Today was the quietest day of the trip. We boarded the bus back to Chengdu in the morning, then spent an hour exploring the high speed train station. The atmosphere is one that is akin to an airport, although without the heavy security checks and long lines everywhere. The train itself was so smooth, as if we were gliding through a miles long newly polished ice rink. Our guide referred to all other trains as “old-style trains”, making me think of the commuter rail I’d ridden so often. The United States does not even have one high speed train, although that may be due more to logistics than technical ability. Still, it is strange to think that a country praised for its wealth, power and innovation is being so far outdone on the grounds of transportation.
Chong Qing was our final destination, the city that our Yangtze River Cruise Ship was to be docked at. Perhaps one of the nicest views thus far on this trip is the top of the pagoda at the city center. Chong Qiang stretches on for miles at every direction, sectioned into pieces by the mighty rivers that criss cross China. Elegant bridges came along every once in a while. My favorite bridge was a suspension bridge that seemed to be floating in the center of a tear drop shaped sculpture. In terms of size, Chong Qing is about the same in terms of square mileage as the entire country of Austria. The US is large is some aspects, but not in this way. The idea that one city could be the size of an entire country is astounding. The growth of the city is also astonishing. Chong Qing is now ten times larger than it was less than fifty years ago. The speed at which China is developing and changing is nearly unfathomable. Chong Qing was really a place to stop and think about the new face of China. Finally, we boarded the cruise ship. Although it is not the largest ship, something about sitting on the balcony to our room is so sedately peaceful: the soft darkness, the warm, wet air and the dark shapes of the hills on either side.
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The air was heavy as if at any moment condensation would proceed and every one of us would be drenched with rain water. Although it was humid, the morning was pleasantly cool as we journeyed to the ancient irrigation system. The reading we had done in the days prior truly captured the importance of harnessing the waterways- in particular this stretch of the Yangtze River. In the ancient times, an emperor was said to be chosen by the divine heavens. He was one with Dao, creating balance within the earth. But if drought, famine or flood struck, it was the world’s way of showing unbalance and therefore a need for a change in power. As an emperor, ensuring healthy farmland and the utmost control of the waterways as of the most importance. Not only would harnessing the river provide health to his kingdom, but also his kingship.
The sheer willpower of the irrigation system was painfully apparent, even after the trivializing effects of modern technology. To build the irrigation system, a channel had to be cut through the mountains that was said to have taken thirty years to create. A dyke also had to be constructed, along with an infinite contract in its upkeep that still persists today. In return for the years of back breaking work, the river no longer floods as it did before. Farmland is kept fertile and people are kept happy- but not without a price. In cases such as this, Daoism seems like a natural explanation- balance often means health in exchange for pain. In a fitting sort of way, our next stop was 青城山, a mountain where the origins of Daoism were first created. Although most of the journey up was left to the cable car, a good amount of time was spent climbing uneven, seemingly hand-hewn stone steps and stopping at elaborate temples with burning red candles staked in front. The final temple at the top of the world was covered with knotted throngs of red ribbons with gold inscriptions, sometimes complete with a hand written message. After examining a few, these red ribbons looked to be wishes to the heavens for wealth, family, love and all things that humans seek. Around almost every surface were these ardent hopes, some vivid and others faded, but all the same nonetheless. Tying hope into a knot at the top of the world in the presence of religious purity doesn’t seem to be a bad way to go about it. In fact, maybe the magic in all of it is knowing there will be people, people like me here to run their fingers through the tails of wishes and read your words, and therefore give your words infinite life and palpability. I love pandas. I have yet to meet anyone that does not love pandas. But China’s intensive focus on saving pandas is admirable in its single mindless and devotion. From our experience at the panda preserve, each sanctuary takes an extensive amount of effort and time to clean: removing the old bamboo, scooping panda poop, preparing the new bamboo and placing it into the enclosure. After the panda is let out back into the enclosure, the room the panda was in before must go through the same process, as well as a thorough hose down. This process must be repeated twice a day for however many pandas a sanctuary has. This example merely demonstrates the steps necessary for the everyday upkeep of a captive panda, but does not even graze the surface of the breeding programs or the “wild training programs”.
