High Speed Bullets

China is BIG, and I don't mean large - I mean bloody massive. I used to think that driving to Manchester from Chester was too far on a school night (though I did it every now and again.) I used to think that Cornwall was too far away to visit - so I never went. Even going to London by train was an epic commitment which needed planning, stamina and a large supply of survival rations reminiscent of Scott preparing to go to the South Pole. Well, I may have to reconsider these notions when I return? 

   

My Chinese tour began with a flight out of Kathmandu. I landed in Lhasa (the former capital of Tibet and now the capital of the 'Autonomous Tibetan Region' of China) and then I flew on to Chengdu. After a few days there, having spent more money on flights than I had planned and being determined to use the train system in China, I booked myself a seat on an overnight train to Xi'an (I could not get a sleeper as they were all sold out.) 16 and a half hours later I stepped off the train, knackered and aching from the experience, but aware that it had only cost me 115 yuan to travel 842km.

I was dreading my next train journey, from Xi'an to Beijing, as it was even further than the first one (1266 km.) That was when I discovered the high speed alternative. The Chinese Bullet trains. They are capable of speeds in excess of 300km per hour and they have made China far more accessible by rail (though seats are far more expensive than their slower counterparts and beyond the budget of 99% of the population.) 

  

               Stylish, aerodynamic and not dissimilar to their Japanese counterparts.

Can you believe that in the regular slow train system you can buy a soft sleeper (1 bunk in a small room of 4, with a western toilet at the end of the corridor) a hard sleeper (1 bunk in a small room of 6, with a squat toilet at the end of the corridor and a harder mattress), a first class seat, a second class seat (defined as a 'hard seat') OR you can pay to stand for the entire journey?

On the high speed trains there are first and second class seats and then for the very rich there are Deluxe seats and Business Class seats. Because the journey is so much faster - no-one requires a sleeper and these trains run during the daytime. I travelled second class for approximately £50.00.

  

Some trains have reached speeds of 350km/hr              Staff look like air hostesses 

China's high speed rail network is one of the most ambitious engineering projects ever tackled and is currently ahead of schedule, with other major cities due to come on line before 2020. It has not been without incident however, and there have been a number of accidents and fatalities caused by collisions and derailments with some people arguing that the drive to complete the network ahead of schedule has come at a cost.

  

  

      The stations look like futuristic airports.             Crash details are often suppressed. 

Unfortunately for me, Guangzhou (my next destination) is not yet on the high speed network, so rather than taking the slow train to cover the 1780km by rail with a journey time of approximately 20 hours, I have decided to fly (just 1211km as the crow flies.)

The total distance I will have covered in China (excluding the walking, cycling, metro journeys and the day trips out by coach, boat and taxi) is considerable. I have visited Chengdu, Xi'an, Beijing, Shanghai and am about to travel to Guangzhou and then Hong Kong. My 2 flights and 4 railway journeys clock up an impressive 6660 km, but when you consider that China has a land area of 9.6 million square kms - you realise I have barely scratched the surface of this enormous country. 

  

Chinese Factoids:

Total population of China 1.37 billion people (20% of the Earth's population). This compares with a UK population of 63 million and a US population of 320 million people.

Capital City = Beijing - population 21 million (and the city with the second worst traffic jams on the planet after Mexico City)

Largest city in China = Shanghai (population 24 million and growing.)

Night all

Paul

x

My Beijing Dates!

Arriving from Xi'an on the high speed train, I stood looking lost and anxious at Beijing West Station, a building which looked more like Heathrow airport in style and scale, than a railway station. I wanted to buy a train ticket to Shanghai before I left the station, and I then needed to get to my hotel in central Beijing close to the Forbidden City. A taxi driver approached me and tried to get me to walk to his car, but I was adamant that I needed my next train ticket first and our mutual language barriers meant we were getting nowhere. After travelling for 8 hours and standing with a large rucksack on my back and a smaller one on my front weighing me down, my face must have been a picture.

