Welcome to The Tibetan Plateau
Hello from Western Sichuan, China! And welcome back to On The Road with Janice, uploaded and organized by the indefatigable and patient Kathi Williams and posted on Elegant Island Living where you can keep up and read the latest posts. Through the years, Kathi has been a trooper, grappling with my jumble of posts and pictures that I’ve emailed from around the world on my phone at midnight sitting in a bar with the only (sloooow) WiFi to be found. This trip may pose its own complications: many of our apps do not work in China. They have their own chat/messaging apps, their own Venmo-like apps, their own Uber-like apps and more! ESIMs and VPNs are recommended. Hopefully mine will work!
So I wanted to come to China back when it first opened in the 80s. I bought Frommer’s and Fodor guides (remember those?!) trying to plan a trip, but was limited by both time and money. I did learn enough to know China is a BIG country (about 20% bigger than mainland US) so trying to “see it” in a couple weeks is impossible. (And! Its population is roughly four times larger!) These days, researching with videos and travel influencers, it’s easy to see that China is so much more than Beijing and the Great Wall.
For this trip, I’m driving through Sichuan and Qinghai, two provinces about 1000 miles west of Beijing. This area, Western Sichuan and the Tibetan Plateau - nicknamed The Roof of the World because it averages 14,000 feet elevation - lies in the shadow of the Himalayas.
If you’ve read some of my prior blogs, you know I gravitate to different ethnic groups, to cultures which are disappearing… hoping I will see them before they disappear into our increasingly homogenized world. The Tibetan Plateau is home to nomadic yak herders who comprise the Tibetan ethnic group, the second largest in China, one of 50 or so. This area has been shaped by Tibetan Buddhism and is dotted with monasteries. Colorful prayer flags flap in the wind that comes off the Himalayas.
There are many reasons cultures “disappear:” economic stability and opportunity, education, governmental policies, globalization, environmental factors exacerbated by climate change or over grazing. The people of the plateau face many of these issues.
Like most of us, I’m sure, I try to travel not only with open eyes, but an open mind. It is tempting to judge when things (food, dress, and even manners, laws, and rules) are “different.” Certainly China is quite different for a westerner. But I will be respectful of its ways and laws while I am fortunate enough to visit.
First stop: Chengdu, China’s fourth largest city with a population about equal to great metropolitan NYC. Besides having 14 Michelin-starred restaurants and a relaxed teahouse culture, it is home to the Sichuan Face-Changing Opera and the giant panda.
With only a jet-lagged afternoon before heading into Western China, I squeezed in a $1.50 lunch of DanDan noodles at a Michelin restaurant (!!) and a fascinating walk through a showcase of local culture: People’s Park.
From my car, I spotted older women sitting round a small table. Mahjong? Nope, Chinese poker, supposedly easier and less strategic than our poker. A large group of older men were huddled watching several games of Chinese chess, Xiangqi, an ancient game that represents a battle between two armies.
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There were also several clutches of performers… complete with singers, dancers, a several piece band, mics and recording equipment. I was told they were singing patriotic songs and songs to celebrate victory at war. Interestingly, at various points during a performance, someone from the crowd would go up to a bucket of plastic flowers, pull out a bunch and hand it to the singer. Maybe expressing appreciation kinda like we would put a dollar in a musician’s bucket?
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There were matchmakers!! ( VERY uninspiring.)
Fortune tellers
And a Marriage Market! Row after row of racks displaying posters… pink by women and blue by men… describing their profile and what they are seeking. There are ALOT more pink than blue!
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Sometimes posted by the person looking for a mate, but often posted by the parents. You can see: there is basic demographic information, room for descriptions, a phone number to reach out… but rarely a photograph.
I found the contrast of two of the men’s posters fascinating. The first, text heavy and written very neatly, describes a man with an MBA, works in computer science and owns a car. His parents receive pensions but “ do not rely on them for living expenses.” (Interesting given the Chinese tradition that a son takes care of his elders. Perhaps this is a way of saying “ my parents won’t be a financial responsibility.” ) He doesn’t just write a couple sentences… he enumerates everything. Not just what he wants but what he doesn’t want.
Compare that to an adjacent poster. My guide explained that even the writing style showed the difference in education level. This second one simply describes a man who does food deliveries and is looking for a healthy woman.
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Another contrast was two men - one middle age, one senior- writing poems on the concrete with a broom-like thing dipped in water. Look at the difference in the script. The younger man’s is, as was described to me, contemporary and how people write today. The older man’s writing, which my young guide did not know how to read, is more delicate.
Of course, there were several tea houses in the park. They are a thing in Chengdu….a place to hangout, for all ages. Tea is served with a beautiful selection of different snacks.
Leaving Chengdu, I stopped at the Wolong Panda Reserve, one of the oldest and largest panda reserves in China and special as the high altitude climate mirrors the pandas natural habitat. They are indeed as cute as they look in videos. Fun fact: the black rim around their eyes protects them from the UV rays at high altitudes. Also, the black rims are unique to each panda, like our fingerprints.
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