CHINA 02/11 - 12/11

The Blogger website, in common with other social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, was blocked in China so this post is a retrospective account of our visit to a fascinating country. We packed an awful lot into a short space of time in China so forgive us if this is a little drawn out. In future we will try to keep up to date so that the blog is more brief and spontaneous.

SHANGHAI  (02/11 to 05/11)

The flight from London was uneventful and a good introduction to China as almost all of the Virgin cabin crew were Chinese. We were sitting where the isle narrowed, and the way in which they repeatedly rammed the catering trolleys into the seat opposite was an introduction to the way the Chinese approach driving any kind of wheeled vehicle.

Sunrise on 02/11/10 at 39,000' over Northern China

We took a taxi to our hotel and the first impression was how wide and good the roads were, and how superfluous indicators are on Chinese cars. As we neared the city the visibility became noticeably more hazy as the famous Chinese smog became evident. Through the haze the skyline was impressive with as many skyscrapers as Manhattan. 

We had been warned about taxi drivers and their ploy of taking you on the longest possible route to your destination. One way to discourage this is to sit in the front seat with a map on your lap and make a point of checking the driver's navigation. Fran insisted that Idid this, despite my protestations that it was a waste of time and probably dangerous. As is nearly always the case Fran was right as it became evident when we approached the city centre that the driver had no idea where the hotel was despite being shown the address in Chinese. Whether he was genuinely unsure, or just making a point that he could drive us around for as long as he liked no matter what we did, we are still not sure, but I ended up map reading the way to the hotel and communicating navigational instructions with increasingly wild gesticulations.

When we finally arrived the hotel was very comfortable, and we had a well overdue sleep before setting out to explore at dusk. Shanghai is an extraordinary mix of new and old, and East and West. There is a genuine old area, a new 'old' area where the buildings are new but in traditional style and modern shopping streets.

New 'Old' Shanghai

All are mixed together in close proximity and you can emerge from an old fashioned 'snack' street to be confronted by a gleaming branch of Marks and Spencer or Tesco Express. The main shopping streets have more western designer shops than Mayfair, Paris or Milan which is just one of the indications that capitalism is blooming within the People's Republic of China. Another is the array of new skyscrapers which dominate the sky line emblazoned with the names of the world's leading banks and insurance companies as the view across the Huangpu River from our hotel illustrates.

The Pudong district of Shanghai seen from our hotel across the Huangpu River.

Night view from our hotel window

It soon became evident that the biggest challenge involved in strolling around Shanghai is successfully crossing the road. I have already made reference to both the Chinese attitude towards operating wheeled vehicles and the width of the roads; put both these factors together and you begin to see the problem. There are controlled pedestrian crossings but the 'green man' does not guarantee your safety and if a car doesn't get you a cyclist or scooter almost certainly will the first few times you attempt it.

The scooters are the biggest threat, and they employ various crafty tactics in order to get you including riding on the wrong side of the road and using completely silent electric motors. After dark they go into super-stealth mode by wearing dark clothing and switching off their lights in order to save the battery for the motor.

Food in China was always going to be a problem for me and we did not get off to a good start on our first night. We decided against eating from a stall in a snack street as we did not want to risk being laid low at the outset, and eventually found a restaurant. Fran ordered duck which arrived without delay and was stone cold. We thought they might just be showing us the dish before putting it in the oven, but no that was it. My pork stew arrangement was actually tofu masquerading as pork.

The next day we visited the Susuyou Gardens, not the sort of garden one one relaxes in with a beer having just cut the lawn, but a series of formal pavilions and water features.

Susuyou Gardens

Then we went to the People's Park and Square which are massive, and the Shanghai Museum which is also huge but fascinating.

The People's Park

In the evening we took a taxi across the river to the Jin Mao Tower. Despite it being the second tallest building in Shanghai, which you can see from everywhere, the taxi driver still managed to get lost. We had a drink in Cloud Nine, a bar on the 87th floor from where the views were breathtaking. We took the metro back under the river and then walked down the Bund.

This was the main commercial street in colonial days, and the substantial  buildings that the British, French and Russians built for their banks and embassies still remain in good condition having been surprisingly untouched during the Cultural Revolution.

On our last day in Shanghai we took a cruise up the Huangpu river and went up the Oriental Pearl Tower which is over 1500' high. There is an observation platform  where you can step out onto a glass deck and look at the people and cars over 1000' beneath your feet. I was not very good with this.

Fran views the Oriental Pearl tower from ground level.

