Cruising Down the Yangtze

Sunday 20 August

The boat only chugged along for about an hour and a half last night. Due to the drought conditions, the river is extremely low and there are many shallow areas within the stream. So as to avoid running aground, we dropped anchor overnight and set off again at first light – about 06.00. The sun, a small red ball, was just peaking over the horizon.

The boat feels like a larger version of the train, but much smoother. There is a large lounge on Deck 4, where, during the morning, we heard about the history of the Yangtze and the sights we will be seeing over the next couple of days. After the lecture we went up to the Observation Deck – Deck 5. It was still very hot – although not as hot as yesterday – with a strong warm wind blowing (the wind kept getting in my eyes so I couldn’t read while stretched out on the sunbed!). The shoreline was extremely hazy – due to the immense pollution in this area - and the photographers among us were disappointed.

The Yangtze River is not a beautiful river from Chongqing to Fendu. It is a wide brown sludgy band of water due to the large amount of silt which is washed down from the top area of the river near the Gobi desert. It is slow flowing, with frequent islands – many probably due to the low level of the river at this time. There are settlements along both banks where all the housing is high rise blocks of flats, made from concrete, in the old 1960’s style – flat grey rectangles. They are now dirty, worn and look like extremely ugly stalagmites rising out of the mist. These towns and cities – many of them have over a million people – are connected to each other by roads hugging the hillsides and long bridges on tall concrete stilts. They are building many bridges across the river – they appear to abnormally high, but of course the river is going to rise.

There was a talk about Chinese medicine – while I was trying to connect to the blog – but it was difficult to follow by the time it had been translated into three languages, English , French and Chinese, so I gave up.

After a buffet lunch, which included a Chinese curry that was delicious, we abandoned the boat for yet another coach and tour guide – this time Li (English name - Kenneth), to visit the Ghost Town of Fendu. This is supposed to be the place where the souls of the dead go – where it is decided if you go to Heaven or Hell. It is a series of temples and statues built at the top of a very steep hillside. We had another cable car ride to take us half way – just a bar across a chair stopping two people from dropping a few hundred feet as we swung upwards. (This did save us from walking up 420 steps.) At the landing stage, we still had another 100 steps to reach the Temple of Heaven, but they were in short stages, with temples and, of course, the bazaar sellers at each stage. Colin and I crossed over the middle span of the bridge of silver, hand in hand in nine steps – which should ensure that we had a happy marriage and family life (I hope the Gods were watching). Further up, we entered the Gate of Hell – where spirits of the dead decided which way you would go – up or down – heaven or hell! – women had to enter right foot first, and men with the left foot first. On the wall nearby was a large plaque with Chinese characters that determined what kind of person you were – loyal and dutiful, rich and successful or debauched, untrustworthy or a financial disaster. With eyes closed you had to walk for 5 metres with a hand outstretched (again right for women and left for men) and the symbol you touched foretold your character. It was fun for the children.

Just a few steps more and we were at the Temple of Heaven. In front of the temple was a stone in the ground which fitted into your instep - you had to stand on it with one foot (same
one as used before) for three seconds. Only if successful could you enter the temple.

It was a really huge dark opening, like a cave really, with large figures along each side wall. These were about 20 feet high, caricature in appearance, painted in bright, bold colours, representing the magistrate who was holding a scroll with all your names on, a lawyer who may speak up for you, a doctor who knew all about your state of health, and other officials who could testify as to your character and behaviour in this life. At the back of the temple – where the alter would normally be, was a huge statue of a God-like person, dressed in red, who was the King of the Underworld, Tian Zi. He either let you into Heaven or rejected you to Hell according to the life you have led. The Chinese were obviously very superstitious – and still are.

We retraced our steps to the silver bridge, where we had to opt for the health or wealth span of the bridge to cross – guess what I chose!?!!! And then onwards to take the chair lift down to the safety of the ground and another battery from sellers and beggars. The heat had been exhausting and we were all pleased to be welcomed back on board with a cool flannel and a glass of ice tea. We had heard thunder during our spell ashore, and soon after we boarded it actually rained for a few minutes.

It was hard to imagine that just five years ago, all along the banks where the boat was moored at Fendu, there was a large town. This has now been rebuilt on the opposite side of the river, on higher ground and the area has been left derelict, and now covered in scrub. This is because when the Three Gorges Dam is finished in 2008, the river level will rise some 15 metres and all of that land will be under water. They have also built massive defensive walls to prevent the river rising too high – the current entrance to the old Ghost Town should be above the water line – just. This is happening all along the river – new high rise settlements have been constructed to relocate those affected by this dam. The young people are pleased – the new accommodation includes western style bathrooms and kitchens – all mod cons – but the older people feel their community is being lost as they are separated from lifetime friends and neighbours.

At 18.00 we were all invited to the Lounge for a Captain’s welcome. He was all dressed up in his uniform and gold braid and in Chinese, welcomed us all aboard his boat and wished us a happy journey. He provided fizzy cider for the toast as well as some sushi and nibbles, before we went off for the Captain’s feast – another Chinese/western style meal with duck, chicken and fish and a variety of vegetables. The desert was birthday cake with candles, one for each table, for Sue in our group, whose birthday is on Tuesday – the only passenger to have a birthday during the cruise. So we all had to sing “Happy Birthday” in Chinese.

After dinner there was a fashion show, with the staff acting as the models, showing varied styles of Chinese costume from historical to present day, and from different regions. Some of the costumes were sumptuous and the embroidery and design fabulous, others were just for fun, like present day sports wear (Nike and baseball caps??) to sleepwear for men! We all enjoyed a relaxing evening, before an early night. We have to be up in time to see the first Gorge tomorrow morning at 06.45. It is going to be another hectic sightseeing day, and the real highlight of this voyage.