of a conversation ensued here about the government being made up of about 5% of the people and the reality of the lack of ease in becoming a government worker since there seem to be family connections from generation to generation. Our guide tells us that females hold more power now than years ago since there are more men now than women. This is the second guide that we have who has moved to his wife's hometown. He also affirms that the one family/one child rule is in effect in China. If rich, can have more. There seem to be slightly different understandings of that rule, depending on who one talks to... One of our guides who is in her early 50's has 5 siblings while the others thave no siblings. On the whole, it looks like girls and boys are both equally treasured now just by what we see in passing on the part of parents/grandparents.
We have lunch at the Qin Jin Tang Restaurant followed by a lesson from a chef in how to make jiao zi - Chinese pot stickers (which Anna has learned from Mrs. Haas prior to this so this is a bit of a review).
En route to the art museum, the passing views include small groups of men sitting in circles on small children sized chairs, an open front fish market with a variety of seafood placed on ice, and birds in cages hanging on tree branches in several places near small groups of people visiting with one another.
Next stop: Tang Dynasty Art Museum. Nice tour through farmers' paintings from 1950s followed by art work from 1960/70s that was used for propaganda during the Cultural Revolution, and then folk art of the 1980s. We also see art from the Han, Qin, Tang, and Qing Dynasties. While the girls are being instructed in a bit of calligraphy "wo ai ni" for "I love you", I learn from one of the art museum staff that there are four types of art in China: farmer (not learned in school but passed down from generation to generation), Chinese traditional (learned in school), modern, and oil.
We go back to the hotel to quickly get ready to go to a dinner theater and arrive at the theater later than our guide had wanted us to but, in fact, it looks like we are there in more than enough time to have a 4 course dinner before the show begins. The theater is not at all full and some of the other audience members seem to be westerners, so I surmise that this is a tourist attraction. The instrumental music is lovely and includes some musical instruments that are not used often anymore but I'm not sure which ones they are. The instruments in the ensemble include flute, erhu, what looks like a mandolin, and what looks like a zither, and what looks sort of like a banjo. (Remind me to check them out in our book at home about Chinese musical instruments). The show is made up of different kinds of dances including cloth dances. Some dances employ more ballet, some more gymnastic abilities, but the choreography doesn't look like it's from the Tang Dynasty era. The costumes are very glitzy and appear new but we also wonder if the styles are really authentic to the period of the Tang Dynasty. Hmmm... Nevertheless, it's been an enjoyable evening.
General note: We are left to wonder at more times than not what the guides are required to take us to no matter what - in particular, regarding the pressure to shop/buy - and if there are any sort of kickbacks involved... Also, the factors of time have seemed to shift inexplicably in Xian. We are told that it will take a certain amount of time to get somewhere, for example, when that is quite inaccurate. Traffic congestion explains part of this discrepancy but not all of it. I'm not sure that our guide understands a lot of English which also might be part of the problem in terms of our communication and understanding of one another.
Thursday July 29 On Victoria Queen to Mao Ping to see Three Gorges Dam, back to ship, then disembark to go by bus to Yichang, and by plane to Xian
We awaken to hearing orders being called out on a megaphone on the part of a man on the ship next to us as our ship pulls up next to another and gets secured to that ship. Amazing how gentle this process is and how deftly the docking is handled. No fancy equipment here either. Richard goes to tai chi. Breakfast is served early today in the dining room (after we place our suitcases outside our cabin doors to be transported to Yichang) so that we can board a tram up to the landing and then a bus to go to Mao Ping to see the Three Gorges Dam. Because the locks remain closed secondary to the flooding (- this is the longest stretch of time that the locks have ever been closed), our ship will not be going through the locks. Our guide "Jackie" tells us that many people in Mao Ping have been relocated twice, first when the Gezhouba Dam was built and then with the construction of this dam. Before 2003, there were 1000 steps from the docking area up to the landing but now, due to the raised level of the water, there are only 200 steps up. Mao Ping has a population of 40,000 and is the home of the dragon boat festival. Our guide describes that his family was relocated in 1990 from a home of 80 square meters to a home of 150 square meters. He reiterates what we have heard before, that farmland was moved from the foot of the mountains to higher up but that the quality of the soil is not as good higher up. Agricultural products from this area include green tea, oranges, grape seed oil, and canola oil. On the bus ride, we hear firecrackers and see short plumes of smoke rise up in several areas. Our guide describes that firecrackers are set off for the occasions of funerals, weddings, or openings of shops. To add to what has already been said above about the dam, we learn that 200,000 workers constructed the dam beginning in 1994 and it was finished ahead of schedule. In response to a question, he replies that "no damage" was sustained during the 2008 earthquake. At the dam site, we get off the bus to see the dam from the tourist viewing area on the spill side and then proceed to see it from the high side where the trash build-up is evident. There is one ship out there culling through the garbage to extract what is supposed to be removed to be taken elsewhere, but don't know what or where it might be taken. (We have seen along our travels on the Yangtze smoke rising from burning garbage...) We can also see the locks on this tour. I find myself noticing all the pretty umbrellas and start to take some photos of the great variety. Back on the bus, back to the landing, down the steps to a very rickety plank without a railing that is about 10 feet long (with the Yangtze flowing fast underneath) that crosses from the bottom of the steps over to the first of a series of ramps that take us back to the ship where lunch is being served. After lunch, everyone checks out of their cabins, gathering in the lobby of the first deck to exchange addresses, info, before departing the ship, via the ramps, with our carry-on luggage, and to the bus headed for Yichang.
We are met in Yichang by our guide "Helen" who first tells us a bit about this area. Yichang is home of oranges, metals are mined here, and there is lots of farmland. She explains that there is actually a lot to see here and suggests that we come back for longer sometime. Before taking us to the airport to catch a plane to Xian (- hated to tell Helen that I knew absolutely nothing about Yichang before coming here, viewing it only a point of transit for us on this trip...), Helen takes us to a museum that contains relics that were excavated from Zhongbaodao Island before it was submerged as a result of the Three Gorges Dam project. She describes that significant finds at that site brought to light that civilization dated back to the Neolithic periods rather than later. (Once home, this is confirmed in an article that I find from the Chinese Science Bulletin from March 2008 that ascertains that relics were found on this island from as far back as the Middle Neolithic Period, 7000 - 5000 BC. pg. 101: "Daxi Culture prevails in the Three Gorges region during the Middle Neolithic period, accompanied by rapid development of hunting tools".). This was followed by the Qujialing Culture between 4000 - 5000 years ago in the Late Neolithic period after which came the Xia Dynasty, known to be the first slavery dynasty, and then the Shang Dynasty. The Ba Culture (about 2000 - 220BC) preceded the Qin Dynasty. The relics in the museum are displayed chronologically through the Qing Dynasty period and include animal statuettes from the Qin/Han Dynasties, an unusual black and white vase from the time of the Qing Dynasty as well as a blue and white china pillow from the same time frame. Helen says that the island was used as a special burial site for nobility. At the conclusion of the tour, we are shown to a room where there are saleswomen present who show us items that they say are actual relics for sale. When I ask why they would be selling items that are of such historical importance, I am told that they are selling them to raise money for the museum expansion. No one in our group buys. They appear to be mostly jade pieces that are in perfect condition making us suspect that they are not relics that have been excavated at all. We all hope that they would not be selling off relics.
Off to the airport we go for our flight to Xian where it seems that the ticket agent there notes that Gail's passport number is different from what is listed as her passport number which needs to be corrected before she can check in for the flight. I had double checked all the passport numbers all along until Lotus Travel sent us the final itinerary less than 24 hours before we left. In our rush to do our last minute packing, I didn't notice that Lotus must have inadvertently changed Gail's passport number, making it incorrect. Thankfully, Helen takes on the task of calling Lotus and getting this detail corrected, not to come up again during the remainder of our trip, thankfully. We thank Helen, say our goodbyes, and head up to a little restaurant on the second floor of the airport that overlooks the first floor. We are intrigued by the menu which lists several items that don't sound very appetizing to us including "cold donkey meat" and "trotters". Anna and I order pistachio nuts, popcorn, and sodas for a change of pace for our meal. Part way through the meal, Anna sees Mary and Jack Hall on the first floor of the airport and she and Becky run down to meet them. They come up to join us along with two other women, also from our Yangtze cruise who soon arrive, at least one of whom is from Knoxville, Tennessee. I learn later that she is accompanying the other who is a music educator and will be presenting a lecture in Beijing in the coming days. Mary and Jack will be on the same flight to Xian with us but the women will be headed elsewhere. Once in Xian, we are met at the airport by our new guide Sean and the bus driver who take us to the hotel that is to be our abode for several nights.
