Sense and Sensibility-ness-ing-ly

Yongkang sightseeing

Wow... totally missed the alarm, and the phone ringing woke me at 8:15am. Adam was checking if I was coming down for breakfast. Dived through the shower, gulped down some breakfast, and though feeling VERY dusty into the car for whatever today's day as a tourist would hold... I can tell you now that nothing could prepare me for what would end up unfolding.

Just be warned - there will be lots of touristy photos throughout this blog entry, that although I am trying to use them to support my "China is just plain weird" hypothesis... you'll probably think it is just me.

First stop was Chollywood (my word - China Hollywood). Think Warner Brothers Movie World without everything, and throw on a thick layer of all things chinese. There were many buildings of various age - old & new chinese architecture, stuff from other countries, all for use for people to make films and TV programs. It was a little theme park-ish in that we sat down to watch a show around a lagoon.

Chinese junk/boat to one side, castle-ish thing in the back. Costumes were a mix of modern and ancient, and there was a jet ski/boat chase that made absolutely no sense. GREAT explosions though - the chinese are always a little heavy handed with the gunpowder! I got some things from the story myself - there was a hero, the police, some slapstick (one of the police kept losing his pants), a heroine, some explosions - but I couldn't piece it together until Adam explained it afterwards.

Apparently the guy I thought was the hero was the bad guy, and he was running drugs on his boat and taunting the police. They chased him, there was a cannon battle from shore to the boat, the boat was hit and the people on the boat tried to escape but he police got them all and arrested them. The end. Very China.

I have to this point omitted to tell you that it was POURING with rain. Adam purchased me an umbrella before we walked into Chollywood, so that helped, but it wasn't big - so my shoes were drenched by the end of this. After the show, it was decided to take me to the copy of the Forbidden City from Beijing - just next door. We were told you couldn't drive there, so we walked, in the pouring rain and half way there we worked out that we had mis-interpreted what we'd been told - we could drive there, we just couldn't drive INSIDE.

We ended up walking almost there and the driver went back and brought the car up.Inside the fake Forbidden City it was just as grand as I expected, and I am sure almost as grand as the real one. It's just bloody big. Walked up and through Tianenmen Square, and almost up to the Emperor's palace. Went upstairs into one of the buildings overlooking the square, and started to notice that this was definitely a set - instead of carved columns with gold leaf, it was a picture stuck to the posts. Inside all the buildings was nothing. All for show, and all for filming. I wonder if they will use this set if they ever film the events of June 4, 1989??

We were meant to then go look at a set created from a famous chinese painting, but Adam decided we should go and have lunch. It was good - very local style - lots of chili, lots of fish, lots of duck. Bottled water and chinese coke have been my saviour here, as the tea I find to be not as nice as the tea in Guangdong provice.

Then we went to some big shopping trade centre. I thought I might get a chance to look at some gadgets, as well as get something for Luke and something for Michelle. I could have... but only if they wanted soft toys, hair ornaments or artificial flowers.

Oh my goodness.. the place was four floors high, and (sorry for the brisbane references for comparison) about 10 Indooroopilly Shoppingtown's long, and about 6 deep. It was just massive, with only specific things on specific floors. It wasn't really set up for "I'd like one of those and one of those", although of course you could do that, but it mainly existed for overseas traders to come and see things they want to import and then arrange for 10 containers of the crap to be shipped over to them. So, if you ever wondered where all that "made in china" toys and stuff came from - I found it.

After that, Mee Ching had arranged for us to go and see a famous temple in Fang Yan just nearby.

Here is where it gets very interesting. When we arrived and had barely gotten out of the car, some women came up to Adam and the others (driver and new HR manager - he is not from this area) and started shoving incense sticks into their pockets, saying they have to purchase them. For some reason they did pay, and through the temple gate we go. We were then greeted by some more women saying we had to go up this way to get ticket into the temple, past their stalls and we must buy candle and incense sticks from them. We didn't. When I arrived I looked up and saw a building at the top of a huge mountain, and asked Adam if that was the temple. It wasn't, so I thought that the temple must be somewhere lower. I should have learnt my chinese religious history better - all temples are at the TOP of mountains, where available.

