WuWei China

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WU WEI: Looking through the entrance pillars in front of the People's Square at a replica(?) of a short section of the nearby Great Wall.

WU WEI: The People's Square sits on one side of the Great Wall replica. The main downtown business area behind the camera is on the other.

WU WEI: Among the other charming sculptures along the shopping mall I found this bronze. Crowds began to gather to watch my progress.

WU WEI: Archeologists unearthed a beautiful bronze sculpture of a running horse some years back near Wu Wei. It has been adopted as the symbol of Chinese Tourism.

WU WEI: Most curious people I encountered were good natured. This old guy smiled broadly to show his missing front teeth. He agreed to let me take his picture, but in the interim the smile had closed up hiding the teeth.

WU WEI: Chinese children fascinate me almost as much as I fascinate them. I watched this little girl playing with her "tea set" for many minutes. Totally absorbed with preparations for cooking and serving a tiny red lobster, she never saw me standing a few feet away snapping pictures.

WU WEI: Street vendors work around the main downtown business area.

WU WEI: Some of the street food looked wonderful and probably safe to eat.

WU WEI: Parents and grand-parents are anxious to show off their youngsters to the foreigner... or is it bait to get us closer for a better inspection. In any case I am often invited to take pictures of tots. Try as she may, this little kid's grandmother could not draw it's attention to my presence.

WU WEI: Evening in People's Square attracts thousands to mingle and socialize, sometimes with special entertainment as on this occasion. A musical program having just concluded I mounted the stage for a better vantage point and started taking pictures.

WU WEI: Evening in People's Square attracts thousands to mingle and socialize. Before long I had a crowd of hundreds gathered around me watching my every move.

WU WEI: A view from my hotel room where I spent a single night in the $9.50 cash only Hotel Tang E directly across the street from the Bus Terminal. On the outskirts of town there is not much to see. The main part of town is to the right and behind the camera.

3-4 July 2004

Hello from sleepy little Wu Wei,

A four-hour bus ride out of Zhangye at noon along a nearby stretch of the Great Wall got us to the outskirts of Wu Wei. The bus stopped on the highway and a woman of authority boarded the bus screaming at the driver and conductor. All of the shouting seemed to be about our scheduled stop at the Wu Wei bus terminal, the conductor occasionally pointing at several of us passengers. Finally, I and two other passengers were hustled off the bus while a company official hailed a passing cab, paid the driver and indicated we were all to get in. Naturally, I had only the vaguest idea what all the commotion meant and wondered if our unscheduled cab ride would eventually get us into town.

It did. The taxi dropped us in front of the bus terminal after a ten-minute drive over deserted desert roads. Directly across the street from the bus terminal sits the $9.50 (cash only) Tian E Hotel, perfect for making an early morning bus connection after a night's rest. This is another house with shower in the middle of the bathroom, so I took a camping sponge bath knowing I'd be back in the comfort of the Lanzhou Legend Hotel the following day.

With bag stowed in the make-do hotel, out I went exploring a genuine Chinese town. This is the "real China." People in this little out of the way burg seldom see outsiders. In fact, one girl of about sixteen who spoke surprisingly good English said I was her first. Another person told me none in their group had ever actually seen a real foreigner except on television.

My progress through this interesting town elicited great curiosity among the inhabitants. Storeowners and clerks dashed to the windows to take a peek at the passing rarity. Children clustered around me shyly and boisterous, their parents paying close attention. Grins and "hello's" greeted me on every turn.

Not all encounters were so amiable. As I passed a dingy neighborhood health care office complete with a "doctor" in a dirty white lab coat smeared with what appeared to be blood, another bystander on the sidewalk coughed in my face as I passed closely by him. A couple steps later I turned to give him a dirty look and saw what looked like contempt on his face and that of the "doctor's." Further on down the street still irritated by the disrespectful gesture I turned and snapped a picture of the scene for posterity, remembering a t-shirt I'd seen some days earlier: "If you will cough... on an American" distorted grammar, but clear sentiment.

My wanderings through the downtown shopping area and mall ended at the full-scale replica of a section of the nearby Great Wall. As evening turned to dusk the Central Square filled with people and a small musical group entertained those gathered in the plaza. Entering the square I mounted the stage where the audience had rushed once the band had dispersed. The stage looked like a perfect place to take pictures of the crowds of milling people. The moment my camera came out I had my own audience. Soon, at least a hundred people had crowded around me making movement difficult. Every time I took a picture someone else old or young indicated they wanted to be captured by my little magic thingy.

The atmosphere could not have been gayer. Smiles and good-natured gestures made me feel like a celebrity. I now know first hand how popular entertainment personalities must tolerate being hounded by their adoring-curious fans. While flattering, it places a great responsibility on them to behave true to their public persona. If a guy needs to adjust his under-ware or reposition certain private appendages, there is little chance he will be able to do it surreptitiously like most men.

