未だに建設ラッシュが続くこの国は、建築後4,5年もすると廃墟のようになったビルもたくさんあります。新しいショッピングモールも次々と建てられては捨てられていく。発展しているようで、何一つ変わっていない、そんな不思議な国でした。
I went to China on a business trip recently, but unfortunately was not able to visit a winery while there. Nevertheless, it was a really interesting experience. China is very different from any of the other countries I've been to. Construction is going on everywhere, building new buildings and apartments, one after another. I was told that there are three times more condos available than are required to house their population. New buildings get dated easily after 4 to 5 years and are often abandoned or only have a few families living in them. China seems to be developing and receded at the same time.
My destination was located 10 hours inland from Shanghai Airport by, Maglev, subway, speed train, another subway, a bus, then a taxi. The city views and rows of skyscrapers never seemed to end, and everywhere there were people, a lot of people and noise, everywhere I went, noise, horns honking, people talking loudly on cell phones, etc. Everything there is massive and hollow. The word "delicate" did not seem to exist there.
日本で爆買いしている中国人とは違った、この国から一歩も出たことのない人たち。物腰も着ているものも海外旅行をしている中国人とは違う、政府の規制によりgmailもフェイスブックも使えない環境におかれて暮らしている人たち。日本から持参したポータブルWiFiを持ってしても欲しいネット情報を入手するのが困難で、自分が如何にこういったものに依存しているか思い知る旅でもありました。
The people I encountered in China seemed indifferent, strong, and fearless. If you get to know them in person, they are nice and sweet, but I am sure they will be the last ones on earth if something catastrophic was ever to happen. They are survivors. We see many Chinese visitors in Japan buying things like incense everyday. But there are those who had never left this land. For many, their dress and demeanor reflect their countryside life. While I was in China, I had a nice little portable 3G-WiFi, but I had no access to Gmail, Google or Facebook as these are currently blocked by the authorities. This trip made me realized how dependent I was on those services.
地方にいた時以外、滞在中青空を見ることはほとんどありませんでした。滞在先の人口は500万人。この市は周りを農地に囲まれています。収穫の残りや雑草などを全て燃やしているため、この時期の空気は特に悪いということでした。
The air was pretty bad. I don't remember seeing blue sky until we got out into the countryside. It was pretty dusty and smoggy the whole time I was in China. As this city of five million is surrounded entirely by farmland, the smokey air is attributed to the burning of agricultural waste in preparation for the next crop.
Checking food at the supermarket was fun. There were all kinds of them and a few I've never seen before. Some looked yummy but some were, well...I wasn't so sure I wanted to eat them. I love going to market, especially when I am in foreign countries. Its like peeking into the lifestyle of the place. The supermarket I went to was a Super Walmart and so had quite an impressive imported wine space. The price seemed a bit too expensive if you consider the average salary in China is around JPY90,000/ month and 1RMB is around ¥20. For example, the Yellow Tail, Australian table wine was RMB118.00. I also visited some of the smaller local food stores, but I didn't see any imported wines on their shelves, mostly bijou, beer and a few domestic wines.
So, I bought a Cabernet Sauvignon from Changyu Pioneer Winery founded in 1892. Wonder what it tastes like?
http://www.changyu.com.cn:8189/content/details153_2651.html
A dog in the neighborhood near where I stayed. Not pretty but lovely. There were a few dogs that were not on a leash, but all of the ones I saw were well trained and behaved nicely.