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July 23 (Wednesday): Three generations of Milletts (Gregg, Devin and Kim) head for China.
We are met in Beijing by our dear friends Jin Fei Bao and Li Jia; Zhu Zhu from the National Museum of China; Xu Wenkun editor of Civilization Magazine; and representatives from the media and the Chinese government. Quite a surprise to see an article on Dr. Clinton Millett's 1945 Kunming colored photographs in the June '08 issue of Civilization Magazine! On this trip we are carrying a sample of 100-year old colored Glass Slides of China which come from the archives of the Schenectady Museum as well as a welcome letter from the Mayor of Schenectady, Brian Stratton to Zhang Zulin, the Mayor of Kunming. We are doing the groundwork for an exhibition which Fei Bao has planned for 2009 -- Centennial Vision, Colorful China. This exhibition is planned to open in Kunming in August, travel to Shanghai and possibly other cities, and end at the National Museum of China in October.
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We attend Jin Fei Bao's Olympic Stamp Exhibition at the Imperial City Art Museum and begin our China food adventure! The National Museum of China treats us to lunch at the Food For The Emperor's Restaurant on the S.E. corner of Tiananmen Square and dinner at the Shanghai Restaurant on 3rd Ring Road. Tan Tian was our delightful interpreter and we were his first "honored guest" assignment. We ended the evening at the Long Run Pu-er Tea House. The owner, Mr. Tao, taught Devin a magic ring trick which Devin then used to amaze people throughout our 3-week trip.
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The day before we fly to Kunming, we enjoy pre-Olympic Beijing with an all-day tour around the city guided by Fei Bao's good friends Tein Tong Sheng and Wang Liu. Tein climbed Mt. Aconcagua with Fei Bao in Argentina and Gregg met Tein and Wang in Buenos Aires in December, 2007. Olympic excitement is at a fever pitch!
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We arrive in Kunming greeted by a newspaper article about the
historic China glass slides; visit Jin Fei Bao's new 23rd story office in one
of Kunming's new skyscrapers; and admire the view of Kunming and West Mountain
as well as the Olympic torch that Fei Bao carried in Shangri-La. According to
one report, an entrepreneur has paid one-million yuan for Fei Bao's torch, and
with these funds Fei Bao is planning to build the "Torch Hope School"
in Shangri-La.
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On our second day in Kunming we pay a visit to Mrs. Wu Gui Zheng. She is known in Kunming as the daughter of "The Shopkeeper." She was featured on the front pages of the Kunming newspapers when she discovered her father's portrait at the 2004 exhibition of Dr. Millett's photographs at the Yunnan Provincial Museum. When the photograph was taken, she was a fifteen-year old girl peeking through the curtains at the "hairy foreigner" who was taking the picture. On this fine morning in 2008 we share our generational friendship over a bowl of noodle soup at the Wu family restaurant nestled among the many shops and dwellings on one of Kunming's old Streets. Her daughter is serving the noodles and her grandson, Yawn Shing, joins us for breakfast. Three generations of Millett and Wu families are enjoying this occasion!
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The next day we head to the Countryside. Along with Fei Bao and Li Jia, our guides are Chairwoman Wan, her daughter "Joyce" and her husband who is a Beijing opera singer and Kun Fu expert. On the edge of Kunming we go through a three-mile tunnel and burst into the green farmland of Fumin County. At a county government headquarters we enjoy lunch with directors of the county and then head into to the mountains to visit Xiao Shui Jing, a Miao Village. The Miao People are one of China's ethnic minorities. Over one-hundred years ago the Miao were converted to Christianity by foreign missionaries, and although there is currently no sign of outside influence, the Miao strictly maintain their Christian traditions. Being advised of our visit, at least fifty people had left their work in the fields and assembled in their church to greet us with hearty singing including the Hallelujah Chorus! After this very moving greeting, the people changed into their work clothes and went back to work in the fields. It was harvest time for tobacco, one of the most important cash crops in Yunnan.
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Arriving back in the Fumin County valley we visit a small statue-making factory where we enjoy tea and receive gifts. Fei Bao receives a Puma -- his name translates as "flying puma." We receive a beautiful Bai girl carrying baskets.
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Upon returning to Kunming we enjoy a dinner at the Swan Lake Restaurant hosted by Mr. Li, owner of the KCC Construction Company and the owner of the restaurant, Lucia (pictured below with Devin).
A new day and we spend the morning at Fei Bao's office doing a CCTV interview on the China glass slides and enjoy lunch with Fei Bao's staff -- "Luke" Li Ping -- "Angela" Zhao Yan -- "Jacqueline" Chen Yanqiu -- "June" Zhang Zhijun -- "Molly" Li Yubi and Xu Hongyan (not in photos).
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In the afternoon we wander the streets. The activites on the streets of China are a constant source of wonder. Bet you've seen a vehicule carrying horses. When did you last see a horse carrying a vehicule?
And from a city view like this:
Would you ever expect to find street scenes like this?
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We end our day at the Flying Tiger Restaurant hosted by the owner, Yang Limin. We are delighted to find several of the 1945 photos on the walls as well as a "Jin Fei Bao" room! Upon entering the restaurant we noticed a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red Label Blended Scotch Whisky on display at the bar -- that was Dr. CC's drink of choice during WWII, so we requested a little pre-dinner JW cocktail. Wine glasses were immediately removed from the 16-guest, two table private dinning room and replaced by cocktail glasses and the Johnnie Walker was poured. Needless to say, by the end of this evening, toasting always being a major activity during a Chinese dinner, all guests were a bit tipsy, except Devin, who after one sip, stayed with his Pepsi.
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We started our next day in Kunming with a visit to Fei Bao's brother, Jin Fei Long's new enterprise -- the Topolo Company -- the production of aeroponic plants. Fei Long invented a process for growing these plants and will soon open a factory for production. Following our visit, Fei Long and his wife, Li Ting, took us on a tour of Kunming's flower markets -- the second largest in the world. We then had a pleasant afternoon break at the Tea House of Liu Ruiting. There, Devin connected with Mrs. Liu's daughter and a group of young friends and off they went for Karaoke, video games, mall shopping, and street walking. Upon Devin's return to the hotel at 11pm, he described this outing as "his best time yet in China!"
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It's an exciting day that we've been anticipating. The Mayor's Office has called and informed Fei Bao that Mayor Zhang Zulin has "cleared up his problems" and can meet with the "American delegation" for lunch at noon today. So we take the welcome letter from Mayor Brian Stratton of Schenectady and the glass slide from the Schenectady Museum and enjoy a very congenial and interesting VIP luncheon banquet. The media is there, along with the Vice-Mayor, the Director of Cultural Affairs, the Director of the CCP and other dignitaries. The Mayor is delighted with the 100-year old colored slide and expresses his support for the "Centennial Vision, Colorful China" exhibition on 2009. The meeting made the CCTV evening news!
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Regarding this wonderful meeting, Devin is not in such good spirits -- he's not fond of the cameras and the attention and he's growing a bit tired of the Chinese banquets -- he's yearning for a McDonald or a Kentucky Fried. So we bet him -- "do your part and if the attention gets to you (and you can decide) we owe you a McD or KFC. At the very beginning of the meeting Devin is called up for a photo shoot with the Mayor and we ask, "Do we owe you?" And he answers, "Almost." Then there's a group shot and he says, "OK, now you owe me!" Then there are eighteen elegant courses at the lunch and more photos. As we leave the event Devin says, "You owe me two!"
And, here are three samples of the beautiful colored glass slides of China, taken by Harry Ostrander in 1911, that are in the archives of the Schenectady Museum.
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