We’ve been in Chengdu for nearly 60 hours, and it’s time to get the first impressions and exposition out of the way.
So far, Chengdu impresses me and my expectations are high for this assignment (at least as a road spouse).
Like all places, however, there are some apprehensions and concerns. I want to express those first in order to focus on the fun to come.
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Pollution
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| The view from our hotel room An uncharacteristically clear day in Chengdu |
Chengdu is the most polluted place we’ve been. Air quality is an oxymoron here, because there is none. The skies are overcast most the time, trapping the smog.
Chengdu recently became a designated industrial area, also adding to the pollution. The rapid expansion puts more particulate into the atmosphere.
Respirators are common around town, and many of SB’s coworkers wear them to work. The filters, however, require regular replacement because they blacken within two weeks.
The pollution, while disturbing, is not a shock. Fourteen million people live in Chengdu. Large populations produce a lot of emissions.
Big City, Downtown Hotel
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| Sheraton Lido aka Home |
It’s next to the city’s old soccer stadium, which is now used mostly by a neighboring international school.
The city, from my experiences so far, is very modern but still preserves its history. There are neighborhoods that have glass and steel hotels across the street from Seventh Century monasteries built of stone and wood.
Chengdu held onto a lot of its cultural history, which is present in the architecture, sculpture, theatre (ex. Sichuan Opera), and other landmarks around town.
I am eager to explore and find more of what Chengdu has to offer.
The crew and we are planning to visit some of the must-see sites, including; the Panda Breeding and Research Center, a Sichuan Opera, the Taoist/Buddhist holy site in Leshan, Jiuzhaigou Valley, and the Xian Terracotta Army if there’s time.
I doubt we’ll make it to everything, but we’ll try. There’s a crew here, so getting out should be easier.
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| Entrance to Wenshu Yuan Monastery, a peaceful oasis in a bustling city |
Experienced Crew
The crew is eight people large with decades of experience.
We’re back with Chithra, who was a trainee in Toledo with SB. She’s a seasoned roadie now and a chief on this assignment.
There are two chiefs in Chengdu, and the second is an honorary Chengduvian. Her name is Katie (not to be confused with Katie R. who was with us in Toledo).
Katie has been on this job for almost 14 months! She’s part of the community.
She plays in a local rugby league, knows the local businesses, proprietors, hotel staff, and expatriate community well, has friends outside the UOP staff, and is well into the mastery phase of culture shock.
She will be a valuable resource for new arrivals like us. I haven’t asked her yet, but she might even revive the Road Family series.
I met Jason yesterday, and he too is an experienced roadie. He’s been doing this for six years and has been staffed on jobs all over the world, but mostly in Asia.
He has his Dive Master license and spends a lot of his free time living and dive instructing in Thailand.
He has a wealth of road experiences and stories to fill novels! He too will make reviving the Road Family series a breeze.
Two more crew members arrive today, and they will only add to the breadth of road experiences.
Spicy Food
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| Meat stalls at the market behind our hotel |
It’s a well earned reputation, because the spice is so intense and balanced that it numbs the mouth but still maintains flavor.
Most dishes contain a mix of cayenne pepper and peppercorns that don’t disrupt the vegetables and meat added to most dishes.
Hot Pot is a staple of the province. Hot Pot restaurants have burners built into the table, where pots of broth boil for customers to add meats and veggies to cook to taste.
It’s very similar to fondue.
We had Hot Pot in Zhangpu, but the spices added here amp up the dining experience.
There are plenty of restaurant options here, too. Pizza Hut, McDonalds, KFC, and Starbucks are near our hotel. There are also plenty of expatriate restaurants specializing in all kinds of ethnic cuisines.
Across the street from our hotel is a Muslim restaurant where they make their own noodles.
Its owned by Uighurs, who are a race of Chinese Muslims found mostly in western parts of the country. This is my first experience with Uighur people. Their food is delicious, so I imagine I’ll see a lot them.
More To Come
The job is scheduled for a month, but like most assignments, it can run long. Right now, I hope it will. The more time we have, the more we can experience.
My first impressions of Chengdu are excellent, but hold on for more to come…
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| One of many temples at Wenshu Yuan Monastery |
Comparisons to Zhangpu
SB and I don't like to compare assignments, because each is unique and holds special memories for us.
