A dream destination – historical and architectural masterpieces and impressive natural landscapes.  It is the world’s most populous country and home to one of the world’s longest continuous civilizations, with a rich cultural heritage.  We started our China adventure in Beijing and traveled on to Xi’an, Donghan, Chengdu, Lhasa, Chongqing, Fengdu, Yichang, Wuhan, and Hong Kong. 

Our welcome Dinner featured Peking duck.  It was served with a flourish, along with a table full of other dishes and a challenge to get serious about using chopsticks.  All meals (except breakfast buffets) were served family style, with a lazy susan in the center of the table.  There were so many choices at each meal, it was easy to find something to like.

 

Beijing is the capital of the People’s Republic of China and home to nearly 21 million people (or maybe more by now).  Like the old Chinese puzzle boxes within boxes, Beijing was originally laid out in a series of concentric circles.  Most of our exploration was in the oldest, innermost circles. 

First a look at monumental Beijing ….

Tienanmen Square is the world’s largest public square, the size of 90 football fields, with standing room for a million people.  This has been a gathering place for Chinese people since the mid-17^th century, and some of the most momentous events in modern Chinese history have taken place here. The square gained worldwide notoriety in June 1989, when government troops and tanks brought student protests to a violent end.   

 

In the center of Tienanmen Square stands the Monument to the People’s Heroes, a granite obelisk engraved with scenes from famous uprisings and bearing words of wisdom from Mao.  It is dedicated to all who struggled for the glorious revolution, but carries a warning that anyone trying to start another revolution will be sternly punished.   

On the south side of the square, the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall is a mausoleum housing the preserved body of the most famous leader of the Chinese revolution.  Millions of ordinary Chinese have a deep respect for Mao Zedong; long lines file silently past his crystal coffin draped with the red flag of the People’s Republic that he founded in 1949.   

North of the square stands the Gate of Heavenly Peace, also known as Tienanmen Gate, which formed the first entrance to the Forbidden City during the time of imperial rule.  It served as the ceremonial point for the emperor’s edicts and later for Chairman Mao’s proclamations.   A giant portrait of the Chairman hangs above the central portal, with slogans to the left (Long Live the People’s Republic of China) and right (Long Live the Unity of the People of the World).   

The Forbidden City, built in the early 1400’s, is a 9,999-room maze of courtyards, palaces and ceremonial halls, covering about 180 acres.  Here 24 emperors and two dynasties ruled China.  Protected by 30-foot-high walls and a 160-foot-wide moat, this UNESCO World Heritage site was the imperial heart of Chinese civilization.  Its common name comes from the fact that for many centuries ordinary citizens were barred from entering, upon penalty of death.   

We entered the Forbidden City from the south, through the Gate of Supreme Harmony, which is flanked by bronze lions and opens into a vast courtyard and an array of classic buildings featuring marble floors and ceilings with grand murals.   

The southern section of the Forbidden City is known as the Outer Court.  It consists of five halls used for ceremonial purposes and other official business.  The huge buildings are all about harmony:  the Gate of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony.  The spaces are enormous; the crowds are unbelievable.    

Most of the tourists here were Chinese people.  This is an important part of their history and many people rented traditional costumes for picture-taking.  

The northern section, or Inner Court, was where the emperor worked and lived with his family, concubines, eunuchs and maid-servants.  This also was the home of the “Dragon Lady,” the empress dowager who ruled the kingdom for 47 years.   

On each corner of the roofs, there are small protective statuettes, the number of which denotes the power of the person living in the building.  The number 9 was reserved for the emperor.  One building has 10 statuettes at each corner; this number symbolizes heaven and this is the most holy building, the Hall of Supreme Harmony.  

The northernmost part of the Forbidden City is the Imperial Garden, which was built in 1717 during the Ming Dynasty.  The garden was used exclusively by the Imperial family to sip tea, play chess, meditate and just relax.  

We walked only the north –south axis of the Forbidden City; i.e., a straight line through the center of a huge rectangle.  There’s so much to see, we were simply overwhelmed.  We saw maybe 10-15% of the Forbidden City – we could have spent several days and still not seen it all.  

At the same time that the Forbidden City was built, an enormous park and altar to Heaven was built directly to the south.  This Temple of Heaven has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Each winter solstice, the emperor would lead a procession here to perform rites and make sacrifices designed to promote the next year’s crops and curry favor with Heaven.  The circular wooden hall, built with no nails, is The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. 

There were plenty of tourists admiring the ancient architecture, but even more local people were out enjoying the huge park that surrounds the buildings.  Playing cards or mahjongg or board games, making music, dancing or practicing tai chi – there were people everywhere.  

 

 

The Summer Palace is the largest and best-preserved imperial garden in China; it is strewn with palaces and architectural flights of fancy.  Members of Beijing’s imperial court used this UNESCO World Heritage Site as a summer resort; it was accessible by canal from the Forbidden City.  Through the centuries portions of the grounds and buildings were destroyed, redesigned or restored, but today it is maintained as a park for all to enjoy and admire.  It was not our finest hour – it rained. We got only a glimpse of some of the buildings and bridges around the lake.  Maybe next time. 

 

The Lama Temple in Beijing is a temple and monastery of Tibetan Buddhism or Lamaism.  It was constructed (in 1694) as a residence for the Emperor’s son; when that son ascended the throne, the building was converted to a lamasery or residence for monks of Tibetan Buddhism.  

 

It’s not clear how this place survived the Cultural Revolution, but it was bustling with worshipers on the day of our visit.  Most visitors bought large bundles of incense to burn, the result being great clouds of smoke everywhere. 

Last, but certainly not least, China’s Great Wall easily qualifies as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and as the world’s greatest civil engineering feat.  It was built between the 5^th century BC and the 16^th century AD; its purpose was protective although it also served as an elevated highway and military communications route.  Archaeologists estimate that the wall, with its gateway arches and watchtowers, once ran for 6,200 miles.    

