2017 China 4

China 4: the Silk Road and Beyond

A journal kept by Susan Hanes during a trip through China from April 9— May 14, 2017. Volume 4. Photos by Susan Hanes and George Leonard, c.

2017 Cover: Mogao Caves; Background: Arrowsmith China

China 4: the Silk Road and Beyond May 8 — May 14, 2017 The conclusion of our travels along China’s Silk Road from Dunhuang to Kashgar

Volume 4

Monday, May 8

to Turfan, Xinjiang Province

A breakfast buffet was served at the hotel’s rooftop restaurant where we enjoyed a morning view of the Mingsha Sand Dunes. At an adjacent table, Jake recognized Peter Sellers, the American theatre and opera director. He was breakfasting with a group of associates who are in Dunhuang developing a theater production inspired by the art of the Mogao Caves.

Spring met us in the lobby and we drove 12 km to the Dunhuang Grottoes Visitor’s Center where we watched two excellent introductory films. The rock-cut Mogao Caves were designated a UNESCO site in 1987. They form a system of over 600 caves along a stretch of barren cliffs. The caves contain some of the finest examples of Buddhist art in the world and were created over a span of more than 1,000 years, the earliest dating from 366 AD. An air-conditioned bus carried us from the Visitor’s Center through desolate desert another 12 km to a landscaped complex adjacent to the caves that contained a Research and Exhibition Center as well as shops and restaurants. Entrance to the caves is strictly controlled and photography is forbidden. A local guide leads groups of no more than 25 through eight to ten of the 20 caves that are presently open to the public.

Fortunately, most of the other visitors at the site were Chinese, so that we were part of a group of only seven English-speakers. The guide took us through eight caves where we could see that many of the murals and sculptures still retain their bright colors and fine detail.

Spring

the Mogao Caves a UNESCO site

We are now in an era of cruises and mass tourism where a country’s principal sites are perceived as more an economic resource than a cultural heritage. Tourism has become vacation entertainment at the expense of travel experience. China has deliberately demolished much of its historic architecture and diminished the impact and charm of many of its main attractions by developing adjacent infrastructure emphasizing tourist comfort and convenience. Parking lots, visitor centers, shops and restaurants now adjoin sights that have been encased in landscaped parks so large that they must be navigated with electric shuttle vehicles. The sights have become separated from their settings; they lose context and assume a degree of artificiality. In this era of “industrialized tourism,” I imagine what it must have been like to experience these remarkable places the way they once were. It may not have been easy or comfortable, but people were travelers, not tourists. These “improvements” have diminished the impact of these sites, and what it means to be a traveler.

the Library Cave 16-17

The last cave that we visited was the so-called “Library Cave,” where a hidden cache of more than fifty thousand manuscripts dating from 406 to 1002 AD had been walled up since the 11th century. In 1900, they were discovered by Taoist monk Wang Yuan Lu. These treasures, perfectly preserved for a thousand years, included the Diamond Sutra, the world’s earliest printed book (868 AD).

The opening to the hidden library cave as we saw it.

Taoist monk Wang Yuanlu in front of the cave, c. 1900

Seven years later, Anglo-Hungarian archeologist Aurel Stein visited the Library Cave and wrote about his amazement upon viewing the thousands of ancient manuscripts that filled the small chamber. Determined to “rescue” them, Stein persuaded the monk to sell for a pittance as many as he could haul away.

Today, the legacy of Stein is still argued. Was he a “foreign devil” who deprived the Chinese people of their heritage? Or did he save the scrolls in the same manner as the Elgin Marbles by placing them into the safekeeping of western institutions?

Sir Aurel Stein

Whatever seems beautiful we made by the grace of God

Mogao Caves Photos from other sources

It was nearing 2:00 pm when we returned to the car and drove to the new highspeed rail station in the town of Liuyuannan, about 120 km away. Spring picked up our tickets to Turfan and informed us that there was no escalator accessing the train platform. So, in spite of the building being less than two years old, we chose to hire two brawny porters to carry our bags up and down multiple flights of stairs. At 4:17, the train slipped silently into the station. The trip to Turfan took a little over three hours, taking us through the flat, bleak landscape of China’s far west Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. An elderly Uyghur man had the seat next to me and was quite charming in spite of our inability to communicate verbally, putting my bag in a more convenient place, offering to share his sandwich with me, and smiling indulgently. The information screen in our car disclosed that the temperature had steadily increased to over 32 C (nearly 90 F) as we neared Turfan. The snow-covered mountains I had been watching from the window became hazy silhouettes.

