I had some information about the poem on this fan but all of my technology began to fail and lots of images and texts were lost. I remember it being about a poet/calligrapher who sat in the mountains getting drunk with friends and he became philosophical about life and his surroundings.
I met Dido and Kitman in our dorm at Cloudland Hostel. We have all become good friends. They both speak great English, Dido has won the first prize in a national English writing contest in Liaoning Province.
View from Cloudland Hostel window (above).
Dido is from Dalian, Liaoning Province and Kitman is from Hong Kong. We got taxi through the app called Didi and headed to Kunming train station. People were staring at me, as usual. I should be the one staring as people seem to wearing pyjama’s to get on the train. There is a big golden bull as a landmark.
We got on the train and had been transferred to a sleeper carriage but we could only share the bottom bunks with others. Otherwise we’d have to pay 30RMB if we wanted to sleep. Opposite us, a couple snuggled up all journey and wore the same t-shirts. We made friends with some young teens who were born in Dali. I gave them a couple of British Pound coins and they seemed to treasure them.
We were going to take a slow bus but it was really crowded. We took a ride from an unlicensed local taxi and it cost 50RMB, rather than over 80 RMB from a licensed taxi, to get taken to the Jade Emu Hostel (which is famous and has great reviews). Arriving at the hostel, there seemed to be lots of children making a huge noise and the staff were disorganised. I went over to a group of older British males and hung out with them for the rest of the evening. I felt relaxed with them and the conversation was on my level. Dido and Kitman had a lovely time walking around the old town and warmed to Dali.
The Chinese girls (who I didn’t know) in my dorm were up until 3am talking and had their bed lights switched on. They all woke at 6.30am, got showered and talked loudly until 9.30am. I was really pissed off and have booked a private room for tomorrow night, then Dido, Kitman and I will change to a more cosy hostel.
In the morning it was raining heavily and I was tired. I met a very well travelled American guy called Jonathan and his friend. He gave me some more tip and he might join us girls for the next section of our trip to Shaxi, Lijiang and Chengdu (famous for its hotpots and pandas).
Here’s a hotpot we ate in Dali.
We got into a taxi and went to a stone factory.
I had always planned to go to these places with E, as he is training on stonemasonry apprenticeship scheme. I didn’t think I would actually be really interested in it. This wasn’t a typical tourist destination; the girls had asked a local craft shop where a local stone factory was, as they knew I wanted to visit one. I think I was actually taking these photos for him to see one day, or to somehow connect with his interests.
The man showing us around, Diao Fuyun, had an incredible amount of passions for stone and his business which is called Dali Marvellous Stone Crafts Factory. Last year his daughter tragically died in a long distance coach crash, along with all the other passengers. I’ve been on many of these coaches. The roads can be particularly rough with many sharp bends and erratic, distracted drivers. Not all but I have experienced quite a few.
He keeps working for his family business. The males in the family all work in the yard and the females look after children and cook. The little girl in these photos is his other daughter.
I’ve never seen raw or polished stones that have such intense colours. At points, he would splash some water over the stones, to bring out the intensity of the colours and patterns.
The stones types included:
Shell Fossil
Coral Fossil
White Marble
Landscape Stone
And so much more but I’ve forgotten the names of them.
Outside the factory we got a Tuc Tuc with a cheerful lady driver who played a song called ‘Little Apple’. This song is the Chinese equivalent to Gangman Style.
She drove us to the wrong temple and then we asked some local people how to get to our intended temple. They kindly took us to our next destination.
This temple was called the Jizhao (this means lonely and quiet) Monastery. We watched monks pray and were surrounded by beautiful flowers speckled with rivulets of rainwater. A local man gave us a lift back to our hostel.
These local people are really kind and want us to see Dali in the best light. We are now getting ready for a night out seeing live bands at the famous ‘Wild Monkey’ bar.
The Wild Monkey bar was actually WILD. There are two Wild Monkey bars, they brew their own ales and are run by two Brits. In one bar they played live Jazz and the other live Hip Hop. People had large vessels with taps on their tables and both bars were full. I spoke to a lot of westerners who made the big move to China and loved relaxing in the bohemian Dali.
I started drinking again.
