The China Diaries Part 2
Friday was a very busy work day. Looking for a sales office in one of the many Beijing high rise building can be quite a challenge. What’s this? Did Kevin Roy take a wrong turn? No, it’s just one of the many Western Icons that have arrived in China.
On Saturday I took a tour to a Jade factory followed by a visit of the Ming Tombs. The Ming Dynasty dominated for many years and the tombs were built to bury its emperors. The Ming Tombs were started in 1409 and finished in1427.
The next stop was the Great Wall of China. This was the highlight of my trip because in the three times I’d been to China I’d never seen it. There are many places to see the wall because it stretches over 4000 KM or roughly 8000 miles. As I hiked along a section of the wall I couldn’t help but wonder why they had to build it. Looking at the rough mountainous terrain you would think the sharp mountains would have been enough of a deterrent to keep the enemies out.
Sunday morning it was up and out. I flew from Beijing to a Southern City named Liuzhou. It’s only an hour or so north of Vietnam. The country here is very green pastures dotted with little mountains. This is an interesting experience because there is a lot of new meets very old. Many bicycles now compete for road space where trucks, cars and motorcycles now drive. A side from its green beauty we get a reprieve from the smog and high prices of Beijing. Last night we ate like kings and I treated my hosts to a Western/Chinese dinner. I shared steak and they shared Sashimi. The first time I have ever eaten raw fish and it’s not bad actually. For those of you that love that kind of thing, you’d be in heaven here as it’s very cheap and plentiful.
Today I am visiting a factory that makes air compressors in hopes they will buy our equipment. Time to go to work!!
