Tag china

Shanghai

SHANGHAI

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I have been living in China just short a year now. Most of my travels have been in the Yunnan Province. I just returned from a few weeks on the other side of China. So I think it best to break up my blog into two parts. First Shanghai and then Beijing.
When foreigners travel to the US, they mostly go directly to NYC, then to LA and Las Vegas. When they return home, they have seen “America” and many end up with a bit distorted view of the USA. Well I kind of did the same thing… only in reverse. My experiences in rural China have been my first introduction to China. This contrast to American culture can be quite different to Chinese lifestyle. Kunming is a small city of about 3 million people. But out of the 55 minority cultures found in China, Kunming is very unique in that it has 25 of these minorities living here. Needless to say it makes this city very culturally diverse environment. So whereas Kunming is a small sized city, it is mostly made up of very traditional people with a very old cultural heritage. In short, arriving in Shanghai was a real eye opener for me. You could compare it to growing up in Little Rock, then going to NYC for this first time. *pic Shanghai Day, Nite
Speaking of NYC, you New Yorkers would feel right at home in Shanghai. The pace of the city, people’s attitudes and prices compare to that of NYC. So in a nutshell, Shanghai people possess that “New York state of mind”. People here operate on overdrive 24/7. Always in a hurry even if they aren’t going anywhere specific. They take this pace to the extreme. It is not unusual to see people actually running from place to place. I used the subway quite a lot here. It is a new system, very efficient and clean. It is easy to use and for 3 yuan you can travel and transfer all you like. Shanghai has done a great job building this system. Now enter the Chinese……. Talk about your Chinese fire drill! It is truly as if there is a fire going on. People are operating in panic mode down there. Pushing, running amok, running from car to car is the order of the day. When the train pulls up and the doors open, you literally fight your way into and out of the door. All at the same time. There is no order to the mayhem. As a result while 10 people are trying to get out, 10 are hellbound to get in. So everyone takes longer to transfer because people start a shoving match at the door. This always happens, even if the train is not busy! It is like some kind of a game. You can imagine the confusion when it is real crowded. Also there is no distinction between young and old. You push and block all people. Once you are on this train it’s everyman for himself. Old people will have to stand while a couple of teenagers remain seated. I got looks of confusion when I would let elderly people have my seat on the rare occasion I even had a seat. Once inside you are presented with the cell phone syndrome culture. This is a very curious activity amongst the Chinese. There is not a person in China without a cell phone. Old and young, rich and poor… no matter. This has to be the highest consumer market in the world by far. Hell, after 2 days here I went out and bought a new one! Well actually it was for my wife, her’s was on it’s last legs. Anyway this activity is not exclusive to Shanghai, but here it is very noticeable. First you have the “user”. In this mode people talk on their phone by actually yelling very loudly. At first you think they are just very angry, but quickly you realize this is the normal way you talk on a phone here. It think they believe they are talking through an invisible string phone. Someone 20 feet away can be heard very clearly. Now at any given time maybe 10 people in the train car is on the phone…. Yelling! Then there is the “puncher”. If you are not talking on your phone, you must otherwise be punching it at lightening speeds. The thumb is the preferred digit. It moves easily at 300 punches a minute. Never stopping long enough for the user to actually read whatever information is flying across the screen. I cannot read the Chinese script on the phones, but I carefully observed this up close. The screens were changing so fast I could not focus on the first word. I have no idea what this is all about. I like to believe they are actually executing some function, but I cannot imagine what that could be. I remember reading a news story that in China many people have carpal tunnel syndrome in their thumbs. It is actually a chronic disease in China. I can certainly understand why. I also noticed that there were a fair number of people that had a phone for each hand. These must be the “master punchers”. These people (mostly girls) were able to punch both cells at the same time, shifting their heads as if watching a tennis tournament. I was awestruck to see them at work. And finally there is the “my phone is NOT a phone” person. These people sit quietly, connected by headphones to their cells, watching movies, playing games, or MP3’s, tuning out all the chaos around them. I saw one guy that had a small joystick wired to his phone as he played games. The cell phone is always carried in your hand. Rarely is it in a pocket or purse. It also is adorned with decorations like strings of beads, key chained stuffed animals, jewelry hanging down and jingling as they use their phones.
The Shanghai people are great dressers. They have good fashion sense here. I might add that I found that many Shanghai women were beautiful. I think the highest number than anywhere I have been in China. The city by contrast to many in China was very clean and it’s architecture amazing.*pic The Bund The JinMao tower stands as the tallest building in China. I think also in Asia. *pic Jinmao Tower. This is a real shopping city. Fantastic department stores everywhere. Silks and tailored suits are the real bargins here. Nan Jing Rd *pic Shangahi shopping, Xigahui, Meile, Atlantic Shopping Center are must stops for shopping. The Yuan market is also worth a look. Prices in Shanghai are comparable to travel in the US…….expensive for China standards. Starbucks, western restaurants, American fast food are everywhere. Most Chinese speak English here as well so no problems in this department. The people here are basically not very helpful to you. They almost border on rude which was a surprise to me. The nightlife is quite lively in Shanghai. Many bars and nightclubs of all descriptions can be found here. Acrobatic shows, theater and opera are some of the best in the world.
I broke up my travel to Shanghai by going to Hangzhou for a few days. 1.5 hours by train and you arrive in this small city that sits on a beautiful lake (Westlake). This picturesque city is full of Chinese history. The Leifeng Pagoda is beautiful overlooking Westlake. I think if you go to Shanghai you should plan a few days here. You won’t be disappointed.
Returning to Shanghai I also took a day trip to Shizhou. It is like a small Venice. Very old buildings built of carved wood sit along a central canal. Interesting to see but I would categorize this attraction as strictly optional. It is 1.5 hours by bus from Shanghai.
Shanghai is the financial center of China. In hindsight I wish I planned a few more days than I spent there, but I wanted to move on the Beijing where I earmarked a week’s stay. All in all just remember that visiting Shanghai is unique to China and do not come away thinking you’ve just seen China by your experience in Shanghai.

