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China 2017

November 2017
A 12-day adventure by Johanne Read more
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  • TravelerChina 2017
    2
    Day 3

    The Great Wall at Mutianyu

    November 6, 2017 in China ⋅ 🌙 9 °C

    Early start and relatively little traffic got us up to the wall by 9:30 am. The drive up was fascinating small towns and an area that is a popular resort area for chinese people to visit at the weekend. We passed "picking farms" and fishing spots and many places were subtitled in English. "The Meat Shop", "Household necessaries and goods" "professional Chef cooking fish". Apparently in spring this whole area is pink with blossom from wild apricots, wild pears and the cultivated fruit too. The roadside stalls mostly had just hawthorn fruit and chinese dates now though. At the wall were could have walked up but opted for the cable car, 40 minutes walk our guide said....not for dad and I; the climb to the cable car station made us huff! The ride p was about 4 minutes and sadly we just missed the car that proudly proclaimed Clinton rode in this car in 1998. Our guide took us up took some photos for us and left us to wander. The car brings you to watch tower 14 and you can either head up to tower 20 or down to about number 8. We thought it more sensible to head up whilst we were fresh - either way you have to get back to 14 for the car down. A flight of 8 very high steps had to be climbed on watchtower 14. Then to get down and on to the wall proper was a vertigo inducing steep flight of stairs, I could only negotiate these by clinging to the edge and not looking over the wall at the mountains and valleys stretching away below. once on the wall the surface was good and the wall undulates over the mountains sometimes stepped, sometimes flat and sometimes there is a cruel sharp descent and ascent down to and up from bricked up archways. Occasionally there are watchtowers you can climb to look out across the landscape, one of these had an enterprising souvenir seller in it. when he offed us his range of teeshirts we said we didn't want to carry them up with us. The wall climbs gradually in a roller coaster fashion until watchtower 19 where it ascends steeply to the last accessible tower in this stretch. Unfortunately that ascent takes around 25 minutes and so we could only get part way up before having to turn round to rendezvous with our guide at 12:15. Obviously otherwise dad and I would have bounded up there like little spring lambs. We sat for a while about a third of the way up watching the crowds increase as it got later and marvelling at how fit small children are... some of them were skipping up that long flight of steps. Eventually we started our descent and ended up in the tower with the souvenir man - who recognised us...Dad had been debating the "I climbed the great wall" teeshirt but on hearing the price decided it was too much (200RMB) as we headed out the price fell to 100 and so Dad was pursuaded. Mr Souvenir then insisted on having his photo taken with Dad, taking mine and dad's photograph and then ushering us on our way with a variety of enthusiastic farewells, as we disappeared out on to the wall he appeared again pressing a rather nice key ring into Dad's hand....we must have paid well over the odds for that T shirt!
    The crowds were much larger on the return leg and we were pleased to have seen it in a comparatively quiet moment. All too quickly we were back at the shuttle bus with Nia.    Read more

  • TravelerChina 2017
    1
    Day 3

    Peking Duck

    November 6, 2017 in China ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    So how could we leave Beijing without having duck? Fortunately there was a specialist duck restaurant in the next door mall. It is a huge mall, and one of 3 locally...(Chinese socialism is an amazing blend. On the drive earlier there were fabulous exhortations to further progress and socialism, community and loyalty but the malls are enormous and shiny - you could be anywhere. The people seem prosperous and we haven't seen a single rough sleeper (though there any number of reasons for that?). Our guide told us that in China men retire at 60 and women at 50 so as to make sure there are jobs for the rising generation. I could be retired!!). Anyway after wandering the shiny floors and watching the iceskaters on the rink at the bottom of the atrium we found our Duck.
    Crispy skin, pancakes and everything you would expect. The chef came to our table and sliced it in front of us...unlike at home the result includes the head...
    Stuffed we toddled back to the hotel and treated ourselves to a drink in the bar after which we returned to our room. It then transpired that dad hadn't paid for the drinks or given our room number but being westerners we stand out sufficiently for them to pursue us to our room! Very red faces on our part    Read more

