CHINA

CHINA

In January of 1982, I went to Peking and Hong Kong for a couple of weeks. It was with a large tour who was accompanied by a Chinese Tour Guide. She was a young University grad who spoke some English and had a good sense of humour. Her name was Miss Khaw.

The flight from Atlanta, GA. stopped in San Francisco for Air China to take us to Peking. While refueling in Shanghai, we were told to get off the aircraft and were made to stand outside in the freezing cold, dark night with soldiers watching us. They were armed with rifles, wearing dark brown trench coats with fur hats and gloves.

I saw a Coca-Cola machine and started to walk towards it but heard a rifle cocked at me and the soldier said something loud in Chinese. I went back to my spot. Their small airport was closed and bolted; we had to wait to use the bathroom on our airplane.

Peking, now called Bejing, had a huge airport and after gathering our many pieces of luggage, we were bussed to our 'hotel'. Everywhere we went the Chinese people would stop in their tracks to stare and whisper. It was with admiration and awe and when we smiled and nodded, they would smile and bow.

We were told that only one other American tour had preceeded us and it was IBM. The babies and small children got all of my attention as I had just left a 7 month old son at home in Atlanta. They were all black haired and pudgy in their too-large clothing; very sweet and precious.

The Chinese are very family oriented and live in a three or four generation 'home'. Our Guide told us she was the daughter of a couple who had eight children and who's parents, her grandparents, all lived in two rooms. All they owned were their bicycles which they paid in installments for from the Communist government. Their one-story houses were all connected to one another in rows; made of cement grey slab.

When asked what her goals and desires were, she smiled broadly and said "Oh; I go to Hong Kong before I die; that is my wish!" When I invited her to join us there the following week she replied "Oh no; my government does not permit us to leave China; maybe one day before I am too old."

While at the Great Wall of China, it was snowing and the temperature was minus 44F. All that was visable were our eyes as we had everything else covered. When we were taken into a shop, it was always unheated and darkened. One did not try anything on; just bought the merchandise and left as soon as possible.

Everything closed up tight by 5 pm each day of the week. The heat and water in our hotel was turned off at 6 pm and all there was to do was to go to sleep. (the small black and white TV was in Chinese). So we awoke at 4 am when I would stand at the window to feel the heat from the radiator and watch millions of bicycles all traveling quickly towards one destination....work. The only vehicles were a few taxis and dark Government vehicles as well as some Military vehicles.

They all wore white masks to cover their noses and mouths due to the cold. Their coats and jackets were always grey or navy blue, some were dark brown or black. When I wore my colorful clothes and long white coat, they asked our Guide if I might be Elizabeth Taylor. Of course, that went right to my head!

While in China, we saw no dogs, no churches, no sports complexes, no Libraries, few restaurants or theatres. At that time, their whole focus was on survival, staying healthy and employed. But most of all, staying together as a family until death. They respected their elders and almost worshipped their parents and grandparents.

One morning, a Sunday, I awoke earlier than usual, when I heard water in the pipes and heat in the radiator. But also I heard a swarm of people muttering and murmuring loudly below. I saw approximately 300 Chinese people pointing and looking at a shop window.

Curious, I asked our Guide at breakfast what that was all about. She said that every Saturday night, the "criminals" are chosen to be executed by firing squad. Their dead bodies are published in Sunday's Communist newspaper for their friends and families knowledge.

When questioned further, she said the bodies of the 10 Chinese men most recently shot were all convicted more than once of "SHOP-LIFTING"!

She went on to say that crimes such as assault, drugs, attempted murder, murder, etc., were dealt with the same week of their convictions. It could be by be-heading or gun but they would all be dead withing the week.

The food, in 1982, was not good. It tasted nothing like the wonderful Chinese food I was used to in Canada and the USA. The beer was warm; the soups were cold; things 'moved' in our soup and we were told they were "sea cucumbers". The water was not fit to drink but we forgot and brushed our teeth with it.

Hong Kong never looked so good! It was under British rule and was prospering and alive! It was very modern and rich; we all loved it. It was also 86F. We had a boat tour and the dinner was magnificant. But we had to pass thousands of "boat people" who were begging for our crumbs. We threw them change and they cried with joy; a very pitiful sight to see. Even their farm animals were on their small boats with them.

As fate would have it, most of us came down sick with high fevers with-in 48 hours of landing in our swank, luxourious hotel, "The Shangrila". The Chinese doctor's instant diagnosis was "Microplasima." In English, we had "walking pneumonia."

The rest of the long trip is a blur as we laid in our darkened rooms with drugs and fresh water brought three times a day. It was usually by a small China man who spoke no English. We all lost many pounds and arrived on our aircraft to be covered in warm blankets for the long journey home to the United States.

Now, people come and go to China like they do to neighboring states and provinces. I'd like to return just to see the differences in 26 years. But one fact remains, they are still under Communist rule. And they still treat females as an inferior species.

But now they allow churches and religion and encourage education and individual wealth. They have always referred to their country as "our China." I'm glad I visited there when I did.

I tried on my high-necked, tight, pure silk red-printed dress the other day. Needless to say, a size 6 would not even zip up. Memories of China are some of my favourite memories of all!