Fortunately, it was at this point that a young woman approached me and asked in perfect English if she could help? I explained what I wanted and she said that I could not buy a train ticket for Shanghai from this station and asked why I was not going to use the subway to get to my hotel? The taxi driver, sensing he was about to lose his western 'fish', became angry with the young woman, but she remained unflustered and said "come on, I am taking the subway too. You can come with me and I'll make sure you get to your hotel." The taxi driver stomped his feet, spat on the ground and walked off as we headed in the opposite direction to get a subway ticket. "The subway is only 2 yuan in Beijing (20 pence) and he was going to charge you 70 yuan."

As we walked we chatted, exchanged names and started to learn about each other. XiaoBai (pronounced Zow-by) taught me about the subway system, explained the ticket procedure and security protocols and before I knew it we were speeding towards central Beijing.

She took care to ensure I knew what platforms and connections I needed as she prepared to get off the train a number of stops before me. We said farewell and quickly exchanged contact details.

When I arrived at my hotel, I decided to let her know I had arrived safely at my hotel. I then asked if she wanted to meet for a drink or a meal whilst I was in Beijing? Being me, I prefaced it with the usual "I don't mind if you say no, if you can't make it, if you have existing commitments or you don't want to, but..?" She agreed and we arranged a date for Sunday.

The next day I took myself to Tiananmen Square with a plan to tour the museum and surrounding area. I had no sooner stepped out of the security area when a Chinese girl approached me and asked if I wanted a guide? I replied that I was fine thank you, but she asked where I was going and then proceeded to tell me why my plan wasn't a good one and how I should visit the Forbidden City today with a guide and not leave it until the weekend. When I asked her how much she would charge as a guide, she answered 100 yuan (£10.00 for half a day.) I agreed and we introduced ourselves as she walked me to Chairman Mao's Mausoleum. Her English name was Mary and her spoken English was excellent. Within an hour we had paid our respects to Mao (laying a flower at his crystal coffin) and were heading to the sacred Palace of the Emperors.

                 

              

                                                         Entering the Forbidden City

The day progressed and Mary taught me lots about the history of China, the Ming and Jing dynasties, the Forbidden City and Modern China. We decided to stay together into the afternoon and evening and found a restaurant to eat in and I agreed to visit a traditional Chinese massage service. Wary, but enjoying Mary's company, I went along and had a vigorous foot and leg massage which was part reflexology and part torture. I then had a neck, shoulder and back massage from the same guy, who proceeded to pummel and abuse me (I ached for three days afterwards and lost some range of motion in my neck for 24 hours!) Throughout, I was plied with a range of different teas and a small part of me was concerned that not only was I probably going to be robbed, mugged or conned, but I may even be being drugged! After all, I had promised to pay Mary as my guide, I had paid for both our entries into a range of venues, paid for our evening meal and drink and was now in a Chinese massage parlour saying 'yes' to an increasing range of treatments and refreshments.  

I needn't have worried. At 10.00pm, Mary walked me back to my hotel and it was time to settle my bill. I asked her what I owed her. After 12 hours together I prepared myself for an extortionate demand. "200 yuan," she replied. I told her this was not sufficient and promptly gave her 300 (I told you my bartering was poor!) and asked if she wanted to be my guide again on Sunday with a trip to the Summer Palace? She did and said she would collect me from my hotel at 9.00am prompt.

On the Sunday morning Mary arrived early and stood outside in the cold whilst I finished my breakfast. When I saw her, I beckoned her in and went to get my coat and bag. We took the subway and chatted about our respective day before (I'd been to the Great Wall, but Mary had failed to secure a client for the day.)

When we arrived at the Summer Palace I paid our entrance fee and Mary was like a child visiting Disneyland. She had studied the Summer Palace, but had clearly not been before. I admired the boats in the river and she asked if we could go in one? I agreed and she skipped to the ticket office. We then sailed around Kunming Lake and through the canals and waterways before exploring the palace galleries and buildings on foot. Four hours later we decided to leave and find some food. 

                   

                 Mary at the Summer Palace

We took a rick-shaw to a park and a wonderful Chinese food court, but Mary was increasingly quiet. She was annoyed I was going to stop our date to meet XiaoBai at 4.00. I'd told her all about our meeting at the train station and our plans to meet up, but as the time got closer, Mary could not hide her disappointment. I assured her that if I'd had another day in Beijing, I would not have double booked the day.

