April 2002
Spotlight: China

22 Days in China
by Tonna Corbin

The Sights of China: a Photojournal
by Tonna Corbin

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April 2002—Spotlight: China

22 Days in China
by Tonna Corbin

China—a stunningly beautiful country, but one that has dealt through time with the toll of poverty. A running theme throughout history seems to be this emperor or that leader came into power and "the people of China suffered greatly." However, with Spartan needs and a ready smile, the people have endured. While visiting there this past year, I was fascinated by current strides toward capitalism. The power of money and U.S. influence is everywhere.

Our itinerary put us in Shanghai on September 11. We boarded a cruise ship on the Yangtze River and the news devastated our small group. Many on our tour had loved ones in New York—one had a daughter in the WTC tower. For the next three days we were without International communication, but despite this, the crew was wonderful. They monitored Chinese news broadcasts, translated them and made copious postings for us. We learned that Liz's daughter was safe. Everyone we encountered after the 11th asked if our families were safe and sent good wishes to all Americans. We never encounter animosity. The biggest real problem (beyond our uncertainty about returning home) was dealing with the guilt we felt having a good time while our families endured such fear. We felt safe in China.

Our first stop on mainland China was Guilin on the Li (Lee) River. The magnificent river scenery is featured in almost every traditional Chinese painting - jutting limestone hills that look as though they've been poked up from under the earth by some giant's finger. They are covered with green vegetation. Life on the river consists of farmers working with water buffalo. We saw many children playing or bathing in the river with the water buffalo. We loved Guilin. A "small town" of about 2-3 million ,it is quite charming.ÊIt was here that I wandered the morning streets to watch senior citizens out for exercises—some doing Thai-Chi and others doing ballroom dancing.

Shanghai was my favorite city. It is such a dichotomy - ancient poised against high tech. Although it is a very large city, it never felt overrun or congested—largely because there are few cars. Although Shanghai puts L.A. to shame with its futuristic skyscrapers, the majority of life rolls on bikes. And oh the things we saw on bikes! We saw standard bikes loaded with two sofas, or a bed, dresser, and chair. We saw bikes strapped solidly with enough lumber to build a small house. We saw elderly ladies in their Sunday best complete with gloves and open parasols. We saw families of five. We saw a bike loaded with thousands of long stem red roses. But the funniest thing we saw on the back of a bike was a goat. Yes, a big old Billy goat. An elderly gentleman had two big baskets—one strapped on each side of his back wheel. The goat was standing and straddling the bike—front feet in one basket, hind feet in the other. It was hilarious. In the countryside near Shanghai, we visited silk factories and followed a silk duvet from the worms in mulberry trees to the four little ladies that hand pull the finished silk "caps" into a warm cover.

The Three Gorges and Yangtze River cruise were awe-inspiring. We had a lot of fun as we made our way along the river. At one port we traveled up the hill in sedan chairs to a temple. My sedan bearers were two young ladies. I felt so offish, but figured I'd never have another chance to take a ride like that. So much effort for only $1—they giggled all the while. The Three Gorges are breathtaking. However, it is always quite misty on the river making for eerie glimpses of ghost towns along the riverbank. The villages there have already been abandoned in anticipation of the great flood when the Dam is completed. At the tops of hills you can just make out the new cities—shrouded in haze as if appearing spontaneously from the unknown.

On to Xian to see the 2200 year-old Terra Cotta Army. We met with the archeologist who oversees the excavation and were taken into the restoration workrooms to see artisans repairing the damaged statues. You just can't imagine the minute details on the statues. They are life sized and, of the 7000+ unearthed so far, no two have the same face. It is believed that the bodies and hands were mass-produced, but that the faces were individually carved. In the gift shop a small unassuming man sits at a desk to autograph program books. He is the farmer who discovered the army in 1977 while digging for a well.

On a day trip outside Beijing we hiked the Great Wall. We visited at the Mu Tian Yu section high in the mountains. It was our first sunny day in a few, and there were no other people. For the most part the wall is in shambles with much of the 3500 miles lying in ruins. But a few places have been restored (700 years ago) and show the power of this great undertaking. Once on top I immediately wondered what kind of enemy could scale such rugged mountains, but would then be stopped by the wall at the top. It really is kind of funny. But we learned that the Wall was used mostly as a road for commerce. The outposts served more as an early detection system than as a defense from warring tribes.

We wrapped up the journey with visits to the Summer Palace, the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Forbidden City is quite astonishing but very sad. You can't help but wonder at how confining and lonely it must have been to live inside. We were taken into the private quarters of the last emperor, and it seemed more like a glorious prison than a palace to me—quite depressing.

After 22 days, it was time to leave. We had been through a lot with our new friends—from September 11th grief to learning how to use "Asian" toilets. It was hard to say good-bye.

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