Wilson PonPre-conception mishap...
May 8th 2008 13:59
Beijing was only known to me through news items of the cruel images relayed during democratic protests in Tiananmin Square, the historical events involving Mongol invasions, legends surrounding the Forbidden City and of course one of my favourite dishes - Peking Duck. I didn't realise that there were so many other attractions that expanded my initial 3 day blow-in to a 14 day exploration. The food was second to none in taste and presentation of any dish anywhere. (a big call!!) Sights were seemingly endless. Hospitality was exceptional and I cannot complain about the absolute beauty and charm of the local women. (Being a man - I cannot accurately judge how appealing the men of Beijing are...)
Then I ventured inland. I was cushioned by the challenges in Beijing as menus were written in English, or had pictures of each item available. A generous number of the population had some knowledge of basic English. And it was easy to get around without being fluent in the language...
It changed.
The train journey to Xi'an was quiet until the last 6 hours when all we could do was either stare at each other or try to communicate. As usual - being the odd one out in a train full of locals - I was the centre of attention. The communication barrier is easily overcome when shyness is eclipsed by curiosity. With the help of my best friend (the Chinese phrase book) - the carriage finally conquered their curiosities and found out what I was doing on the train, where I came from and what I intended to do. We also had a laugh and shared a meal and a drop of tea as we awkwardly stumbled through an entertaining and educational few hours of otherwise mindless train rattling.
One thing is now ingrained in my psyche and will never be unchanged - the average Chinese person is good-hearted, friendly and as curious as any other person. (I knew this about people anyway due to my years spent in Korea.)
I developed a beautiful platonic relationship with a Chinese girl at the reception of the hostel I stayed at in Xi'an. She could not speak English and my Chinese was at best - unidentifiable. We shared a conversation based on body language and pictures I shared from my laptop. I don't know why, but I am sure that a bond of souls was shared - even though we could not express any vocal language. (This is not the first time I have felt such an event). It is hard to describe when barriers in language do not interfere with people of noble standards.
There was another time in Xi'an when I totally felt the warmth that was never-ending in my Chinese experience. I was enjoying a band of 3 people of obviously poor backgrounds who were busking in the street with a primitive, yet traditional array of instruments. I was in awe of the music and the singing which could not have been anything else but of ancient Chinese origin. After the song was finished - I dipped into my pocket and dropped a few Yuan into their busking bucket. As I turned, it was then that I noticed that a vast number of the bystanders were not only observing the talent, but were in fact observing me. Large smiles and a few spontaneous bursts of applause accompanied my donations to these talented people....
4 weeks was not enough time to fully appreciate China, but I felt that my visa was utilised to its max... (Beijing and Xi'an were not the only places visited...)
All I can say is that I am not so afraid now to hand over the role of World power from the USA to China. I don't think that China could be as bad or worse than what's been going on lately. (Just remember - all we hear is what is being printed in the WESTERN media...)
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