FINAL REFLECTIONS (Sydney)

As I finish this journal it seems fitting to leave you with a scan of the dog I was talking about at the beginning. (You can see that the dog is saying "you know what I'm thinking - just get on with it.")

On reflection I'm still not entirely sure I got the format right for this. The number of posts (around 105) seems too many for email - but I got lots of feedback last time saying people really liked the email because of its impact.

I hope you enjoyed reading this. I was fun to write - and fun to have the pen fly across the page and the words pour out.

China is a great place to visit and things there are changing very fast. My favourite city was definitely Lijiang - and I hope from the photos you can see why. The hilite of the trip? Buying food cooked in front of you on the street? Cheap DVDs? Staying in a hotel room with water running through it? Contemplating a pigs tail kebab?

Definitely have to give credit to Kathryn - without whom this trip would have been a lot more stressful, and less interesting. Definitely also thank Jo - who is an awesome travel partner. Finally I'm thanking God - who is perceptibly a lot more active there than you'd think.

JG

GLOBAL DOMINATION (Kunming University)

Outside our Uni we have some rather questionable statues of monkeys donated by an Indonesian diplomat. The theme of the statues at Kunming University is somewhat different...I think we should swap! This is much more inspiring!















(Note the book with the atomic symbol and the hand on top of the globe.)

LUNCH! (Kunming)

We had this awesome lunch - (albeit a little late).

















































The staff were all watching TV.

HAPPY THE BRUIN! (Kunming)

Gotta love it! Can't think why we have Copyright laws....



(We bought one of these bags)

CH-CH-CHANGIN (Dali)

In 2000 most of the police officers we passed wore green uniforms, with short sleeves and a bare head. Often being as short as 5 feet - they held as much intimidation factor as a 12 year old schoolboy.















The police at the train station today wore black & white uniforms, and loked tall in their boots and dress hats. Similar to the change from security guards to armed ticket inspectors on Sydney trains - you felt less inclined to mess with these guys.














I recall in 2000 on the train writing in darkened corridors with men on wooden seats loking out open wooden framed windows drinking tea out of glass jam jars. Today the glass jars have been replaced by perspex flasks, and the windows no longer open.














The trains have truly been tangaraised. No more 'hard beds', in a carriage interior of wood and vinyl. The interior of this train is beige - with touches of pastel blue and green. The bunks too are relatively well padded.

THE THREE PERGOLAS (Dali)

The two other features of Dali are the lake, and the three pagodas. For some bizarre freudian reason - Jo continues to refer to them as 'the three pergolas'.

For the sake of being a tourist - we rode to the three pagodas - but refusing to pay the fee and not actually being that interested, we snapped some photos from outside - and rode on.





We rode past fields and fields of rice-paddies, astounded at how labour-intensive the process of gathering rice is. After being picked - the rice grains were sifted into piles on the road and then left to dry. I'll never forget to wash my rice again.






















We arrived at the lake, where we were assaulted by women selling knick-knacks and men selling ferry tickets. The lake was about the width of Lake Macquarie - but much more stagnant. Large green fields of algae and weed greeted us. We'd eaten a fish for dinner the previous night - and its tastelessness did not improve our feelings towards the lake. In the end we bought some corn and sat beside the lake and made the most of it.

KILL THE MONKEY - SCARE THE PIGEONS (Dali)

As we rode down the central shopping area of Dali, we paused to let some police pass. Four officers held a dejected looking man - walking slowly for all to see. Jo decided not to take a photo.

WALLED CITY (Dali)

TRAVELLERS FREQUENTLY compare Lijiang and Dali and so we decided to go. Australian tourists say they prefer Dali to Lijiang because it is more 'authentic'. The truth is, its not as slick - and so the Chinese tourists stay away in droves, hence its appeal for culturally overwhelmed Australians.

Could also be something to do with 'foreigner-street' - a string of Glebe-style cafes - a feature noticably absent from Lijiang.

Dali's main attraction is a city wall - medieval style. A wall 30 feet high - and deep enough for two cars to pass each other and still leave room for a pedestrian in the middle.

