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 Earthwalker Paul Coleman meets some of the challenges in promoting a green Olympics.
A TEN DAY ACCOUNT OF OUR WALK THROUGH CHINA
Includes: Being kicked out of a hotel. Police harassment. Visa struggles. Extreme poluttion. A road accident. Tree planting. Chinese action minded people. Cover ups. And the support of local people.
13th: July
EXTREME WATER POLLUTION: PEOPLE VAINLY TRYING TO GET IT CLEANED UP
Leaving the small town of Linyi we came across a roadside canal that was so polluted that it actually looked like thinned down black enamel paint and gave off an extremely foul, chemical odour. The incredibly black nature of the river had me singing the theme song from the sixties television series, The Beverley Hillbillies to my walking friends.
'Let me tell you a story about a man names Jed a poor mountaineer, but he kept his family fed, then one day he was shooting at some food, and up from the ground came a bubbling crude. Oil that is. Black Gold. Texas Tea.'
While we were filming and photographing the canal a young man of about twenty came over. “Five or six years ago I used to swim in this river.” He said, “And we ate crayfish and fish from it.”
I commented that it looked like oil. 'It is oil. It's coming from a nearby oil petroleum company.”
It was very refreshing to be able to talk in such an open way about the pollution we've witnessed in China and what made it very special was that this young guy, who'd just stepped out of a tiny commune like the countless others we've seen all over this land, could speak very good English. We asked where he'd learned his English. “I'm on a break from University.” He said.
“What are you studying?”
“Petroleum Engineering.”
We had a good laugh over the irony of that. It seems now that he is going to be studying ways to make the industry clean. His name was Victor and he urged us to get the story out. While he was speaking another chap, perhaps in his fifties came walking over. We wondered if the open conversation would now cease, as people can be rather reluctant to talk about environmental problems. This man could not speak English, but it made no difference to the conversation. I spoke to him through gestures. He held his nose and grimaced at the river in distaste. He pointed to his forehead gave gestures to reveal that at night he could not sleep, the smell was so bad, that he awoke with headaches. He began talking through Victor. We discovered that the commune folk were not happy at all and had actually formed a delegation and complained to the company. But nothing was being done.
We were all very pleased to see regular everyday people in China attempting to solve the environmental problem; people seem reluctant to to complain.
We exchanged contact with Victor who before we left urged us to help them. We spoke about this as we walked and out concern was that if we drew too much attention to his problem that he might get in trouble from the local government. Through past experience we have noticed that the local governments rarely follow the rules and laws established by the central government. But it seems Victor and his fellow residents are past the stage of caring; he wrote an email to each of us urging us to tell their story.
Walked thirty kilometres toward Ninjin.
14th:
Walked 28 kilometres.
Arrived in the small town of Ninjin
15th:
TREE PLANTING – STRANGE QUESTIONS FROM LOCAL OFFICALS
RIDICULOUS EXCUSE FOR THE STATE OF THE LOCAL WATERWAYS
This morning the owners of our Ninjin hotel asked if we'd like to plant a tree. They liked what we were doing and would call TV and newspapers. We came outside to plant the tree and discovered that the entrance to the hotel now sported a huge banner. 'Welcome World Environmental Protection Ambassador Paul Coleman.' And a TV crew waited. The tree planting was a nice simple affair that ended up involving all the hotel and restaurant staff and the feeling was of fun and sincerity.
But something strange happened. Joy, our 24 year old Chinese walking companion, who does not understand English, but knows limited Japanese told Konomi that the local government environmental people who did not show up for the tree planting, had actually appeared, before the event and had asked her a couple of questions. One of the most intriguing was “Does Paul write about the environmental problems he sees here?”
Joy replied, “Yes. But he also writes about the problems that he sees all over China.”
“Does he write in English?”
“Yes.” She replied.
“Oh. That's OK. Can we help you in anyway? Do you need a car?”
Then they drove off. Leaving us to wonder if it would have been OK if I wrote in Chinese? It seems to us that it's OK for the outside world to know of China's problems, but not for the Chinese themselves.
On the edge of town we hiked several kilometers along an extremely smelly black sludge filled canal until we came to a bridge where we could photograph it. There was a nearby market and as soon as Loren and I began taking pictures, a slightly weel dressed individual came over. I guessed correctly that he was not overly joyed by our presence. Joy asked. “Why's the canal so smelly?”
He responded. “It's because its from a hot spring.”
We had a good laugh at that. Konomi and Yuji are from Japan. They know what a hot sping smells like. Konomi asked. “If thats the case. Why is it so black?”