Again …

We arrived at Turfan’s North Station at 8:00 pm. As we were deciding how we

Desert, making it China’s hottest and driest city, consistently reaching over 45 C

might maneuver our bags down another long series of steps, a smiling fellow

(113 F) in the summer. He repeated an old saying, “If you haven’t been to

approached, holding a sign with our names on it. Mr. Tang, who prefers to be

Xinjiang, then you don’t know how big China really is.” He took us to Alikam, a

called “Alfred,” had gotten permission to go to the platform to meet us. We

Uyghur restaurant in the city center where Mr. Ma, our driver, joined us for a

continue to be surprised that no lifts or escalators are installed in these new high-

meal of kebabs, plov, and dumplings—much the same food that we ate in

speed rail terminals. We crossed a broad concourse, the sun still high in a clear

Uzbekistan. We noted that a metal detector was installed at the restaurant

sky, to a waiting car. Because of our late arrival, we decided to go for dinner

entrance. Alfred said that such security precautions are the norm in Uyghur areas.

before checking into our hotel. On the way, Alfred chatted about Turfan and

It was after 9:30 when we checked into the Silk Road Lodges—The Vines, a small

Xinjiang Province. About 80% of the population is Uyghur; the rest are mainly

inn set in a lush vineyard. Oscar, the manager, greeted us at the door with

Hui. The Uyghurs are Sunni, although not everyone is a practicing Muslim. Turfan

idiomatic English that he’d perfected by watching American movies. He told us

lies in a basin and some nearby areas are 500 feet below sea level (the second

that, as a Uyghur, Chinese was his second language and that after learning

lowest depression in the world). It sits at the edge of the legendary Taklamakan

Mandarin, any other language was easy.

Tuesday, May 9

Turfan

Alfred and Mr. Ma picked us up at 9:15 am to show us the sights east of Turfan before the afternoon heat set in. We began by driving 42 km to the Gaochang Ruins. The ruins are one of multiple sites in China, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan that are collectively designated as one Silk Road Corridor UNESCO site. Originally settled in the first century BC, the city rose to power during the Tang dynasty (618-907) and was a major staging post on the Silk Road until it was destroyed in the 14th century. Gaochang was once home to a significant Manichaean community, a dualistic religion that migrated from Persia. A small electric shuttle took us around the 5 km perimeter of the site, stopping several times for us to explore interesting ruins.

Alfred

Gaochang Ruins

a UNESCO Silk Road Corridor Site

Xuanzang, the 7th century Chinese Buddhist monk and scholar, stayed in Gaochang and preached at its Buddhist temple in the course of his famous pilgrimage to India. The classic 16th century novel, Journey to the West, is about Xuanzang’s misadventures during his pilgrimage. As we walked, Alfred pointed out various places in Gaochang that had been featured the TV series of that story that he had loved as a child. Before we left, I paused to take a photo of a statue of Xuanzang located prominently near the entrance.

It was 6 km to the Astana Cemetery, where descendants of Chinese settlers in Gaochang from the 4th to the 8th centuries are buried. Alfred showed us the graves of a poor couple, a wealthy couple, and a government official and his wife, pointing out their primary differences.

We drove through dramatic desert landscape and ascended along the red-hued Flaming Mountains to the Bezeklik Caves, carved from the 6th to the 14th centuries. Bezeklik means “Place of Paintings,� as its murals once displayed the highest form of Uyghur art. Today, the caves have been vandalized but even the traces that remain reveal great delicacy and beautiful colors. We pretty much had the place to ourselves, which is always special. I took a photograph of a Uyghur man who was sitting outside one of the caves, soulfully playing a stringed lute-like instrument called a rewap.

Bezeklik Caves

At 5:00, we visited a small museum dedicated to Karez irrigation, the 2,000-year-old Central Asian system that is still used in Turfan. It involves the digging of hundreds of kilometers of canals, wells, and reservoirs (many deep below the earth) to divert snow-melt from the Tian Shan mountain range. The exit took us through the usual gauntlet of souvenir stands.

