China: Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai

Some friends and relatives have inquired as to why we have not written on our blog since Vietnam.  We  sailed  from Saigon (officially Ho Chi Minh City) on March 24 heading for Hong Kong.  We had extremely rough seas and most of us spent time in bed with seasick pills.  However, when we sailed into Hong Kong on Sat.,Mar. 26, it was fantastic.  The Captain advised everyone to be up and watch our entrance into the bay and it was spectacular.

Truthfully, I don't know how to write about China now, after having been in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai.  My  impressions and ideas about "China" have changed considerably after only a week. With a population of 1.3 billion, it's 3x the US population and only slightly larger mass.  95% of the population live in the eastern portion of the continent.   On Sunday, March 27, we flew to Beijing where we spent 4 days and 3 nights, and then flew to Shanghai to meet the ship and spend 2 days in Shanghai.  So in  one week's time, we visited 3 metropolises in China, all completely different, but yet not.  So we're going to tackle one city at a time starting with Hong Kong.

HONG KONG

Hong Kong is actually comprised of many islands, plus Kowloon and the New Territories on mainland China.  In an area of 421 sq. miles, live a population of 7.1 million.  Hong Kong is the largest island.  Because of the small area, all of the building is upward.  From the moment we entered the harbor, the sight of thousands of high rise buildings was overwhelming.

In December 1984 the British agreed to hand over the entire colony when the lease of the New Territories ran out in 1997, rather than hang on to a truncated colony consisting of Kowloon and Hong Kong island. 

The agreement theoretically allows Hong Kong to retain its pre-1997 social, economic and legal systems for at least 50 years after 1997.  So Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on July 1, 1997.  China promised that its socialist economic system would not be imposed upon HK and that HK would enjoy a high degre of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years.  Hence, China's policy of "one country, two systems" and the common view is that as long as HK continues to make money (and little noise) its autonomy is assured.  The European Commission has described HK as one of the freest societies in Asia despite not having full democracy.

Since it has been 50 years since I lived In Hong Kong and the New Territories, I was most amazed at the number of shopping centers.  We were docked right next to the Star Ferry, which are the ferries that take one from Kowloon to HK Island.  In order to get out to street level, it was necessary to go through this huge shopping center, with all the popular American brands plus some high-end retail shops.  Like Saigon, the shopping centers go up rather than out.

Rick and I went shopping, took a cab (no time to learn bus system or subway) to a jade market and then started down Nathan Road, the busiest road in Kowloon, looking for a Chinese Department Store, which is unheard of in a city of a million shops.  It was supposed to be at the corner of Nathan and Jordan, the busiest intersection.  We looked everywhere, only to discover that we were standing under the sign.  There are so many signs that it's almost impossible to find what you're looking for, especially since they are all in Chinese. Then we found a modern Chinese fast-food restaurant (hundreds of MacDonalds and Kentucky Frieds here) which specialized in bread!  French toast, fried bread, etc.  Wanted dim sum but no time for that.

That evening to celebrate Marie's birthday, we took her out to dinner.  Bob pleaded for an American style meal!  Here we are in the middle of the best food in the world and we ate at Dan Ryan Chicago Grill!   Actually it was very good - ribs, steak, baked potatoes.  After 3 months of curry, Chinese and assorted mixtures of food, we appreciated it.  To bed early as we're off to Beijing in the morning.

BEIJING

The next morning Sunday, March 27, at 11:35 am we flew to Beijing from the new Hong Kong airport.  The flight was great and we had a good, hot Chinese lunch during the 3 hour flight.  Again the attendants were polite, attentive but very demure.  (Do we still use that word?)  The new airport in Beijing, built for the Olympics, is beautiful and huge.  We walked a long way, however, to get through security and immigration, even though we had come from HK.

Beijing, the capital of China, lies just south of the rim of the Central Asian Steppes and is separated from the Gobi Desert by a green chain of mountains, over which The Great Wall runs. The Peking man was discovered in this area in 1929.  As you will recall from the Olympics, Beijing was very smoggy, partly because of the industry but also because the Gobi Desert is 120 miles west of the city and when the winds are from  the west, the situation is made worse.  It was clear when we were there because it was cold with spring just approaching- plum blossoms in bloom.

Like Hong Kong, Beijing is a city of towering high rise apartments and commercial buildings but is more spread out.  There are now 5 ring roads around Beijing trying to take the traffic away from the center of the city.  Beijing was cleaned up extensively for the Olympic games - no slums in Beijing!  Although there are bicycles, motorized cabs, and motorbikes, there are many more cars,  and expensive cars. 

We arrived in time to take 2-person pedicabs (a three-wheeled bicycle) to a dinner at a private residence where they served us a 9-course delicious, typical meal.  It was in a home where the woman made all of the courses - in a government-owned  2-bedroom home they rented for 55 yen a month.  No one owns real estate in China, only the building.  The woman then taught the students how to make dumplings, which BTW, I could live on.  We then went back to the pedicabs, down dark alleys and had a wild ride back to the bus and on to the hotel.  We stayed at the Holiday Inn Temple of Heaven.  HIs are nothing like HIs in the States.  This one was sleekly beautiful, full of marble, wood and the rooms were great.