The next day I went to Cangshan (the colour of green – mountain) with Kitman and Dido. We paid for cablecars up and down the mountain. At one point Dido said ‘When I was little, I wished I could sleep on a cloud, because I thought it would feel like cotton.’
Bless her.
When we reached the foot of the mountain, we walked through a little ancient traditional town. The Japanese buildings there were built for Japanese Monks in the Ming Dynasty. It was very authentic and I think workers from the Movie Studio ‘Dragon Oath’ worked there. The movie studio itself was very tacky, catering for tourists only. There were stores selling imitation costumes of past dynasties. This studio mainly shoots Chinese action films. We had our hair braided and ate tea eggs. Everyone was staring at me, as usual and I had my photograph taken with random Chinese tourists.
We’ve moved hostels, we are now in a place called ‘The Colour of the Wind’. It has mostly Chinese guests. The decorations are eclectic, with a mix of traditional and modern collectables. We feel at home here with the attention to detail and cats and dogs.
We met a local man and he took us to the mountains and lake with his son. The views were beautiful, as usual but the lake is really polluted. A lot of Chinese people can’t swim. I wouldn’t get into any lake in China. The have serious water pollution and plumbing issues in China. Each guest house is drilling deep into the ground for a water supply, which almost certainly will lead to some big earthquakes. The guest house owners are singularly minded, wanting money and not thinking about their actions creating environmental issues. Construction is happing all around, Nick says that in 10 years there will be far less green land, with house being build up the mountains and in any available space. Families want their children to get an education and not have to live a gruelling life farming in the fields. The implications of this will almost certainly result in less fresh food.
In the evening we met Nick and he took us to meet the other expat Brits again. We went to the ‘Back Yard Bar’ just off of the old town. The back Yard Bar is known only by locals and friends. The bar doesn’t have a sign and is basically the back yard of a house. In the little street off of the main part of the Old Town there was a dog barking over us. This place is really relaxed.
Nick and his friends are very well travelled and offered a lot of advice.
It was my 39th birthday on the 18th July. In the morning, Dido, Kitman and myself went to Nick’s house. We also met two other brits living in Dali and they came over too. We had a big English fry up, which was comforting. Usually breakfast in China consists of noodles or rice dishes. The Chinese kill fried eggs, with the result being totally solid yolks. The girls were very interested in the breakfast, as this was their first time. Nick made everything from scratch including the bread and sausages. He also made a birthday banoffee pie with coconut cream and a spliff for a candle, this made me laugh. I will be meeting Nick and his wife back in the UK later next year.
The house is beautiful and covered with his travel photos from all around the world. Anyone could mistake the photos for National Geographic prints. He’s been travelling most of his life and has some intense stories from hanging out with head hunters and being shot at in war zones. I know we will meet again, he’s moving to a remote village in Thailand and I will visit him and his wife. The group told me that they come across so many travellers and they usually don’t bother hanging out with them.
Travellers tend to talk about where they are from, where they have been and where they are going. This can get a little tiresome. On day one (and pool night) in Dali I approached their table, sat with them and we all bonded immediately. They said that rarely happens and they felt I had something really interesting about me. I’m bound to prove that theory wrong over time, ha!
The food here is amazing, especially the hot pots. Oh the hot pots. We need these in the UK.
‘For me, cold and windy weather means one thing: It’s hot pot season. The concept of hot pot is simple. You set a pot of simmering broth on a portable burner in the middle of the table. Around it are plates of meat, seafood, and vegetables, all prepped and ready to be cooked in the broth.
There are different styles of hot pot around Asia, and even within a given country, each household will do it a little differently, but if there’s one universal hot pot rule, it would be this —you don’t “hot pot” with people you don’t like. Like fondue, hot pot is one of the most social of dining formats. Not only are you gathered at one table sharing a meal, but you’re cooking your food together in a shared pot.’
- http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/02/how-to-make-chinese-hot-pot-at-home-guide.html
There’s also a sweet dish, yoghurt is spread out like a pancake on a frozen plate, when it’s set it’s then cracked into tiny pieces. This is delicious.