It would appear the locals worked out that the heady medieval days of roving Mongol hoardes were long gone - and so in their infinite pragmatism - decided that the bricks could be used elsewhere. Today the city wall covers 1/4 of its original ground - but local buildings look very solid.

Not much more to write home about - except that the excellent MCA hotel offers guests unlimited internet access.

BAD APPLE? (Lijiang)

Something we ate today is disagreeing with us. My large intestine is having a sale. Jo's is closed for a stocktake.

TSER-SWOR ZAI NAR? (Lijiang)

Without question - the most important phrase in Mandarin Chinese. It ranks just above the all important "tway guin" [costs too much].

In the car on the way to the airport Mrs Chen drilled us on this phrase, "you need some pneumonic to help you remember it - something to do with church..."
"I know - how about a saw, hanging on the wall of the toilet at church - like in a workshop. Church-saw/Tser-swor," I suggested.
"Yes - that's a good idea," she replied.

I was without Kathryn and Jo for a few hours - and this phrase came in handy. Like the French - Chinese people appreciate you making an effort with their language (although they're much more likely to misunderstand you in a hilarious way) - today they were sympathetic.

[Where's the toilet?]

BREAKFAST (Lijiang)

We were feeling culturally adventurous again, and so breakfast was another search for the elusive jiao-zi. According to Kathryn - this is properly served fried - but everywhere we order it - we end up with Wonton noodle soup. The dish seems to have different interpretations in different areas.

I had a go and ordered eggs for us, "Wo you sange jee-dun." Surprisingly, the girl understood what I was talking about.

LAR-WEI! (Lijiang)

Foreigner!

THE FOUR year old ran across the laneway in the dark - pausing when he reached my ankles. His eyes travelled up my legs, past my t-shirt up to my face. His eyes widened...

LAR-WEI! LAR-WEI!

I suppose it is normal for a four-year old to do this. We drill them through all kinds of identification exercises - dog, cat, mouse, chicken, horse, square, circle, foreigner, opressive dictator, dodecahedron etc.

However, after 10 days in China, enduring the endemic racist xenophobia that is natural to this country - I really wasn't in the mood.

There is something about this phrase that echoes and bounces around inside your head. To cope with this - Kathryn and Jo have decided to make a techno dance track. Something along the lines of "Boom Ch Boom Ch - Lar-wei! Lar-wei!" Or maybe they've just had too much sugar.

NAXI ORCHESTRA (Lijiang)

ONE OF the childhood rites of passage is to go into the school library and look at pictures of Medieval England. One chooses whether you are the King, Queen, Knight, Lady in Waiting or Court Jester. Whilst imagining yourself in one of these roles you make a subliminal connection to the past - to a sense of Western Identity.

Imagine for a moment that this privilege had been denied, that all those books had been removed from the library before you ever got to them. Imagine further that you then discover this world of the past at middle-age. You would be amazed, transfixed - as a missing part of your identity is revealed - like the last piece of an incomplete jigsaw.

The Naxi orchestra itself was boring. Jo and I were like four-year olds dragged to a lecture on bacterial entomology. Whilst quite rhythmic, it had all the melodious qualities of a year-4 orchestral jam session. The other Westerners had their heads slumped in their hands, eyes closed, or simply got up and left.

What was facinating to watch was the faces of the Chinese audience. The conductor explained the history of each peice, with what appeared to be a series of funny jokes. (I'm guessing - my Mandarin is quite limited.) The Chinese were transfixed - children of the Communist era - their past denied to them, now opening up.

DINNER (Lijiang)

DINNER WAS kebabs. You could get anything - but we decided to steer clear of the pigs tails. We sat at little tables by the canal and ate prawns, quail eggs, egg-plant, beef and potato slices. Fantastic.

STROLLING ALONG (Lijiang)

We spent the day strolling along the streets of Lijiang, eating ice-creams and looking in shops. I had a green-bean icecream (love it) and Jo an magnum.

BREAKFAST (Lijiang)

BREAKFAST WAS at the Laru Cafe - Yunnan coffee and french toast! Ahhh Civilization!

