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DISCOVERING CHINA

On Oct. 8, 2008, 42 Buckeyes embarked on a tour of China and the Yangtze River. Tour host Ginny Trethewey, Alumni Association chief operating officer, is reporting on the experience for family, friends, and visitors to our site. Follow their trip here, and Talk to Us about it.

 OCT. 19, 2008:
And so we begin the process of saying goodbye to China and to each other. Most of us are flying home tomorrow (Monday), but a few of us have additional travel in Asia. In any case, we all agree that this was a grand adventure, that we brought sunshine with us at every stage of the journey, and that we have made new friendships and enriched those that already existed.

We had a day on our own and went in many directions from museums, to the Bund, to the bazaar or other shopping venues. I will be posting some Shanghai street photos when I get back that will give you a feel for city life. Our suitcases are full, and our wallets less so. We have learned or perfected bargaining skills and enjoyed the satisfaction of a good find.

Tonight we shared a farewell party with our Wisconsin friends, otherwise known as Bus 2 (we think they need a new fight song). Our AHI guides did a marvelous job leading us from place to place and to the head of many lines. And we looked out for each other and shared many laughs, sights, and adventures. This evening ended, as all Ohio State gatherings should, with Carmen Ohio and an impromptu and mercifully brief Script Ohio.

Thank you for reading our China story and sharing the highlights with us. More photos will be posted in a few days. We would love to have your feedback through the "Talk to Us" link at the left.

OCT. 18, 2008: 
We had a very full and busy day in Shanghai, beginning with an early visit to Yu Garden. Once a private home and garden dating from the Qing dynasty, the Garden is in the heart of the Old Town of Shanghai. It is now a city treasure and beautifully maintained. We walked through the old bazaar and it contains a rich mixture of the old and the new--from fried dumplings to Starbucks.

We next drove to the Bund which means "embankment on the muddy shore," but the name no longer applies as the riverbank is thoroughly developed. In fact, just across from the Bund is the island of Pudong, which was farmland less than 20 years ago but would now put Wall Street to shame.

Our next stop was the Shanghai Museum, which houses treasured collections of paintings, bronzes, pottery, furniture and native costumes. The Jade Room was remarkable, including this little figure more than 4,000 years old. All this art helped us work up an appetite, and we enjoyed a multi-course banquet at the Central Hotel. We needed our energy for the tour of the silk factory and the shopping that followed as surely as night follows day.

This evening we enjoyed the Shanghai Acrobats in a gravity defying performance. Tomorrow we are on our own in the city and will assemble for our farewell party in the evening. We are all beginning to talk of being home but have not stopped enjoying every moment of this remarkable and sunny journey.

OCT. 17, 2008:
This was our final day on the Yangtze river. We awoke on the east side of the Three Gorges Dam, still marveling at the enormity of the project we had experienced firsthand. In fact, several of us actually touched the wall of the lock as we passed through. We took a bus to the dam and viewed it from several vantage points. The international teamwork that led to this behemoth project is pretty impressive. And more major dams along the Yangtze are in the works. [Photo at left is from the British government.] 

Cruising east, we moved through the third gorge, the Xi Ling. The landscape was more inhabited than the earlier gorges, but equally beautiful. After a final lunch on board, we left the Yangtze President No.1 and her charming crew with smiles all around.

We then drove to the city of Yichung, which is a small city of "only" 1.3 million people. It is an old trading city on the Yangtze and shows the same building boom we have seen everywhere else. Again, the contrasts are staggering. We saw a sort of gated community of newly built single family homes and on the same road also a motorized cart with a load of pigs! This was followed by a brief stop and an unexpected home tour on a small farm.

We are now in Shanghai, a growing city of 19 million that is the largest "real" city in China. There are more than 5,000 new high rises with another 1,000 in the works for next year. We start Saturday with a city tour and then will be off to explore and experience whatever suits our fancy.

People are starting to miss the comforts of home, but the Shanghai Hilton is a good substitute for now.

OCT. 16, 2008:
We spent a full day on the Yangtze and traversed two of the Three Gorges. First was Qutang Gorge, then Wu Gorge with the famous Rainbow bridge. We then made an excursion by ferry up the Shengnongxi River, which is a beautiful green tributary. This river is famous for the boatmen who are Ba minority people who row and pull small boats up the river. Because the water level has risen so much, they mostly row.

The scenery in the Gorges is majestic, like the Tetons on steroids. We saw many examples of new towns and cities replacing what was lost. And we saw monkeys and heard the sounds of birds and the songs of the boatmen.

After dinner we began the trip through the five ship locks of the dam. Again, the scale is enormous and the engineering is a wonder to behold. The river is now at about 160 meters at the dam and it is supposed to rise to 175 meters very soon.

The Chinese are very proud of the dam and what it says about China's place in the modern world. There is also sensitivity about the impact of displacing 1.3 million people from rural to village or urban life. They keep saying that the quality of life has improved, but it has not been a seamless transition. The selling point has been to create a better life for your children and their children.

A final word about the weather is in order. We continue to have perfect sunshine. Our guide tells us this is the best weather in the Gorges she has seen in five years! We consider ourselves to be very good luck for China!

