I’ve traveled to many countries but I have never been more surprised as during my recent Friendship Force Discover trip to China.  The cities of Shanghai, Nanjing & Beijing to mention a few, are big, bustling, clean, modern and growing...growing...growing.  Never have I seen such construction.  It's in the cities, between the cities, everywhere.  High-rise apartments & offices, factories and shopping complexes.  They all seem to be built together and at the same time.  It's like the Chinese are thinking ahead, way ahead.  They appear to be building it all now and populate it later.  Again, all at the same time.  We did see some of the countryside while traveling by motor coach between destinations.  Large & small towns and farms.  We were between crops so we didn't see much activity in the fields.  We did see water buffalo, ox, ducks, fish ponds, and fields where rice would be planted.  At the time of our visit most fields were growing canola.

And what was this Louisville boy doing in China?  My adventure consisted of 17 days in China, including a four day cruise on the Yangtze River.  I saw all the things visitors go to see: The Great Wall, Terra-Cotta Warriors, Tiananmen Square and the Three Gorges Dam but, mostly, I was there to meet a single family.  As a member of The Friendship Force of Louisville, Kentucky (FFLK) and traveling with my wife Cheryl and 15 other members, we were looking forward to our stay in Nanjing.  In cooperation with the Jiangsu International Cultural Exchange Center we would spend four days learning about aspects of life in Nanjing, including one night living with a local family in their home.

Our contact in Nanjing was Cang Jian (Jack), Director of The Department of International Liaisons.  Jack would lead us on our travels within Nanjing.  One of the most interesting destinations was the Jinling University for the Aged. The University headed by a Mr. Yank was founded in 1984 and, with a student population of over 7000, it was created with the aim of bringing knowledge to elderly students, enrich their lives, improve their health, and serve the society.  On our tour of their facility the FFLK delegation was treated to demonstrations of calligraphy, language, music, arts & crafts, computers, and painting.  We received gifts of handmade flowers and traditional Chinese hand painted fans.  The visit ended with a spectacular exhibition of song and dance.  Women (in their 50’s and above) performed several traditional minority dance numbers.  The dancers from the school were garbed in elaborate costumes and performed like they were in their teens.  I was exhausted just watching them.  Also performing was a choir of strongly voiced seniors.  All put on a very professional afternoon of entertainment.  At their request our FFLK delegation took the stage.  We sang the first verse and chorus of "My Old Kentucky Home."

Like most of our delegation I was interested in the upcoming overnight home stay with our as yet unknown family.  We gathered in the hotel lobby around 1 PM and, as our names were announced, we were greeted by our home hosts.  Husband Wang Wei, wife Lan and 7-year-old daughter Zi yi then whisked us away to their home.  By U.S. standards they seem to enjoy an upper middle class lifestyle.   Their home, on the second and third floor of a six story condominium, is about 1800 sq. ft.  It is well furnished with two full baths.  In the living room is a large flat panel TV.  After unpacking we left to spend an evening with another nearby family and enjoyed a homemade Chinese meal and discussions on many topics:  education, rent, insurance, fuel, groceries and general cost of living.  We found we have much in common.  I believe they enjoy the many benefits and suffer the same consequences of capitalism as we do.

After supper our home hosts and their friends drove us to their nearby spa complex.  Their spa membership includes the use of an excellent facility with multiple baths, pools, saunas, and a great assortment of exercise equipment.  There is also two restaurants, a bar and lounge.

Around 9 PM we returned to our hosts’ home where we presented them with gifts as a thank you for opening up their home to us.  Having previously not known anything about our family, we came prepared.  We had gifts for each family member.  By now it was 10 PM and time for bed.  We thanked them for their hospitality and friendship and headed to our room.  In the morning we all went out for a walk.  Afterwards we were driven back to our hotel where we said goodbye to our new friends.

As usual, in my FFLK travels, I was pleased with my experience in this new culture.  I have no illusions; living in a communist country is the not the way to go.  A democracy of any type is preferable.  I do believe that my encounter with the people, food, sights, sounds and culture of China and other countries makes me a more enlightened person.  Although I tried, I can only hope I have the same effect on them.

There were two down sides to the trip.  First was the pollution. It was everywhere.  We covered thousands of miles in China and the pollution never relented.  Second, I encountered the omnipresent smokers.  We saw very few no smoking signs.  If you have any respiratory ailments aggravated by pollution or tobacco smoke, be warned.

If you like people, this is a place you can enjoy.  Everyone we encountered treated us warmly.  School children even wanted a photo of us with them.

No, China was not as I pictured it but I enjoyed every minute, and I have a somewhat better idea of what it’s like to be Chinese.

For more details & photos of our China trip and general information about the Friendship Force, visit our website at http://fflk.home.insightbb.com.