She is braver than me! Must be the handbag

We then walked down one of the main shopping streets in the evening darkness and the brightly lit shopfronts were a match for Oxford Street or Regent Street. At one point we came upon a chap playing a saxophone on a first floor balcony and couples were dancing in the street below. It was an extraordinary sight to behold as gentlemen would ask ladies ladies to dance and then waltz around the street like an old fashioned tea-dance.

Saxophonist on a balcony. 

Dancers below.

We then walked miles back to our hotel through some dimly lit backstreets, perhaps not very sensible but never felt threatened in any way.

The China Daily newspaper was distributed free of charge in our hotel and it was interesting to read an editorial about the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to Liu Xiaobo, the Chinese dissident who is presently imprisoned for 'subversion of the State.' The gist was how the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize is no longer conducted in the original spirit intended by Alfred Nobel, but has been hijacked by the West and used as a political tool. How it was used against the Soviet Union during the Cold War with awards to Sakharov and Gorbachev, and now against the Chinese with awards to the Dalai Lama and Liu. The latter showing the West's deep fears over China's emergence on the international arena and its economic growth.

Having bought the most expensive coffees in the world at Shanghai's Hongqiao airport we flew to Guilin, two and a half hours flight time, courtesy of China Eastern Airlines on an Airbus A320. The flight was fine although there was obviously a technical problem with the fasten seat-belt signs which were never illuminated anywhere in the cabin from start to finish.

GUILIN  (05/11 - 07/11)

Unusual palm trees outside Guilin airport. 
 

The purpose of our visit to Guilin was to take a guided tour into the countryside, which had been recommended and arranged by our friend Jeff who lives in Beijing and to whose birthday party we were on our way to. The guide's driver picked us up from the airport and, after we had checked into the hotel, drove us to nearby Mount Yaoshan which we ascended by chairlift and descended by toboggan on a metal track. Great fun although the view from the top was hazy owing to the factories in the valleys below.

Ascending Mount Yaoshan

View from top of Mount Yaoshan

Descending Mount Yaoshan

The next day our guide, George, picked us up from the hotel and drove us out into the countryside. He spoke pretty good but heavily accented English and was very informative about the various things we saw. At the outset I asked him if we could stop at an ATM as credit cards have not caught on everywhere in China and I needed cash to pay him. During some 'getting to know you' chit chat he asked us 'what car you have?' Fran immediately answered ' a Volkswagon Toureg actually.' There was a long pause before he said ' No, what car you have for the ATM?'

He took us to an ancient rice market at Daxu which, although authentic as far as the old buildings and almost equally old people were concerned, now sells tourist paraphernalia. The elderly people would have made marvelous subjects to photograph but we learned early on that the Chinese do not like being photographed - even for money.

Typical transport in rural China.
(What would UK Health and Safety think about the unprotected drive belts and other moving parts?!)

Scenery on the drive to Xingping

We then went to Xingping where he took us round a very genuine rural market where the farmers come in from miles around to sell their produce and people come in from miles around to stock up for the week. Bearing in mind we were in a very rural part of China we saw some remarkable sights, ranging from men having their hair cut to a dead dog having its fur burned off with a blow-torch in preparation for cooking (photograph available on request). We then saw local men eating what our guide told us was dog, which appears to be part of the staple diet in rural areas. Apparently not any old dog will do, but they breed special 'eating dogs.'

We then had lunch just round the corner but we had lost our appetites somewhat.

In the afternoon we took a boat trip on the river Li which we had anticipated would be the highlight of the tour. However it was a little disappointing as the boat was a raft made out of white plastic drain pipes bound together with wire and an old motor bike engine on the back driving a propeller. Any romantic notions of serenely drifting down the river admiring the spectacular scenery and spotting the occasional cormorant fisherman were dashed immediately because about ten thousand other tourists had had the same idea, and the cormorant  fishermen have given up fishing to drive the tourist 'boats.' There were literally traffic jams on the river and every now and then there would be a gentle collision with another boat. Having said all that the scenery was beautiful being dominated by the iconic kastes or 'pepper pot' hills.

View from raft on River Li. (note the white plastic drain pipes)

Water buffalo on island in River Li

Rafts queue for business on River Li

You will have gathered from the above that tourism has really taken off, but the interesting thing is that the vast majority of tourists are Chinese. It is only relatively recently that restrictions on movement within the country have been lifted and they are now making up for lost time and visiting each other's provinces in droves.

