Eric's Beijing Diary

Well, I'm back. Rough trip but it was probably good for me. But enough about my suffering. Let me give you a rundown of the three places I visited:

Hangzhou. This was Marco Polo's favorite. I don't blame him, but I think it should be said that the Hangzhou he visited really doesn't exist today. Today, Hangzhou has become an average booming Chinese city, with all that comes along with that. The exception, of course, is West Lake. If the companies making fast bucks by cluttering the landscape with high-rises could persuade the government to let them fill in West Lake so they could build more clutter, they would probably do it. But It is not to be. So West Lake with it's abundant tourists is here to stay. Places around West Lake are expensive, including Starbucks, where prices are even higher than the usually high tag I have come to expect from businesses aimed at gullible foreigners. I'm spoiled, of course, because I live in the university (Haidian) district in Beijing, so I get by for a lot less. Interesting, I did find a nice little Australian place called "Do-nut," but when I asked to see their menu, they informed me that the doughnuts listed were not available. Hmmm... a doughnut shop with no doughnuts. Only in China. Small wonder the place was empty. But again, as crowded as it may be during the three "Golden Weeks," West Lake is probably the nicest park area I have seen in China. And even during this busy week, I was able to find some solitude if I bothered to get up early enough in the morning.

Zhouzhuang. Zhouzhuang is a small water town south of Suzhou. The main reason I went there is because people from Suzhou recommended it to me. I didn't like it. Some people talk as if this is the "real Suzhou," and in terms of the waterways, you could make that point. But Suzhou is not only known for it's canals. It is also known for it's many old and famous gardens. They are a little expensive, but pretty impressive to see. The main think I hated about Zhouzhuang, though, is that there is absolutely nothing real there. Every shop is a tourist trap. I suppose one could imagine that I should be used to this by now, but the fact is that I have seen several very real "old towns." Sure, Kashgar has tourist shops too, but it also has life. The coppersmith sells his wares to the baker so that he can have his stuff repaired by the blacksmith, who practices his trade so that he can make money to buy bread from the baker. And these are all local people, who have been doing this for 2000 years. But in Zhouzhuang? Nothing. Just multitudes of little tourist shops selling cheap garbage. And if you decide that you don't want to buy, and just want to walk down the street looking at the stone bridges, etc, the price is 100RMB. Zhouzhuang is the only place in China where I have been charged for every brick I stepped on. Save your time, save your money. It's a long, boring ride for a cheap, tawdry experience.

Suzhou. Well, obviously, I have good and bad to say about Suzhou, which should be expected, I guess, because I was robbed in Suzhou. Suzhou, like Hangzhou, is becoming a modern Chinese city, which eats away at it's quaint, traditional beauty. But there are plenty of old, traditional spots left. And many gardens. Old, large gardens. They are definitely not free; you have to pay to see them. I guess one should accept that, because upkeep is a cost that has to be paid for. Suzhou's main problem, I guess, is that it is so close to Shanghai. It is fast becoming a business community. And it is a community that seeks to benefit from the large number of foreign business people. I was propositioned more in Suzhou than any other place in China, except for the Sanlitun Bar Street in Beijing. "Massage fifty, sex 100." Over and over again. The prices varied, but the sales pitch was pretty much the same. And women standing in the doorway of bars calling to me. Obviously they're getting business from someone. But I don't like it, because it has helped to breed a criminal element in that city that is disturbing. This is the one real down side to Suzhou. Hold on to your wallet!