My Second Trip to China

Just under a week ago Alicia and I returned from China. This was my second visit and in 16 days we managed to cover over 4,610km (inside China) and visit four major cities; Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu and Chongqing. Each of these cities is unique in its own right and has many thousands of years history behind it.

In an adventure that took us from the Terracotta Army to the markets of Ci Qi Kou we consumed more chilli than I had ever thought possible, discovered just how different the different dialects of Mandarin can be and learned a lot about the ancient Chinese culture. Read on to find out more. There are links to photos, videos and maps at the end of the article.

Xi’an (Xī’ān, 西安)

Beijing Capital Airport is clean, bright and spacious and, sitting in the departure lounge, you can’t help but feel you are at the start of a luxurious travel experience. I boarded the Hainan Airlines plane (turning right of course) to be greeted with a smile, “Welcome aboard.” I was the only waiguo ren on the flight and, on the back of my seat, was a copy of the China Daily - China’s English language newspaper. A small gesture I know, but one that made me feel really welcome on board and was a really nice start to our trip.

Leaving Xi’an airport for our hotel was more hectic. The civil aviation bus to the centre of town was surrounded by taxi drivers offering lifts to places I had never heard of. It suddenly struck me that I had no idea where I was going. My extremely limited command of the Chinese language is one thing, but this is the first travelling I’ve done when I wasn’t in control of where I was going or how I was getting there. Alicia’s father handed me a ticket put my bag in the hold and before I knew it I was on the bus.

Our hotel (map) was around 5 minutes walk from the Bell Tower (map), right in the heart of Xi’an. The hotel was empty and for at least one night it appeared we were the only guests. But, other than the fact that they weren’t serving breakfast (the staff were off for the New Year holiday), the hotel was reasonable. The rooms had a table and space for four people to sit and drink tea in comfort and so we were happy. We were able to spend the new year together as a family even though we were 913km from Beijing.

Xi’an is the capital of Shaanxi Province but during the Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang dynasties it was the capital of China. The history and culture locked away in and around Xi’an is incredible, everywhere you turn there are reminders of just some of the hidden treasures. Undoubtedly the most famous of these is the Army of Terracotta Warriors (bīngmǎ yǒng, 兵马俑) located 35km east of the City (map).

The site consists of three burial pits and a museum. Although indoors, the three pits aren’t heated and it was unbelievably cold. According to our taxi driver, it had been snowing for 14 days non-stop prior to our visit. The museum seemed to be slightly warmer, but it was still freezing. There was one benefit to the freezing conditions; the absence of the notorious hawkers meant we could enjoy the site in relative peace. The second pit is currently closed for renovations, but the first and third pits still give a good impression of the scale of the army. The warriors are similar to me in size, slightly larger than your average present-day Chinese. With several thousand warriors, each one unique, the scale of the army is hard to appreciate without actually being there. But, equally impressive, is the structure of the tomb in which the army was buried. It is hard to imagine that all this is over 2000 years old.

Xi’an’s notorious Muslim Quarter (map) is also well worth a visit, both during the day and at night. With an impressive array of food for sale both in the market and in the restaurants, the atmosphere is somewhat lively. By the time we made it to the Mosque (map) I had sampled local kebabs, nan-bread soup and a number of other unnamed delicacies.

The South Gate to the city (map) was only a couple of minutes walk from our hotel and is surrounded by things to see. After a unanimous decision that it was too cold to ride bicycles without gloves, we took a walk East along the city wall. The wall was covered in displays celebrating the new year and the Beijing 2008 Olympics. The Olympic logo and 5 rings make an appearance wherever possible and, in stark contrast to London, there is a strong sense of support and enthusiasm for the games even here in Xi’an. As you go East along the city wall, you arrive at the Forrest of Steles Museum (Bēilín, 碑林). Described in the Lonely Planet guide as “the heaviest collection of books in the world,” the museum consists of 2300 engraved stone tablets. Unable to read any of the tablets or understand how a poem could consist of only 4 characters, I was confined to admiring the visual rather than poetic beauty of the calligraphy.

Our walk back to the hotel took us along the Calligraphy Street (shū yuàn mén, 书院门) (map). Shu Yuan Men is wonderful example of how small areas can benefit from regeneration projects without loosing all their original charm. Difficult to describe in words, the buildings appear to have been renovated without driving away the locals. The shops are traditional, you won’t find a Starbucks or Maison Mode here, and there are just enough street sellers to retain the character of the place but not so many that you feel pestered. Hopefully Alicia will write more on this as this is her area of expertise. If she does I’ll be sure to link to it.

