What was your preconception of the Chinese people before you arrived in China?
Tea, communism and Chinese food are the first things that came to mind, but to tell you the truth, I didn’t have any distinct opinion or view of the Chinese. I had heard on the travelers’ grapevine that the Chinese were very shrewd business people. Apart from that I guessed that they may have deep routed traditions and beliefs and because we weren’t allowed to drive through their country without having a guide; numerous permits and a non-negotiable itinerary, I thought that they might be very secretive.
Did you observe any specific characteristics that the Chinese have?
Our first encounter with the Chinese was when some Chinese truck drivers came to our aid in no-mans land (when I damaged Miranda’s undercarriage). They were extremely friendly and proud of China. However, a few hours later my initial impression changed after experiencing what felt like a thorough questioning; followed by a dogged and meticulous inspection of every corner of our van by the Chinese border officials – they even made Chrissy rip Taiwan out of the Lonely Planet map of China as it was demarcated as a separate country from China. At that point I thought, ‘One month driving in China. What the hell have we let ourselves in for?’ Thankfully, we never witnessed these characteristics again during our journey through China.
The Chinese as a nation never seem to stop! I did notice that most Chinese are extremely enthusiastic about starting their own businesses and improving their lives, which generally means if you need anything, whether it’s a mechanic or a toothbrush at any time of day, seven days a week, you can always find one. Having said all of that I have to say that my overriding memory of the Chinese main characteristics is how curious they are.
Can you give me an example?
It became customary that before we set off every morning we would eat our ‘Jin-glish Breakfast’ outside the back of the van, which was either muesli or muesli. Louis Long (our guide) would generally squat down next to me eagerly slurping down his breakfast, whilst Chrissy sat on the bumper to make her way happily through her favorite meal of the day. On each occasion I felt like we were being watched by encircling vultures and moments later we would be surrounded by a crowd of curious Chinese. In between his masticating mouthfuls Louis would then tell them about what were doing. At the end of his rehearsed speech he would tell them that I was actually the driver at which point they would look me up and down and just before they strode off towards my drivers door they would give Louis a look like they thought he was a total nut-bag. Without doubt they would return minutes later with an enormous grin on their faces, giving me the thumbs up with both hands.
By the end of the month I could tell Louis was getting tired of the constant questioning but for me I think it’s extremely important for people to see and know what we are doing, regardless of how tired we are. I do this not to gloat, but in the hope that I will implant a memory of a disabled person driving an adapted van from the UK to Australia. I hope that if unfortunate circumstances ever happen to the people who have met us and they, their friends or family sustain a spinal cord injury then they may think back to that crazy Jin-glish guy who drove with hand-controls and realise that there may be a solution to the problems they face. I don’t mean to sound arrogant. I personally believe that its easier to strive for something, if you know what you want to achieve is not impossible i.e. it’s far easier to sail around the world knowing the world isn’t flat. Right?
Getting back to the question the funniest experience of the ‘curious Chinese’ occurred in Xining. Once again Louis and I were sat outside our van chomping down our breakfast whilst people weaved in and out of our circle, stared in our cereal bowls and went to look at the hand-controls. However, this day was different. Chrissy was out of sight behind the curtains of the van brewing up some tea and coffee. As soon as our audience sensed hidden movement coming from her concealed position they would hone in on their prey like a pack of hyenas. Without asking for permission, I watched a six-foot security guard dressed in a camouflage uniform and big black boots pull the curtain back and disappear into the van. Moments earlier I had watched him spark up a cigarette and shove it in his mouth before he completed his vanishing act. When he finally emerged with his cigarette slightly shorter but still wedged firmly in his mouth, two more people clambered past him to disappear through the curtain in a Narnia-like way. At this point, I imagined what the consequences would be if this very same thing happened to unsuspecting people in England. They would surely think that the world had gone stark raving insane. Thankfully, we had gotten used to this level of curiosity and all we could do was laugh at the situation. Chrissy later recounted how the three people who invited themselves into the back of the van had sat down behind her watching her every move, whilst puffing away on their cigarettes and without saying a word, as though they were at the theatre.
