I had been invited to accompany Tim from M&S on his trip to China. We were
going to vsit the Kingdeer factory in Inner Mongolia who process cashmere right
through from the raw fibre to the finished garment. We were also planning to
go out to the grasslands to see a farm where they keep cashmere goats. The trip
was to conclude with a visit to the testing centre in Beijing who verify the
purity of the cashmere.
I spent a nervous Sunday thinking of making my way to Beijing
alone. Tim from M&S was meeting me there but as I have never been further
than Greece & the Canary Islands I was a little apprehensive.
I left Manchester at 11am on Monday 10th May and flew to Helsinki where I was
to transfer to a flight to Beijing. There was a 2 hour stopover & I got
chatting to two great Irish guys on their way to Latvia. They had missed their
connection due to a late departure & took great pleasure in spending their
consolation vouchers on wonderful Finnish beer for all of us.
I arrived in Beijing feeling unexpectedly alert after a very long flight. I
think the elation of having got there without any hitches was the reason. Both
flights had been perfect, on time & nice food. I collected my baggage, which
to my surprise was delivered in seconds and went off to meet Tim. I was having
trouble getting my head round the fact that it was now Tuesday due to the time
difference. We had to wait a couple of hours for two of Tim’s colleagues
arriving from London so we headed off to the coffee shop. We were surprised
to hear Auld Lang Syne being played but it became clear that the Chinese have
one tape that they play whenever English people appear as we heard it wherever
we went.
We then went out of the airport to get a look at Beijing; the first thing that
hit me was the heat, and then the traffic! Upon stepping out onto what looked
like a pedestrian crossing we were nearly mowed down by a line of traffic -
Chinese drivers do not stop for anything or anyone that is in their path of
travel, so you can imagine the difficulty involved in a simple task like crossing
the road.
Gary & Joanne arrived & we went off to catch our flight
to Batou in Inner Mongolia. We were met by the driver from Kingdeer who took
us to the factory.
This factory employs 7000 people & they supply the whole world with cashmere,
the biggest market is America. M&S have just signed a deal to supply cashmere
garments & the object of the trip was to ensure the quality of these garments.
I verify that they are 100% cashmere and was there to check their quality control
procedures.
I was quite upset by the sight of lines of workers doing extremely menial tasks
for a pittance & it had a profound effect on me. I will no longer moan about
the little things in life and I feel guilty about my comfortable life doing
a job I love whilst these people live in squalor.
On Wednesday we embarked on a 5 hour drive on dirt tracks out
to the grasslands passing mud huts amidst empty miles of grassland. The scenery
was breathtaking, mountains to our left & flat grassland as far as the eye
could see ahead.
What happened next was entirely unexpected, we were greeted by a reception committee
at 11.30am who welcomed us with the first (of many) drinks of the day and adorned
us with silk scarves, we were then led by a team of horsemen waving flags to
the reception hall of the tourist centre. The people had made a special effort
and we felt like royalty!
We spent the next 3 hours dining on exquisite Mongolian food and Gambeiing non
stop. The Chinese don't just sip their drink, they constantly (about every few
minutes) toast each other shouting the phrase "Gambei" (which literally
means "empty glass"), so you can imagine how drunk everyone gets!
I excused myself after about 4 drinks as I wanted to enjoy the rest of the day.
We were invited up to the stage so we could begin the carving of the whole lamb
they had cooked in our honour. I was asked to cut a small piece of skin and
offer it to the gods in thanks for the food. We were then treated to a spectacular
show of traditional Mongolian music and dancing.
Tourists, mainly backpackers visit the tourist village and stay in Yurts.
Yurt is the name commonly used to refer to a Mongolian Felt Tent.
A Yurt is really more than a tent. The Mongols live in them year round and tend
to prefer them to other forms of housing. The design has been developed for
generations to suit the needs of its inhabitants. It can be warm in arctic cold,
yet cool in summer. The structure can collapse small enough to fit on one draft
animal and can be set up again in a half an hour.
We were then taken to a farm to see the cashmere goats & meet the farmer
& his family (more drinks!!!).
We saw the goats being combed which is quite brutal & I had to leave the
shed at this point. Fangfang, the farmers daughter took me to see some newly
born calves.
