Part 2: Beijing - Xian

At the Beijing train station (the date now is July 29, 2005) I reunited with David Crane and Becky Nolin, and met up with the newly arrived John Henry and Jess Davis (also of Davidson), as well as Bill Dixon, an engineering student at Boston University. It was great to see David and Becky again after more than a month living by myself in Taipei. Just hours after arriving, all six of us boarded a sleeper train for the city of Xi'an. We had great beds and the time went by without us noticing it.

In the morning we woke up to find ourselves in Xi'an, famous for its city wall and the thousands of terracotta warriors buried during the short-lived, magnificent, and brutal Qin dynasty (the first and only Qin emperor also began construction of the great wall). In Xi'an we also visited a large and famous mosque built in the 1400s. The further west we traveled, the less people we met who were not Muslim. In Xi'an we also experienced the infamous "Chinese do not respect lines" problem, whereby people in China (unlike in Taiwan or Hong Kong) refuse to line up for anything, and just push as hard as they can to the front. As we were boarding a bus, we had to push our way through a screaming, kicking crowd. It was unbelievable.

We did not stay the night in Xi'an. Instead, we boarded an overnight train to the desert city of Dunhuang in Gansu province. Unfortunately, there were no sleeper cars left, and so we sat -- and slept -- in the regular seats. For 28 hours. It was pretty miserable, but somehow it didn't bother us that much; we were in a really good mood and having a good time. The scenery outside was sort of rocky desert, but sometimes it was really beautiful, lush green fields. Everyone else sitting on the train with us was very poor, some were Muslim. Everyone started at us -- for the whole trip. The staring can seem unfriendly at first, but if you talk to someone, they usually laugh and get excited, and you understand that they're not hostile -- they really are just curious. That being said, the policeman on the train did warn us to watch our bags closely and find him if we had any trouble. The Chinese police may work for a communist government with a history of unmitigated oppression and brutality, but it must be said that throughout the trip, a Chinese cop anywhere was someone we could depend on for efficient and honest help. They know that foreign tourists have to be protected and looked after -- we bring a lot of money to these far-away western towns and cities. Finally, exhausted, (only having sort-of-slept) we arrived in Dunhuang.

Part 1: Hong Kong - Beijing

Before I talk about the train ride, one last important moment for me in Hong Kong was visiting their excellent and brand new history museum. I spent the day learning about Hong Kong's fascinating history: it's growth from a cluster of 5,ooo fishermen and their families to the stunning modern metropolis it is now after the British took over management of the territory following the Second Opium War (1860). Strong management by British governors, constantly growing international trade with China (including the trade of Opium), Hong Kong's deep harbor, and its existence as a relatively orderly toehold on the chaotic Chinese mainland all contributed to the cities spectacular growth. It was interesting to read about how the museum portrayed the British, the Japanese invaders in WWII, and the Chinese behomath that now governs the island.

The 24 hour train ride from Hong to Beijing was a beautiful, very individual experience. No one else stayed in my sleeper cabin, so for the most part I had 24 hours to myself. This time for myself is in contrast with my time in Taiwan, which was very hectic.

I did speak with a few passengers. Sometimes I would talk with a really nice Hong Kong family (originally from India) who had been living in Australia for a few years. The dad wasn't there, he was already in Beijing on business, but the mom and their three sons were really friendly. The oldest son was learning Chinese in high school (they were all in high school). The three boys played around a lot on the train. It was interesting to see how a Hong Kong/Australian/Indian family acted. They reminded me of an American family. I don't know this for sure, but another interesting sidenote is that there are a number of Indians living in Hong Kong, at least some of them descended from Indians the British brought over in the late 1800s as police and firefighters (there was considerable interaction between the Indian and Hong Kong colonies the British governed, including the Opium sold in China, traded at Hong Kong, and grown in India, and Indians were considered very reliable, making good policeman). Anyway, it is very possible that this family is descended from some of the Indians who moved to Hong Kong in these times.

I also spoke with two young Canadian school teachers from Novia Scotia who were both very friendly. One of them had been teaching English in Japan, and the other Canadian history (in Nova Scotia). They were taking the summer to ride across China. After Beijing, they were taking the Siberian express all the way to Moscow. I was pretty jealous -- what a beautiful trip.

Finally I arrived in Beijing in the afternoon of the next day. A new adventure was beginning, this time not an individual experience.

And now a message brought to you by Jrod

Hello readers of Hank Keeps Track: A Daily Almanac. My name is Jrod, and I am writing on behalf of Henry as he sallies around Hong Kong. He emailed me this morning asking me to post an entry for him, noting that the authorities that be (read: "communists") have made it impossible for him to access Blogger. He believes the automatic censor's fingerprints are all over this, and I agree. In a time when technology is empowering the individual more and more, it is only natural that the state would want to control, or deny, access to such technology.

Henry also wanted me to let you know that he will have some fantastic images and stories to share with you and me, his devoted readers, when he reaches San Francisco on August 19.

Hank left me with this final message:

Right now David Crane, Becky Nolin, John Henry, Jess Davis, a BU engineering student and I were just in the ancient silk road desert city of Dunhuang, in Gansu province, China. Right now we're in Xinjiang province on our way to the city of Bole.

Borrowing a tradition from my blog, I leave you with imagery from Google Earth of Henry's recent location:

Dunhuang

and where he is headed:

Bole.