Month: June 2023

Looking out the plane window I saw the shrouded city of ChongQing getting smaller and smaller. I said a quiet “goodbye” to the billions of people who called the city home. We had met new people, experienced life in the Mountain City and witnessed just a fraction of their culture. I hoped I would never forget the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells that were imbedded in my mind.

Arrangements had been made for us to stay at the ELIC (English Language Institute China) headquarters in Beijing. We were picked up at the airport by a driver the organization used on a regular basis. The accommodations were very nice. A balcony overlooked a courtyard with pretty flowers, a gazebo with the traditional architecturally curved roof, and a group of waving school children who were curious about the Americans. We order Papa John’s pizza for our evening meal, and they delivered! I slept well that night. There were no opened windows in our room, no sounds of jackhammers and people working through the night, and no bright lights.

Our driver picked us up the next morning. Our first stop of the day was Subway where we got sandwiches and drinks for a picnic lunch. On our way to the Great Wall, we visited the Ming Tombs, built from 1409-1644, which contain the mausoleums of thirteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty. The palace and tombs were quite impressive.

From there we went to a section of the Great Wall that is less commercialized. It was hard to fathom that for centuries, portions of the wall were built, rebuilt, and extended many times by China’s emperors to protect their territory from invaders from the North. The Great Wall is aptly named. It twists over mountains, plateaus, deserts, and plains for 13,170 miles. We climbed sections of steps to the top of the wall. The scene was breathtaking! Unique mountains thick with trees seemed to flow to the ends of the earth. Rocky jagged cliffs rose above the ocean of green like spikes along the back of a huge sleeping dragon ready to awaken and take flight from its secret lair.

The width of the wall averages from 13-16 feet wide, but the widest section is about 55 feet. There was ample room for weapons and soldiers to move strategically along the top of the walls to defend against enemy attacks. The walls were constructed of stone, earth, brick, lime, and wood. For a time, mortar for the bricks were made with sticky rice mixed with lime. As many as 400,000 men lost their lives building the wall, many of whose bones remain buried within.  

After all the walking we did in ChongQing, we were better prepared for the steep uneven steps. Along the wall were towers of different sizes at various places. Looking across the landscape, the wall seemed to go on forever as it wound up and down and around while terra cotta soldiers stood guard.

As we traveled back to the house where we were staying, we noticed a lot of construction going on. Facades were built and placed in front of dilapidated apartments and buildings as a means to cover the unsightly scenes. New bridges, street work, updated signs, and construction was underway in preparation for the Olympics and the influx of foreigners into the city of Beijing. There were more bicycles than in ChongQing and longer buses ran through Beijing’s streets. It was quite a difference from the chaotic streets of ChongQing where six lanes of traffic moving in all directions tangle through a four lane road.

Soon our time in China came to an end. We had a few more unforeseen travel adventures before we pulled into our driveway at home. It had been a memorable once-in-a-lifetime trip, one of which still stirs my memories from time to time.

A trip to China would not be complete without a visit to the silk shop and the teahouse. One of my missions was to purchase Chinese silk for a quilt. That required a trip into the downtown business area of Chongqing.

We met our friend at the Old Gate, took the bus to Nan Ping, walked to the cable car and took the flight over the Yangtze River. We saw tall apartment complexes with gardens on the rooftops. Our first stop was Chao Tian Nen, meaning “riverport shop”, where we purchased red Chinese lanterns. We proceeded to Jie Fang Bei, the downtown shopping area. A clock tower was the center of attention. At one time, it was the tallest building in Chongqing, but was quickly overshadowed as many downtown buildings rose to greater heights. There were many interesting little shops, one which had traditional clay teapots.

As we continued down the street we saw a logo that caught our attention. We followed the two-tailed mermaid who led us to Starbucks. It was like stepping onto an island in the midst of a different world. After having our drinks, we went upstairs and went through a doorway into a store that looked much like an American mall. It was a stark contrast from the little side shops and vendors just outside the front door. To my surprise there was another familiar sight, golden arches. It was decided that we would go to McDonald’s to get hamburgers for lunch. A crowd of others had seen the golden arches, too, for the lobby was crowded. While standing in line with people cutting in front of us and pushing, a sweet looking lady coughed up a wad and spit on the floor. Such a public display was not an uncommon sight and was completely and culturally acceptable. I was sure to watch where I stepped. For some reason I wasn’t quite as hungry, and after our expensive “burgers”, I wasn’t sure what I ate was even beef. I thought I heard an elderly small lady say, “Where’s the beef?” But it could have just been my imagination.

There was one thing in McDonald’s I really appreciated – the restroom. While there were the traditional Chinese squat toilets, there were also “western” flush toilets to which I am accustomed. I knew how to use a squat toilet. After all, I had experience backpacking and camping, so I was very familiar with the process. The little kids wear split pants that allow them to squat without having to pull down their clothes. That makes potty training easier. I made several pair of split pants for our little one.

We moved on from there to a marketplace where our Chinese friend led us girls to a manicurist booth where we got our nails trimmed and polished, for $2.40 US dollars each. Our next stop was the silk fabric shop. Oh my! How could I ever choose? Through the years I had watched my mother in fabric shops where she had to touch every piece of fabric as she passed bolt after bolt. That was me! It took some time to make my selections of the soft silk fabric. I chose a reversable thick red fabric and a piece with a black background, both of which had oriental designs that incorporated the history of China. Another red piece was of cherry blossoms which symbolize new beginnings and the circle of life. Red is also significant in that it represents prosperity, happiness, and success. A couple of fabrics I purchased depicted the Silk Road, a network of Eurasian trade routes used for centuries. One piece of silk was of ancient buildings with the Xieshan roof styles and soldiers on the march.

Legend has it that around 2696 BC, as the Yellow Emperor’s wife was having tea in the imperial gardens, a cocoon fell from a mulberry tree into her tea and unraveled. She noticed that it was a long, strong, soft strand. She combined silk fibers into a thread and created a loom to weave the silk into fabric. It has played an important role in their culture and economy for thousands of years. Somehow, I wanted to portray that culture and history into my silk China quilt.

The shopping process was exhausting but pleasantly so. One thing could take care of that – a visit to the teahouse.  The name of the teahouse was Shi Bao Ti, meaning “Eighteen Steps”, though I didn’t count them. It was a great place to while away the afternoon and relax. They take their tea seriously. Not only do Chinese people drink tea with their meals, but also for medicinal purposes, for enjoyment and  fellowship, to promote friendship, and to soothe the soul. As we drank from out little cups, it brought back many memories of time spent with my grandmother who loved to share a cup of tea with friends and family, and even snotty nosed little grandkids.  

Traditionally, tea ceremonies are performed at weddings, family gatherings, and places like teahouses. Serving tea is a way for the younger generations to show respect for their elders. At the teahouse, we were served green tea and flower tea.

Though we didn’t have a silkworm cocoon fall into our tea, the combination of the silk and tea on the same afternoon somehow made the day complete. We were truly able to share two vital pieces of their culture that has survived for thousands of years.

Sometimes I drink tea poured from my Chinese clay teapot and remember our trip with fondness. That along with the silk quilt I made with fabric from a little silk shop in China are reminders of an ancient culture that still thrives in Asia – a rich history steeped in the tradition and culture of tea and silk.