We are met in Yichang by our guide "Helen" who first tells us a bit about this area. Yichang is home of oranges, metals are mined here, and there is lots of farmland. She explains that there is actually a lot to see here and suggests that we come back for longer sometime. Before taking us to the airport to catch a plane to Xian (- hated to tell Helen that I knew absolutely nothing about Yichang before coming here, viewing it only a point of transit for us on this trip...), Helen takes us to a museum that contains relics that were excavated from Zhongbaodao Island before it was submerged as a result of the Three Gorges Dam project. She describes that significant finds at that site brought to light that civilization dated back to the Neolithic periods rather than later. (Once home, this is confirmed in an article that I find from the Chinese Science Bulletin from March 2008 that ascertains that relics were found on this island from as far back as the Middle Neolithic Period, 7000 - 5000 BC. pg. 101: "Daxi Culture prevails in the Three Gorges region during the Middle Neolithic period, accompanied by rapid development of hunting tools".). This was followed by the Qujialing Culture between 4000 - 5000 years ago in the Late Neolithic period after which came the Xia Dynasty, known to be the first slavery dynasty, and then the Shang Dynasty. The Ba Culture (about 2000 - 220BC) preceded the Qin Dynasty. The relics in the museum are displayed chronologically through the Qing Dynasty period and include animal statuettes from the Qin/Han Dynasties, an unusual black and white vase from the time of the Qing Dynasty as well as a blue and white china pillow from the same time frame. Helen says that the island was used as a special burial site for nobility. At the conclusion of the tour, we are shown to a room where there are saleswomen present who show us items that they say are actual relics for sale. When I ask why they would be selling items that are of such historical importance, I am told that they are selling them to raise money for the museum expansion. No one in our group buys. They appear to be mostly jade pieces that are in perfect condition making us suspect that they are not relics that have been excavated at all. We all hope that they would not be selling off relics.
Off to the airport we go for our flight to Xian where it seems that the ticket agent there notes that Gail's passport number is different from what is listed as her passport number which needs to be corrected before she can check in for the flight. I had double checked all the passport numbers all along until Lotus Travel sent us the final itinerary less than 24 hours before we left. In our rush to do our last minute packing, I didn't notice that Lotus must have inadvertently changed Gail's passport number, making it incorrect. Thankfully, Helen takes on the task of calling Lotus and getting this detail corrected, not to come up again during the remainder of our trip, thankfully. We thank Helen, say our goodbyes, and head up to a little restaurant on the second floor of the airport that overlooks the first floor. We are intrigued by the menu which lists several items that don't sound very appetizing to us including "cold donkey meat" and "trotters". Anna and I order pistachio nuts, popcorn, and sodas for a change of pace for our meal. Part way through the meal, Anna sees Mary and Jack Hall on the first floor of the airport and she and Becky run down to meet them. They come up to join us along with two other women, also from our Yangtze cruise who soon arrive, at least one of whom is from Knoxville, Tennessee. I learn later that she is accompanying the other who is a music educator and will be presenting a lecture in Beijing in the coming days. Mary and Jack will be on the same flight to Xian with us but the women will be headed elsewhere. Once in Xian, we are met at the airport by our new guide Sean and the bus driver who take us to the hotel that is to be our abode for several nights.
Wednesday July 28 On Victoria Queen on Yangtze River
Richard hops out of bed to go to tai chi first thing this a.m. All of us rally for the breakfast buffet.
First on the schedule are brief presentations by the two artists onboard.
David demonstrates how he paints the inside of bottles, a tradition that began in the Qing Dynasty with bottles that were used for snuff. He learned this fine art from his father and has been doing this for 16 years. The brushes are very tiny and have firm tips that point upward. We all have a chance to give it a try.
Then we learn from Peter about Chinese traditional art on rice paper or silk. Takes about 300 days to make rice paper of which one ingredient is tree bark. An ink stick and various pigments are used with brushes that are made from bearded goats, wolf, yellow weasel, or rat hairs. His personal favorites are brushes from the goat or wolf hairs. Different brushes are used for different kinds of paintings. The three kinds of paintings that Peter describes are free hand, detailed, and combined. The traditions started back in the Qin Dynasty era. He related that he started to practice his art in high school followed by studying art in university. His father is an engineer while his grandfather was a calligrapher. Some of us step up to the plate to give this style of painting a go. Later, Peter explains to Anna and me that every Chinese art student learns how to paint the following that each represent a season: plum blossoms, bamboo, crysanthemums (the Chinese national flower), orchid.
Next on the schedule is Aaron Jiang's talk about the Three Gorges Dam Project entitled "Taming the Wild Waters" in which the "pros and cons" are to be addressed. A smaller,older dam exists in Yichang, but the new dam was constructed about 22 miles away in the 3 gorges' area. Dr. Sun Yatsen was the first person to propose the dam construction in this area. (Aside: He attended medical school in the US.)
In 1944, John Lucian Savage made an inspection tour and the possibilities were discussed, including the generation of electricity. Then the Chinese civil war ensued. In 1958, Chairman Mao swam across the Yangtze River at Wuhan, inspiring energy to pursue building the dam. However, USSR/China relations soured and China had to make payments to USSR in order to fulfill debts. The Cultural Revolution followed from 1966 to 1976. The first premier of the new China, Zhou Enlai, who commands much respect among Chinese people, proposed that a smaller dam be built which was completed in 1988 - the Gezhouba Dam, located in Yichang. It initially helped by controlling a flood but was not effective in another. The National People's Congress voted in 1992 to build a new dam in the Xiling Gorge area (where there is a mountain called Chairman Mao Mountain because of a resemblance of him that people see). The new Three Gorges Dam Project was operational in 2003 and fully completed in 2009. Alongside the dam, there is a double laned 5 step ship lock service that takes about 3 to 4 hours to go through. Aaron goes on to describe the assets of the dam project:
1. Widens the river channel for ship traffic.
2. Power generation - the largest hydroelectric facility in the world, to provide 11% of energy needed, to decrease the need for coal.
3. When complete, reservoir will extend all the way to Chongqing. An additional reservoir will provide water for the north.
4. The handout on the dam lists flood control as a purpose also: "During the winter months, the reservoir water level reaches 175 meters above sea level, approximately 110 meters (363 feet) above the original river level prior to 2003. During the summer months, the reservoir level is lowered to 146 meters above sea level in order to regulate and capture flood water. Throughout Chinese history, floods along the Yangtze regularly threatened and brought devastation to the 15 million people who live in the rich agricultural region below the dam."
Aaron went on to describe the potential problems/concerns of the dam:
1. Silt sediment - may build dams on Golden Sand River in Chongqing area to capture silt; also plan to plant more trees as well as dredge.
2. Resettlement - 1.3 million people to be resettled and the number is rising due to landslides; old towns taken down as new ones have been built; farmlands and homes being inundated with water so new homes being built higher though soil not as good necessitating farmers to carry better soil from the lower to higher climbs; not enough farmland for all of the farmers; some farmers relocated further away but problems created by language differences. Aaron notes here that young people have been generally happier, due to newer, larger living quarters, with the relocation efforts than the older people.
3. Loss of some valuable cultural heritage. Debris in the water to this day from these cities, including the remains from ancestral tombs that people either didn't have time or money to move.
4. Landslides have increased the need for relocation of people and brought about the need for prevention projects such as a rock stabilization project. Aaron showed a photo of a landslide in the Wu Gorge in 2008.
I am heartened to hear that the cons are being acknowledged in a public way in China such as in a lecture on this ship, albeit that it seems that the Chinese are now having to respond to more problems than they anticipated that are arising as a result of the dam.
In response to a question from someone in the audience, Aaron says that the Chinese received engineering assistance from France and equipment from Germany for construction of the dam.
At the conclusion of Aaron's talk, we all head out to the bow to see the Qutang Gorge, the first of the three gorges. Takes only about 20 minutes and is spectacular. Hopefully, our photos of this whole journey will do more justice than any words can.
After lunch during which our ship docks next to another ship, we disembark the ship - walking through another ship to a series of ramps and onto a ferry boat that takes us along the Daning (- "da" = big; "ning" = peaceful) River and through what are known as the Lesser Gorges. The summary on our handout describes our passage: "Wushan is the starting point for the popular boat trips through the Lesser Gorges on the Daning River and the Mini Gorges on the Madu River. The Daning River winds it's way 33km (20 miles) through the beautiful Lesser Gorges... The water is a deep, clear shade of green and forms a striking contrast to the muddy, turgid waters of the Yangtze. The first Lesser Gorge is known as Dragon Gate Gorge. In this gorge, the river ranges from only 10 to 30 meters wide while the cliffs on either bank soar to an average of 800 to 1000 meters... Each gorge is separated by lush terraced fields where a variety of crops grow during all four seasons of the year. In the Misty Gorge, a 2000 year old 'hanging' coffin can be seen suspended on a precipice high up on the cliff-face. The coffin is a relic left over from the Ba people who inhabited the gorges region 3500 to 1800 years ago. At one time hundreds of these coffins could be seen throughout the Three Gorges and the Daning River, suspended from seemingly inaccessible areas on the cliff-sides. The Emerald Green Gorge, the farthest from Wushan, is covered with lush bamboo groves and foliage. Midway through the Emerald Green Gorge, passengers can sometimes disembark from their Daning River ferry boats and board motorized sampans to sail through the Mini Gorges of the Madu River". (-"Ma" = horse) Tina is our guide on the ferry boat, and she is from Wushan. In 2001, her parents and she were relocated from a 40 square meter abode to a new apartment of 150 square meters that is ample for her parents, husband, and son. She describes that until 7 years ago, the water was only 1 to 2 meters deep and the river was very narrow so access to the Lesser Gorges was very limited. Laborers known as "trackers" would pull boats along the narrow passages of the gorges. It is now 80 meters deep (- usually in summer 70 meters deep), but in the winter, the water will go up to 90 meters in depth. There are fishing boats on the Daning River fishing for catfish. We also see square structures made with wood that hold nets, some of which appear to have lights suspended in the center, to attract the fish into the nets at night. At the Madu River, we get off the ferry and cross over to the other side of the pier to board the motorized sampans referred to above and journey up the river and back, seeing a hanging coffin en route. I volunteered to put on a primitive costume of a fisherman made of reeds lashed together and stood on the bow for a photo. In terms of wildlife, there seemed to be very few birds, may have spotted one monkey, and heard one bleating mountain goat, but that was it. Once on the ferry, we head back down the Daning River, disembark, and reembark the Victoria Queen in time for tea. Our ship gets underway again and we sail through the Wu Gorge passing Goddess Peak on the north bank of the Yangtze. Gorgeous views of which we hope to have captured some in photos.
