Part 8 Heading for Shenzhen

Thursday, September 27th.

In Part 7, I wrote about travelling on the high-speed Mag-Lev train. In previous discussions, I had queried why other Chinese residents had not taken this new train but had elected to go to the airport by taxi. In discussions in the Hotel, the reasons became obvious: It is a logistical problem when a passenger has lots of heavy baggage. With the baggage loaded at the Hotel in Puxi, there is no other handling until the departures floor is reached at the Pudong airport; whereas the other route involves walking to the subway, struggling down several crowded stairways, and extremely long corridors; transferring to the subway train itself and standing with the luggage, for the whole ride to Renmin Square. Then changing subway lines; repeating this process to get to the second train to Pudong. Then there is the major transfer from the subway to the Maglev station high in the air overhead, and boarding the train. Finally, the arrival at the airport requires another long walk and moving sidewalks and elevators to get to the departure lounge. Neither route is speedy.

I checked out of the Hotel and caught a taxi at 7:50 am. It was a good taxi with a helpful driver and a very interesting drive to the airport because the final 30 km was on a road parallel to the elevated mag-lev train track. The traffic was very heavy and slow; so it took us until gone 9 am to reach there. It must have been at least 60 or 70 km via the circle highway and the largest of the suspension Bridges. The fare was just Y147 or $Cd19. I was fairly exhausted, so I went back to the same restaurant for a pot of jasmine tea (Mo li hua cha) and a Haagen-Dazs ice cream. After a long rest I went through the process of checking in and clearing security and finally ended up at Gate 9. I should point out that nearly all of China’s air transportation and some rail now use E-ticketing. This is such a vast improvement for tourists who have so much paperwork to tend with. The passport is all you need; the rest is already loaded in the airline computer system.

The plane was 35 minutes late boarding but all major airports have lots of fascinating things to explore. The flight was good and the view relatively clear. We were heading south to SW (Nan/Dong-Nan) approximately all the way to Shenzhen. The passenger next to me was very fluent in English and talked most of the way. You might have guessed that he had a Maple leaf card and although he was actively working in China he made frequent timely returns to Toronto and Vancouver plus the States. He knew Mississauga very well. I seem to recall that the flight was just over 2 hours. One unusual event on the longer flights is that they put on a video with music and we perform a series of active exercises to prevent the deadly disease of blood clotting. On this flight, one attendant was an avid performer and was calling out the motions and chastised those who were not getting involved, but in fun. We did a lot of arm and leg raising and upper torso swaying; clapping and stretching. When everyone takes part and looks stupid it can be quite fun. We crossed lots of mountain ranges and saw many small towns. China is about 70 % mountainous: This might surprise a few. As we approached to land at Shenzhen, we crossed a vast network or matrix of fish farm ponds before landing in the west end of the city. It was surely great to be back! It is a wonderfully different and restful city even though there is no opportunity to rest if you are smart, energetic and ready to walk and climb because this is a unique city; quite different from anywhere else. But more than that, as I was soon to discover, the city is growing enormously outwards and upwards noticeably every time I go there. Again, I say it was great to be back. My friend, Joe, (Karen’s Husband) was there to meet me and we took a cab to his home. Then we did an intense tour of his fenced condominium community. I hope I can describe it for you later, but I have not seen anything like it in Canada: Perhaps only in Las Vegas.

I think it is important to understand the geography of this area in order to get the most pleasure, excitement, and sense of culture from any visit. Then it makes more sense politically as well. The following is my personal understanding of this area based on numerous visits to that entire coast as well as to the Island of Hainan; (and often alone). (There is no guarantee that I am correct.)

Try to imagine the area as I describe it. We are located in the south of Guangdong Province on the edge of the South China Sea. The Capital city is Guangzhou: It was formerly known as Canton. Hence the language spoken in this area is called Cantonese. There is no difference in the way that Cantonese and Mandarin are written; however, the pronunciation is completely different. In addition to these language forms, there are many dialects and accents that keep these people separated. But overall, Mandarin is the official language which all school children throughout China are taught.

