Melissa
Gutierrez - Journey to China 1988
In the summer of 1988, I traveled to the People’s Republic of China with a program called “People to People International – High School Student Ambassadors”. The trip lasted 3 weeks with the majority of our time spent in numerous cities throughout China. People to People International was founded in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to promote mutual understanding and respect through direct people-to-people contact between individuals around the world.
Although this trip was several years ago, and experienced through the eyes of a teenager, there are still some clear impressions that I gained during our travels. The itinerary was planned out with specifics for each day so that we could experience a full range of Chinese culture, food and history. There were several opportunities to appreciate musical performances by both young children and professional musicians & actors. In Shanghai, we were entertained by a class of kindergarteners who danced and sang for us. The children were adorable and performed beautifully. We also visited a music class where children played piano as well as 2 traditional Chinese string instruments that had a distinct Asian sound to them. Both were string instruments that were played by plucking the metal strings. One was a pipa a 4 string pear shaped lute played upright and the other was a guzheng (pronounced goo zheng), which is part of the zither family that dates back to 206 BC. Chinese Opera performances were much different than that of a European opera. The story in a Chinese opera is based on fairy tales of previous dynasties or important historical events and the actors incorporate song, dance, dialogue and mime, choreographed action and acrobatics. The ornately decorated costumes are enhanced by masks or expressive makeup that allow you to follow the plot without understanding the language. It was a beautiful and unique experience that I fully enjoyed.
A young Chinese woman accompanied us throughout China and acted as our interpreter. Although communication was hindered by the language barrier, since most Chinese did not speak much more English than a few simple phrases, wherever we were the Chinese were friendly, and very curious to learn about us. More than once our group was surrounded by a gathering of more than 50 people to simply watch what the Americans were doing. This happened at the beach, where blond hair was somewhat of a curiosity and our western swimsuits were apparently different than what you might find in a local store. One of the most memorable moments for me was a carefree day in Beijing when we played Frisbee with some Chinese in Tiananmen Square. Despite our language barrier, we were able to enjoy some time playing a simple game with people from completely different backgrounds on the other side of the world.
In one city, we were introduced to
Mr. Tau and his family who lived in a 2-room apartment with his wife, son,
daughter-in-law and grandson. Mr. Tau was a retired textile factory
worker. He received a pension of over 100 Yuan a month. At that time,
1988, that was the equivalent to roughly $27 US dollars. Each month he
would pay about a quarter of his pension for rent & utilities. Family is
very important in Chinese culture and it is common for several generations
to live together in one household. Traditionally, after marriage the new
bride leaves her family to become a part of her husband’s family. This is
true in both urban and rural areas. Families in Shijiajiang a rural farming
village in Shandong Province opened their homes to us for an overnight
stay. This family was 3 generations in a home not much larger than that of
Mr. Tau in the city. This is where the food was the best! When we arrived
the mother was making dumplings for us. These were pork (I think) wrapped
in dough and boiled or steamed and were delicious! I remember there was so
much good food to eat. After dining at restaurants for a couple of weeks
eating rice and steamed rolls with an occasional taste of something
different, fish, duck, cicada bugs…(and a couple of trips to KFC or
McDonalds in Beijing & Hong Kong) it’s true all over the world that a good
home cooked meal makes all the difference.
The sights that we were able to see
were simply amazing. We walked on the Great Wall of China on a section NW
of Beijing. Sections of the wall were built possibly as early as 7th
century BC by different states to prevent military attacks from bordering
tribes and one another. The sections were joined together by the emperor
around 230 BC and went through several periods of maintenance & rebuilding.
Total length of the wall is over 4,000 miles and crosses the country from
the west to the east. The section that we visited at Badaling near Beijing
is one of the most visited and well-preserved sections. To think of the
massive work involved over 2,000 years ago without the help of modern day
equipment is incredible! The view of the green mountainous countryside was
amazing and visitors young and old came in a constant flow to experience it.
In southern China, we took a boat ride down the Li River in Guilin where the view was spectacular. The area is known for its caves and uniquely shaped hills covered with vegetation. One looked like a camel another was called Elephant Trunk Hill. There were fishermen out on long boats narrow enough for only one person to stand on and others wading through the water, intermingled with a couple of water buffalo, gathering mounds of seaweed.
Other Highlights include a visit to Hohhot, in the Province of Inner Mongolia where we slept in yurts - round houses that accommodated 5-6 people with a structure that can be taken down and moved to follow the nomadic life of herds people and had rides on camels. In Xian, the Museum of Qin terra cotta warriors and horses was another unbelievable site. An archeological discovery, said to be the most significant excavation of the 20th century, is the tomb of the first emperor of all of China. The area is more than 4 acres of ‘life size terracotta figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formations... They are replicas of what the imperial guard’ should have looked like in the day of the Qin Dynasty (211 - 206 BC). Throughout China we toured numerous temples and pagodas, factories where cloisonné was applied to pottery and jewelry, pottery was made, other souvenirs such as knives and small statues and even a brewery to round out the experience. China is a country rich in culture and tradition with an amazing history and diverse landscape to appreciate.
Melissa Gutierrez
Cartographer
USDA-NRCS
Michigan State Office
