Reflections On China!

"Travel makes you modest, because you realize just what a small role you play in a big, big world".  Such was the quote from the Cruise Director on the Viking Emerald as we meandered down the Yangtze River through the magnificent Three Gorges area.  This quote seems appropriate to begin a reflection of that amazing country.

18 Days, 9 airline flights, 8 airports, 3 river trips, countless motor coach trips later and we're exhausted, exhilarated, still amazed, and eager to share memories from this wonderful trip.  It truly was a once in a lifetime affair.  We had wanted to go to China for quite some time.  I was restricted from going there for many years as a Naval Officer and then as I worked for the aerospace industry.  But we had talked about it many times.  Wondered about this big, mysterious, instinctively threatening and yet somehow compelling country.  Would it be a typically oppressive Communist society?  Would we feel safe?  Would it be backwards or modern?  How would we communicate?  And so many other questions arose as we considered going.

As it happens, some very old and good friends from our Navy days had wondered the same thing.  And since we had traveled with them previously on a Viking river cruise down the Danube, it seemed natural to discuss our next adventure when they were visiting in April of 2015.  We started looking and low and behold, Viking offered a tour to China that included both land excursions to various sites and a river cruise down the Yangtze River.  After a few glasses of wine, we decided we were all in.  We even decided to add on an extension to Guilin and Hong Kong at the end (and were very happy we did).  It was a great year of anticipation, planning, shopping, reading, learning, etc before we rendezvoused in San Francisco International Airport on April 14th to begin our grand adventure.  Our adventure closely followed the map except that we flew to Beijing and began the journey from there.  Then at the end in Shanghai, we flew to Guilin and then on to Hong Kong to end the trip.  

Long airplane trips are a pain in the butt.  No two ways about it.  It would be 13 hours to Beijing and none of us were looking forward to it.  But to our surprise and delight, as we settled in there were a lot of empty seats.  Most rows had only one or two passengers so we were able to stretch out and get as comfortable as possible.  So not too bad.  And administratively let me just say that if you're interested in world travel, you simply can't beat Viking!  They were there every step of the way.  They were professional, flexible, accommodating, caring, and so many other descriptors.  They also handled a snafu with my wife's bag at the airport with aplomb.  A guy on our flight had picked up her bag by mistake because it looked very similar.  We were panicked for a bit until we realized that he was a Viking passenger on the same tour that we were on.  So Viking arranged for the swap with little fanfare.  As a footnote, when my wife confronted this guy in a good natured way a couple days later, he exclaimed that we shouldn't be upset because Viking brought her bag to her but he had to go all the way back to the airport to claim his.  No apology, no nothing.  Amazing.  For this trip all of the meals were included so we definitely never went wanting in that department.  In fact, the amount of food was a running joke with the group.  Our tour escort was a wonderful man.  He treated us like family and provided extraordinary care throughout the trip.  We're already looking forward to our next adventure with Viking, knowing it will be great.

Our arrival in Beijing really set the tone for the whole trip.  It is a big, modern, cosmopolitan city.    It had every convenience and every challenge of any big city around the world.  Our hotel (as were all the hotels we stayed in) was 5-star, in this case the magnificent Kerry Shangri-La Hotel.  It simply couldn't have been better.  The first day was highlighted by a trip to Tienanmen Square and The Forbidden City.  Wow!  It's said that this is the largest city square in the world and I believe it.  It was simply a mass of humanity.  It also contains the crypt of Chairman Mao and the lines to pass by and pay respects was unbelievable.  Not only is the square massive, but the number of people visiting was just overwhelming.  If you have trouble wrapping your arms around a country of 1.7 billion people, a visit to this square helps to put it into perspective.

 

That night we had an opportunity to go to a specialty restaurant for Peking Duck.  I had no idea what a big deal this is but it was a grand time punctuated by a really good meal.  We had an opportunity to view the preparation of the duck and it's quite a process.  Not the highlight of the trip, but we were glad we went.  If the visit to Tianamen Square wasn't daunting enough, the next day we went to the Great Wall.  It is the most impressive engineering project imaginable.  And it's thousands of years old.  The distinctive thing about the day we went to the wall was that it was a blue sky day.  We didn't have many of those so it was a day to remember.  It was cold the day we went so we had to bundle up and that made climbing a bit difficult.  Of course, the other thing that made it difficult was the thousands and thousands of Chinese who were visiting at the same time.  But it was just awesome.

So after those two days, we were all sort of blown away.  And as we drove around the city to various venues, it was clear that Beijing is not some backwards berg that is struggling to catch up.  There is every trademark that you expect to see in any world city all around you.  There are Starbucks everywhere.  KFC and MacDonalds are the most prevalent fast food restaurants.  The shopping opportunities are plentiful and extensive.  It was also a combination of the old and the new.  We saw pagodas intermixed with skyscrapers at every turn.  We also had the opportunity to visit jade factory and marvel at this beautiful stone and the awesome pieces that the craftsmen can create.  Jade is prevalent throughout China and this place had everything.  We also took a quick drive by of the Olympic venues.  All of the big stadiums were still there and they had turned the village into housing.  It was impressive.  All in all the city was an assault on any preconceptions that we may have had.  I can't say it enough...it was amazing!