In this area there are two pairs of neighboring cities: Separating them is the mighty Pearl River, known as the Zhu Jiang, and its delta flowing southwards into a huge wide estuary. On the east shore is Shenzhen to the north, and Hong Kong below it; on the west shore is Zhu hai to the north, and Macau below it. (Macau and Hong Kong are about 60 miles apart across the river estuary, and are connected by a ferry service of passenger jet boats in exactly one hour.) The border of China separates the two cities of each pair. Shenzhen and Zhu hai, located in mainland China, were designated as SEZ or special economic zones about 27 years ago; the traffic drives on the right side of the road: Hong Kong and Macau became designated as SAR or special administration regions within the last decade. Hong Kong was under British rule for about 150 years; Macau was a Portuguese Colony for 400 years. In both cities, the traffic drives on the left.

This transition and creation of Shenzhen and Zhu hai all happened starting in about 1978 and terminated the devastating Cultural Revolution of Mao Ze dong; and led by the gang of four. (At the same time, two other cities to the east of Hong Kong were made SEZs. Shan tou (GD) and Xiamen (FJ) are located on the Formosa Strait directly opposite Taiwan.)

To me, this entire area is the true centre of China’s wealth and dynamic economy. It was really the brain-child of China’s Deng Xiao Ping. It is said that Deng never held office as the head of state, nor head of government: however, he served as the de facto leader of the PRC from 1978 to the early 1990s. He opened up China to the global market with his open door policies and unique insight. (There are numerous websites which tell this phase of their history; one of which is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deng_Xiaoping )

2007 was my third visit to Shenzhen, I believe. When we passed through by train in 1988, the border crossing to Hong Kong took place in Luo Hu junction. On January 25, 1984, Shenzhen was only a dream: It did not exist. On that day, Deng visited Yumin Village in Luo Hu for an inspection. I assume it was then that he validated his dream that changed China for ever. To quote an original resident of that village; ‘Before 1980, a family could save perhaps Y2000 per year (US$241) by growing crops and fishing: From 1989 to 1993, the gross domestic policy increased 5% per annum: In 1992, the GDP reached 12.8%. Between 1980 and 2003, Shenzhen became the 4th largest in GDP next only to Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong. Is it any wonder that he is called the Chief architect of China’s reform and opening up program; the economic revolution; and the Father of Shenzhen?

Allow me to quote briefly Deng’s early history, because I think it was the basis for his motivation to resist the former staid policies at great risk, and harm to his family, and to initiate this counter-vision. He was born on August 22, 1904 in the village of Paifang in the western Province of Sichuan. In school he was known as Deng Xi xian. At the age of 15, along with several other rather famous future leaders, including Zhou en Lai and Ho Chi Min, he was educated in France where he discovered Marxism and Leninism. At the same time, he worked at the Le Creusot Iron and Steel Plant, and later in the Renault Car factory in Paris. Much later, he held various high positions in the Party, and took part in the famous Long March to Ningxia Province.

In 1992, Deng made his second and last visit to the new city of Shenzhen. He is still very popular there even today, and they go especially to visit his huge ‘walking’ statue on top of the mountain in the centre of town called Lotus Hill on National Day. From that peak, you can see the huge City Hall with its sine shaped roof, like the parabolic wing of a giant bird; and the Civic Square with its library, Symphony Theatre and biggest book and DVD mall.

In those early days, I recall that the favorite slogan quoted everywhere was; ‘Breaking the rice bowl mentality! At first I did not appreciate its real meaning. Rice was the stable diet all over China; however, I was led to understand that it really meant to break the habit of dependency on the Government for every aspect of their lives. Nowadays, I rarely hear the phrase ‘Communism’: More frequently, Chairman Hu Qin tao uses the phrase Social democracy. I sense that the Chinese now realize that the rice bowl that ensured their needs were met, was also like a pair of handcuffs that prevented their development. Today, for sure in the big cities, social conscience has become the byword for thousands of volunteers in service in every age group.