We visited the Wild Great Wall, a portion of the wall that has been partly restored but not targeted for tourism.  Construction of this section of the Great Wall began in 1368 and continued for over 200 years.  Built of stone, the wall averages 24 feet in height, 21 feet in width at its base, and 18 feet in width at its top.   

We climbed to the top of the wall and then climbed some more.   There’s no flatland around here – it was all uphill.   After all this hard work, we enjoyed a home-hosted meal in a village near the base of the wall.

Away from the historical monuments and architectural masterpieces, a bit of local color and culture around Beijing ….

Two thousand years old, Chinese acrobatics is one of the few traditional art forms condoned by Chairman Mao.  The combination of spinning, jumping, contortions and suicidal balancing acts makes for dazzling entertainment. 

 

We visited the Beijing #1 Silk Carpet Factory, where silk carpets are still made by hand.   We learned about the production process and how to distinguish higher quality of real silk carpets.  We watched weavers at work and tried to master the basics. 

 

We also visited a cloisonne factory and enjoyed watching the artists at work here.  Cloisonné is an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects, using many layers of enamel as well as inlays of gemstones and other materials.  

 

Opera is a popular form of drama and musical theater in China, with roots going back as far as the third century AD.  Beijing opera combines music, vocals, mime, dance and acrobatics.  The skills of speech, song, dance and martial arts are used in movements that are symbolic and suggestive, rather than realistic.  The costumes are exquisite and the movements are impressive, but … the sounds take some getting used to.  Been there, done that. 











Narrow winding lanes known as hutongs were the city’s dominant passageways until cars and the Communist love of grandeur made them impractical.  Old maps of Beijing show the city to be an immense, intricate maze composed almost entirely of hutongs.  These old residential neighborhoods consist of traditional courtyard houses.  These are typically composed of four single-story rectangular buildings arranged around a central courtyard with a door at one corner.  Originally designed to house a single family, these courtyard compounds now house many. 

 

Until recently, as much as half of Beijing’s people lived in these areas, but large-scale bulldozing of the hutongs has resulted in significant migration into modern apartment buildings.  The hutongs are disappearing fast, and we felt fortunate to spend some time here.   

Pictured here are the entrance to the home we visited and a scale model of what this single-family home looked like when our hostess’ grandfather owned the entire compound, prior to the Cultural Revolution.  The family considers themselves lucky that they weren’t evicted completely, but today they occupy only a small fraction of what used to be. 

 

Space was limited, but somehow our hostess set up a couple of tables and fed us a delicious meal.  This was a woman of many talents:   not only was she a good cook, she was also an accomplished artist.  Her specialty was a uniquely Chinese art form known as ‘inside painted.’  She paints pictures and sometimes calligraphy on the inside of glass snuff bottles.  To paint the inside of a bottle, she uses special brushes and paints backwards – an amazing art form that dates back to the early 1800s.   

 

We had a cooking lesson here so we could learn how to make our own steamed dumplings, or jaozi.  Just roll out some dough, place minced meat and veggies in the center, fold in half and crimp the edges.  Sounds and looks easy, but ours looked like misshapen lumps compared to her perfect crescents.  Must practice! 

 

The Old Beijing Drum and Bell Towers were near the home that we visited.  The Drum Tower was built in 1272, during the reign of Kublai Khan; at that time it stood in the very heart of the city and was known as the Tower of Orderly Administration.  The building housed 24 drums, which were used to mark the hours of the night.  The nearby Bell Tower housed a huge iron bell, which announced the hours of the day. 

 

Nearer our hotel, the buildings were newer but interesting neighborhoods could still be found.  We created a bit of a stir by wandering around an early morning market – these folks clearly were unaccustomed to having tourists in their backyard, but they smiled, laughed at our bad Chinese, and made us feel welcome.  

 

A street vendor whipped up pancakes with the filling of your choice – too bad we couldn’t identify any of the choices. 

A noodle-maker rolled up his dough, sliced thin noodles, and packaged them in small bags for sale. 

The egg-lady has plenty of fresh eggs – or, for the adventuresome, 100-year eggs.  These delicacies are made by preserving eggs in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime and rice hulls for several weeks to months.  They are a popular street food and ingredient in many Chinese recipes.   

 

Walking back to the hotel, we stopped to admire a long wall of 24 mini-billboards about taking care of the elderly.  There is a new law in China that requires children of parents over age 60 to visit their parents regularly and ensure that their financial and spiritual needs are met.  These billboards give all sorts of tips about how to do that.  Stopping to say hello, this proud fellow was happy to show off his grandson.  

 

Our last stop in Beijing was the train station, where we boarded the overnight train for Xi’an.  Thank goodness we had a guide!  The train station was huge and chaotic – lots of helpful signs, but they were all written in Chinese.   

 

We had our very own sleeping compartment, just the two of us in a compartment with four berths (two upper and two lower).  Probably OAT was worried about us old folks falling out of the top bunk.  

We arrived in Xi’an in the morning, just in time for a tai chi lesson at our hotel.  Tai chi is a Chinese martial art practiced for both its defense training and its health benefits. Training with a health emphasis is very popular as a low-stress regimen for seniors – and millions of Chinese are true believers.    

Now we are ready to fit right in with the locals, who are out in droves every morning for exercise.  Most are doing tai chi, but we saw one man practicing his calligraphy - with a big brush and a bucket of water.  Of course, the symbols disappear as the water dries, but he’s perfecting his technique before he uses ink and precious rice paper. 

 

Another fellow was spinning a top – by flicking it with the end of a whip.  After we watched him for a while, he invited us to give it a try.  This is MUCH harder than it appears – it took me several tries to even hit the top, my spins were wobbly, and I never could really pop the whip.  It was fun to try and we did our bit to entertain the locals.  

 

Outdoor activity isn't limited to early mornings.  Lots of folks (perhaps the younger ones) come out in the evening for organized street dancing.  This scene was near our hotel – people sure seemed to be enjoying themselves. 