Once we go through the gate, we started the climb. Many, many, many, MANY steps. I think it took me nearly 90 minutes to get to the guard gate at the top. It's still pouring, so the climb was very slow going, as I had very wet feet and my shoes are very worn - I intend to replace them in Shanghai if I can find something good/cheap. So, slippery, wet, cold, I'm nearly drenched, I've got thousands of dollars of electrical equipment in my pockets so I better not fall... man, I was just not ready for this. There were a few "shops" along the way, including a restaurant (of sorts) built into the side of the hill. I want to know how they get their daily supplies up here, and who is the poor sucker that does it!!

When we did make it to the guard gate and my heart lowered from about 195 bpm to normal, I could enjoy the view somewhat. It was very cloudy, so I couldn't see much, but that added to the mystery and charm of the place. Walked along a bit, saw another restaurant perched on the edge of the mountain, and then around the corner into what looked to be a small market. Lots more people selling fricken candles and incense sticks - all for the temple. Small little shop fronts with their houses in the back... living up here seemed a world away from everywhere else.

I have to say if I lived up here, the only way they'd get me back down would be in a box, and it would be my last time going down - not only for the fact of the climb back up afterwards that I would be trying to avoid, but also that it was just so beautiful and tranquil. No traffic noise, no chatter of 1.3 billion other people. That said, just outside the temple was two pay phones, and limited mobile signal.

Had a look in the temple, and after like two shots the battery was dead. Just plain flat. At least I got a couple of shots before it died.

On reflection, it was almost like the temple was set up for tourists, what with an almost never-ending stream of shops from the bottom to the top of the mountain path selling candles and incense sticks. There was the usual arrangement of gods that were there for people to pray to... good luck to them.

For the record, there are 17,594 steps, and I felt every one going up and down.

Once we made it down, off in the car to a very special restaurant that Mee Ching had arranged for us to go to - in a cave in the side of a mountain. When we got there, more wet slippery steps(!), and just as we got inside we were told that there was not power, and their generator was broken. So, I at least stood in the entrance to the cave restaurant, and it looked very... dark... Back to the car, and back to Yongkang.

By this time, I was just over being out. My hosts have been extremely patient with me, and most gracious, but a full day of being polite and enjoying a place I know nothing of was starting to wear thin on only 4 hours sleep. After the walk up all those steps, I can promise you all the alcohol from Saturday night had been well sweated out of me. I suggested to Adam that maybe we just go back to the hotel and have a special dinner tomorrow night, but by then we were at some other place (we drove across a footbridge to get to it, over a very swolled river due to all the rain today!). When we got out - they were all booked. Back in the car.

Adam did ask about going back to the hotel, but apparently Mee Ching had rung and we were off to Wangli to get her, and then off to a quick dinner together. No problems, just tired out. Dinner was nice, at a place just a block from up the road. At this one, they had samples of every dish on display (shrink wrapped!) for you to see and pick what you want. Again, standard chinese smorgasboard approach. I have to tell you, at the risk of blowing my own horn, I am getting very good at this chopstick thing. Finally got a head from another animal on the table today - a duck. Didn't realise it was there until after I had a few bits. At least it didn't give up its life for no reason... Mee Ching also wanted to talk business with Adam and I, as Mr Wang - owner of Wangli - is concerned about what it may represent. ASSA ABLOY-Wangli Security Products is a joint-venture, not 100% ASSA ABLOY, so there will be politics to deal with - there are already.

When we did make it back to the room - about 8pm I think - I had to get out of my wet clothes. Jeans and socks over the shower rail, and spent an hour blow-drying my shoes. In the end also did my jeans. Pretty much dry - I'll see how things are in the morning. Finished putting up my blog entry from Saturday, with pics, respond to a couple of e-mails, and then spoke with Michelle for an hour or so. Luke is settling down with her parents there and me not around - here's hoping he starts sleeping through again. Crashed into bed at don't care when - it just felt good. Had been talking with Adam about how Mee Ching owed us a foot massage after all the walking yesterday, but couldn't do it (to me, or the poor masseuse). Talked to Adam, and we'll save the massage for tomorrow night.

As a final addendum to last night's entry - how cool is it that you can jump on the AFL website and get each quarter of a game, or just the highlights streamed to your PC anywhere in the world with a broadband internet connection. I love technology. Stupid that you have to be a Bigpond member, but I still love technology (let's never fight again...)