ITINERARY
Beijing was the starting point on 4th September 2005 of an 18 day tour of China in the care of our excellent guides Alexandra Goudge from Adelaide and Tang Bo (Tony) from Dalian. The cities visited were:
- Beijing, the historic capital of the People's Republic of China and home to over 12 million people. Tian'an Men Square and the Forbidden City are here and it is an access point to the Great Wall.
- Xi'an, an over night train ride from Beijing, has an imposing city wall 14 km long if you want to walk it. It is the access point for the Terracotta Army and the Buddhist Rock Carvings at Dazu.
- Spectacular Chongqing is at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jailing Rivers. It was the starting point of our four day cruise down the Yangtze to the Three Gorges Dam and hydroelectric project, the world's largest. The cruise finished at Yichang just downstream from the dam.
- From Yichang we took a 7 hour bus ride to Wuhan where we caught a plane to Shanghai. From the Shanghai air port we went directly to Suzhou, another bus trip of about 1.5 hours capping off a marathon day of travel.
- The attraction at Suzho was the World No. 1 Silk Factory and the world heritage listed Lingering Garden.
- Next was Zhou Zhuang, "the Venice of China" not far from Shanghai.
- And finally the vibrant city of Shanghai (population about 14 million).
BEIJING
As our plane taxied up to the terminal in Beijing we were advised that we should leave all western newspapers and magazines on board. Ahaa, I thought, the first indication of an oppressive government making its presence felt. As it turned out it was also the last such indication. Curiously there were no strictures against books we might be bringing into the country. Probably a bureaucratic oversight.
In the terminal, which was as coolly efficient in its operation and as modern in its architecture as any other in the world, the mobile phone quickly found the local service provider and I received a text message welcoming me to China. As it turned out I didn't have to brace myself for the customs entry procedure. We were processed quickly and efficiently and the experience was a lot less intimidating than entry into the United States is these days. I don't recall seeing any arms on the security people although I suppose they were there, just not big and not conspicuously displayed. I had read in the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide to China (an excellent series of publications) that there are plain clothes security guards.
We were loaded onto a bus and introduced to our first local guide who had the disconcerting habit of using phonetic punctuation. Every full stop was sounded out with "yuh".
The ride into the centre of Beijing was an eye-opener. I am not sure what I had expected, but I had the weird feeling that what I was seeing wasn't as Chinese as I thought it would be. "Many high rise yuh," we were told. A broad 8 lane freeway, complete with bill boards advertising shiny new cars, took us all the way to the hotel. Nearer to the airport the scenery was more rural with houses arranged in small groups in the fields. The houses had a decrepit look, perhaps better fitting my expectations. However, they were difficult to see because the Chinese had been busy installing huge, dense plantings of trees and bamboo forests adjacent to the freeway which effectively screened the view. Of course this journey from the airport to Beijing will create the first impressions for the millions of visitors expected for the 2008 Olympics.
This picture shows a cloverleaf intersection. The thing that struck me was the landscaping. Instead of a weedy wasteland that is occasionally slashed, here they have manicured lawns and well tended multi-coloured hedges arranged in geometric patterns. The screening woodlands, bill board and "high rise yuh" can be seen. Such intersections were also the preferred location for triumphal modernist sculptures.
A year latter when looking for the location on Google Earth I found that the hedges are in the shape of dragons. To see for yourself put these coordinates into GE. 39°58'12.00"N 116°27'46.00"E
Like all the cities we visited, Beijing is big and brash. A quirky mix of first world and third world sights bathed in a perpetual fug of gray air. The traffic, a mix of every type of vehicle you can imagine, is always dense but keeps moving most of the time. If your image of Chinese traffic is one of teeming bicycles, it's out of date. The bikes are still there, you can see some on the bottom-right in the picture above, but they are outnumbered by the cars, trucks and buses.
If there is a competition between the first and third worlds, there is no doubt the first world is winning with the traditional China being consumed before our eyes.
