chapter 7 - internal and external explorations

Having a few days to spare we took a trip to Hangzhuo, famed for silk and scissors. Our challenge began with trying to get a train ticket though. At the station we waited in a long queue, shuffling ahead every so slowly. When we got to the wicket, the person behind it took one look at us and closed the window, pointing to another window. No amount of words from us or the people behind us could make it open, although we noticed that once we were well entrenched in another line the original window opened again. Everyone in the place stared and pointed at us, laughing out loud at our clothes and hair. Two or three weeks ago this was reasoned away as being normal behaviour in a place that never saw Caucasians, but after six hours in this cramped room, with the queue-window performance happening a second and then a third time, I felt like crying. I am so tired of being stared at and pointed at as if we were some kind of freaks. People pretend they don’t understand us even when it’s obvious they do. The only time anyone ever shows kindness is when they want to practice English. I lecture myself that this is what it must feel like for some of those who are visible minorities in my own country and I vow to be more helpful to those I meet in future.

We finally got our ticket, arrived and found the next challenge was finding a room, having taken a bus to the only hostel we knew of and finding it doesn’t exist. After wandering around for three hours we saw a sign tacked to a light standard that read ‘Zhejiang Guest House’. We followed this promising prospect up to a sort of compound full of cement shacks, inexplicably numerous outside water taps and broken vehicles. We looked at each other in dismay and approached an old man gardening, who motioned us further up the hill. There we found grass, trees, gardens and several square industrial looking buildings. It looked like it could be a university except there was not one person around. This is not only strange in China but eerie. There’s never no one around.

We eventually found a sort of reception hall in one of the flashier buildings and were efficiently directed to dormitory rooms in building number 6. Along the walkway to building 6 were cunning litter bins and curious signs written in both English and Chinese with varying degrees of spelling accuracy: “Consultancy for Curing of Bald” and “Rotating Restaurant Hotel with Bussness Centre in it”, and my personal favourite “Honour to those who practice Hygene, Disgrace to those who don’t”.

At building number 6 we followed empty corridors until we found room #15 containing four beds, a thermos of hot water, and silk quilts. The room was enormous and the otherwise empty building echoed with our movements. We were totally overwhelmed. What is this place? It felt like we were in the headquarters of some secret society masquerading as a hotel. It’s like someone built a small town but took its soul away. Beoing miles out of the centre of town, we wandered aroudn outside to see if there was any place to eat and found a restaurant, in building number 5, that was likewise completely empty except for a few female attendants. We awkwardly sat down, were handed substantial menus but it took several tries before we found something actually available – imagine no noodles or eggs! While we were there four Japanese girls came in so thankfully we were not the only ones staying in this vast place. We wonder to which building they have been assigned.

Now having spent a little bit of time in this huge and fascinating country, I remain curious as to how a country with such self-sufficiency, such technical superiority, such advancement in every area for so many centuries, how such a country historically had virtually no interest in exploration beyond its natural borders. Ever. You’d think if Marco Polo actually did come to China as he claimed to there might have been some interest from the Chinese as to where this strange white man came from. But apparently not. Okay, there was a short skirmish in the 15th century, but even that yielded nothing. I can’t help wondering what maps might have looked like if the Chinese had explored beyond their borders instead of only within. Would the Pacific Ocean be placed in the middle instead of the Atlantic?

Of course China was not the only superior culture not to expand. The most expansive culture in the world never even tried to cross the Atlantic. Mind you, there are at least Islamic maps existing, one of my favourite maps of all time being Al-Idrisi’s world map from 1154AD. I must have looked at that map for days all together. And having no map does not mean there were no voyages. Until later, the people who made the journeys did not make the maps anyway. In general, explorations were made by mostly fighting men and mercenaries, not scholars or scientists. Attributes of courage, skill and endurance were ruined by pitiless cruelty. Religious superiority too: Pizarro planned the murder of Peruvian Inca king Atahualpa on a charge of heresy of all things.

I jolted out of my thoughts. Hamish was looking at me with glazed eyes and a fake smile. Oh dear, it looks like I’ve been speaking my thoughts out loud again. How on earth did I get there from here? I shook my head and finished my bok choy.