Jinhua: Starting the Journey

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Paris is far behind me now as I sit in Jinhua. The flight from Paris boarded late delaying my arrival in Shanghai. I am happy that my friend Terry (travellingterry) was able to meet me. We did have minor issues to get ourselves en route to Jinhua, mostly due to my overweight baggage. I already knew the hardships of trying to manoeuvre my suitcase, carrier bag, and secondary bag while arriving and leaving Paris. None of this had prepared me for dragging it all around Shanghai, using it as a foot stool during the train ride, and rolling it around the streets of Jinhua at midnight.

Terry settled me in at one of the outside restaurants as he went to a near by motel to secure me a room for the night (which became my “home away from Canada” while living in Jinhua). It was a very friendly place which explained to me why Terry liked living here. He returned with good news making both of us relax while eating our meal. Once done eating and saying goodbye to the other patrons that tried talking with us suffering mixed results, we headed out. We went to have me check into my room safely before Terry left for the night. My last few memories were of me chiding myself for not taking more photos while we were still in Shanghai and the level of pain my body was suffering from hauling my weighted baggage around. And my first day in China ended as I drifted off to sleep with a pen in one hand and my notebook sprawled on the king-sized bed.

The second day found me mostly recovering from the flight while adjusting to my new surroundings. A long visit to Terry's workplace (when he is not travelling) and a longer exploratory walk burned away my afternoon. Evening found me in the school's office (“Happy Goal Kid's English”) sitting and writing at my friend's desk while he taught an English class. I felt at peace which is rare for me back home. The night was uneventful but the constant promise from Terry to show me more of this on another day was still being offered. He did take the time to explain to me how easily you can buy things with simple hand gestures speaking for you across the language barrier.

The first of May turned into a group event as some of Terry's co-workers planned for to us to join together for dinner in the evening. Terry received this invitation (order?) as we had spent time in a small store sipping tea with the owner and his wife. This was my first direct exposure to Chinese culture and the hospitality shown toward foreigners in China. We spoke of history, general life, and a bit of Chinese philosophy. I thanked Terry's presence to act as translator for the Chinese portion and some of my English replies when needed. I learned much about China and the couple's little store. With regret, we left our new friends to return to the mundane but pleasant “normal” life with other friends.

My next great adventure came as I wandered alone in Jinhua. My solitary walk was due to Terry's work schedule, but neither his absence nor my lack in Chinese stopped me from exploring. My feet lead me to what I presumed was a temple (later discovered it was a tea house) set in a stylish and well maintained gardens. I walked silently following the stone paths around this wonderful place. I would report to you the name of this place but it is still a mystery to both Terry and myself. I made sure to take many pictures to help me remember this quiet half island sanctuary. From the older styled architecture, to the small fruit tree orchard, the place seemed shifted back in time. Even the sounds of vehicles upon the bridge were muffled to near silence by the timeless beauty of this place.

My wandering feet then lead me (by an underground passage) to the park riddled with walking paths. The park followed the banks of the Yiwu River, crossing one pedestrian bridge and 2 to 3 larger vehicle bridges before ending abruptly at the edge of another bridge. Sections of trees, flowers, normal bushes, and coloured leaf plants followed the triple tiered interlaced pathways. It was simplistic in natural beauty but truly breathtaking. It took close to an hour to reach the farthest point of this swath of land running between the river and the modern buildings of Jinhua. What was most noticeable to me was that many people used this muddy looking river. It served as a place to clean both food, from the many small farms, and their clothing, by hand. I did spy a few people fishing whom pulled a meagre portion of fish from the Yiwu River. Glancing down at the murky fast moving water, I noticed escaped mushrooms, as well as other small vegetables and fruits, lazily floating along the river's edge. The walk itself felt like an eternity set apart from the hectic traffic upon the streets and alleys of the city. Upon the walls of the lowest path, what appeared to be the story of this city (and, in part, of China itself) was displayed for all to see. I returned “home” (my Motel room) to have a short nap before joining my friend Terry for our customary dinner together.

A few days passed which found me writing notes of my journeys so far while sitting in that same park overlooking the Yiwu River. The next chance to explore with my friend Terry . We visited the Wu Grand Opera House of China to receive a minor but pleasant surprise. A fish and reptile show was taking place in the large foyer of the opera house. We took the time to explore this show with pleasure. It was nothing fantastic or special but still entertaining as it introduced a new topic to the many wide-eyed Chinese children present. I believe what was most special about this display was its simplicity that made it so interesting for the younger generations. This path also lead us to a brief visit to the Bin Hung Lu Park. We used one of the many ornate walking bridges as we moved toward our next official goal for the day: Wuzhou Ancient City. This tangle of wooden looking walking bridges and the simple park (if seen only in passing) was remarkable but much more about this place would be discovered during a later visit.