Have they left any lasting impressions?
Finger prints! Jokes aside there were finger prints all over our van throughout our time in China - evidence of countless people who pressed themselves against the van to peer in through the van windows. Stranger still, they also seemed to be fascinated about inquisitively tapping on every different material as they made their way past our van, even if we were inside.
Apart from their curiosity I was struck by a) how easily they laughed and b) the numerous acts of generosity that they directed towards us. The most memorable act of generosity also occurred in Xining shortly after we had got the van going with the help of quick start spray. A passerby (Mr Wang) had helped Louis take our air intake pipe off and afterwards he invited us for dinner at his friends restaurant that night. After a day of driving Miranda from one mechanic to another and doing everything I could to try to not let her stall in the chaotically busy roads, we were met by Mr. Wang and his friend Mr. Hung who again invited us out for dinner. Although we were all exhausted, we felt like we had to accept. Cutting a long story short, it turned out Mr. Wang’s friend owned an extravagant restaurant that specialised in Chinese fusion food. And it latter turned out that Mr. Wang, who now thought of me of his “Jin-glish brother” (those were his words) wanted to use our example to ‘inspire his staff to challenge themselves to exceeding their potential’. Although I felt embarrassed after meeting all of his members staff and having to pose with them all for countless pictures, it was a great night and an experience that we will not forget.
Another experience that matched that one if not exceeded it, was being invited to have dinner with Louis’ wife and parents-in-law in Chengdu. It was obvious that they had spent a long time cooking over five different Sichuan dishes for us and what’s more, they had cooked the ones that Louis remembered that we had really enjoyed on our trip.
As always, the most memorable and enjoyable experiences on our journey so far haven’t occurred at tourist sites. Instead our greatest memories have come from meeting the local people and sharing a tiny part of their lives.
I have to say that although driving through China was extremely challenging it was also a fantastic experience. The people we met went out of their way to help us and we will always be truely grateful to them all for everything they did to for us.
Do you have any final thoughts?
Travelling in China has given me a glimpse of what an industrializing nation is like and as a result it has given me a greater understanding of the processes countries like the UK have also had to go through in their history. Whilst it’s admirable how much the Chinese have achieved in such a short time, it is slightly concerning that their development is having such a dramatic impact on the Chinese natural landscape. Its not just China who is to blame, we’ve seen countless examples of environmental damage in numerous countries during our journey. We’ve seen rivers so polluted that nothing could survive in them; we’ve breathed in air that is thick with sulphur that has been given off by coal fired power stations; we’ve witnessed bottomless irrigation projects that are bleeding the reserves dry; and we’ve seen thousand of hectares of treeless landscapes.
On the flip side of the coin, it is fantastic that we have also seen large wind powered farms (and evidence of new ones for the future)and hydroelectric dams along our journey, however, is it enough? I don’t think so! We have been in a unique situation, were we’ve had a ‘vans-eye view’ of the world and I don’t think the level of sustainable projects we’ve seen outweigh the level of destruction we have also witnessed. It would be hardly surprising if this year’s extreme weather is a result of ‘human advancement’, although interestingly the Chinese attribute it to 2012 - an American action blockbuster about the end of the world.
The Bushmen of the Kalahari have a rule that you never take everything from nature, whether it’s a shrub or a grub and if you kill an animal you give thanks to the animal. It’s a sustainable idea to ensure that there will always be something left for future generations. To me I think that this simple concept of giving something back after we have taken something for ourselves has been forgotten about. Although this is an extremely simplistic example, I strongly believe that if this concept of sustainability was introduced on a greater level e.g. if it was a mandatory policy in business and government then it would make everything we do in life so much more sustainable.
I wonder what our legacy will be for future generations i.e. 1. They should have acted sooner to prevent the disaster or 2. Thank goodness they acted - just in the nick of time. So, what does the future have instore for us if we don’t all make a change?
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