Taking No Chances

Walking home from dinner last night we moved aside to make way for a small column of soldiers, marching two by two with their Sargent barking out orders. Although they were unarmed, the sight of soldiers marching across Shamian Island was almost comical. I suppose the Chinese are taking no chances.

From the air, parts of Guangzhou look like the Ginza district of Tokyo. Called "Canton" by the Europeans, Guangzhou has always been a major center for trade and commerce and it remains so today. From our room on the 27th floor of the White Swan Hotel we can see a 15 story high video billboard on the side of an office tower that displays full length commercials well into the wee hours of the morning. (see photo from Mei Ling's last post)

And yet, our hotel, located on Shamian Island, is surrounded by lush gardens, gorgeous European colonial architecture and pedestrian walkways. We took Li Na out for an early morning stroll and in the parks surrounding our hotel we saw young people playing badminton (without a net) older men doing tai chi and groups of middle age women dancing. One group was doing very traditional looking dance moves to traditional Chinese music. A block away we came upon a second group of 50 to 60 year old women, dancing to techno pop.

Later in the day, as we made our way to the medical clinic for Li Na's mandatory physical, we passed no less then 8 brides, all decked out in white and posing in front of grand European style mansions for formal wedding photos. Brides from all across Guangzhou flock to Shamian Island to be photographed in traditional European settings. The scene was quite reminiscent of the Palace of Fine Arts or the Legion of Honor on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

It is not only the brides of Guangzhou that flock to this island. Chinese families on holiday bring their children here for sun and relaxation. This is also a popular destination for Christmas, and the hotel has erected a massive Christmas tree in one of its soaring atrium's (See picture from Mei Ling's last post). Judging by their clothes, it looks like many of the hotel's guests are well to do families from Hong Kong.

And then there are the Americans. For Americans adopting in China, anywhere in China from Mongolia to Sichuan, all roads lead to Shamian Island, and more often then not, the White Swan Hotel.

Up until a few years ago, the American consulate office which handles overseas adoptions was located adjacent to the White Swan. Although the consulate has since moved to a more central location in the city, parents still flock to this island.

As a result, every restaurant and nick knack shop is baby friendly. All of the proprietors speak English and all are exceptionally skilled at separating tourists from their money. The sale is always closed with a smile and charming small talk so that even if you spend twice as much on a chotski than it would cost just one block off the island, you never feel ripped off.

Which brings us back to dinner last night. We had limitless options. Chinese, Italian, American, Mexican and Thai, to name but a few. We figured that nothing would appeal more to a two year old than meat on a stick, so we opted for Thai.

On our walk back, after passing the marching soldiers, we wondered about how this colonial looking enclave came to exist. A quick google search gave us our answer.

At the end of the first Opium war in 1841, China was forced to cede territories to the Europeans. This sand bar in the Pearl River (which bisects Guangzhou) was ceded to Britain and France. Those two colonial powers laid out a system of streets and parks and built grand stone mansions. The island became home to international trading companies and diplomatic consulates. The island emerged as a prosperous foreign enclave, complete with tennis courts and a yacht club. All of this wealth was clearly visible from the the rest of Guangzhou, which at the time was largely impoverished.

Needless to say, the Chinese were not happy about this humiliation. I suppose that troops from the People's Liberation Army, marching across this beautiful island, provide some assurance that such humiliation will never again be foisted upon China.