August 28, 2008

Took a trip in a sampan up a tributary of the Yangtze from what used to be Wuhan. There are an enormous number of different nationalities on the boat, i.e. many Germans from Groeningen University who are studying sports training, and who were at the Olympics, numerous Poles, two Spanish couples sitting at our table along with an Australian couple, and a few Americans. Spoke with a Pole who said he knew everything about Obama. He said Obama’s mother came from Africa and his father from Indonesia. He said Obama had been educated at a Muslim school in Indonesia and was mentored by the head of the Communist Party in the US. So much for America being the only place for an ignoramus. More importantly, there was a discussion on the boat after the sampan trip about the plus and minuses of the Three Gorges Project. Aaron, the Chinese person who led the discussion, said there was opposition by farmers, environmentalists and engineers before the decision was made to go ahead with the project, but the final arbiter was the government, and once the decision was made, he was not aware of anything in the media about further opposition. One of the tour guides said that the youth did not object to the project (they were offered better places to live as well as better jobs) as much as the older people who were giving up ancestral lands. This same tour guide said her city of Wushan was now underwater. She had lived in a flat 48 square meters with shared bathroom. She now has two bathrooms in her flat and three bedrooms. She had to take out a ten year loan to pay for the new flat. Welcome to the world of capitalism. A German in the audience said there were always people who objected to any governmental project, but the courts dealt with these complaints. I pointed out to this gentleman that there was no such method of airing protests in China. Interestingly enough, Aaron the tour guide said he opposed the project because of the impact it was having on the appearance of the gorges. He said now, with the increased water level, they look completely different, and not necessarily for the better. The water of the river is full of detritus. It is hard to tell what makes up the detritus, but it appears to be in part raw sewage. If the dam is creating a much slower moving river, it is not hard to imagine that the increased industrialization and urbanization along the river is creating a very toxic mixture that does not bode well for the future. The gorges themselves were spectacular, and offer a rare beauty not seen anywhere else. A constant mist on the top of the gorges provides a sense of mystery and serenity.