 

Xi’an served as the capital of twelve dynasties and its impressive history spans more than 7000 years.   As a major trading hub along the Silk Route and a center of Chinese civilization, it vied with Rome and later Constantinople for the title of greatest city in the world.  Those glory days are long gone, but Xi’an is still an important cultural and intellectual capital.  We explored some of the city’s most important architecture and historical treasures.

For starters, Xi’an is one of the few cities in China where the old city walls are still visible.  These are the oldest, largest and best-preserved city walls in China.  Dating to the time of the Ming dynasty, they form a large rectangle (9 mile perimeter) with a gateway on each side and surrounded by a deep moat.   Above each gate stand three towers and at each of the four corners there is a watchtower.  The wall is 60 feet high; it ranges from 40 to 60 feet in width.   

From the top of the wall looking toward the oldest part of the city, the Xi’an Bell Tower is barely visible at the end of the street.  Later we had a closer look at this grand building constructed in 1384.  

 

At the base of the wall, there was a monument marking the beginning of the Silk Road, a historically important international trade route between China and the Mediterranean, made famous by Marco Polo.  

In addition to material trade, the Silk Road brought all sorts of strange and wonderful ideas to China.  In the year 652 AD, the introduction of Buddhism led to the construction of the 7-tiered Great Wild Goose Pagoda to house manuscripts of Buddhist text to be translated into Chinese.    

We spent more time at the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, a 15-tiered structure built in 707 AD to house Buddhist scriptures brought from India.  The top of the pagoda was shaken off by an earthquake in the middle of the 16^th century, but the rest of the 140-ft structure is intact.  A highlight of the complex is the nearly 12-foot high, 10-ton “Magic Bell,” dating back to the 12^th century.  According to legend, striking the bell will send messages of affection and devotion across time and distance to one’s beloved.    

 

Near the base of the pagoda is a pair of towers, a bell tower and a drum tower.  As noted in Beijing, bells and drums were used to keep time and to sound alarms in case of fire or enemy attack. 

 

Parks such as this one are a good place to meet locals.  Here is a group of women who meet here to dance – they bring recorded music and practice a complicated routine which they occasionally perform for local groups.  Mostly they just do it for the exercise and the fun of it.  

Other people:  a young woman out for a walk with her baby and a family outing of grandparents with granddaughter.  They asked us to pose for a picture so they could tell friends and family that they had met some Americans at the park. 

 

The park also provided work space for a variety of artisans.  Here is a colorful handmade shadow puppet and a calligrapher writing a name for a take-home souvenir. 

 

The Army of Terra Cotta Warriors ranks as one of China’s top historical sights and another noteworthy UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The 2000-year-old army remains well-preserved, a perpetually vigilant force standing guard over the tomb of the first emperor of China.  In 1974, peasants digging a well uncovered what turned out to be the major archaeological discovery of the 20^th century: an underground vault of earth and timber that contains thousands of life-size terra cotta soldiers and their horses, in battle formation.  In 1976, two smaller vaults were discovered close to the first one. 

 

The largest vault measures about 700 feet by 200 feet.  Thick walls were built at 10-ft intervals, forming corridors that hold 8000 terra cotta figures of warriors and horses, arranged in battle formation.   At the vanguard are the crossbow and longbow bearers, and close behind is the main force of armored soldiers holding spears, axes, and other long-shafted weapons.  These were accompanied by horse-drawn wooden chariots (long ago disintegrated).

The figures are life-sized; they vary in height, uniform and hairstyle according to rank.  Each statue was constructed to be unique.  Most originally held real weapons and were painted in bright colors.  The weapons have mostly disappeared (some to museums, some to looters) and the bright colors have mostly faded.

 

Archaeologists have unearthed other pits within and around the emperor’s tomb.  These contain bronze carriages and horses, terracotta figures of acrobats and other entertainers, officials, stone suits of armor, and bronze cranes and ducks in an underground park.  The emperor lacked nothing in his afterlife.

We also visited the Shaanxi History Museum which was opened in 1992 and is rated one of the best museums in China.  While the museum includes materials ranging from ancient bronze tools to Ming and Qing dynasty artifacts, especially appreciated the chance for an up-close (and air-conditioned) look at some of the terra cotta warriors.    

 

Behind the scenes in Xi’an, we continue our search for culture and local color ….

The Tang Dynasty Cultural Show was a delightful evening out on the town.  It’s a dinner show, featuring songs and dances that originated during the Tang Dynasty.  The Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) was the most prosperous in Chinese history and also the climax of China’s development in music and dance.  It was delightful – beautiful, colorful costumes, graceful dancing, and traditional music. 

 

 

Dinner before the show was just as special – a dumpling banquet, with 17 different kinds of dumplings.  We never imagined that there were so many sizes, shapes, colors and flavors of steamed, fried and boiled dumplings, a delicious carbohydrate overload.  

Other memorable meals in Xi’an included Mongolian Hot Pot and a traditional Muslim meal.  Mongolian Hot Pot, which may have originated in Mongolia, is a very popular dish in China.  Each of us had a simmering pot of stock, a pair of chopsticks and a variety of ingredients from which to choose.  Meat, vegetables, noodles, eggs, mushrooms, etc., were placed in the pot and cooked as desired.  We each concocted our own dipping sauce from a table full of exotic ingredients. 

 

We also enjoyed a traditional local specialty of the Muslim community: crumbled pancake in lamb stew.  We were given a hard pancake to crumble into a soup bowl; lamb stew was then poured into the bowl and soaked up by the bread.  It was served with glass noodles mixed into the soup and a side of pickled garlic and spices.  We’re not fans of lamb stew or soggy bread, but this was a pretty tasty dish. 

The Xi’an Drum Tower marks the entrance to the Muslim Quarter, the hub of the Muslim community in this city.  Over 20,000 Muslims inhabit several blocks near the city center.  There are 10 mosques in this area, as well as a lively food market.  