Here is the view from our hotel. The gray roofed buildings in the treed area is a remnant of old Beijing hemmed in with new high rise apartments centre and left, while a new group to the right, shrouded in green clad scaffolding, are under construction with about a dozen tower cranes. Amazingly, where ever we went this urban scene was repeated.
Here is a scene in the park that surrounds the Temple of Heaven. It dates from the first half of the 15th century and is a complex of buildings arranged on a north-south axis set amid a beautiful park with ancient pine trees arranged in a formal grid. The round building in the distance is being restored in preparation for the Olympics. It is called Qinian Dian, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest. It was built in 1420.
Chinese people go to the park to relax, exercise, play cards, play music, display their singing birds and socialise. Here Rachel and Ruth listen to a (woefully bad) jazz band hidden by an appreciative audience in the corner of this heavily decorated covered walkway. Chinese couples would get up and dance arm-in-arm western style.
The great wall was ... well, great. This section at Mu Tien Yu is a two and a half hour bus ride from Beijing. On the day we visited there was hardly anyone there. In fact in all of our tours in China, this was the only time we were not amid seething crowds - wonderful!
Originally the Great Wall was a series of earthen ramparts built at various times by separate states. It was created as a continuous fortification during a period from 221 - 210 BC when China was unified by Qin Shi Huanhdi (the feared emperor who built the Terracotta Army). Today most of the wall is a crumbling ruin reclaimed by the forests, eroded by rains and frost or mined like a quarry for building material. Although the parts of the wall that most visitors see is made from beautifully constructed stone, much of the western extent of the wall is a less durable low mud brick structure winding its way through arid lands. The magnificent stone section shown above was restored with the assistance of a German group in 1989.
Tian'an Men Square. During the student demonstrations in 1989 and the memorable confrontation between one man and a tank, I thought this was a place I would never get to visit, but things do change and here we are: Rachel, Tony, me and Peter. The monument to the People's Heroes is in the middle distance. The Great Hall of the People, the seat of China's legislature is in the background. Mao Zedong was chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China from 1945 until his death in 1976. He declared the formation of the People's Republic of China here on October 1st, 1949. Now his tomb is located near the southern end of the square. Immediately to the north is the Forbidden City.
I shall now impart my entire knowledge of the Chinese language. "Men" as in Tian'an Men, means "gate" and refers to a gate in the original city wall. "Sher sher" (thank you) for your attention.
Apart from some small remnants, the city wall and its gates were demolished to make space for a ring-road freeway. Elevated roadways and flyovers, wall to wall high rise buildings and shopping malls are nice western conveniences that I am sure the Chinese enjoy, but having seen the city wall at Xi'an the demolition of the Beijing wall was a great loss.
Other than going there, the best way to see the Forbidden City is to get the DVD of "The Last Emperor". Here for the record is a small part of the restoration work being carried out in preparation for the Olympic onslaught.
Children at a school in Beijing. We toured the school and were treated to demonstrations in the English class room, computer room and the drama studio. Rachel thought their teaching methods were pretty well up to date. The Chinese place great emphasis on learning English. I found that whenever I strayed away from the group in one of the cities it was not unusual for someone to come up to me for a chat and to practice their English.
The Chinese people were a delight. Well, with the exception of the hawkers. At any location where tourists were bussed in hawkers had stalls with cheap souvenirs. They were literally in-your-face and had to be ignored if you were to have any chance of going about your business. But for those who couldn't resist shopping, then the bargaining would begin. It seems that westerners are way out of their depth with this style of shopping, but if the process is completed in an amicable way both the seller and the buyer complete the transaction feeling that they got a good deal. (The Chinese hawker probably did).
