My Life in China

5 Days in Chengdu

Prologue: Day 0; March 4, 2005

It’s been ten months since I arrived in China. Five months in Beijing, one month in Shanghai, two weeks in Guangzhou, two weeks, in Hong Kong, one more week in Beijing, another month in Shanghai, another week in Beijing, one more week in Shanghai, and a week in Zhuhai. Got all that? Good.

This week however, I am in none of those places. Right now I’m in our Guangzhou office, helping my coworker Phil with some work. He’s mentioned that next week he will be going to Chengdu, in Sichuan Province, and would I like to go? I of course am never one to pass up an opportunity to travel, so naturally I accept. There is a catch, however: as this in a sense is a business trip, there has to be a reason for my going, so Phil has decided that I will give a presentation on effective writing. And thus my place in history has been cemented.

This actually is a good idea, as I’ve recently had problems with students who don’t seem to able to grasp the concept of writing essays or reports, so it will be a good opportunity for me to set them straight. But for me really, it’s a sightseeing trip. This is pretty much what Phil is thinking as well, since he suggests that we go two days early and do some touring.

I used to think that Chengdu was one of those beautiful coastal cities; a sparsely populated and eternally sunny "milieu" where the locals are friendly and a gentle salt breeze whispers through a quaint and bustling downtown. The website I go to quickly dispatches that notion. Chengdu is in fact the capital of Sichuan Province, known the world over for its fiery cuisine. So it’s not the perfect weekend getaway locale that I was hoping for, but there is at least a river that runs somewhere through the city. I’ll have to find that river.

I’m disappointed, but my sorrow is quickly allayed by the fact that I get to sample some good food, plus the additional bonus of, upon my return, feeling culturally superior to those who don’t know the difference between ‘Sichuan’ ‘Szechwan’ and ‘Saskatchewan.’ Phil suggests that our itinerary include a stop by Emei Shan, a town about 2 hours’ drive from Chengdu, home of the world famous Emei Mountain. I can always count on Phil to come up with some good travel ideas. Too bad it usually involves some kind of hiking or walking or some sort. Last time I was in Guangzhou we spent a weekend in Yangshuo, which is supposed to be a great place for backpackers. The experience was…well, let’s just say that anything memorable is a good experience when you recall it for friends and family.

So tonight we will cook some seafood and buy some snacks. Tomorrow we leave at the crack of dawn.

---

---