As the autumn air began to cool in Guangzhou, the campus seemed to soften. The usual chatter of scooters, construction drills and students rehearsing English dialogue gave way to something quieter; an expectant lull.
In 1969, I was prohibited from visiting China. Lesson 2 in Chinese was “Daole Shanghai” and no student ever expected to be allowed to visit Shanghai.
We studied Chinese as astronomers study galaxies impossible light years away. I had never even heard of a Chinese language student allowed to visit mainland China.
So what difference did that make. You learned things about Moon Cakes and the Autumn Festival I could never imagine.
Thank you, Bill. I always find your recollections from that earlier era so compelling - glimpses into a China I’ll never know, but can just about imagine through your stories. It’s striking to think how far things shifted in such a short time. You describe learning Chinese like studying distant galaxies and yet I feel the same about the decades before I arrived. I suppose we each hold one sliver of a country that never stays still. I’m grateful we can share those slivers with each other here.
I enjoyed the flow of this article, all the personal interactions, and opinions on the festival and Guilin. It felt very relatable to people anywhere in the world who have to balance work and holiday, and yearn for a quiet place to go.
Ah, the obligatory Yangshou trip. I went to Guilin and Yangshou from Guangzhou also - well not quite, from Zhaoqing actually. It was the National week holiday - they didn't call it Golden Week back then.
Yes, Yangshuo really was such a draw for travellers and expats alike back then! I visited twice in total, and even in that short time the pace of change was startling. I’m glad I saw it before the American chains arrived.
I’m really looking forward to hearing how others experienced it too, across different years. There’s something special about comparing notes on a place that’s never quite the same twice.
I remember the JUSCO supermarkets fondly. A Japanese chain. Remember my wife and I hand-carrying grocery bags back to the apartment Saturdays, soon later carrying a baby too. JUSCO brought an international range and a cleaner appearance than Carrefour or Walmart.
Yes, JUSCO really did feel ever-present back then. I remember being oddly excited for my first trip to Carrefour in nearby Sanyuanli. The import food section was a revelation, a small taste of home. We didn’t have Carrefour in the UK, so even that was a new experience.
And 7-Eleven! I can’t quite remember whether my first time was in Guangzhou or Hong Kong, but I do remember the novelty of it.
Honestly, I could write several chapters just on those first experiences of Chinese supermarkets - they were entire cultural introductions in themselves.
😂 Lots of memories coming back... yes the Carrefours were an oasis. God, those "supermarkets" when I see them now and then in smaller cities are just nasty. Jusco felt trustworthy. Today it's and Freshhippo and Ole, for the 5% that doesn't just get delivered.
It was a time before smartphones, before electronic payments… I hope that small nod to paying for a bus journey by stuffing low-denomination banknotes into the slot brought back some memories too. I remember how the drivers would use flat wooden sticks to tamp the notes down when the box got full. Most buses were already modern and air-conditioned by then, but I’d still regularly end up on the older ones - slatted wooden benches, no aircon, just the windows cracked open.
Come to think of it.... I didn't ride the bus until later, when there were stored value cards.... at the start of the ipod/iphone era. Always had a car and driver to get us anywhere... 🪭
Wow! Your journey was so different from mine!
In 1969, I was prohibited from visiting China. Lesson 2 in Chinese was “Daole Shanghai” and no student ever expected to be allowed to visit Shanghai.
We studied Chinese as astronomers study galaxies impossible light years away. I had never even heard of a Chinese language student allowed to visit mainland China.
So what difference did that make. You learned things about Moon Cakes and the Autumn Festival I could never imagine.
To me Moon Cakes were just Chinese pies.
History robbed me of the experience you enjoyed.
Thank you, Bill. I always find your recollections from that earlier era so compelling - glimpses into a China I’ll never know, but can just about imagine through your stories. It’s striking to think how far things shifted in such a short time. You describe learning Chinese like studying distant galaxies and yet I feel the same about the decades before I arrived. I suppose we each hold one sliver of a country that never stays still. I’m grateful we can share those slivers with each other here.
I enjoyed the flow of this article, all the personal interactions, and opinions on the festival and Guilin. It felt very relatable to people anywhere in the world who have to balance work and holiday, and yearn for a quiet place to go.
Thanks so much, Brad - really glad that came through! That tension between obligation and escape feels pretty universal, right?
Yes, it takes away the 'otherness' of cultures that, on the surface, might seem opaque to an observing foreigner.
Absolutely dreamy article! I'm going to read up on their moon goddess! So interesting! Thanks again for sharing your experiences.
Thank you, Jeanne! I’m so glad you enjoyed it - and yes, the moon goddess is a fascinating figure!
Nico (if I may): a delightful essay. Thank you. You might enjoy this, from a series on Chinese festivals:
https://chinaheritage.net/journal/the-same-fair-moon/
Thank you Geremie, your comment was a wonderful surprise! I'm honoured to have you reading along, and deeply grateful for the link. 🙏
Ah, the obligatory Yangshou trip. I went to Guilin and Yangshou from Guangzhou also - well not quite, from Zhaoqing actually. It was the National week holiday - they didn't call it Golden Week back then.
Yes, Yangshuo really was such a draw for travellers and expats alike back then! I visited twice in total, and even in that short time the pace of change was startling. I’m glad I saw it before the American chains arrived.
I’m really looking forward to hearing how others experienced it too, across different years. There’s something special about comparing notes on a place that’s never quite the same twice.
Now we've got Guilin to look forward to. Guilin is the must-see early for foreign visitors, I went there a couple of times too. Happy 4th of July!
I remember the JUSCO supermarkets fondly. A Japanese chain. Remember my wife and I hand-carrying grocery bags back to the apartment Saturdays, soon later carrying a baby too. JUSCO brought an international range and a cleaner appearance than Carrefour or Walmart.
Yes, JUSCO really did feel ever-present back then. I remember being oddly excited for my first trip to Carrefour in nearby Sanyuanli. The import food section was a revelation, a small taste of home. We didn’t have Carrefour in the UK, so even that was a new experience.
And 7-Eleven! I can’t quite remember whether my first time was in Guangzhou or Hong Kong, but I do remember the novelty of it.
Honestly, I could write several chapters just on those first experiences of Chinese supermarkets - they were entire cultural introductions in themselves.
😂 Lots of memories coming back... yes the Carrefours were an oasis. God, those "supermarkets" when I see them now and then in smaller cities are just nasty. Jusco felt trustworthy. Today it's and Freshhippo and Ole, for the 5% that doesn't just get delivered.
It was a time before smartphones, before electronic payments… I hope that small nod to paying for a bus journey by stuffing low-denomination banknotes into the slot brought back some memories too. I remember how the drivers would use flat wooden sticks to tamp the notes down when the box got full. Most buses were already modern and air-conditioned by then, but I’d still regularly end up on the older ones - slatted wooden benches, no aircon, just the windows cracked open.
Come to think of it.... I didn't ride the bus until later, when there were stored value cards.... at the start of the ipod/iphone era. Always had a car and driver to get us anywhere... 🪭