The train to Xi'an
On the overnight train from Beijing to Xi'an, Rachel draws courage from the scotch bottle with Ruth's unusually willing assistance. Note the nifty footwear supplied by the train. The four berth compartment was a bit of a squeeze. After an initial survey of the situation it seemed that either Peter or the luggage would have to to stay in the passage. Then we discovered a rather large shelf above the entrance door. Unfortunately it was too small for Peter.
In fact the train was fast and comfortable and – oh joy – there was a choice of western or Chinese toilets.
XI'AN AND THE TERRACOTTA ARMY
Xi’an has 3,100 years of history. It is the capital of of Shaanxi province. The city wall, which has survived in its entirety, can be walked or bicycled for its 14 kilometer perimeter. On this day the atmosphere was more than usually chewable , but you can see in the middle distance, just before the fug reaches 100% density, new two story housing being constructed in the traditional style. Having seen high rise housing going up every where this low density housing struck me as unusual. The idea of houses on their own piece of land doesn't have much currency in Chinese cities. The country is not big enough to accommodate the urban sprawl that would result, so virtually all new housing we is of the "high rise yuh" type. Perhaps this exception is an acknowledgment of the "heritage" nature of the area adjacent to the wall.
The construction site.
The Chinese are not big on occupational health and safety.
This is one of the the entrance buildings to the terracotta army museum
about one hour out of Xi'an.
The Terracotta Army was created by a despotic emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, who forcefully unified China and created the Qin (pronounced Chin) dynasty 2,200 years ago. It was his belief that the Terracotta Army would guard his tomb and protect him in death. Although he had a reputation for great cruelty, the terracotta army can be seen as an improvement over past practices when live army members were buried with their emperor. After his burial the emperor's enemies smashed the Terracotta Army and burnt the supporting timber structure. It was lost for over 2,000 years until its discovery in 1974 by a group of farmers digging a well.
This is the overwhelming vista that opens before you after passing through the entrance hall. The pits contain about 6,000 warriors, chariots and horses all arrayed in battle formation. The "flat bits" between the rows of warriors were the walls which supported timber roof beams which were covered with woven matting and earth. The impressions of the beams can still be seen molded into the walls, and in some cases still contain the charcoal which was formed when the place was ransacked and burned 2,000 years ago.
The construction of the Terracotta Army was a major enterprise that was conducted in secret for much of Qin's rule. The artisans who crafted the figures are said to have been killed upon the completion of their work to maintain the secret. One suspects that they would have worked slowly. The facial features of the warriors are rendered in great detail. All are unique. We were told that the artisans modeled the faces in their own likeness as a subtle form of immortality.
The picture above shows the condition of the warriors when they were excavated. Thousands have been painstakingly pieced together and reassembled into their original positions, but thousands more remain buried. These will be left undisturbed until a way can be found to preserve the colours that were applied, but which fade once exposed to the air. Thousands of high quality bronze weapons have been recovered. The skilled Chinese bronze manufacture was not matched in Western society for centuries. The following two paragraphs are taken from an ABC Science show.
"The pits where the terracotta warriors and bronze weapons are found, although fantastic to see, are just a small part of the 56 square kilometre underground empire that is Qin Shihuang’s mausoleum. More than 7000 peasants and craftsmen were involved in its creation and it took almost 40 years. It is expected that many more interesting artifacts will be uncovered in the ongoing excavation. But because scientific methods of preservation are not capable of preserving organic matter once it’s uncovered, it will be many years before we dare venture into the underground palace, and many years before we discover the full extent of technologies that were employed in this ancient era.
"We do know however, that during his reign, Qin Shihuang instigated the use of standardised weights, measures and currency and he pulled China into a feudal government system. He also made use of a number of advanced geographical survey techniques and commanded the building of many straight roads, some of which form the basis of roads used today. Furthermore, his powerful armies conquered six strong states to unify China. This led to the joining of the defence walls of his defeated territories and the building of new sections of what was to become the Great Wall of China."
