{"id":2980,"date":"2011-12-26T18:17:07","date_gmt":"2011-12-26T10:17:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/?p=2980"},"modified":"2019-12-28T16:18:08","modified_gmt":"2019-12-28T21:18:08","slug":"unchanged-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2011\/12\/unchanged-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Unchanged China"},"content":{"rendered":"

I had plenty of ideas about China before actually visiting.<\/p>\n

These days, it\u2019s hard not to pick up a newspaper or tune into a podcast without being treated to some pundit\u2019s views on China\u2019s rising power, influence and prosperity.<\/p>\n

Like most of you, I\u2019d read of coastal boomtowns full of factories fuelled by small armies of hardworking migrants, seen images of ancient Hutong neighborhoods turned into gleaming high-rise housing projects and heard talk of burgers and fries overtaking Peking Duck and Mongolian Beef as the nation\u2019s favorite foods.<\/p>\n

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Surely the pollution has already cropped a couple of weeks off our life expectancy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Enough already<\/h3>\n

We\u2019d seen all that as we slogged through the congested Pearl River Delta Region. \u00a0\u00a0On occasion, we\u2019d even popped into a brightly-lit McDonalds \u00a0for a tasty 3 yuan ice-cream cone.\u00a0 In fact, we\u2019d gone so far as to search out a Walmart superstore so we could stock up on Western treats like ground coffee (Chinese stick to Nescafe if they drink it at all), whole wheat bread (the locals like theirs sweet and spongy) and strawberry jam (have yet to find the stuff in regular shops).<\/p>\n

For the homesick cyclist, there\u2019s obviously a positive side to all this intense progress and development.<\/p>\n

Give me the weird, the bizarre and the unexpected<\/h3>\n

But no one travels halfway around the world to wander around a place just like home except that ordering lunch involves 10 minutes of pantomime and pointing and relieving yourself requires fine squatting technique, good aim and the ability to hold your breath for extended periods.<\/p>\n

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Not for the faint-hearted.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

No, most of us are in search of the exotic.\u00a0 And in China, that\u2019s not too difficult to happen upon if you\u2019re a two-wheeled traveler.<\/p>\n

Ride a few miles down any of China\u2019s rural roads and you\u2019ll find an unchanged China.\u00a0 Dusty, downtrodden places where a shiny fast food restaurant would look as out of place as a scruffy noodle shop on the Champs Elysees.<\/p>\n

This unchanged China is a fascinating place.\u00a0 Around each bend lies the possibility of novelty and surprise.<\/p>\n

The Locals<\/h3>\n

Early one morning as we race through the backroads of Guangdong province I stumble upon an elderly man tramping proudly down the road.\u00a0 He\u2019s dressed in an oversized army uniform that looks like it\u2019s leftover from the cultural revolution.\u00a0 A soviet-style fur hat and white cotton gloves protect against the wintery chill.\u00a0 \u201cNi-hao, Ni-hao,\u201d I shout.\u00a0 \u201cHello, one photo please.\u201d\u00a0 He smiles and consents, seemingly unfazed by the attention, perhaps flattered when I give him the thumbs up as I show home the results on the camera\u2019s small screen.<\/p>\n

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This guy’s not photo shy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Then he nods and turns, continuing his trek to who knows where.<\/p>\n

Another day we find ourselves stranded in a small town as night falls.\u00a0 The locals are surprisingly disobliging as we search for a safe place to sleep.<\/p>\n

\u201cMei-yo, Mei-yo,\u2026don\u2019t have\u201d they snicker one after another as we enquire about accommodation.<\/p>\n

Finally we head out of town, resigning ourselves to riding the 30 kilometers to the next town by moonlight.\u00a0 Wild camping in this part of China is next to impossible.\u00a0 Every single inch of the country seems to be taken up by either a settlement, terraced farmland or a rubbish heap\u2026nary a place to conceal a tent for the night.<\/p>\n

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A peaceful Chinese village.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Communist Party to the Rescue<\/h3>\n

Thank goodness for the friendly communists.\u00a0 Yes, the cadre at the local headquarters invited us in for the night.\u00a0 We pitched the tent in the recreation-room next to the ping-pong table and spent the evening inventing excuses as to why we couldn\u2019t partake in the free-flowing alcohol.<\/p>\n