OCT. 15, 2008:
Life onboard Yangtze President No. 1 is comfortable. Our group continues to enjoy each other's company, and many new friendships are forming. The Yangtze is 4,000 miles long and flows west to east from mountains into broad plain ending at Shanghai. Our cruise totals 400 miles, and we have been on the very large reservoir formed by the dam. The river is now close to its ultimate elevation, and there is much construction of new cities, manufacturing, power plants, etc., all along the banks. There are also many abandoned towns and cities.

The river is just a hive of activity. John Jacober remarked that it is like watching the Industrial Revolution happen in the blink of an eye. Some of the boats and equipment are so old you cannot imagine that they still work, but they do. Another image that came to mind is the African Queen. We continue to have the best weather they have seen all year. It is not too hot and the sky is almost blue. We expect it to continue.

Wednesday's excursion was to the Ghost City of Feng'du which is a series of temples above the now abandoned "old" Feng'du. (A brand new Feng'du was built directly across, and it went from farmfields to a modern city of several million in less than 10 years.) The Ghost City begins with a climb of 200 steps, then a ride on a ski lift that looks like it was abandoned in Colorado about 50 years ago. Then more steps and the temples and courtyards begin. Many gods and stories are involved but we will save that for now. When we reach Shanghai we will send some pictures as it was a picture-taking fest. At the very top we did a quadruple O-H-I-O that we intend to submit to the university's Web site!

We had the captain's dinner last night, and we are hoping to have the alumni flag flown on the bridge today. The challenge is to convince them it is not a political statement. It is Thursday here and today we see all three gorges, tour one gorge upriver in small boats, and tonight we will be at the dam. Until then, greetings to all our readers.

OCT. 14, 2008:
We enjoyed a leisurely morning in Xi'an, including a visit to a jade factory where various baubles and carvings were inspected and purchased.

We then flew to Chongqing and promptly took an excursion to the zoo to see the pandas. They put on a very good show for us and we photographed them to an extreme. It was a special treat to see them and made everyone quite happy. It is a sunny day here and that is apparently a rare occurrence. The forecast is for sun during the three days we will be on the Yangtze.

This city is just massive and very hilly with construction everywhere, including a subway and extension of a monorail. We rode a funicular down to the dock and boarded the Yangtze President. The crew welcomed us with gongs and smiles all around. We have just cast off to begin the cruise, and I think people will settle in for a good night's sleep soon.

Today is the Kantners' wedding anniversary, but we will celebrate that at Wednesday evening's dinner. Until then, we will be exploring the wonders of the Yangtze River as we head east toward the Three Gorges Dam. It is a clear night with a full moon, which must be an auspicious beginning. 

OCT. 13, 2008:
We are enjoying the wonders of Xi'an, an ancient city where the Silk Road began and where the first emperor of China, Qinshi, established his realm more than 2,200 years ago. Qinshi is famous for unifying China, for beginning the Great Wall, and for having the largest tomb the world has ever known built as his own resting place. The world knows it as the home of the Terra Cotta Warriors. But before we get to that "8th"wonder of the world, Xi'an is the only city in China to have its city wall totally intact. It encloses the center of the city and has four main gates and nine miles of continuous walkway. A marathon is even held annually on the wall.

But we came primarily to view the Terra Cotta Warriors and find ourselves using the same superlatives of amazing, spellbinding, and breathtaking. A few of us saw the Son of Heaven Exhibition in Columbus in the late 1980s but that was just the tiniest taste of the splendor we saw today--and only 2,000 of the 8,000 excavated or located warriors are on view. They were discovered by farmers in 1976, and one of those farmers (at age 80!) signs books in the museum gift shop daily. A huge museum complex has been built over the site to protect the work and allow visitor viewing. There are more than 100 pits yet to be excavated but no plans to speed thigs up. This was actually the first tourist site where we saw considerable numbers of Europeans and other American visitors.

Later this afternoon we walked on the Xi'an city wall and strolled through artist and craftsmen neighborhoods inside the wall. Tonight we attended the Tang Dynasty dinner show, and getting there was half the fun. You have never seen such uncontrolled traffic in your life. It outdoes Cairo for the fear factor. The crush of cars, buses, scooters, bicycles, and pedestrians all darting in all directions, driving without lights, driving on sidewalks (honestly), and racing madly had us all holding our breath in awe. The best image was three men moving a sofa on a bicycle! But we arrived at the theater and had a banquet, rice wine, and much laughter. The show included music, singing, dancing, and beautiful costumes. Once again, our American ears aren't used to the tone or volume of Chinese classical music, but it was still quite an experience. About half of our group went into the wrong building and shocked the owner of a small restaurant when they suddenly appeared on his doorstep asking for the banquet! The lost were soon found and it added to a hilarious evening.

Tomorrow we fly to Chongqing, the largest city (some 32 million) you probably never heard of. Its claim to fame are the pandas who reside there. We just learned that we will get to visit the pandas before boarding the Yangtze President for our three-day cruise to see the Three Gorges and life along the Yangtze as it was and will soon be changed. It may be a few days before we can post messages. Speaking for all of us, we are having a truly grand adventure and all are healthy and happy. We hope you enjoy the photos as much as we enjoy taking them.