Our day winds up by enjoying the Captain's Farewell Banquet followed by a "cabaret" show that includes a variety of talents performed by the ship's staff and several volunteering passengers. The magician taps Anna and a young boy in the audience to come to the stage to assist him with a silly trick where he makes it appear that he yanks the boy's underwear from him. The show concludes the day and we are off to bed, packing up for our departure tomorrow.
First on the schedule are brief presentations by the two artists onboard.
David demonstrates how he paints the inside of bottles, a tradition that began in the Qing Dynasty with bottles that were used for snuff. He learned this fine art from his father and has been doing this for 16 years. The brushes are very tiny and have firm tips that point upward. We all have a chance to give it a try.
Then we learn from Peter about Chinese traditional art on rice paper or silk. Takes about 300 days to make rice paper of which one ingredient is tree bark. An ink stick and various pigments are used with brushes that are made from bearded goats, wolf, yellow weasel, or rat hairs. His personal favorites are brushes from the goat or wolf hairs. Different brushes are used for different kinds of paintings. The three kinds of paintings that Peter describes are free hand, detailed, and combined. The traditions started back in the Qin Dynasty era. He related that he started to practice his art in high school followed by studying art in university. His father is an engineer while his grandfather was a calligrapher. Some of us step up to the plate to give this style of painting a go. Later, Peter explains to Anna and me that every Chinese art student learns how to paint the following that each represent a season: plum blossoms, bamboo, crysanthemums (the Chinese national flower), orchid.
Next on the schedule is Aaron Jiang's talk about the Three Gorges Dam Project entitled "Taming the Wild Waters" in which the "pros and cons" are to be addressed. A smaller,older dam exists in Yichang, but the new dam was constructed about 22 miles away in the 3 gorges' area. Dr. Sun Yatsen was the first person to propose the dam construction in this area. (Aside: He attended medical school in the US.)
In 1944, John Lucian Savage made an inspection tour and the possibilities were discussed, including the generation of electricity. Then the Chinese civil war ensued. In 1958, Chairman Mao swam across the Yangtze River at Wuhan, inspiring energy to pursue building the dam. However, USSR/China relations soured and China had to make payments to USSR in order to fulfill debts. The Cultural Revolution followed from 1966 to 1976. The first premier of the new China, Zhou Enlai, who commands much respect among Chinese people, proposed that a smaller dam be built which was completed in 1988 - the Gezhouba Dam, located in Yichang. It initially helped by controlling a flood but was not effective in another. The National People's Congress voted in 1992 to build a new dam in the Xiling Gorge area (where there is a mountain called Chairman Mao Mountain because of a resemblance of him that people see). The new Three Gorges Dam Project was operational in 2003 and fully completed in 2009. Alongside the dam, there is a double laned 5 step ship lock service that takes about 3 to 4 hours to go through. Aaron goes on to describe the assets of the dam project:
1. Widens the river channel for ship traffic.
2. Power generation - the largest hydroelectric facility in the world, to provide 11% of energy needed, to decrease the need for coal.
3. When complete, reservoir will extend all the way to Chongqing. An additional reservoir will provide water for the north.
4. The handout on the dam lists flood control as a purpose also: "During the winter months, the reservoir water level reaches 175 meters above sea level, approximately 110 meters (363 feet) above the original river level prior to 2003. During the summer months, the reservoir level is lowered to 146 meters above sea level in order to regulate and capture flood water. Throughout Chinese history, floods along the Yangtze regularly threatened and brought devastation to the 15 million people who live in the rich agricultural region below the dam."
Aaron went on to describe the potential problems/concerns of the dam:
1. Silt sediment - may build dams on Golden Sand River in Chongqing area to capture silt; also plan to plant more trees as well as dredge.
2. Resettlement - 1.3 million people to be resettled and the number is rising due to landslides; old towns taken down as new ones have been built; farmlands and homes being inundated with water so new homes being built higher though soil not as good necessitating farmers to carry better soil from the lower to higher climbs; not enough farmland for all of the farmers; some farmers relocated further away but problems created by language differences. Aaron notes here that young people have been generally happier, due to newer, larger living quarters, with the relocation efforts than the older people.
3. Loss of some valuable cultural heritage. Debris in the water to this day from these cities, including the remains from ancestral tombs that people either didn't have time or money to move.
4. Landslides have increased the need for relocation of people and brought about the need for prevention projects such as a rock stabilization project. Aaron showed a photo of a landslide in the Wu Gorge in 2008.
I am heartened to hear that the cons are being acknowledged in a public way in China such as in a lecture on this ship, albeit that it seems that the Chinese are now having to respond to more problems than they anticipated that are arising as a result of the dam.
In response to a question from someone in the audience, Aaron says that the Chinese received engineering assistance from France and equipment from Germany for construction of the dam.
At the conclusion of Aaron's talk, we all head out to the bow to see the Qutang Gorge, the first of the three gorges. Takes only about 20 minutes and is spectacular. Hopefully, our photos of this whole journey will do more justice than any words can.
After lunch during which our ship docks next to another ship, we disembark the ship - walking through another ship to a series of ramps and onto a ferry boat that takes us along the Daning (- "da" = big; "ning" = peaceful) River and through what are known as the Lesser Gorges. The summary on our handout describes our passage: "Wushan is the starting point for the popular boat trips through the Lesser Gorges on the Daning River and the Mini Gorges on the Madu River. The Daning River winds it's way 33km (20 miles) through the beautiful Lesser Gorges... The water is a deep, clear shade of green and forms a striking contrast to the muddy, turgid waters of the Yangtze. The first Lesser Gorge is known as Dragon Gate Gorge. In this gorge, the river ranges from only 10 to 30 meters wide while the cliffs on either bank soar to an average of 800 to 1000 meters... Each gorge is separated by lush terraced fields where a variety of crops grow during all four seasons of the year. In the Misty Gorge, a 2000 year old 'hanging' coffin can be seen suspended on a precipice high up on the cliff-face. The coffin is a relic left over from the Ba people who inhabited the gorges region 3500 to 1800 years ago. At one time hundreds of these coffins could be seen throughout the Three Gorges and the Daning River, suspended from seemingly inaccessible areas on the cliff-sides. The Emerald Green Gorge, the farthest from Wushan, is covered with lush bamboo groves and foliage. Midway through the Emerald Green Gorge, passengers can sometimes disembark from their Daning River ferry boats and board motorized sampans to sail through the Mini Gorges of the Madu River". (-"Ma" = horse) Tina is our guide on the ferry boat, and she is from Wushan. In 2001, her parents and she were relocated from a 40 square meter abode to a new apartment of 150 square meters that is ample for her parents, husband, and son. She describes that until 7 years ago, the water was only 1 to 2 meters deep and the river was very narrow so access to the Lesser Gorges was very limited. Laborers known as "trackers" would pull boats along the narrow passages of the gorges. It is now 80 meters deep (- usually in summer 70 meters deep), but in the winter, the water will go up to 90 meters in depth. There are fishing boats on the Daning River fishing for catfish. We also see square structures made with wood that hold nets, some of which appear to have lights suspended in the center, to attract the fish into the nets at night. At the Madu River, we get off the ferry and cross over to the other side of the pier to board the motorized sampans referred to above and journey up the river and back, seeing a hanging coffin en route. I volunteered to put on a primitive costume of a fisherman made of reeds lashed together and stood on the bow for a photo. In terms of wildlife, there seemed to be very few birds, may have spotted one monkey, and heard one bleating mountain goat, but that was it. Once on the ferry, we head back down the Daning River, disembark, and reembark the Victoria Queen in time for tea. Our ship gets underway again and we sail through the Wu Gorge passing Goddess Peak on the north bank of the Yangtze. Gorgeous views of which we hope to have captured some in photos.
Our day winds up by enjoying the Captain's Farewell Banquet followed by a "cabaret" show that includes a variety of talents performed by the ship's staff and several volunteering passengers. The magician taps Anna and a young boy in the audience to come to the stage to assist him with a silly trick where he makes it appear that he yanks the boy's underwear from him. The show concludes the day and we are off to bed, packing up for our departure tomorrow.