 

The next morning we had the opportunity to go to the old part of Beijing, ride in a rickshaw, and visit with a woman who basically gets paid to open her home to foreign tourists so we can get a glimpse of the old style life.  It was obviously a bit staged and she was selling souvenirs, but it was still an interesting experience.  No matter how contrived it was, her life and the lives of millions in China are just so different from ours that it's difficult to relate.

And before we knew it we were off to Xi'an.  Xi'an is a large city in central China and it's claim to fame are the Terra Cotta Soldiers.  On the way to our hotel from the airport we passed dozens and dozens of high rise apartment buildings that were either empty or sparsely occupied.  It was a weird feeling.  I guess there is a lot of speculation going on and it's not working out quite how the builders expected.  By far, the big draw of Xi'an were the terra cotta soldiers.  We several hours at the site and the display is mind boggling.  The photos don't do the excavations justice. The Chinese have done a great job in conducting meticulous excavation of what is really a world treasure.  I'm confident that there isn't anything like this anywhere else.  Along with many other things we saw in museums, parks, and national historic sites, there are things in China that document civilization going back several thousand years.  Thinking about things that are thousands of years old really does provide a different perspective.

While in Xi'an we had an unexpected experience.  Our neighbors are a young Chinese couple who, with two little boys, live half time in SoCal and half time in Xi'an where they are from.  They happened to be there when we were so they took us out for a wonderful dinner off the beaten path.    The food, drink and company were over the top!  The restaurant was in an upscale section of town the was located on a lake and surrounded by new condos and hotels like the Ritz Carlton, JW Marriott, and Westin.  It was delightful!  They also drove us all around town to see some of the sights that we otherwise wouldn't have seen.  Lots of fun!

The next morning we were off to Chongqing to finally board our home for our 6 days on the Yangtze River, the Viking Emerald.  I had never heard of this city and as such thought maybe it was a small town that was a convenient embarkation point on the river.  Well...was I ever wrong.  Turns out that Chongqing is the largest city in the world at 27 million people!   And none of us had ever even heard of it!  It was a megalopolis in the truest sense of the word.  We didn't spend too much time there as we went from the airport to the dock and then shortly thereafter cast off, but what we saw of it was impressive.  The Viking Emerald was a terrific boat.  It holds about 260 people, has all the amenities, great food, the rooms were comfortable, and was a wonderful home for our journey down the Yangtze.

The next six days consisted of an array of amazing adventures and sites.  We went to a centuries old pagoda that was going to be destroyed by the water from the 3-gorges dam until the government constructed a dike to protect it.  We toured a tributary of the Yangtze that had amazing geographic formations including cliffs that soared thousands of feet above the river.  We traveled through the three gorges that contained almost unimaginable beauty.  We went through an amazing 4 lock structure at the dam that was an engineering marvel.  We toured the dam and gazed at this feat of engineering that really showed off some beyond belief engineering.  The dam provides for enough electricity for 4 cities the size of Shanghai.  In one city we toured a local primary school and spent some time with students in their classrooms.  This opportunity was really unique and one that Viking is proud of.  The company sponsors the school and gives tourists a chance to see life in rural China up close and personal and interact with some kids.  The boat also provided scrumptious and too much food at ever turn.  There were also shows, time for quiet reflection, and all the comforts of home.  It was typical Viking quality!

 
 
 

Soon enough we arrived in Wuhan and boarded our flight to Shanghai.  There we stayed in what proved to be the most popular hotel, the Westin on the Bund.  It was a phenomenal 5-star hotel.  Shanghai was everything you'd expect.  Large, glitzy, frenetic, traffic clogged, and hectic.  We were able to spend some time on the Bund viewing the amazing skyline, spent a few hours in a wonderful Chinese garden, went to a silk rug factory and visited the Shanghai National Museum.  That night we went to an acrobat show that was first rate.  We were all rather gobsmacked at the capability of the acrobats.

But it wasn't quite over for us.  We boarded yet another plane for a flight to Guilin, which is a sub-tropical city in the South of China.  There we stayed in a magnificent Shangri-La hotel and woke up to a wonderful 3-hour trip down the Li River.  The geography of this area was unique, to say the least.  The hills and valleys made a dramatic impression.

But like always, off we went.  This time to our last destination, Hong Kong.  We had all been to Hong Kong before and were looking forward to returning.  Once again, we stayed in a hotel that was superb, the Kowloon Shangri-La.  Although the last time we had been it was still a British Colony, we found that it really hadn't changed that much, except that if possible even more buildings, people, and cars were packed into this tiny enclave.  We spent 3 blissful days touring the city, eating at wonderful restaurants, gazing at the incredible sites, doing a bit of shopping, and telling sea stories of our youth.  It couldn't have been better.

As usual, Viking was with us til the end.  They escorted us right to the ticket counter in the Hong Kong airport and made sure we were well on our way.  The plane home wasn't like going over in that it was pretty full.  But we had good seats and after a couple meals, some movies, and some good reading we found ourselves back at home.  Like I said at the beginning, exhausted, overwhelmed, exhilarated, and happy to be home.  But...let us catch our breath and we'll be ready to head out on our next adventure!