He had no response and it became apparent that as long as this guy was around no of the other onlookers would tell us the real reason. We set off along the canal and were soon away from the village. An old man, who'd been in the crowd cucled up to Joy and talked as she walked. We correctly guesssed that he was spilling the beans.
He told her that the canal was very long and was like this all the way. The extreem pollution come from the local cotton oil producing factories. Throughout this region cotton is grown and at the moment all the land is green leaved by it. This explained why people don't want to talk. The regions economic survival depends on the cotton industry.
16th:
SUPPORTIVE FARMERS AND MEDIA, EXTREME AIR POLLUTION, POLICE HARASSMENT
Today the TV crew from yesterday's tree planting caught with us at a small commune as we walked out of Ninjin district. They were really supportive and wanted to have a more in depth interview than the one yesterday. Not surprisingly our presence gathered a large crowd of farmers. The event was a lot of fun and the farmers, old and young peppered us with questions and genuinely expressed delight and support at what we were doing. We really love these simple sincere farming people of China. We waved goodbye and five or six kilometres later, on the edge of Shandong's border with Hebei Province, we encountered the foulest air of our trip though China; and that's saying something. It was like a mixture of petroleum industry fumes and the chemical that we see sprayed on the crops over here. The toxic mixture was all pervasive, and we could not get rid of the smell for the next three kilometres of walking. It was hard to breathe. And again, as on many occasions in China I wondered about the bad effects to our health.
But this time it was so bad that we decided to end our days walk early. Loren, our American friend intended to leave after tomorrow's walk, but with his easy assent, I convinced that it might not be worth risking his health for what could be a very hard days walk through poison. Police stopped us at this time and demanded passports on the street for the first time in our almost three kilometres of walking through China. An hour later, on the way to our hotel in nearby Nanpi (Hebie) police again questioned us and called for our passports.
At ten thirty PM, after a hard days walk we were kicked out of hotel by the police, who were very angry and threatened the hotel owner with being closed. In a most threatening manner, the police chief, in the middle of our room, shoved his badge into Joy's face, telling her that this was not a hotel for foreigners and that if we did not leave now, this hotel would be closed down tomorrow. Then, perhaps recognizing that I was on the phone and speaking English to a friend (Tony Henderson in Hong Kong), he called Joy outside and continued shouting, not at all interested in the fact that we were a hundred kilometres from anywhere else with a hotel or the fact that we were walking through China, assisting China's efforts to host a 'Green Olympics'.
A short while later Joy came back sobbing. “He said that I was not Chinese. I am helping foreigners. I am not Chinese.”
This statement shocked all of us. Right before the Olympics, and the Central Government calling on all citizen to welcome and assist foreigners to China, a Chinese Policeman is basically accusing a citizen of being a traitor to her land.
The owner, a pleasant middle aged, well dressed lady looked extremely distressed. And offered that one of her staff would take us to Cangzhou the next city where we'd find a hotel. On the way our she told us how sorry she was that we had to leave and that she really supported what we were doing for China. “If you don't leave Nanpi,” he said in apology, “the Police will never leave me alone.”
17th:
THE BEGINNING OF OUR LATEST VISA WOES
A one and a half hour drive later, we finally found a hotel and checked in to discover that the room stank of urine. With hardly any sleep due to the foul air, we were shocked into full awake by the sound of a pneumatic drill, smashing a hole through the wall of a room twenty meters down the hallway. Imagine a roadworks drill in your house and that's exactly what it sounded like. A few minutes later were again in search of a hotel. We found one, checked in and then went with the hotel staff to get my visa renewed.
At the Visa and foreign Affairs department of the Cangzhuo Public Security Bureau we were literally laughed at by the staff; none of whom could speak any other language than Chinese. One of the officers actually shrugged his arms as if to say “Hey. What do you want me to do?”
Eventually the lady from the hotel phoned a local professor who spoke English. He translated and back came the answer "They can't do anything for you, because the boss is away." End of story.
Not overly satisfied with their response we pushed and pushed until finally someone admitted to speaking English by saying. "The boss is away. We cannot give you a visa here. You must go to another city and the nearest one is DeZhou, in Shandong, 120 kilometres back."
What a pickle! It was now too late to get to DeZhou before the government office closed.
18th:
VISA WOES Part 2
Took taxi 120 kilometres to De Zhou. Checked into a hotel, got proof or hotel residency, went over to Public Security Bureau at 11am with Yuji and Konomi, both of whom need to renew their visa's. (Konomi's was not so urgent, but Yuji's was).
On the wall of the bureau is a huge statement "Welcome our friends from overseas."