DINNER (Lijiang)

DINNER WAS at Pappa's Pizzeria. I had a Tingdao beer - similar to a Belgian beer.

ACCOMODATION (Lijiang)

AS WE entered Lijiang Old Town - a girl ran out to heckle us about accomodation. This is a standard feature at any transit hub in China so I ignored it.

"She says we can stay at her house", Kathryn explained, "I think its worth a look". Strange as it seemed - in this place I was ever ready to defer to Kathryn's judgment.

The girl lead us through the doors of a hotel, out the back, through a family a room containing a TV and ricecooker and into a pleasant courtyard. There were lockable rooms ajoining the courtyard that Kathryn bargained down. Jo and I got a room with a double-bed & TV for 3 nights for less than AU$20 total.

Lijiang is built on a river. Not beside or around, or next to, but on top of. Four 'mini-canals' of rapidly flowing water run through the city. Frequently they are filled with goldfish and koi, swimmming against the current.

One of these Canals ran under the hotel where we where staying. It reappeared on one side of the stone courtyard - filling the air with the sound of running water and a gentle fresh breeze. Just magic.

LIJIANG! LIJIANG! (Lijiang)

Deep within my subconscious I held a picture of (medieval) China. Men with beards & ponytails, cruising around in junks. Curvy roofs with green tiles and buildings painted red. Rickshaws dashing madly.

When I arrived in China in 2000 I was quite disgusted to find that this was all gone. Beijing and Shanghai were cities of chrome and glass where people wore jeans and t-shirts, tinting their hair bronze.

Where was the land painted on Mum's China dinner plates at home? I wanted stone-arch bridges over creeks, with willows hanging down, and goldfish swimming happily. Was it all gone?








Happily - it has survived here in Lijiang - Old Town. People here wear jeans and t-shirts but otherwise it is all as I expected.

In all it is a little touristy - but it is easy to get away from that in the backstreets - this place seems to be about 15 km sq. Plus everywhere you look is a picture-perfect view - I love it!

CIVILIZATION (Lijiang)

Approaching the valley of the city of Lijiang feels like looking at Christchurch (NZ) from the top of a mountain. It fills the valley with a few tall buildings in the middle.

We went to the bank of China bank. The ATM worked perfectly. (None of the 6 we had tried in Zhong Dian had.) I settled back in the carved armchair and took in the boundless marble floors of the bank of China. I was away from the dusty agricultural feel of Zhong Dian - to urban Lijiang. This was civilization! (Abeit a part of it I hadn't head of before three weeks ago.)

FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (Tiger Leaping Gorge)

TO ME, to visit Europe is to visit buildings and experience cultural institutions unchanged for the last 200 years (at least) - that probably won't change for the next 200. There is certainly no rush in getting there.

China is at the other end of the spectrum. Like Isengard - its minions are busy chopping it down, digging it up, damming it or paving it in order to build great machines. You have to see it before it's all gone.



This was particularly true for the Tiger Leaping Gorge. Separate, but similar to the three gorges project - the intention is to transform this glorious valley into a source of hydroelectric power for Chinese Websurfers. This is scheduled to occur in less than 18 months - indeed work on it has already begun. Thus, our travelling priorities lean towards China (apart from visiting Kathryn, and enjoying the fantastic exchange rate).




The legend of the Tiger Leaping Gorge suggests that the two mountain ranges, the Lijian Mountains (Haba) and the Zhong Dian Mountains (Yulang) come so close at this gorge - that a tiger could leap across at their closest point. I haven't seen any tigers around here - but the cats we had at home could jump some incredible distances.






The mountain ranges were indeed vast, much more than could be seen froma single perspective. The tops vanished into the cloud - more than 3000m above - the bases met at the Yangze river - muddy, torrential set of rapids below.

Cool - done that. They can dam it now.

TEMPORARY SUSENSORY SUSPENSION (Zhong Dian)

JOHN CRAPPER is a genius. He brought a primitive, animal act into the civilised age. He made it something people do whilst reading the newspaper, or (for some) even chatting on the phone.