Tuesday July 27 On Victoria Queen with disembarkation to visit Fengdu
Several more notes from our briefing last evening include the following:
Firstly, we are advised not to drink the water but the ice and vegetables are safe. (We remain skeptical about this so are not planning to use the ice or eat the fresh vegetables. Wonder how they can ascertain safety of ice and veggies...)
Secondly, in an emergency, a horn will blare and bells will be rung. If in cabin, bring life jackets that are stowed on shelf in closet and go to the bar on the fourth deck. If not in cabin, go directly to the bar. (We wonder about the choice of location...)
Our cabin attendants are young women named "Bella" for our cabin and "Spring" for the cabins of Gail and Anna plus the Vertizes.
Richard got up early to go to tai chi, taught by the doctor on board, Dr. Liu.
Breakfast buffet is served on the first deck aft. Our travel group is assigned to sit together. Our ship is underway as of early this morning after permission was granted. The flooding has apparently altered ship traffic in recent weeks due to the fast, strong currents which can pose problems for ships that are underway.
Richard attends the talk about Chinese medicine that Dr. Liu gives at 9 a.m. Anna and I take the opportunity to sit on the little balcony outside of our cabin and gaze at the incredible vistas on either bank as we move by quickly, overlooking a great number of clumps of debris in the water and the muddy brown color of the river which Anna thinks looks like my coffee. The river banks meet the hills which rise up to small farms dotted with homes, some of which appear quite new and some of which appear quite old with very tired looking roof tiles. It's evident that the water level is very high when corn fields end in the water. We pass bridges, lush green landscape with banana plants and other greenery, shipyards with ramps that are presumably used to roll the ships down for launching, banks of high rise apartment buildings in passing towns. The ship traffic we see this a.m. looks similar to our ship but some of the boats are carrying cargo such as new cars.
Then we head to Deck 4 to hear a talk about the Yangtze and the three gorges entitled "Ancient Waters, the Timeless Yangtze" to be given by Aaron Jiang. This is stated on the plan of the day as an "informative introduction" about the Yangtze River. Aaron is a good speaker. He begins by describing the geography of the region: The Yangtze is the 3rd longest river in the world after the Nile and Amazon Rivers and the longest river in China. The Yellow River is located north of the Yangtze and runs generally west/east also such that the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers are only connected by the Grand Canal in the east of China. (Anna's finding place and orphanage are both alongside the Grand Canal in Yangzhou). The pinyin name for the Yangtze River is Changjiang for "long river". The Yangtze now flows from the west to the east, but, historically, at first it flowed from east to west followed, in the next stage, by part of the river flowing from east to west and another part flowing from west to east when the earth of China was a summit. 30 to 40 million years ago, when the Himalayan mountain range and Qinghai-Tibet plateau were formed, caused by Asia and the Indian subcontinent crashing into one another, the river to the west broke through the limestone mountains in the east, creating what is known as the "Three Gorges" alongside the Yangtze fixing the flow from west to east. The 3 gorges are named Qutang (8km long), Wu (45km long), and Xiling (76km long). The Yellow River used to be known as the cradle of China, but, with the discovery of ancient civilizations that lived around the Yangtze River far earlier, Chinese archeologists now concur that both rivers are the cradles of Chinese civilization.
One of these civilizations is known as the Ba people who lived between 2000 and 3000 years ago, and were responsible for burying people in coffins and somehow placing the coffins in caves in the cliffs alongside the gorges. These are known as "hanging coffins". It remains a mystery as to how the coffins were placed in the caves, but several theories exist including that the water table was higher in ancient days or that the coffins were lowered in from above. These coffins were made with namu wood. Some but not all of the hanging coffins were removed before the dam was completed. Others have been washed away as the river level has risen as a result of the dam completion.
It is pointed out to us that China is shaped like a rooster with Hainan and Taipei being the claws. 30% of the Chinese population depend on the Yangtze River directly. It also supplies China with 40% of agricultural production, 80% of China's inland river traffic, 40% of industrial production, 25% of total cropland, and 70% of grain. (I have paraphrased the above info from Aaron's very nice handout).
During our voyage, we will cover about 400 miles from Chongqing to Yichang. Recent, unprecedented flooding since the dam was built downstream has altered the ship traffic. The locks have been closed in recent days. One of the sister ships to this one is too big to go up river because of the flooding and turbulence. We learn that there are 130 folks on this cruise ship.
Aaron adds that there are sturgeon in the upper reaches of the Yangtze, there used to be dolphins in the middle reach of the river but they're likely extinct now though there are porpoises, and there are alligators in the lower reaches of the river.
Regarding Chinese cuisine, "hot pots" had their origin here. (I don't believe we enjoyed this fare on the trip).
After Aaron concludes his talk today (- he will talk about the dam construction and controversy tomorrow so stay tuned...), he encourages us to go forward outside on the bow as we pass by the town Fuling, part of which was submerged after the dam completion down river. People there were relocated to buildings that were built for them with apartments inside that were larger than what they left. Fuling was the town featured in the book River Town by Peter Hessler, an American who lived in Fuling for several years in the 1990s. Several of the other tourists on this cruise highly recommend this book. Aaron points out that the Chinese government built an underground museum in Fuling to preserve relics of carvings that would have been submerged in water as the river rose after the dam was built. We are not scheduled to stop to see it but see two large, concrete tubes that go into the water alongside a long set of steps that appear to rise from the water going up to the town. (As I write this, I realize that I'm not sure that the underground museum is completed yet. ? It may just be that access to ship traffic is precluded due to the underground structure). Along the river, we will see other long sets of steps come up from the river to towns. These steps are clearly old, from a past dynasty of one or another but am not sure which one. Buoys along the Yangtze are fishing boats attached to moorings with red buoys set inside the boats. The huge clumps of trash and debris in the Yangtze are astounding in terms of amount and content. Anna tells us later that she saw a bloated dead pig. Richard saw the lid of a coffin, pointed out by our guide Aaron, followed by the container of a coffin a short while later.
During the lunch buffet in the dining room which is surrounded by windows so we don't find that we have to miss any passing scenery, our ship docks alongside another ship of the same vintage as ours. It's done so smoothly that one would hardly realize it. We are at Fengdu where we exit the ship through another and pass by open, large bowls of vegetables that are in a stage of preparation. Members of the crew are alongside to assist us if need be though assistance is negligible as we get off the ships, I notice. We go ashore via a long series of ramps that have been connected to one another for passage. As I look ahead of me, the single file line stretches way ahead and is notable for the use of umbrellas as parasols for protection against the sun and heat. Many of the ramps are of ample width, but others are pretty narrow. The railings that do exist don't appear to be in good repair but are rusted and a bit wobbly. The final, approximately 10 foot ramp is about 2 feet wide and there is no railing. Hmmm... At this point, we climb a very long, wide set of stairs: It's not a hard climb, because the step depth is maybe about 4 inches deep or so all the way up to the top where we climb into open, large golf cart looking vehicles to go a short distance where we are dropped off to walk through an area with lots of hawkers selling souvenirs (- I buy hats for Anna and me since I had neglected to think to bring them with us to shore) to the bottom of a tram lift that's like a ski lift. Two by two, we take a pleasant ride to the top where we gather as a group to take a tour of Fengdu.
It's beastly hot and very difficult to understand our guide so I have a difficult time following her explanation of the large, unattractive, painted demon figures behind glass in the temples atop this hill known as Ming Mountain. The collection of Buddhist and Taoist temples up here is known as "Ghost City". The paint colors on the temples and the rooflines hold my interest. Taoist teachers here then were two officials of the imperial court whose names together sound in Chinese like "King of Hell". It was felt that they became immortal, hence became known as "Ghost City". This was practiced 1700 years ago, during the Eastern Han Dynasty. It employed the use of witchcraft, so many aspects of this tour include little snippets of ways to stay lucky. During the Ming Dynasty, about 1300 years ago, Buddhism was introduced here.
This whole area once overlooked the town of Fengdu, but, in 2003, before the town was submerged by the Three Gorges Dam reservoir, the residents were relocated to a "new, larger version of Fengdu located across the Yangtze River on the south bank. Where the old town of Fengdu had a population of around 50,000 people, the new relocation city is home to approximately 100,000". So the handout tells me. We heard over and over again that people didn't mind too much, because their new abodes were so much larger than the ones they were used to.
On our way back to the Victoria Queen from Ming Mountain, Richard stops at one of the vendors to buy a pair of wild blue and white Hawaiian shorts to round out his wardrobe for this hot weather. Anna and I plot to take some photos of him in his new get-up, knowing that James and Ross will be much amused.
Once back on the ship, we rest up and get ready for the Captain's Welcoming Reception on Deck 4 followed by dinner in the dining room on the first deck aft. Later, back on Deck 4, the bar area, there is a "Chinese Dynasties Show" which includes an overview of customs and traditional costumes from "regions and periods of Chinese history". The following list is in order of costumes (to facilitate matching our photos with the correct region/period in China): Han, Qing, Tang, Ming servant and noble woman, 19th century - umbrellas, Qing - high collars, north China - green and red, modern China, Yi - one of minorities, Qinghai - source of Yangtze/cowboy hats, Qingjiao (?) - red with black bodice, Bai (?) couple - tea/headdresses, Miao (?) - green and blue/wide brimmed hats, Inner Mongolia - pink and green/tall hats, Yao - southern China, then, of course, this would be the perfect place to add a photo of Richard in his Hawaiian shorts. Off to our cabins we go for the night.
