22.08.09
Dodging the onslaught of taxi drivers at the station who literally stalk me as I cannot possibly walk for some reason, I trek around the town's intact 600+ year old outer walls and in the north gate in search of my hostel. It is like walking through some kind of time warp as you enter the town, the buildings all look original and the streets are cobbled and narrow. I can see why it is a Unesco World Heritage Site, the town is really beautiful and to top it off my hostel is located right in the middle of town in a Ming dynasty courtyard house.
Once I've checked in I take a walk around the town and as it approaches 9am, the town starts to pack out with Chinese tour groups and weird electric large scale golf carts. You aren't allowed 'engined' vehicles inside the town, so electric buggies are used instead of taxis or coaches to ferry all the tourists and tour groups around.
My first foray into the world of Chinese hostels and I'm sharing my 3 bed room with one guy called Marcus who is from Italy. He's got some good stories about the places he's been and gives me some tips about where to visit, but says the best place in Asia is North Korea. It's hard to go and costs a bomb to get into, but he says it is an amazing and a fascinating place and makes everywhere else seem boring.
Today I am again stunned by the domestic tourism market and how many people there are in Pingyao on tour groups. Where do they all come from and how can they afford to all go on these expensive tours.
Thursday, 27 August 2009
Day 32 - Pingyao
23.08.09
Another day in Pingyao and I'm sure I've already done most of the sights. I get chatting to two people from the hostel, Graham from Newcastle and Kieron from Cork in Ireland. Kieron is in his 40s, but every year since his mid twenties, heads off for a few of months and travels around a different region of the world, then comes back and finds some work so he can make some money to do it all over again. Graham is the same age as me, but didn't finish Uni and then worked for a year before motorbiking it around Europe and camping for several months.
I get chatting to Graham, who tells me that China's death penalty rate is higher than the rest of the world combined and it's normally carried out by local official, using a gun to the back of the head. They are now Implementing 'Death Vans' that will come to your house and do it by lethal injection as it is easier, less traumatic for the official and guarantees a clean 'result'. Also there are apparently forced labour camps which anyone can be sent to, including tourists.
In near enough the same conversation a man who works at the hostel talks about how China is extremely poor and all we see is the tourist side, we will never be allowed to see or go to the the real rural China, away from the cities or tourist areas. It's an interesting conversation and he says that Chinese people might not appear poor as they spend their money on making themselves look comfortable and image is very important. He contrasts it with India, where he says it is more spiritual and people care about within, rather than their external appearance. He says that there has been violence and protests due to the inequality between the rich and the poor and that the government are trying to build temples and increase the spiritual focus of the nation to try and calm people down.
It turns out to be a very interesting few hours and it's quite rare to get people talking about the political state of the country, especially with any kind of negative view. China is definitely not all rosy.
Another day in Pingyao and I'm sure I've already done most of the sights. I get chatting to two people from the hostel, Graham from Newcastle and Kieron from Cork in Ireland. Kieron is in his 40s, but every year since his mid twenties, heads off for a few of months and travels around a different region of the world, then comes back and finds some work so he can make some money to do it all over again. Graham is the same age as me, but didn't finish Uni and then worked for a year before motorbiking it around Europe and camping for several months.
I get chatting to Graham, who tells me that China's death penalty rate is higher than the rest of the world combined and it's normally carried out by local official, using a gun to the back of the head. They are now Implementing 'Death Vans' that will come to your house and do it by lethal injection as it is easier, less traumatic for the official and guarantees a clean 'result'. Also there are apparently forced labour camps which anyone can be sent to, including tourists.
In near enough the same conversation a man who works at the hostel talks about how China is extremely poor and all we see is the tourist side, we will never be allowed to see or go to the the real rural China, away from the cities or tourist areas. It's an interesting conversation and he says that Chinese people might not appear poor as they spend their money on making themselves look comfortable and image is very important. He contrasts it with India, where he says it is more spiritual and people care about within, rather than their external appearance. He says that there has been violence and protests due to the inequality between the rich and the poor and that the government are trying to build temples and increase the spiritual focus of the nation to try and calm people down.
It turns out to be a very interesting few hours and it's quite rare to get people talking about the political state of the country, especially with any kind of negative view. China is definitely not all rosy.
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