I'm pleased, that these travel notes found to so large resemblance, but unfortunately it is already out of print the second edition.
(new edition now avaiable)
Remarks from the author
The experiences mentioned in these travel notes occurred during an official travel for my employer. Thus, as I described them, they presented themselves to me. Places, names and persons are existent, nothing were devised. Much had to remain however unmentioned, because it would go beyond the framework of a (short) report. The names of the persons mentioned (some modified) were shown according to specification of them who are concerned and brought because of that Chinese phonetic transcription which can be translated with difficulty only phonetically into a form readable for us. The numerous hours in the factory, in which there were often futile details to clarify in long disskussionen, will remain on eternally unforgotten for me; likewise the meetings with humans, whom I estimate learned. Only who became acquainted with China during a longer period, a judgement can itself permit over country and people. The impressions of this journey contributed to it. Admitted, the contents of this booklet will not flatter to every Chinese reader, but he might recognize itself therein. My special thanks apply to my dear wife, who often had to miss me over months and after each journey she welcomes me home again, for what reason ever.
Hamburg, in March 1996The bridge
But first it applied to cross this river. This cut through on the left and on the right highly rising mountains. Because one approached from large height this cut into the area, one enjoyed a breath-taking, because extensive view on the topography of this area. If one could enjoy! Because the road wound itself in zigzags without effective balustrade some hundred meters down on the level of one perhaps 300 m long suspension bridge, which spanned the river in approximately 80 m height. This bridge worked so filigran, so fragile, because it appeared to the landscape in the impressing panorama like the thread of a spider network, which the wind had embodied in the branches of a bush. There we had to go, it gave no return enymore.
It was so narrow that only one way traffic was possible and did not permit their load-carrying capacity also surely any longer. The steel cables as basic construction quite did not make an arousing impression, the roadway for confidence however. Only because the unreeling radius of the motor-car tires was large enough to enter always at least two planks it seemed to hold. My eyes tried to fix the watersurface below us, which seemed easily turned out from the equilibrium; oh no, it was the bridge, which varied now clearly perceptibly. Another few meters, it was done, we had again fixed land under the tires!
In the meantime parallel to it a new bridge is under construction, whose carrying rope embodies, in far distant rock, already the valley spans. It will have become probably substantially larger and thus to increasing traffic have been up to. The traveler will then only look heading-vibrating on up to then hopefully the closed bridge.
In the Chinese Restaurant
One evening we had decided to become once acquainted with the art of cooking of another Restaurant because we knew the menue of the hotel restaurant in the meantime in and out. Only a few minutes walk was another Bar & Restaurant, and because it was multicolored decorated and brightly illuminated, we went in.
At the entrance were two young, pretty girls, (what else?) in a long dress, which formed the welcomecommitè; and they welcome us with a gentle bow. At a desk of the lobby, where the fresh food for everyone was visibly on ice, appearing today on the menue, put, structured, sat a further beauty, which meant us with a hand movement, we should go upstairs. There we became then, beginning with the question of type of status: »How many people?«, although we entered the restaurant to a large round table accompanied. We should vacate that already again, before we could nip at the cup of the country-wide usual greeting tea; skillfully poured out from a can with a casting sleeve of for instance a Meter(!) Length. A smaller table is now intended for us; probably we had blocked other guests, who never came, a opportunity to seat down. At this time-of-day, it was not yet 8 o'clock, amounted to the numerical ratio between guest and staff already about 1:1. A third of the tables was vacant, was rearranged, divided, through the restaurant rolled or noisily covered up. Space dividers, in the form of flower boxes, were shifted to their traditional place; chairs, now abandoned, around the again arranged tablegroups. It prevailed indeed a delightful atmosphere providing for relaxation; even quite, in order to enjoy a dinner.
Observed from the distance, it was to be marked that to about eight or nine waitress clearly that none of them dared itself so close to our table. The girls shifted themselves mutually into the background, until that, which got most rib impacts from its colleagues, from which group solve itself and us in a fearful, but understandable english for our desires. She seemed to be the only one, whos english was powerful at all with some words. Therefore, then we assumed, she got some punches in the ribs of their colleagues to go ahaed.
After it was clarified that we did not come from America, applied to order it, what proved however as difficult. We are then gone from one, still from guests on the other hand one short apology murmuring filled table, which girls constantly drag-outer in and have by pointer to the meals pointed, which enjoyable the own eye considered. It again had dictated our desires of one, who passed our order on then to the kitchen to obviously struggle-low, colleague. At one of the table, from perhaps 10 persons occupyed, a young girl rose and offered unexpectedly their assistance as an interpreter.
»no, we are not from America«, the colleague says, while we had decided to have fish tonight. After a short small talk with the girl and she translated our desires to the staff, we went back to sit at our table, now in front of an warm can of beer and waiting for that, what should come there.
After a few minutes was served, with costly carved chopsticks we picked the steaming fish on our plates into the mouth. Suddenly doubts arose:
»Hey«, said the colleague, »look to the pattern of the skin, I believe, that's no fish!«
»but?«
»Looks like snake.«
My lower jaw stopped immediately.
»Stop, wait a minute«, a snake has a skeleton, no fishbones!»
»But look at these, what is that?« and fumbled out something with the chopsticks .
Indeed; what looked like a fishbone, also a tender piece of the bones of a snake could have been.
»That is for shure snake, what we ordered, he said».
»I want however, that it is fish, please, let it be fish!«
But nevertheless we have eaten it, it was fish!
(That's what I belief until today).
In Bijie
The target was achieved, back to the chaos; finally! Receiving of being noisy, auto ignoring each traffic rule, cyclist, pedestrian those anyway the most endangered, because weakest road user are, on the nobody consideration take and all kinds of trucks, motorbikes and trucks; then more outweighed the joy, the uncomfortable, to be able to stretch the legs finally again abandoned in the cold car. For the handling of the luggage again other assistance was needed, this time in the way of two workers, who looked, as they could need a few penny, to use to be able; directly on the road of Wang Tio, our interpreter, hired. These both were now with the heavy suitcases several times the stairs up and down, until it was finally certain who may move into which room; in rooms of the "»Hong Shan« Hotel, in which the guest had to bring along its owen towels, soap, even the toilettepaper. The role I bought a little later was not even perforated.
Each of us secretly hope to be able to refer the rooms left before the christmasholiday again, because it was a wellknown environment (but not however adopted country). But it did not work unfortunately, it were in the meantime occupied by two other " »Lau Wai« two compatriots.....
....more you get to know in my booklet "China daily" (in german only)
(© by G. Nitschke)