Our tour of Xi’an also included a visit to the Small Wild Goose Pagoda (Xiǎoyàn Tǎ, 小雁塔), situated in the grounds of the Jianfu Temple (map). Originally built during the Tang Dynasty, the pagoda stood 45m tall until the top fell off during an earthquake, reducing the height to 43m. The same earthquake introduced a crack from top to bottom, but this has since been repaired - I did have a look for cracks before climbing the stairs. As you climb to the top, the steps become increasingly narrow before finally opening out onto the new flat roof from where you can look over the city. The relentless sound of bangers and firecrackers echoing off the surrounding buildings brought to mind the image of a reporter on top of a hotel delivering a live piece to camera from the heart of a war torn city. The microphone on my camera wasn’t good enough to capture the sound with any sense of realism so you’ll have to take my word for it.

With just over 2.5m people living in the city proper, Xi’an is a large city and it’s unique history means it remains a popular tourist destination. Indeed, when Bill Clinton visited China in 1998 Xi’an was his first stop, something the locals won’t fail to mention. Let’s hope that, in China’s rush to modernise, cities like Xi’an are able to retain all of the history and character that make them so attractive today.

Chengdu (Chéngdū, 成都)

Chengdu is located right in the heart of Sichuan Province (Sìchuān, 四川) in central China and with a population of over 10.5m it is China’s fifth largest city. It rained throughout our stay and the recent freak weather in China meant that we decided to abandon a number of our planned trips to popular tourist sites around Chengdu. We went to the train station (map) to book our onward tickets to Chongqing but were somewhat surprised to find the longest queue for a train that I have ever seen. Much of the media focus had been on the crowds gathered in Guangzhou (guǎngzhōu, 广州) and so we hadn’t anticipated finding crowds in Chengdu. Luckily we could take a bus and the route to Chongqing wasn’t affected by the weather.

Chengdu itself is surprisingly modern. There are new department stores everywhere and no shortage of expensive Western hotels. However it is still possible to find some interesting sights within the city itself. You can’t visit Chengdu without noticing the food; hot and unbelievably spicy but, at the same time, delicious. A hotpot in Sichuan is something that everyone has to try at least once.

We borrowed four umbrellas from the hotel (map) and took a taxi to Du Fu’s (Dù Fǔ, 杜甫) Cottage (map). Du Fu is an ancient poet and apparently famous in literary circles worldwide. In the grounds of the cottage a small museum houses a number of his works, translated and annotated in many languages from English to Polish. I felt it was a shame that the works themselves were only on display in Chinese. Given that books of his poetry were available in English, it would have been nice to to see some translations. Du Fu himself was not rich and his cottage as it stands today is a far cry from the original thatched cottage that features in the museum. The grounds around the cottage are extensive and even in the rain are a good place to relax and wander around. This got me wondering: I’m not sure if anyone has been successfully created a small “Chinese Garden”, but I’m inclined to believe that it isn’t possible. It would be quite nice to have a similar garden here in London.

Warming ourselves up (and destroying our taste-buds) with a hotpot we took a taxi over to Jin Li Street (map) to experience the new year’s market. The market itself was lively, colourful and full of wonderful smells and it wasn’t long before we were taking it in turns to sample some more local delicacies - one of us ate while the other held the umbrella. The market street is connected with the grounds of the Temple of WuHou (map). The temple grounds house an impressive collection of Bonsai trees as well as a number of miniature mountains. The temple courtyard was set up for a number of performances but many of these had been abandoned due to the rain. What struck me here (and also in Xi’an) was how people come to the local square to just be with friends and family during the start of the new year. It was cold and wet and yet people were still out enjoying themselves. People weren’t actually “doing” anything: They were content just to sit or wander around talking, posing for photos or eating snacks from one of the many of the street stalls. I can’t think of any event like this in the UK. With the current proposals for a new bank holiday, I really feel we should be looking for a way to get people out of their houses/pubs and onto the streets to just enjoy being together. This is one side of China that I really like.

At night we took a taxi to Wen Zhu Yuan (map). Lit up with lanterns for the new year, the place had a certain buzz to it, even though we arrived as most of the shops were closing. We wandered around the streets and it wasn’t long before we were enticed into a small restaurant for dinner. Here they made a sticky, sweet snack out of rice. Making the snack involved throwing the balls into a cart full of the topping. The act of throwing them in was timed to make the sound of gunfire. I’m not sure of the origins behind this or if the sound of gunfire has any significance, but the snacks were tasty enough (video).

