Di's Early Trips to China
First trip was with a reputable travel company, a great introduction. Next was a mother/daughter trip with local women. An all-women tour. We had so much fun- that was behind the inspiration for China Birds.
1987
I first visited China in September, 1987. We visited Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Guilin, Xi'an, Beijing and Shanghai. Back to Hong Kong and then home.
We had a wonderful trip, myself and my then husband, Michael.
Our National Guide was Miss Liu from Nanjing, who was wonderful, and our whole group adored her. Nothing was too much trouble.
Our trip began in Hong Kong, and we went by train to Guangzhou. I remember the journey very well- we sat in comfort and watched the landscape unfold as we rested our heads on crisp embroidered antimacassars and nibbled on boiled eggs, part of our lunch box packed by our Hong Kong hotel.
The streets and shops in Guangzhou reminded me of the Chinese street (Bridge St) in Bendigo, the city close to Eaglehawk, where I'd grown up. Sadly, the Chinese style shops in Bendigo are no longer there.
Beijing was amazing. Our bus was able to easily park right at Tiananmen Square, and we had a very short walk to be right at the monuments .
There were very few tourists there that day I remember.
Hardly any cars in 1987, thousands and thousands of bicycles, many of them the "Flying Pigeon" brand.
1990
In 1990 I went to China with a group of women, I took my daughter Alice, who was 13 years old. We flew in to Guangzhou, and with the aid of the Lonely Planet found a Hostel for Overseas Chinese which was across the road from the famous White Swan Hotel. We took the local bus to the hostel, and were very tired when we arrived.
Alice and I shared a room that first night with a man from Taiwan, we spoke one word each- his " Taiwan", mine "Australia". After a couple of days in Guangzhou, sleeping at the hostel, which cost RMB 3 per night, and eating breakfast each day at the upmarket White Swan, we bought hard seat train tickets for Xi'an. We had hoped for hard sleepers, but none were available.
A party of Western women created a lot of interest in the hard seat section of the train. The men in the photo found us fascinating and their eyes followed our every move! My daughter took this photo.
We were able to negotiate for hard sleepers later in the journey, so had somewhere to sleep.
We arrived in Xi'an after a train journey which took 3 days and 2 nights.
We found a hotel close to the station which cost the equivalent of 10 Australian dollars. We went to the terracotta warriors by bus with a local Chinese tour.
We enjoyed walking around the streets, shopping the local stores, and enjoying the sights, such as a little boy having a haircut, or medical staff giving advice. When I asked a policeman for directions to the Zoo, a man sweeping the street came and helped us- he spoke impeccable English.
Walking near the hotel, some women gestured to us. It was beside the wall which encircled the old city. The women had a ladder up against the wall, and for a small amount of money, you could climb the wall, with two of the women holding the ladder. My friend Ruth went up and I held her rather expensive camera and her cigarette. I pretended to smoke and my daughter took the photo.
We went shopping one day and I bought a smart Chinese style top made of brushed cotton. When I tried it on in the shop a huge crowd gathered to watch.
Later at the hotel the other women joked that I looked pregnant. But that's not a baby under there- it's a money belt!
We carried large backpacks and wore jeans and jumpers which we'd bought at opportunity shops in Australia. We abandoned most of the clothes before coming home, so we could fit our purchases into the back packs.
Alice had been collected pandas of all types since 1987, and she wanted to see some at the Xi'an Zoo, so we visited there and met a man who helped us get tickets and then showed us around. We had a cup of green tea at the tea house.
We got around the city on public transport, mostly on the bendy (in two parts) buses which were everywhere then. We enjoyed seeing the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and other various sights.
What a great holiday ! Very adventurous and a lot of fun.
