"China at a Crossroads" - China TRAVEL

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China, the host country of the 2008 Olympic

Games, is very much a country in transition as

western influence collides with centuries of tradition.

You cannot get anywhere quickly in China. Thirty-hour bus rides are not

uncommon. Traversing this vast country takes ample amounts of patience

and tolerance. Not only do many foreigners not understand Chinese, many

Chinese don’t understand each other either.This paradox is just one of the

many perplexing and fascinating aspects of Chinese culture. Also

interesting is how younger generations are embracing a cultural awakening

while older generations cling to tradition.

Hong Kong is a living testament to this ongoing battle. Having been heavily

colonized by British explorers, Hong Kong has seen just as much western

influence as Chinese. A snapshot of Hong Kong would show elderly men

performing Tai Chi amid seas of businessmen and women, teenagers

strutting the latest fashion trends and family run businesses struggling tocompete against large commercial chains.

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China at a Crossroads

Cut off from the Western world for centuries, China has only recently opened its doors to tourism Beyond the magnificent Great Wall, you’ll find the

wonders and mysteries of a great culture that has gone unshared during centuries of secrecy. Now, China’s a treasure trove for discovery and exploration –

if you’re willing to take the time.

Bamboo scaffolding creeping up contemporary skyscrapers and small religious shrines outside shop doors are about the only reminders of primeval Hong

Kong. Its ethnically diverse and ultra-modern personality could not have left me more unprepared for what main land China had in store.

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 A more hidden Yangshuo treasure requires only a hard-hat and

pair of crude rubber sandals. Crawling over 1,000-year-old

stalagmites, wriggling through tiny crevices and bathing in

primordial mud, Big Budda Water Cave promises a caving

experience like no other.

Yangshou is also known for its tantalizing array of street food.

Hundreds of family owned restaurants, some no bigger then

closets, line the streets serving local specialties of beer fish,

rotisserie style pigeon and, my personal favorite, rat on a stick.

For those less daring, sizzling stir-fries and piquant dumplings are

also available.

 Another town renowned for its culinary delights lays only a “short”

23-hour bus ride north.

Only a few hours across the border, I found myself in a completely different world. Stranded in the middle of Guangzhou Train Station, the questioning

stares, deliberate avoidances and concealed laughter were only the first of many unexpected travel realizations. The next was my introduction to “bus

beds.” Baring a strong resemblance to hospital beds, "bus beds" are stacked in bunk formation down the length of oversized buses, leaving barely enough

room to breathe, let alone move, sleep was practically impossible.

The bus gave me great exposure to the constant confusion that is Chinese communication. With over 57,000 characters, hundreds of dialects and

meaning based strongly on tonal inflection, it’s no wonder the Chinese are always yelling. ‘Ma,’ for instance, has four different tonal meanings in Mandarin.

Imagine mixing up “horse” and “mother” simply because of the wrong intonation. To ensure correct pronunciation, you’d be yelling too!

My trip through China had no preset agenda. Local suggestions set the course.

The first stop was Yangshuo, located in southeast China. Situated in the belly of its natural surrounds, the olden streets and lively markets beckon visitors

from far and wide. Bamboo rafts, once the only form of transport along the Li River, are now exercised for tourist enjoyment and the mysterious mist that

once lingered in the valley has been replaced with exhaust fumes from the steady drone of tour buses.

Nonetheless, Yangshuo’s beauty is undeniable. A quick climb to the top of Moon Hill showcases the thousands of peculiar limestone formations that

gained her fame. Larger than hills yet smaller then mountains, the motionless sentries stand brilliantly silhouetted against the horizon, serving to protect

the hundreds of villages and unaltered landscapes within.

The city of Chongqing opens up like a black hole, swallowing an area the size of Austria and claiming a population of 31 million. Located in the Sicuan

province, there is one main attraction here - hot pots. Heated from tiny fires below and emerging from holes cut out of rudimentary tables, cauldrons of 

boiling broth and Sicuan chilies fuse together to create this spicy delicacy. Dining tables become dipping tables, summoning your favorite meats,

vegetables and tofus to take a searing swim. A word of warning: Unless you want the fire below the cauldron to match that within your mouth, use

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The warriors guard the largest tomb ever recorded, and not one warrior is

exactly alike. They all have varying facial features, hairstyles and armor.

Ironically enough, the emperor died before his tomb was completed and

construction continued around his remains for years after. Hopefully he stillmade it to the after-world safely.

The Great Wall is another attraction that is no stranger to facelifts and has

undergone many alterations in its 2,000-year existence. The wall sprawls

across China’s northern border and covers an area wider then that of the

United States.