Beyond the travelogue above, we came away from our adventure in China with many impressions.  Some of them are:

• Viking Cruises have no bigger fans than us.  Through two great trips, they have been phenomenal.  I'm a big fan of companies that provide impeccable customer service and Viking fits that category in spades.  They were competent, caring, punctual, flexible, first-class, etc, etc, etc.  I can't imagine a better travel company!
• Airports and airport security is a lot better than in the U.S.  Every airport was clean, modern, filled with shops, and had every amenity needed.  Airport security was competent, efficient, thorough, and respectful.  No taking off shoes in China.  Everything went the through the scanner and almost everyone got wanded.  The security personnel were calm, logical, efficient, respectful and friendly.  It was amazing!
• China is a big, modern, relatively clean, educated, sophisticated country.  At least the places we visited were.  We all had preconceptions of an overcrowded, oppressive, somewhat backwards country that has a lot of labor producing cheap trinkets.  Not so much.  China is a force to be reckoned with and it's to our detriment that we don't engage them more aggressively.  I found myself feeling resentful of our government not working to develop a closer relationship with China.  Because my sense is that China is the future.  I found myself resenting our media that only focuses on certain aspects of a place like China and doesn't give a true picture of the big, powerful, modern, sophisticated country that it is.
• At the end of the day, China is still an oppressive, Communist country.  It's sort of subtle, but it's there.  With all the entrepreneurial business going on, it's easy to miss it, but it's there.  The most obvious thing is reading the news.  Or I should say, the good news.  There is a little bit of real reporting, but it's definitely censored.  Also, the Internet is widely censored.  We couldn't get Google, Facebook, Twitter, any blogs, and a host of other sites.  When asked about Internet access, a few brave folks smiled and said quietly that they have a VPN and can get outside web sites.  Not sure if that's pervasive, but I did hear it more than once.  I don't know how they reconcile all the capitalism going on, but my sense is that economic life is changing and evolving.  While it's true that the State owns all land, there is still ownership of businesses, apartments, etc.  Not sure where they are going, but it's true that if people are given a small taste of freedom, they want more.
• China is a huge market.  Huge!  That we aren't engaging them more aggressively economically is a shame.  We need to open that market to U.S. goods.  The thing they have more than anything else is labor.  I know we have a significant amount of goods made in China and can see why.  Given our situations with unions and the increasing reluctance of the American worker to engage in factory work, I fear that we are at a significant economic disadvantage.  The only political candidate I've heard talking about engaging China is Trump.  Maybe he doesn't have all the answers, but at least he's willing to ask the questions.
• Education is a big deal in China.  There is 9 years of compulsory education followed by 3 years of further education and then university.  I got the sense that getting into university is hugely competitive.  There is some sort of a national test that requires a lot of extra work. 
• One child policy.  This has been changed to allow for two children, but that policy has had a big impact on the sociological fabric of the nation.  Our guide had a really good description and explanation one day and it was obvious that it was painful.  The first impact is that everyone wants to have a boy.  Good or not, right or not, it's just a fact.  They want a boy for legacy purposes.  If they have a girl, so be it, but there have been problems with people either giving up girls for adoption or getting rid of them.  Also, with one child, the family pulls out all stops for that child to have the best of what they can afford.  They put a lot of pressure on the kid to perform well and be successful.  And when there is only one child in the family, that kid tends to be pampered and spoiled.  We saw this over and over.  It's difficult to relate to this issue, but it was definitely something that seemed to have a big impact on the culture. 
• There is a lot of pollution in China.  They definitely haven't been at the forefront of installing pollution controls like most Western countries.  Some of the folks on the trip were bothered by the air quality and some came down with wicked coughs.  We saw a lot of folks walking around with face masks so as to not breath the air.  We did hear that the government is now starting to take action, such as restricting driving to certain days, but it will be a big job.  
• China universally has squat toilets and doesn't provide any toilet paper.  Maybe that shouldn't be included as a major impression, but it's difficult to not comment.  It was a major shock to us Westerners.  A bigger shock to the women than the men, but still a shock.
• The 3-gorges dam project was monstrous.  It was definitely the biggest public works project I've ever seen.  It has made a dramatic difference in the life of hundreds of thousands of people who were continually threatened by floods and provides an amazing amount of electricity.  Oh yeah, it cost something like $22 billion but has been paid for in 10 years.  I find it difficult to believe that we could do anything close.  Maybe we used to be able to do something like that.  But with today's bureaucracy and governmental regulations, not so much.

So bottom line is that all in all it was a great trip.  Educational, fun, tiring, eye-opening, and hugely memorable.  China is a unique place.  They have their share of problems and they are trying to reconcile the past 70 years of Communist rule with what appears to be a continuing and dramatic opening of their society.  It will be interesting to see how they manage it.  But they've been around for 3000 years so I think they'll take the long view.  And it will be interesting and critical to see how we manage it.  For my part, we'd be well advised to turn our attention to Asia much more aggressively than we do today.