Firstly, we are advised not to drink the water but the ice and vegetables are safe. (We remain skeptical about this so are not planning to use the ice or eat the fresh vegetables. Wonder how they can ascertain safety of ice and veggies...)
Secondly, in an emergency, a horn will blare and bells will be rung. If in cabin, bring life jackets that are stowed on shelf in closet and go to the bar on the fourth deck. If not in cabin, go directly to the bar. (We wonder about the choice of location...)
Our cabin attendants are young women named "Bella" for our cabin and "Spring" for the cabins of Gail and Anna plus the Vertizes.
Richard got up early to go to tai chi, taught by the doctor on board, Dr. Liu.
Breakfast buffet is served on the first deck aft. Our travel group is assigned to sit together. Our ship is underway as of early this morning after permission was granted. The flooding has apparently altered ship traffic in recent weeks due to the fast, strong currents which can pose problems for ships that are underway.
Richard attends the talk about Chinese medicine that Dr. Liu gives at 9 a.m. Anna and I take the opportunity to sit on the little balcony outside of our cabin and gaze at the incredible vistas on either bank as we move by quickly, overlooking a great number of clumps of debris in the water and the muddy brown color of the river which Anna thinks looks like my coffee. The river banks meet the hills which rise up to small farms dotted with homes, some of which appear quite new and some of which appear quite old with very tired looking roof tiles. It's evident that the water level is very high when corn fields end in the water. We pass bridges, lush green landscape with banana plants and other greenery, shipyards with ramps that are presumably used to roll the ships down for launching, banks of high rise apartment buildings in passing towns. The ship traffic we see this a.m. looks similar to our ship but some of the boats are carrying cargo such as new cars.
Then we head to Deck 4 to hear a talk about the Yangtze and the three gorges entitled "Ancient Waters, the Timeless Yangtze" to be given by Aaron Jiang. This is stated on the plan of the day as an "informative introduction" about the Yangtze River. Aaron is a good speaker. He begins by describing the geography of the region: The Yangtze is the 3rd longest river in the world after the Nile and Amazon Rivers and the longest river in China. The Yellow River is located north of the Yangtze and runs generally west/east also such that the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers are only connected by the Grand Canal in the east of China. (Anna's finding place and orphanage are both alongside the Grand Canal in Yangzhou). The pinyin name for the Yangtze River is Changjiang for "long river". The Yangtze now flows from the west to the east, but, historically, at first it flowed from east to west followed, in the next stage, by part of the river flowing from east to west and another part flowing from west to east when the earth of China was a summit. 30 to 40 million years ago, when the Himalayan mountain range and Qinghai-Tibet plateau were formed, caused by Asia and the Indian subcontinent crashing into one another, the river to the west broke through the limestone mountains in the east, creating what is known as the "Three Gorges" alongside the Yangtze fixing the flow from west to east. The 3 gorges are named Qutang (8km long), Wu (45km long), and Xiling (76km long). The Yellow River used to be known as the cradle of China, but, with the discovery of ancient civilizations that lived around the Yangtze River far earlier, Chinese archeologists now concur that both rivers are the cradles of Chinese civilization.
One of these civilizations is known as the Ba people who lived between 2000 and 3000 years ago, and were responsible for burying people in coffins and somehow placing the coffins in caves in the cliffs alongside the gorges. These are known as "hanging coffins". It remains a mystery as to how the coffins were placed in the caves, but several theories exist including that the water table was higher in ancient days or that the coffins were lowered in from above. These coffins were made with namu wood. Some but not all of the hanging coffins were removed before the dam was completed. Others have been washed away as the river level has risen as a result of the dam completion.
It is pointed out to us that China is shaped like a rooster with Hainan and Taipei being the claws. 30% of the Chinese population depend on the Yangtze River directly. It also supplies China with 40% of agricultural production, 80% of China's inland river traffic, 40% of industrial production, 25% of total cropland, and 70% of grain. (I have paraphrased the above info from Aaron's very nice handout).
During our voyage, we will cover about 400 miles from Chongqing to Yichang. Recent, unprecedented flooding since the dam was built downstream has altered the ship traffic. The locks have been closed in recent days. One of the sister ships to this one is too big to go up river because of the flooding and turbulence. We learn that there are 130 folks on this cruise ship.
Aaron adds that there are sturgeon in the upper reaches of the Yangtze, there used to be dolphins in the middle reach of the river but they're likely extinct now though there are porpoises, and there are alligators in the lower reaches of the river.
Regarding Chinese cuisine, "hot pots" had their origin here. (I don't believe we enjoyed this fare on the trip).
After Aaron concludes his talk today (- he will talk about the dam construction and controversy tomorrow so stay tuned...), he encourages us to go forward outside on the bow as we pass by the town Fuling, part of which was submerged after the dam completion down river. People there were relocated to buildings that were built for them with apartments inside that were larger than what they left. Fuling was the town featured in the book River Town by Peter Hessler, an American who lived in Fuling for several years in the 1990s. Several of the other tourists on this cruise highly recommend this book. Aaron points out that the Chinese government built an underground museum in Fuling to preserve relics of carvings that would have been submerged in water as the river rose after the dam was built. We are not scheduled to stop to see it but see two large, concrete tubes that go into the water alongside a long set of steps that appear to rise from the water going up to the town. (As I write this, I realize that I'm not sure that the underground museum is completed yet. ? It may just be that access to ship traffic is precluded due to the underground structure). Along the river, we will see other long sets of steps come up from the river to towns. These steps are clearly old, from a past dynasty of one or another but am not sure which one. Buoys along the Yangtze are fishing boats attached to moorings with red buoys set inside the boats. The huge clumps of trash and debris in the Yangtze are astounding in terms of amount and content. Anna tells us later that she saw a bloated dead pig. Richard saw the lid of a coffin, pointed out by our guide Aaron, followed by the container of a coffin a short while later.
During the lunch buffet in the dining room which is surrounded by windows so we don't find that we have to miss any passing scenery, our ship docks alongside another ship of the same vintage as ours. It's done so smoothly that one would hardly realize it. We are at Fengdu where we exit the ship through another and pass by open, large bowls of vegetables that are in a stage of preparation. Members of the crew are alongside to assist us if need be though assistance is negligible as we get off the ships, I notice. We go ashore via a long series of ramps that have been connected to one another for passage. As I look ahead of me, the single file line stretches way ahead and is notable for the use of umbrellas as parasols for protection against the sun and heat. Many of the ramps are of ample width, but others are pretty narrow. The railings that do exist don't appear to be in good repair but are rusted and a bit wobbly. The final, approximately 10 foot ramp is about 2 feet wide and there is no railing. Hmmm... At this point, we climb a very long, wide set of stairs: It's not a hard climb, because the step depth is maybe about 4 inches deep or so all the way up to the top where we climb into open, large golf cart looking vehicles to go a short distance where we are dropped off to walk through an area with lots of hawkers selling souvenirs (- I buy hats for Anna and me since I had neglected to think to bring them with us to shore) to the bottom of a tram lift that's like a ski lift. Two by two, we take a pleasant ride to the top where we gather as a group to take a tour of Fengdu.
It's beastly hot and very difficult to understand our guide so I have a difficult time following her explanation of the large, unattractive, painted demon figures behind glass in the temples atop this hill known as Ming Mountain. The collection of Buddhist and Taoist temples up here is known as "Ghost City". The paint colors on the temples and the rooflines hold my interest. Taoist teachers here then were two officials of the imperial court whose names together sound in Chinese like "King of Hell". It was felt that they became immortal, hence became known as "Ghost City". This was practiced 1700 years ago, during the Eastern Han Dynasty. It employed the use of witchcraft, so many aspects of this tour include little snippets of ways to stay lucky. During the Ming Dynasty, about 1300 years ago, Buddhism was introduced here.
This whole area once overlooked the town of Fengdu, but, in 2003, before the town was submerged by the Three Gorges Dam reservoir, the residents were relocated to a "new, larger version of Fengdu located across the Yangtze River on the south bank. Where the old town of Fengdu had a population of around 50,000 people, the new relocation city is home to approximately 100,000". So the handout tells me. We heard over and over again that people didn't mind too much, because their new abodes were so much larger than the ones they were used to.
On our way back to the Victoria Queen from Ming Mountain, Richard stops at one of the vendors to buy a pair of wild blue and white Hawaiian shorts to round out his wardrobe for this hot weather. Anna and I plot to take some photos of him in his new get-up, knowing that James and Ross will be much amused.
Once back on the ship, we rest up and get ready for the Captain's Welcoming Reception on Deck 4 followed by dinner in the dining room on the first deck aft. Later, back on Deck 4, the bar area, there is a "Chinese Dynasties Show" which includes an overview of customs and traditional costumes from "regions and periods of Chinese history". The following list is in order of costumes (to facilitate matching our photos with the correct region/period in China): Han, Qing, Tang, Ming servant and noble woman, 19th century - umbrellas, Qing - high collars, north China - green and red, modern China, Yi - one of minorities, Qinghai - source of Yangtze/cowboy hats, Qingjiao (?) - red with black bodice, Bai (?) couple - tea/headdresses, Miao (?) - green and blue/wide brimmed hats, Inner Mongolia - pink and green/tall hats, Yao - southern China, then, of course, this would be the perfect place to add a photo of Richard in his Hawaiian shorts. Off to our cabins we go for the night.
