Tour Summary
By Diane Erickson

In the book, Yunnan, that was given to us by Betchart Expeditions before we left for China, Patrick R. Booz says, “Although Yunnan is now easily reached by air or train, a trip there carries the cachet of remoteness and true adventure.” I heartily agree. It sums up our trip to Yunnan and Xinjiang. We had a truly adventurous experience in two remote and wonderful places. One I know I’ll never forget.

Our adventure was divided into two areas: Yunnan Province and Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The first part of our trip started in Yunnan. Yunnan is in China’s southwest corner. It is bounded on the south by Vietnam and Laos, and on the west by Burma. Patric Booz says that, “Yunnan is a microcosm of China in the area of minority affairs and nationality relations. The province has 25 minority groups, nearly half of the country’s total.”

The opportunity began in Kunming, which is known throughout China as ‘Spring City.’ We were told that temperatures there rarely reach freezing in winter and the days are crisp and sunny. Indeed they were. I had heard from friends before going that China in July was going to present problems. It would be hot and humid with lots of mosquitoes. I was delighted to find that this was not so for us this year. The weather in Kunming and all of the trip was wonderful and cool, which was rather ironic since in Minnesota, my home state, the weather this summer in July was very hot 90-100 degrees and humid. This was an interesting turn of events that helped create the adventure for me, as I don’t particularly care for hot and humid. I also only saw eight mosquitoes in Yunnan, far less than I have at home. This was possibly due to the high amount of mosquito spray all our participants, except me, were wearing.

It did rain in Kunming, but there was plenty of sunshine between showers. The weather is certainly a minor thing, but it does create a setting where much can be enjoyed as we did the Yuantong Temple with its majestic Great Buddha statue and accompanying dragons and The Flower and Bird Market with its animals of all sizes and kinds: crabs, fish, birds, puppies, cricket baskets, and rabbits to name a few. The foods the vendors were making smelled wonderful. We watched them fry up a wonderful variety of meats and vegetables as we nodded and smiled at passersby, and they at us. I was interested in all the birds: finches, mynas, and cockatiels to name a few that we passed on the back streets. Not many birds for a Bird Market, but enough to get me whistling.

We went on to visit the Kunming City Museum, a lecture on gender by He Zhong Hua at the Yunnan University of Finance, Economy and Trading, The Minority Theme Park, and the Nature Conservancy talk on the TNC “Great Rivers Project.”

From Kunming we went to Lijiang and visited the Yi. We went across Lashi Hai by dugout canoe for an ecotour. We visited Old Town and wandered through its many stalls with vendors selling all types of things.  We visited Dr. Rock’s former residence, the Yulong Xueshan Nature Protection Area, and had the glorious chance to see Jade Dragon Snow Mountain unshrouded by clouds.  From Lijiang we went to Lugu Lake and had an incredible opportunity to stay with Najin Bujia’s family and learn more about the Mosuo. Eileen’s expertise guided us through dancing and singing with the warm Mosuo people. When I wasn’t dancing or singing, I sat with Dashalimu Bujia’s sister and we smiled and “talked” to each other, even though I didn’t speak Chinese and she didn’t speak English. This was a wonderful experience that was only topped by Snow Mountain, Tiger Leaping Gorge, and an exhilarating boat ride with master oarsmen on Lugu Lake in the face of a storm of impending doom. However, it’s good to reconnect with one’s spirituality, and what better place than Lugu Lake?

From Lijiang we went to Zhongdian. Sitting high above Tiger Leaping Gorge on the edge of a road post and meditating was another definite highlight. The many Lamaseries and Buddhist Temples we visited were also very interesting and worthwhile. It was good to be blessed by one of the monks before riding across Lugu Lake. It helped.

From Zhongdian we went to Lijiang and then from Chengdu to Urumqi, which marked the beginning of the second part of our trip. The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is the largest Province in China and lies in the middle of the continent. Xinjiang shares borders with 8 countries and is one-sixth of China’s total territory.