 

The narrow, twisting street is lined with shops and restaurants populated by Muslim men in white hats and women wearing the traditional head scarf (hijab).  There was no shortage of snacks here – fried rice with pickled cabbage, steamed buns stuffed with roasted mutton, persimmon pies, roasted walnuts, and more.  

While in Xi’an, we learned a bit about two traditional Chinese arts - jade carving and lacquerware – and did some shopping off the beaten path. 

The jade stone has been revered in China since Neolithic times.  It remains an important symbol for China: in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, all the medals were inlaid with jade.   Our factory guide showed us how to judge jade quality by five characteristics: hardness, color, clarity, luster, and sound.  The good stuff is really expensive. 

Lacquerware is a decorative work made of wood or bamboo, covered with lacquer and carved or inlaid with ivory or precious metals.  The sophisticated techniques first developed 6000 years ago are still used in the lacquering process today.  Raw tree sap is the key ingredient in creating beautiful and durable products. 

And then there was our visit to the local pharmacy – to pick up some cold medicine for one of our group.  What an amazing array of unidentifiable medicines; the poor pharmacist was a bit overwhelmed by tourists asking questions.   

 

Our last stop before leaving Xi’an was at a local produce market.  Normally we enjoy wandering through these markets just to look and learn.  This market was no exception – lots of interesting things for sale.  

This time, however, we had a mission – our guide assigned us specific food items to purchase for our dinner that evening.   She told us what (liam cai) and how much (½ kilo = yi-jin) to buy AND promised a prize to the group that was fastest at getting it right.  This was not as easy task – we eventually learned that we were shopping for lotus root – a non-nondescript lump on the outside, but oh so tasty inside. 

 

Vegetables in hand, we headed to Donghan Village, population 1000 (about 250 families).  This is one of the places where the colorful Chinese ‘peasant’ painting style originated in the 1950s.  Artists were sent to live with farmers for re-education as a means of neutralizing political opponents of the communist government.  The result – the artists taught classes and the “peasant” painting style emerged.   Other than the art, there is nothing really special to see here, but travel is about more than sight-seeing.  We are here to share “A Day in the Life” with the people of this community – it’s our chance to have a true cultural experience of everyday life in a community.

Members of our host families met us at the community center and walked us to their homes to freshen up and settle in.  The whole group then re-convened for an interesting session to get acquainted and learn more about our families and the community.  Our family included grandma, her daughter and granddaughter.    The grand-daughter spoke a few (very few) words of English … lots of sign language and use of cheat sheets to communicate. 

At the group session, we learned that most of the villagers have farms nearby, growing corn (to sell) and winter wheat (to feed their families).  All have other jobs to earn enough money to live.  Pre-1949, the farmers worked for landlord/owners.  In the 1950’s (the Great Leap Forward), the new communist government confiscated the land and created communes.  In 1979, (the Cultural Revolution), the government reclaimed the land and leased it out to individual farmers. 

The government dictated what to grow and forced farmers to sell to the government at prices set by the government.  In 2000, more economic reforms took place and today, the farmers can grow what they want and sell to any interested buyer.  Most of the work is done by hand, through one villager owns some machinery that can be rented at harvest-time.  

Prior to 1990, the village was a cluster of adobe houses situated on low land that was prone to flooding.  In the 1990s, community leaders decided to start moving everyone to a new site on higher ground.  Each family had to pay for their new house (but not the land).  Incentives included electricity, clean water, indoor plumbing and paved roads – none of which exist in the old town.  Today all but 20 families have moved.  

At dinner time, we got another cooking lesson – stir-fried potatoes served with vinegar and homemade noodles.  In spite of our help, it was a very tasty meal, and it turned out that our hostess knew two words in English – ‘eat more.’  

 

In the evening, we gathered with the rest of our group at the village square.  Time for line dancing and practicing English and/or Chinese.  Several university students from neighboring villages came to see us in hopes of speaking English with real Americans.  

Afterwards, we headed back to our host home for an overnight stay.  We four (Fran, Margaret, Dennis and Vicky) were assigned to guest bedrooms on the second floor – very simple, but adequate accommodations.  We were totally grateful that the upstairs rooms had air-conditioning!

After a traditional Chinese breakfast (pancakes with cabbage, cucumbers, cauliflower, boiled egg and rice porridge), we walked through the older part of the village.  Here we saw the simple adobe houses that are the norm for much of rural China.  Here residents raise animals near their homes, outdoor toilets provide fertilizer for farms and gardens, homes have no plumbing, well water is not potable, and roads are not paved.  

One 84-year-old woman, who so far has refused to move, invited us into her home and showed us around.  We really didn't know what to think about her platform bed and stone pillow.  

 

The old and new parts of town share a commercial area, where there are several shops that serve both communities.  We stopped in the local noodle factory to watch noodles being made and hung out to dry. 

 

Back in the new part of town, we visited a local art studio to see one of Donghan’s celebrated painters at work.  Mr. Wang Mai Liang does beautiful work, some of which have won international awards.  We only wished we had bigger suitcases...  

As we walked around town, we had a chance to interact with some of the local people who were quite curious about what we were doing there.  Here are: a woman at the noodle shop, a man showing off his grandchild, a Korean War vet telling us tales of his glory days, and a young girl demonstrating her skating skills.  This is one of the reasons that we enjoy travelling with Overseas Adventure Travel – we have the opportunity to meet local people and do things that aren't part of most tourist itineraries! 

 

 

Next stop Chengdu, in southwest China, the capital of the province of Sichuan. It is a major educational, cultural and industrial center – and home to the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base. 

The Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding is dedicated to conservation of giant pandas, red pandas, and other endangered species.  Because it is located in the native habitat of the Giant Panda, this facility has live pandas on display, the largest number that can be seen anywhere in the world. 

There are only about 1000 pandas still living in the wild in all of China, mostly in this part of the country, in elevations between 4,000 and 10,000 feet.  About 90 giant pandas are allowed to roam freely at the research base, munching on bamboo in a somewhat natural environment. 