Monday July 26 Chengdu to Chongqing where we embark on Victoria Queen
After buffet breakfast, Richard, Anna, and I are off to the Wuhou Shrine by taxi for a visit. Richard came here yesterday, but feels that he just scratched the service so we decide to come with him to this gorgeously landscaped place where we wander around taking in the beauty and learning more about the history of this country in it's earlier years. Some of the exhibits contain relics from the Han Dynasty - about 220 - 280 AD. We notice that many of the figurines all through the exhibit halls are smiling widely. We take photos of a bunch of them, including one who is holding a "spade" and "dustpan" that Anna thinks looks like Ross. The period of time following the Han Dynasty is one of flourishing progress made in many areas in spite of competing factions of people.
We manage to hail a taxi to go back to the hotel, but the driver stops at a gas station and urges us out of the car near the entrance, motioning us to stay put. It turns out that it is a natural gas station and passengers are required to get out of each vehicle and wait for the driver while the driver gases up the taxi. It creates a bit of a delay but we manage to get back to the hotel with 15 minutes to spare before we must be packed and ready to go to the train station. Whew! Shelley stays with us all the way to the train to make sure we are safely on before we say our goodbyes. The railway station is a mass of people and Shelley underscores the importance of not letting any of our luggage out of our hands or sight. We manage to maneuver our way through the crowds with our luggage safely and climb aboard a new express train bound for Chongqing where we will embark on the Yangtze River Cruise. Thank goodness we opted to buy new luggage for this trip as it has wheels on the width of the suitcases (versus the narrow part)! Richard, Anna, and I are each traveling with a suitcase and a backpack.
Anne and Gail sit across from two women who are traveling from Xining, Qinghai and Lanzhou, Gansu, respectively, the former who is Tibetan and the latter who speaks some English so acts as the interpreter for an enjoyable conversation, also aided by my IPad!, that spans the train ride of several hours to Chongqing. These two women are on vacation, traveling to Shanghai for the Expo, apparently with a group judging from the familiar company in nearby seats. The one from Lanzhou is married and her husband lives in Chongqing though she lives in Lanzhou. They have one son (who is 26 yo and who lives in London) in keeping with the one family/one child rule, she says. She says that they are Communist Party members and asks what we are to which I explain that the US is a democracy. That's the extent of that part of the conversation. Each woman takes out a long white silk Tibetan scarf with long strands of unwoven silk at each end to give to Gail and me. I ask Anna to come to our seat to find out from her if it's OK to give each of these women a packet of her notecards which it is so we give each of them one. (On our next trip, I'll pack additional gifties for this sort of occurrence. Maybe even notecards packed singly would be sufficient.) The women share banana chips and dates with us while Gail has some almonds to share with them.
As we exit the city of Chengdu, I notice several men on the top floor of a building that is open to the elements. It looks like they must be working to help bring the building down as they have pickaxes, but no helmets or safety harnesses of any type. I also see some colorful Chinese kites aloft quite high in the air. The passing scenery is mostly agricultural. Initially, there are lotus fields and rice paddies where it is flat, but then it becomes very hilly which doesn't appear to deter farming efforts as the land on many hills looks to be terraced and planted with crops of different kinds, including corn. We also pass by many homes some of which appear to be very old and in disrepair while others look to be more modern cement structures but simple and stark. We go over the Jialing River about 4 times so it must meander around or else the train has. It looks very muddy, the water looks high on the banks, and the current looks very swift. We all agree that this is most likely due to flooding that has occurred in this general region in the recent weeks causing some deaths and destruction, especially for those who live near the banks of the river.
The train station in Chongqing does not appear to be as crowded as the one in Chengdu. Our guide, Jackie, meets us there and we make our way to the buses, one which will take our luggage to the ship and the other which will take us to a restaurant for a delicious supper - round table, lazy susan, dishes of food that keep arriving. En route to the restaurant, he gives us a brief bit of info about Chongqing including that it is its own municipality (like 3 other cities in China), has a strong industrial base including the manufacture of 6 million motorcycles per year which are exported to 132 countries and Ford, Suzuki, 2 Chinese models of cars, is also known for hot pots, many hills (which is why we don't see bikes). Chongqing means "Double Celebration", named by Zhao Dun during the Song Dynasty because he became a prince, then emperor here. Chongqing was the capital of the ancient Ba Kingdom until 316 BC to be followed by the Qin Dynasty as it expanded. (Note: Need to study more about the Ba people sometime, because I've turned uo conflicting info, including dates of that period of time and something about a "Bo" kingdom... The same thing?) More recently, as stated in the flyer we receive aboard the Victoria Queen later this evening, "Chongqing served as China's war-time capital and headquarters of the Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist government during the war of resistance against Japan (World War II). Indeed, during the war, the island over which the Yangtze River Bridge is now built served as an airstrip for "The Flying Tigers"! After the war, Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong, participated in the famous "Chongqing Talks" here, which sought unsuccessfully to negotiate a political reconciliation between the Nationalists and the Communists". Anna adds that Jackie says it's known for the pretty girls of which his wife is one, believed to be secondary to the humid air which is good for the skin and hiking the hills which is good for the figures.
Jackie then accompanies us on the bus first to a store where he suggests we buy some extra water and the like due to the expense of items on the ship and then to the vicinity of the pier where we get off the bus and walk on a series of narrow platforms to the pier where the ship, Victoria Queen, is docked. The current is moving very fast, presumably due to the flooding, There is a band made up of trombones, trumpets, cymbals, drum playing Yankee Doodle Dandy as we arrive. The band members are dressed in uniforms. At the conclusion of Yankee Doodle Dandy, they crumple into laughter, I notice, as I continue to take photos. The ship looks like one from early in the last century by the trappings. I learn later that the ship was "rebuilt" in 2003, so maybe we are on a boat from the last century! This is my very first cruise ever. Richard has always wanted to travel on the Yangtze, and Anna seems excited by the whole novelty of this kind of travel. Jackie takes our passports to check us in and then we say goodbye to him, and we check into our rooms. Our group has 3 cabins - 301, 302, and 303 - on the 3rd deck with 2 single beds and a full bathroom in each room. We start to explore a bit, learning that there is a bit of a delay in leaving, and that the flooding has in fact changed some of the ships' cruising plans in the recent days. We've wondered about that, but through the guides, Lotus Travel has not been forthcoming with information. There is a briefing on the bar deck for all the passengers which we attend. There is a cruise director, Ernie Kim, from New Mexico, and Aaron, the river guide who speaks Chinese, who do the introductions. They're each wearing white trousers and blue blazers. The staff marches in crisply and are individually introduced, marching out one by one. We learn that table arrangements will be posted each a.m. There is laundry service but "no delicates" and no dry cleaning. There is a daily event schedule. Our ship is awaiting permission to set sail but will anchor shortly thereafter before getting underway tomorrow a.m. Tomorrow we will visit Fengdu, but we don't know about the steps due to the flooding conditions (- I don't know what that means...)
After the briefing, Richard, Anna, and I join Gail on the observation deck to look at the lights of Chongqing as we get underway. Amazing how quickly we move along, especially with the fast moving current. First we are going backwards but then the ship turns around and moves forward until we pass under 2 bridges after we pass the juncture where the Jialing and Yangtze Rivers merge. We stop and anchor. That's where we are at this point. It's time to turn in.
We manage to hail a taxi to go back to the hotel, but the driver stops at a gas station and urges us out of the car near the entrance, motioning us to stay put. It turns out that it is a natural gas station and passengers are required to get out of each vehicle and wait for the driver while the driver gases up the taxi. It creates a bit of a delay but we manage to get back to the hotel with 15 minutes to spare before we must be packed and ready to go to the train station. Whew! Shelley stays with us all the way to the train to make sure we are safely on before we say our goodbyes. The railway station is a mass of people and Shelley underscores the importance of not letting any of our luggage out of our hands or sight. We manage to maneuver our way through the crowds with our luggage safely and climb aboard a new express train bound for Chongqing where we will embark on the Yangtze River Cruise. Thank goodness we opted to buy new luggage for this trip as it has wheels on the width of the suitcases (versus the narrow part)! Richard, Anna, and I are each traveling with a suitcase and a backpack.
Anne and Gail sit across from two women who are traveling from Xining, Qinghai and Lanzhou, Gansu, respectively, the former who is Tibetan and the latter who speaks some English so acts as the interpreter for an enjoyable conversation, also aided by my IPad!, that spans the train ride of several hours to Chongqing. These two women are on vacation, traveling to Shanghai for the Expo, apparently with a group judging from the familiar company in nearby seats. The one from Lanzhou is married and her husband lives in Chongqing though she lives in Lanzhou. They have one son (who is 26 yo and who lives in London) in keeping with the one family/one child rule, she says. She says that they are Communist Party members and asks what we are to which I explain that the US is a democracy. That's the extent of that part of the conversation. Each woman takes out a long white silk Tibetan scarf with long strands of unwoven silk at each end to give to Gail and me. I ask Anna to come to our seat to find out from her if it's OK to give each of these women a packet of her notecards which it is so we give each of them one. (On our next trip, I'll pack additional gifties for this sort of occurrence. Maybe even notecards packed singly would be sufficient.) The women share banana chips and dates with us while Gail has some almonds to share with them.