Joe and Karen own a condominium in this delightful tropical paradise. Yes, we have arrived in this complete community in a Garden of Eden of Palm trees, fountains, streams, and flowers galore located below the Tropic of Cancer. It is complete because it has every need to survive in luxury: There is a private restaurant, food store, Day Care, Kindergarten, sports of virtually every outdoor and indoor variety, and the hugest arc shaped swimming pool that makes an Olympic pool look very small. I have noticed in several places in China that the pools are tiled in very rich shades of dark blue going from light to dark thereby indicating varying depths. On the long curved side of the pool, the water overflows to form a long waterfall and to ensure that the surface remains fresh. This community has, I think, nine high rises of approximately 29 floors spaced in two arcs ( o ) with the business complex, restaurant, store, foot and body massage centre, in a central building. This also contains temporary apartments for visiting guests of residents. That is where I stayed.

Not too far away we were able to visit yet another luxury estate with the Italian name; Porto Fina. We toured this site in the evening when it was quite crowded with activity. There is far too much there to describe, but at night it becomes quite an attractive entertainment centre with very unique stores and restaurants. The centerpiece of the community is a beautiful brightly floodlit Italian Clock Tower overlooking a calm lake.

It is fairly conclusive that Shenzhen is a dynamic centre for light manufacture. How else would the economy be so vibrant? Well, there are several ways: First, it is a year round tourism area with very unique attractions. I can mention; Window of the world; Splendid China; the new Botanical gardens; and the China Folk Cultural Villages. These are all huge. There are numerous multistory shopping malls with several 21st century attractions and breathtaking architecture. One of my favorites contains a high quality ice rink that has attracted many Russian coaches for figure skating. During the sessions it is hard to find a spot for viewing. And there are many public parks, beautifully landscaped, with great views. In spite of the relative ease with which residents can travel to Hong Kong or even Macau, there is still that thrill of being able to stand on the ‘shore line’ and see the ‘mountains’ of the New territories across the water: One such park is Mangrove Park with its landscaped gardens; palm trees standing in rows with Military precision, and the waters edge with the mango trees planted in the shallows. On the first Morning, Friday, Sept 27th, Karen and I visited the park. And yes! It is great to walk along the bay shore. On this day the sky was blue and the sun beat down. At one point we rested under the trees and cooled our tongues at least, with Ice cream. From here we were able to see the newly completed road bridge to Hong Kong but I still have to witness the way in which vehicles switch from driving on the right to driving on the left. (Then again, here in Canada too, inebriated drivers are known to do this.)

For some reason that I cannot recall, I plan to change the daily diary format for the moment, and describe each tourist attraction. I think I have visited this city three times, perhaps even four since 2001; and maybe twice before that when the city was in its infancy. I am beginning to forget what I have seen: Everything is so different since I came here two years ago.

You might comment that the city is still very young: And that is true! But like teenagers, it is still growing larger with great speed and financial investment in infrastructure. China has not limited its vision in 2008 merely to the Olympics and its four designated sites: It is taking every opportunity to capture the imagination of spectators and others by attracting them to make tours as well. And they will surely succeed. Everywhere they have built new airports, and rail terminals; city after city now has a subway. Older cities are revitalizing historical sites with hotels, transportation, and restaurants. In Shenzhen for example, one must see the new Intercontinental Hotel. Its theme is Spanish with costumed staff filling the foyer that is probably as long as a football field, with a subway station concealed at its door. But why look down in this tropical garden; balanced on the roof they have constructed a large full size galleon with full sails: It will soon be a restaurant. And this hotel is located right in the centre of the four unique attractions mentioned above and next door to a brand new modern Art Gallery (Oh! and a McDonald’s. I almost forgot!)

