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Three Gorges Tourism Festival
I am not sure if it is the same today further upstream in Chongqing, but here in Yichang, the third largest city in Hubei and the downstream stop of the 3 Gorges tour, the city is hopping.
We come to port at number 3 dock in Yichang every Sunday, and after saying farewell to our guests, I tried to go for a leisurely walk along the river toward town. The road along the river, usually a bustling but manageable throughfare, was blocked by a parade in celebration of the annual 3 Gorges Tourism festival. Their were large floats carrying minority dancers dancing, singing, and banging huge drums (most likely Tu Jia, the most common ethnic group inhabiting the gorges area), reproductions of the various scenes and mountain peaks, marching bands, and onlookers numbering in the tens of thousands. Many of the buses drivers looked on perplexed as the traffic came to a stand still. Apparently, no one told them the major roadway to and from the docks would be congested all day by throbbing masses of humanity.
I watched for a while in wonder and amusement, then tried to find my way to a post office to get off some overdue letters. I managed to hail a taxi and he wound his way through back alleys and narrow side streets and impressed me with his knowledge of the city. We had a good chat about the city (corrupt officials, decent air quality, good food), Three Gorges Tourism (a major bread winner for the city), and the difference between life in Canada and China (crowds vs. empty spaces, rule of people as opposed to rule of law, developing economy vs. post-modern society). Many of the roads were being dug up, natural gas pipelines were being put in, new fences and overpasses were being erected in many parts of the city, and this all added to the crunch of space, being vyed for so ferociously by concrete and crowds.
Still, in spite of the inconvenience of trying to get around, I could still sense a festive atmosphere about, and when I finally returned to the friendly confines of our ship, I felt as though I had been a part of a fascinating local event. The city was treated to an impressive fireworks display later that evening, and from the bow of the ship, our staff and guests had front row seats.
last modified Oct 16, 2005 at 1:35
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