We continued to the Wuzhou Ancient City section of Jinhua. Many street merchants selling their wares from blankets or short tables like in the olden days made the small streets even tighter to negotiate. The ancient to classical architecture rimmed the streets to cause the feeling of having taken a giant step back in time under the same bright azure sky. The old trend of haggling was alive and healthy on these ancient streets. It did feel to me like the tourist traps sections of Paris, unfortunately. Everything and anything you could want as a memento of visiting China could be found here. A young newly wed couple strolled down the street in traditional garb to reach a lesser crowded section of the ancient city beyond the gate house. The couple's dress look authentic enough to appear as part of the pageantry (or phantoms) in place for the Wuzhou Ancient City. I could not resist asking them (with Terry's help) to photograph them. As we continued exploring the less commercial side past the gate house, we discovered “Cat Mimor” where customers could eat while accompanied by their cat (or one of the cafe's cats). It truly disproved so many rumours about Chinese meat selection as seen through the westerner's eyes.

It was a pleasant day of walking that ended with us visiting Wanda Plaza. As the name vaguely suggests, Wand Plaza is one of the many malls found in Jinhua. For us North Americans, it is the place to go for Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and Starbucks for our fast food and coffee addiction. Our original reason for stopping was to grab coffee as a way of revitalizing us to attempt more exploring. This turned into a visit to the Wanda Plaza. It was a slow walk on tired legs through this mall which revealed many things only available in the largest malls in North America: a stage, art works, and a play zone for the children in the form of an amusement park and arcade. I have seen many different malls styles in my earlier journeys (e.i. Myrtle Beach, SC) but none combined simplicity and modern complexity as well as the Wanda Plaza. This place also became the site of our late dinner before finally calling it a day with promises of exploring more completely the Bin Hung Lu Park's multiple walking bridges within a few days.

The exploration of the afore mentioned park came the next afternoon. We rode by E-bike to a place near the far entrance of Bin Hung Lu Park near the tip of the Wuzhou Ancient City. We proceeded to slowly walk through the park taking pictures and commented quietly about the atmosphere of nature around us. It was another large swath of green within the concrete jungle of Jinhua was a shock similar to stumbling unknowingly into Central Park in New York City. Large copse of trees muted the sounds of the outer city to be replaced by the sounds of nature. The sound of Chinese flutes and the subdued beats of Chinese drums drifted and echoed in the park while most of the musicians remained invisible in the foliage of the park. It took most of the afternoon to finally reach the opposing ends of the half moon walking bridges. It ended up placing us on a further section of the riverside walkways opposing those I had explored earlier.

My companion returned to collect the E-bike while leaving me to observe night fall at the opposite end of the long bridge. Lights strobed in multiple patterns from the false wooden edges of the walking bridge. A similar rainbow light show danced across the arched roof of the Wu Grand Opera House. I sat in silent contemplation of the scenes I witnessed today and over the pass two weeks of being in Jinhua. My friend Terry arrived to inform me he had one last city in mind to show me that night. Even if i was slightly tired from the walk, I accepted this last gem he thought would impress me: the Night Market. It was a grand bazaar that shut down about three streets as a horde of vendors turned the place into an open are external mall. Every possible item could be found somewhere in this seat of tented sellers' booths. Many vendors sold similar wares making it easier to find exactly what you needed at the price you were willing to pay.

What amazed me the most was the co-operation between the merchants. If the one you spoke to could not fill your needs ,they would refer you to other stalls that might be of help. The community minded behaviour is lost in the overly commercialized competitive Western world, unless within the same chain of stores. We slowly made our way around this massive outdoor bazaar and then slowly back to my motel on foot. I knew the next few days would be spent in my hotel room as I prepared for a short trip to Jishou. I had already, with Terry's help, made the arrangment4for this weekend away to visit my friend studying at the Jishou University. She had promised to show me a wonderful sight near to the city of Jishou. I was to meet here at the train station after a 20 hour train ride from Jinhua. This was to be a late evening departure and my first lone train ride since I arrived in China.

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