The Chinese celebrate New Year's Day with the same gusto that they celebrate New Year's Eve. Families were here eating together. The one child policy has ended (in the city family was encouraged to have one child but two were allowed in the countryside as the peasants needed the labour) I saw a family of six, which must be unusual here.
We got a selection of Dim Sum for which Guangdong, the province of which Guangzhou is the capital, is famous. They are small sort of pastry with different fillings - ours included shrimp, beef and duck and in addition a dessert type filled with sweet custard - sounds unpleasant but it was not. We had a bottle of Chinese wine / my first and last. I now know why the Chinese import huge quantities of Burgundy, leaving the rest of the world short!
After the meal, we decided to take a taxi to the Canton Tower; once the highest in China but it has now been overtaken by Shanghai. However, much to our amazement, there was a shortage of taxis. A young couple seeing our confusion insisted that we share a car they had booked, to take us their hotel, where we would have a better chance of procuring a taxi. On be there taxis were available. They refused to accept our offer share of the car fare. The generosity of the people has really impressed.
We arrived at the tower at 2130 after a taxi ride through very heavy traffic, only to find that we could not ascend the tower until 22.00 and it closed at 2230! As we had ascended numerous towers around the world, we decided to forego this one as we had an early train to catch to Shanghai the following morning.
Another taxi and here, as they do the world over, given any opportunity, refused to turn on the metres and a bartering commenced. The first wanted to charge 5 times the standard. We refused. The second wanted double the fare so we agreed on that!!
We arrived back at the hotel and packed. We had a 0600 wake up call!
We're leaving Guangzhou tomorrow. We really enjoyed our stay even if, as the only Caucasians about, we were visible and a source of interest. As few speak, English, there was little verbal communication.
Guangdong province has an interesting history - it was originally where the Maritime Silk Road, a trade route to the West, began. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive, followed by the Jesuits, the British and the East India Company called at Guandzhou. The British introduced opium to gain control of trade. In 19th century, one of their own, Sun Yatsen, sowed the seeds of revolution culminating in his becoming first president of the of the Republic of China. In the 20th century it suffered during the Cultural Revolution but in 1978 it was the first province to embrace capitalism. Today the Canton Fair held annually in April / May attracts customers from all over the world.
In 1982, we first visited this area on a day trip from Hong Kong. My abiding memory on arrival was a multitude of men and women using pick axes to break stone at the side of a cliff and a donkey and cart transporting away the rubble. We also saw the peasant home where Sun Yatsen was born. The area has come along way In less than 35 years with its ultra modern airports, motorways, high speed trains, metros and feverish commerce.
This morning we got a taxi to take us to Guandzhou South station c 40 minutes from the hotel - off peak. We departed at 0630 for our 0800 train. The taxi driver either to increase the fare or because he couldn't find the entrance (probably the latter) wasted at least 10 minutes until he eventually landed us in the parking lot, which luckily was near the departure area. As he had no Englush, we could only voice our frustration in English and he in Mandarin!!
We arrived at the departure gate c.15 minutes prior to departure. One has to put one's bags through security as in an airport. We crossed the city in the early morning, I would advise taking the Metro at any other time as it is difficult to estimate ETA what with traffic and a taxi driver who is not familiar with the station.
The train departed precisely at 0800 hrs. We had first class seats and were served with a choice of nonalcoholic drinks but not western tea or coffee - they're a luxury! We took the G train; one of the fast trains which travels at speeds in excess of 300km per hour. I didn't notice the 6.50 hour journey as I watched the landscape evolve before me - the countryside and cities, we have never heard of, with multiple millions of inhabitants- China after all has 1.4 billion of a population!! Did I tell you previously that the journey would take 3 hours- I wonder who told me that??
The countryside appeared prosperous with every inch of ground under cultivation.
The cities appeared soulless with the original houses being bull dozed in favour of multi story apartment blocks.
On arrival at Hingqiao Railway Station, we took the half hour metro ride to Nanjing station which left us adjacent to our hotel - the famous Fairmont Peace Hotel on the Bund/ Nanjing Road.
We checked in and were taken to our room. It is really spectacular with every comfort while still preserving the ambience of a 1930s hotel.
Prior to dinner, we had an aperitif at the famous Peace Hotel Old Jazz Bar, which has been in existence since the opening of the hotel in 1930.
We had dinner at a local Chinese, jam packed with families eating together. Later we took a walk on the Bund.- a promenade along the river Huangpu. It was thronged with police directing people on and off the promenade. After all 12 million people live in Shanghai! From this side of the river one has s great view across the river st the Pudong area with its famous Shanghai Tower; the tallest in China and second tallest in the world. 121 storeys / 632 metre tall designed by Gensker with a lift designed by Mitsubishi which travels st 40 mph - the world's tallest single lift elevator!! However it is not yet complete and one has to make do with the Oriental Pearl Tower.
All the way down Nanjing Road were placed policemen and soldiers at 30 metre intervals, who were controlling the pedestrian crossings - no jay walking and they had pedestrians walking from the Bund on one side of the street and those walking towards the Bund on the otherside.
With so many policemen and soldiers about, I thought there must be a scare as one had been hearing of one in Bejing over Xmas. However, the hotel told us it was a holiday weekend. The crowds were so great, that it was in everyone's interest that some sort of order be maintained.!! It is said the 600 people die on Chinese roads every week!
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