Tuesday, October 24, 2017
And here we are, in the People’s
Republic of China. After the persistent rains we experienced in Japan, we are
grateful for a nice day. Our port is located in Tianjin, one of those “ghost”
cities we’ve heard about, full of mostly empty high-rise apartment buildings
with more under construction, and new highways with little or no traffic. We’re
located a long drive from Beijing and, since we will be going to Beijing
tomorrow, we’ve decided to stay close today and take to complimentary shuttle
to the AEON Mall.
This bustling mall is surrounded by
more high-rise apartment buildings some of which are empty. If this is any
indication of China’s housing bubble it’s scary. We are told that private
investors – of whom China has many – lease the land from the government and
build these mammoth buildings. The apartments are bought by other investors for
resale or, in some instances, for use by adult sons who manage to find a spouse
(more about that later). The mall boasts high-end stores, a Starbucks, and an
assortment of restaurants including several Japanese. Apparently sushi has
found a receptive market in China over seventy years after the Japanese’ brutal
occupation of the country in WWII.
The area around the port is eerily
quiet – no traffic on brand new highways, no evidence of activity. The terminal
building is large, new and shaped like a ship – quite beautiful – and empty.
Our ship is the only one docked there. Unlike most cruise ports, this one
contains no shops, no visitor information, no money changers.
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Today
we began our 4-day overland visit in China. Our guide for the entire journey is
Martin (his made-up name) Zhu. In China, the family name – Zhu – is followed by
the given name. Chinese who interact with westerners create a western-sounding
“first name.”
Martin is tall and good looking
and, at 32, still unmarried, although he claims to have a girlfriend. This is
significant because, due to China’s one-child policy, young people of
marriageable age are having difficulty finding suitable – and willing – mates.
It makes sense that a generation composed of indulged only-children who have
also been encouraged to pursue education and careers will most likely be
unwilling to make the compromises needed for a successful marriage. China has
recently changed that policy to allow two children per family, but the impact
of the one-child policy is already being felt on the workforce. As a result of
too few workers coming into the force, China has lengthened the retirement ages
from 55 for women and 60 for men to 62 and 65 respectively.
Martin is a member of the Communist
Party – a status not available to everyone. Only party members can vote or hold
office. He was quick to explain that the People’s Republic of China is not a
communist government although it suppresses free speech (not his words). Google,
Facebook, Twitter and most other social media sites as we know them are banned
in China. Banking is government controlled as well. (In fact, a recent article
in the NYT describes a recent government crackdown on underground banks used by
wealthy Chinese to get money in excess of permissible limits out of the
country.) And only party members are allowed to vote in both local and national
elections.
As we got closer to Beijing the traffic increased.
At a checkpoint where all drivers had credentials checked, our guide told us
that part of the government’s efforts to reduce traffic in Beijing (and help
curb the horrific air pollution) is limiting the number of times a vehicle from
outside the city may enter. Another feature of both the countryside surrounding
Beijing and the city itself is an abundance of trees and tree farms. Fellow
travelers who visited the city four-years ago told us this was new. We think it
is also an effort to help curb the air pollution.
The air is as bad as we had heard.
John and I took, and wore, masks, as did some of our fellow travelers and many
of the people we saw. Temperatures are cool, yet the streets were filled with
more motor bikes than cars. We were impressed with the cleverly designed
“blankets” that the motor bike drivers used. Picture a quilt with sleeves to
keep the drivers’ arms warm.
A little history about Beijing: “It
is one of China’s four ancient capitals and has been a center of power for over
3000 years. During that time dynasties came and went, but the city protected
its important landmarks, such as the Forbidden City, home of the imperial
families, and the Temple of Heaven, an important 15th-century
temple. When Mao Zedong declared the establishment of the People’s Republic of
China in 1949, it was from Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. This was also the
location of anti-government protests in 1989. Beijing is China’s current
capital and home to 11 million people (20 million in the metropolitan area).”
Our first stop in Beijing is the
Temple of Heaven. Built in 1420, this walled temple complex is beautiful and
amazing – both to see, and as a survivor of Mao’s Cultural Revolution when the
people were told to destroy all that represented “old China.” According to
Martin, this edifice survived because Mao’s second in command – and successor –
Chou En Li, refused to destroy the temple and instructed the army to defend it
against an attempt by the Red Guard to destroy it. Phew! I can only imagine
what else might have been lost.
From the Temple of Heaven we
traveled through the city, past the infamous Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium commissioned
for the 2008 Olympics. It was a foggy/smoggy day, so our view was limited. But
even in the smog, it is an impressive structure. It is adjacent to the
swimming/diving center. Neither of these facilities are used to capacity today.
Next we had a traditional Chinese
lunch where all the food is placed on a lazy Susan and shared at the round
tables. The table mates had to determine whether to spin clockwise or counter
clockwise, exercise care that others were not serving themselves just as the food
was on the move again. We noted that the food was not the traditional Chinese
fare we have in the US. No fried rice, wonton soup, etc. We later discovered
that what we call “Chinese” at home is more Cantonese than Mandarin.
Our next stop is Tiananmen Square.
Because the Congress was holding its annual meeting, at which the Chairman had
just been reelected, security was tight and we were unable to walk onto the
square. Instead we walked along and around it on our way to the Forbidden City.
The massive floral displays along the edge of the square were impressive and
beautiful – as well they should be because all of the country’s most important
and powerful people were gathered there.
If anyone has seen the movie, The
Last Emperor, he/she will recognize sections of The Forbidden City. According
to our guide, that last emperor continued to live in the City after he was
deposed where he worked as a gardener. The buildings are amazing and the place
is well preserved. We enter the complex at one end and traverse its length,
stopping at various buildings along the way such as the main living quarters,
the concubines’ living quarters, etc. At the end, just outside the wall, is a
lovely garden area where we noticed a group of people who seemed to be at a
networking event. Turns out, it was a group of parents with photos and
credentials of their unmarried adult children, looking for prospective mates on
their children’s behalf. It’s a type of low-tech dating site. Although arranged
marriages are no longer common in China, parents, desperate for grandchildren,
use these informal gatherings to arrange for meetings between potential couples.
If you remember the earlier mentioned buyers of apartments in those empty
building, these are usually purchased by parents of sons because it is the
responsibility of the man’s family to provide housing for the couple.
After checking into our hotel – the
Sheraton Grand Beijing, a five-start luxury hotel that certainly surpasses any
Sheraton we have ever experienced in the States – we were treated to a Peking duck
dinner at the Quanjude Restaurant. Delicious. Then back to the hotel for a
nightcap and a good sleep.
To be continued…