Guilin

GUILIN

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I just returned from my travels to the Guangxi Province in central China. I flew into Guilin and took a bus to Yangshuo, 1.5 hours south. This small town sits on the Li river and surrounded by these amazing karsts. These
strangely shaped hills covered with verdant vegetation ranging from bamboo to conifers and most have wonderful caves to explore. These is no place like this on earth. You feel so humbled by nature’s power to create such
dramatic beauty.These karsts go on for hundreds of km in all directions. I stayed at the perfect hotel (Overseas Hotel) at the end of Westerner street which looks out to the Li river. Pics 0559 and 0573 are shot from my
balcony. My room was on the top floor (6). Hotel price was $17.50 per night. Yangshuo is a tourist town with many shops and restaurants. Not really interesting, but you are based in a perfect location to explore
natures creation. I rented a mountain bike ($1.25 a day) and headed out of town towards the butterfly garden park. Along the way I decided to go to the “water cave” which was interesting for about 30 minutes, not really
worth the price($21). But hey, it was cool inside! I spent the rest of the day riding through the country and into small villages. See pic 0625 which is a local minority girl. I had beer fish for lunch, the local specialty. Damn
fish drank more beer that I could! I didn’t care for it so much, but it looked nice on the plate. Anyway a must see is the river by boat. See pic 0584. I did this the next day. Pic 0610 shows a fisherman and his boat on the neighboring Yatong river. The birds are used for fishing. He ties a string around the bird’s neck so he cannot swallow the fish, and the bird dives underwater to catch the fish. These Chinese are clever people.I also took a fishing boat trip on one of these boats. This is a “must do” here. 3 hours floating through this amazing scenery. It cost $8.75. After several days I headed back to Guilin to see this town. Guilin is a small city, and frankly there is no need to waste time here. Expensive and nothing special to see. Biggest attraction was the Waterfall Hotel that turns into a 45 meter high waterfall at 8:30 pm. See pic 0634. This was cool. But the people here are not to be trusted. Also they are not friendly unless you throw money at them. I was told to be very careful here as there are many pickpockets and thieves around. But China continues to amaze me at every turn. Just when you think you’ve seen something amazing……BAM!!…… another place blows you away.

In all my travels, China is proving to be the top attraction.

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Yuan Yang

YAN YANG

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I traveled about 350 km SW of Kunming to Yuan Yang. Located next to the border of Viet Nam, this mountain city is over 1000 years old. The surrounding mountains have been terra formed into “terrace farming” fields where you can see the “8th wonder of the world” before your eyes. These terraces are about 6′ high and rise thousands of feet straight up the sheer faces of the mountains here. See “Terrra 7” pic to get an idea of the size of these terraces. Now you can see the other pics and realize just how extensive these fields are. They go on for hundreds of km where everything is farmed by hand (and buffalo). The villages dot the countryside where for over 1000 years, farmers grow mainly rice and corn. The local minority people, Hani and the Yie, are interesting and quite colorful in their native clothes.The city of Yan Ying is built clinging to the mountainside several thousand feet in altitude. Many villages are spread throughout the mountains here to service the farming fields. Pics “Terra 8,9,10″ I shot at sunrise which reflects the water filled fields. Terra 6 shows a field ready for planting the rice. I hope these pics give some idea of the immense undertaking of these people to create this amazing landscape. It goes on for as far as the eye can see. And everything is farmed by hand. The walls are about 12” wide and allow the buffalo to navigate to the different fields for plowing. China continues to be a land of amazing sights and experiences.
Stay tuned……… I’m planning my next outing as you read this.

Road Trip to Baoshan, Tenchong, Dali, Lijiang

BAOSHAN, TENCHONG,DALI, LIJIANG

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I set out this month to travel a bit around China. This trip took me to Baoshan, Tenchong, Dali, and Lijiang. My first “road trip” in my little car which did nicely. The whole trip was 1200 km and I was traveling 1 week.

