27 April 99
Boarded the 07:05 train to Wuchang on a wet and chilly morning. Temperature has fallen sharply due to a cold front from the north. According to the weather report, rainfall has been very erratic this year; Hunan officials are also taking special precautions against floods.
I had hoped that the weather situation would improve in Wuchang; but it was just as bad. Idled away the rest of the day by buying a map and shopping for organized tours. Shennonjia and Wudangshan tours were available; but they were only going to leave on 1st May, Labor Day.
Yellow Crane Tower
The next day I set off for Yellow Crane Tower; where I promptly ran into a delegation of senior Hong Kong civil servants. Now I know public servants log in extra hours on fact finding missions throughout the country. Anyway, my credit card sized magnetic pass says that Yellow Crane Tower is 51.4 meters tall and 5 levels high.
Trekking through the rest of town brought me to Xin Hai Revolution Museum. There is a statue of Dr. Sun Yat Sen in front and admission costs RMB 5. Inside the museum is a document, which is more or less a mission statement of the movement. A must see for patriots. Within the city area is another historical site that dates back to the Warring States period: Ancient Lute Pavilion.
Yu Boya, a musician, was visiting the area and strummed a piece on his lute. Zhong ziqi, a fisherman, exclaimed:” Staggering, like Mount Taishan!”. Yu was taken aback by the comment and played another piece, to which Zhong replied:” Splashing, like a river!”. There was a meeting of minds and they became fast friends. They even made an appointment to meet again in the following year’s Mid Autumn Festival. Yu returned the next year, but Zhong went fishing in the great lake in the sky. Yu smashed his lute and vowed never to play again. Townsfolk later built the pavilion in honor of the 2 friends. There is even a saying: “ High mountains, flowing waters “ which refers to this incident.
Stopped off at Xiangfan city because I wanted to break up the long train ride to Louyang. Xiangfan is in the northern part of Hubei province with not much to see. The only touring I did was of the ancient city wall. Actually, the city serves as backdrop for one of Jinyong’s martial arts novels; an aside for those who might find this information relevant.
11 August 1999
Arrived in Wuchang around 17:00 and checked into the familiar Marine Hotel. The plan was to visit Wuhan University and check out the long distance bus to Yichang.
I walked to the corner of Zhongshan Lu and Wulou Lu where I caught public transport 519 to Wuhan University. I could only find 2 original buildings; the student dormitory and gym. The campus is undergoing major renovation, and buildings are being torn down left and right. From the university, I intuitively felt my way to Donghu, East Lake.
Caught the 12:00 bus to Yichang and arrived at 16:00. Checked into the Electricity Hotel which is 100 meters to the right of the bus depot. Following map directions, I reached the passenger ferry terminal and inquired about 3 Gorges cruises. Eventually, I signed up with a CITS tour.
13 August 1999
The ultimate boat ride up the Yangtze River started at 08:00. My tour guide for the trip turned out to be yesterday’s ticket agent. Had to wait an hour to enter Gezhouba Dam, and another 10 or so minutes for the water level to rise.
A major reason for choosing an organized tour, was that I would be able to disembark at varying points; enjoy the local scenery and generally see the 3 Gorges during daytime. There was a Belgian couple who, on the other hand, had taken the passenger trip which meant they would sail through the night. I, however, got off at Wushan at 21:30.
The next day started at 05:00 when we were shuttled off to the Lesser 3 Gorges. The pamphlet’s description of the area goes along the lines of: “ the wonder of China “, and “ a spectacle in the world “. Spent a total of about 6 hours in the area before being herded back to our hotels.
20 December 2005
Together with my wife to be, we drove 1,400 kilometers from Dongguan, Guangdong to get married and registered in her home province of Hubei.