The costs in human labor and construction resources alone is

unfathomable. Standing on the blood, sweat and tears of thousands, who

for years dredged up the hillside, brick by painful brick, remains one of the

most humbling experiences of my life. Built over some of the steepest androughest terrain China has to offer, hiking atop the wall is definitely not for 

the weak of heart - or legs, for that matter.

Heading south of Beijing, Xian has only recently gained tourist fame, but it

has already been dubbed the “Eighth Man-Made Wonder of the World.”

Once standing in precise militaristic formations, over 8,000 life-size warriors

were erected from terracotta to protect their emperor on his journey to the

afterworld.

 After weeks of cold weather and grey skies, it was time to head south

moderation when adding chilies. They are HOT!

 After a fiery feast, be sure to embark on a Yangtze River cruise. Famed to some, tourist trap to others, cruise choice is imperative. With no food or 

drinkable water, stowaway’s lining the halls, and the complete absence of English for four days, this wasn’t quite the relaxing “cruise” I anticipated. Given

that port times, activities, prices, and commentaries were all in Chinese, it’s amazing I even made it on the ship.

The river was not what I expected either. Years of urbanization and pollution have taken a visible toll on her once flourishing banks. Over 350 million

Chinese use the Yangtze River as their primary life source. Now, however, as The Three Gorges Dam nears completion, almost 2 million of these

inhabitants will be forced to relocate. At 1.4 miles across and over 600 feet high, the dam will be the largest in the world, housing 32 generators and

producing the energy equivalent of 17 nuclear reactors.

The economic benefits are undeniable but the social and cultural implications are staggering. Millions of families, who for generations have called the

Yangtze River home, will be displaced, thousands of priceless archeological sites will be lost and some of China’s best scenery will be sent to a watery

grave. Ghost towns already haunt the shores, leaving behind only memories of past generations.

Even more devastating are the environmental complications, as pointed out by the local tour guide. Slowing the river’s speed hinders its ability to

oxygenate. Without this ability, the raw waste, toxic materials and pollutants from over 400 factories and 40 towns could pool together and easily create

the world’s largest septic tank.

North of the Yangtze sits one of China’s economic powerhouses - Beijing. A once antediluvian kingdom is now swathed in concrete and smog. A few

ancient structures stand defiant to the industrial transformations, but the problem was seeing them. “The Forbidden City,” for instance, could not have

been more appropriately named. Hidden under layers of scaffolding with the majority of the complex closed for renovations, it really was forbidden.

 Aesthetic facelifts are just the beginning, though, as social reforms now require citizens to learn basic English and proper etiquette in preparation for the

2008 Olympics. Hacking, spitting and burping are among the refinements.

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again. The towns of Dali and Lijiang, located in China’s Yunnan Province,

provided not only warmth but also a side of China I had yet to see.

Meandering streams snaked alongside cobblestone walkways and striking

pagodas rose in the distance, dwarfed only by the dramatic Tibetan

mountainside.

 An irresistible hippy vibe consumes the town of Dali, while it’s sister city,

Lijiang, resembles a Chinese Las Vegas. In this charming tourist town by

day and intense party destination by night, I unknowingly became apart of an episode of “Wild On China.” The same girl who was selling Buddha

figurines earlier was now selling me cocktails.

 A trip to the Yunnan Province would not be complete without a visit to Dr. Ho. Residing in a small village at the foot of the Jade Mountains, you don’t find

Dr. Ho; he finds you. He believes the mountains provide herbs for every ailment.

Scooping herbs from various gunnysacks lining the floor, he concocts these mysterious herbal teas. It’s hard to say if my prescription tea was worth the

$5, but at least there were no weird side effects to report.

Continuing into the Yunnan countryside, the stark imbalances between China’s past and China’s present were apparent. Field workers diligently plowedthe land with simple wooden tools, while more affluent neighbors glided above their crops on high-tech tractors. Semi-trucks barreled down the highway

carrying produce for overseas shipment, while local farmers pushed rickety carts along the shoulder, transporting a weeks pickings to market. And after a

sun-blistered day, weary workers mounted their rusted bicycles for the slow journey home, while teenagers zoomed past on electric motorbikes.

Westerners see China in a transition period, from an ancient empire to a modern country. To Chinese however, this is more then a transit ion. It is an

internal struggle between those who fight to keep tradition alive and those who embrace Western culture as their own.

Published October 2007 © 

For more of "Reggie's Backpacking Chronicles" please visit her website: http://www.backpackerswanted.com

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