China: Old and New

Back in Huskerland, Closing Thoughts

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:28:56 -0500

I’ve been back in Nebraska for nearly a week, but felt that it was necessary to wrap this blog up with some closing thoughts. I apologize for failing to update things on our last few days, but it seemed like once we arrived in Beijing, our days seemed to fly by even faster than they had earlier in the trip.

However, now that I have had some time to look through photos, tell stories, and think about the ten days we spent in China, I suppose it is appropriate to close with some final comments.

People: As you likely know, China is the world’s most populous country with nearly 1.4 billion people. I didn’t know just how noticeable that reality would be until I found myself in some of the crowds while in China. It truly was difficult to be anywhere without masses of people. One night, I was in a supermarket trying to buy some cold bottles of water when it occurred to me that it must be necessary for someone to constantly stock the coolers because the bottles of water were literally flying out of them as quickly as they were being stocked. This was at nearly 10pm!

Our first morning, we considered visiting Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum. Upon our arrival in Tiananmen Square, we reconsidered when we saw the line. By my estimates, it had to be over a mile long with people nearly 3-5 across.

Change: I don’t know if I can fully articulate it, but while there is much about China that reaches back millennia, it was also abundantly clear that the rate at which China is transforming itself is likely unprecedented in human history. Everywhere we looked there were construction sites and massive cranes. We arrived in airports and were told about additional terminals that were planned to accommodate the massive increases in travel in and out of the country. Guides explained how their companies were expanding their resources to accommodate the incredible surge in domestic tourism that is taking place. As the disposable incomes of the Chinese people continues to grow, they will demand more consumer products, automobiles, travel experiences, etc. Cities that were non-existent in the early 1980s now boast populations of 15-20 million. Clearly, opportunities abound for China’s young and bright that may have been more limited in the past.

Challenges: As meteoric as this rise has been, it has also brought with it some challenges. The economic engine has raised income levels and brought new opportunities, but it has largely been powered by carbon. Consequently, China has some significant environmental issues to address. Air pollution was readily apparent in Shenzhen, Xi’an, and Beijing. The warm temperatures of summer are partly a function of being an inland cities prone to extremes, but also a matter of these cities having an inability to “cool” off at night due to a blanket of pollutants that trap heat in. These environmental challenges will continue to rise as affluence and consumption rise.

Socially, China’s One Child Policy has curbed massive population growth, but has also created some unintended developmental issues. Siblings can be an important part of the childhood maturation process and the lack of multiple children families has created a generation of young people that are in a sense, “little emperors” in their respective families. This can enable these young people to have tremendous opportunity and support, but can also hinder their ability to collaborate, share, and accept constructive criticism.

These challenges aside, China now plays an vital role in our world economy. Historians often talk about the 21st Century being a “Pacific Century” dominated by nations of the Pacific Rim-US, Japan, China, Russia, etc.-in the same way that the Atlantic seemed to be a major focus for last few hundred years. I question whether such eras can be separated neatly in this way, but it is quite clear that China, as the world’s fastest growing and currently third largest economy, will be an integral part of how the world economy functions in the years to come.

Temple of Heaven and Surrounding Park

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:18:55 -0500

As you can see by the date, I am very much writing this after the fact, but on July 15, our last full day in China, we visited the Temple of Heaven. This was a truly spectacular temple complex, but what caught my attention in addition to the stunning architecture was what was taking place just outside the temple precincts.

It turns out that the park surrounding the temple has become a local neighborhood hangout for retirees and pensioners. As we walked through the park, there were people playing hacky sack, a racket and ball game called TaiChi Ball, people practicing calligraphy, playing cards, dancing...you name it. It was really great to witness all of this activity taking place in the park. They all seemed to be having such a good time socializing, exercising, and just having fun. Our students had a great time too, as they were invited to take part in many of the games.

It seemed like such a great way for these retirees to spend their mornings. They were surrounded by friends and engaging in activities that promote health of the body, mind, and soul.

Yangshuo-Guilin-Xi’an

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:12:14 -0500

We started the morning in Yangshuo, checked out of our hotel, and drove 90 minutes back to Guilin. Back in Guilin, we saw an incredible subterranean cave called the Reed Flute Cave. (Be sure to see the photos in the album.) We also took a look at a rock formation called the Elephant Trunk Hill.