We drove to the ruins of Jiaohe (a UNESCO Silk Road Corridor site), a garrison town during the Han dynasty (206-581 AD) that occupies an impressive defensive site on an elevated plateau on a river island. An electric shuttle looped around the park-like setting, dropping us off at the ruins of the south gate. As we walked a narrow path through streets of homes and monasteries and stupas, one could imagine the people who once lived there. Alfred pointed out a mysterious area where it was discovered that hundreds of infants had been buried, one on top of another. No one knows what happened to these babies, but looking out over the ruins of this once thriving city, I could almost hear the anguished cries of countless mothers. It was nearing 8:00 when we returned to the car. After selecting a bottle of Turfan 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon from a nearby grocery, we had dinner at Can Simao, a Szechuan restaurant recommended by Alfred.

Jiaohe Ruins

a UNESCO Silk Road Corridor Site

Wednesday, May 10 Xinjiang Province

to Kuqa,

Before leaving Turfan, we visited a Uyghur mosque located near our hotel to see the Emin Minaret, built in 1778 and the tallest in China. Its intricate, uncolored brickwork displays a combination of traditional Islamic features and local Uyghur building traditions.

Emin Minaret

The drive to ĂœrĂźmqi was to have taken three hours, but as the result of an accident, traffic was rerouted from the tollway to a secondary road and a major jam-up ensued. Mr. Ma skillfully maneuvered around a long line of waiting trucks and we were only delayed a half hour. The drive took us through a sere landscape without a hint of vegetation. We passed the largest wind farm in China, built to take advantage of the high winds that sweep through the area in spring and fall. Alfred said that winds could get as high as 216 km per hour (134 mph).

The Tian Shan range stayed within view during the entire trip and we saw the commanding Bogda Peak, at 5,445 m (17,864 ft), the highest in the eastern Tian Shan range. We arrived in Ürümqi just after 1:00. Ürümqi, meaning “beautiful pasture,” is the capital of Xinjiang. It developed into a leading cultural and commercial center during the 19th century. With a population of 3.5 million, Ürümqi is the largest city in western China.

We went directly to the Xinjiang Museum. The museum has displays of costumes, musical instruments, and household furnishings of some of the nearly 50 ethnic groups of the region. The second floor features the museum’s famous exhibit, Mortals from the Last Millennium, showing ancient corpses retrieved from desert burial sites near the ruined city of Loulan. Most remarkable are the 3,800-year-old remains of the so-called “Loulan Beauty,” a woman with long fair hair and Caucasian features. In the museum shop, I purchased a necklace of deep green Hotan jade. Hotan was an important oasis town on the southern Silk Road route and a center of jade trade.

Xinjiang Museum Ürümqi

Xinjiang Museum

“Loulan Beauty” 1800 BC found 1980

From the Astana Tombs Turfan 4th to 8th centuries ad

Wen Hua Liu

At 2:45, we met Wen Hua Liu for a midafternoon meal at Herembag, a popular Uyghur restaurant. It was Wenhua who helped design and make arrangements for our independent travel in China. We had a leisurely meal together, relaxing over hot rose tea until it was time to leave for the airport for our evening flight to Kuqa. We needed far longer than the hour flight time to get through the most intense security screening process we have yet experienced. Both of our carry-on bags had to be unpacked and our belongings put through the scanner in a caravan of trays.

My toiletries, pills, curlers, and makeup were sent through in a grand display. Once again, my curlers were objects of amused curiosity.

Although my hairspray was confiscated, I was finally allowed through with all my other possessions. The short flight took us low over snow-capped mountains just after sunset. We landed at 10:30 pm and our driver, Mr. Yang, met us outside the terminal in a Buick van. The air-conditioning in our attractive room at the Kuqa Grand Hotel was unfortunately not working properly. When we called hotel maintenance, someone came up and opened a window.

Xinjiang Tianshan a UNESCO site

Thursday, May 11

En Route to Kashgar

Since we were up late last night, we delayed leaving the hotel until 10:00 this morning when we met Alfred in the lobby and set out to visit three sites. The drive into the foothills of the surrounding Tian Shan mountain range (UNESCO) was a marvel. The rough and jagged edges of the formations arises from the lack of water erosion in this part of Xinjiang.