True to her word, Mary got me on a subway train and heading for my next meeting by 3.45 and we said farewell. I gave her another 300yuan for her guidance and we promised to keep in touch. If she did not live in a communist state, I'd hope she would read my blog for herself, but she tried to access it the day we first met and she is unable to do so.

At 4.00pm prompt I arrived at Xianmen subway station ready to meet XiaoBai. I could recall nothing about how she looked (apart from the fact that she was Chinese, had short black hair and glasses!!)  I hoped she'd recognise me as I watched countless women streaming past. With three exits to the station, I waited at Gate A and hoped she'd use the same logic.

After 15 anxious minutes where I became increasingly convinced XiaoBai wouldn't show, a voice called out my name. It was XiaoBai. After an initial period of awkwardness, we soon relaxed as we walked the tourist area south of Tiananmen asking and answering each other's questions, taking photographs and discussing China. We found an excellent Chinese restaurant and ate together and she asked me if there was anything I had not been able to see? I said the Olympic Stadium and she suggested we go. She said her home was on the subway line north of the Bird's Nest Stadium and that after we saw it, she could head north and I could return to central Beijing.

                               Meeting XiaoBai

   

We chatted and laughed as we travelled and she explained that her friends had been checking up on her and me discreetly during the 'date', partly due to concern about who she was meeting and partly due to curiosity. She asked if she could send them a photo of me - which they greeted with laughter which I could hear!

   

When we arrived at the Bird's Nest Stadium and Olympic Swimming Cube, we were unable to get close due to the increased security leftover from the APEC summit the previous week. Unphased, XiaoBai was determined to get me closer to the venues and we spent the next hour climbing fences, walking through underpasses and skirting security railings. By the time we'd gotten closer, I was tired out from the full day, but the views were more than worth it and our shared adventure kept us (and XiaoBai's phone friends) laughing.

   

At 10.00pm we returned to the subway and said our farewells. A platonic kiss on the cheek and a promise to keep in touch and I was heading back to my hotel tired, but with a smile on my face. Who would have thought that I'd have two dates on the same day in Beijing? Not me.

My Beijing Dates! - Part Two

Now, these experiences are in stark contrast to the other two ladies I spent time with in Beijing. And in the interests of open and frank journalism, I feel I need to tell you about them.

On the Saturday night, after walking the Great Wall during the day, I decided to visit the night market. I was mesmerised by the sights, sounds and smells. The food was outrageous - scorpions, spiders, millipedes, snakes, starfish and more. Squares were filled with people dancing (a sort of faster paced Tai-chi to music, not dissimilar to American line dancing.) Young couples were posing for wedding photographs against back-lit public buildings and everywhere the hustle and bustle of trade and shopping. 

   

                                     The night market and dancing in the church square

A young Chinese woman approached me and asked me if I was English? Feeling positive and happy to chat, I answered yes and she went on to explain that she was studying English and had just finished a night class. She showed me some of the worksheets she was carrying and said that she found spoken English the most challenging. She then asked if I would be willing to have a drink with her and talk for a little while so she could practice? She said her English name was Lydia.

I hesitated a little and then agreed. She looked nice. 

We walked towards a bar she knew and said we could get a beer. I explained that I would just have tea, but she could have a beer if she wanted. The roads got progressively more narrow and further from the night market and I was concentrating hard on remembering the route we were taking. Eventually we arrived at a nice looking, but very small bar. We were the only customers. Western music was playing, and we sat down and ordered. I wanted a tea. She ordered a cocktail.

The owners brought over our drinks and a bowl of nuts as we chatted. An hour later and I decided it was time to leave. We had chatted non-stop, finished our drinks and I was keen to go back to my hotel feeling knackered by the exertions of the day and knowing I was meeting Mary first thing in the morning.

The bill came. It was delivered by two men...

My cup of tea cost £36.00 and Lydia's cocktail was £20.00. The two men got closer as I discussed the bill with Lydia. They got closer when I said I was not paying. 

I paid.