On our first night in Chengdu a little boy walking next to us on the street look up at me, pointed, and said, “蜘蛛侠 (zhī zhū xiá)”. I had no idea what he was on about, but Alicia burst out laughing. She has since modified this and started calling me “蜘蛛猪 (zhī zhū zhū)” after the Simpsons Movie.

Chongqing (Chóngqìng, 重庆)

We arrived in Chongqing on the Bus from Chengdu. The bus station was crowded so the bus dropped us somewhere quite random and in the mad rush for taxis, one driver decided to get rid of his current passenger in favour of taking the four of us to our hotel. Our hotel (map) was located right in the heart of Chongqing, just round the corner from the Liberty Memorial (map). When I saw the rates in the hotel lobby I was shocked but I had failed to appreciate just how much of a discount you can get by booking in advance. The first thing you notice about Chongqing is the mountainous nature of the terrain. On one side of the road you can be looking down on the roof of a tower block, on the other you can be at the foot of a 40 story building. The second thing you notice is the people, 31,442,300 of them according to Wikipedia. I’m not sure if there were more or less people during the new year period, but it was crowded - especially around the shopping streets. The population is noticeably young and spending money seems to be a priority.

Despite the mountainous terrain Chongqing is expanding rapidly with new tower blocks appearing everywhere, especially on the outskirts of the city. Many of these tower blocks are sold out but markedly empty - apartments bought as an investment by Chinese who already have a primary home. The new blocks are surrounded by three lane carriageways, empty shells for future shops and I got the strong sense of anticipation - anticipation that a lively community would begin to thrive out of nothing. I couldn’t help wondering who exactly was going to live in these apartments. If these are all second or third homes bought as an investment, it is unlikely that people are going to move in, leaving these new areas rather dull and empty. I’m no economist, but there is something not quite right about the way expansion is happening in cities like Chongqing - something seems to be missing. Afterall, the value of a property depends, to a large extent, on the quality surrounding area.

The urban planning museum (map) is a dazzling array of touchscreens and interactive video presentations. Its centerpiece is a large 3D model of the city (no photography allowed). Impressively laid out the museum has embraced the latest technology to try and convey both the history and the future of Chongqing and the surrounding villages. However, in its bid to embrace the latest technology, the museum has failed to maximise on the content. Missing (although I’m happy to accept that I may just not have found them) were exhibits and discussions on the challenges of expansion, clean water, sewage (energy was covered by the Three Gorges Dam) and also the social impact of expansion. The city government has a number of rules for expansion and it would have been nice to see why or how these rules were chosen, not just how they are being implemented. Criticisms aside, the museum is well worth a visit if not only for the chance to see the true scale of Chonqing.

Ciqikou (Cíqìkǒu, 磁器口) is a small town (map) in the Shapingba district of Chongqing. Famous for it’s pottery, it also boasts a thriving market. And during, the new year season, the market was packed with domestic tourists. Police were on hand to enforce one way travel through the market, but this really wasn’t necessary as only a small child could have moved against the flow of people. Following the crowds was great fun and it isn’t too difficult to slip out and take a break in one of the many small shops lining the street. But, all of a sudden the people just dissappear. There are no crowds and only a handful of people around you. All quite bizzare really; but it gives you a chance to explore some of the alleyways of Ciqikou. Lined with traditional houses that are still in use today you can see families cooking, men engaged in DIY and the odd grandparent sat outside waving to passing tourists. Down one of these side streets is a pottery museum in recognition of Ciqikou’s history of pottery production. The museum is also home to another hidden gem, a talking parrot. Not just any talking parrot, this bird can speak in two (and possibly three) languages: “ni hao ni hao” (video), “gong xi fa cai” (video). I could have spent hours with the parrot alone.

Beijing (Běijīng, 北京)

I saw a large part of Beijing on my first trip to China back in December 2006 but, as ever, there is always more to see. Whilst in Beijing we stayed to South of the city between the 5th and 6th ring roads and so most of our sightseeing was during the day. Beijing is Alicia’s home town and so we took the few days we had in Beijing to visit as many of the family as possible. Her grandmother never ceases to impress me with her (British) English, “Welcome” and “Happy New Year”. I only hope my responses in Chinese were as clear. I find it hard to imagine how the older generation copes with the pace of change in China. It was only a year since I was last in Beijing and already some roads have changed and new buildings appeared. Consider what must have changed over a lifetime and the mind boggles. I find that here in London (at least the part I live), things change so slowly that you’d notice if a tree disappeared or someone changed the colour of their front door. In China, it’s a different story.

