Northern Capitals - Chapter Six of Nomadic Gatherings
Nomadic Gatherings by Michel Guntern
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Nomadic Gatherings: Chapter Six: Northern Capitals.
Beijing and Harbin. Japan invaded Manchuria in the early 1940s, and the Soviets followed in 1945.
Some of the dome-shaped architecture remains from the Russian period, although much was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.
1.
Beijing Arrival:
The whole area in front of Beijing station was littered with bodies,
curled up on bags, or eating vegetables and rice out of polystyrene,
lunch-boxes.
2. Great Wall of China:
The President admired the view from his own personal space while
photographers and blond journalists in trench-coats struggled to get
through the crowds.
3. Tiananmen Square:
The caller attacked again and bit the other girl, who backed out of the
glass-shattered aluminium frame and showed the crowd her wound.
4. Beijing
Departures:
The capital of China is one thing to get to, but harder to leave. If you
can't get a hard-sleeper on the day you want, you may pay extra for a
soft-sleeper.
5. Travel to Harbin:
A Chinese man who had the habit of growling up his phlegm, filled the
fourth place. He peeled two apples, while the professor drank Coke and
read a book.
6. Harbin Arrival:
Disembarkation from the soft-sleeper was very civilised; perhaps no-one
wanted to be first to feel the cold air of Harbin, capital of
Heilongjiang province.
7. Noodles
and Meat:
In a restaurant, I couldn't understand the menu, so I looked around for
something appetising. The waitress suggested that I write it down in
English.
8. First Class Waiting-Room:
I was forced to travel soft-sleeper back to Beijing, so I made use of
the first class waiting-room away from the masses.
9. Sitting in Silence:
When there's silence between on the train in China, something happening
outside the window gives you a chance to think about the lack of
privacy.
10. Wake,
Eat, Sleep:
Not only did the three men in my compartment not speak to each other,
they woke, ate breakfast, and by nine o'clock were all asleep again.
11. Swiss Milk Powder:
Swiss engineers, building a milk-powder factory for Nestle, shed some
light on working with the Chinese and a hard, cold life in Harbin.
12. Chinese Connections:
So much may not be available in China one minute, but readily become
available with the right introduction letters; like avoiding crowds on
the night train.
Nomadic Gatherings
- by Michel Guntern.
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Chapter Seven:
Grasslands to Terracotta.