A young woman calling herself Jesse was our interpreter for the evening.\u00a0 Everyone was most welcoming, even the police from the compound down the road who stopped by to check our documents.<\/p>\n

It was a fine evening, complete with a vegetarian dinner (eggs with tomatoes and stir-fried greens) plus an incredibly hot shower.<\/p>\n

We pedaled off early the next morning, my opinion of both the communist party and the police greatly enhanced after the unexpected hospitality.<\/p>\n

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Acts II and III<\/h3>\n

As the days passed we were to have two more positive encounters with the authorities. \u00a0Once again when we were stuck in a small town and the owner of the local lodging refused us admittance.<\/p>\n

After being turned away at the local school, we sought help at the police station.\u00a0 A brand-new building with marble floors and imposing \u00a0furniture and flat-screen computers staffed by two fresh-faced recruits who spoke hardly a word of English.\u00a0 After being served two cups of tea, one officer telephoned a translator to whom we explained the situation.\u00a0 Then we passed back the phone for another round of questions and clarifications.<\/p>\n

No, it was not possible to camp at the police station; however, the police would gladly drive us to a town where suitable accommodation could be found.\u00a0 They would guard our bikes and belongings overnight at the station, we would spend the night at the fancy hotel and the recruits would return to the town with suitable accommodation for foreigners<\/em> the following day to pick us up and reunite us with our bikes.<\/p>\n

Beware of the Bed Bugs<\/h3>\n

A complex solution to a simple problem.\u00a0 After much negotiating and insisting that the \u201crough village house\u201d would be good enough for us, we were allowed to spend the night at the guesthouse where we\u2019d originally enquired and been turned away.<\/p>\n

The officers accompanied us to the cheap hotel (20 Yuan, about $3.20), and even phoned the translator once more so she could assure us that the place was safe and no harm would befall us.<\/p>\n

The dirty sheets and peeling paint were hardly inviting, but we did survive, albeit with a few nasty bug bites for our trouble.\u00a0 20 Yuan was actually a bit steep for that dive.\u00a0 Since then we\u2019ve negotiated fine rooms with WiFi, hot showers and clean sheets for just 10 Yuan more.<\/p>\n

Yet another act of kindness<\/h3>\n

In act III, the local communist party chief arranged for us to spend the night in the home of a local businessman.\u00a0 I was feeling unwell and Eric was exhibiting the very best of husbandly goodness by searching for a place for me to rest.<\/p>\n

The village at hand, a collection of shabby dwellings surrounded by farmland, looked unpromising\u2026until Adrian showed.\u00a0 Yes, the Chinese all adopt English names since we foreigners exhibit such low aptitude for learning Chinese.\u00a0 Just as we\u2019d agreed to take shelter in a grungy, dust-covered room with a filthy, torn mattress and a window missing half its panes, Adrian put a halt to our suffering.<\/p>\n

A local man had done well for himself in the city and was now building himself a sumptuous, slightly ostentatious home right in that very village.\u00a0 And we, as honored foreign guests, were to spend the night in comfort in the half-constructed building.\u00a0 Thanks to Adrian and the local communist party.<\/p>\n

So far, we\u2019ve been well looked after as we cycle through this unchanged China.\u00a0 Hospitality is taken seriously in these forgotten backwaters.<\/p>\n

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Greener Pastures<\/h3>\n

Life in rural China is tough.\u00a0 It\u2019s unsurprising that the young have set off in droves to tempt their fate in the factories.\u00a0 Grandparents have been left behind to mind toddlers and work the fields.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Theirs is not a comfortable retirement of golf and travel, rather one of survival.\u00a0 Tilling the soil without help of machinery and harvesting by hand, setting off to market before dawn burdened with baskets of weighty vegetables.<\/p>\n

The old men gather in the market to play cards and dominoes, but rarely do I see women at rest.<\/p>\n

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The villagers appear solemn and serious, but maybe that\u2019s just the sway of the cold winter weather.<\/p>\n

My greetings are mostly met with smiles these days.\u00a0 Perhaps the locals are cheered to see somebody who\u2019s got it worse than them.\u00a0 For here we are, two foreigners with all our worldly possessions strapped on bicycles furiously pedaling our way across Asia.<\/p>\n

Misery to some, freedom and adventure to others.<\/p>\n