Despite the time difference and jet lag, we were up early. There was little sleep to be had anyway because of the noise from the jackhammers, construction workers, and comings and goings of people outside during the night. I wondered, “Do they ever sleep?” At least it had warmed up a bit in the room. The first thing I did when we got there was close the windows. The locals believed if there was a window, it was meant to be opened.
Daylight filtered through the curtains. I pulled one back and peered out. The street was already coming to life as birds sang their songs to the coming day. I was dressed in no time at all. My request was to experience the sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and culture of Chongqing, China, and I was ready for the day’s adventures.
We went down the hotel steps and started the short walk along the street lined with trees toward our daughter’s apartment. As we started up the street, we saw two ladies each carrying baskets of fresh produce that hung from the bamboo pole (called bangzi) across their shoulders. Other vendors joined those who made their way down from hillside farms and gardens to sell their produce in the open market.
Chongqing, known as the “Mountain City,” was our home for a short time. People walk almost everywhere. The hills are so steep, it is impractical for bicycles. Because of the terrain, bangbang (pronounced bahng bahng) men (and women) carry the weight of the city on their shoulders, literally, as they haul goods hung from the ends of their bamboo poles. Bangbang men for hire is a fascinating part of the Chongqing culture which is now quickly disappearing. https://social.shorthand.com/chengwei_wang/j2ulvBo0cmf/chongqing-bangbang-man
I was immediately amazed at these people who lived day to day, simply. Doors opened as women and some of the men headed to the market to gather what they needed for the day’s meals. The next day, they would do the same. Soon, the streets, gardens, and small parks were swarming with people scurrying around like an army of ants on the move.
It is tradition for grandparents to care for the grandchildren while the parents work. We saw grandfathers and grandmothers alike who carried a basket on their back with their little grandchild tucked away inside. Older women sat alongside the street making brooms and mops. Men and women sat at small tables playing cards and other games or gathered to play croquet. On the balconies of the apartment buildings, women tended their gardens, reeled in clotheslines laden with laundry, or knitted. Some ladies even knitted as they walked down the street. Other people carried baskets of sticks they gathered along the many trails for their cooking fires. One lady even carried a huge limb to be chopped up for wood. No one was idle.
Later, we walked to a park where grandparents took the kids to play. There was no language barrier with the youngsters! They quickly came up to our green eyed, blonde headed, fair skinned little girl to play. She always drew a crowd. People would try to give her gifts, usually in the form of food. Our daughter didn’t encourage that, but sometimes they found surprises tucked away in the baby carrier when they got home. At a nearby courtyard, music played, and people danced. Laughter filled the air, and smiles lit up the faces of those who seemed to enjoy life to its fullest.
The milkman rode down the street with a milk can strapped to his motorcycle, stopping to make his deliveries. A woman came down the street with her bangzi across her shoulders, going door to door to collect recyclable items. She stuffed them in the bags that hung from the bamboo pole.
Yes, these things were what I wanted to experience in China – to see the people as they lived – to appreciate their day to day lives – to witness their love for family. Already I had seen many sights, heard many sounds, and had a whiff of smells, some of which I recognized, some I had not yet figured out, some I didn’t want to know. The culture I had witnessed so far fascinated me. This was just the beginning, my first impression of a world new to me. I couldn’t wait to go to the marketplaces, eat street food, and experience more sights, sounds (and smells), in the coming days.
