“All places no matter where, no matter what, are worth visiting.” Paul Theroux (The Tao of Travel)
We feel so fortunate to celebrate New Year’s twice this year! February 5th, we left Hong Kong, where the New Year of the Pig filled the city: festooned in auspicious red, celebratory festivities and rituals, and proliferation of pigs.
The world is an interesting and eclectic place. We fall in love with some places, like Japan, and yearn to go back. Other places, like China, we find compelling—but, not easy.
We visited China for three weeks in 2011, with a group through the WKU Confucius Institute. We stayed in Beijing, mainly, with a few days in Baoding. We scaled the Great Wall; met a renowned calligraphy artist who looked like Elvis; attended entertaining theatre performances; got amazing massages; tried exotic foods; took interesting classes on China history, culture, and language; enjoyed lotus garden tours. Oh, and crafts! (PSA: Erlene does not like doing crafts—whether made in China or elsewhere!).
That first China visit was made especially delightful by the people hosting us. In particular, Erlene connected with Li Bo and still stays in touch. But, in Beijing, we found the smog overwhelming and the crowded, noisy city difficult to navigate. We were glad our first encounter was a planned exchange.
Shanghai: The Same Population as the Entire Country of Australia
On this Voyage, we arrived in Shanghai early morning January 31st. The ship docked directly across from the downtown skyline for an incredible view. Shanghai is China’s largest city, with 24 million inhabitants.
Since we only had two days, we decided to participate in the day trips offered by Semester at Sea (SAS). In every port, SAS has field programs for any of the Voyagers (at reasonable costs). Staculty can serve as a field liaison on these trips and have their fee waived. On the first day, we visited Zhujiajiao, a water village about 1 ½ hours from Shanghai. Larry was the trip liaison. On the second day, a 2-hour bus ride took us to Suzhou, which is referred to as “the Venice of the East.” Because it was off-season, these sites had relatively small crowds. We took small boats on both tours. Hopefully, the pictures (below) give a sense of these experiences. Especially in Suzhou, the villages seem basic. We were left wondering about the daily lives of these folks whose habitats we “toured.” For example, the houses were tiny and we saw people doing laundry in the river. We also toured a silk factory—and shopping center.
Both days we were provided excellent lunches with a “Lazy Susan” dispensing an array of delicious traditional foods. The other folks on these tours were fun and flexible—and freezing! It was quite chilly and gray. So, we scurried around the sites and, then, basked in the familiar aroma, warmth, and toilets in Starbucks, our designated rendezvous. Shanghai has over 400 Starbucks! (Going from Japan’s heated toilet seats to China’s squatty potties with BYOTP was an adjustment.)
Our tour guide, Snow, was informative. And, he sang with, uh, enthusiasm, two “The Carpenters” songs…to a captive audience. Oh well, we got to experience karaoke, without having to go. After our day trip on Feb 1, we returned to our ship-home for an afternoon nap. Early evening, we braved the elements and spotty taxi service to find dinner and explore a shopping/walking area. Shopping is THE thing to do in Shanghai.
Hong Kong: Dim Sum, 37,000+ Steps, & Foot Massages
After “doing” Shanghai, most of the other voyagers opted for overland travel. We—along with a hundred others—opted to take the ship, arriving in Hong Kong on February 4. We left the ship about 10:00 and traipsed the city by foot, with brief jaunts on the subway and ferry. From an incense-filled temple to countless local shops, to towering high-rises, we navigated the crowded city. In the evening, we went to the Ladies Market and Temple Market—flea-markets, Chinese-style. Throughout the day, we stopped for tastings of Dim Sum.
The highlight of the day was when we popped into “Happy Feet.” Spa-like, it was not. The small living space had a few chairs for customers; an older guy, ensconced in one of them, watched the blaring television. The guy and two women providing massages greeted us; we got a 50-minute foot massage for 17 bucks. The guy and two women carried on chatty repartee the entire time. At first, it was distracting. But, quickly, we just closed our eyes, and gave ourselves over to the soundtrack of Hong Kong and the ministrations of Happy Feet experts.
Day Two, we decided to get our TREE fix! Although hidden by the ultra-urban landscape, Hong Kong is actually 70% green space. We found nearby Kowloon Park and meandered for a couple of hours. We were pleased to see many folks enjoying this green oasis amidst this gritty environment. We watched a man fluidly practicing Tai Chi and decided we must try it again. After the park, we walked around the city a bit more. We stopped for a late, leisurely lunch at a restaurant packed with locals exchanging new year’s presents, pleasantries, and pig wishes. We had tasty, medicinal hot and sour soup! We ended our time in Hong Kong with our souvenirs of tasty snacks and serene soles! This time, we went to “Reflexology,” where world peace begins: one foot massage at a time.
That evening, SASers gathered for dinner to share travel stories. Then, we greeted the Pig New Year with watching the glittering lights of Hong Kong recede, as we left the dock to sail our Ocean home.
Shopping, Skyscrapers, & Smog
Honestly, although we are grateful for a taste of China and glad for the connections, China is not really our cup of tea. Shanghai is the most modern city in China, with a skyline of architectural wonders. Similarly, Hong Kong has an impressive skyline.
Both Shanghai and Hong Kong are shopping capitals of the world! According to a guidebook, Chinese shoppers constitute 47 percent of the global luxury goods market. The rest of China calls Shanghainese “little capitalists.” Literally, in Hong Kong, when we stepped off the ship we were IN a high-end mall. The consumerism juxtaposed with the poverty of many is overwhelming.
Our main association of China is the lovely people we met in Beijing and came to care about. And, we would go a long way for those foot massages. However, the pall of smog permeates our experience. Unchecked consumerism and greed have terrible consequences.
Connections are Complicated & Crucial
In our earlier blog post, we wrote about the climate crisis and the urgent need to protect Mothers Earth and Ocean. In our professional roles, we promote the paradigm of meta-practice in social work, which emphasizes that poverty and consumerism are connected. Consumerism and environmental degradation are connected. Our demand for cheap goods enables the production of stuff –without adequate attention to the environmental impact, fair wages, or other justice considerations. Our friends in China bear a disproportionate brunt of the unjust costs in health and other negative consequences. We, the consumers and global citizens, share the responsibility to change this cycle.
Our New Year’s gift to all of you is that we are NOT buying you New Year’s pigs as mementos from our trips! Instead, we hope we are sharing with you the richness of travel and connecting our world. In the new year, we recommit to gifts of connection, not consumerism