That evening we went to a light show on the river which was the most spectacular visual event I have ever seen. They made full use of the distant kastes as a dramatic backdrop by lighting them in a subtle and ever changing way, and in the foreground was a cast of thousands moving over the surface of the water on boats or massive pontoons with ever changing costumes, lighting and music. The incredible thing was that this was all taking place at the point where 2 rivers merge so the current was quite strong but their timing was perfect.

The next morning George turned up at our hotel with 3 bicycles he had acquired from somewhere and, after a few adjustments, off we cycled into the countryside.

Final adjustments (Rare photo of George)

It had been interesting seeing the men and women bent double harvesting the rice in the small paddy fields from the vehicle the previous day, but now we were really up close as we cycled down narrow lanes and tracks. The harvesting is still done by hand with a small scythe, although the threshing is now done with a simple machine on which a motor has recently replaced a treadle. The rice grains are then spread out on any available hard surface to dry in the sun and the straw is fashioned into small upright sheaths to dry before being stored as feed for the water buffalo.

Harvesting rice

Threshing the rice

The farms are small and owned by the state, and the farmers rely on their offspring to continue working their bit of allocated land and to look after them in their old age. For this reason restrictions on the number of children they are allowed are slightly relaxed in the countryside (they are allowed 2, or more if there is no son, minimum of 4 years apart ) to ensure there is adequate labour available in each generation. In the cities there are heavy fines imposed if you have more than one child.

First stop was the Dragon river where we embarked on proper bamboo rafts upon which were 2 chairs in the middle and a chap at the back with a bamboo punting pole. This was really good fun and not as crowded as our previous river outing, although the entrepreneurs on the rafts moored in the river were doing brisk trade in selling photographs, food and beer to the passing waterborne tourists. It became obvious that one was expected to buy one's poleman a beer by way of a tip which made us wonder what state they were in by the end of the day.

Are you sitting comfortably?

(our poleman doesn't feature as he took the photo)

There were no locks but every so often there was a wall built across the river forming a waterfall 4 or 5 feet high, and the technique was for the little chap at the back to punt like mad and hope there was enough momentum to carry the raft over the top of the wall until the centre of gravity passed the tipping point and the bow plunged down into the water below. The first time this happened we realized why there had been an old lady at the start selling plastic bags to put over your shoes.

The plunging part

However the manoeuvre did not always go smoothly and the raft would become beached on top of the wall. We would then have to abandon ship and help manhandle the raft forwards. Timing then became critical to ensure we were back in our seats before the tipping bit occurred and that the little chap jumped back on at the stern.

All hands on deck

'James. Get back on NOW'

At one point our little fellow started pointing excitedly to something under the water and we assumed he had spotted some interesting creature. He punted across to the bank, jumped off and tore a branch off a tree. He then stripped it of twigs and leaves leaving a twig forming a hook at the end, before punting back to the spot where he had made his earlier sighting. He then lay on the raft and started fishing around on the bottom of the river with his newly fashioned boat hook. There was much Chinese banter going on with passing colleagues, and Fran and I were ready with our cameras in eager anticipation of him hooking up some exotic river snake. He finally hooked his quarry and slowly raised his stick and as the hooked end broke the surface we saw - Fran's glasses.

Fishing for Fran's glasses

George was there to meet us when we disembarked, having been driven down by lorry with the bikes, and his first words were ' you lost your glasses.' Obviously word had travelled down the river ahead of us that this blond western tourist had dropped her glasses into the water.

We then cycled to a village where George led us into a very old farmhouse consisting of a living area which was walled on 3 sides, but open to the elements on the fourth side. Adjoining this on one side was a little kitchen with a wood fired stove and on the other side a little bedroom. There was also a toilet area which consisted of wooden slats over a hole in the ground. A ladder led up to a storage area above and that was it. We were warmly greeted by an old lady who ushered us over to a bench at the only table. George tipped some water from a bucket into a bowl and washed his hands before producing raw meat and vegetables from a bag he had been carrying. He then started preparing a meal with great expertise which he cooked in a wok while the old lady offered us some oranges and a pen knife which we could not refuse.

George preparing lunch

Bowls of hot fresh food started appearing on the table and it would have been rude to speculate about what we were eating but it tasted very good. Using the 'loo' was not an option so we sat with legs crossed.

The old lady lived in the house and it turned out her husband had died a few years ago but they had had no children so she was struggling. George regularly took his clients there to cook them lunch and then gave her some money to help her out.

