Tour Summary
by Marty Bock

Cultural Encounters

As I began my journey, I only had a vague image of what to expect. I had traveled to other parts of the world, but never to Asia. My first experience with culture shock came when I visited the Nationalities Museum and Minority Theme Park.

The Nationalities Museum is in the city of Kunming. Kunming is the capital of Yunnan Province and a large city with a population of about 4,000,000. My visit to the Nationalities Museum was short as only thirty minutes was available to tour the exhibits and buy handicrafts, which according to The Lonely Planet Guidebook , “. . . sells some of the best examples of minority clothing that you’ll find in south-western China. . . “ (p. 713). Because of the time constraints, I decided to skip the exhibits and spend my time in the shops. I do not know if this was a wise decision, but I bought three exquisite, handmade textiles. Each time I look at one of these textiles, I am impressed by the quality of workmanship.  For me, the textiles are truly works of art, and I plan to have each one framed and hung in a prominent place to remind me of the large number of beautiful handicrafts, of which I could only afford three! 

The Minority Theme Park is located a short distance away from the Nationalities Museum. The Minority Theme Park consists of model minority villages that represent all twenty-five minorities present in Yunnan. For me, visiting this park was a strange experience, as I have not been to Epcot Center in Florida and have not encountered a theme park where the main entertainment are representations of minority cultures.  Perhaps this is a different form of entertainment, but the purpose of the Park is to attract tourists and to make money.

I bring these two examples to the forefront because my comfortable understanding and definitions of culture were suddenly challenged. In the first case, I could not but help make comparisons with textiles present in Mexico and Guatemala, particularly in Mayan cultural areas. The patterns present in many of the handicrafts seemed so familiar - as if I had seen them before. Not only the patterns, but the use of vibrant colors seemed oddly familiar, yet I believe the contact between these cultures was minimal.  Thus, I could not help asking, “Why the similarities in patterns and colors?”

A third element of my culture shock involved the religious landscape.  My previous travel experience always has been to countries where Christianity is the dominant religion. Thus, I was accustomed to seeing reflections of Christianity against the skyline. Gilded crosses, gilded domes, domes covered in brightly colored tiles, spires, intricately carved facades, mammoth church buildings - these elements of culture which I expected to see, were missing. True, I occasionally caught a glimpse of a cross, but, it was gone before I even had time to pinpoint the location. Instead, I saw different types of religious architecture: Buddhist temples in Yunnan Province and mosques in Xinjiang Province.

The first Buddhist temple I visited was Yuan Tong Temple. The temple is one-thousand years old, but has been carefully restored. According to the Odyssey Passport Guidebook, “. . . the temple was founded in the eighth century . . . And was greatly enlarged in 1320 after the conquest of of southwest China (1253) by the Mongol Kublai Khan.” The complex now consists of a Great Hall of the Buddha, the Octagonal Pavilion, the garden-like walkways around a pond, a Thai-style temple and a small Tibetan chapel. The part of the complex which I found difficult to comprehend was the temple deities, whether these were portrayed as demonic or animals. A second difficulty I had was understanding the iconography, especially as described by Tenzen (the guide).  I did not have a problem with people kneeling in a worshipful stance as this posture is familiar to Christians. Nor did I have a problem with the lighting of what appeared to be a type candle. Candles and candlelight have symbolic importance for many religions. Sacred places, niches, or glassed in spaces with likenesses of deities displayed, I can comprehend. And the brilliant colors I found joyful. I suspect that I was not prepared for the different expressions or representations the deities took, even though what is considered folk expressions only capture part of the essence of a religion.

Tenzen did provide insight into the iconography of Tibetan Buddhism, noting the place of animals such as the monkey, the rabbit, the elephant and the bird.  Clearly, Tenzen comments reflected pride in his ethnicity and his culture. Other speakers elaborated on Tibetan creation myths, the written texts, and the antiquity of Tibetan history. As well, the close connection was drawn between the land, Tibet, and the Buddhist religion. The three types of Buddhism were explained. As I reflect on the situation I cannot but feel the Dalai Lama’s prominence in the United States has introduced me to the very human side of Buddhism, and perhaps to a misconception that Buddhism is more western religious elements than it actually does.