  • TravelerChina 2017
    Day 3

    Lunch and the Temple of Heaven

    November 6, 2017 in China ⋅ 🌙 7 °C

    So we hopped back in the car and settled in for the drive back to Beijing, in less than 5 minutes we had stopped at what appeared to be a greenhouse. It was our lunch venue, warm and verdant. Food was good, fried aubergine and potato in a garlic'y sauce, vegetable wraps (like duck with pancakes but veg and strips of egg) and a spicy chicken dish with a sharp sauce and unidentifiable crunchy fungus. This plus our exertions meant that both of us were struggling to stay awake for the drive back to the city. We got back and went straight to the Temple of Heaven. Large gardens much used by the local retired community for dancing and gambling and in the middle a square building. This lead to another covered walkway the balustrade of which was buried in groups of people playing noisy games of poker and Chinese chess.
    This brought us eventually to a central building and a gate which took us through to the centre of the complex including the magnificent Temple of Heaven, a Qing dynasty Daoist temple solely for the use of the Emperor. A circular building made entirely of wood (nanmu ), no nails or pegs and decorated inside and out.
    Surrounding buildings explained the rituals and the construction history/techniques. The crowds were thining and there was again Chinese music drifting from the dancing pensioners outside the complex.
    We were offered various options after but we settled for a return to the hotel to rest our tired trotters.    Read more

  • TravelerChina 2017
    Day 4

    At the station

    November 7, 2017 in China ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Waiting for the train to Pingyao. Our guide brought us to the station and shepherded us through initial ticket check, bag security etc and brought us to our waiting room. She carefully explained our train ticket, made me photograph the timetable on her phone and repeatedly reminded me to hang on to the tickets and check our strain number carefully. Then she told me that even in Pingyao we could call her if we were in difficulties and left us to it.
    The waiting room is huge room gathering passengers for our train and one to Futian. All necessary items are here, free phone charging ingredients stations, WiFi (if I could read the login requirements) , hot water for your noodle bowl plus shops selling gifts, toys, pre-done duck, and books.
    People are friendly and helpful; the young man behind us has been chatting a bit with Dad. A couple who had snaffled seats offered me a small space next to them.

    Once the gates open it was a bit of a push and shove to get through the barrier and down to the platform. We are in first class for this trip, huge picture window and we feel quite low down. The seats are aeroplane like with recline facilities, foot rests and power sockets. Sadly my adaptor does not fit... This is an intermittent problem I could only use it in one socket in our hotel room!
    We have a bottle of water and a gift pack of snacks as a peek of first class travel. Not sure what the contents are, I can identify a biscuit and a sausage of unknown origin but the rest is a mystery.
    We are now some 100 miles or so west of Beijing heading to Pingyao. The train is smooth and fast 300 km/hr, there are frequent announcements.... Not least is the reminder no to smoke for which according to the 2006 and 2014 edicts is subject to a fine of 2000rmb and if you cause an serious consequences you will be detained...all delivered in voice reminiscent of an old audio version of Brave New World..... Eeek.
    Outside a flat landscape of farms and small towns hurtles past. It is very hazy and the air quality is poor, when we stop at the stations you can taste a chemical / metallic tang.    Read more

  • TravelerChina 2017
    Day 4

    View from a window .

    November 7, 2017 in China ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We've by on the train for about 2 hrs now. After the first 150 or so km the air quality improved dramatically and we could see across the plains of fields to tower blocks and distant towns. We had a long pause at one station and after that mountains appeared. For a few minutes we passed extensive quarrying works; entire mountains being chewed up. For the last 15 minutes we have been in a tunnel, at 200km/hr (the speed has dropped in here) that is a long tunnel. I suspect that the scenery we can see from the windows is the scrubby mountains we saw from the air. Some dramatic valleys and rivers appear occasionally but mostly it seems to be just hills/mountains and the odd sign of human lives.
    Meanwhile the overhead screen shows a variety of information.... All about how the trains and tracks are built. Some tourist type info. Some adverts. How to exercise in your seat. How jade ornaments are produced and of course some behavioural and political messages.
    Travelling more slowly now less than 200km /hr and arriving in a huge industrial city, factories, cooling towers, cement works (for all the stone from those quarried hills) and lots of identical new tower blocks and lower level apartment buildings.    Read more