A short cycle ride away was Moon Hill. We had seen it from the river, and it is a hill with a large circular opening in the rock at the summit. From different view points you see different shapes of the circular space, just like the different phases of the moon. It was hard work and we climbed over 400 steps to the top but it was worth it when we got there. We were accompanied by a very old lady who was trying to sell us water in old plastic bottles and fanning us with a dirty old rag when we stopped for a rest. George warned us that she would not go away and sure enough she was with us all the way to the top and back to the bottom. I admired her stamina but not her intimidating insistence on attempting to extract money from us - she went away no richer but rather cross.

Moon Hill seen from the river

At the top

We then took a long cycle ride back to the hotel during which George pointed out an eating dog which was running around, but for how much longer?

 Make the most of it

XIAN  (08/11)

Having said our goodbyes to George our flight from Guilin to Xian was delayed 4 hours and we did not arrive until well after midnight. We were accosted at arrivals by a chap who said all the taxis had  gone home for the night but that he would drive us to our hotel if we followed him to his car on the rooftop car park. Fran said what a kind chap he was and how lucky for us he was there, but I wasn't so sure and on pushing passed him discovered a fully stocked taxi rank outside.

We took the one at the front of the queue and showed the driver the address of our hotel. He looked puzzled and asked someone else who looked puzzled and called someone else over. At one point I counted 16 taxi drivers and a policeman puzzling over our piece of paper. Eventually he seemed satisfied and off we went to arrive 30 minutes later at the wrong hotel. We eventually found the correct one and got to bed at 03.00 having set our alarm for 06.30. (I would just like to add here, that James did not follow the tried and tested rule of sitting in the front with a map on his lap! FN)

We were given the option of hiring a car and driving ourselves to see the Terracotta Warriors but common sense prevailed and we hired a car with a driver for the 45 minute journey. On arrival we were intercepted by an English speaking chap who offered to be our guide for the visit and since he was wearing official looking ID we accepted his offer. For once he was genuine, and turned out to be a very good guide. He lead us to a trolley bus which drove us to the heart of the site. The Warriors were discovered about 40 years ago by local farmers drilling for water who, upon finding some bits of pottery and remains of weapons, immediately reported this to the government and set the cat amongst the pigeons.

As we approached the first hall the air of expectation increased, and as we entered and looked down at the warriors set out in ranks before us it was quite a moving moment. Although they look just like the photographs we are all familiar with to see them in situ was certainly worth the journey.

View on entering the first hall

They are all individual with solid heads and hollow bodies which meant most were damaged to a degree when discovered. They were buried in order to protect the First Emperor, who's mausoleum is nearby, and the way in which they are ranked with the outer warriors facing outwards, the archers in strategic positions and the General's HQ a little away from the action all makes perfect sense.

The first hall is one of 3 and is the largest and the first to be opened to the public, but the most extraordinary thing is that excavation and restoration is still going on and there are archeologist's on site who have worked there all their working lives.

Ongoing excavations

When the warriors are first uncovered they are coloured in various different shades, but the colour fades as soon as it is exposed to the light and the air. Because they do not have the technology to prevent this at present they are deliberately leaving many more sites they have discovered by X-ray undisturbed until they have figured out a way of preserving the colours.

After visiting the remaining halls our guide fulfilled his main mission in guiding us through the extensive souvenir shops, and future visitors to the Old Vicarage Cottage will be able to admire  scaled down replicas of a general and a kneeling archer made from the same material as their larger originals. (There is a certificate to prove this.) In one shop they were selling books about the warriors, and blow me down there was the original peasant farmer who made the first discovery on hand to sign the books and have his photograph taken with you for a small consideration.

We meet the farmer who made the original discovery

We spent the afternoon walking around the Old City of Xian, which was China's capital at the time of the first Emperor, and has a well preserved city wall. We had trouble finding anywhere to eat and when we did.....

Who is having trouble with the food now?!

The alternatives

The shops are very modern however with the ubiquitous Western designer shops much in evidence. We found a small nail parlour where Fran decided to have her nails tarted up before the party and I decided to go for a beer.

After I had found a suitable watering hole, an ice cream parlour which sold warm cans of beer as there are no bars, I returned to let Fran know where I would be. She was surrounded by young Chinese nail technicians and having a great laugh with them. They spoke no English but there seems to be a girly language of nails which transcends international boundaries. After about an hour I was getting a little concerned that Fran had not come to meet me so I went back to the parlour to find her still surrounded by her new friends and speaking on somebody's mobile phone! It turned out that as none of them spoke any English they had got her to phone a friend of theirs who did. This person told Fran how much her friends had enjoyed working on a pretty western lady's nails, and they all said fond farewells as we left with Fran's nails looking great.