First stop was Tenchong by way of Baoshan. If you know your history, China fought the Japanese for control of the Burma Highway and Stillween River. This was a key point for the Japanese to move supplies into Burma and Thailand during their invasion on WWII. The US “Flying Tiger” squadron was key to the Chinese success in the battle which led to the Japanese defeat. The Chinese have strong feelings of gratitude to the American forces who helped them here.

The travel from Baoshan to Tenchong (Burmese border) is nothing short of amazing. It took 5 hours to drive 150km through the mountains. A very crude 2 lane road winds it way along the mountains. In most places I am 4000′ from the valley floor. You can see villages dotted all along these mountains for miles. The scenery is quite dramatic and you move along at about 25 mph. In a few places the road opens up where you can go the posted 50 mph. But of course I jammed it up to 80 mph and soon found myself caught in a radar trap. The police were not amused, nor did they care that I could not speak Chinese. I was getting my first ticket for speeding. Three policemen were at hand to “process” my ticket. As they were doing the paperwork, Rong was talking to one policeman. Quickly he tore up my ticket, and we were on our way to Tenchong! Rong later explained to me that she simply made the policemen understand that she not happy with them giving me a ticket and she would have to call her good friend Mr. Li to discuss this with them. Mr. Li happens to be the division commander for the Chinese Army that controls all of eastern China. The police want no problems with the army!
After spending a few days in Tenchong, we headed back over to Baoshan and into Dali. Going back this same route, we had to stop at the military checkpoint for inspection. This is the key transport route from Burma, and a major source for coccaine traffic from Burma into China. As we were being “inspected” with great interest because I am a “non- chinese” guy, Rong explains to the military man she is a good friend to Mr. Li. Instantly we are directed to the command post off the road and invited to wait inside. 10 minutes pass and a man enters who immediately gives us a warm welcome. It is Mr. Li who by luck was in the area and once learning Rong was at this checkpoint, drove to meet us there. So now we all go to lunch together. There was about 7 officers and Rong and me all having a great visit. The army people were waiting on us hand and foot, taking pics of me with Mr. Li. After lunch, Mr. Li took us to the army base where he showed me all the drugs they confiscated at this checkpoint. It was quite an experience to see behind the scenes of the Army business here. I took a pic of me with Mr. Li (in the green uniform) and the other two people are the post commanders.
I spent the next several days in Dali and Lijiang. A lot of beautiful sights and things to do in these cities. Lijiang is home to the Naxi minority people. I visited the “Old Town” which is over 1000 years old. While there I found hand made solid copper cookware. One pan alone takes 1 week to make. I bought several pots and pans the set me back about $90. Just one of these items would be over $150 in the USA! Now I’m ready to do some gourmet cooking………
Ok, so it is my custom to report my expenses. 1 week of travel, 7 nights in 4 star hotels, meals, fuel, tolls, and everything including all the stuff I bought………….. $450.00.
Next month…………. going to Thailand!

Kunming peds

KUNMING PEDS

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For those who do not believe me……. here it is! Trees in full bloom all over the city. Notice, if you will, all flowers and NO leaves. How DO they do it? Just another bit of magic here in China. Also please mark your calendars. It is Feburary! I have been seeing these trees for about 3 weeks now. I went to this park nearby and shot the pics (see Blooms). Check out the Chinese squirrel. That ones for you Doug.
Now about my writing……… OK my spelling is horrible. My proofreading is even worse. But in my defense, I got to point a finger at this Yahoo blog site. There is a delay when I am typing and sometimes letters get dropped out. SO it is not ALL me. But this leads me to thinking about moving my blog. I’ll keep you all posted.
I have just been informed that my household goods have arrived in China and is clearing customs (or not) as I speak. Then it will go by truck from Tianjan to Kunming. That will take several days. I am looking forward to getting my bicycle. I can’t wait to join in on the bicycle crush going on here daily. I’m going to be the only lauwai on a bicycle. That should greatly add to the chaos in the the bike lanes around here!
I am totally over the uneasy feeling one gets being “center stage” every where you go. It is still an oddity for a westerner to be here, and the Chinese can’t take their eyes off of you as you walk around. At first it is a little creepy, especially if you have to pick your nose or something. But now I don’t pay attention to it. I realize this is part of the Chinese nature and now I have learned to enjoy it. Example….. you all know how traffic slows down because of the idiot lookie lews needing to check out the accident? Well, in China, people stop their cars on the freeway, get out of their cars and actually stand around in a big crowd. Right on the freeway! Traffic is a complete standstill. Me?………I amuse myself by laying on the horn and plowing right through the crowds. Remember, here in China, the car is king. Once you are on foot, you have lost all rights. So people scramble in all directions. This is especially fun if the accident happens to be on an overpass. They really have limited space to run! Hey, what can I say…..payback is a bitch!