Today we woke to the rainy skies after having docked at Shibaozhai. With the near constant heavy rains came cooler temperatures in the low to mid eighties! We had a lovely breakfast with a cup of tea or two before braving the elements! In mid morning, we crossed the many barges to land. Each barge, connected by chains, floats and bobs at its own pace making crossing something done with great care. Add to that the rain and you get an opportunity for a plunge! Knowing that, I took my time. When we reached land, we had to climb 30 stone steps that were a bit uneven to reach the a ramp that began three 45 degree angle ramps to the street before finishing the nearly one mile walk to the bridge to the Shibaozhai Pagoda.
About 20 minutes later, we reached the suspension bridge that is the only access to the pagoda. The bridge moves up and down and side to side with each step - Did I mention that it was also rainy at this time? I am sure that you can imagine my reaction and how gracefully I crossed the bridge! :)
The pagoda was once a Taoist temple that was built in the 18th century on top and along the northern side of a mountain along Yangtze River. It is a red building that appears to have grown into the side of the mountain. There are 99 steps to reach the top of the ninth floor of the pagoda. The significance of nine was to represent heaven. Walking through the markets on the one mile trek to the pagoda, I was able to find a replica of the ancient bronze food vessels for 70% less than the first offer by the vendor, but the expected marketplace haggling is still a bit stressful and it is definitely something that requires practice!
We walked back to the ship after about 2 hours of constant, and at times heavy, rain and discovered that my choice of the offered umbrella was more successful than Laura's choice of the offered poncho. She was soaked from the plastic stuck to her and the hood that blew off while I was completely dry and so was my camera! Hopefully the pictures are worth her sacrifice!! :)
In the afternoon, while Laura huddled under the covers to attempt to ward off the chill from being in the rain so long, I attended a lecture on China today. The focus of the lecture was how Chinese culture has changed in the last thirty years since the end of the Cultural Revolution. Material luxuries and goods have become a top priority to the young people especially those living in the city. The speaker showed a chart that explained what was commonly need to be purchased by the groom before he married and how it has changed in the last few decades. In the 1970s they needed to buy a bike, a watch, and a sewing machine to start their household. In the 1980s it was a TV, washing machine, and fridge. In the 1990s it was a computer, house phone, and air conditioning (which is still not commonly included in newly built condo even today - they have to use window units). Now it is a new condo (up to 500 USD per square meter), car, and a diamond ring.
The speaker also said that there are 600 million cell phones with China's largest cell phone company, China Telecom, and 800 million people have access to the Internet. Freedom of speech is allowed as long as you don't say it in front of government officials he jokingly said as well! :) He talked about the corrupt government officials that take bribes in order to approve business projects. He said it is commonly known among the people that it is an expected part of the process, but in the last two years the government has been more strict about it. In 2009, 32 government officials and in 2010, 16 government officials were convicted of corruption. Their punishment? Execution!!! Much harsher than any politicians in the US!
The speaker discussed other freedoms as well including travel outside of China. Two years ago, travel to the US was restricted to business visas but now Chinese citizens can travel to the US after arranging it with an agent and leaving a 15,000 USD deposit to ensure that they return to China and not become immigrants to the US.
Most of the Chinese people are not religious, but 100 million are among those that practice Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, and Christianity. There is freedom of religion, but Communist Party members are supposed to be atheists to show their loyalty to the Communist Party instead of practicing religious beliefs that may challenge the power of the government.
Urbanization in China has grown drastically. In 1978, 82% of the people lived in rural communities. Now that has sharply declined to 55% of the people. This has led to overcrowding, unemployment, and pollution. China's newest census has calculated that the population is currently 1.37 billion people and they predict that by 2033 it will be 1.5 billion people! The one child policy has curbed this somewhat but has caused the population of China to be older and taking care of the elderly people will be more and more difficult.
It was a very informative talk and there was quite a bit of information that sounded much like our lives in the US. Housing has become too expensive for many people in the cities. There are few job opportunities in the country so people are moving to the cities. They like their luxury items and have become the second largest market for luxury goods behind the US. Children are expensive! :) The environment has become a concern for people. And there is a large gap between the wealthy and everyone else! :)
Today is our last full day on the boat and we will continue further west tomorrow with a visit to see the pandas at a zoo.
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