We stopped at Tian Shan Grand Canyon where we hiked along a narrow trail that cut through the rocks of the red bed canyon. Stones carefully stacked byside the trail by earlier hikers gave the canyon a mystic atmosphere. I was delighted when I found a little stream that had been diverted around a heart-shaped “island.�

Tian Shan Grand Canyon

Kizil Caves

a UNESCO Silk Road corridor site

On our way to the Kizil Caves, located 75 km west of Kuqa, we twice encountered security checkpoints when we passed from one county to another. The police at the checkpoints were armed with shields and spears that made them look as if they were extras in a Biblical epic. Kizil Caves date from the 3rd to the 8th centuries and are said to have been the earliest major Buddhist cave complex in China. Unfortunately, German archeologist Albert von Le Coq removed many of the murals on the cave walls in the early 20th century and much of what was left has been further damaged by other vandals. Still, hints of the walls’ magnificence remain.

Kizil Cave 8

Albert von Le Coq at the Eastern Main Group of Caves in Kizil, 1906

Finally, we visited the ruins of Subashi, an archaic Buddhist complex that was abandoned in the 12th century and is also a UNESCO Silk Road Corridor site. A wooden walkway took us over the rough terrain where we saw the remains of pagodas and temples dating from the 6th century. It was after 7:00 pm when we returned to Kuqa. We had dinner at a typical Uyghur restaurant where we ordered kebabs, peppery chicken with garlic and cinnamon, and Uyghur belt-style noodles. We are taking the overnight train to Kashgar this evening and Wen Hua arranged for us to remain at our hotel until almost midnight when we will leave for the station.

Subashi Buddhist Temple Ruins

a UNESCO Silk Road corridor site

Friday, May 12

to Kashgar, Xinjiang Province

The old Kuqa train station was a hive of activity, even at 1:00 in the morning. Every seat in the waiting room was occupied. A surprising number were Uyghur mothers whose lively young children seemed unfazed by the late hour. Alfred found comfortable seats for us next to the security personnel at the door to the train platforms. When I told him that I didn’t want special treatment, he responded that Chinese people respect their elders. We were grateful that Alfred was permitted access to the platform and could assist in carrying our bags and placing them in our compartment. Once again, we had a four-berth soft sleeper and quickly settled in. At dawn, we woke to views of the legendary Taklamakan Desert. Meaning “Place of No Return,” both southern and northern routes of the Silk Road skirted this arid wasteland and many travelers did not survive its shifting sand dunes. The train arrived at Kashgar at 9:50 am and we had to drag our bags almost half a kilometer to a place where we could cross to the terminal side of the tracks. Fortunately, there were no stairs. Kasim, our guide, and Mr. Lin, our driver, were in the terminal to greet us.

the Taklamakan, “the Place of No Return”

is one of the world’s largest shifting sand deserts, with an area of 320,000 square kilometers. It is skirted at its northern and at its southern edges by two branches of the Silk Road as travelers sought to avoid the arid wasteland.

As we drove to breakfast, Kasim enthusiastically introduced us to his hometown, saying that he loves “every grain of sand” in Kashgar. Located less than 120 km from the Kyrgyzstan border, Kashgar is more Central Asian in culture than Han Chinese. With a population of 500,000, Kashgar has been a Silk Road center of trade and culture for more than 2,000 years. The city has a heavy security presence following a series of recent terrorist attacks. Kasim pointed out police and armored military vehicles stationed at virtually every intersection and told us that there are also large numbers of undercover security personnel. Steel gates fortify store and hotel entrances and razor wire is ubiquitous. He talked about official plans to make Kashgar “the Shanghai of the West” while preserving “the yolk of the egg”—the area’s Uyghur cultural traditions. However, as we drove past the old city walls, we could see that the restoration was preserving very little. There has been large-scale demolition of much of the old city and replacement with buildings that appear transplanted from Disneyland.

Id Kah Mosque

We visited the Id Kah Mosque, built in 1442 and the largest in China. Every Friday, nearly 10,000 worshippers attend prayers. At the time of our Friday visit, small groups of bearded men wearing traditional doppa hats quietly chatted on benches in the shady compound adjacent to the mosque. But in a couple of hours, the place would be packed. We circled to streets behind the mosque where a market caters to both tourists and locals. I peeked in at a bakery and watched them making flatbread, similar to that which we saw in Uzbekistan. The baker gave me a peace sign and a big grin. When I gestured to a policeman to ask if I could take a photo of four children playing nearby, he got out of his vehicle and posed with them. Moments like these mean far more to me than any market purchase.