Botanical Gardens: I went there alone after lunch. This is definitely new and huge. It was so very hot and humid that I had the place almost to myself. The sun was scorching down and my shirt was soaked. The layout is rather like a series of concrete terraces interconnected by steps and the occasional bridge. Everywhere there are masses of bright coloured flowers even along the hand rails. Now and then there was a pond with fountains and other forms of moving water. And although this was a very quiet day for visitors, there were many creative designs and surprises to keep me guessing. At one point there was a small refreshment store: I met the shop keeper and bought a bottle of cold water so that I could hold it on my neck and forehead. And we talked a little. Apparently the temp was about 35C and high humidity. Higher up, there were some nine retirees making the climb. One of them spoke English, so again, we could talk.

It is an exhausting climb interrupted by gardens and squares with different purposes and patterns; and with patience I eventually reached the last climb of about 300 stairs to the base entrance to a nine floor pagoda. Again there was another climb waiting: There were either 28 or 29 stairs to reach each floor. I can assure you I sat and rested several times. (Salty sweat in the eyes is quite painful.) There were other young couples now and then who made it to the top by overtaking me on the spiral staircase. They came from various parts of the world including Australia, South Africa, Europe, and other parts of China, such as Wuhan. I was surprised to discover that the summit was perhaps the highest point in Shenzhen. But the view from each of the four exits to balconies was worth seeing at each and every level. At about 5 pm after 3 hours, I taxied home; had a 30 minute swim, and a Congee supper: Then I had my best ever massage to get the cramp out of my legs (Y80); and then slept like a log.

Saturday Sept 29th. Today was a fabulous day of visiting with Joe. He was going to show me the city centre area with all its changes that have been made since I last visited there two years ago. (Poor Karen, his wife, was suffering due to this extended heat wave that necessitated visits to the hospital.) First of all he showed me around in the new Intercontinental Hotel. It is a palace of a place; huge in size, and dripping in ostentation; (at Y1, 500 per night). Then we went to explore the new Civic Centre and Square that I described above with more of its overpowering architecture. The centre of the building is open to the hill to the North, bearing the statue. There are two parallel buildings pointing towards Deng: each composed of glass curtain wall structures. (One of the building roofs contains a pond and fountain; these empty over the edge of the wall as a waterfall, thereby providing cooling inside the building.) On the west (left) side is the amazing library and combined Symphony Hall and Theatre. The east side building is a shopping mall comprising the largest book, DVD, and music store I have ever seen. Then there is a Starbucks and KFC outlet. From there we went to Coco Park to yet another shopping mall, and had lunch in the futuristic Dim Sum restaurant that seemed to spread for ever. Then, back home by bus. (In Shenzhen, all Buses and Subways are free for seniors of any nationality. Just show your passport. But that too must be an expensive feature for the city because each subway station has special hand operated gates near each exit, manned by a security agent. This man checks your date of birth. Amusingly, quite often the agent is too busy to worry about checking, so he smiles and lets you through. At one station I was amused when the agent looked at my passport and was smiling. He said to me: Ken bu dong la! This is a common expression which means: I can see it, but I don’t know what it means. It is a Canadian Passport written in English and he did not know English.)

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?Uc=150c1up1.5166hgvx&Uy=-iqcc7&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&mode=fromshare&conn_speed=1

From here I headed out alone to visit Window of the World. This is certainly one of my favorite sites in China. This park was established by the Chinese Tourism Bureau several years ago and I never miss an opportunity to return there.

Window of the World: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=141622

The centre piece of this park is a replica of the Tour Eiffel in Paris some 300 metres high (or 1/3 scale) and visible for miles. It contains models of perhaps 88 of the famous buildings and structures from around the world. But when I say models, it will misguide. I hope you can refer to the website above to see, for example, that the Taj Mahal model is maybe three or four times higher than the visitors. Here you can see, every place that you might have visited: London’s Houses of parliament, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham palace. (They even have one of the chalk horses cut into a grassy knoll from Cambridge.) There is the Kremlin and St Basil’s in Moscow; the Arc de Triumph; St Peter’s in Roma; the Sydney Opera house and Bridge; the Pyramids and Sphinx; Manhattan Island with the UN Building, (and Twin Towers), Christ the Redeemer in Rio; and even Mount Rushmore with the Presidents’ carved faces. I could go on and on with Angkor Watt and Borobudour; Mount Fuji, Niagara Falls, Mesa Verdi, and Peru’s Nasca Lines. Nothing is too big to replicate there. You have to see it to believe it.

