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Published: April 10th 2007
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Zhenjiang is famous for vinegar and pickles in China. Apparently you're able to smell this fact when you enter the city. I couldn't. I just took the guidebook's word for it. My first impression of Zhenjiang was that it was rather drab and industrial.
Zhenjiang's other claim to fame was unknown to me until very recently when Jessica picked up a book at a Library stock clearance sale. The book was 'The Good Earth' by Pearl S. Buck.
A Pulitzer Prize winner, the book chronicles the life of a farmer from his wedding day to his retirement during the early 20th century, detailing his fortunes and misfortunes, rights and wrongs. What is surprising about the book is its realism. The very down to earth language used to capture the life of peasants in rural China is incredibly true to life, even though the book is written in English. It was the western world's first encounter, in an accessible to all format, with something that is real China with real Chinese characters. Popular media had previously given the public evil oriental figures that were far from anything real. For anyone interested, it's a good read.
The author, Pearl
S. Buck, was the daughter of missionaries sent to work in Zhenjiang. Pearl grew up in their house in Zhenjiang and could speak Chinese before she spoke English. Throughout her life she maintained her Chinese connections and promoted exchange between the US and China. During her career she penned around 90 volumes and still found time and energy to create a foundation dedicated to helping underpriviledged children worldwide. Her own daughter suffered mental health problems and had to be committed for proper care, the burden of the costs was a partial driving force for her career. She won both a Pulitzer and a Nobel prize for literature. She has quite a CV.
Jessica had made a request to visit this preserved house in the middle of Zhenjiang city. We exited Zhenjiang train station with the intention of following the books directions (not the wisest choice) which reassured us that the house was near the station. The rickshaw drivers were more keen to take us to the door, but we declined. We are obviously not the first to visit Pearl's house, since the drivers all knew about her.
There are many ways to give directions to any one place.
A good example of what the directions to Pearl's house should be is:
Exit the train station through the front and go right at the main road. Take the first small road on the left, lined with food stalls, and then take the first left turning. At the turning, follow the right hand fork and go up the hill. The house is at the top of the hill.
The authors of Let's Go should take note: Do not give the small road a name unless you can get the name correct (they gave the name of a street km away!) and do not say second left when you mean the first!!
A little confusion later, we found ourselves following the footsteps of a little old lady and heading up a steep hill. At the top sat a rather out of place construction set in a neat little garden surrounded by railings entered through a gate. The stone tablet labelled the house 'The Former Residence of Pearl S. Buck'. All the buildings around the house were communist era concrete blocks.
Did I say gate? I meant
locked gate! The huge padlock on the gate placed a serious
storm cloud over Jessica's day. Thoughts of climbing over the fence surfaced but didn't spring into reality. We circled the compound hoping for a way in. None. Closed for business. A few locals standing by told us that it's normally tour groups who come here. A phone call to the local CITS office confirmed this. We were stuck. Bugger.
Then a lady walked past and did something (I don't know what, but it was wonderfu!), because the front door suddenly opened and the caretaker came out! We hopped around like paparazzi outside a celebrity haunt that has just ejected a living Elvis. I went into some spiel about how Jessica had come all the way from the US blah blah blah. The lady caretaker seemed quite willing to open the gates and let us in. Yes!
Inside was a home frozen in time with period furniture, photos and certificates on the walls and personal items all laid out neatly on display. They even had plastic replicas of Pearl's favourite local food! It must have a been quite a cosy little home environment. Much needed in the turbulent times that Pearl's family were living in. We toured every room and Jessica even wanted to tip the caretaker for making her day. Not really a done thing as the lady was reluctant to keep the change from the pin that Jessica bought.
We left the house a happy crew. Breakfast was wolfed down in the typical manner of those having a good day. Chinese doughnuts, soy milk, buns and rice porridge from a Chinese fastfood restaurant. Read my commentary on Chinese food in
Food Glorious Food at Agoda.com.
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