Kasim asked if we would mind giving him a couple of hours to attend prayers and so we asked to be dropped off at the old British Consulate. At the end of the 19th century, Sir George Macartney (1867-1945) lived there when he was serving as the British Consul General. He and his wife, Catherine, assisted Aurel Stein’s expeditions exploring the ancient sites of the Taklamakan. The residence is now a shabby Chinese restaurant hidden in weeds behind a large international hotel. As we waited for Kasim in the hotel lobby, we recalled the exciting stories we had read of those days more than 100 years ago, in Peter Hopkirk’s book, Foreign Devils on the Silk Road.

Aurel Stein with his dog, surveying the Taklamkan Desert

Sir George arrived in Kashgar in 1890, serving as the British Consul General between 1910 and 1918. The personal influence he enjoyed among Chinese officials secured much needed assistance for Aurel Stein’s explorations in the territory.

Back in the car with Kasim, we drove to northeastern Kashgar to see the Aba Khoja Mausoleum. The tomb was built by the Khoja family, who ruled the region in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is considered the holiest Muslim site in Xinjiang and is perhaps the finest example of Islamic architecture in the province. Founded as a madrassa, the mausoleum was built in 1640 and houses the remains of dozens of Khoja family members, including Abakh Hoja’s granddaughter. Known as the Fragrant Concubine, she has become a symbol of the Chinese-Uyghur divide. To the Han Chinese, she was the beloved concubine of the Emperor and a symbol of national unity. To the Uyghur, she was a resistance leader.

Aba Khoja Mausoleum

Kasim Kashgar was famous for its Sunday Market but the market has been relocated. Although this was a Friday and not a Sunday, we decided to make a short stop at the relocated market. Kasim led me to the middle of a six-lane street but then he crossed the rest of the way and left me to fend for myself. I aligned myself with a man carrying a stack of shoeboxes and matched his pace in order to avoid oncoming—and unconcerned—traffic. We had an early dinner at the Kasir Food Palace. Although Beijing is over 2,000 km to the east, China maintains only one official time zone. Officially it was 6:00 pm Beijing time, but it was two hours earlier local time and we were the only patrons in the restaurant. The place was indeed decorated like a palace and our meal of kebabs and spicy vegetables was one of our best. We made it an early night, returning to the hotel at 8:00 since we have had too little sleep for the past two nights. We closed the shades: sunset in Kashgar is after 10:00 pm.

Saturday, May 13

to Beijing

Since we were able to extend our check-out time at the hotel, we got a full night’s sleep and spent the morning packing for the long trip home. After paying an overweight penalty on our flight from Ürümqi, we were concerned about a similar penalty on our remaining flights. We did what we could to shift and consolidate our possessions and were ready for Kasim and Mr. Liu at 1:30 pm. Kasim assisted with our check in at the airport and once again we had a rigorous security check. The flight to Ürümqi was just under 2 hours. It was somewhat turbulent as we climbed through the hot desert winds but we had great views of the Tian Shan Mountains and their snowy peaks. In flight we had a halal meal of a soft bun stuffed with spicy ground meat and vegetables. Evidently, all meals on flights from the Xinjiang Province are halal, acknowledging that most of the passengers are Muslim. After an hour layover in Ürümqi, we flew on the same equipment to Beijing, arriving just after 11:00 pm. We found the airport shuttle to the Hilton, were in our room by midnight, and concluded the evening by relaxing over some of the remaining baijiu that we had purchased in Luoyang.

Bogda Peak 5,445 m (17,864 ft)

Ürümqi

Sunday, May 14

to Chicago

With no alarm set, we slept comfortably and woke up ready for the long flight home.

After a late breakfast, we checked out of the Hilton and were waiting for the airport shuttle at 1:15pm. The Beijing International Airport is efficient but the process of checking in and going through security was again an onerous procedure. Bags were scanned upon entering the airport and again as we checked in. The passenger security procedures were also exceedingly thorough. Our passports and boarding cards were checked several times and our carry-on bags were opened a second time at the gate just prior to our boarding the plane. As I watched Jake going through his nearby security line, his shoes off and his backpack half emptied, I thought about all of this inconvenience repeated for the

hundreds of millions of other passengers who move about our planet. Because of a tiny group of radicalized individuals, air and rail travel around our world comes at the expense of time, privacy, and dignity. When I think of what we must now endure each time we take a trip, I remember what commercial aviation was like when I was young: the special feeling of dressing up in a suit, wearing gloves and a hat and having friends wave goodbye at the gate as you boarded your plane. However, as I gaze out of the window of United Flight 850 bound for home, I realize that despite the inconvenience that we now experience, it certainly is still worth it. These small indignities are soon forgotten and replaced with the memories of all we have experienced.