  • TravelerChina 2017
    1
    1
    Day 5

    Pingyao

    November 8, 2017 in China ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    Arrival is deceptive, the bullet train deposited us at an anonymous new station and we met our new guide and Mr Yang the driver. It immediately felt different; in Beijing sleek modern Volkswagen driven by our expert driver who glided through the chaos of the city traffic. Mr Yang's car was a battered people carrier with the back row of seats weighed down by a vast gas canister, our bags got tucked in round it and it didnt move. Th car too had slightly fraying seat covers and a golden plastic Mao on the dash. The traffic here is less chaotic more plain batshit, but very friendly none of the temper and cursing that would result at home from the sorts of manoeuvres that are standard here. As we came off the practically deserted new highway we were in an area of apparently fairly new but already tired looking shops and apartments. Pingyao outside the walls is a boom town loads of new blocks of flats going up and according to our guide most people want to live outside the walls. Only the elderly who like to look at the tourists like living inside the walls. Pingyao county has a population of 500,000 and they seem to be heading for the city, although currently only about 40,000 live there. A sudden stop to avoid a vehicle that had moved into our lane but coming towards us...this was avoiding a funeral. Trucks and people carrying glittery decorations, a small truck with a painted coffin and an extended golf cart with some additional mourners - the coop could learn something - it certainly didnt seem very solemn. Mr Yang drove through a large set of gates (only locals can do this and even then they are restricted) and threaded the large car down tiny alleys to our hotel. Within the walls the city a mix of Ming and Qing architecture and the oldest part of the walls - the clay core, dates back 3000 years. our hotel is a hutong; a courtyarded building. It is completely lovely to look at a brick and wooden structure and our room is one of or 8 around a courtyard, there are a number of other courtyards so I suspect the place is larger than it appears. Snag one I cant connect to the internet - I have wifi but there is some sort of DHCP issue that stops it authenticating on my phone - the tablet is fine however. Having issued us with a map our guide left us to it and we set off for a wander. Snag 1 - the map only has english names for 4 streets. Those four streets are not named in the city, lots of other named streets but they are in chinese on our map. however we wandered happily past lots of tourist aimed shops as well as ordinary shops, historic buildings and tiny alleys that led into the unknown. We are the only western faces here as far as we can tell - on the streets the crowds were all chinese and we have been thoroughly stared at by the elderly locals who are (and it is such a terrible cliche) inscrutable - a smile, a wave, a nihao get no response.... However in a phenomenon I havent experienced since my last visit to Hong Kong we did get collared by three sets of students doing surveys...all spoke impeccable English, one set insisted on photographing us to prove we were real, one lot videoed the whole thing and the last ones were most ecstatic to find us but didn't insist on verification. After this we needed snacks - so Portuguese custard tart for dad and a black sesame & custard dipped slice of white bread for me (not what I expected but nice).
    We eventually navigated back to the hotel for Dad's power nap - this is when we discovered the weakness of the mapping - still we got back eventually. Dad napped and I swore at the phone trying to sort the internet issue. At last we decided we needed food - our guide had helpfully given suggestions and there was one other recommendation (People dont com to Pingyao for the food!) but sadly we couldn't find one of them, one was empty - so despite the recommendation it was rejected and the last we didnt fancy - chicken with mushy shrimp, or a selection of duck tongues were the high points so we decided we would scoot back to our hotel - apparently most people eat at their hotels here. So we got lost again, but by now it was dark, and we were hungry /hangry - no lunch we were on the train and we could see that places were closing down for the night.......very stressy. when we finally stumbled in the staff were not thrilled to see us but they sorted some food and a much needed beer for us. Fortified we went back out for another wander around and managed not to get lost. At 10:30 we returned to our overheated hotel room - no aircon lots of heating- again - I have been too hot to sleep now for three nights...at which point the bathroom plumbing started to play up - it is ok now but we might need a man with plunger in the morning - too exhausted to worry about it now though.    Read more

  • TravelerChina 2017
    Day 5

    Morning in Pingyao

    November 8, 2017 in China ⋅ 🌬 20 °C

    As the hotel is quiet we locked our outer door and left the inner door ajar... So a bit coolerlast night - hurrah. It is another clear sunny day and the Chinese music sound track is playing around the hotel courtyards. Breakfast was very interesting - undiluted orange cordial (with extra sugar if you needed it) no water anywhere, otherwise black tea and hot milk or coffee. A mix of European and Chinese dishes, the European included a sweetish spam like substance. Even the white bread was sweetened. Salted roasted peanuts were good though. Looking forward to seeing inside more of these courtyards and buildings today along with a walk around the walls.Read more

  • TravelerChina 2017
    Day 5

    A morning tour of Pingyao

    November 8, 2017 in China ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    A beautiful sunny day and we met our guide Marina in the hotel at 9:30. Our first stop was the ancient government building. Although largely rebuilt (some was lost/destroyed during the cultural revolution) the core was 1300 and included tax offices, a prison and the magistrates courts. It also included the government tower which gave great views over the city. Overall very interesting if a bit grim, prisoner human rights not being high on their agenda. I must read some more of the Judge Dee stories when I get home.

    Whilst wandering we talked to our guide about Pingyao, this area is known as two black, two white based on the chief products: black vinegar, black coal, white noodles, white wine. Coal is still the key fuel source, when we were wandering in alleys last night we could smell the coal.

    After this we headed onto the city walls which form a 6km circuit round the old town. Again a good opportunity to peer into courtyards. The views managed to encapsulate old and new Pingyao, old towers in the foreground and new construction in the background. After this short walk we descended to the Confucius Temple, which was our guide's High School until 2003! The central hall was there then but students were charged 3¥ to go in it! Now they have reinstated the temples and the surrounding buildings and the fences and some walls are Apparently in prayer ribbons bearing the name of students taking exams or thanking Confucius for their achievements... So it rather confirms the idea that however hard people try to suppress belief systems they just go underground until that passes (Putin's Russia?).