 

First appearing in the fossil record some 3 million years ago, the Giant Panda is under siege in this century – from habitat destruction, cyclical starvation, and poachers.  China now has an ambitious ten-year conservation plan to save existing habitats, expand existing reserves and create new reserves.   We are saddened by the plight of these lovable creatures but hopeful that international efforts will enable them to recover and thrive.    

Red pandas don’t share the rock-star recognition of their bigger cousins, but they are pretty cute on their own.  They look more like raccoons than bears. 

After visiting the pandas, we headed to downtown Chengdu to visit to a shopping area popular with locals.    There were stores for clothing and other products, as well as many small shops selling local handicrafts. 

 

 

Here we got our first good look at bottomless britches, or crotchless Chinese training pants.  These special pants are split open to facilitate toilet training – which might take place any time, any place.  Sure saves on diapers….





 And then … it was time for a special treat – a Chinese massage.  This is no ordinary massage.  It started with soaking and massaging feet and moved on to push, stretch and knead every muscle and acupressure point in the body.  This went on for an hour, by which time we could barely stand … think total relaxation.  

 

From Chengdu, we flew to Lhasa, Tibet – the Roof of the World.  This involved crossing the Himalayas and offered an amazing view of Mount Everest, the highest point on earth.  At 29,029 feet, it is well above the clouds. 

 

We were met at the airport by Dawa, a Tibetan native who would be our guide for the next few days.  His story was a curious one.  At age 11, his family sent him to India to study Buddhism.  This was forbidden by the Chinese government, so family friends walked with him across the Himalayas.  He eventually returned to his homeland where he will stay, if for no other reason than that the government now will not grant him a visa to travel elsewhere.

Lhasa, the “City of the Sun,” has been the political and economic center of Tibet for 350 years.  The country itself has existed since the seventh century as a remote mountain theocracy based on the mystical tenets of Lamaism, a form of Buddhism coupled with Tibetan shamanism.  Here, feudal Lamas whose spiritual authority was matched by their complete control of internal affairs ruled the rural population.  The autonomy of the Lamas waxed and waned during various Chinese dynasties, with almost complete independence enjoyed from 1912 to 1949.  

Things changed during China’s Cultural Revolution, and in 1951, China re-established its sovereignty.  A revolt broke out in 1959 and the Dalai Lama was forced to flee the country.  Widespread persecution of the Tibetan people followed, and over a million were killed.  Thousands of monks and nuns were sent to labor camps while arbitrary edicts from the Chinese government served to undermine traditional Tibetan life.    In spite of it all, Tibetan culture has survived under the stewardship of the exiled Dalai Lama.  He has been able to secure the restoration of some freedoms, but the Chinese government still seems determined to wipe out all traces of Tibetan culture. 

How do Tibetans feel about their situation today?  On the positive side, there are clear improvements in literacy (increased from 58% to 95%), health care (life expectancy has increased from 35 to 67 years), and overall standard of living (infrastructure, electricity, water and sewer).  On the negative side, Tibetan culture is under attack.  The government ‘encourages’ workers to join the communist party and give up Buddhism.  The Tibetan language is disappearing as Chinese is now the official language and the government is relocating thousands of Chinese workers to Lhasa and other towns.  The Tibetan people are losing their identity and there nothing that anyone (not even the Dalai Lama) can do to stop it.

The Potala Palace was once the center of the Tibetan government and the winter residence of the Dalai Lama.  It was built in the 17^th century on top of the original 7^th century ruins, boasts more than 1000 rooms, 10,000 chapels, and a labyrinth of mysterious dungeons.  Before the creation of 20^th century skyscrapers, this UNESCO World Heritage site was the world’s tallest building (13 stories tall).   Pictures are front and back sides of palace. 

 

Every day a stream of pilgrims walks around the base of the palace, carrying prayer wheels and sometimes chanting as well.  Some climb to the top and file through this sacred Buddhist shrine to offer ceremonial scarves or yak butter at one of the palace’s many chapels. 

 

 

 

  

All 16 of our group made it to the top of the palace.  There are 365 steps from street level to the palace entrance – no small feat at an altitude of 12,000 feet.  Some of the locals just ignored us, while others were curious about us and wanted to take our pictures.   

 

Perched on Red Mountain, the palace offers sweeping views of the city and the surrounding mountains.  The main part of the building is known as the White Palace, was for the living quarters of the Dalai Lama.  The central building rising above is the Red Palace, which is for religious functions.   

Inside, there is a stunning array of treasures, including the grand ceremonial hall with magnificent hanging brocades and painted religious scrolls, vivid murals, statues of Buddha, and a mandala made of 20,000 pearls.  Of particular note are the rich gold and jewel-encrusted tombs of eight Dalai Lamas.  Too bad photos were not allowed.   

 

In spite of the physical challenges of stair-climbing in thin air, we were very happy that we were able to visit this remarkable building.  Just getting into the country is difficult enough, and the number of palace visitors is tightly controlled as well.  It’s still hard to believe that we were walking in the footsteps of the Dalai Lama. 

 

As a reward for surviving the palace climb, we enjoyed snacks and yak butter tea at the home of a seamstress and her daughter.  The snacks were very good, the tea not so much – buttered tea would be okay, but the Tibetans add salt to the mix.  Not my cup of tea.  This was a family of devout Buddhists and their home was richly decorated with religious icons, paintings, tapestries and statues. 

 

 

We next visited the 1,300-year-old, golden-roofed Jokhang Temple, which is one of Tibet’s holiest shrines and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  There was so much incense burning that we thought the place might be on fire.  

 


Here, too, hundreds of pilgrims prostrate themselves in front of the temple entrance before continuing on their circuit. We saw many Buddhist pilgrims on their hands and knees, making their way around the temple.   

 

Inside, there is a labyrinth of shrines, halls and galleries containing some of the finest and oldest treasures of Tibetan art.  Thousands of yak-butter candles flicker beneath the gaze of the seventh-century Buddha statue housed here.   