CHONGQING
Chongqing was founded about 3,000 years ago. Today the population of the Chongqing municipality is 32 million with about 3.5 million in the Chongqing urban area. So it's about the size of Melbourne, but with its hilly landscape and water frontages, is evocative of Sydney. It was nice, but they really need to do something about the perpetual haze of smog.
Chongqing holds the dubious record of being the most bombed city in the world. For 5 1/2 years during world war II it was a terror bombing target of the Japanese air force which raided the city more than 5,000 times.
Adelaideians check out downtown Chongqing.
Chinese baby carriage.
Peter, Ruth and Rachel enjoying Hot Pot - Tony Bo's favorite dish. At this time we were saluting the second bottle of red firewater provided by Tony. It slipped down very easily! So much so that we became something of a curiosity for the staff who enjoyed watching us become more boisterous as the night wore on, or perhaps they were just wishing we would leave.
The Chinese invented fireworks but now they have electricity and they love to light up their cities. One benefit of the smog is that the search light beams look really good!
The Great Hall of the People was built in 1954 and was inspired by the design of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. It commemorates Chongqing's important wartime role and is now the Renmen Hotel.
Dazu rock carvings
The Dazu Stone Carvings are a three hour drive from Chongqing. The carvings are on the walls of a rocky gorge and are mainly Buddhist themes. Carved during the Tang Dynasty, the earliest carvings were begun in 650 AD. They are now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. In the gruesome scene above the two figures in blue are judges and below them torturers implement punishments. The lesson would seem to be, be good otherwise we will break your bones.
Chongqing is a busy port city and the starting point for the Three Gorges river cruise. Here as we start our President Line Cruise the muddy waters of the Yangtze River meet and mingle with the Clean water of the Jailing River. This picture is an example of the enormous pollution problem China has created in the headlong rush to modernisation. The industrial haze obscures everything a kilometer or more away and one can only wonder what lands are being degraded upstream to for the river to be loaded with so much silt.
YANGTZE RIVER CRUISEThe third longest river in the world, the Yangtze starts at the snout of a glacier on the Tibetan Plateau and flows 6,380 km to the East China Sea near Shanghai. Downstream from Chongqing it cuts through a mountain range to form the spectacular Three Gorges at the end of which is the Three Gorges dam and hydroelectric project, the world's largest. It is also one of the world's busiest waterways and a major transportation artery for China connecting the interior with the coast.
Many cruise boats operate out of Chongqing . Ours was typical, rising 5 decks above the water. The picture above shows the central entrance hall complete with chandelier.
Here is a view looking up river from the observation deck.
This is what our boat looks like when it is parked on a rock.
(Actually a sister ship of the one we were on).
The damming of the Yangtze will raise the water level 175 metres as shown by the depth gauge on the hillside
. Over a million people have been moved from their homes. More than 1,200 towns and villages have disappeared under the rising waters which will eventually create a lake 660 km long and submerge 630 square kilometres of land, much of it fertile farm lands.
Many ancient historic sites are being drowned. The picture above shows a road that was hacked into the cliff face centuries ago to provide a path through the gorge. In another year it will be lost from view.
The displaced people have been moved into new towns like this. Many are rural people whose ancestors farmed the land for centuries. Their farms are now gone along with the sacred family burial plots with graves going back for generations. The hill top soils are not as fertile as those in the valley. Our guides made light of this saying that the young people are happy to be relocated in to high rise apartments but the oldsters are not so happy. A glib response to a major social problem I suspect.
To some, the dam illustrates the ability of the Chinese government to forge ahead with audacious multi-billion dollar projects, said to be for the long-term good of the nation, but with immediate devastating consequences for local communities who remain largely voiceless.
To others it is an environmental and human disaster.
A new bridge linking the new towns. For the entire trip there were frequent views of major new road works and bridges no doubt built as a part of the project to link the new towns with old towns that remain above the flood level. Also occasionally a traditional farm or derelict industrial building.
