Saturday, 10/14, NANCHANG -
YICHUN
Morning we have another 4 hour bus ride to Yichun in the country for
our Health Resort.
Si: Kat and I have not overly hated the long bus
rides. My portable horseshoe-shaped
foam I brought for the trans-Pacific plane ride to China takes turns comforting
my neck and my butt. Some of the people
in the front seats claim that there have been many near misses traffic-wise,
and if they were able, they would helicopter to Yichun.
In the front of the bus there was a loud political
discussion about China and Taiwan.
“Would the US intervene in Chinese action against
Taiwan?”
“You refer to our One-China policy?”
“DON’T TALK POLITICS!”
“Pardon me for being wet blanket, Professor.”
“Our guide is a country redneck and only sees one
point of view.”
“What are they talking about?”
“I didn’t talk politics in the front of the bus,
and I won’t in the back. That’s why I moved here.”
I am surprised to find central China so
industrialized. The people are all well
shod and even well dressed. The
population seems to be industrious with a great interest in commerce. Though I am not a proponent of
totalitarianism, I am amazed at China’s modernization as a 3rd world
nation. Buses and trucks fill the
well-paved roads carrying goods everywhere.
There are lots of motorbikes and bicycles. Get a little money; buy a motorcycle; give a girl a ride. Just as in the USA, motorcycles give you
attitude.
In Yichun city we pick up our new beautiful guide for the area. She will lead us to our hotel in Yichun village. Her name is Hu-Mi.
“What’s your name?”
“Who, me?”
“Hu-Mi.”
“Yes, what’s your name?”
“This is Wai, our driver.”
“Why?”
“Wai.”
…
Chinese dirty joke from one of our guides:
“You want a
date with Hu-Mi? You must bring Spanish
fly.”
Our
guide’s favorite American expression is “Spanish fly.”
He
thinks adding it to any sentence about a girl is high humor.
A short ride away is the larger town with good shopping.
Yichun is a city of 200,000 people almost five hours from Nanchang by bus.
Despite its size, Yichun appears to receive few foreign visitors. The local residents were very curious about us as we moved around the city, and often gathered to get a good look at us. Our coordinator explained that few of them had ever seen a Westerner before!
Kat: We arrived at the Post Sanatorium (a 2-star (?) health center). The water in this rural area was famous. It came directly from the earth, was hot, odorless, clear, and was piped directly to our rooms… though at a leisurely pace. Those furthest from the source had a 30-minute wait. The sanatorium had a cracked moldering concrete ambiance reminiscent of pre-yuppie Calistoga. The courtyard lagoon was murky. We found the bevy of friendly staff members, good food, health treatments, and delightful side trips made up for the lack of luxury.
Si: There was a terrific hubbub in the kitchen after we arrived. Gordon was informing the staff we wanted no MSG, no deep-fried in fat, minimum red meat, and more fresh steamed greens.
When the food arrived it was sensational. We were served fresh crab, beet greens, hot peppers, and an unknown small animal. Because of the bamboo in the area I asked if we were eating Panda. They said, “No, that is too expensive. This is not a rodent, it is a friend of raccoon.” We are still trying to determine what it was we ate.
We spent a lot of time eating.
Saturday, 10/14, till
Thursday, 10/19, five days in YICHUN
The country spa will be the trip highlight. It is in a very small un-modernized
town, only two blocks long. Food will be good here, no pollution, fresh, very
original, cooked by small families. Last tour some people stayed all 20 days
here and skipped the rest of the tour.
Gordon gave a seminar on Chinese medicine.
I said I’d try most of the bodywork treatments. The Chinese government
oversees all health services in this country. There is a fixed price of 40 Yuen
($5) for professional doctors. No
tipping.
The spa and environs offers the following health treatments at very low prices.