 

The view from the top: the main square of Lhasa , with Potala Palace in the background, watching over the city.

 

The Barkhor Bazaar is in the oldest part of Lhasa, a section that bustles with marketplace activity and religious devotion.  The Barkhor is basically a pilgrim circuit that is followed clockwise around the periphery of the Jokhang Temple.  All around the circuit there are shops, stalls, teahouses and hawkers; thus the marketplace.  There’s a wide variety of items to gladden a Tibetan heart – and to tempt a tourist as well – prayer flags, block prints of the holy scriptures, earrings, Tibetan boots, Nepalese biscuits, puffed rice, yak butter, and incense.  

 

 

The Sera Monastery, just north of Lhasa, was founded in 1419.   This was one of the largest monasteries in Tibet, with about 5000 monks at one time.  The Cultural Revolution attempted to destroy the monasteries’ power, and today about 600 monks are in residence. 

 

The number of monks has diminished with the passage of time, but the monastery has only increased in cultural significance and emotional power.  There are many beautiful statues, murals, tapestries, scroll paintings and hand-printed scriptures housed here.  Most impressive were several magnificent sand mandalas.  This traditional Tibetan Buddhist creation, made from colored sand, symbolizes belief in the transitory nature of material life. 

 

We arrived at Sera to find the monks assembled in the Debating Courtyard of the monastery.  Debates among monks are integral to the learning process in the monastic college.  The debate takes place in the presence of teachers with strict procedural rules for the questioners and the defenders.   

 

Debates are punctuated with vigorous gestures, each of which has specific meanings.  The most dramatic gestures involve hand-clapping and shouting to unnerve the defenders (trainees).  It was loud, lively and quite entertaining.  

Further up the valley is Papungka Hermitage, which was built as a castle in the 7^th century and later converted into a monastery.  Today it is one of 19 retreats linked to the Sera Monastery and is greatly revered as one of the most ancient Buddhist sites in the Lhasa region.    

 

There are only a few monks in residence here.  Their dwelling place is simple, but richly decorated with paintings and wall-hangings; the view isn't bad either.  We saw several dogs that seemed to have the run of the place – rumor is that these are re-incarnated monks, so they lead a pretty good life here.  

 

The hills around the monastery are festooned with Tibetan prayer flags.  These colorful rectangular cloths are covered with symbols and mantras; they are to bless the surrounding countryside and to carry prayers to the gods in heaven.  We added our wishes to a string of flags, which we hung in a wishing tree above the monastery.   

 

From our hilltop vantage point, we could see the rather nondescript building that is used for sky burials, another tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.  Sky burial is a funerary practice in which a human corpse is incised in specific locations and placed on a mountaintop, exposing it to the elements and animals – especially vultures and other scavengers.  Tibetan Buddhism teaches the transmigration of spirits; there is no need to preserve the body as it is now an empty vessel.  Life is impermanent.  Note: Other types of burials include embalming with placement in a stupa – for monks only; cremation; water burial; and in-ground burial – for children only. 

Elsewhere around Lhasa, we visited a carpet-weaving shop and watched as the weavers threaded richly colored wool through the loom, creating beautifully patterned works of art.  Tibetan carpets have been used for centuries as seats or beds, but the carpet business moved into the big time after the Chinese occupation in 1959. The reason?  The Dalai Lama, in an effort to preserve Tibetan culture and identity, started carpet-weaving centers in many refugee settlements.   In the shop, the women sang Tibetan folk melodies as they worked.  

 

The carpet-weaving shop was just one part of a large store filled with all sorts of Tibetan treasures.  There were many beautiful thangkas: religious images painted by monks on fabric for meditation or as a result of meditation.We also saw jewelry and prayer wheels made with one or more of the three precious stones found in Tibet: sky stone (Eye of Buddha), turquoise and coral.  

 
    

Nearby was a big golden statue of two yaks.  The yak is the official animal of Tibet; 85% of the world’s yaks live on the Tibetan plateau.  They are the most important animals to the Tibetan people, who not only use them for transportation, but use their milk and meat for food, their hair for weaving and rope-making, and their hides for clothing and shelter.  Yak dung is dried and used as fuel for winter heating and cooking.  

While in Lhasa, we tried yak-burgers, hopefully NOT cooked over yak dung.  At first it was a welcome relief from weeks of Chinese food, but after a while we were just smiling to let our hosts know how much we appreciated their attempt at western cuisine.  The red sauce on plate was not quite ketchup, more like sweet and sour sauce.  Lhasa beer, on the other hand, was excellent.

 

All around town, in temples and monasteries, people-watching was always interesting.  We were surprised at how many people were wearing traditional style clothing – and note that most people have the good sense to wear a hat for sun protection.  

  

 

The altitude was taking a toll on our group by the time we left Tibet to head south for a sail on the Yangtze River.  In many ways our visit was too short – it is a beautiful country with a fascinating culture, which the Chinese government is steadily eroding.  We’re glad we had the opportunity to visit before Tibet simply disappears. 

From Lhasa, we flew to Chongqing, a city perched on steep hills overlooking the confluence of two rivers, the Yangtze and the Jialing.  Here we visited the Three Gorges Museum, filled with information and exhibits about the river and the glorious Three Gorges Dam.  In the museum there is an exhibit that pays tribute to the Doolittle Raiders, WWII heroes of the attack on Tokyo.   Fifteen of the Raiders’ B-52s landed in China.  (Folks in Columbia SC know that the group trained and prepared for the mission by bombing the heck out of a small island in nearby Lake Murray – some of us have even found pieces of shrapnel out there.) 

 

Chongqing is where we boarded the Victoria Katerina to cruise downriver on the Yangtze, to see the dramatic scenery and rushing waters that inspired many of China’s painters and poets and to see the Three Gorges Dam and the changes it has wrought on this region.  We were welcomed by a band playing ‘Oh, Suzanna.’  The tune they played varied according to the nationality of the group boarding.   