This time, I concentrated on the Japanese exhibit with a traditional palace, immaculate garden with bridges, and the reflecting pond. There was one spot in the pond where a small crowd was feeding huge goldfish. The shoal was unnaturally dense that the fish were piled so high squirming for food that the top layer were above the surface. Under Mount Fuji there is a theatre with a 3D IMAX movie (by Fiji Film of course). It was not unlike the one that I described in Beijing’s Film Museum. It comprised natural deep water scenery, coral reef, and fish life; this was intermingled with realistic cartoons of giant predators, octopus, and other scary creatures that came to attack us. The audience was seated in an underwater submergible simulator as we sank deeper and deeper. Therefore when we hit the rocks or the ocean bed, our seats were jolted or shaken realistically. As a creature attacked we were sprayed with water mist and compressed air from the back of the seat in front of us. It was great fun.

But then in the evening, there is a one hour stage show. When I first saw it, there were five acts, called Genesis, depicting the Creation stories of five of the world’s first Civilizations. There are over 800 in the cast, but the final act includes a chariot race of the Romans around the audience. And as Barnum would say: You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!


Karen arrived at suppertime. She had not seen the show before. We had a quick KFC snack so that we could ride to the top of the Tower to gain an overview of the entire park. From there we could even see the Porto Fina compound and the high rise group in Karen’s compound. Upon descending, there was a small musical show taking place under the arch of the tower. So we went to the Statue park to see a few of the vast collection from around the world. One interesting addition is a large indoor ice rink for public skating. However, instead of bleachers for spectators, the surrounding walls are designed and decorated like an Alpine village and resort with chalets.

Then we went to see the Genesis show. At its conclusion, the audience scampers off quickly in the dark to the Hawaiian Mountain to see the Tropical Rain Storm and the Volcanic Eruption. The rain even comes through the trees under which the spectators are standing.

We hurried through the park past the Pyramids and Niagara Falls (including the Falls mist,) to the Island of Hawaii and its volcanic peak. Then the torrential rain pelted down drowning several of the crowd who were standing too close. The water gushed down the mountainside dangerously washing a jeep into the raging torrent. As the rain diminished, there was the thunderous noise from the peak: Flames leaped high in the air spewing ash and smoke from the top as molten larva flowed down towards the crowd. This is an incredible simulation of the real thing. Then we went home thoroughly impressed with what we had seen.

Sunday, September 30th. The holidays have already started all over China to celebrate Oct 1st, National Day. Over the past decade, this holiday has been extended to about five days for everyone. It is another time when many workers return home to unite with their families. Therefore public transportation is at a premium, and fares are increased. My friend, Yu qing, had lived and worked in Shenzhen for a while before coming to Toronto: She had advised us of the large Protestant Church there located in the Mei ling District. Three services are held each Sunday; the first starting at 9 am. Karen and I took a taxi. Let me describe the layout. This large white modern building is seated on a slight rise from the main road. The entrance is on the second floor but that is not the location of the Sanctuary. The first floor houses the Children’s nursery and the administrative offices. The second floor is potentially for overflow congregation including less mobile seniors. (It was already packed to capacity when we arrived.) The service is relayed to this auditorium by TV and a huge projection screen. The third floor is the main Church Sanctuary with its substantial choir and organ. On both sides, the walls are glass floor to ceiling. In both the second and third floors the pew seating slopes quite steeply towards the elevated pulpit and choir. The fourth floor is a very large steeply sloping balcony which also extends along each side towards the front. All four floors are serviced with elevators and large stair cases. When Karen and I arrived, all floors were already filled, so we were guided to overflow areas along the sides where there were rows of stools for latecomers. We heard that there were typically 1,100 worshipers at each service. There were roughly 40 members in the Choir. The proceedings were conducted in Cantonese at 9 am. There was a guest Preacher on this particular Sunday. (Unlike Western services, the message was of typical length, lasting 55 minutes.) Afterwards I was met by a Californian-Korean who could not understand the language either and was endeavoring to obtain a translation: A kindly elderly Chinese woman gave me a brief overview in English. Outside it was very hot and humid. This was very noticeable having left the confines of air conditioned comfort. There was also the usual group of disabled beggars.