The other major religion which I experienced was Islam. In the second part of my journey, I visited the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Located in China’s far west, this province borders Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, and India. The people in this Central Asian province are mainly Muslim. Of these groups, the Uyghur, the Kyrgyz,and the Kazaks are Sunni Muslims while the Tajiks are Shia Muslims. The guide, Dolkun, is a Uyghur and a Sunni Muslim. He, also, expressed considerable pride in his culture, ethnicity, and religion. He described the Sunni as the more conservative branch of Islam and the Shia as the less rigid branch of Islam. He used the example of prayer times to make his point: “. . . Sunnis must say their prayers at the indicated times while Shias can miss some praying times and catch up at the next prayer session.” I appreciated his comments on the differences between the two branches because his comments helped me to understand the human face of Islam.  He also explained how Islam diffused along the Silk Road. As I explored some of the ancient rest stops for the caravans, I could almost hear the conversations around fire pits – certainly the religion, Islam, had to be one of the profound topics.

Since I am interested in religious architecture, I was fortunate to visit the Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar. The mosque is a typical Central Asian mosque. I was impressed with the gardens and a courtyard that can hold 20,000 people. I found the architecture interesting, but I was more intrigued with the decoration. The brightly colored, intricate designs were beautiful to see. I was surprised at the number of people who were at the mosque and that women were allowed to enter. However, I did notice that the women present were modestly dressed with arms covered and with head coverings. 

One aspect of my journey through parts of China caused no cultural dissonance. That was the absolutely stunning physical landscapes.  The itinerary described this part of the trip as “. . . a bus ride along the Karakoram Highway.”  When I read that the group would travel along the Karakoram Highway, I was excited. I have seen pictures of the scenery along this highway and have read adventure accounts of people who attempt to summit certain peaks for sport.  I was not disappointed. The route from Kashgar passed over the Pamir Plateau (3000m), the foothills of Kongur Mountain (Gongg’er Shan) at 7719m high and Muztagh-Ata Mountain (Mushitage Shan) at 7546m. Along the route to Tashkurgan were many mountain ranges including the Kunlun, and the Pamirs along with stunning peaks, plateaus and lakes. The Province of Xinjiang borders Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan as well.  At Tashkurgan is the Tajik Autonomous County. The Tajiks are Shia Muslims and the border with Tajikistan is usually open. Tajik women are distinguished with a round hat covered with a white head scarf.

All of this area comprises part of the ancient Silk Road, with routes going to Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Another route went to Italy. In fact, there is the story of Marco Polo’s visit along this ancient route as related by the guide.  The story goes that Marco Polo learned the process of making dough in the region and then took those secrets back to Italy. While in this area, I was fortunate in having an opportunity to visit the home of a Tajik family who live below “the roof of the world.” As I described in my journal:

Later in the afternoon, I came to a road which led to a rough adobe house. As I entered the courtyard, I noticed how the dirt floor of the courtyard had been cleanly swept. I went into the first room called the family room. There was a large platform, called a --------------- where the family sat or relaxed. Pictures of the family were displayed. These are the living quarter of the family. Then, I was taken into the room where guests are served. Again, there was a large platform covered with brightly colored spreads and with large pillows so guests can lean against the walls. There I was served yak milk, black tea, and a kind of cookie. The family that was present consisted of three generations of women: the mother, the daughter, and the grandchild. The young grandchild was delightful, a curious little girl who knew she was loved very much.

My experiences in China are certainly a high point in my travels. Working on this summary has beckoned memories of the physical landscapes and cultural landscapes. One purpose of the field experience was to visit several of the fifty-five minority groups who reside in China. Living alongside the Han Chinese, I saw the pride these groups feel in their ethnicity and culture and the struggle to maintain their identity as a separate people. Not wanting to be overwhelmed by the dominant culture, some groups have been able to pass along their languages, and some even have maintained schools where their language are taught. How these groups will fare in the coming years is still a question. It may be that economic realities will dilute their cultural heritage. On the other hand, their uniqueness may become a valuable tourist asset so that it is encouraged and fostered by the dominant culture.  Some of the tourist value – for better or for worse – already was apparent at the Minority Theme Park. What I will remember most, however, is the people I saw and met. I saw their joy on special occasions such as the first birthday party for a Tajik child. I saw tenderness in the Mosuo mother as she lay down beside a not so well Kate to give comfort. I saw self-respect as the guides shared their religious customs with me. I saw smiles and laughter among others, and with me at the English corner where people were anxious to practice their English with a native speaker.  And, I saw genuine concern, and love among families and even for me – this stranger from abroad. I saw other human emotions such as fear – perhaps fear of foreigners or of government retribution – as when I was asked to leave the Internet café in Tashkurgan.  In all, and in spite of cultural and language differences, I saw the connections between people.