China, however, is a large and diverse country, and a few comparisons could help illustrate our first impressions.
Population size is the most noticeable difference.
Zhangpuvians laughed at us when we called their hometown a city. Its population is ONLY 800,000.
Now I understand why they laughed.
Zhangpu was very rural. Anyone could escape the cityscape by walking twenty minutes to the edge of town. In Chengdu, the edge of town is a one to two hour car ride away.
Farming and fishing also had a huge presence there, while here in Chengdu, business and industry are most prominent.
We complained about the pollution in Zhangpu also, but it was green by comparison.
I think the combination of coastal wind and hilly terrain in Fujian province dissipate the pollution. In Chengdu, however, the landlocked, mountainous geography doesn't allow the smog to escape. I'm not a meteorologist, though.
Temperature is also a noticeable difference between Chengdu and Zhangpu. It's colder here despite the six degrees of latitude that separate the two, Zhangpu being the southernmost of the two cities.
Elevation probably plays a bigger role in the temperature differences. Although, we're here in the winter, while we were in Zhangpu in the summer.
Culturally speaking, I think the population here is more diverse. I mentioned the Uighur people earlier, and there are a couple of other prominent, Chinese ethnic groups in Chengdu, including; Hmongs, Tibetans, Mongols, among others.
There's also a much larger expatriate population.
Unlike Zhangpu, being a 'laowai' or big-nose foreigner is no big deal.
I've run into a couple of laowai on the street, and the Chengduvians don't stop to gawk, talk to us, and/or ask for a picture. It's nice to blend into the crowd and not be anything special.
It's also very easy to live in Chengdu as an English speaker. Beside our four wonderful translators, I only encountered three Chinese people in Zhangpu who could speak English. Here, almost every shop, restaurant, hotel staffer, and citizen can understand English.
It feels like cheating after relying on my crappy Mandarin and hand gestures in Zhangpu.
Zhangpu was very special and unique to us, as were Toledo and Malaysia. Chengdu will be special to us too, but in a completely different way.
China, however, is a large and diverse country, and a few comparisons could help illustrate our first impressions.
Population size is the most noticeable difference.
Zhangpuvians laughed at us when we called their hometown a city. Its population is ONLY 800,000.
Now I understand why they laughed.
Zhangpu was very rural. Anyone could escape the cityscape by walking twenty minutes to the edge of town. In Chengdu, the edge of town is a one to two hour car ride away.
Farming and fishing also had a huge presence there, while here in Chengdu, business and industry are most prominent.
We complained about the pollution in Zhangpu also, but it was green by comparison.
I think the combination of coastal wind and hilly terrain in Fujian province dissipate the pollution. In Chengdu, however, the landlocked, mountainous geography doesn't allow the smog to escape. I'm not a meteorologist, though.
Temperature is also a noticeable difference between Chengdu and Zhangpu. It's colder here despite the six degrees of latitude that separate the two, Zhangpu being the southernmost of the two cities.
Elevation probably plays a bigger role in the temperature differences. Although, we're here in the winter, while we were in Zhangpu in the summer.
Culturally speaking, I think the population here is more diverse. I mentioned the Uighur people earlier, and there are a couple of other prominent, Chinese ethnic groups in Chengdu, including; Hmongs, Tibetans, Mongols, among others.
There's also a much larger expatriate population.
Unlike Zhangpu, being a 'laowai' or big-nose foreigner is no big deal.
I've run into a couple of laowai on the street, and the Chengduvians don't stop to gawk, talk to us, and/or ask for a picture. It's nice to blend into the crowd and not be anything special.
It's also very easy to live in Chengdu as an English speaker. Beside our four wonderful translators, I only encountered three Chinese people in Zhangpu who could speak English. Here, almost every shop, restaurant, hotel staffer, and citizen can understand English.
It feels like cheating after relying on my crappy Mandarin and hand gestures in Zhangpu.
Zhangpu was very special and unique to us, as were Toledo and Malaysia. Chengdu will be special to us too, but in a completely different way.
Amazing -another metropolis of 14 Mill I've never heard of. Looks like some ginormous mountains to your west. Any plans to visit some places up there? I'd be curious also, how the big sporting events such as Super Bowl, and then the Olympics get are viewed from there.
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