Where do I even begin this email! It has been months since I last updated this website (doing a rather shoddy job at that) and so much has happened since! I guess it would be best to go in some sort of chronological order so� this may get long.
In late March, early April I had the joy and privilege of taking my 13 year old sister around Hong Kong before the two of us went on our inaugural trip to Mainland China! We both had an amazing time in Beijing (where we were hosted by a fellow Wellesley alum Anne Py) and in Shanghai. Hong Kong was, of course, as always, amazing, but Mainland China was truly different. Unfortunately we were only able to see the �Golden Coast� of China (ie. where all the money is being made), which is hardly representative of China as a whole, but it was certainly a start. The high point was definitely visiting the Great Wall, for both good and bad reasons�
The day started ordinarily enough�we woke at 6:30 to catch a �tour bus� that was heading out to the Great Wall from a local hostel. Of course, as you all know I am perpetually late and that morning was no exception. Unfortunately, my tardiness resulted in our missing the tour bus, which forced us to resort to alternate means of transport (meaning local buses that stop for every single godforsaken person on the however long stretch of road). What could have been a half-hour bus ride quickly turned into three! Eventually, after arriving at the bus stop, hiring a private bus, bargaining like mad, and dodging border police, Margeaux and I made it to Jinshanling, where we would start our 30 tower hike on the Great Wall, arriving at Sumatai. Let me tell you future Great Wall visitors, hiking 30 towers is no small feat, especially when you are literally on your hands and knees for part of the journey. The second Margeaux and I hiked up to the wall and got a decent view of the trials that lay ahead, we cursed ourselves for telling the driver to meet us on the other side. Nonetheless, we overcame the obstacles before us, which included hawkers chasing us up and down the towers (trying to sell us books and postcards for �plucky heroes�), and a few �official� (not so official) toll collectors, and managed to make it to the other side (but not before paying one final toll to cross the bridge). Having completed our struggle (with a mere $2 US to our name thanks to all those tolls), we managed to hitch a ride back to Beijing with some wonderful Americans with whom we GORGED ourselves on Beijing Duck. Sadly, Margeaux did not partake (as with most of the food in China) as she couldn�t move beyond her �sweet and sour chicken� image of (American) Chinese food and get beyond the fortune cookies and onto the real deal.
Despite all the talk about the spitting, noise, pollution and dust in Beijing, we found it to be a truly a beautiful city. Beijingers love to use public space in ways rarely witnessed elsewhere in the world. I suppose it is because, as a positive side of effect of imperialism and communism, they have some really great spaces available. At any hour of the day you can find people playing traditional Chinese instruments, writing calligraphy, doing tai chi, or any variety of activities. Beijingers don�t do this for money, or attention but it seems that they really do this for the attention and benefit of others. It makes a simple walk around the lake, or through an old Chinese part of town, truly amazing. In Tiananmen Square (June 4th is the memorial date of the Tiananmen Square Massacre) people also use open space, but in a much more bizarre way. Tiananmen Square is where people come from all over China to take pictures of foreigners, or at least that is how it felt the day Margeaux and I visited. The walk from the McDonalds at one end of the square (where Margeaux had some respite from real Chinese food) to the Forbidden City at the other end we knowingly had our picture taken at least 25 times, I kid you not. Though we were there to see cultural artifacts of China, old and new, it seems that we were the real tourist attraction.
After Beijing it was onto Shanghai, and then back to Hong Kong (wearing our protective masks on the plane, just in case). Only upon our return to Hong Kong (thanks to Mainland Chinese censorship and denial) did we come to understand the full extent of the danger SARS had been representing to the region. When we left the Mainland, China was continuing its policy of secrecy regarding SARS, a policy that did not abate during our time there. One could get ABSOLUTELY NO NEWS regarding SARS, in English or Chinese. It was as though the disease didn�t exist. When we returned to Hong Kong we found schools had been closed, everyone was masked, and society was in a slight upheaval (Hong Kongers don�t ever seem to get completely �upheaved�), and everyone was scared. Two days later China �came clean� about their shroud of secrecy, though many (including myself) are still doubtful of the real situation to my north.
After my return to Hong Kong it became fairly clear that leaving Hong Kong (for the time being) was the best course of action. Thankfully that course took me to some of the most stunning places in Europe, detailed in the continuation of this email�.
Don't forget to look at the pictures:
Margeaux visit to China pictures, April 2003
Margeaux visits China Entire Collection (Ofoto.com)