Itinerary

May 1-14, 2017 MAY Monday

1

Activities: transfer to Beijing Capitol International Airport by taxi Depart: Depart: Beijing Capitol International Airport, PEK, Terminal 3 on Air China Flight CA1119 (Boeing 737-800) at 06:40 (10 minutes early); Seats 22B and 22C Arrive Datong Yungang Airport, DAT, at 07:50 (10 minutes early); flight distance 265 km Guide: Wang Xiaohai (“Kingston”); Driver: Zhang Wei; Vehicle: Ford Tourneo van; driven 47 km Sites: Datong area: Yungang Caves (UNESCO): Visitors Center and landscaped park, caves, Museum; Datong: Shanhua Temple, Nine Dragon Screen, old town; road distance 47 km Lunch: Knife Cut Noodles restaurant Dinner: Fenglinge Shaomai Yunzhong Inn, Ge (Deluxe Double Room): “Peaceful” No. 1 Courtyard Chun Yang Palace, West Side Datong, Gulou West Street, Datong DATONG, SHANXI

Tuesday

2

clear, sunny: 50° to 68°

Breakfast: Yunzhong Inn Guide: Wang Xiaohai (“Kingston”); Driver: Zhang Wei; Vehicle: Ford Tourneo van; driven 403 km Route: drive to Heng Shan, Yingxian, Taiyuan, Pingyao Sites: Heng Shan: Hanging Monastery; Yingxian: Wood Pagoda; Pingyao Shopping: Yingxian: antique stores Dinner: Pingyao: Jing’s Residence Jing’s Residence, Deluxe Double Room: Bamboo 2 (102) 16 East Street, Pingyao PINGYAO, SHANXI

Wednesday

3

sunny, smoggy; 55° to 75°

Breakfast: Jing’s Residence Route: Pingyao, Taiyuan; late evening overnight train to Luoyang (rail distance 684 km) Guide: Wang Xiaohai (“Kingston”); Driver: Zhang Wei; Vehicle: Ford Tourneo van; driven 131 km Sites: Ancient City of Pingyao (UNESCO): City Tower, Town Walls, Rishengchang Financial House Museum, Former County Yamen, Confucius Temple; Leguan Zhen: Qiao Family Mansion; Taiyuan Shopping: Pingyao shops Dinner: Taiyuan: Shan Xi Hui Guan Depart: Taiyuan Railway Station on Train K237, Car 10, First Class Compartment 3, Seats 9 to 12 (4-bed soft sleeper) at 23:15 (on-time) EN ROUTE LUOYANG

Thursday

4

rain all day: 55° to 65°

Arrive Luoyang Railway Station at 11:30 (on-time) Guide: Zhang Wei (“Vivian”); Driver: Mr. Li; Vehicle: Buick GL8 van; driven 39 km Sites: Luoyang area: Longmen Caves (UNESCO); Guanlin Miao Temple; Luoyang: Wangcheng Park (residue of April’s Luoyang Peony Festival) Dinner: Lao Luoyang Mian Guan Christian’s Hotel, Deluxe Queen Bed Room 908 56 Jiefang Road, Xigong Qu, Luoyan LUOYANG, HENAN

overcast, sunny, hazy: 55° to 75°

Friday

5

Breakfast: Christian’s Hotel Route: transfer to train station by Vivian and Mr. Li (driven 11 km); morning bullet train to Xian (rail distance 380 km) Depart: Luoyang Longmen Railway Station, on Train G2001, Car 2, First Class Seats 9C and 9D, at 08:43 (on-time) Arrive Xian North Railway Station at 10:25 (on-time); transfer to hotel Guide: Zhang Li Hui (“Judy”); Driver: Mr. Zhou; Vehicle: VW Passat; driven 76 km Sites: Xian area: Tomb of First Qin Emperor: Army of Terracotta Warriors (UNESCO), Vaults 1, 2 (and Museum) and 3; Xian: Forest of Stelae Museum (Beilin Museum), City Walls Shopping: Xian; Beilin Museum store Dinner: Sofitel Legend People’s Grand Hotel Xian: 1953 Lobby Lounge Sofitel Legend People’s Grand Hotel Xian, Premium King Bed Room 1602 319 Dong Xin Street, Xian; (+86) 29 8792 8888 XIAN, SHAANXI

