Off the Beaten Track

Although China is now a major tourist draw, there are still places off the beaten track where a glimpse of a traditional China unspoiled by tourism is possible. Generally, these sites are outside the major east coast cities, in more remote regions of the country. I hoped that the itinerary I planned for my trip out of China would offer some. I was going to start in Beijing, then go south by train to Taiyuan then on to Pingyao and Xian. I would make my last stop in Yunnan, one of the most remote and still undeveloped regions of China.

My journey began with some pleasant surprises. For one it snowed. I got to see the Great Wall and Beijing in snow—an unusual opportunity. But I also found some remnants of China as it has long been in the heart of major tourist attractions. Who would have guessed, for example, that a Buddhist prayer wheel in Beijing’s most famous lamasery, the Yong Hegong, would need to be oiled.

Or that snow on the city walls of Xian must be cleared away with shovels and wheel barrows. (Note the wheel is centered underneath the barrow—a Chinese invention which decreases the energy needed to push or pull a heavy load.)

My first treat, however, came in Xian where I saw a shadow puppet show. Folktales told with the aid of these puppets were once a popular form of entertainment throughout China. The flat donkey skin figures are decorated with bright colors and intricate patterns cut out of the skin. Their hinged arms and legs can be manipulated by a puppeteer who stands behind a rear-lit translucent screen (often a sheet) on which scenery has been painted. The figures’ delicate shadows are then cast upon the screen before which the audience sits or stands.

When I got to Xian (where shadow puppets are thought to have originated), I mentioned my interest to my host who took me to an old house within the ancient walled city. (The 17^th century house itself was fascinating—a gift from a Ming emperor to a scholar who achieved the second highest grade on the imperial examinations at the age of 12!) For a dollar or two, we were treated to a performance of a traditional folk tale in which a young man disguised as a vendor waits outside the home of his bride-to-be. Neither he nor the girl has seen one another; the marriage had been arranged by a matchmaker. Obsessed with curiosity, he hopes to see the girl before the wedding.

The performance began with the clashing sounds of a traditional Chinese melody as the young man carrying two baskets on his shoulders entered from the left. He put down his load and lit his pipe, smoke curling from its bowl. After some time the young woman appeared from the right. They held a lengthy, teasing conversation and then separated, pleased with one another and the prospect of their coming marriage. After the performance we went behind the sheet to meet the puppeteer, a middle aged man with a broad smile.

Below Xian, in Shanxi province, another ancient town has recently been declared a World Heritage Site and will soon be developed into a major tourist attraction. Somehow the 20^th century passed Pingyao by, leaving its old city walls, well-preserved, traditional shop fronts, narrow streets and ancient bank untouched. A few modern hotels have been constructed behind the walls of traditional homes around their courtyards, but much of the city remains poor and free from tourists. I hit the Pingyao after a snowfall on a morning when teenage boys cast long shadows on the street before them as they made their reluctant way to school.

My last stop was Lijiang in Yunnan Province. One of China’s most isolated and picturesque areas, this province is home to a large number of ethnic minorities. Among them is the Naxi, a matrilineal tribal group who are now farmers.

This region was first made famous by Joseph Rock, an Austrian who settled there in the 1920s. Rock conducted ethnographic research, collected rare plant specimens for Harvard, and wrote illustrated articles for the National Geographic. His accounts of lamas and bandits, religious rites and Naxi tribal customs thrilled readers for several decades.

It was snowing my first day in Lijiang and so the day’s plan to visit a mountain meadow had to be cancelled. I mentioned my interest in Joseph Rock to my host, a young Naxi man. He suggested we change our plans and visit the small village where Joseph Rock’s house still stands, a museum of sorts. I quickly agreed and we soon found ourselves bumping over rough village streets surrounded by views of thickly wooded hills.

It took awhile to find the museum’s caretaker. I spent the time exploring the village. Although there were one or two modern homes (one an architect designed retreat for a wealthy Chinese family from Shanghai), most were traditional Naxi dwellings of stone and wood. These structures had withstood an earthquake some years back, unlike the modern Chinese buildings, prompting a renewed appreciation for traditional Naxi architecture in Lijiang. When the caretaker arrived, my Naxi guide Rock and I sat on the porch sipping tea, our feet warmed by a wood burning brazier on the floor.

The next day was clear, cold and very beautiful. We set out for Tiger Leaping Gorge where the Yangtze drives its way from the Himalayas through granite mountains on its way to central China and the sea. The gorge is threatened by plans for another mammoth, Chinese damn for generating electricity. This morning, however, 21^st century China seemed far away as we drove up in the mountains. High above the Yangtze we stopped at a small lamasery where a young monk promised to offer his prayers for whatever I desired. I decided to ask for long life, wealth and happiness—the traditional Chinese wish. This region is thought to have been the inspiration for James Hilton’s fictitious Shangri-la. It’s not hard to believe that it could inspire any fantasy and that was enough for me.