We found a store that served cold drinks; then for fun, we took a bus back to Karen’s home just so that I could see the various city districts. After lunch at Karen’s and Joe’s private compound restaurant, I went with her to the Shikoa district in order to see the Hospital. She would be there for two hours: This gave me adequate time to walk a long way towards Wall*mart. On the way I came to a B & Q store which is their equivalent to a Do-it-yourself (DIY) store or perhaps a Home Depot or equivalent. This was a real eye-opener for me. (Earlier, I had written that the purchase of a condo, did not include any furnishings or finishes. Therefore this B & Q was huge and efficiently well staffed with knowledgeable sales staff of both genders. And they were vibrant and thorough. Even the young woman at the door who gave me a sizable catalogue spoke adequate English. Perhaps I am out of touch here: But the fittings were really stylish and advanced engineering; ranging from modern stoves, refrigerators, microwaves, and kitchen cupboards to all the bathroom fittings and utilities including Saunas, showers, and whirlpools. What were even more impressive were the Japanese designed toilet facilities for the handicapped and disabled. I was really surprised but completely delighted. Are we in the west, really so far behind? Or is it just me?

From there I continued on and came to the City Garden Mall. The architecture is so imaginative and so are the store layouts. If this is an example of a developing country, then …….???
Next door across a very active pedestrian area was Wall*mart. I did not bother to go in. It looked just like the dull unimaginative stores we have here.

Then the long walk back to the Hospital: On the way, I passed by the sports centre for a local university. One impressive arrangement was similar to what I had seen before in Japan and Europe. There were four ‘half’ tennis courts which included a high wall instead of a net. The net was painted on the green wall. This allowed individuals to practice serving against the wall, and then to continue playing the rebounds. Again my clothes were soaked (from walking so far: Not playing tennis!) When Karen’s treatment was finished, we tried for 30 minutes to find a taxi. Oct 1st is a really busy time. Finally we managed to get in one as the previous occupants were getting out! You have to be quick! We headed for the Harbour and this really beautiful Square and another centre for night entertainment. At this point, we are on the River Estuary. Quite some time ago, a cruise liner was brought into a dry dock and permanently grounded dockside. This was then converted into an interesting hotel. (But the name escapes me!)

The Square is very interesting: The perimeter contains a variety of restaurants. The Square itself is all lights and fountains; and outdoor entertainment. At the moment when we were there, a young woman was playing the tunes of Richard Clayderman, the French artist, on a grand piano. The crowd was obviously enjoying it: Clayderman has spent a lot of time touring in China and is very well known. I have been here several times before, but this time there was yet another new restaurant. It was crowded. Their specialty was Hakka food and it was great. I had only learned about the Hakka people (of Ke jia) about four years ago. They arrived in China and settled along the Huang he (yellow River) about 2000 years ago, and were frequently jeopardized and attacked. They were not one of the minorities either. Two years ago, I made a point of visiting the sites of these peoples and the Tu lou (fortress houses) where they live. (But this would take another diary to describe.) They are now scattered all over Asia, even to Australia and Canada. I know of four Hakka restaurants here in Toronto.

Monday, October 1st.

This day was China’s national day; an important holiday. I was on my own so I took the subway to Luo Hu. This was familiar territory, I thought, because I had stayed there and passed through it several times before. It was always the link to Hong Kong. But now I was lost. There is the subway, the train station, a huge coach station and numerous new hotels and another ultramodern shopping plaza. Four years ago, even the subway did not exist. At one time, there was a multistory outlet comprising very small hole-in-the-wall stalls where one could buy any fashion leader and haute couture products and jewelry, but they were all counterfeit. The fun was in bargaining! One third or even ¼ was the goal. Some were hungry enough to take only 10% (so I am told!!) And that included the range of DVDs etc. Some locals even referred to it as the Counterfeit store. It still exists but it has been completely renovated with restaurants and ‘more’ genuine articles. Many of the little holes in the wall are now boarded up.

