Arlee Smith, The Orient, February 2001
Journey to Canton (Guangzhou) 2/24/01
Susan's Story, The Orient February 2001
Terri our "take charge" escort for the day met John, Linda, Byron, Sue, Rick, Sandy, Jay and me in the lobby of the Great Eagle Hotel in Hong Kong for an early morning departure to Canton. Each of us was given a round, bright green sticker with our visa number and given strict instructions: "Do not remove it! Wear it so it is easily seen! Line up for boarding according to your assigned number! Make sure everyone around you conforms!" We knew immediately this was going to be an adventure, and no one would get lost.Aboard the hovercraft we traveled swiftly toward our destination. Buses and local guides awaited us in Shekou. Helen, our local guide with long, reddish hair was a college graduate with an excellent command of English.
Our bus traveled along a modern highway carrying very little traffic. The buildings in and near Shekou looked new. Helen told us this developing area of the mainland rivaled Hong Kong. It was even more desirable because it was less crowded!
Like many of our other guides Helen gave us her family background. Her father and mother were upper class college graduates. Both were brought low and humiliated during the Cultural Revolution. She was proud of her Chinese heritage and content with the reforms that followed the death of Mao and the Gang of Four.
We stopped to visit a local indoor market. The produce was washed, chopped and displayed on long open counters. Fish, poultry and some rather odd food items didn't tempt anyone. The pastry counter had a few takers.
Our second stop was the zoo constructed about thirty years ago. A solitary old panda bear was the main attraction. nbsp; Someone inside banged his cage, and he ambled into the outside enclosure for all to see and photograph. On we traveled to the museum to see four terra cotta warriors displayed behind panels of glass.
Arriving in Canton we walked down a large pedestrian mall crammed with stores and people. It even had a McDonalds. Our lunch, however, was at Dongguan's Hotel. We helped ourselves to several dishes of very good Cantonese food served on a large Lazy Susan.
The walk back to the bus was through several interesting side streets of old Canton. The bus took us to the Sik Baiyan Temple. This lovely old Buddhist temple complex somehow survived the revolution.
Our next visit was the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall constructed in 1929. There wasn't a single pillar spanning the huge domed interior. It was impressive. Local mass assemblies are held there.
At our final stop we watched ceramic painting. It was getting late and little time was left to shop. We boarded the train, found our assigned seats and enjoyed a comfortable return ride to Kowloon. The train took us through the rural countryside and farming villages. Heavily populated apartment buildings came into view as we neared the city in the evening. Each of the tiny rooms had a single ceiling light bulb lighting the interior. Many were dark. At the train station we boarded a bus and arrived at the hotel in time to have our farewell dinner at Jimmy's Kitchen. /Arlee
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