Show the man all our documentation. Show the man a copy of internet report from the Wuhu Police Station which talks of how they assisted Yuji by getting a visa in one hour to support his mission. We show this to every security bureau, so they can rush our renewal. Most places want you to stay in town for a week, and trap you to the hotel you're staying in. But this has always been impractical for us, as we would have had to spend at least eight weeks in China just getting our visa renewed (how would we ever complete our walk?). But they can be flexible and it's never taken longer than twenty four hours to get a new visa.
The guy disappeared with our passports and papers. Returned. “You need to show us three thousand dollars cash each. 100$ for each day of stay in China.”
We've been through this before and explained the insanity of such a thing. “Can you imagine if word gets out that every tourist seen leaving the Public Security Bureau is carrying at least 3000$ in cash? The bandits would be lining up from here to Beijing to mug them!”
Eventually after asking him if he carried three thousand dollars in his pockets he picked up the phone and called someone in the Provincial Capital of Jinan and discovered like all the others before him that a Visa or bank card would do for proof of solvency.
That hurdle over, he then inspected our passports. First problem; Yuji.
“You can only extent your Visa two times.”
Yuji: “I've only extended it once. Look.”
“You've extended it twice. Look!”
“I've only extended it once. Look.”
Back and forth back and forth. It became apparent that all the information, given by three public security bureaus was incorrect.
Japanese citizens need no visa to enter China for up to two weeks. Then they can renew their visa.
Previously, Yuji, like Konomi had gotten their entry visa from Hong Kong, and then extended their visa twice while in China. Meaning they had three visa's in their passport for one particular visit.
Yuji showed the nice man his most recent entry visa, which he'd received in Xuzhou City, China and then his most recent visa renewal = 2 visas. Then he painstakingly showed him the visa's from his last trips to China (1 entry visa + 2 renewal visas = 3)
Yuji contacted the police in Wuhu and they spoke for almost an hour with Yuji and the officer before finally concluding that Yuji was wrong and would have to leave the country immediately. Conclusion: It appears that some officers count the no visa required entry into China for two weeks as a Visa. There was no getting around it. Yuji had to return again to Hong Kong, walk across the Shenzhen border and re-enter and return. Bye bye Yuji. By Midnight he was out of Shenzhen, into Hong Kong, on the train one stop, back on the train to the border and across into Shenzhen, all within less than one hour. Next day he was back: total expenditure to the help green China almost 1000$!
Meanwhile. It's now my turn. My case is urgent. My visa expires tomorrow. (19th)
Three hours go by; still no application form filled. 2pm: the nice police ladies we've come to know while the guy disappears back and forth into some distant office, slice up a watermelon on the counter and later take us out to lunch. They treat and we enjoy their company. We're getting the impression that the big boss wherever he is might not be too helpful.
3pm we return to the bureau. Seems that the guy who we've been dealing with is a replacement official for the visa section; but he has no, or limited authority. The only person who can put a visa in my passport is away till the end of next week in Qingtao, where they are hosting the sailing events of the Olympics. I explain that we can't wait till next week. We have to be in Tianjin at a reception and then at the opening of the Games in Beijing. We don't have the time.
5pm: The air-conditioning goes off.
5.30pm: Computers switch off. Staff now all dressed as civilians.
Finally guy returns to say that headquarters in Jinan have not returned their calls and that we must go back to our hotel and wait till they call us next week.
“We can't sit around for a week waiting for a phone call. Tomorrow I have no visa. I need to walk. Call us on Monday. Let us know what is happening.”
“Next week.”
“Monday” I say and we leave with no visa and not even a piece of paper to prove that we have even been there. Fortunately on the way the nice police lady gives us her mobile number in case of trouble.
19th: My visa expired today. Well stressed we take a day off from walking.
 20th:
PASSPORT DEMANDING BUS CONDUCTOR
Next day, with the Police Ladies mobile phone number and a couple of bottles of water we set off to walk 24 km. Thankfully our route took us well away from people, across the floodplains and through largely un-populated farmland. At the end of the day we had to get on a dingy dangerous bus to return to our De Zhou Hotel. Bouncing along on the bus the conductor suddenly demands to see our passports. Absolutely no right to do so and we refused. But wondered why all of a sudden everyone asking for passports (Olympics is the excuse).
We figured why bus conductor may have asked for passport: Police are advertising a huge reward of up to 500,000 Yuan ($80,000) for information regarding terrorists, foreign or otherwise. Loads of local people may now be suspicious of foreigners due to intense fearmongering by the media. Seems to me that this reward can actually endanger the life of foreigners. Imagine if I showed this woman my passport and she notices my visa expired.
She will probably leap to two conclusions.