- Acupuncture by an expert doctor (good if something ails you);
- Tui-Na by an expert doctor (like acupressure, good for healthy tune-up);
- Reflexology (massage feet at key-points to increase circulation in the body);
- Herbalist;
- Massage; and
- Hair wash and head rub for 45 minutes followed by a body massage for $5.
Gordon gets Tui-Na
Gordon said he might have a massage every morning and reflexology every evening. Treatments can be in our private rooms or by going to town ($2-3 for 2-3 hours). The doctors are mostly men, the masseuses mostly young women. For $5 a Chinese doctor, graduate of a 5-year medical school and with 15 years of experience, will come to your room and do a 1-hour relaxation deep-tissue treatment to release body toxins and improve muscle function and blood circulation.
For $5 an herbalist will give a diagnosis or health tune-up of special herbs that will be provided daily in the restaurant. Good herbs for low energy, arthritis, etc.
We had heard Dental Specialists, X-Rays, and MRIs were also available at low cost. American Chinese frequently fly back to China for these services as even with a round trip air ticket treatment can be had at a fraction of the US cost.
Si: The first night at the sanatorium the Chinese Tui-Na doctors were at our door.
Two 4’ 11” blind men were led into the room and their hands placed on our shoulders. For the next hour they kneaded our muscles. Every so often they would mumble what I assumed was “turn over.” Their hands were very firm, and I slept well that night. What a creative occupation for the blind with their heightened sense of touch.
“Who wants Tui-Na from the blind master again?”
“I do. I won’t have to put on my makeup.”
“I do. He won’t see the hole in my long undies.”
“Not me. I gave him 100 Yuen and he didn’t give me
any change.”
“How could he know? He’s blind!”
Sunday, 10/15, SPA
Si: At breakfast there was
much discussion whether we were massaged or tortured. Kat claims that in two nights she has had ten years worth of deep
painful massage and in fact Tui-Na may have taught her to be a person who
doesn’t like to be touched.
Next door is a pool filled
with hot mineral spring water. I paid
my 30 Yuen ($4) and swam 30 laps in a sauna-like environment. The exercise
invigorated me, and I felt the better than in weeks.
Tour Ming Yue Mountain.
We climbed through mist up a
green-forested mountain with creeks and waterfalls. Everyone in the group climbed to the halfway point except Archie,
a veteran hiker, who sprinted out of sight to the top. Our plump and panting guide was relieved to
finally sight Archie wending his way back, else his job would have required him
to hike all the way up to find him.
Some of the group are in their 70’s and in great shape. Just this year
much of the path was paved in myriad complex changing patterns of rock and
concrete. This means that the tons of
brick, stone, and cement have been carried up on the backs of laborers.
Kat and Nanci on
the misty mountain.
One of the dozens of different stone
patterns marking our way up Ming Yue Mountain
Si: Lunch was a deserved feast of wild rabbit, lots of greens, local fish, squash, red peppers, and a fruit plate. In China dessert is usually a plate of watermelon slices. Beer is served at every lunch and dinner, so we haven’t had to worry about bottled water.
The herbalist came to our
rooms, with Gordon translating. He
carefully took our pulses, looked at our tongues, and then asked questions on
what ailed us. He wrote me a prescription
for herbs to be prepared by the kitchen and served each of us a special brew
each evening. He had no cure for my weight gain or exercise laziness.
Monday, 10/16, SPA
Si: We drove to the nearby town where Gordon took us to a foot parlor that advertised 45 Yuen/160 minutes ($6). We trooped in and were met by a bevy of teenagers in platform shoes who vibrated our feet in herbal of water and gave us pedicures. The reflexology girls gave us good foot-rubs, but did not work on our pressure points. Gordon found them lacking in knowledge. No pain, no gain?
Lunch was at a Farmer’s Restaurant decorated
with pictures of Mao. They served us
authentic local fresh food: duck’s
beaks, tofu, chicken with large snails cooked in hot sauce, watermelon
seeds, small fishes, and lotus soup.