Why would these people look so happy? Could it be because of the gin and tonics on the table before them, or could it because they chose to stay on board while the others climbed a hill in searing heat and dripping humidity to look at a temple on top of a a mountain?
Here we are at Badong, a port town on the Yangtze where we transferred to a small boat to take a side trip up Shennong Stream, a small tributary of the Yangtze.
From the small boat we were loaded into these man powered craft and set out across the river at speed, propelled by energetic oarsmen who seemed to be racing each other.
Our guide kept us informed about the river and what was happening
as the rowers worked up a sweat.
Then the river narrowed and rapids were visible. They had moved rocks to form a navigable channel at the side of the rapids, but soon they could row no further. So ...
The rowers jumped out of the boats and pulled us through to the top of the rapids to a point where the boats could be turned around and set free so we could enjoy an exhilarating ride down the rapids.
Sailing into the mists of time. (Looks romantic, but actually it's pollution.)
After our adventures in Shennong Stream we approached the locks in the Three Gorges Dam after night fall.
And here we are tucked into the lock with five other boats. All were quite large, 4 to 6 decks high above water level, so you can get some idea of the size of this thing. There are two sets of locks and each has 5 compartments separated by huge steel gates.
The statistics for the dam are mind boggling. The concrete wall is 2,300 metres long and 185 metres high. Work started in 1993 and will not be completed until 2009. The 26 turbines will generate 18,000 megawatts of electricity. The official cost is $25 billion but the actual cost is believed to be much more.
The next morning at Yichang we were taken to an observation point to view the dam and, in the information centre, saw this model of the three gorges dam project. The 5-step twin ship locks are in the foreground. It took half the night for our boat to pass through four of the locks, the fifth one not being needed because the river has not yet reached the 175 metre level. On the day we were there we could not see across to the far side of the dam because of the smog and the vast distance to the other side.
Then we were off on a marathon day of travel. We were bused to Wuhan where we caught a plane to Shanghai then loaded into a bus again for a trip to Suzhou where we arrived at about 9 pm.
SUZHOU
Zuhou is famous for the World Heritage listed Lingering Garden. We went there and lingered.
A performer in the Lingering Garden, Suzhou.
(Photo by Ruth)
Another performer.
Part of the garden.
Bonsai, one of the many in the Lingering Garden.
Bonsai was originally developed in Japan.
ZHOU ZHUANG "The Venice of China"
The stone bridge was built 400 years ago when Shakespeare was busy writing plays in England.
Roofing contractors going to work.
SHANGHAI
Tah-dahh! Over-the-top Shanghai.
The architectural phallic symbol is the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, 457 m high, as seen from the Huangpu River. Shanghai is often regarded as the center of finance and trade in mainland China. In 2005 it became the world's busiest port which is not hard to imagine when one watches the non-stop procession of river traffic as shown in the picture below.
The population was 13.4 million in 2004 but there is an additional 5 million many of whom are an undocumented floating population of temporary migrant workers. So all up the population is close to that of Australia.
Here we can see Rachel and Ruth trying to look grandiose on The Bund on an extremely hot and sticky day.
"The Bund" on Zhongshan Road
has dozens of historic buildings over looking the Huangpu River. The grandiose banks and trading houses of the great colonial powers were constructed as symbols of western commercial power in the early 1900s. Today the Oriental Pearl Tower and many other sky scrapers in the Pudong district just across the river is a powerful symbol of the "new China".
The Pudong area was until quite recently a squalid slum, home to prostitutes and gangsters. Then in 1990 it acquired the status of Special Economic Zone and became the world's largest building site. It is said that one third of the world's large cranes were in this area and judging by the activity we saw a couple of days latter at the Shanghai International Airport, most of them have been moved there.
Psychedelic ride in a tunnel under Shanghai harbour.
Fountain behind the Shanghai Museum. The museum is a highlight not to be missed, but then, the same can be said about the girls.
So visit Shanghai in summer!