Up at 7 am on Monday, had a  great breakfast buffet, although I have a hard time eating a Chinese breakfast which consists sof dumpling soup, various strange meats, fried bread, etc., but we could have omelets made for us, great bakery items, bacon, sausage, potatoes, etc.  Left at 8 am for the Forbidden City.  Our tour guide, named Fang, pronounced Fong, was excellent and our trip leader was Martie Fessenden, otherwise known as the Voice and who is also Asst. Ex. Dean, with her partner and 7-year old Sydney.

The Forbidden City built by more than 200,000 workers over a  period of 14 years and finished in 1420, is the largest palace in the world and has the best preserved and most complete collection of imperial architecture in China.  The film, The Last Emperor, was filmed there.  It was home to 14 emperors, select family members, concubines, and eunuch-servants.  The Forbidden City embodies Feng Shui architectural principles and includes 800 buildings and 8000 rooms, all within 170 acres.  Lots of walking.

We  then walked through the complex to Tiananmen Square, the world's largest public square and the very heart of modern China.  It has long been a gathering place for locals and visitors alike.  On the north side of the square is Tiananmen Gate.  It was from the balcony of the Rostrum on Oct. 1, 1949, the Mao Zedong, chairman of the Communist Paraty, proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China.  Mao gazes south from a huge portrait on the south side of the gate onto The Square.  At the height of the Cultural Revolution, hundreds of thousands of Red Guards crowded the Square,  In June 1989, the square was the scene of tragedy when student demonstrators were killed.  But noone talks about this. 

The Square is sandwiched between two grand gates:  The Gate of Heavenly Peace and the Front Gate.  Along the western edge is the Great Hall of the People.  THe National Museum of China lies along the eastern side.  The Monument to the People's Heroes, a 125 foot granite obelisk, commemorates those who died for the revoluntary cause.  It is eerie to see guards still standing as sentries on the Square.  Hundreds milled around the square, taking photos of one another.  One student came up to me and asked what the big deal was about Tiananmen Square.  Generation gaps!

We had lunch at a local restaurant and then visited  a Migrant School but neither Rick nor I went in.  It's more of a project for the students.  We then had dinner at Roast Duck Restaurant and it was wonderful.  To bed!  Long days.


Up early on Tuesday, went to a kung-fu school where they put on a demonstration  of kicking, hittting, throwing, holding, etc.  Students loved it as the kung fu students then gave lessons!  Had lunch at a local restaurant in a lovely park with plum blossoms everywhere.

And then we were off to  the Wall.  We went to the Mutianyu section, about 90 km from Beijing.  The Great Wall was built over 6,437 miles to protect residents from marauding nomads.  It was built in portions, not all at one time and linked in 259 BC and the Ming Dynasty fortified the wall, although that didn't stop the Manchu invasion in 1644.  Just getting up to the Wall to get into a gondola to take us there was a feat for me.  My knees were killing me and everyone was helping, but what a climb.  Rick was so excited.  I only climbed up the wall and all the others walked the wall for a kilometer where they took a toboggan back down.  Dan and I went on the gondola.  Dan was bus leader and has a walking disability also, so we were pals.  After a few hours, we left to attend an acrobatic show, which was okay and then went to dinner.  We were pooped.

A sad note:  2 female students camping on the wall overnight along with many other students, fell down some steps on the wall.  One girl's leg was severly cut but the other girl received head injuries which the other students had to deal with.  Someone found a door, they held her on the door, walked to find an car and then drove 3 hours before they found help.  She was treated in a hospital in Beijing, her mother arrived and  now we have heard that she has recovered consciousness and the ventilator has been removed.  She's lucky to be alive.  The Wall is very uneven, steep stairs with small steps, rises vertically suddenly and  in the dark, must be treacherous.

Okay, I'm publishing this and will pick up on Shanghai later.


















SHANGHAI

Finally, Shanghai.  It is the largest and most dynamic city in China with a population of 17 million people.  Its history coincides with colonalism and Britain's war with China.  The Treaty of  Nanking allowed the British to trade freely from certain ports, including Shanghai.  It was divided into concessions, where foreign nationals lived in miniature versions of first Britain, then France, the U.S. and Japan.  The Bund, or quay, along the Huangpu River is still lined with colonial buiildings.  In 1949, the Communists took over and the city was stripped of its grandeur.  However, in 1990, the Pudong area across the river from the Bund was declared a Special Eonomic Zone and a revival started for the city.  Both airports have been upgraded, new roads, subway lines, hotels and offices were built for the 2010 World Expo, which we missed.  Only the Chinese pavillion remains open.

The shopping is abundant and very upscale.  Nanjing Road  is a shopper's paradise and we went to Plaza 66 one night for dinner for dim sum with Stan and Joanne.  The restaurant was gorgeous, all glass and modern, and the shops in the mall were wonderful.  We actually ran into another couple from the ship in the restaurant!  We ended up having a "vertical" sundae at Hagendaz and visited with an Indian couple and their son who is going to Yale in the fall.  It's amazing the people one can meet.

We didn't take any tours since we only had 2 days and we were beat from the trip to Beijing.  But RIck did a lot of walking around the Bund.  Our view from the ship of both sides of the river was better than any view from any hotel.  The newer business section in the Pudong area has fantastic skyscrapers and interesting architecture.  The Bund area is lighted in golden lights that provide quite a contrast between the two sides.  The numerous floating restaurants with all their garish lights and colors provided the music for the setting.  We enjoyed our albeit short stay.