Quite a few things hit me on my birthday. I am single with no children at 39. I’ve made some terrible partner choices. I’m that woman who writes articles about how happy she is being strong, independent, single and childless at 40. I’m not happy about it. Many people have messaged me saying that they would love to be doing what I’m doing, travelling and researching, accept they are tied down. Western men in bars in Dali kept trying to fuck me. When I refused, they got really nasty or aggressive. At first they tell me how beautiful I am, then they tell me to loosen up and have some ‘fun’. I don’t need or want that kind of fun. One guy stuck his finger up at me and stole my drink, another told me I should loosen up as my clock is running out. I’d innocently speak to younger people and I would get called ‘Milf’ or ‘cradle snatcher’. How can I even think of going next to anyone after E and the trauma?
The westerners who live in China may be attracted to me but the Chinese men are after Chinese girls who are under 25. It’s shameful here to not be married by the age of 25. Girls will face consistent pressure to get married from their families, friends and workplaces. Imagine a workplace pressurising you to get married? That’s insane.
The bars in Dali are heaving, there’s a good live music scene and tons of weeds. The Bad Monkey is probably the best of the bars, with live jazz and hip hop. There are a lot of westerners here, mixing with the locals and getting very drunk. I started drinking again. This is a huge thing for me as I had given up for a year and three months, as you’ll know from earlier posts. I’m making sure I have some control over it and not drinking every day. Drinking isn’t as good as I remembered it to be. It makes me tired, bloated and too emotional.
I’ve felt very safe all over China but there are some nut jobs in Dali. Last week a German guy had to be flown home after being stabbed and cut into by a group of Chinese men. This was after a Euro cup match.
We said goodbye to everyone and Kitman also left to head back to Hong Kong. I will miss her very much. I am now on a bus and headed for Shaxi, Yunnan. This is a very small village and out in the countryside. Shaxi has a long history regarding smuggling of all sorts, including opium. I will visit the tea horse trail with Dido. Chinese people visit here to see the stars. It’s very rare to see the stars anywhere in China because of the smog. I told the girls that we often see the stars in the UK, they found that very unusual. I can’t wait to see the stars in the UK and not have to use squatting toilets. These toilets are the norm. Men piss down the holes and all over the floor and then we squat on that piss ridden floor. Toilet paper cannot be thrown in most toilets due to the plumbing. There’s a little bin by the hole in the floor, this is for your used paper. Now actually imagine the smell and this daily experience.
Chinese women are pretty tough. They work as labourers on building sites in the scorching sun. I’ve seen women work in shops, stalls and carrying large baskets of fruit, for at least 20 hours a day. When do they sleep? Craftspeople make silverware, pots, embroider practically anything at every waking hour. Women carry bundles practically twice their size and up huge mountains. Nick told us he was struggling to walk up a steep hill and a short old Chinese lady sprinted ahead of him with ease and carrying a big TV on her back!
The staring was worse than ever at the train station. Being hung over and exhausted for the first time in a long while didn’t help my mood. I used to find it funny and somehow felt special, unique. Now I find it really irritating, as it’s not possible to just lose yourself in a crowd. Eyes are always fixed on me from all over. They don’t look away and the stare seems to last for an eternity. Today I feel low and just want them to stop. It surely can’t be so interesting to watch me throw my chewing gum in the bin, or pick up my backpack? I won’t miss the constant stares.
We arrived at Shaxi. a historic market town in Jianchuan County, located roughly halfway between Dali and Lijiang. Until the middle of last century, Shaxi was a flourishing village on the caravan road to Tibet.
‘From the hills of Simao and Xishuangbanna the caravaners brought tea; animal hides and bones, important in Chinese medicine, from Burma. Salt, one of the most important commodities before the advent of refridgeration, came from Qiaohou, just south of Shaxi, or from Yunlong across the mountains to the west. Tibetans in turn brought down musk, mushrooms and medicine from the cold mountains of the north. And opium, always an illicit good, was certainly carried somewhere hidden on this route that bypassed the checkpoints of Dali.’
– www.yunnanexplorer.com
The dear old lady above looked at me in a confused way when I pointed the camera at her. I showed her the portrait on the Canon screen and this must have been the very first time she’d seen a digital camera as she looked very shocked. If you ever go to China, take a polaroid camera, then it’s easy to give the locals valuable gifts.
Our hostel is lovely, with old wooden rooms and two big dogs. It’s very quiet here and for the first time I’ve felt a real authentic atmosphere.
