 |
The raindrops are tapping the roof, making a similar sound as my fingers on the keyboard. Downtown's Sunday traffic punctuates the afternoon every few minutes with a hush. It's a lulling sound for most in Quincy, but for the members of our team, we will have trouble falling asleep.
When I close my eyes these last few nights, images of "China" rush through my head: honking on crowded streets, high-pitched engines shifting gears, blaring sirens, sing-song phrases from street-vendors trying to capture tourists with mystery -meat-on-a-stick. I think of florescent signs suspended on the walls of skyscrapers. I see an aerial view of a subway station, sterile like the Death Star, but teaming with small-bodied businessmen, all black-haired, zooming like so many ants through the underground. I can't help the specifics, that's just the way my imagination works. Nevertheless, these months of preparation have been a process of emptying, not packing. I ask questions in order to replace my "China" with something closer to the real China.
In Italian, there are two words for knowledge: sapere and conoscere. Sapere is based on facts, and conoscere comes from a personal encounter. For me, this trip is about freeing "China" from the mental constructs of my mind's eye and allowing it to surprise me. I want to replace my images with real sights and smells and sounds. And when I return and close my eyes at night, listening to the rain, I want revisit a real place in my memories. Instead of a Death Star, a dormitory bustling with life; instead of a siren, the laughter of a friend far away.
Until that night, all we have is what we pack with us. Here are a 10 facts I looked up right now. I look forward to fleshing them out with living, breathing experiences:
1. China is 20,000 square miles bigger than the United States and it has 1 billion more people we do.
2. Located in the southwest of Yunnan Province, Lincang City is so called because it sits along the Lancang River. Its downtown area is 610 kilometers (379 miles) from the capital city of the province, Kunming.
3. History: The Western Han Dynasty (206BC-24AD) placed Lincang in the Yizhou shire after conquering the ancient Ailao Kingdom. During the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, it belonged to the Nanzhao and Dali states respectively.
4. Physical Features: Lincang lies at the bottom of the Hengduan Mountains and Nushan Mountain in western Yunnan. The terrain here slopes from southeast to southwest. There are many rivers which pass through or spring from Lincang.
5.Climate: The Tropic of Cancer runs across the city and lends it a subtropical climate but which also combines with the cooler climate of the adjacent mountains. Generally a warm city, Lincang has an annual average temperature of 62.2-63.9℉.
6.The Wa ethnic minority is the largest minority group in Lincang and two thirds of the total Wa population of Yunnan live here. Wa villages and their handmade gifts and other crafts are attractive parts of a trip to Lincang.7. Special Local Products: black tea, cane sugar, mango, Jian Pa (bag of Wa ethnic minority)
9. Lincang Tea Culture Garden: Lincang is the home of Yunnan black tea and has the largest tea garden and the greatest tea output in Yunnan. Fengqing County of Lincang has more than 5,500 mu (906 acres) ancient tea plants and has done for over 3,200 years. Lingcang Tea Culture Garden is the perfect stage to demonstrate the profound cultural connotations of tea, tea drinking and tea-related folk songs specific to the area.
10. Wengding Village is a well preserved Wa village in Cangyuan Wa Autonomous County. While here, visitors can also admire the Cloud Sea of Washan Mountain. Combining the ethnic flavor of the Wa people and fascinating natural beauty, this destination is a must for visitors to Lincang.