On Sunday evening, after returning from the Olympic Stadium (having left XiaoBai just 30 minutes earlier), I arrived at the subway station close to my hotel and had absolutely no idea where I was. This is not unusual, as my sense of direction is appalling. Getting out my map, I was approached by a young Chinese lady who asked me if I was English? "I am studying English," she said, "would you like to join me for a beer somewhere so I can practise?" I declined !! She persisted. I declined again. She got more specific. "You are good looking man. We go and have a drink somewhere and then maybe you have massage." I declined again and told her I was not interested. "I am good girl she said. We go have drink then you have sexy massage?" I started to walk away, looking at my map and the road signs I could see in the distance. She followed and became increasingly specific. "Special sex massage, I give you hand-job. I give you blow-job. I good girl. I like you. I not charge you much. 900 yuan. We go back to your hotel. I help you find the way."

Since that evening, when you'll all be pleased to hear that I declined her services and ignored her continued offers, I have been approached by dozens of women (and a few men) all eager to provide 'sexy massage' and more. What is most sad about this, is that clearly western business men and travellers have come to China and looked for sex. As a result, a thriving industry has developed. Being tall, white, naiive and often gormless, I am a perfect target. At least now I can see them coming towards me, intersecting my route as I walk along and I am able to say "No thank you," before they even speak to me.

It makes me appreciate the innocence of my time with Mary and XiaoBai all the more and is yet another valuable lesson and experience in my journey around the world.

Paul

x

The Great Wall

You cannot think of China and not think of the Great Wall. We were all taught in school that the Great Wall is the largest man-made construction visible from space. We know it is old. We hear it is many thousands of kilometres in length.

These facts do NOTHING to prepare you for actually seeing it. The statistics, the guide's blurb about it being used to stop the Mongel hoards, the dates of construction all become fuzzy and impossible to process when you see the wall itself. It's huge. It stretches as far as the eye can see and it crosses the most challenging of landscapes.

WOW is a word that does not do it justice.

   

I travelled from Beijing with a tour group including Kirsten from Germany, Jan from the Netherlands and Scott from Canada. As with all Chinese trips, we did not go straight to the wall. We went straight to a government endorsed Jade factory instead (and a government endorsed silk factory on the way back.) I resisted buying anything, despite the professional sales pitches about good luck charms, historic souvenirs, 100% jade bargains and the massive health benefits of wearing jade. I am adhering to a 'no-buy' policy, based on three simple facts: 1) I have to watch my spending, 2) I am the world's worst haggler and 3) I have to carry it around the world!

Eventually, after a detour to the tomb of a Ming Dynasty Emperor (which was rather scenic), we arrived at the town of Badaling, where the Chinese government have recently installed a cable car to take local and international tourists half way up the mountainside (650m), to a point on the wall where they can choose to walk up or down. I choose up. Being a Saturday, I was not alone. 

                                        

 

    

After an hour of vertigo inducing climbing, I had reached 1,300m and the views into the distance were mind boggling. So was the steepness of the steps and the sheer slopes of the wall path itself. Huge lengths of the wall are simply polished expanses of stone, buffed by the tread of millions of feet. I had to hold on to the hand-rail many times to help pull myself up or to stop myself from sliding down. Fortunately, the majority of the Chinese tourists who had decided to climb the Wall on the same day as me, were far behind, struggling to walk in their heals and fashionable shoes and puff their cigarettes and eat at the same time. Only the healthiest few (and a larger number of Europeans) had walked to the point I had. My smile belies the fact that actually I was dreading the return back down to the cable car!

                  

                   

I have heard that the Great Wall is the number one tourist attraction in China, a fact that does not surprise me. It is certainly a most remarkable feat of engineering and an absolute 'must-see'. Even though I visited on a Saturday, Badaling was not too busy, though others have told me that in tourist seasons, weekends are best avoided. 

Now for those of you who have enjoyed learning new information from my blogs (though I cannot gaurantee it is all 100% accurate) the following may be of interest.

Great Wall facts that I can recall from my guide (whose name was Bruce Lee!):

Two types of tower dominate the wall, placed alternately every 500m. Watch towers serve as observation points and signalling stations, whilst the larger guard towers were home to soldiers, weapons and resources.