Sadly, this incredible innovation has not yet made it across the globe. It is the sole failing of the very excellent Harmony Inn. To survive this experience, you must temporarily suspend your sensory experience. In effect, you must leave your brain at the door. Still - it wouldn't be the first place I've been to where you had to do that.

A NEW SET OF SPECTACLES (Zhong Dian)

WESTERNERS STRUGGLE to find the correct paradigm to understand China today. One cannot assume that Chinese automatically instantiate Western middle-class, cosmopolitan values out of thin air - when it has taken 200 years of post-agricultural society to develop them.
This was Illustrated in a discussion between Regan and Zhang Zemin in the 80's:
Regan: You should let your people travel and move overseas.
Zemin: Oh yes? How many million do you want?

98% of the current Chinese population has worked, or parents have worked on a farm - 75% still do today. This experience strongly shapes their thinking. The correct paradigm for thinking about China's values is agricultural life.

On the farm - plants are sown, grow and then are reaped. Animals are born, live and die. Both of these so that humans can live. In the same way - on the famr, humans are born, live and die. They are connected to the cycle of life and thus death is inevitable - as a natural part of life. Humans exist only to work on the farm, make more humans, and die to make way for others.

In this context - life doesn't have a lot of value - like a swaying sunflower or teething calf - you take your chances.

This paradigm existed in Western culture in the 1800's. The principles behind our Criminal laws were drafted in this era, when farm machinery was far more expensive and valuable than that cost of human work to do the same activity - so protecting it was paramount. Even today Criminal penalties for theft and damage to property are more punitive than those for assault and battery.

So as we went dancing in the square after dinner and Sharlene handed me a boiled sweet with an unusual wrapper I was not surprised. I expected a strawberry, or an orange - but instead got a cob of corn - a corn flavoured lolly. Perhaps the cosmopolitan equivalent would have been a corn flavoured one.

Today - to understand China is to understand the paradigm of agricultural life. These are the spectacles we must put on when viewing China. But for how long? The self-validating humanistic philosophy of the West seems terribly contagious. Just look at the rise of tortious litigation.

DINNER AT THE HARMONY INN (Zhong Dian)

It is difficult to explain why the first generation of Chinese food in Australia had been so universally Mundane. I imagine the following conspiracy scenario, perhaps in 1800AD:

A hush settled over the room as the chairman stepped up to the podium.
"Welcome distinguished Chefs of the G1000 summit. You have been invited here at the Emperors bequest - because you are the culinary cream of China.


The Emperor has a grand mission that you are part of. He seeks to bring Chinese culture to Australia, to every city and country town. All will know the glory of China."

A delegate Chef in the front row stood up,
"But sir," he protested, "I have completed my doctoral thesis in the subtleties of Szechuan flavour over the last 3500 years. Australia is a country of sheep graziers! How will they possibly appreciate our craft?"

"The emperor understands this," the chairman reponded, "and he has a new quisine designed especially for the Australian palate. In addition - you are to learn the names of these culinary masterpieces in the Australian dialect."

"Tell us of the emperors culinary creation," the protaginist Chef said - as he continued standing.

"Firstly - you are to forget all you ever knew about cooking rice. All rice is now to be served fried - with corn and peas."

All 1000 chefs had a look of abject horror on their faces.

"And if we refuse?" the querilous Chef asked.

"Then you will be chopped into pieces and fed to the Emperor's dogs.

Now we will learn the Australian dialect. Repeat after me: Mo flied lice?"

"MO FLIED LICE?"

" Bif wif bwack bin sos"

"BIF WIF BWACK BIN SOS"

"Swit sour pok"

"SWIT SOUR POK"

"Honey Kling Prons"

"HONEY KLING PRONS"

The rest is history.

Thankfully the Australian palate has moved on from there after the 80's and so has Chinese food in Australia.

The meal our host Sharlene served us tonight was amazing.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE (Zhong Dian)

IT MADE the news when Australia signed an AU$1 Billion deal with China to supply petroleum gas. It seems Australia was becoming China's petrol station. Large ships would now carry fuel from Australia to China to meet their growing power needs.

I sat at Noah's Cafe typing in my diary, quite thankful because I was getting a bit behind. A CD played in the background.

