<A> COLOURS OF CHONGQING -- FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Large, cold and gray

My mother had given me lots of advise on what to bring with me and what to expect when I arrived in China. She had spent six months studying Mandarin in Beijing during 1986, and traveled around the country before returning home. However this first hand experience and advice could not adequately prepare me for the differences and surprises that have confronted me. Having traveled to quite a number of countries over the years I have experienced many things but this was my first time traveling alone to a country where I could not speak any of the language or read any signs.
So many things were unfamiliar and Chongqing, where I am teaching is one of the largest cities in China. This alone was a huge challenge as I have always lived in quite small towns and been relatively close to the beach. So many things in China are of a ‘grand scale’ - her population, mountains, rivers, diversity, construction, manufacturing and even her traffic. I marvel every time I take a bus or taxi, how the drivers avoid accidents in the daily hustle and bustle not to mention the congestion of road works that are now being undertaken on a massive scale across the city.

Lively

Arriving in late winter my first impression of Chongqing was the drab and dull gray buildings blending into gray concrete roads and the often gray, smoggy skies. However this scene is miraculously transformed at sundown by a multitude of coloured lights blazing in the misty haze that often envelops the city. Although a very lively city by day, Chongqing seems to get even livelier by night as the most popular places vie for the public's attention. It might be the view from Nanshan overlooking Chaotiannmen and Jeifengbei, dancing on the plaza in front of the People’s Great Hall, the spectacular light and fountain display of the Three Gorges Square in Shapingba or the boardwalk on Nanbin Lu beside the Yangtze where the restaurants, cafes and teahouses attract both hungry diners and sightseers.

Infinate variety

Another first impression has been the variety of food available from all manner of markets, street stalls, cafes, and restaurants. There is something for everyone and although I find many of the dishes extremely spicy I manage to enjoy eating out with my friends. Each time I am encouraged to try something new or strange and am usually pleasantly surprised by the taste. I have also been able to find some of my favourite food here in the supermarkets or cafes, especially a chocolate milk shake.

One of the delights of the city is being able to visit so many popular scenic spots in the mountains that surround it. These lush, green, forested mountains hide a treasure of ancient and modern of history, hosts of hot springs and rustic rural homes of farmers where time so often seems to have stood still. This is the China that I came to see, beyond the modern city where the culture and history of the past can still be experienced.

The most significant impression I have of Chongqing is the friendly openness that most people express towards foreigners. As we are a rare sight in many smaller towns and villages it took me some time to get used to being stared at every time I went out. Now I understand that this is a natural curiosity and it would happen almost anywhere. One of the pleasures of this curiosity is often being asked to pose in a photo with total strangers or watching a shy smile break across the face of a child when you reply to his or her bold or sometimes timid ‘hello'.

Thumbs up

While there are some things about China that I will never get used to, there is so much happening around me all the time that it is easy to overlook these apparent shortcomings. Chongqing is no longer that large, cold, gray city that threatened to overwhelm me when I first arrived, but a collection of colourful ever-changing macro communities.
China has changed a lot during the years since my mother visited, but she has not lost the many faces that have mystified the west for centuries. I am still overwhelmed by the dedication, ingenuity, industry, and the overcoming persistence of her people, her history, her culture, her diversity and especially her colours.

More Photos

Want to see more of Chongqing?
Why not view my photo album series Colours of Chongqing