Last night some kind of fever struck me and I’ve been in bed taking Chinese medicine and resting. I want to explore the town but I can’t stand up without doubling over sick. I can’t eat any Chinese food as it’s so rich and oily and making me even more sick. Dry bread for me. I’m feeling pretty low too, it hits me in waves. I let myself sink and then pull myself together. I miss E. I think I’m sick through stress, my body is aching and my stomach is gurgling. At least we have a cosy room with our own bathroom with great courtyard and countryside views.
I became very ill in Shaxi, bedridden in one of the most beautiful places. The doctors said it could be altitude sickness but I think it’s the food and stress. Dido went to the hospital and they said I needed injections. We are not sure what it is but we think it may be altitude, stress, food, a number of things. I was served Chinese remedies by an old man in a hut with an abacus. I was also given some liquids in some test tubes. I had no idea what anything was but i took it all. It worked, much better than any other medicine I’ve ever had. I tried numerous ways of taking it and he just laughed at me every time. Firstly I poured these little red balls into water, no. Then I tried to just eat them, no. I had to pour them all in my mouth and wash it down with water. They taste very unfamiliar.
This is the most beautiful and relaxing hostel so far, with two lazy giant dogs with hang out with.
Shaxi is one of the most beautiful little villages I have ever seen. I crammed into a packed little mini bus with Dido and heading to our hostel. As soon as we walked through the little lanes, we became very relaxed. Every part of this village feels authentic; it’s one of those magical places where you can easily step back in time. We walk past cute little wooden buildings and down cobbled streets. The distinctive roofs curl in the sun towards the Gods. Each shop is independent and individual, a refreshing change from the repetitive tourist aimed industries in most old towns. Nobody is trying to sell us their wares; they just sit patiently by their hand carved spoons and catapults. This is very unusual for China, as they are usually pushing things in your face before you’ve even seen them.
There are many porcelain necklaces in this village, all originating from Jingdezhen! I think Dido was secretly pleased with her new knowledge as not many Chinese people have heard of the porcelain city, it’s not on the usual tourist route either. It’s a long way to import goods, from Jingdezhen to Yunnan, especially as it’s a pain to get anywhere in China. There are also some amazingly talented potters, stonemasons and carpenters.
The Opium Trail (Tea horse trail, Shaxi)
This is a very cute little bridge near our hostel. It’s not openly known to be an opium trail and most people keep this information to themselves. I crossed the bridge with A group of ducks. Apparently a group of ducks is referred to as a flock while they are in flight. Or a raft, team or paddling while the group is on water. I’m going to call them a team, seeing as they were crossing a bridge, not flying or in water. It was cute. I quite often found myself in the middle of a herd or similar.
‘Once Shaxi was a thriving little town. Nestled in a beautiful green valley Shaxi was a good place to live. A pleasant climate, plenty of water from the slopes of the high Cangshan mountains to the east, and good agricultural land made its Bai farmers prosperous. And every few days, mostly during the dry winter season, a caravan on its way north to Tibet or south to the hot lowlands passed through.
From the hills of Simao and Xishuangbanna the caravaners brought tea; animal hides and bones, important in Chinese medicine, from Burma. Salt, one of the most important commodities before the advent of refridgeration, came from Qiaohou, just south of Shaxi, or from Yunlong across the mountains to the west. Tibetans in turn brought down musk, mushrooms and medicine from the cold mountains of the north. And opium, always an illicit good, was certainly carried somewhere hidden on this route that bypassed the checkpoints of Dali.’
- www.yunnanexplorer.com
I’m sat in Lijiang airport, ready to fly to Kunming and then the Vietnam. I have no money left and I am hungry and thirsty. I should be sad but in fact I’m relieved. China is hard work and I need a holiday now! It’s hard to sum up how I feel right now. My brain is so used to hearing a language that I don’t understand. Dido said I am beginning to figure out what people are saying. I’ve been picking up quite bad Chinese slang actually.
China is full of craft, at points their constant pushing drove me mad. Now I’m thinking about all those hours, investing their time and energy into each outcome. They make things and socialise with locals all day on the street. This is a world away from teaching at University or having the luxury of an art studio. What has this solo travel taught me? I can make friends from all over the world, I can travel and be at places on time. I can dip into these craft pockets in places like Jingdezhen and become a part of their world. How can all this fit into a Contemporary Art context? I will have to reflect and spend some time in the studio to process it all.