The guide showed us how to eat the duck’s heads by spreading the beaks
and starting to eat from the tongue. She used her chopsticks so delicately and
gracefully that she inspired us all to sample the “treat.” Kat felt she was
eating like a barbarian after watching Hu-Mi’s geisha-like performance.
Gordon is having
such a good time he is considering offering yearly trips to rural China for the
health treatments and the natural food.
At the restaurant, some of us were still staring at their snails and
duck’s beaks.
Gordon treated us to herbal whiskey (like
Hadacol, it’s good for you). He told us
of his life during the Cultural Revolution.
At that time a “new China” was to be born by destroying all old and
foreign things. There was no law at the
time, and he was considered bad because he had a relative living in the
USA. He and his brother became Kung Fu
fighters to protect themselves. His
goal was to be “steel inside, cotton outside.” Later he gave me a first lesson
in martial arts. “Punch me,” he
said. As I moved forward to punch him
he didn’t dodge or back away. Instead
he crouched forward to meet the blow, raised his arms from the inside,
deflecting my blow upward, his elbows pushed into my chest knocking me back
while his knee went forward into my groin.
Lesson One.
Karen went to the zoo and saw what we ate
the other night. It was a big
rodent. We went shopping and we bought chocolate, a Mahjong set, coffee, red wine,
and a reasonable brandy. After dinner
Wendy gave me a lesson in Mahjong. It is just like Gin Rummy, matching tiles
instead of cards. I’m confident in a
couple of evenings I’ll master the game.
Once I
learned the numbers and symbols it was easy. I credit this to my having
played 3000 computer games of Shanghai on the computer. Since the characters are etched on the tiles,
the locals can play the game by feel. Wendy warned that the game
was addictive. She has two sets at her house, one for the family to practice on
and a very old set she uses for the important games with friends. The gambling stakes are high at these games,
and hundreds of dollars change hands.
Si: Gordon is my Chinese healer. I go to him every two weeks for a Tui-Na
tune-up.
Kat says he understands “chi,” the invisible
life force.
Gordon Xu, the
Shuminator
He has great hands
and never hurts me.
I challenged Gordon to a
ping-pong game; he beat me handily.
This sport is so big in China that every day on TV they show matches
between champions.
Gordon and the Chinese staff address me as
“Professor.” Many of us now have nicknames, a combination of pidgin and
mistakes. Archie is “Arch,” and the
stately Jim Sears is called “Jimmy.” Gordon Xu is referred to as “The Shuminator”
and he likes to go off to get a “massagee.”
Gordon has dubbed Jon a “master” in the humor department, saying the
tour would be less fun without him. Jon is called “Joker,” and Karen was
furious to be called “Joker’s wife.” Here’s an example of one of Jon’s
jokes told to our interpreters at a restaurant:
“It’s been
said that the Chinese are the Jews of the Orient. Have you any Chinese Jews?”
“We have O-range
juice, Apple juice, but no Chinese juice.”
Jon got sick today and stayed in bed while we toured. In the evening he asked Gordon for a treatment. Gordon pinched him hard at a dozen painful acupressure points. He finished by sticking Jon with a single needle that caused him to spasm, releasing the “bad chi.” Exhausted he went to sleep. Gordon said, “He is very sensitive. That was the effect I was looking for. Lillian watched in horror and though she is a patient of Gordon’s and has her own set of needles, she avoided acupuncture for the remainder of the trip.
Si: Back at our spa some
of us had our second Tui-Na treatments. Although I love bodywork I wondered how
many would cry “Uncle.” I had looked up the Mandarin translation of pain
(tong), but under the steely hands of the dungeon-master I forgot every Chinese
word I knew.
Tuesday,
10/17, SPA
Visit School. Afternoon free.
I was amazed to find Jon at breakfast this morning acting completely healthy.
Si: With local officials and
a film crew we visited the nearby primary school. Hundreds of children all dressed in red uniforms piled into the
center square and did aerobic warm-ups. Kat started doing aerobics along with
the nine-year-old fitness trainer/leader.