The walled Old City of Xian

BEIJING  (09/11 - 12/11)

On arrival at Beijing we were met by Jeff's driver and, after picking up another friend of Jeff's who had just arrived from Hong Kong, he drove us to  the Aman hotel where we were to stay for the next 2 nights of Jeff's 60th birthday celebrations. The hotel is beside the Summer Palace, with a 'secret' entrance through an adjoining garden wall, and is modelled on the layout of the Palace. The accommodation is divided into courtyards and we had a suite in courtyard 1 which was very swizzy.

There was a champagne reception that evening followed by a black tie dinner for 50 of Jeff's friends hosted by Jeff, his wife Mina and their 3 year old son Eric. Our friends Keith and Wendy from Kimpton, ourselves and Jeff's niece were the only guests from the UK, but there were several who had flown in from the Phillipines, Hong Kong, Singapore etc,etc. It was a splendid evening and Eric's rendition of 'Happy Birthday to Daddy' was a great hit.

Ready to party

Tables ready for action

Jeff and Eric wearing matching waistcoats and bow ties

After a late breakfast the next morning about 30 of us set off in a coach for a visit to the Great Wall. On arrival in the car park we got our first glimpse of the Wall high above us stretching into the distance on the mountain tops.

First view of the Wall from below

Ascending with Anna and Ben

We then took a cable car up to the base of one of the entrances to the wall where we were greeted by the sight of waiters manning a table bearing Champagne, gluvhein and food. Another example of Jeff's generosity.

Refreshment awaits

Fran and Wendy fortify themselves with the Wall in the background 

Having fortified ourselves we set of along the wall, which is hard going as it undulates across the top of the mountains and the steps are irregular in size. The weather was beautiful and the views amazing as the wall could be seen extending from one horizon to the other.

Keith and Wendy find it hard going

Descending from the wall was a choice between chairlift or toboggan, and most of us chose the latter which was set up just like the one at Guilin and again great fun.

Fran and Keith at speed

Wendy takes the more dignified option

Hot chocolate and cakes were then laid on at the 'School House' in the local village which is now run as an arts centre. We were greeted by a traditional local band and dancers in local dress.

The welcoming committee

The band

After a period of photograph taking they decided it was time for some of us to join in and much to my embarrassment one of the dancers insisted on tying a bright green piece of material around my waist whilst another taught me how to hold it and the 'dance' steps required, whilst our fellow guests took photos.

Oh no!

The School House put on a good spread of cakes and hot chocolate, with a surprise birthday cake and 'Happy Birthday' in Chinese.

Jeff and Mina in the School House

The western people who run the centre are trying to revive some of the traditional artistic skills which are being lost, and after our hot chocolate and cake we watched a glass blowing demonstration which was fascinating.

The embyonic stage of a glass jar

That evening we had a traditional Chinese meal at the Aman from a menu chosen by Jeff and Mina. Needless to say the food bore no resemblance to what we are used to from the local Chinese restaurant in the UK and was delicious. Shark fin and jellyfish were amongst the delicacies on offer.

'What did you think of the jellyfish then?'

Next morning everyone said goodbye and most guests flew back from whence they came. Fran and I were led through the tranquil hotel grounds to the secret door, and on passing through joined the other five million people visiting the Summer Palace. It is a series of pavilions surrounding a large lake and all very beautiful.

We then moved from the Aman to the Chinese Club where Jeff is a member. It is an old fashioned club which only became available to expats relatively recently and the guest book reads like a Who's Who of celebs. I would like to think our four poster bed was the one Elle Macpherson slept in but knowing my luck it was Tony Blair or Maggie Thatcher.

Fran relaxing in the China Club

Tian'anmen Square was only a stroll down the road and it is absolutely vast. Around the square was the first time we became aware of a large police and military presence, and I suspect at the first sign of any demonstration it would be snuffed out before it began.

The Changing of the Guard in Tian'anman Square

Immediately north of the square is the Forbidden City which again is on a vast scale and made up of a series of large pavilions. We found it rather disappointing as you couldn't get near anything of interest because of the hoards of Chinese tourists.

Outside the Forbidden City

First glimpse within the Forbidden City

What a big pair

(They were used to store water to fight fires in the city)

That night we ate in the club with Jeff, Mina, Keith, Wendy and some of Jeff's local friends and colleagues. We said goodbye that night and thanked Jeff for his immense generosity of the last few days.

The last supper

The next morning Jeff's driver took us to the airport, and so ended an unforgettable visit to an extraordinary country full of surprises and contradictions.