We were passing the old Beijing Observatory (map) and decided to take a quick look. Aside from some nice views over the city, the museum has a number of old astrological instruments on display. The museum (some English) covers early Chinese astronomy and how it was influenced by techniques and tools from the West. In the park behind the observatory, workmen were setting up windmills for the New Year celebrations. Windmills came in all shapes and colours and were packed into every available space. Some of them were designed to make a clack clack sound as they spun (video). For Alicia this brought back memories of running around on New Year’s Day with a windmill in her hand, for me it was just an impressive display of colour and sound.

The Marco Polo Bridge (Lúgōu Qiáo, 卢沟桥) is located to the South West of Beijing (map). The pillars of the bridge are topped with around 500 (the exact number varies depending on who you ask) stone lions, each one different. The Yongding river wich used to flow underneath the bridge has been diverted into Beijing and so this section has long since dried up. The boats, once used to ferry people back and forth, are still visible stuck in the sand. Originally built in 1189, the bridge has a more painful significance for the present Chinese generation as it was here that the resistance against the Japanese intruders began in 1937. Just next to the bridge are a number of tombstones in memory of those Chinese killed by the Japanese.

In 1985 Lord Tavistock, the 14th Duke and the owner of Woburn Abbey Park, gifted 20 Milu deer to China in an effort to reintroduce them to their original home. These deer were allowed to breed at Milu Park on the outskirts of Beijing (map) and the park is now home to several hundred Milu. From what I gather, it wasn’t so long ago that you were allowed to wander up to the deer and feed them, but now (the death of a park ranger features somewhere in the reason) the deer are kept at some distance. We arrived at the park just before closing time but still managed to catch a brief glimpse of the deer but what really stood out is the lack of water. Several small water features have long since dried up and the grass is so dry that the deer are fed fresh grass from food troughs. This may be different in the summer when the lakes and waterfalls aren’t frozen solid.

The Beijing 2008 Olympics aren’t far away now and it would have been criminal for me not to pay a pre-games visit to the stadium (map). Both the stadium and the neighbouring aquatic centre appear to be finished. There are apparently a few internal things that need to be completed, but other than that the venues appear to be good to go. There is still significant work needed on the surrounding area to improve access and make the venue look polished and complete. If this was England I’d say there was too much to do before August, but, this is China and I’m sure things will be up and running before the games in August. Everywhere you go (even outside Beijing) there are messages of support and encouragement for the games. There is little or no public negativity like you find here in London. That isn’t to say that people don’t talk about problems with the games, far from it. They just talk about them in a positive way. Here’s to hoping I can be there in Beijing during the games to see how it all comes together.

Chinese (Zhōngwén, 中文)

So how did I get on with the Chinese language during my trip. To a large extent I was shielded from the challenges of booking bus/train tickets, negotiating at markets or even ordering food from a non-English menu. Travelling with three native Mandarin speakers meant that it would have been insane to spend half an hour watching me try to buy a bus ticket when they were able to pick them up instantly (Chengdu was an exception). But, I wasn’t without opportunities to improve my Chinese. I found that I was regularly able to follow the topic of conversations (but not understand what was being said). I even managed to get myself hooked on Chuang Guan Dong, a Chinese TV drama. You can get a long way combining a limited vocabulary with body language and there were a number of times when Alicia would turn to me and translate something only for me to finish off the translation for her.

A: “I was just telling mum that… ”
B: “Bill really likes meatballs.”

I can now count from one to ten in Chinese but I find recognising numbers in conversation an impossibility. We spent a good deal of time sat in airports and while Alicia chose to wander round the shops I sat at the gate listening for announcements. I’d then try and guess (translate) the flight numbers before the announcement was made in English. I’ve mastered flight numbers, but still can’t note down phone numbers from radio adverts. They are just too quick for me.

I find it hard to identify exactly what Chinese I learned during our trip, but those around me seemed to notice a slight improvement. I’m hoping that now that I’m back in the UK I’ll be able to find some Chinese radio/TV to listen to. Even if you can’t understand the language, it can be fun to try and identify the words you do know. During our stay in Chongqing (the only hotel with BBC), Alicia came out of the bathroom to find me watching the news in Chinese. She must have thought I was mad as she asked, “Why are you watching Chinese TV?” I could only offer one reply, “Because it’s better than the English version.” One day, I’ll understand what they are talking about.

Other Resources

• View the photos on Flickr
• Download the place marks for Google Earth
• View the place marks on Google Maps
• Watch the videos on YouTube

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