OCT. 12, 2008:
Sunday dawned bright and beautiful in Beijing, a perfect morning to visit a shrine in a park setting. The Temple of Heaven was visited once a year by the Emperor for fasting and prayer. It was so strict that no concubines accompanied him. The Temple is on a rise and you have a 360 panorama of Beijing from the surrounding plaza. It is no exaggeration to say that there is a highrise skyline in every direction. 

But more interesting than the monument were the people gathered in the park for games of cards, chess, and dominos; to sing karaoke; dance; fly kites; and play music. The park has acres of manicured grounds, but no one is allowed on the grass. Our guide, Dou, explained that there are simply too many Chinese to allow them on the grass as they could never keep it alive. It gives green space a whole new meaning. 

But there are many paths and a long colonnade that is filled with people enjoying the park and the company. All of them look like the face of old China. It makes the transformation of China to a modern country in just one generation all the more remarkable.

We then visited a pearl factory. I won't name names, but many of our readers should expect some nice gifts. In late afternoon we flew 700 miles to Xi'an where we will see the Terra Cotta Warriors. Some of us remember seeing the Son of Heaven exhibit in Columbus about 20 years ago.

And so we end another fascinating day. We are glad the Bucks were able to win without us.

OCT. 11, 2008:
First, let me say we are enjoying perfect weather with bright sunshine and clear visibility to the mountains. It could not have been a more beautiful day to visit the Great Wall.

We learned that there are no strangers on the Great Wall. There are so many people that you are never more than three inches from one another. But what I really mean is that the thousands upon thousands of people who are there are all happy and friendly. Americans were a minorit,y and we all became subjects for photos with Chinese and other visitors. Now we know how Archie feels!

The Wall is enormous, steep and a social experience. It is also a place where there is a camera in every hand, but almost no cellphones in sight. We will all have many photos to share. We took our group alumni photo before the climb and Tom Borror took the flag up the path for his own picture taking. Twice he was nearly stopped from using it by guards who thought he was staging a protest!

After returning to Beijing we visited a traditional neighborhood of which few are left. Mrs. Wang showed us her home and told us her family story, which included spending her teen years in the countryside during the Cultural Revolution. But she returned, had a career as an accountant, and raised a family.

Tonight we have our Ohio State reception and then a Peking duck dinner. You should be hearing the sounds of Carmen Ohio if you listen carefully. We are having a wonderful trip.

OCT. 10, 2008:  
We are just finishing our first full and very eventful day in Beijing. After a pretty good night's sleep we began with a good breakfast at the Beijing Hilton and then boarded the coach to start the day's journey. All of the Buckeyes are on one bus, with two Oregon travelers joining us. Wisconsin and Virginia share the second coach.

We drove through the city to Tiananmen Square, which is just amazingly huge and grand. Everything we are seeing appears to be in pristine shape as a result of the Olympics, and the Square is no exception. It is clean, orderly, and filled with thousands upon thousands of visitors. The Mao Mausoleum is prominent, and there were thousands of Chinese visitors in line to walk through and pay their respects. According to our Chinese guide, Do, the current view is that Mao was more right than wrong, with the Cultural Revolution being his only great error.

Across the Square is the entrance to the Forbidden City, and none of us were prepared for its size, scope or grandeur. With 800 decorated buildings and incredible vistas, it leaves you nearly speechless. We walked all the way through it, which was at least three miles by the time we exited through the north gates. We were also surprised to see that the great majority of the tourists are Chinese--a reflection of the new prosperity.

The weather was glorious, blue sky and comfortable 70. There is no smog, apparently reflecting the factory shutdowns that preceded the Games.

Following lunch, we drove to the Summer Palace, another grand place with a rich history. It was created for the Dowager Empress and there is much to see. We crossed the lake in a Dragon Boat before returning to the hotel.

After a short break, we attended the Peking Opera, a tourist show but quite charming if you could ignore the singing!

Everyone is getting well acquainted and we are a congenial group. Saturday will find us at the Great Wall. Greetings from all of us.

OCT. 9, 2008:
After 13 hours and 6,666 miles from O'Hare, we arrived in Beijing. The airport is massive and beautiful, having just opened in April. All signs seem to be in English and Mandarin.

All bags arrived for the Chicago contingent. We will meet up with our West Coast group at the hotel.

The highways look as new as the airport. About 16 million people live in the city! 1.3 billion Chinese.

We have a welcome reception this evening, and then a welcome night's sleep. We're 12 hours ahead of Columbus time.

The real adventure begins tomorrow. More to come.

OCT. 8, 2008: 
We are all present and accounted for on a 777 that is packed to the gills! Everyone is getting acquainted and trying to figure out just how many hours we will be in the air as we go over the pole to Beijing.

Our group includes a physician and a pharmacist with whom we are all getting chummy. We have avid historians, photographers, and readers among us. For most of us, this is our first trip to China; and we are an enthusiastic group. The University of Wisconsin has a large tour group as well, so we have re-lived Saturday's game!

Time to sign off as the plane doors are closing. Until Beijing,

Ginny