As we exit the city of Chengdu, I notice several men on the top floor of a building that is open to the elements. It looks like they must be working to help bring the building down as they have pickaxes, but no helmets or safety harnesses of any type. I also see some colorful Chinese kites aloft quite high in the air. The passing scenery is mostly agricultural. Initially, there are lotus fields and rice paddies where it is flat, but then it becomes very hilly which doesn't appear to deter farming efforts as the land on many hills looks to be terraced and planted with crops of different kinds, including corn. We also pass by many homes some of which appear to be very old and in disrepair while others look to be more modern cement structures but simple and stark. We go over the Jialing River about 4 times so it must meander around or else the train has. It looks very muddy, the water looks high on the banks, and the current looks very swift. We all agree that this is most likely due to flooding that has occurred in this general region in the recent weeks causing some deaths and destruction, especially for those who live near the banks of the river.
The train station in Chongqing does not appear to be as crowded as the one in Chengdu. Our guide, Jackie, meets us there and we make our way to the buses, one which will take our luggage to the ship and the other which will take us to a restaurant for a delicious supper - round table, lazy susan, dishes of food that keep arriving. En route to the restaurant, he gives us a brief bit of info about Chongqing including that it is its own municipality (like 3 other cities in China), has a strong industrial base including the manufacture of 6 million motorcycles per year which are exported to 132 countries and Ford, Suzuki, 2 Chinese models of cars, is also known for hot pots, many hills (which is why we don't see bikes). Chongqing means "Double Celebration", named by Zhao Dun during the Song Dynasty because he became a prince, then emperor here. Chongqing was the capital of the ancient Ba Kingdom until 316 BC to be followed by the Qin Dynasty as it expanded. (Note: Need to study more about the Ba people sometime, because I've turned uo conflicting info, including dates of that period of time and something about a "Bo" kingdom... The same thing?) More recently, as stated in the flyer we receive aboard the Victoria Queen later this evening, "Chongqing served as China's war-time capital and headquarters of the Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist government during the war of resistance against Japan (World War II). Indeed, during the war, the island over which the Yangtze River Bridge is now built served as an airstrip for "The Flying Tigers"! After the war, Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong, participated in the famous "Chongqing Talks" here, which sought unsuccessfully to negotiate a political reconciliation between the Nationalists and the Communists". Anna adds that Jackie says it's known for the pretty girls of which his wife is one, believed to be secondary to the humid air which is good for the skin and hiking the hills which is good for the figures.
Jackie then accompanies us on the bus first to a store where he suggests we buy some extra water and the like due to the expense of items on the ship and then to the vicinity of the pier where we get off the bus and walk on a series of narrow platforms to the pier where the ship, Victoria Queen, is docked. The current is moving very fast, presumably due to the flooding, There is a band made up of trombones, trumpets, cymbals, drum playing Yankee Doodle Dandy as we arrive. The band members are dressed in uniforms. At the conclusion of Yankee Doodle Dandy, they crumple into laughter, I notice, as I continue to take photos. The ship looks like one from early in the last century by the trappings. I learn later that the ship was "rebuilt" in 2003, so maybe we are on a boat from the last century! This is my very first cruise ever. Richard has always wanted to travel on the Yangtze, and Anna seems excited by the whole novelty of this kind of travel. Jackie takes our passports to check us in and then we say goodbye to him, and we check into our rooms. Our group has 3 cabins - 301, 302, and 303 - on the 3rd deck with 2 single beds and a full bathroom in each room. We start to explore a bit, learning that there is a bit of a delay in leaving, and that the flooding has in fact changed some of the ships' cruising plans in the recent days. We've wondered about that, but through the guides, Lotus Travel has not been forthcoming with information. There is a briefing on the bar deck for all the passengers which we attend. There is a cruise director, Ernie Kim, from New Mexico, and Aaron, the river guide who speaks Chinese, who do the introductions. They're each wearing white trousers and blue blazers. The staff marches in crisply and are individually introduced, marching out one by one. We learn that table arrangements will be posted each a.m. There is laundry service but "no delicates" and no dry cleaning. There is a daily event schedule. Our ship is awaiting permission to set sail but will anchor shortly thereafter before getting underway tomorrow a.m. Tomorrow we will visit Fengdu, but we don't know about the steps due to the flooding conditions (- I don't know what that means...)
After the briefing, Richard, Anna, and I join Gail on the observation deck to look at the lights of Chongqing as we get underway. Amazing how quickly we move along, especially with the fast moving current. First we are going backwards but then the ship turns around and moves forward until we pass under 2 bridges after we pass the juncture where the Jialing and Yangtze Rivers merge. We stop and anchor. That's where we are at this point. It's time to turn in.
Sunday July 25 Chengdu
First, some "random" - as Anna would say - thoughts:
Learning about the history of China has been very helpful in terms of understanding what we're seeing and where it fits in the historical chronology of this country. It took some amount of time to put the synopsis of the synopsis on paper (prior to our trip; another obstacle to cleaning off that kitchen counter...), but, so far, the information it contains has held up! Additionally, it has been useful to have some maps with us and the Lonely Planet guide with us. (So far, we've been able to hold onto it without having it confiscated. The guide mentions some reports of that happening, advising covering it in some way. My copy is sufficiently surrounded by stuff to conceal it, I think.)
Following on the above, it has been very useful to be comfortable with pinyin. I'm also able to understand a few Chinese words here and there and am trying to make more of an effort to use a bit of the Mandarin I've learned. Anna is great about correcting my attempts, but she has seemed reluctant to try out her language abilities, too, so far. She did tell me yesterday, however, that she finds that she can understand some words. Now that we're into the trip and a bit more comfortable in the general surroundings, I'm going to venture to be a bit braver about trying to speak Mandarin and hope that Anna will be as well. Yesterday, a shopkeeper seemed happily surprised that I was able to say numbers in Mandarin Chinese.
Am amazed at how "westernized" what we're seeing in China is even down to the western style toilets that are available in so many places. Have only been to one place where the toilets available were the squat type and there might have been a western style toilet available there (- the airport in Guilin, I believe) had I looked more carefully for one. Am surprised since the prevailing opinion amongst Asians is that it's healthier all the way around to use the squat type for a bunch of reasons. Always seemed to me to be an easy concession on the part of westerners, too.
Next, the small size of our group seems just right, holding lots of advantages in terms of moving from one location to another pretty easily to making decisions when necessary. Additionally, that Anna and Becky are able to be together on this journey with their shared background of being adoptees from China probably makes this not only more fun for them but they will likely have in common feelings about this experience that come from their unique perspective. Finally, having Gail with us on this journey has been a Godsend: She is not only a very easy, adventurous traveling companion but has also been another set of eyes for all that we're seeing and experiencing.
A plug for the Clothes Box at AAMC: The day before we left, I decided that I probably needed some more blouses that would be light and easy to hand wash and hang to dry as well as be more comfortable in the heat. I went there during Mom's volunteer time and found several shirts that fit the bill perfectly!
Additionally, Richard, Anna, and I have brought the right amount of luggage: A suitcase - 25 inch each for Anna and me, 27 inch one for Richard - and a backpack each. We checked the suitcases each time and have been able to carry our backpacks on every flight. (Note: Our backpacks worked very well as carry-ons for the entire trip. Also, my black nylon purse with zippered compartments continues to be the best traveling purse ever.)
Finally, the traffic patterns are consistently astounding! How we have not witnessed more accidents is beyond me. The only thing that I've noticed that might be key is that "road rage" is not apparent on the part of anyone in the traffic on the roads from pedestrians to bicyclists to scooters to cars to buses. There is certainly the occasional horn blowing but it appears to be when it's necessary versus just to make a point. A "casual flow" best describe the traffic, I think. So far, everywhere we've been, rickshaws have been very few and far between while taxis are plentiful.
Now, to our day:
Breakfast buffet on the second floor in the coffee shop area.
"Panda Day" it is. Shelley briefs us on information about pandas en route to the Chengdu Panda Breeding Center, one of four such centers in this province of Sichuan though one of them has been closed due to the earthquake in 2008. Several pandas died as a result of the quake before being transferred out. The hope is that the pandas that were living in the wild at the time were able to survive. Pandas have been in the decline for the following reasons:
1. Pandas need a lot of bamboo to survive (40 kgs/day), but bamboo dies eventually which leaves the pandas with no food source.
2. Pandas are very territorial and prefer to live alone, minimizing the birth rate.
3. Breeding time is only one month out of each year, 3 days of which are the peak time for conception.
4. First time panda mothers (between 5 and 20 years old) don't always care for their first baby. They have a 50% chance of having twins but will only care for one.
5. Golden cats and leopards are natural predators making the life span in the wild 16 years or so, compared to about 24 in the breeding center.