1: I am a terrorist. 2: She's suddenly rich beyond all of her dreams. In China mobs can form very fast and if they thought I was a baddie my life could be in immediate danger. This could endanger the lives of people visiting China during the Olympics. Everyone's a friend, everyone's a terrorist.
The government is sending out a mixed message. Welcome the foreigners to the Olympics – be afraid that they are the bringers of terror.
21st:
FINALLY RECEIVE A TEMPORARY VISA
No phone call from Police. They do not want to help us. Konomi called the nice police lady, asking if they could make our life easy and to take us to Jinan HQ, 120 km away. Its the capital of the province and someone there must have the authority to stamp a passport. Now I have no visa I could get arrested when I turn up at an office by myself. I strongly consider taking the risk.
Back and forth on the phone Konomi finally told that we have to wait for a call from Jinan, which will come later in the afternoon. We wait and we wait. Finally Konomi calls the lady again and there's no response. Konomi, a very very patient lady, finally gets fed up and goes to the Bureau, where she finds that the nice lady is about to call her. I can get a Visa, but only for ten days. I race off to the Bureau to discover that things had gone back to square one: The police man asked for proof of 100$ cash for each days stay in China = 1000$. Fortunately Yuji and Konomi had just enough cash to prove this before I got there. So. Finally, I got the visa; a special one, they said. It would only last ten days, but it would be enough to last until August 1st and our arrival in Tianjin where we are being met by members of the media from all over the place and participating in a live TV link to the Hong Kong Earth Champions Event.
We think Tianjin will be more helpful. We were there two years ago and received a wonderful reception and have been told that everyone knows us in the city and are eagerly awaiting our arrival. Still it's no so pleasant to think that we have to go through this again in just ten days.
Will we ever get to Beijing?
News stories on TV: Today two buses were blown up in Yunnan Province. Strange timing following yesterday bus conductor demanding my passport.
22nd:
ROAD ACCIDENT, MORE POLICE, BUT NOT WHEN YOU NEED THEM
It's now official: Due to the bus bombings of yesterday, all buses, no matter how bad they may be are required to demand ID and passports of passengers. Certainly this will mean to regular Chinse people looking more and more at foreigners as suspicious.
The more China opens up, the more it's closing down.
Finally we can restart our walk, but first we have to take a taxi back to Cangzhou, which is on our walking route. The day did not start off well. The taxi driver ignored our directions to take the freeway entrance less than 1 kilometre from our hotel and took on further down the road. When we got there it was closed. “Why?”
“Because of the Olympics.” He replied.
???????
We turned around. He was now in a bit of a hurry. A few kilometres down the road a motor bike appears out of nowhere. The drivers slams on the brakes, and swerves the wrong way. Bang! The guy on the bike disappears. We get out. He's lying jammed between the car and a guard rail. He's dazed and in great pain. The driver rushes in and totally ignores our pleas not to move him; he picks the guy up, leaning him against the guardrail. Thank god he's alive. He's not got too many scrapes, but his leg is broken. The taxi driver starts shouting at him for being so careless, pointing at his damaged car. Yuji gets out a medicine kit and treats his cuts till an ambulance can get there. Locals appear. Cars stop. People get on their mobiles. Where's the police. The guy has no license. The taxi driver does not want to involve the police. How can someone be so badly hurt in a road accident and no bothers about an ambulance or the police?
Eventually a police car comes cruising along. He looks, but does not stop. “Why is he not stopping?” I ask. “He's not traffic police,” comes the reply.
I'm astonished. A guy is seriously hurt and the police just ignore him because they think it's not their responsibility. We've always known that the Chinese people do not respect the police and truly I can understand why.
All of the truth becomes very apparent when you walk through a land. The people of China seem to respect and like their central government; but as we have been told and have seem time and time again that respect does not extend to their local government or police.
A taxi arrives with the motor bike guys' brother. Yuji and he and I help him get into the car – they drive off – hopefully to the hospital. A nice shiny car stops; we're urged to get into it. The guy will fulfil the taxi's role and take us to Cangzhou.
3.30pm. We finally get back to the spot where we left off walking (still in the district of Nanpi) and within 30 minutes are being tailed by a Range Rover sized Police Car. “What are you doing?” They ask. We tell them. “Get in we'll give you a ride.” “No thanks. Bye Bye.”
They don't seem too sincere and I'm not surprise to see then turn up a couple of kilometres down the road. “Passports.”
We stop again, wondering how are we ever going to get to Beijing if every policeman in the country stops us to demand our passports?
These policemen have a smile, but I notice that the four of them surround us in a manner that shows that they think we may be baddies. Finally they go away.
An hour later a different police car comes cruising by. He passes us, then turns and follows us for about a kilometre before finally going away.
Interesting times.
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November 20 - 21
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