We returned to the tourist centre to see the camels and partake in a wild horse
ride. This was very scary as my horse decided to bolt & I nearly came off.
The boy leading managed to calm it down & I dismounted unscathed and relieved.
I woke early on Thursday morning so decided to go out for a
walk. It was here that I realised the extent to which I received "the look",
this is (for those who haven't experienced this phenomenon) an obvious and uncomfortable
stare cast by "the locals" - I almost felt like a minor celebrity!
No matter where I am or where I go, Chinese heads will always turn when I walk
their way, usually accompanied with a semi-recognisable murmur of "Hello",
followed by fits of laughter when I return the greeting.
We were then taken to see the new village that has been built for the farmers.
The Chinese government has decreed that the goats can no longer graze the grasslands
as it has led to erosion of the land so they are going to be penned & fed
off hay. I think it is sad for the goats but probably essential for the long-term
ecology of the grasslands.
After a visit to the Beijing testing centre we were taken to Tiananmen Square,
which is massive and unlike anything I imagined, the whole square gives an image
of China's power and history.
The weekend was free to enjoy Beijing and I was fortunate that a friend of a
friend lives there & was happy to show me round.
The Great Wall of China, which is as impressive as it sounds, it runs for miles
on end and further than you can see, it really does make Hadrian's Wall look
like a partition in a field!
Travelling through the city I noticed that there were a lot of expensive clothes
shops & department stores, various banks, restaurants, supermarkets, western
hotels (which entertain western businessmen and the rich) and a number of other
small businesses & street sellers. It also became apparent that Beijing
(like a number of cities throughout the world) had not escaped the takeover
of fast-food restaurants, with the existence of a KFC and McDonalds.
By Saturday I was craving a pizza & Beijing presented me with one of the
best I have ever eaten.
The worst thing about the whole trip was the toilets. Chinese "squatters" aren't that pleasant, just a hole in the ground and they are very messy! Fortunately the hotels cater for the western toilet needs & have proper sit upon ones, my hotel in the grasslands even had a Jacuzzi!!
Taxis were another feature of Beijing that I just couldn't miss,
due to the fact that there are literally thousands of them, and quite simply
because of the noise they produce. Every time a taxi comes close to a person
(whether they are in the middle of the road or on the pavement), they will sound
their horn; if they drive past another car, they will sound their horn; if they
change gear, they will sound their horn; if they slow down or speed up, guess
what… they will sound their horn! It's just absolutely mad and very annoying.
But they are very cheap; about a fifth of the price we pay in the UK.
Travelling through Beijing in order to get a feel of the city I opened the window,
and it was just like being underwater and surfacing for breath. The amount of
different sounds, smells and tastes that flooded in through the window was amazing;
the sound of the hustle and bustle of the busy streets that were crammed with
cars, buses, people and bikes; the loud volume of music and people shouting
and blurring outside shops in order to entice customers; the constant tooting
of car horns; the different smells and tastes that seemed to change from breath
to breath - freshly cooked food from the street vendors, exhaust fumes or pollution,
raw sewerage. It was a bit of an overload on the senses, but it truly was impressive.
A few of my favourite dishes (although it is really difficult
to choose) include: tang cu li ji (sweet and sour pork), gang zha li ji (pork
in batter), suan rong you cai (a type of Chinese veg cooked in garlic) and jiozi
(Chinese dumplings).
I can tell you that those horror stories you have heard about the food are not
actually horror stories, but real life! Let's think, what have I eaten hhmmm
– camel hump (rather greasy but nice flavour), pigs trotter (more fat,
quite sloppy, a lot of flavour - but not a nice flavour), lamb soup - which
sounds quite innocent but…it has pieces of the lungs, liver and blood
clots floating in it, although it's actually quite delicious, deep fried scorpion
(quite crunchy, and very tasty I might add), turtle (which I didn't find out
till after I'd eaten it - rather fishy), snails (look like stringy snot, and
taste - well, let's just say different!), deep fried insects (crunchy, but again
quite nice), bone marrow sucked out with a straw (no comment!), dog (actually
alright but slightly too much fat), donkey (!), ducks head (very little meat,
more skull than anything else) and many other "local delicacies".
These are live scorpions & cockroaches in the market!!!!!!!!!!