All of a sudden the computer switched off. The CD also stopped. None of the shop staff looked particularly worried.

What had happened? Had someone tripped the powercable at the powerplant and yet to plug it in? Was someone draining all the juice with a backyard Aluminium refinery or nuclear accelerometer?

Of course! The ship from Australia was running late! All these poor Chinese people unable to use their internet access because we Australians weren't giving them enough fuel.

I waited for an hour an a half until the power came back on. The ship had finally made it!

UNI STUDENTS AND ITINERANT BUMS (Zhong Dian)

ALSO STAYING at our accomodation was a guy I shall call Bruce. He explained that he was writing a book on minorities in China. His turn of phrase was unhurried and carefree. He looked to be about late 30s.

We asked him why here? He said he'd been coming here every year for the last 10 years and quite liked it. He was from NZ and had made enough money from his last travel book to live here for two years.

Jo decided he was a bum who was escaping life. I don't disagree with that assessment - but I think most people at my workplace would like that lifestyle. We certainly didn't see him doing any actual writing.

---

Old Zhong Dian is a Uni Student haven. You can wander from Cafe to Cafe, and Pub to Pub - bumping into people you met the day before.

We met two girls also staying at our inn. I'll call them Kate and Lara. Kate had done Environmental Systems at QUT in QLD and was now on holiday from teaching English in Japan. Lara was studying Mandarin in China and had done an Arts degree in NZ. They were travelling around China together.

Jo asked them how they met each other. I noticed Kate's head was shaved. They looked embarassed, and Jo asked, "So you guys met in an internet chat room?"
They knodded - "When people ask, we say we are - very close."

CHICKEN SOUP? (Zhong Dian)

WE HAD tentatively planned to go to the hot springs outside Zhong Dian for some R&R at the local hot springs. After discussing this with a fellow Australian, he description painted an image of 'chicken soup' - filled with chicken bones and rotten eggs. Kathryn said she'd had similar experiences in Thailand. We ended up having a lazy day.

FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (Zhong Dian)

WE WENT back to our favourite place, the Harmony Inn, in old Zhong Dian and dumped our bags with our host Sharlene (Shau-lin).

We wanted to listen to the Sydney Swans v Geelong Cats AFL game on triple-M internet radio. The first place we tried had its internet disabled - the second was busy.

By the middle of the second quarter we found a place that could do it. It turned out every other expat was also listening to this game as well. We saw a few of them in the other internet cafes we passed watching the silent broadcast of the scores. Sydneysiders everywhere! We ended up getting a connection to a Melbourne Internet Radio broadcast of the game - this came with the dubious privilege of commentating by Rex Hunt - Yibita Yibita.

No yak-cheese today - for dinner whilst listening to the game we ordered burgers and cokes. Listening to the swans score the two winning goals in the last 3 minutes was spectacular.

Jo was very impressed that the Swannies won. She reminded us of this fact all the rest of the night.

SIGHTS FROM HOME (Bus from Dequin back to to Zhong Dian)

THE LANDSCAPE here is harsh and varied. As we leave we pass over mountaintop fields of tundra - similar to what you might see around Kosiusco. As we zig-zag through mountain ranges we drop down from the tundra into connifers and pines - being close to the glacier the environment is still relatively lush. I imagine Colorado looks like this - all mountain ranges and pine trees. As we drive on further it dries out and the only thing that will grow in the shale and clay are small spinifex bushes.

As the bus paused for a moment, the driver checking the radiator - a familiar sight caught my eye. A 20 foot gumtree stood there enjoying the sun. I did a double take: gumtrees in China? Yep - it was in a row of five.

"G'day mate" he said to me - recognising a fellow Australian.
"Ow's it goin'" I was pleased to respond.
"Ripper mate - I get to sit and sunbake all day, the view of the valley is tops. 'Reckon I got it made. Plus - all the other trees are wooses. "
The bus was starting up.
"Seeya, " I offered.
"Ava good weegend!"

BREAKFAST (Dequin)

Breakfast was Wonton soup. (Wontons are similar to beef ravioli.) This was sadly the last meal at our favourite in Dequin.