Xinjiang has snow-capped peaks, ridges, glaciers, deserts, high mountain lakes, forests, rivers, grasslands and oasis. The Tianshan Mountain Range, one of the largest in Asia, lies in the middle of Xinjiang dividing it into North and South, Pamirs to the West, and in the South and Southwest are the Kunlun Mountain Ranges. It is impressive that of the world’s fourteen peaks which are 8,000 meters or greater, four are in Xinjiang with K2 at 8,611 meters being the second highest in the world. The glaciers feed the grasslands and the Tarim River flows through the basin. The Zhungur Basin, the second largest in the region, is north of the Tianshan Mountains. Towns stretch along the Silk Road like Kashgar and Turpan which we visited.

This second part of our trip started in Urumqi, which is on the middle southern edge of the Zhungur Basin. It is the farthest distance from any of the world’s seas and is the center point of Asia. The city is surrounded by mountains on three sides. In Urumqi, we visited Old Town and the Erdaoqiao Market with its delightful handcrafts from the Uyghur people.

We then flew to Kashgar and went along the Karakoram Highway to Tashkurgan. On the way we visited Karakul Lake. We ate and took a walk along this beautiful lake. Some of our group rode camels.  What a wonderful way to imagine yourself on the Silk Road. The next day we went to the Tajik Autonomous County to visit with the Tajik people who live below “the roof of the world.” We met 2 ladies and their little girl who told us about their lives and served us yak butter tea. We listened to a lecture on the Silk Road and visited the Stone City Ruins which were marvelous.

 On the way back from Tashkurgan to Kashgar we visited the Kyrghiz people and their flat houses call Yurts. In Kashgar we went to the famous Livestock Bazaar with all the animals, the Sunday Bazaar, the Id Kah Mosque with its fascinating side streets, the Tomb of Appakh Hoja and in the evening we went to an English Corner at a new café where we talked to many teachers and students who were interested in practicing their English. It was a great time for everyone.

In Urumqi we visited the Xinjiang Autonomous Regional Museum, took a city tour, went to Nan Shan Mountain and talked to the Kazaks who are nomads that live in Yurts in the hills outside of Urumqi in the summer to pasture their horses and cattle. In the evening, we went to the Night Market. The following day we traveled to Turpan, an ancient stop along the Silk Road. Turpan is in eastern Xinjiang and is in a depression of 1000 sq. kilometers below sea level, the second lowest point next to the Dead Sea.

Turpan is called the Land of Fire because of its intense temperatures. It was only 110 degrees in Turpan when we were there, but that didn’t stop us from visiting the Karez Irrigation System created by the Uyghurs or the Ruins of Jiaohe, a multi-cultural garrison town. We then flew to Shanghai, our one visit to a large city in China, which reminded me a lot of New York. In Shanghai we visited the Jade Buddha and the Shanghai Museum with all its bronzes, jewelry, paintings, and silks. In the evening we had a farewell dinner and went to a jazz club at the Keys Hotel to hear one of our members sing a song with the well-established jazz group there. It was the perfect ending to a great trip.

In conclusion, I’d like to say I had a wonderful time and learned a lot. It has certainly expanded my knowledge of China, because what I knew of China before was only book learning. I now have seen some of China’s great heart. I’ve seen the warmth of the people, as well as some of the coldness. I’ve seen mothers hug their children and kiss their husbands. I’ve heard lectures from well-meaning, extremely dedicated people on women’s issues that include health, sex, finances, drugs, relationships, and children. They’re concerned that their land is changing, and their people are changing; and though something is being gained economically and intellectually in the interchange, something is possibly being lost culturally.

I’ve seen people at work, at play, and at houses of worship. I’ve seen people talking, crying, laughing, hurting, smiling, and looking wondrously at this big blonde woman who towers above them. (Me.) In short, I’ve seen people who look different than I do, but have similar cares and joys. I’ve also seen the wild regions of the land that defines these people’s faces, hearts, and eyes.

What have I learned from this trip? That China, with its glorious past and glorious future, is a country of people who look and speak differently than me, but on the whole are very similar. How can I use this in my teaching? Well, I teach in many places, but one place is a jail that often has Native Americans, Latinos, and Blacks, as well as Caucasians. If through my experiences, I can get them to learn what I’ve learned from the Chinese, maybe they’ll be better able to see how similar they are to each other. And I’d call that really learning something.