 

The Yangtze is China’s most important river, surpassed in length only by the Amazon and the Nile.  Originating near the Tibetan border, it descends in an easterly direction to the sea near Shanghai.  Its watershed covers about 20% of China’s land mass and supports a population of 500 million people.  For centuries, junks, sampans and other vessels have carried rice, salt, silk, tea and oil on its waters.  The river’s usefulness was offset by problems of floods, which periodically inundated millions of acres and destroyed hundreds of thousands of lives. 

Leaving Chongqing, we cruised overnight to the town of Fengdu.  Here we visited a farmer whose family of six had been displaced and relocated due to the construction of the Three Gorges Dam.  Our trip leader, Jenny, translated a question-and-answer session with the 74-year-old family elder.  He told us that he was happy to have been relocated.  His previous house was made of mud and clay; it was located near the river and susceptible to flooding.  His new house is twice as large, built of tile and cement, and sits high and dry, safe from floods. 

 

He did acknowledge that it is hard for young people to find jobs around here and that many have migrated elsewhere – leaving only old people to work the farm.  He is concerned for the future – who will feed China?  For now, this man has a beautiful garden and turtle pond, has a variety of fruit trees, and makes some fine red wine …  

 

All in all, he painted a very rosy picture, but this was just one person.  From two to four million people have been relocated and not everyone is happy.  The documentary Up The Yangtze suggests that many people (not just the young) are still facing huge problems, especially with unemployment.  After spending their entire lives on or near the water, they are hopelessly lost when forcibly moved miles away to a high-rise apartment in an unknown city.  

Next door to our farmer’s new home is a much older farmhouse, with adobe walls and dirt floors.  This 67-year-old farmer’s wife was busy grinding corn, but she stopped to show us around her house.  Neat and clean, but a far cry from the luxury next door.  All of their farming implements were very basic – this is not an easy life. 

 

 

It was market day in Fengdu and we had a fine time walking around, looking at the produce and products for sale, and entertaining the locals by just being there.    Everywhere we went, we drew a crowd.  Our guide would try to show us something, but we couldn't get close for all the locals eager to see what was going on.  Crazy, but fun.   

 

The kids checked us out pretty carefully.  They were cautiously curious about these Americans, but at least one was delighted to have his picture taken.   Note the basket baby carrier that this grandma has on her back.  

The market itself had the usual array of beautiful fruits and vegetables and fresh meat and fish, but there was so much more to see.  Pig snouts and chicken feet, for example … 

 

 

Or the old man who walked three hours to bring his produce to sell in town.  Or the traditional ‘doctor’ with his mysterious bags of herbs and powders to cure whatever ails you.  Or the fortune teller ready with advice about lucky colors and lucky numbers. 

And … best of all, public health dentistry was on the job.  If you needed a tooth extracted, the dentist had a pair of pliers to do the job.  If you needed a tooth replaced, you could pick out the one you liked the best.  

This market was a place to spend the day, but we had to move on.  Back on the ship, our education continued with a lecture and demonstration of traditional Chinese acupuncture and acupressure.   In the evening, the ship’s crew entertained with a cultural show with songs, dance, stories and colorful costumes from their home provinces.

 

Continuing down the Yangtze, we traveled through the Qutang Gorge, the most upstream of the Three Gorges.   Before the completion of the Three Gorges Dam, this was said to be the most dramatic of the gorges, with sheer cliffs rising from the water.   Near the entrance to the gorge is the Chalk Wall, a white cliff face with nearly 1,000 Chinese characters carved into the rock, most of which are now submerged by the high water. 

Wu Gorge, sometimes known as the Great Gorge, is the second of the Three Gorges.  It is famous for its elegance, quiet beauty and forested mountains.  Because of the long and deep canyons along the gorge, it is often foggy and surrounded by clouds. 

There are twelve peaks on each bank of the Wu Gorge.  There are the most dominant aspect of the scenery here and each has a legend to be told.  Goddess Peak is the highest of the twelve.  The Chinese poet Qu Yuan leapt to his death here in 288 BC, an event marked each spring with dragon boat races.   

At Wushan, near the western end of Wu Gorge, we boarded smaller river craft for an excursion up the Shenong Stream, one of the Yangtze’s many tributaries.  A short way upstream are the Lesser Three Gorges: Dragon Gate Gorge, Misty Gorge and Emerald Gorge.  These three gorges are lesser in name and size only.  Their natural splendor is second to none:  sheer cliffs and steep mountains rising on either side framing clear waters, pretty rocks, dangerous rapids, sharp turns, waterfalls, and fantastic caves high on the hills above.  

Here, took are the famous 2000+-year-old hanging coffins, remnants of an ancient funeral custom in this area.  The hanging coffins were carved from a single piece of wood and placed on natural rock projections on mountain faces.  It was believed that the hanging coffins could prevent bodies from being taken by beasts.  

Back on the ship, we spent a fascinating couple of hours in a round-table discussion with our trip leader.  In an empty room on a ship in the middle of the Yangtze River, she finally relaxed enough to just talk.  Some of her thoughts …

·  Tiananmen Square – The Chinese people had no idea what went on here.  You-Tube and FaceBook were blocked to prevent people from seeing or hearing any news.  The true story has leaked out over the years, but nobody talks about to avoid getting in trouble.  Many idealistic hopes and expectations were dashed, trust betrayed.

·  Re-education Camps – Yes, dissidents were sent to re-education camps during the Cultural Revolution.  These camps probably still exist, but most dissidents are in jail or have moved to other countries.

·  Democracy – People want democracy, but they want progress without chaos.  They are not willing to take actions to undermine the country’s stability.   

·  Pressure to join Communist Party – There isn’t overt pressure to join the party, but … party membership is necessary for advancement and political favors.  This is particularly true for government jobs, including teachers.

·  Tibet – Most Chinese think that Tibet is and should be part of China.  That’s the official party line, but after visiting Tibet many times it is easy to see why the Tibetans believe in an independent Tibet, ruled by the Dalai Lama.  But … not gonna happen.