After our morning visits, we left for the Guilin Airport to catch a flight to Xi’an-the ancient Chinese Dynastic capital and home of the famous Terra Cotta Warriors. Interestingly enough, a “small” city of 700,000 makes it possible for some coincidences to arise as far as running into people goes. It turns out that Andrew Bynum (Laker center) was on the same flight to Xi’an. We seem to be traveling on very similar schedules.

I also had the chance to talk to some very intrepid young men from the United Kingdom, who have a pretty amazing travel adventure planned. These graduates of Eton and current students of Oxford University were traveling a similar Guilin-Xi’an-Beijing route, but then heading west across China by bus. At the western border, they would then enter into Central Asia and cross some of the former Soviet Republics or the “stan” countries. All-in-all, it looked like a modern Silk Road journey. Sounded like a fascinating plan and wish them the best of luck in their travels.

Sometimes, those opportunities to talk with other travelers can be just as interesting as the planned site visits. Talking with other travelers really opens the door to other adventures people have had a chance to experience.

However, tomorrow we will visit the amazing Terra Cotta Warriors of Emperor Qin Shihuangdhi. I may encounter NBA World Champions or brave English adventurers, but I imagine that the thousands of clay soldiers that have guarded the Emperor’s tomb for over 2,200 years will command our attention most of all.

Guilin-Yangshuo

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:53:03 -0500

Today, we woke up to find our hotel surrounded by amazing limestone mountains. It is from Guilin this morning that we set off on our Li River cruise. This was a four hour excursion on a boat with approximately 40 other passengers. The boat has a level or two of air-conditioned seating and a open air viewing level on top. They serve a meal that is cooked directly on the back of the boat.

I had seen pictures of the area and was already excited, but was amazed by what I saw. These mountains rise straight up at impossible angles. On the banks of the river you can see fishing villages and even the cormorant birds that assist the local fisherman in catching the fish. These fisherman tie a rope around the bird’s neck, which allows the bird to catch fish, but prevents them from swallowing. The birds then give the fish to the fisherman, who rewards the birds with some smaller fish that the bird can swallow.

We also had an interesting encounter on our boat. As people filled the main cabin, a group of young Americans entered the doorway. One of them had to really duck to make it through the door. We realized that this was Andrew Bynum, center for the LA Lakers. He and his friends sat down near us, and we had the chance to take a few pictures with them and talk with them about their travels this summer. Great group of guys and I know we were pretty excited to have the chance to meet this NBA World Champion!

At the conclusion of the river cruise, we arrived in Yangshuo. We walked through the market and realized this was a pretty amazing little town nestled into the limestone mountains. We took a great bike ride through the town and into the countryside to see the rice paddies and even ran into a group of kids jumping off a bridge into the river to cool off.

Tonight, we are going to a live show that was directed and produced by Zhang Yimou-the famous Chinese director of Hero, House of Flying Daggers, and the 2008 Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies.

One other interesting side note: I was enjoying sending updates from out trip via Twitter, but have been unable to do so since we entered mainland China. It turns out that currently China has blocked access to both Twitter and Facebook.

One other note: My connection in this hotel is fairly slow, so I am going to hold off on updating the photo album until we get to Xi’an tomorrow night.

From Hong Kong to Guilin

Thu, 9 Jul 2009 10:45:40 -0500

This morning we started by visiting the Wong Tai Sin Temple, which includes strong Taoist, Confucian, and Buddhist influences. It also contains a huge number of stalls (70-80) for fortune telling.

After our morning visit, we got ready to leave Hong Kong. We took a bus to the border between the Hong Kong Special Administration Region and China proper. At the crossing, they conducted temperature scans as an H1N1 precaution and then we proceeded across the border into China.

On the way to Shenzhen airport, it became clear that this region of China is exploding with growth, cranes, massive roadways, and high-rises were everywhere. Apparently, Shenzhen did not exist 30 years ago and now has nearly 15 million people and an airport that ranks in the top ten largest in the world.

From Shenzhen, we took a flight to Guilin (1 hour) and arrived to our hotel after a very long travel day.

Tomorrow, we’ll take in the amazing landscapes of the Li River Cruise.