travel « Lost in China

Nanjing, The Most Depressing Place I’ve Ever Been

December 24, 2009

A month or so ago, I had a couple extra days off (I believe it was for midterms). So with a four day weekend and nothing to do, Christina and I decided to take a short trip up to Nanjing.

We had a great time, though nothing particularly exciting happened, no hilarious stories to tell (I’d like to think that maybe 1 out of 4 of my stories might fall into that hilarious category… for at least a few people… ok, hopefully one person thinks it’s mildly humorous, I’ll take that). This is mostly just a little explanation of some of the pics, and also a little history lesson (YES! Learning!!).

Now, when I say history lesson, don’t worry, because I still don’t know much. Details are way past me, don’t even think you’re going to get any firm dates of this stuff from me. Basically, I can relate a rough idea about two or three things.

Nanjing is the former capitol of China. When did it stop being the capitol? I don’t know. Why did it stop being the capitol? I don’t know (though I suspect that it has something to do with foreign invaders, more on that in a minute). But it is a great city, and I’m really glad we got to spend a bit of time there (only like 22 hours total).

My trip started with having to wait over two hours for my train to Shanghai (one hour was just waiting for the departure time, the other was a delay), not a great omen for the beginning of travel, but oh well. And actually, the travel aspect of the entire trip went smoothly. The next morning, we bought our tickets and were off (riding in style in First Class, which I’m pretty sure means that seats don’t have to share armrests and it’s a little cleaner, for only $20) on a couple hour ride. Really, the only problem arose when we were trying to get back to our hostel at the end of the night, and I showed the taxi driver the card with our hostel’s address on it. He took us to the wrong one. Then he couldn’t find the right one. Then we drove up and down a two-block area, over and over. Even after I called the hostel and let someone guide him there. What should have been a 5-10 minute, 20 yuan ride turned into a 45 minute, 53 yuan expedition (don’t worry, I didn’t pay all that).

The highlight of the trip was our visit to the Nanjing Japanese Massacre Museum and Memorial. During the war with the Japanese (if I had to put a date on this, I’d say 1937, but don’t hold me to that), Nanjing was sieged by Japanese forces. What followed was a massacre and abuse so horrible that it’s easy to see why it seems like every drama on Chinese TV involves fighting the evil Japanese. I’ve never been to a Holocaust museum, but I would imagine it would be a similar feeling. Murder, rape, beatings, just overall cruelty. The museum is built around a mass-grave site that has been partially excavated, and they’ve put up a nice memorial. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed within the museum itself (though when we did notice a Chinese person snapping photos, we would quickly follow suit). In all, we spent a few hours wandering around the museum and surrounding grounds. When we were finished, I felt drained. It was interesting, educational…. and depressing. I’m glad I saw it, but I wouldn’t want to go again.

One of the most interesting things about the museum was learning a bit more about China’s war with Japan. It turns out that it only really ended because of WWII. They sort of merged into one (China, Russia, and America all fighting on the same side, wow, that was a long time ago). The funny thing about the displays was that they made no mention of how exactly their war with Japan ended. By looking through the museum, you’d have thought that the Chinese had outlasted the Japanese, not that America ushered the world into the nuclear age with the atomic bomb (and in doing so, quickly fractured our alliance with the aforementioned allies). I’m not saying that they should throw America a parade (and stop counterfeiting all of our goods), but if we’re going to take the responsibility and blame for such a destructive act, it’d be nice for a little credit for the good (can you call it that?) that did come from it (Yay for American arrogance!)

The other area we explored was the area around the Confucian Temple. This was a true tourist district, offering small shops, street vendors, a shopping mall, and restaurants all lining the streets. This area was an example of modern China in one of its most pure states. Shop doors wide open, heaters running, workers barking out, food and drink readily avaliable. People talk about seeing the “real” China (I was one of those people), and usually they’re thinking of villages, rice paddies, and the like. Well, those days are long gone, replaced with what appears to be capitalism at its finest (China = capitalist? It really does seem like it as an outsider looking in.). Of course, you can still find some of those small villages, but real China is dirty, noisy, loud, fun, crowded, confusing, and big. Some cities (Shanghai, Beijing, etc) are a little more Western than others, but for the most part, cities have a distinctly Chinese flavor (and smell. I won’t miss that when I go home).