This morning we were off to visit the ruined city of Jiaohe, 8 kms out of town, so meaning hiring a donkey cart. Jude was going with Dan + Lise on the same trip, but the maximum for a cart is 4, so we had resolved to go alone. We were just about to set off, however, when we ran into Joss, another (or yet another) Englishman, + invited him to share costs with us. Since he was just off to try to hitch to the same place, having failed to do so yesterday, he was pleased to do so. We’d anticipated a real struggle to beat the donkey-driver down to a reasonable price, so it came as a mighty shock when a young man on a cart stopped next to us, + offered to take us for Y2 each, far less than we had been prepared to pay. It took a good bit of checking before we could be sure we had heard right, +, somewhat dubiously, climbed aboard.
It was about a 90 minute journey to Jiaohe, but very pleasant, sitting on the flat cart, protected from the worst of the sun by a canopy. I chatted most of the time with Joss – he lives in Oxford, just 2 doors away from the Crown in Jericho, an old favourite – I was distressed to hear it was not the rave pub of old. He is about to start a course in Anthropology + History at Oxpoly in September – just came out to China on a whim.
The city was fascinating, not very far removed from the mud-brick dwellings in town. They are undertaking some restoration work, which isn’t all that difficult for them, since the same techniques are still being used. The city was sacked by Genghis Khan in (if my history serves me right) about the 13th century, + really there is not all that much left beyond a maze of baked mud walls. Not very easy to get a sense of people at all – it could as easily be a gigantic rabbit warren. But then, given the material it was made from, + the extremes of the conditions it must have endured for the past few hundred years, it was remarkable there was as much as there was. We wandered about, taking pictures, eventually making our way thro’ to the far end. There we came to what must have been the high temple or palace – one could even see the almost destroyed remains of a small seated Buddha, set up high in a niche. And here one could at last envisage a human scene, with a priest + worshippers, or a political leader standing on the raised platform in front of the building, addressing the people.
But behind that came what I thought was the best part of all, as dramatic as anything I have ever seen. Here, if there had been buildings, they had been entirely swept away, except for 2 large structures on their own, with what must have been religious significance. Without any spoken agreement, the 3 of us split up, Val peeling off to the left, Joss to the right, leaving each of us alone to our own thoughts + imaginings. This was virtual desert, with just a ghost city behind us, the horizon ringed by hills, or, on one side, snow-peaked mtns, the 2 clay buildings standing alone ahead, the sun blazing down on us from above. As we explored, we discovered that the city was cut off from the desert around by a gorge on either side. Looking down over the severe cliffs to the green river valley a hundred feet below us, there were men + donkeys working the fields – we got a couple of waves.
The journey back was duller – I slept for part of it. As we’d more or less expected, our driver wasn’t content with Y6 – I think he asked for an extra kwai to save face in front of his friends, but as it was just an extra kwai, we gave it to him rather than go to the bother of arguing. After a morning of intense heat, we were ready for a lot of liquid, so promptly demolished several ice lollies, plus a few drinks from the cold drink shop, followed by a shower back at the hotel. We then had a xu-xie, Val going even further + turning it into a full-scale afternoon sleep. While she was out for the count, I listened to cassettes, chatted some more with Joss, wrote this, + then, venturing out, went to the Post Office, then out shopping for beer. They don’t sell beer, except in the restaurant, at the hotel, only the increasingly unpleasant “Champagne”, but one can store it in their fridge. For a price. I did sample the hotel dinner for once, + it turned out to be very good, tho’ perhaps not quite worth the Y3.50 I had to pay for it. I came to talking with an English girl at my table (one of the “aloof” pair) + discovered she can read + talk Chinese, so afterwards I was able to get her to translate a letter I had thrust into my hand one evening in Kunming, as I was walking down the street. We’ve been carrying it ever since, wanting to know what it contained before deciding what to do with it. It was, in fact, a letter from a Kunming man to the United Nations, outlining a somewhat pitiful tale of a family split up during the Cultural Revolution. It shows a touching but naïve faith in the ability of the UN to do anything at all, but we shall nonetheless address it more fully + send it off. From Hong Kong, it being illegal for Chinese citizens to contact the representatives of foreign govts. Or, presumably, the UN. And I would not want the man to undergo further tribulations because of us.
The folk-dancing was on again tonight, + wanting to record some of the music, we went out to the arena early to secure a good seat in the front row. We had quite a wait, so were understandably furious when, 5 mins before the show began, we were asked to shift. The excuse given was that the space was needed for a TV crew, but once, with a bit of reluctance, we did move back a row, our seats were taken by some big-wigs, judging by what was to come, a fading actress, along with escort + assistants. She managed to ruin the performance for us (which was, actually, of an even higher standard) by her prima donna-ish actions, constantly striving to draw attention upon herself by gesticulating wildly throughout everything, clapping to the beat (+ ruining my recording) + generally being schoolgirlish. A bit silly, since she was fat + forty, mutton dressed as lamb. Just before the final dance, which would end with members of the audience being coaxed out to join the dancers, her assistant set to work furiously with hair-brush + make-up, making sure her mistress was beautiful. And then, of course, her mistress was indeed “persuaded” (you should have tried stopping her) to grace the occasion with her wonderful presence, only to be pursued around the stage by TV camera + portable floodlight. Vomit-making, + a kick in the balls for China’s egalitarian society., but then we were forced inside by the heat.
Interesting that fame and celebrity should still hold sway, even in a supposedly egalitarian society.
The trip to Jiaohe was fascinating, though we did find it disturbing that the way the young driver got his donkey to move was to shove a broom handle up its arse. But the town was fascinating.
