HeightsAg said:
94chem said:
Well, we made it back!
Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, Guilin, Wuhan, and Hong Kong.
Layover in Tokyo on the way, and Layover in Helsinki on the return. The 14 hour flight from Hong Kong to Helsinki, followed by 11 hours to DFW was not that awesome.
We climbed the great wall, ran the wall of Xian, saw the pandas in Chengdu, cruised the river in Guilin, found my son's foster family in Wuhan, cruised the Yangtze River, haggled for souvenirs in Hong Kong, ate tofu in Tokyo, and fish from a jar in Helsinki.
I guess that's about it!
How was it? Any favorite cities or experiences to share?
Getting back to your question...
I may get philosophical, but not political - just trying to tell you what I saw, and what it meant to me.
First, China is a safe country. You can wander anywhere. One of my favorite things to do is just drop a pin at my hotel, and wander around the streets, looking at the locals, shopping in small markets, checking out what people are eating in the cafes, listening to the sounds...without wondering if I've taken a wrong turn. Even petty crime is pretty rare. Because of this, I liked to get out of the main business districts with the malls and office buildings. One night I came back with a couple of sets of ceramic Buddhist shot glasses, with 8 different designs. I like to hunt for those little pieces of kitsch that are different from what the typical tourist brings home. I picked up a brass rat from a street vendor (year of the rat), a blown glass crab from a street artist, a jade dragon, and a little carved box made from an antler.
Second, technology and construction. The second tier cities are burgeoning with skyscrapers as far as the eye can see. The bullet trains are quiet, fast, and comfortable. Even the public restrooms are mostly passable (certainly on par with most US cities or parks). I look at these places, and compared to my travels in Russia, these are not merely facades, painted bright for tourists. These are real and prosperous cities, where the city workers can afford a hot pot at the cafe when their shift ends, and the apartments all have lights and plumbing.
I know the Chinese have paid a lot for these things, but my eyes tell me that we Americans spend our time fighting over a lot of petty things, in large part because we simply can't divorce ourselves from the assumption of American exceptionalism (F16 is a classic example). Going back to our view of Manifest Destiny, this notion that we are intrinsically better, divinely appointed, inevitably destined, and morally superior in every regard...percolates through our every institution. Our country is better, because we are stronger, smarter, more prescient, harder working, Christian...you name it. Your company has smarter people than your competitors. Your children are all GT. Your church is the best. Your ideas are the best. Your health care system is the best. If you have not been humbled, a trip to China will show you that we are not going to win...and if we are currently winning, the gap is closing at breakneck speed. America no longer makes things. We have trained a generation of Chinese in STEM and sent them back to compete with us. I have no doubt that their manufacturing has led to massive learning in all areas of technology, ranging from automation to civil engineering. We have taught them well, but their own brilliance is also being unlocked.
Finally, in a most personal example, the Chinese have cold-stopped all international adoptions, even with the 78 families from my organization who have been matched, many for several years. In this typical authoritarian move (see zero-Covid, Hong Kong...), there is a silver lining, as it appears the Chinese have finally realized that they have the wealth and moral duty to care for their own disabled children. When we were there, it was hit-or-miss. Some places went out of their way to help my son with his limited mobility. Some places were ill-equipped. Yet, compared to 11 years ago when he had to be adopted because they wouldn't let him go to school, things have changed, and continue to do so. Remember that the US ADA was only signed in the early 90's by Bush #43. China may have more Christians than the US at this point, and care for the disabled should be a hallmark of any truly Christian society.
This lengthy backdrop and musing established, here were a few more of my favorite things:
The food, especially in Sichuan province (Chengdu). I love the spicy food, and every meal was a new adventure. To be honest, Chinatown in Houston is just as good, but I don't get to do that every day. I had Peking Duck 3 times, and something called a squirrel fish in Beijing (look it up). I liked the spicy Wuhan noodles, the baijou liquor, and the fresh vegetable dishes. I even had my first chicken feet.
Running on the ancient wall of Xian with my son. He went 7 miles, but I only did 6.2 because I wanted to get back for dinner. What a cool workout on my Garmin!
The terra cotta warriors. Imagine finding this in your backyard just 50 years ago. It's astonishing how little we know about our world. I bought a couple of little ones for myself!
Street food - no scorpions on a stick, but spicy fried squid, beef shish-ka-bobs, fruity hot teas.
Using my Mandarin numbers and haggling for souvenirs.
The landscapes of Guilin, and a Li River cruise to Yangshuo. What an amazing day, seeing the mountains, and walking around Yangshuo village, and haggling for souvenirs. It was interesting to see "Rue" on the street names in Yangshuo...which leads me to my last point.
Dreaming. China borders 14 countries. Think how the culture, cuisine, etc., of every one of them bleeds into China a little. I had Nepalese lunch in Hong Kong. I thought about Viet Nam and France when I was in Yangshuo. When I was in Chegdu, my son and I looked at the map, and saw that Mount Gongga (24,790 feet!!) is only 190 miles to the southwest. It's the world's most isolated mountain of that prominence. Its parent is K2. It's stuff like that that just makes me want to return, to explore more of nature. On the plane to Hong Kong, I read about a guy who gets called by the city to remove deadly snakes when they go into residential areas. Like, king cobras. Are you kidding me? But then I look at the landscape around Hong Kong, and I wonder what it was like for the British, what it would be like to hike in those jungles. The whole experience just awakened my spirit for adventure, like only my trips to Alaska have done (I went to Kauai last March for state #50).
There, I hope these thoughts help - they helped me.
94chem,
That, sir, was the greatest post in the history of TexAgs. I salute you. -- Dough