In the documentary we watched, almost a decade’s worth of time was spent acclimating a single panda to be equipped to exist in the wilderness. During the release, high level government officials traveled to a remote area in the mountains in order to watch the release, along with millions of television viewers. Another interesting clip was a school in the natural habitat of pandas where children are being educated about relocation in order for panda survival. The frame then shifted to a farmer talking about relocation for the sake of the pandas. China is so willing to contribute resources towards this one cause. Not only is the government creating refuges and donating money, the people of China are equally dedicated. I can hardly imagine a situation in which someone within the United States would relocate their home for the sake of an animal. The conservation of pandas is a cause that everyone across China is both equally and instensivy invested in. Perhaps this could be contributed to the cynical teenager outlook, but finding a cause an entire nation can unite together in is a beautiful miracle. After packing our bags and giving our hotel in Chengdu one last goodbye, we headed off to a store by the name of Blue Sheep. There, a woman named Rae greeted us with an incredible story. After working as a doctor for numerous nonprofits in developing nations, she finally opened a store named Blue Sheep that purchased and sold artisan goods produced by minority groups within China. Many of these people are unable to find occupations due to various disabilities, and are instead forced to survive on the streets. Under Rae’s guidance, many of these people were able to learn various crafts such as leather carving, quilling and embroidery. Our group was hopefully able to offer some aid, by photographing the goods within the store in hopes of setting up an online shop for more customers to access her shop. Our last visit in Chengdu was the beautiful Jin Sha Site Museum, a park highlighting an archeological site where many famous artifacts were both discovered and displayed. The park was especially well kept, with winding, wooded paths. The site of the archaelogical dig was interesting, with flagged areas where famous artifacts were discovered, such as the gold mask and the gold foil symbol of circling birds around a sun. The idea of tradition and recurring symbolism as an anchor for many modern day policies is emphasized yet again in this monument. China's history is much longer than most, and that in itself is evident in life everywhere. The past is respected and revered, both straddling the line of myth and legend. The extent to which history is showcased is extraordinary. a Blue Sheep product
The first place we stopped was 杜甫’s cottage, even though cottage is a bit of an understatement. The surrounding area has been converted into a beautiful park, complete with traditional courtyards and bamboo. A hidden treasure was a small bonsai garden. Within the garden, old trees grew in pots and a small replica of a lake with rock structures jutting out of the water was a highlight. Many of the symbols spotted in the previous location were repeated again, such as the bats on top of red walls. Someone even commented, “Are you sure we’re not in the same place?” when referring to the previous day’s trip to the shrine of 诸葛亮. There was such unity between these two places- perhaps because they same beliefs are held universally across the nation.
The next place we went was a special education school for children with disabilities in Chengdu. Often times in China, those with disabilities are overlooked and are unable to get the special help necessary for them to succeed in the future. I spent a few hours with my buddy, 程程. She was shy, but sweet. Her mom said that she doesn’t have any friends in her area, and does not have a lot of people to talk to. The ceramic cup we made was lopsided and rather strange looking, but I hope she had a good time that afternoon. Lastly we were able to have dinner with a translator who worked for numerous corporations and the Chinese government. He had translated for the former vice president, Joe Biden and also runs a interpreter competition in which 20,000 children across China participate. He mentioned a few points that connected back to my topic of modern day Chinese propaganda. The entire government is a tightly controlled operation- officials are all required to issue the same statements, and every one of those statements is reviewed by the Central Propaganda Bureau, one of the most powerful organizations within the Chinese government. He laughed at Trump’s wild tweets, both uncensored and uncontrolled, mentioning that here the nation just simply would not allow such a public and unbridled social media usage for a politician, and much less the president. The government in China seems indicative of a carefully curated image to both China’s own people as well as the outside world, in which opinion and thought are represented in one outlook. In the United States, government is all about dissent, especially with the bipartisan system that currently battles for political real estate. Politicians are praised for representing unique and authentic viewpoints. Being a Communist government, dissent might be internalized instead rather than shown around publicly. One voice has so much more importance here. Whether that may be a more effective way to rule a country is the true question. We first stepped out into the damp and warm air in Chengdu after almost a full day of traveling. After checking into the hotel, we headed to the shrine of 诸葛亮,a famous military strategist from the Three Kingdoms period. In my Chinese class, we had written and performed an entire oral report on him- his feats were the stuff of legend. The entire shrine was wooded with gingko and bonsai trees, contrasting completely from the crowded concrete landscape that surrounded the area.
Almost every aspect of every object was decorated ornately with symbols that could either bring good fortune or ward away bad luck. The railings had each of the twelve zodiac animals perched in various areas. the rafters were inscribed with Chinese proverbs and the scrolls on the tops of the walls were layered with carved bats, rumored to bring good luck. At the heart of the shrine is the tomb of 刘备, a great emperor in the area that Chengdu currently resides. His tomb was not spectacular- it was simply a small hill surrounded with a stone wall. In opposition to tombs such as __ that employed the strength of an entire terra-cotta army, 刘备’s was stark in the nature of its humbleness. It is said that if one walks around the tomb clockwise, the good luck of the great emperor can be imparted on you as well. We headed off and soon finished one circle, hoping for that good luck. Tradition and history is at the core of everything in China. Thousands of years of history are layered under today’s society. Legends, myths and ancient maxims lead the way in creating new government directions, ideals and slogans. One that our tour guide, Michael, brought up is: One Path One Silk Road. The idea of economic expansion and financial globalization is anchored with past ideas of the silk road. Regardless of what innovations China may head into, the ideas of the past will still be there to reinforce the current motives. The past is honored, respected and beautifully preserved. It is looked upon for both inspiration and admiration. Many of the buildings here take pieces of traditional architecture and combine them with more modern architectural materials, such as metal and glass. Symbols of good luck are everywhere- motifs that reappear again and again. History is brought into the present, and used to create an aura of the legends that almost everyone knows of. |
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