Notes about gestation: Difficult to predict delivery date because period of gestation spans from 90 to 180 days, depending on time of implantation of embryo in uterus.
Baby pandas eat bamboo by about 1 year old and separate from their mothers by about 18 months old. Panda mothers' milk is green. Panda fathers are totally uninvolved with babies. The newest baby in the Chengdu Breeding Center is ten days old. Baby pandas stay together in captivity. Need to be in incubator for about 3 months if not cared for by mother; twins are switched off between mother and incubator.
Giant pandas are in the panda family though their bones are more like a red panda. There are 1700 giant pandas in the world, 25% of whom are in the breeding centers while 75% of them live in the wild. There were only 1000 giant pandas about ten years ago. The panda species is about 8 million years old. They changed from being carnivores to being vegetarians. Only about 20% of the bamboo they eat is digestible. Much training is involved in order to release pandas into the wild and that effort has not met with much success to date. First panda released into wild in 2006 but died. Second one released in 2008. For now, the program has been suspended due to the earthquake.
Red pandas are in the raccoon family. There are 5000 red pandas in the world.
We enjoyed a wonderful visit at the breeding center. It was very rainy, but we each used an umbrella. The rain made it a bit cooler, I think. The landscaping along the nicely maintained paved paths was very lush. We saw a whole group of 2 year old pandas some of whom were eating bamboo, some were sleeping, some climbing a tree. To the tune of a 1000 yuan "donation", Anna held a baby panda named "Ya Li" who is about a year old in her lap. We also saw a group of red pandas at feeding time.
We all climbed a aboard the bus again in order to go to a restaurant for Sichuan food which was delicious. Round table, lazy susan.
Back on the bus, Shelley fills us in on more details about Chengdu. It is known for pandas, Sichuan cuisine, teahouses of several kinds, "changing faces" - will see in show this evening, and brocade-making. Common flower is hibiscus. Flat terrain in area. Shelley then takes us to the Jinli Gujie district that is a shopping district built in the architectural style of the Han Dynasty. Richard and Gail strike out on their own while Anne and Anna go with the Vertizes to the Jinli district. Anne takes photos of the Han style of architecture. Richard heads for the Wuhou Shrine adjacent to the Jinli area and finds it very worthwhile. We all meet after an hour and head back to the hotel on the bus after which we take it easy for the rest of the afternoon.
This evening, Shelley accompanies us on the bus to go to the "Changing Faces" show which is a compendium of performances by various artists, including a large stick puppet, a musician playing an erhu, hand shadow show, opera singing, and changing faces and spitting fire. Really a captivating show. Back on the bus, we head for the hotel again and bed.
Learning about the history of China has been very helpful in terms of understanding what we're seeing and where it fits in the historical chronology of this country. It took some amount of time to put the synopsis of the synopsis on paper (prior to our trip; another obstacle to cleaning off that kitchen counter...), but, so far, the information it contains has held up! Additionally, it has been useful to have some maps with us and the Lonely Planet guide with us. (So far, we've been able to hold onto it without having it confiscated. The guide mentions some reports of that happening, advising covering it in some way. My copy is sufficiently surrounded by stuff to conceal it, I think.)
Following on the above, it has been very useful to be comfortable with pinyin. I'm also able to understand a few Chinese words here and there and am trying to make more of an effort to use a bit of the Mandarin I've learned. Anna is great about correcting my attempts, but she has seemed reluctant to try out her language abilities, too, so far. She did tell me yesterday, however, that she finds that she can understand some words. Now that we're into the trip and a bit more comfortable in the general surroundings, I'm going to venture to be a bit braver about trying to speak Mandarin and hope that Anna will be as well. Yesterday, a shopkeeper seemed happily surprised that I was able to say numbers in Mandarin Chinese.
Am amazed at how "westernized" what we're seeing in China is even down to the western style toilets that are available in so many places. Have only been to one place where the toilets available were the squat type and there might have been a western style toilet available there (- the airport in Guilin, I believe) had I looked more carefully for one. Am surprised since the prevailing opinion amongst Asians is that it's healthier all the way around to use the squat type for a bunch of reasons. Always seemed to me to be an easy concession on the part of westerners, too.
Next, the small size of our group seems just right, holding lots of advantages in terms of moving from one location to another pretty easily to making decisions when necessary. Additionally, that Anna and Becky are able to be together on this journey with their shared background of being adoptees from China probably makes this not only more fun for them but they will likely have in common feelings about this experience that come from their unique perspective. Finally, having Gail with us on this journey has been a Godsend: She is not only a very easy, adventurous traveling companion but has also been another set of eyes for all that we're seeing and experiencing.
A plug for the Clothes Box at AAMC: The day before we left, I decided that I probably needed some more blouses that would be light and easy to hand wash and hang to dry as well as be more comfortable in the heat. I went there during Mom's volunteer time and found several shirts that fit the bill perfectly!
Additionally, Richard, Anna, and I have brought the right amount of luggage: A suitcase - 25 inch each for Anna and me, 27 inch one for Richard - and a backpack each. We checked the suitcases each time and have been able to carry our backpacks on every flight. (Note: Our backpacks worked very well as carry-ons for the entire trip. Also, my black nylon purse with zippered compartments continues to be the best traveling purse ever.)
Finally, the traffic patterns are consistently astounding! How we have not witnessed more accidents is beyond me. The only thing that I've noticed that might be key is that "road rage" is not apparent on the part of anyone in the traffic on the roads from pedestrians to bicyclists to scooters to cars to buses. There is certainly the occasional horn blowing but it appears to be when it's necessary versus just to make a point. A "casual flow" best describe the traffic, I think. So far, everywhere we've been, rickshaws have been very few and far between while taxis are plentiful.
Now, to our day:
Breakfast buffet on the second floor in the coffee shop area.
"Panda Day" it is. Shelley briefs us on information about pandas en route to the Chengdu Panda Breeding Center, one of four such centers in this province of Sichuan though one of them has been closed due to the earthquake in 2008. Several pandas died as a result of the quake before being transferred out. The hope is that the pandas that were living in the wild at the time were able to survive. Pandas have been in the decline for the following reasons:
1. Pandas need a lot of bamboo to survive (40 kgs/day), but bamboo dies eventually which leaves the pandas with no food source.
2. Pandas are very territorial and prefer to live alone, minimizing the birth rate.
3. Breeding time is only one month out of each year, 3 days of which are the peak time for conception.
4. First time panda mothers (between 5 and 20 years old) don't always care for their first baby. They have a 50% chance of having twins but will only care for one.
5. Golden cats and leopards are natural predators making the life span in the wild 16 years or so, compared to about 24 in the breeding center.
Notes about gestation: Difficult to predict delivery date because period of gestation spans from 90 to 180 days, depending on time of implantation of embryo in uterus.
Baby pandas eat bamboo by about 1 year old and separate from their mothers by about 18 months old. Panda mothers' milk is green. Panda fathers are totally uninvolved with babies. The newest baby in the Chengdu Breeding Center is ten days old. Baby pandas stay together in captivity. Need to be in incubator for about 3 months if not cared for by mother; twins are switched off between mother and incubator.
Giant pandas are in the panda family though their bones are more like a red panda. There are 1700 giant pandas in the world, 25% of whom are in the breeding centers while 75% of them live in the wild. There were only 1000 giant pandas about ten years ago. The panda species is about 8 million years old. They changed from being carnivores to being vegetarians. Only about 20% of the bamboo they eat is digestible. Much training is involved in order to release pandas into the wild and that effort has not met with much success to date. First panda released into wild in 2006 but died. Second one released in 2008. For now, the program has been suspended due to the earthquake.
Red pandas are in the raccoon family. There are 5000 red pandas in the world.
We enjoyed a wonderful visit at the breeding center. It was very rainy, but we each used an umbrella. The rain made it a bit cooler, I think. The landscaping along the nicely maintained paved paths was very lush. We saw a whole group of 2 year old pandas some of whom were eating bamboo, some were sleeping, some climbing a tree. To the tune of a 1000 yuan "donation", Anna held a baby panda named "Ya Li" who is about a year old in her lap. We also saw a group of red pandas at feeding time.
We all climbed a aboard the bus again in order to go to a restaurant for Sichuan food which was delicious. Round table, lazy susan.
Back on the bus, Shelley fills us in on more details about Chengdu. It is known for pandas, Sichuan cuisine, teahouses of several kinds, "changing faces" - will see in show this evening, and brocade-making. Common flower is hibiscus. Flat terrain in area. Shelley then takes us to the Jinli Gujie district that is a shopping district built in the architectural style of the Han Dynasty. Richard and Gail strike out on their own while Anne and Anna go with the Vertizes to the Jinli district. Anne takes photos of the Han style of architecture. Richard heads for the Wuhou Shrine adjacent to the Jinli area and finds it very worthwhile. We all meet after an hour and head back to the hotel on the bus after which we take it easy for the rest of the afternoon.
This evening, Shelley accompanies us on the bus to go to the "Changing Faces" show which is a compendium of performances by various artists, including a large stick puppet, a musician playing an erhu, hand shadow show, opera singing, and changing faces and spitting fire. Really a captivating show. Back on the bus, we head for the hotel again and bed.
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