Saturday

6

smoggy: 65° to 70°

Breakfast: Sofitel Legend People’s Grand Hotel Xian Route: drive to Famen Temple Complex (115 km NW) Activities: Xian: Tang Dynasty show Guide: Zhang Li Hui (“Judy”); Driver: Mr. Zhou; Vehicle: VW Passat; driven 283 km Sites: Xian: Muslim Quarter; Xian area: Famen Temple Complex: True Relic Pagoda, Grand Hall of the Great Sage, Museum, Namaste Dagoba Shopping: Sofitel Legend People’s Grand Hotel Xian gift shop Dinner: Tang Dynasty: dinner and show (RT transfer by Judy and Mr. Zhou) Drinks: Sofitel Legend People’s Grand Hotel Xian: 1953 Lobby Lounge: Brian and Maureen Smith Sofitel Legend People’s Grand Hotel Xian XIAN

Sunday

7

clear, sunny, some smog: 65° to 75°

Breakfast: Sofitel Legend People’s Grand Hotel Xian Route: transfer to airport by “Judy” and driver for morning flight to Jiayuguan (driven 44 km); Hexi Corridor drive from Jiayuguan to Dunhuang Depart: Xian Xianyang International Airport, XIY, Terminal 3 on China Eastern Airlines Flight MU2324 (Airbus A319) at 10:55 (30 minutes late), Seats 45K and 45L Arrive Jiayuguan Airport, JGN, at 13:05 (30 minutes late); flight distance 1,260 km Guide: Sujuan (“Spring”); Driver: Mr. Wu; Vehicle: Honda CRV SUV; driven 394 km Sites: Jiayuguan: Jiayuguan Fort: Gate of Enlightenment, Fortress Walls, Gate of Conciliation, Great Wall Museum; Hexi Corridor: Jiayu Pass; Dunhuang: Singing (Mingsha) Sand Dunes Dinner: The Silk Road Dunhuang Hotel: Starry Lounge The Silk Road Dunhuang Hotel, Deluxe Gobi Desert View Room 2047 Dunyuet Road, Dunhuang City; DUNHUANG, GANSU

clear, sunny: 68°

Monday

8

Breakfast: The Silk Road Dunhuang Hotel: Starry Lounge Route: drive to Mocao caves (driven 28 km); drive to Liuyuannan; (driven 128 km) for afternoon train to Daheyan (rail distance 633 km); drive to Turfan (driven 55 km) Guide: Sujuan (“Spring”); Driver: Mr. Wu; Vehicle: Honda CRV SUV Sites: Dunhuang: Mogao Caves (UNESCO): caves 94, 96, 100, 148, 244, 257, 261 and 16-17, Research and Exhibition Center Shopping: Mocao caves gift shop Depart: Liuyuannan Railway Station at Liuyang on Train D2707, Car 1, First Class Seats 8C and 8D, at 16:17 (on-time) Arrive Tulufanbei Railway Station at Daheyan, at 19:52 (on-time); transfer to hotel Guide: Tang Sheng (“Alfred”); Driver: Mr. Ma; Vehicle: Toyota Camry Dinner: Alikam Restaurant (Uyghur) Silk Road Lodges - The Vines, Super King Room 5 Munar Road, Turfan; TURFAN, XINJIANG

Tuesday

9

mostly sunny, hazy: 55° to 70°

Breakfast: Silk Road Lodges - The Vines Guide: Tang Sheng (“Alfred”); Driver: Mr. Ma; Vehicle: Toyota Camry; driven 136 km Sites: Turfan area: Gaochang Ruins (UNESCO Silk Road Corridor), Astana Cemetery; Flaming Mountains: Bezeklik Caves; Karez Irrigation System; Jiaohe Ruins (UNESCO Silk Road Corridor) Dinner: Can Simao (Szechuan) Silk Road Lodges - The Vines TURFAN

Wednesday

10

clear, sunny: 55° to 90°

Breakfast: Silk Road Lodges - The Vines Guide: Tang Sheng (“Alfred”); Driver: Mr. Ma; Vehicle: Toyota Camry; driven 229 km Route: morning drive to Urumqi, evening drive to Urumqi airport Sites: Turfan: Emin Minaret; Urumqi: Xinjiang Provincial Museum Shopping: Xinjiang Provincial Museum: Commodity Dept.