One boy of about ten ran up and offered me a gift at the urging of his father: a pair of sunglasses. Once again away from the throngs, a guy sitting in front of a neighborhood restaurant playing with his baby son motioned for me to stop and have some noodles. The restaurant looked like a popular hangout for neighborhood locals and I decided to pause for some water and soup. The chicken soup tasted delicious: cost 5 RMB (about 63 cents). As I slurped noodles the father and baby joined me at the table. Our "talk" consisted of gestures only, of course, but elicited the intense curiosity of a constant stream of passersby and restaurant staff.

The next morning after a fitful sleep I grabbed a 07:00 bus bound for Lanzhou arriving at 11:15. This being my second visit to Lanzhou, finding the four star Legend Hotel proved easy. More problematic was the discovery that in the intervening three months rates had jumped astronomically to 800 RMB ($100). After asking for and hearing the new discount rate of 580 RMB I pointed out to the English-speaking reception manager that I'd paid only 300 RMB during my previous visit. A bit of record checking and discussion among the staff and he agreed to extend the same rate for my current stay. It is now obvious from a great deal of personal experience that hotel rates are extremely flexible throughout China: it always pays to bargain... even in the best houses!

That's it for little Wu Wei, one of the more interesting places I've explored in China.

Peace,
Fred L Bellomy

WU WEI: Evening in People's Square attracts thousands to mingle and socialize. Before long I had a crowd of literally hundreds gathered around me watching my every move. Either these folks are starved for outside contact with the rest of the world or they need a zoo in their town!

WU WEI: Looking through the entrance pillars in front of the People's Square at a replica(?) of a short section of the nearby Great Wall. This is a fountain around which people will gather in the evening.

WU WEI: These school boys watched my every move near the entrance pillars in front of the People's Square. They beckoned me to take their picture.

WU WEI: As I walked this small town everyone exhibited unabashed curiosity... nearly always friendly... with many genuine smiles all around. As I passed this medical clinic the guy to the right on the sidewalk coughed in my face as I passed him. I turned to face him and saw nothing friendly about his manner. The guy to the left is wearing a dirty white lab coat... he looked like a butcher rather than a doctor. Passed the encounter I turned and took their picture to remind myself of a T-shirt that read: "If you will cough - on an American" Confusing grammar, obvious sentiment.

WU WEI: Seeing me, this father brought his daughter into a restaurant where I had stopped for a quick bite. Seated across from me he smiled broadly and kept trying to attract his daughter's attention in this rare opportunity to get a gander at something very strange. For my part, I wanted to take a picture of the kids back side showing the split pants and a bare bottom. The father either didn't understand my requesting gestures or declined to allow such a humiliating record to be made.

WU WEI: I spent a single night in the $9.50 cash Hotel Tang E directly across the street from the Bus Terminal. While simple and far from luxurious, the place was clean and conveniently located for bus travelers.

End

WU WEI: Entrance pillars in front of the People's Square. Even in this small town there is a square, nearly deserted during the day.

WU WEI: Looking through the entrance pillars in front of the People's Square at a replica(?) of a short section of the nearby Great Wall.

WU WEI: Standing on a presentation stage in front of the People's Square replica of a short section of the nearby Great Wall.

WU WEI: The People's Square sits on one side of the replica of a short section of the nearby Great Wall. The main downtown business area here is on the other.

WU WEI: Stone spheres serve as provocative sculptures along the shopping mall..

WU WEI: As I photographed several sculptures along the shopping mall crowds gathered to watch. Here these guys try to figure out what I'm photographing.

WU WEI: Another interesting sculpture along the shopping mall.

WU WEI: Most curious people I encountered were good natured like the ladies in this group. The one in the very center did not like being teased by her friends; as I snap

ped their picture she scowled at me.

WU WEI: Mobile telephone buildings are everywhere in China suggesting it is a very competitive business. Installed at the end of the mall in the foreground is an attempt at modern art with the China Mobile office in the background.

WU WEI: Street vendors work around the main downtown business area. Shortly before taking this picture produce carts and bicycles scattered as a police unit approached the area, obviously ready to enforce license violations.

WU WEI: As I wandered one of the secondary business areas, shoppers and store keepers materialized in doorways and windows to take a peek at the passing foreign stranger... for many or most, I am the first they had ever seen!

WU WEI: Evening in People's Square attracts thousands, sometimes with special entertainment as on this occasion. Soon my presence attracted attention.

WU WEI: Evening in People's Square attracts thousands to mingle and socialize. The water spray from the fountains cools the warm evening air making this a popular place to loiter.

WU WEI: I neglect taking photos of most guardian lions now as there are so many. This one caught my eye being gilded gold and muzzled(?).

WU WEI: A view of the Main Bus Terminal from my hotel room window where I spent a single night in the $9.50 cash only Hotel Tang E. Buses leave for Lanzhou down the highway on the right.