The account of Marco Polo's journeys had re-awakened European interest in far Cathay. The beautiful, exotic products--rich brocades, delicate porcelains, and jades brought over the Silk Road had already stirred it up. It took time but in the nineteenth century China's tightly closed doors were pried open and much of its mystery brought to light. By devious means, Western nations established "concessions" in Beijing, Shanghai, Canton, and Chongqing. The Chinese called the arrogant intruders "foreign devil" and naturally resented being treated as lower class citizens in their own country. The Manchu rulers were helpless. As a feudal empire, China was coming apart. The unsuccessful Boxer Rebellion was the early prelude to civil war and the total revolution which resulted in the People's Republic of China.
The exciting cruise through the Three Gorges of the Yangtze ended, we disembarked at the great river port of Chongqing and climbed steep steps to our waiting bus. There had been a settlement here which, more than two thousand years ago, Emperor Qin Shi Huang captured and enlarged. Chongqing's location on a hill above the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, is beautiful but its sub-tropical climate makes it almost unbearably hot and humid in summer. It is one of China's "furnace" cities. We had only this afternoon to see what we could so we began exploring immediately.
For me and other older members of the tour, it had a special interest. We had vivid memories of its importance during WW II when it was the capital of Nationalist China and headquarters of the Kuomintang. It was in Chongqing that Chiang Kai Shek and his cohorts settled themselves in relative comfort while the U.S. and Mao's Communists battled the Japanese invaders. General Stilwell was quartered here too and on a tree-shaded street we saw the building where Allied conferences were held and where "Vinegar Joe" argued with and tried to be polite to the Generalissimo whom he disliked intensely. Before we left the city next morning, we had a glimpse of some back streets of its Old Town and visited the attractive Painters' Village, the artist colony subsidized by the government.
We flew east to Shanghai, another city whose modern history is as intriguing as that of long ago. On the famed Bund, [embankment] of the Hungpu river "foreign devils" in the nineteenth century, had erected great Victorian buildings and gone into thriving business.
Also, Shanghai was the birthplace of the three Soong sisters, two of whom played starring roles in mid-twentieth century China.
Ah-ling, the eldest married the fabulously rich banker, H. H. Kung. May-ling, the youngest, became Madame Chiang Kai Shek. The middle sister, beautiful Ching-ling, was the wife of Sun Yat Sen. It was said of them: "One loved money, one loved power, one loved China."
During the three days we had in Shanghai, we strolled on the Bund and in the elegant Yuyan gardens, created during the Ming dynasty for the pleasure of the royal family and the court. We took off our shoes before entering the Temple of the Jade Buddhas.
These two priceless figures, brought from Burma centuries earlier, had somehow survived the Cultural Revolution and were much revered by devout Buddhists. We walked on busy Nanking Road and one night at a show, watched Chinese acrobats give a breath-taking performance. From the city center where we were staying, we went far across town to visit an ancient temple and lunched at an excellent vegetarian restaurant nearby. Then after this short, tantalizing glimpse of the great trading port, we were on our way again.
From the airport at Guilin, our next destination, we saw a most astonishing and dramatic landscape. Not far away steep, oddly shaped hills rose abruptly from the flat land. It was like the painted backdrop for a play.
Perhaps a million years ago the sea had covered the region and when the waters receded, limestone monuments were left. There could scarcely be a greater contrast between two cities than that between hurrying, hustling Shanghai and leisurely, serene Guilin. Only three blocks from our hotel a tall green mountain rose about a hundred feet into the sky. A path led to the top and several of us climbing it, had fantastic views of the country around us. Each peak had a name and this was Amazing Peace Hill. We spent time in Seven Star Park where, for twenty yuans, we watched a show of native dancing which was interesting but not exciting. As a treat, each member of the audience was given a small cup of a rather potent local dink. We went through the beautiful Reed Flute Cave which gets its name from the reeds that grow at its entrance and can be used for flutes. The best part of Guilin [for me at least] was the boat trip down the Li river to Yangzhou, sailing between those splendid green peaks.
All along the riverside we saw farmers, many of them with water buffaloes, working on rice paddies. In a different way this mini-cruise on the Li was as unforgettable as the one on the Yangtze. If the grandeur was lacking, the lyrical beauty of the scenery in this little Paradise made up for it.
Now it was on to Hong Kong. At a modest restaurant on the edge of its spectacular harbor we had a farewell dinner--a memorable one because the food was so very good. China is a grand country and fine Chinese food eaten there is something that can be enjoyed even in retrospect.