CHENGDU

      Chengdu, meaning perfect metropolis was an hour and ten minute flight away. Flying over green fields we could see clusters of houses in the middle for as far as the eye could see.

      Our local docent told us, “Sichuan Province is the largest province in China and also has the largest population. Four rivers flow into the city of Chengdu. The city, surrounded by mountains, is located on a plain 1500 feet above sea level. The population of greater Chengdu is 9 million. The city, boasting a 2300-year history, was built in 316 BC. Because of a thriving brocade silk industry the city was often referred to as Brocade City during the Han Dynasty. It is hot and humid here and we feel spicy food gives us energy.”

     The wide streets were lined with trees. A moat surrounded the original walled city. The last of the walls disappeared as late as 1960. The Cultural Revolution destroyed the Viceroy’s Palace and in its place stands the Russian-style Sichuan Exhibition Center. A massive statue of Mao remains, but statues of Marx, Lenin, and Stalin have been removed. Progress and entry into the new century is alive and well in the city. Chnegdu is the transportation hub for southwest China and the jumping off point for Tibet.

      The city is home to the largest Buddha in China, 210 feet tall. Chengdu has suffered no natural disasters, and boasts the oldest irrigation system in the country. There is no heavy industry, but there is a growing tourist and pharmaceutical industry. The city is known for its pretty girls.

     We saw many bicycles fighting for space with the city’s three million automobiles, which are creating a pollution problem. Bikers were riding using cell phones. Merchants were toting baskets of cabbage. Although this is the City of Hibiscus, it was not the season for them to be in bloom.

    Our hotel, built in 1958, was located across from the Jinjiang River. Jin means prosperous----people’s expectation the hotel would experience prosperity like the new China. The hotel was large and it was easy to get lost among it’s several buildings.

      Chengdu has quite a tea house culture. In some tea houses you can get your nails done, shoes cleaned, ears cleaned or have a massage, all while having tea. However, there is a proper sequence to serving tea. Tea is always brewed in a tea pot. Small handle-less mugs are warmed with hot water, then poured out before being filled with tea. The hostess, or the one pouring the tea, fills everyone’s cup first and her own last.

      Walking around the Panda sanctuary we came upon the lesser panda or red panda. Related to the raccoon they are about the size of a fox, 20-24 inches long with a bushy ringed tail. They have a rust colored soft coat with black markings on their face and ears. They look nothing like a panda. Several red pandas live at the sanctuary.

    China has an incredible variety of landscapes and a rich diversity in its flora and fauna. Besides the panda China has a long list of endangered species including the Yangtze dolphin. However, 926 nature reserves in the country cover seven percent of the landmass.

     On the way back to the city, from the panda sanctuary, we stopped at a silk embroidery factory. It was incredible to watch people doing double faced or reversible embroidery on silk. The factory was government owned so no one was in much of a rush. The work produced was really beautiful.

In the evening several of us went to the 1500-year-old Buddhist Wen Shu Monastery for dinner. Our guide called ahead to order our meal. The monks are vegetarians but we enjoyed a good meal. We took hair raising cab rides during rush hour traffic to the temple.

     The big tourist interest in Chendu is the pandas.

See Panda post 3-13-11

CHINA HISTORY CONTINUED

                                  Modern History

In the late 14^th century, during the Ming reign, a significant change took place when trade with the West was introduced. Over the next 300 years a new commodity, opium, was introduced, and by the 19^th century opium addiction had severely damaged Chinese society and drained vast amounts of wealth overseas. This led to war with Britain, the chief source of the deadly drug. With newer and more modern arms technology the British soundly defeated the Chinese.

With the dawn of the 20^th century China was wracked with internal rebellion and economic stagnation. In 1911 a Western-influenced political leader, Sun Yet-Sen, convinced the people to adopt a republican form of government, touching off a long period of civil war. In 1941 bolstered by the success of Russia in World War II, the Communists rose to power taking control of the government and Mao established the People’s Republic of China.

Cycles of failed economic policies, disunity, and political purges marked the first 30 years of Communist rule. In the 1970s life improved for the peasants when Deng Xiao Ping allowed profit, after government quotas had been met, to be kept by the farmer. However, small plots of land and the ever increasing population the new policy only provided limited relief. In the mid-1980s the government adopted far-reaching economic reforms with market-oriented incentives.

Although the Communists have retained control of the government, the people have held tight to many of their traditional ways. Even today 75% of the population is involved in some form of agriculture. The family is still the center of Chinese life and they still refer to themselves as Han or Sons of Han. Buddhist temples have reopened, in spite of the fact that government discourages religion. There is a new emphasis on manufacturing and technology which has resulted in closer relations with free-market countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan.

Transformed by communism, China has experienced a great deal of social and economic upheaval with international isolation, which is reflected in its urban architecture and chauvinistic personality. Drab and gloomy cities of the past are being transformed into colorful bustling places shedding the socialist past and entering the twenty-first century with a renewed sense of entrepreneurism and power. The economic changes of the last decade have been short of revolutionary. Rapid development has brought high rise commercial buildings and five-star hotels, air-conditioned shopping centers, international restaurants---and fast food. As the old gives way to the new, traveling has become more pleasant, comfortable and convenient as it contributes to a rapidly developing economy. Both the tourist industry and infrastructure are experiencing giant growing pains. The 2008 Olympics in Beijing added fuel to this progress.

       China is full of contradictions. While obsessed with being in control and projecting an image of greatness, it is shackled with an exuberant yet unpredictable third-world economy. China follows a difficult set of principles, many of which juxtapose the old and new for organizing the present and transcending the past.

     The ancient philosophy of Confucianism laid a foundation for Chinese ethics and morals that survives today, teaching respect, selflessness, obedience, and a sense of community. The Chinese believe it is important to stay within and abide by a community. Shame is considered a much graver emotion than guilt. They judge themselves according to how they believe they are perceived by those whom they love and respect. Although China appears to be overhauling itself, many residents of smaller cities and villages still live the way they did 100 years ago. I often felt like I was in a time warp when we got out of the big cities, although there is no such thing as a small city in China. Even in the cities a surplus of men work with hammer and nail to build skyscrapers. Maybe these images will fade in the future, but now they reveal a country in the throes of revolution still holding on tightly to tradition.

    Although 25 percent of the economy is now in private hands, poverty remains widespread throughout the country and unemployment is 20-30 percent in many cities. Real estate speculation by overseas and Chinese investment has resulted in an over supply of luxury office buildings, apartments, retail stores and shops.

   China has many problems and only time will tell how they solve them We just enjoyed our adventure, the awesomeness of the country and its wonderful people. Many posts to follow on this huge country.

You may want to check blogs: Xian 11-10-11, Yangtze R 8-24-14, Great wall 6-8-14
China memories 4-9-14, Hong Kong 5-15-14 & 10-8-14, Pandas 3-13-11