From here I took the Metro back to the Civic Centre and found my way to Lian Hua Shan (Lotus Mountain). Then I started my climb to the top following a narrow circular road. The hill was packed with people; there were flag and kite sellers everywhere. In the park at the base the kites were a sight to behold. The string reels are now a work of art and quite involved. And twin kites are also pretty to watch in the hands of a talented operator or pilot. I did not know the way of course, and the signs are of very little help to me. But these are family outings, and so I was soon in the hands of an English speaking family ranging from Grandpa to Grand child. It was 12 noon, the heat of the day. I was not the only ‘mad dog Englishman’ to be climbing: There were also crazy locals. But the heat was unbearable and the route was packed with climbers and baby carriages. And so we climbed. It took one hour to complete the semicircular route. I was drenched from drinking water and iced tea. There had to be 10,000 people enroute: Most carrying Chinese national flags. I never saw another westerner on the Mount. However, I never felt alone, nor even a stranger, in an awkward situation. It was an extremely peaceful and happy journey that I was sharing.

Almost at the summit, there is a museum where the history of Deng’s Shenzhen is portrayed in large photos, starting from the first year of transition. Yes, it really is an incredible and impressive history when we consider the size of the change in direction that had to be fought for peaceably, not only politically but culturally as well. At the top, the view is amazing and unreal. It was hard to move because of the crowds. And there in the midst of this circular platform is this huge statue of Deng Xiao Ping in a striding motion towards the City centre. From up here there is a great view of the city Hall and the Centre.

There are two other ways down: Both of them comprise hundreds of steps. At one crowded junction on the stairs there was a map of the hillside: A friendly voice from a Young University woman said; “Can I help you? Where are you heading? She was with a group and pointed the right way. When I reached the Square again, I walked to the bookstore building. The air conditioning was a great relief. The Fast-food outlets were a disaster: KFC was crowded and in 10 lanes; At Pizza-Pizza I took a number it was 28, so I went to a ‘French Delacies’ store and had a ham sandwich, Cocoa Tart, and Iced green tea. I then Metro’d to the last of the tourist group of treasures; Splendid China.

Splendid China: This wonderful place could be compared with Window of the World, except that it displays places and historical monuments from all over China. I never get tired of visiting it. But there has been one significant change: They have now combined it with another area, the China Folk Culture Village. I recall that there are 57 models of the famous sites, including the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Giant Buddha in Sichuan, Stone Forest near Kunming and even Tai Shan (the sacred Mountain). It was very crowded being a holiday and getting late, so I watched people riding the new aerial hand held cable trolley from a fake mountain right across the lake. I watched the cultural events at several Minority homes, including the Nei Mongu horse riding events.

As I was walking to another site, a security stopped us from approaching. It was a surprise: A Bride in White and her Groom were approaching: Wrong again, there was not just one pair, but several: Wrong again, there was not just several, but, in total, 500 couples. This had been arranged by a local radio or newspaper, I cannot remember. They held the ceremony together in the big stadium. Then there was a banquet and finally a big show with all their relatives and friends. We don’t see that too often in Toronto!

It was now 6:15pm and time to meet Karen. So we had supper in a Minority roadside restaurant and then headed for their Cultural show. This has to be the most spectacular and heart warming show I have ever seen. It has not changed since I last saw it. There must be over one thousand in the cast: The entire presentation is high tech with Laser images and lighting that pulls off some spectacular illusions. One of them is so amazing and startling that I refuse to describe it. Go see for yourself.

Tuesday, October 2nd. Poor Karen was still no better and so I felt that I should move on. They had both been wonderfully kind and generous hosts; and they are both proud of they new home and really great new, and yet historic city. I feel privileged to have been exposed to so much of China’s new vision, and to be treated as a true neighbour. I miss you both. (Now it is on to Macau.)