Shanghai, Xi'an and Hong Kong!

Shanghai

After only two brief days on the ship, we landed in Shanghai, China.  China brings out ambivalence in us – not the common usage of ambivalence suggesting disinterest – but the dictionary definition of holding two conflicting opinions about something.  We struggle with the restrictions on freedom and creativity imposed by the communist government, but at the same time we recognize that its authority has allowed China to make enormous economic progress in a short time. 

Shanghai, with its 24 million people, amazes us. It is a shining example of how quickly China has reformed itself and lifted 600 million people out of poverty in just a few decades. Much of Shanghai is a clean, modern city with amazing architecture.  We joined two SAS field programs during our brief time in Shanghai.  First, was “A Day in the Life of a Shanghai Citizen” where we visited a local community, danced with some senior citizens, visited a market and had lunch at a local’s home.  In the evening we went to an acrobat show, featuring incredible acts that are reminiscent of a Cirque de Soleil performance. While the flexibility of the performers astounded us, and the guy who could balance a large and heavy floor vase on his head and flip it from side to side was amazing, the sheer danger of 5 motorcycles careening around inside an enclosed 25 foot metal ball was breathtaking. 

Xi’an

We stare outside the airplane window as the vast city of Xi’an stretches from the snow capped peaks to the plateaus.  As we circle for landing, we are flying over hundreds of skyscrapers and countless big round chimneys belching grey smoke into the clouds. Surely this much city holds many more than the 12 million people we are told are living here.

A thick blanket of grey covers the city and it’s not possible to clearly see buildings only a few hundred yards away.  Xi’an is one of the top 5 most polluted cities in the world and our eyes and lungs confirm this.  Most factories have closed down for the New Years holiday and we are told the pollution is much better than normal.  It is hard to imagine it being much worse.  From the sky, it looks like a scene from a dystopian novelist’s imagination.

Xi’an is at least 3,000 years old and was the original capital of the first emperor to consolidate modern China under one ruler. It remained the capital for more than 1,000 years and through 73 emperors and numerous dynasties. We came to Xi’an mainly to see the famous terra-cotta warriors that were rediscovered in 1974 by farmers digging a well.  When Qin Shi-Huangdi was emperor from 247-210 BCE, he had 700,000 people build him an army that would protect him in the after world.   For 37 years, workers excavated pits below the ground and lined them with life-sized soldiers, horses and chariots, complete with actual weapons and made out of local terra cotta pottery.  They have uncovered 2,000 soldiers in 3 chambers, but our guide told us that 2,000,000 are buried in the 600 chambers that have been identified throughout the countryside.  The suggestion of 2 million comes from historical records that indicate the Emperor intended to recreate his entire standing army.  We don’t know if indeed they will ever find that many soldiers, but just seeing the 2,000 soldiers that have been fully excavated was truly impressive. 

In our time in Xi’an, the temperatures never rose above about 35 Farenheit, so we were bundled up most of our time there.  We shivered in our down jackets and hats during our lunch in a freezing restaurant, and after asking about heat, we learned that the Communist Party made a decision in the 50’s that no central heating was allowed below the Huai River. Unfortunately, Xi’an was south of the river.  Although the shops, exhibits and restaurant did not have heat, thankfully our taxi and hotel did!  

With only had two nights and one full day in Xi’an, we could have used more time to explore the walled city center and all the other history in the city.  As it was we got a flavor of the city and the warriors.  As restoration techniques advance, they will continue to excavate more and more soliders until the full extent of Qin Shi Huangdi’s work is exposed – including his tomb, which is said to be intact and contain fabulous riches. 

Hong Kong

After our brief Xi’an visit, we flew on to Hong Kong, a stark contrast to Mainland China.  Hong Kong was built by Great Britain over the last 150 years and was passed back to China in 1997.  China agreed to a hands-off policy for 50 years, allowing Hong Kong to mostly keep its own economic system, laws, border and currency until 2046.  China seems to be honoring this agreement in many ways, but the recent kidnappings of several Hong Kong journalists for exposing party members in China raises the question of how long China will be able to tolerate the freedoms in Hong Kong.

In Hong Kong we connected with friends, Jay’s brother, Loron, and his girlfriend, Fanny.   We spent our two days at Fanny’s place in Shek-O, a small seaside village about 25 minutes from the bustle of downtown Hong Kong, but still on the island.  We fell in love with Shek-O’s narrow streets, small neighborhood cafes and beaches.  Fanny and Loron were amazing hosts, giving up their bedroom to us, allowing us to adopt their 2 dogs for our stay and showing us around Shek-O and the downtown Hong Kong area. 

Although most people think of Hong Kong as a huge city, much of the land is undeveloped, hilly and forested.  A highlight was our hike on Dragon’s Back that wove us through the parklands above Shek-O.  Although we aren’t big city people, we definitely could see living in a place like Shek-O for several months as an overseas living experience!  Thanks to Loron and Fanny for showing us their city (and village)!