Gordon and I joined her as our embarrassed children looked away. It was certainly more fun than
watching. We didn’t mind the children
laughing at our red faces. As they
filed past us to go back to the classrooms they would fling one arm up over
their head in a half moon sort of gesture.
Kat started to return the salute, but one of the teachers said, “No, no,
no. That’s a sign of respect.” Respect for our ability to be little children?
A sea of children swarmed about Karen as she took pictures.
At the break they gathered
around us and shook our hands, staring at our round eyes. The film crews interviewed us, wanting our
opinions of the misty mountain that they are developing for future
tourism. Jon, with lots of interview
experience, told them of its great beauty. When
they pushed him to elaborate, he joked, “I felt the forests and streams were
filled with many ghosts and spirits.”
The communist dignitaries looked appalled at his antiquarian spiritual
imagery. Laughing, he told Kat, “Don’t
worry. They won’t print that.” Kat
said, “I wish they would.”
In later expeditions up and down the few blocks of town it was great fun to
actually recognize individual children’s faces and to know every child under 11
had seen us at school and felt friendly towards us. “Hello, hello.” “Ni hao, ni hao.”
Jon is fearless, and took me out for a street walk. His Mandarin vocabulary is growing. He is not afraid of making mistakes, and once I found him talking Japanese to a group of tourists. We were introduced to some locals who had never seen a Westerner. He shows people his fancy camera that allows one to see the video just taken on an LCD screen. The village kids love to see themselves on “video.” They follow him around like the Pied Piper.
They call us the “hello” people. I feel safe here. Everyone appears equally poor, and there is no apparent crime. The absence of gangs is reassuring. On the street was a man walking a pig the size of a cow. Apparently he was a stud pig off for a date. A man on a bicycle leads his flock of 50 ducks through the center of the town twice each day. The most interesting shop was an open-air karaoke joint where men and women crooned to popular music as they gazed at popular movie stars singing and dancing. Gordon and I got our heads shampooed for 45 minutes followed by a full body massage. The girl walked all over my back while she hung from overhead pipes.
Wednesday, 10/18, SPA
Visit Farmer's family. Afternoon free.
Chinese tapioca and congee was for breakfast. At each meal we get Chinese bao (buns). Lunch was chicken-daikon soup and mountain goat. Tonight we had a dish of meat (from a rodent) known as a marmot. The latest bottle of red wine is undrinkable, but Chinese brandy is making a hit.
Kat: We visited a soybean farmer who showed us how to mill the beans into tofu by hand. He was in a suit, obviously his best clothes, as he showed us how to grind and pound the soybeans. His wife too had dressed up for us, lovely in a maroon velvet embroidered blouse. She had rosy cheeks and a dimpled shy smile. We enjoyed trying to emulate the farmer’s rhythm as he ground and pounded the beans. Then he mixed the soy flour with water and grilled us some bland earthy tasting buns.
Si: I pointed out the
adjacent stream and asked why they didn’t do it using the water energy. They
said human labor at home was free, and a device would cost money. It was
bizarre to see a color TV set in a home with only two chairs, a concrete floor,
and an outdoor pump for water.
Party Night at the Sanatorium Dinner featured pigeon followed by a karaoke dancing party. All the hotel girls danced with us and grabbed us to pose for pictures with them. They had as much fun as we did – there is probably very little excitement for them in this small town. Two of the girls sang lovely folk and popular Chinese tunes. Though they refused tips, we thank our help by contributing to an envelope that we give at the end of our stay. I was very surprised to see most of them crying when we left. Kat suspects that the usual Chinese guests might not be so egalitarian and friendly to mere servants. Every time she saw the three young adorable girls at the front desk, she thought of “Three little maids from school are we,” from the Mikado. (Yes, wrong nationality.)
Gordon sings love songs with our driver, Mr. Wu.
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