We arrived tonight in the virtual oasis of Guangzhou, passports in hand. Now that we are safely out of Gansu Province, let me provide a mental and visual image of the city we just left.
A search on the government-approved Google site found a 2002 article ranking Lanzhou as the most polluted city in China. Couple that with a previous (unfiltered) Google search showing China with 14 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world, and it’s not too far a leap to conclude that Lanzhou is the most polluted city on the planet, or at least in the top three. The reasons are coal and cold. Coal is the main energy source used for heating. Because it is so cold here during the winter and so much coal is burned, local law forbids people from turning on their heaters until November. Looking outside our 17th-floor window yesterday, we counted a dozen factory smokestacks within 1.5 miles of our hotel. (We could see that far only because a late-morning mixture of light rain and snow had cleared the skies temporarily.) Lanzhou is a valley surrounded on all sides by mountains, so there's no place for all that smoke to escape.
What's bizarre is that you'd think people would be concerned about their lungs. Nope, they're far more worried about the cold. You see about one out of every six or seven people on the streets wearing protective masks. Assuming it's because of the smog, I wore one during the 10-minute walk to the grocery store. I received many, many stares, and then I noticed that no other men were wearing them. Our guide told me later that people (women) wear them to protect their faces from the cold and wind, not to save their lungs. That is so messed up.
I'm reminded of a line from The Blues Brothers Movie. The scene takes place in Elwood's skid row flop house next to the "L" Train. As the train roars past, shaking everything in the room, Jake, newly released from prison, asks his brother, "How often does that thing run by?" Elwood responds, "So often you won't even notice." So it is with public hacking and spitting in Lanzhou. They even aim for certain targets as they ride past you on their bicycles. After a few days, you've heard it so often it hardly fazes you.
Christmas is huge here. You see Christmas trees and various displays all over downtown, which (not coincidentally) is the main shopping district. I even heard "Oh Come, All Ye Faithful" blaring from the intercom outside one of the city's nicest hotels. When I asked our guide if people understand the meaning of Christmas, he said the stores use it as a way to boost sales, while residents see it as a reason to host and attend parties. Hmm ... Not too different from America.
Readers of this blog who are of the praying sort should consider praying for this city of 3 million. The lack of joy, or anything resembling it, is apparent. They have little to live for. They are mostly poor and always will be until the pollution kills them 10 years early. There is nothing in their lives that can envision a heaven where they can find health and fullness of life. They are desparate for something -- for God. They just don't know it. Forgive me if that sounds boastful or haughty. That is not my intention. And without question there are good people here. We were fortunate to have one such person as our guide. Steed is an intelligent, caring man who rescued us from our passport predicament, spending countless hours as detective, driver, intermediary and interpreter. He has a fascinating and insightful perspective on where China has been and where it is headed. I wish I'd had a few more car trips to pick his brain a little further.
-- Tony
A search on the government-approved Google site found a 2002 article ranking Lanzhou as the most polluted city in China. Couple that with a previous (unfiltered) Google search showing China with 14 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world, and it’s not too far a leap to conclude that Lanzhou is the most polluted city on the planet, or at least in the top three. The reasons are coal and cold. Coal is the main energy source used for heating. Because it is so cold here during the winter and so much coal is burned, local law forbids people from turning on their heaters until November. Looking outside our 17th-floor window yesterday, we counted a dozen factory smokestacks within 1.5 miles of our hotel. (We could see that far only because a late-morning mixture of light rain and snow had cleared the skies temporarily.) Lanzhou is a valley surrounded on all sides by mountains, so there's no place for all that smoke to escape.
What's bizarre is that you'd think people would be concerned about their lungs. Nope, they're far more worried about the cold. You see about one out of every six or seven people on the streets wearing protective masks. Assuming it's because of the smog, I wore one during the 10-minute walk to the grocery store. I received many, many stares, and then I noticed that no other men were wearing them. Our guide told me later that people (women) wear them to protect their faces from the cold and wind, not to save their lungs. That is so messed up.
I'm reminded of a line from The Blues Brothers Movie. The scene takes place in Elwood's skid row flop house next to the "L" Train. As the train roars past, shaking everything in the room, Jake, newly released from prison, asks his brother, "How often does that thing run by?" Elwood responds, "So often you won't even notice." So it is with public hacking and spitting in Lanzhou. They even aim for certain targets as they ride past you on their bicycles. After a few days, you've heard it so often it hardly fazes you.
Christmas is huge here. You see Christmas trees and various displays all over downtown, which (not coincidentally) is the main shopping district. I even heard "Oh Come, All Ye Faithful" blaring from the intercom outside one of the city's nicest hotels. When I asked our guide if people understand the meaning of Christmas, he said the stores use it as a way to boost sales, while residents see it as a reason to host and attend parties. Hmm ... Not too different from America.
Readers of this blog who are of the praying sort should consider praying for this city of 3 million. The lack of joy, or anything resembling it, is apparent. They have little to live for. They are mostly poor and always will be until the pollution kills them 10 years early. There is nothing in their lives that can envision a heaven where they can find health and fullness of life. They are desparate for something -- for God. They just don't know it. Forgive me if that sounds boastful or haughty. That is not my intention. And without question there are good people here. We were fortunate to have one such person as our guide. Steed is an intelligent, caring man who rescued us from our passport predicament, spending countless hours as detective, driver, intermediary and interpreter. He has a fascinating and insightful perspective on where China has been and where it is headed. I wish I'd had a few more car trips to pick his brain a little further.
-- Tony
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