End of My River Journey

November 24, 2011

The Three Gorges Dam. On the last day on the boat, we were able to visit the famous Three Gorges Dam. This structure was made to mediate the water levels of the river and to increase China’s economic strength as it produces a significant amount of the world’s electricity and has allowed for more transport of goods.

The Chinese are very proud of this dam and only usually speak of it in a good light. But there have been many issues about the effects it has had on the environment. The dam required millions of people to move from their homes along the river. They were compensated for their loss with a money stipend of seven dollars a month.  Enough to maybe buy food for a day or two. The building of the dam required the excavation of the small historical islands of an old village. Anthropologists and archeologists were given some time to dig up as many ancient artifacts as they could before part of the island was blown up to create stable ground for the dam’s infrastructure. We went to a museum that displayed all the artifacts discovered on this island. Some interesting finds included the portable toilet, peace pipe, and a Communist book (I think).

 A Portable Urinal: Yes, you place it in there.

The areas surrounding the dam are also now unstable as they predict devastating landslides to occur in the future. Disease and decrease in biodiversity in this area are other issues. It was impressive to see though. It considered one of the largest in the world and I don’t doubt that. It seemed to stretch for miles and a couple of us wanted walk across the top of the dam but we were told we would get in big trouble with the Chinese police. We walked all the way around the area observing the cliff side view of the dam and locks from a hill nearby. The locks looked less significant from up top. But you could see some of the ships in the locks sinking lower and lower into the ground as the water drained their container.

After observing the dam, we finally arrived at the harbor. It was an amazing trip, sailing down the Yangtze River. The landscape of the Yangtze River and its surrounding mountains were incredible. Whenever I think of China, I usually think of pollution, people and car traffic, and communism. I don’t usually think of scenic and immaculate environment, tribal villages, and comfort and relaxation. This small trip definitely exhibited these unusual and unexpected qualities. Though I banged myself up pretty badly on the boat, I definitely had a blast meeting people on the boat (like the bartenders) and getting to know the dark and twisties of my group. I did not want to leave. I did leave something behind though and it was much more than skin and blood from my fall.

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Person Highlight

After getting off the boat, we met this woman named C in Yichang city. She was our tour guide for the city, which we would only be in for 2-3 hours before flying off to Shanghai. But during the time getting to know her, she easily became one of the most interesting locals I’ve met on my trip. Her English was immaculate. With ease, she told hilarious jokes about the Yichang city, the Chinese people, and herself. She told us a little about the city’s culture. For example, the girls here are considered Spicy girls (my kind of city!). She was relatable as she would bring up a context that was both controversial and globally recognized (even if she would have to bash on the Chinese government or society a bit). She was personable as she would contribute to our crude and obnoxious jokes and acts. As she was talking, I was in shock the whole time. I kept turning to the people in my group to commend her English speaking skills. She told us that she has never been to the States and never really have left this region before. 

She has never taken English classes or been to an international university before. How does one’s English get so advanced or improve at all when living in an area that doesn’t have too much English around? We asked her and she told us that she learned from friends. I was amazed. She didn’t even go to school for English. She just learned from her friends. I started complimenting her until my group mates stopped me. They repeated what she had said, “No, she learned from friends.” I was confused. I replied, “Yea, I know. That’s amazing to just learn from friends.” She repeated herself again, “I learned from Friends, the TV show.” What? I was blown away. She learned strictly from a TV show. “I learned from watching Friends and Sex in the City.” I guess these two were her only resources before becoming a tour guide which continued to help her English skills. But really, Friends? That is amazing. You should hear this woman speak. Her English was pristine. It is no wonder she was able to easily use sarcasm and add some Westernized type jokes within her speech. Maybe, I should use this clever strategy for my kids in Thailand. Just put on an episode or two of Friends during class time. And if they are older, I can let them watch Sex in the City.

We learned a little more about her and her family. She is married with a child. She did talk about the ‘one child only’ policy. She mentioned that since both she and her husband came from a one child family, she was able to have more than one baby with her new family. On top of being a tour guide, she is a nurse at a local hospital. But even while being highly educated and registered as a nurse, she only makes a couple thousand dollar salary. This is the main reason she became a tour guide. It pays more than a being a nurse does. One of the reasons she learned English is because she wants to go to America one day. But she doesn’t believe it will ever happen. She explained that the Chinese government makes it very difficult for their citizens to leave because they are afraid if they leave, they will never come back. They make the process very expensive and tiring. Norma, who works for the US immigration department, gave C her information for future use. Let’s hope that she makes it out to the States one day.