The Chinese Mistress.

I had placed China on a very high pedestal before my blistered feet had even smelt the Chinese soil, I had given the Country large amounts of my time through endless reading of Proverbs, Poetry and History. I knew all the Emperors and Dynasties by heart and had ignorantly put their incredulous legacy's to the source of what Modern Chinese thought is today, I was obviously quickly shaken into reality when entering this seemingly frustrating Land in the form of Communist bureaucracy and proud Han's. I had in fact placed China so far up on it's imaginary Ming Style Pedestal, that I had self induced an inferiority complex toward the Country, I soon realised I had to wake up from this pathetic idea realising she smelt fear.
You quickly notice China possesses exceptional beauty in the form of imposing Mountains and Ancient Culture, it started for me in Yongshuo in Guanxi Provence, which for centuries has been revered by Poets and Scholars alike for its Natural beauty, getting lost on a crappy Chinese made bicycle through endless rice paddies and river banks whilst futilely communicating with the local farmers. Four hours out is Longshen, which holds the gigantic 800 years old Rice Terraces, it has been Christened 'Dragon Backbone Terraces' in typical over-the-top Chinese fashion. It is an inspirational trek over these Ancient man made Mountains all created to cultivate rice in low and high altitudes.
It was definitely an easy and dubiously effortless start to China, but it seemed she was just toying with me in an attempt to send me into a false calm, her first test was in the form of a very large Train Station. It is a total nightmare, a couple of thousand Han, all giving you the impression of absolute contempt in a room directed at a handful of small windows controlled by uninterested, overworked Chinese Woman. I found the trick is to keep in mind with China and its infinite obstacles is that you do it, because there is no other option. If you don't get the ticket, you don't move, if you don't find food, you don't eat, if you don't find a pillow, you don't sleep. This of course doesn't make it any easier, especially when you are following the tracks of many travellers who did find another option, leaving, but there was something about China that drew me towards her, she was like a notable spoilt brat, and by all reasonable logic, I should have dumped her long ago, but there is somethings you can't explain, and I was attracted to her mysterious beauty. It took 19 hours but I made it to Kunming, Yunnan Provence, you have never seen so many Banks. It seems China has very few Domestic business and they over compensate for this with the few they do have, Banks and 'China Mobile' litter this City and most other's for that matter in the form of windowless concrete monsters. I didn't stay long here but was surprised by its cleanliness and wealth, I spent my little time here strolling the City eating watermelon and corn on the cob from street vendors. This is also the City that the legend of Chinese spitters was proven to be not only true, but contagious. There is something quite free about making a very loud hoicking sound right in the back of your throat to gather as much flem as possible and spitting it in front of everyone in public and not getting any questioning looks about your place in society, I hope to bring this habitual practice back home with me to bring a bit of humility to New Zealanders. Kunmings main reason for been a destination with China's relative few Western travelers is to get to smaller parts of Yunnan, my first one been the Ancient walled town of Dali. Most famous for the 'Three Pagoda's" its a very pleasant little city which used to be home to the minority Bai people, I thought this place to rather over rated by travelers and after seeing the sights and picking up food poisoning from a Muslim restaurant I was on a local bus to another Ancient Town, Lijiang. The bus ride was very opening for me because China decided to give me yet another test to try my loyalty to her. In a very short amount of time to what seemed like such a trivial reason, I gained something I had not felt for a long time since leaving home, HATE.
I was suffering from slight motion sickness in this very small bus, I was in a pretty lousy mood for what ever reason then of course a China-man sits next to me as his last resort since even the preferred floor space was taken up, it seems Europeans repulse working class Chinese, he then reaches over me, closes the window and proceeds to light a cigarette directed straight in my face, at that exact point, I couldn't have felt a stronger pure hatred to towards this man and the entire race of China. Something in me just clicked, I started thinking of all the shit I had endured since I walked over that border, all the trivial, bureaucratic nonsense the Chinese do and all I wanted to do was get the Hell out. I finally arrived in Lijiang and since it was one of those days, every Taxi refused to take me to a Hostel, after 5KM of walking with 20kg on my back, I couldn't have cared any less if China imploded on it self there and then. China is a mysterious creature, because just like a flick of the fingers, she gave me an experience I would never forget, she gave me her personal jewelry box filled with jade mountains, sapphire rivers, a gold sun and the purest white silk covering the mountain tops of her highest peaks, it was China's deepest Gorge, the 'Tiger Leaping Gorge'.
I decided to trek her by my self to appreciate its true spender, It started off very averagely along a gravel road, I had walked for about an hour until I came to a fork in the road with a shop in the middle selling the usual over priced goods, the China man asked if I wanted to by some water, I refused, and as a result, he pointed me into the wrong direction. Two hours later, after seeing no sign of life I started to worry, I came to this open grass field held up by an Ancient Cliff and realised I could be in a bit of trouble, I sat down for a minute to contemplate the true situation, it was getting dark, no one was around, I had no idea where to go and I was a few hundred meters on a cliff face. Something at that point hit me that I had never before considered since my travels, I was completely alone, I couldn't just ring up my parents, I couldn't talk to a friend about it China seemed at the time pretty set on screwing with me, I was honestly quite scared, if you really think about it, there are very few times in ones life where you are completely alone in any given situation, but I was being tested by the Chinese mistress. I then saw a small angel in the form of a trekker right at the bottom of the Cliff signalling to me where the actual path is, next thing I know, I'm precariously running along some rocks in the cliff face that I would never have even considered looking at due to the stupid danger combined with my prudent nature to get to this path, I obviously made it without tumbling into the Yanzte but that point opened me to something very strange, this was the start of something quite extraordinary along the Tiger Leaping Gorge. I stayed the night in a Naxi guesthouse and started earlier then the roosters since there was such a long way to go, two hours later, I was coming to an end of what the locals call the '28 bends' appropriately named after its endless upward spiral hill to reach the highest peak by road, when I finally did reach the top I was completely alone and everything just seemed to come to a screaming silence.
There are certain things humans come in contact with or do that gives them an instant rush of pure contentment, where everything seems perfect and you think about nothing but that present situation, it's like your heart skips several beats and you are temporally floating in Ecstasy, like when you listen to a beautiful piece of music, or when climaxing while having sex or even looking into a child's gaping eyes. I was experiencing this feeling at this moment when I came into contact with the 'Tigers' view. I just sat there completely brain dead, I didn't need my tainted mind, I was just in the moment, this is how perfect this view was. After that moment, the rest of the 8hour trek flew by, it has been the best part of my trip so far.
Next spot after rushing through the Sichaun Provence, Chendu, famous for hot Tibetan food and Giant Panda's I was in my favourite City so far, the end of the 'Silk Road', Xi'an. This is of course home to the mighty Terracotta Warriors, as a potential History Student, Xi'an was incredaby interesting. I went to the Museum which actually hold the books of Confucius and the legendary Monk, Zuang Xang. The Warriors were spectacular and I could have spent the whole day gazing into these Ancient Pits, so in fact, I did. I am now in my present location, Beijing, The Heart of China and Communism. I fear China still has not finished with me, I am coming to an end of her road and the question will be, will I come out happy to have met her or is she best to be left alone?