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| Arsh Haque |
I don't mean China's most recent political strategy - I mean the genuine smiling arms into which Cathrine Mountain and I were welcomed when we came to China. A rambunctious duo, we set out to visit China a week earlier than the rest of our class to climb a mountain. Unlike Odysseus, our odyssey relied not on our wits, but on the kindness of others.
Sanqingshan is a holy Taoist mountain located southwest of Shanghai. After flying in we took a six hour train ride in that direction. While adjusting ourselves to hard-top bunk-beds a local girl handed us custard pies from KFC and a handful of colored pebbles. Cathrine passed a note of thanks forged from our phrasebook. She surprised us by responding in English. We learned that her name was Zooey and that the mountain was much further than we expected.
When we got to the station the taxi drivers guffawed at our gesticulated request. Under the hope that we had communicated the right message we jumped into a taxi and drove out for two hours. We were used to American taxi drivers - a gruff bunch concerned about getting the job done. Chinese taxi drivers are not the same. Half-way through the drive we talked to his cousin who had studied in the states. When reception went out we talked back and forth through an app on his phone. A rough series of translations later we arrived onsite.
He drove us hotel to hotel negotiating prices to our satisfaction until we arrived at a locals-only hostel. He then negotiated for an hour with the manager in what looked vaguely like a Chinese soap opera, full of inarticulate laughter and yelling. In the end he offered his word on our behalf and the manager accepted. For all the extra work we tried to compensate with a tip. He begrudgingly accepted. Then he asked if we had dinner, to which we said no. He went out with the tip, bought us fresh chicken, and gave it as a gift.
We didn't speak Chinese. We didn't know the customs. We had no hope of survival in the Chinese countryside - a fact we did not know until we got here. But much like Kentucky, we were graced by the kindness of townsfolk. Time and time again they came to our comfort and need. These were but two characters in a cast of people who helped us. More than mountaintops, temples, or skyscrapers, the people have been the most moving and beautiful part of China.
Arsh Haque, of Elizabethtown, Ky., is a junior McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. He is studying political science and creative writing.