Lunch: Urumqi: Herembag (Uyghur) with Wen Hua Depart: Urumqi Diwopu International Airport, URC, Terminal 3, on China Southern Airlines Flight CZ6877 (Embraer ERJ-190) at 21:25 (15 minutes late) with Alfred, Seats 45A, 45B and 45C Arrive Kuqa Qiuci Airport, KCA, at 22:32 (27 minutes late); flight distance 440 km Guide: Tang Sheng (“Alfred”); Driver: Mr. Yang; Vehicle: Buick GL8 van Kuche Grand Hotel, King Room 712 No. 266 Tianshan Middle Road, Kuqa County; KUQA COUNTY, XINJIANG

Thursday

11

clear, sunny: 75° to 80°

Breakfast: Kuche Grand Hotel Guide: Tang Sheng (“Alfred”); Driver: Mr. Yang; Vehicle: Buick GL8 van; driven 226 km Sites: Kuqa area: Xinjiang Tianshan mountains (UNESCO): Grand Tianshan Canyon; Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves (UNESCO Silk Road Corridor): caves 8, 10, 17,27,32 and 34; Subashi Ruins (UNESCO Silk Road Corridor) Dinner: Kuqa: Kebab King restaurant (Uyghur) Kuche Grand Hotel: for evening prior to train departure: King Room 1026 Depart: Kuqa Railway Station on Train K9787, Car 8, First Class Compartment 6, Seats 21 to 24 ( 4-bed soft sleeper) at 01:03 EN ROUTE KASHGAR

sunny, hazy-polluted: 65° to 85°

Friday

12

Arrive Kashgar Railway Station at 09:50 Guide: Kasmujiang (“Kasim”); Driver: Mr. Lin; Vehicle: Toyota RAV 4; driven 48 km Breakfast: Kashgar: Alhan Restaurant Sites: Id Kah Mosque;

Old City; Former British Consulate; Tomb of Abakh Hoj: Mausoleum, Great Mosque, Green Mosque; Grand Bazaar

Dinner: Kasir Food Palace Radisson Blu Hotel Kashgar, Superior King Room 1120 No. 2, Duolaitebage Road, Kashgar KASHGAR, XINJIANG Saturday

13

clear, sunny: 65° to 85°

Breakfast: Radisson Blu Hotel Kashgar Guide: Kasmujiang (“Kasim”); Driver: Mr. Lin; Vehicle: Toyota RAV 4; driven 21 km Depart: Kashgar Airport, KHG, on Air China Flight CA1478 (Boeing 737-800) at 16:25 (on-time); Seats 11K and 11L Arrive Urumqi Diwopu International Airport, URC, Terminal 2, at 18:20 (5 minutes late); flight distance 1,069 km Depart: Urumqi Diwopu International Airport, URC, Terminal 2, on Air China Flight CA1478 (Boeing 737-800) at 19:15 (on-time), Seats 11K and 11L Dinner: on board Arrive Beijing Capitol International Airport, PEK, Terminal 3 at 23:10 (10 minutes late); flight distance 2,442 km; Hilton airport shuttle to hotel Hilton Beijing Capital Airport Hotel, King Hilton Guest Room 4092 Beijing Shi, Shunyi Qu BEIJING

Sunday

14

clear, sunny 86°; 70°

Breakfast: Hilton Beijing Capital Airport Hotel Activities: Hilton hotel transfer to Terminal 3 Depart: Depart: Beijing Capitol International Airport, PEK, Terminal 3, on United Airlines Flight UA850 (Boeing 777-200/200ER) at 16:10 (on-time); Seats 31B and 31C (31A vacant); Meals: en route (China time): dinner: 18:30; snack: 21:30; breakfast: 04:30 Arrive O’Hare International Airport, ORD, Terminal 5 at 15:55 (30 minutes early); flight distance 6,601 miles CHICAGO

Distances traveled in China:

Flight distance round trip China:

clear, sunny: 75°; 60°

13,535 kilometers/ 8,466 miles walking:

185 kilometers/ 116 miles

road:

3,870 kilometers/ 2,419 miles

rail:

4,013 kilometers/ 2,508 miles

air

5,476 kilometers/ 3,423 miles 21, 967 kilometers/ 13,729 miles

the Faces of China

A journal kept by Susan Hanes during a trip through China from April 9—May 14, 2017. Volume 4. Photos

by Susan Hanes and George Leonard, c. 2017

Volume 4