    Our guide also wanted to discuss schools and exams - this arose out of the government house visit and her temple high school. Apparently she had to get up at 6 to be ready to go to school at 6:30, a half hr bike ride. On arrival at 7am they read for half an hour, then ran for 30 mins. Then an hour for breakfast, lessons till 12:30, two hours for lunch then back for lessons till 5:30-6pm, tea and then a final session 7- 9pm. She said it was hell, I wouldn't argue! She also mentioned that really the cultural revolution wasn't much taught about in school which concentrated on history from 3000 bce to 1900 or so. On reflection it makes sense... I doubt our curriculum includes much from 1950 onwards....

    Our final stop was the first Chinese bank founded in 1823. They were dyers with 6 branches across the region until they decided that financial services were more lucrative. So instant bank with 6 branches! They were clever, inventing watermarks that could only be seen in light from a specific lamp and a coding system that used ordinary characters from a poster on the walll to hide details of transactions and dates so that if info was lost it was useless.

    After this Dad and I went for a drink (freshly squeezed apple juice) and arranged to meet Marina tomorrow for our ride back to the station. The rest of the day was ours to wander.    Read more

  • TravelerChina 2017
    1
    Day 5

    Pingyao Wandering

    November 8, 2017 in China ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    So we wandered on to South Street aiming to look at tourist tat and debate lunch. All of a sudden we were mobbed a party of 30-something (rather than easily amused teen) Chinese people grabbed us and used us as their photo prop. Swapping people in and out as they clicked away. No idea what it was about, it made them laugh a lot though! Weird but funny.

    After that we needed lunch, the rejected but recommended restaurant from last night. Very good, shrimp and cashew nuts for dad, I had chicken in a sharp sauce with peanuts. We got a bonus dessert... Something fried... A sweet bean filled dumpling and one that might have been sweet potato....
    We had to share our table - with the cat. After some fuss he curled up on my jacket whilst we ate. As soon as our chopsticks went down though it was a game to keep him from being all over the remains of our dinner.
    Next we aimed to wander to the Temple of the Household Gods via tat. I had lots of fun haggling over a brass bust of Chairman Mao. The place is fascinating; the very centre is tourist oriented but outside that you get a sense of a normal life being lived. When doors are open you can peer into courtyards and glimpse real life; cabbages, electric scooters, and drying washing.
    The sun disappeared by early afternoon today it has been very still and so the air quality has dropped considerably. Visibility is significantly reduced and back here in the hotel now I can taste dust and smoke. Pingyao may be pretty but the surrounding area is full of industry and it is notoriously dry so the air quality is poor. All the cars have a film of dust on them and the Temple Gods are filthy.
    Post Mao we went to the Temple of Household Gods. This includes the land God, three gods of wealth, a kitchen God and a door God amongst others. All the gods looked like they hadn't been cleaned ever but it was a working temple incense in the burners, candles were lit and offerings of fruit were stacked in front of the gods. One of the gods seemed a little neglected - the God of project managers.... (See the photo), I need to hunt now for the God of Application Engineers....
    A brief sit in the grounds watching leaves being diligently swept off the grass (in China grass is not for walking on or picnicking on apparently - it is there to be looked at!) and then we were back on the wander... I want a tasteful fridge magnet. I found one but the vendor and I could not agree a price.... But I was confident that I would soon find more. Unfortunately though the evidence suggests he has a monopoly on the fridge magnet market... I may have to go back and renegotiate.    Read more

  • TravelerChina 2017
    1
    Day 5

    Evening in Pingyao

    November 8, 2017 in China ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    So after the abortive magnet hunt we sought the consolation of street food: A waffle type thing filled with green tea ice-cream and jam. Then an amble back to the hotel resisting taking yet more photographs, it is a breathtaking place and every corner offers another view or something of interest. Back to the hotel for Dad's power nap (which is when I do some of this - I have barely opened a book this holiday!). Refreshed we went in search of dinner, straight there no getting lost, a place recommended by Marina. Packed out, well organised we were handed an iPad which was both menu and ordering system. Dinner was accompanied by a large beer, the dust and smoke had caught in my throat. It is pretty horrendous when the breeze drops and once they light their coal stoves in the early evening it is quite chewy. Food was good and plentiful. Crispy noodle wrapped shrimps for Dad, pork balls in Sweet and sour sauce for me (but nothing like we get at home these were lovely unbattered spheres, scattered with sesame, we skipped rice in favour of fried eggplant. After dinner we walked the long way back to our hotel. On to Xi'an tomorrow.Read more

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