·  Taiwan – Sooner or later, Taiwan will be taken over by the mainland communist government.  Relations are steadily improving as people can now visit back and forth between the island and the mainland.  The Taiwanese are watching how things go in Hong Kong.

·  North Korea – North Korea is much like China was in the 1960s – the people are starving, the dictator is stupid.  This can’t last.

·  Cyber-security - The Chinese claim that the US is hacking and US claims that China is doing same.  Can’t believe any of them – it’s all politics.

·  US and China – These two countries have very different values and neither bothers to understand the other.  China has major problems with corruption, pollution, food supply and the economy.  Jenny would like to move to the US, but she won’t leave her family.

·  Biggest misconception – Americans need to realize that no government is perfect.  Compared to China, the US has not much history and no right to be the world’s policeman.  It seems that the US wants democracy only because it makes the world safer for the US, not because it is necessarily the best type of government. 

Back to the river … Xiling Gorge, which forms nearly half of the length of the entire Three Gorges region, is the largest and most downstream of the three.  The massive and controversial Three Gorges Dam was constructed here, in the middle of Xiling Gorge, where we stopped for a tour.  

The Three Gorges Dam is now the world’s largest dam, measuring 606 feet high and 6500 feet long, and the world’s largest water storage reservoir (400 miles long).  A cherished vision for many years before the revolution, the dam aims to supply electricity, improve the river’s navigability and protect against flooding.  The dam is a cornerstone in government efforts to channel economic growth from the dynamic coastal provinces towards the more backward Chinese hinterland.   

 

The Three Gorges Dam project has pitted China’s economic interests against the concerns of historic preservationists and environmentalists worldwide.  In addition to flooding some of the world’s most spectacular scenic areas and rich ecosystems to a depth of 325 feet, the waters submerged some 35 notable historic sites, 13 cities, 140 towns, 1352 villages, 657 factories, and 66,000 acres of cultivated land.   At least two million people have been displaced and relocated to new towns above the high water mark. 

Below the dam, we cruised on to the town of Yichang, where we boarded a small bus to Wuhan.  From Wuhan, we flew south to Hong Kong, our last stop in China.  

Hong Kong is a curious anomaly.  It is a paradigm of the virtues of capitalism and yet is now part of what is officially the largest communist country in the world.  A British colony since the mid-1800s, Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997 amid much fanfare.  Despite its return to the motherland, Hong Kong remains a world apart.  

Ladder Street is actually one of many ladder streets, walkways consisting entirely of stone steps, leading from central Hong Kong to the Mid-Levels. 

Hong Kong’s Mid-Levels Escalator is the longest covered outdoor escalator in the world.  It covers nearly 1000 yards in distance and elevates almost 150 feet from bottom to top.  Hong Kong’s steep, hilly terrain makes from some unusual methods of transport up and down the slopes.  

 

In spite of the skyscrapers towering overhead, down at street level there is no doubt that we’re still in China.  The local market is still the cheapest entertainment around.  

The Man Mo Temple is Hong Kong’s largest and oldest temple, dating back to 1842.  The temple is dedicated to two gods:  Man, the God of Literature and Civil Servants, and Mo, the God of Martial Arts and War.  The temple is squeeze in among towering skyscrapers, but easy to find – just follow the smell of burning incense …   

On the day of our visit, the temple was a busy place.  Devotees burn joss paper or spirit money in a huge furnace near the entrance; this is one of the Taoist rituals for honoring ancestors or recently deceased family members.  Huge bell-shaped coils of incense hang from the ceiling in hopes of attracting the attention of the gods.  

 
Inside the temple is an overwhelming experience – sights, sounds, smells, and colors – not quite like any other place of worship that we have visited.  Another one of those places that it would be easy to spend the day … 

 

 

The Aberdeen Harbor is home to about 20,000 of Hong Kong’s 70,000 boat people and their 3000-odd junks and sampans.  These people have been living on these local waters for thousands of years.  In recent years, the Hong Kong government has been encouraging them to leave their boats – housing estates have been built for them and schools have been opened for their children.  As land is gradually reclaimed from the harbor, many fishermen have been lured to work in factories.  Another age-old tradition may be disappearing, but a boat ride through Aberdeen Harbor is still enjoyable – the atmosphere is chaotic, the sea life is abundant, and this city on the water is dynamic and alive.  

 

Across the island, the Star Ferry plies the mile between Hong Kong and Kowloon.  They run so often that one of the Star’s senior boatmen logged a million miles on the cross-harbor route.  Hong Kong, which in Cantonese means ‘Fragrant Harbor,’ provides a spectacular venue for this short ride. 

 

While in Kowloon, we visited the flower market and the bird market.  Flower markets are easy to understand, but a bird market was something new for us.  The Yuen Po Street Bird Garden is designed in the style of a traditional Chinese garden.  It has dozens of stalls selling exotic birds, beautifully crafted bamboo cages, porcelain water dishes and other bird-care paraphernalia.  Here we witnessed an age-old Chinese hobby in action: mostly elderly men tending their pet birds.  They carry the birds around the park, hang them near other birds to visit, and sit back to relax …  

Back across the harbor, Victoria Peak is a small mountain (1811 feet) located in the western part of Hong Kong Island.  As early as the 19^th century, the peak attracted wealthy residents because of its more temperate climate and panoramic views over the city.  We visited at night for a spectacular view of Hong Kong Harbor and Kowloon.  

We also visited the Temple Street Night Market, a popular street bazaar named after the Tin Hau Temple in the middle of the street.  By the time the sun goes down, the traders have already laid out their wares, and the opera singers, palm readers and fortune tellers have begun to appear.  Shops and stalls are packed with inexpensive clothing, novelty items, tea ware, electronics, watches, jade, and antiques.    

We did part of our evening touring from the upper deck of a tram.  The tram system was one of the earliest forms of public transport in Hong Kong and has been in operation for over 100 years.   It is the only exclusively double-decked tram system in the world.    








Group Picture taken in Tienanmen Square