At the highest point, the wall is 2,800m above sea level. During the centuries, many separate sections of wall have been built, though three lengths dominate: one 5,000km in length, one 6,000km and the third 10,000km.

The Chinese have a second name for the Great Wall - they call it the 'longest cemetery,' in reference to the thousands of forced labourers who died during it's construction and were simply buried where they died. Men were forced to work on the wall from the age of 16 until they reached the age of 55.

Internet Great Wall Factoids (if you are an anorak like me and are still interested):

The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials, generally built along an east-to-west line across the historical northern borders of China in part to protect the Chinese Empire from invasion.

Several walls were being built as early as the 7th century BC. They were later joined together, made bigger and stronger and are now collectively referred to as the Great Wall.

Especially famous is the wall built between 220–206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. Little of that wall remains. Since then, the Great Wall has been rebuilt, maintained, and enhanced (though the majority of the existing wall is from the Ming Dynasty - 14th Century onwards.)

Other purposes of the Great Wall have included: border controls, allowing the imposition of duties on goods transported along the Silk Road, regulation or encouragement of trade and the control of immigration and emigration. It was also used as a transportation corridor.

The main Great Wall line stretches from Shanhaiguan in the east, to Lop Lake in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia.

A comprehensive archaeological survey, using advanced technologies, has found that the entire wall with all of its branches measure out to be 21,196 km (13,171 mi).

The Great Wall of China is the longest structure ever built by humans. In places it is 9m wide and 8m high.

  

While some parts of the wall have been preserved or renovated, other parts have been vandalised or destroyed to make way for construction. Due to erosion, there is a section of the Great Wall that may disappear in the next 20 years. During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), many bricks of the Great Wall were taken away to use in building homes, farms or reservoirs.

The labor force to build the Great Wall included soldiers, forcibly recruited peasants, convicts and war prisoners. It is estimated that more than one million people died during construction.

Rumours that astronauts can see the Great Wall of China from the Moon with the naked eye are untrue, as it cannot be seen from space without aid.

It was classified as one of the world's great national and historical sites by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in 1987.

                                       

The Wonder Of The Terracotta Warriors

2,300 years ago the Emperor of China, ruling from the Sichuan Province at Xi'an, prepared to go into the afterlife as a God. He needed an army, weapons, horses, chariots, servants and concubines. He also needed to ensure his tomb was undisturbed. Thousands of  labourers and skilled artisans were forced to begin work decades before his death.

2,300 years ago the Celtic people of Britain were still living in wattle and daub roundhouses and the Roman Empire was in it's infancy, yet to conquer Europe or reach the shores of England.

It is this context which makes the Terracotta Warriors more awesome and impressive, for their sheer size, ambition and sophistication. The Chinese believe they are the 8th man-made wonder of the World. I cannot disagree.

In 1974, three farmers, after a season of drought in the province, began to dig in the hope of finding water. Instead they found pieces of broken pottery. Life-size feet, arms, torsos and more. They reported their find to the Government and promptly became overnight celebrities. Their land became priceless and the authorities have been paying them 1,000,000 Yuan a year in recompense for taking it over and turning it into a working archaeological dig and a museum for the public. The farmers wrote a book about their discovery and they take it in turns to sit at the site signing copies for visitors at 200 Yuan a time (about £20.00)

  

 

When you walk into the aircraft hanger of a building which is known as 'Pit One', the sheer scale takes your breath away. Moreover, every warrior is unique. Each face is different, each figure is life-size and there are thousands of them. More than 6,000 in Pit One alone. At the time they would have been painted in bright, yet realistic colours, but now they are mostly shades of grey and brown.

                  

Archaeologists work at the site every day, cataloging, repairing and investigating and each night, when the doors are closed to the public, they excavate.

 

I spent a few hours at the site with a Chinese guide and a lovely couple from Indiana, America. I could have stayed all day. I took over a hundred photographs from every conceivable angle and choosing just a few to share here was an almost impossible task.

Wow!

Paul

       

                                    

 

A significant highlight in my Chinese tour (one of many) and with a high speed train connecting Beijing to Xi'an in just 5 hours, a must for all visitors to the country.