TravelNotes.org - The Online Guide to Travel Northern Capitals - Chapter Six of Nomadic Gatherings

Nomadic Gatherings by Michel Guntern

Beijing, Northern Capital
Beijing by Ling Tang on Unsplash.

Nomadic Gatherings: Chapter Six: Northern Capitals.

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Beijing and Harbin. Japan invaded Manchuria in the early 1940s, and the Soviets followed in 1945.

Some of the dome-shaped architecture remains from the Russian period, although much was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.

Next 1. Beijing Arrival:
The whole area in front of Beijing station was littered with bodies, curled up on bags, or eating vegetables and rice out of polystyrene, lunch-boxes.

2. Great Wall of China:
The President admired the view from his own personal space while photographers and blond journalists in trench-coats struggled to get through the crowds.

3. Tiananmen Square:
The caller attacked again and bit the other girl, who backed out of the glass-shattered aluminium frame and showed the crowd her wound.

4. Beijing Departures:
The capital of China is one thing to get to, but harder to leave. If you can't get a hard-sleeper on the day you want, you may pay extra for a soft-sleeper.

5. Travel to Harbin:
A Chinese man who had the habit of growling up his phlegm, filled the fourth place. He peeled two apples, while the professor drank Coke and read a book.

6. Harbin Arrival:
Disembarkation from the soft-sleeper was very civilised; perhaps no-one wanted to be first to feel the cold air of Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province.

7. Noodles and Meat:
In a restaurant, I couldn't understand the menu, so I looked around for something appetising. The waitress suggested that I write it down in English.

8. First Class Waiting-Room:
I was forced to travel soft-sleeper back to Beijing, so I made use of the first class waiting-room away from the masses.

9. Sitting in Silence:
When there's silence between on the train in China, something happening outside the window gives you a chance to think about the lack of privacy.

10. Wake, Eat, Sleep:
Not only did the three men in my compartment not speak to each other, they woke, ate breakfast, and by nine o'clock were all asleep again.

11. Swiss Milk Powder:
Swiss engineers, building a milk-powder factory for Nestle, shed some light on working with the Chinese and a hard, cold life in Harbin.

12. Chinese Connections:
So much may not be available in China one minute, but readily become available with the right introduction letters; like avoiding crowds on the night train.

Nomadic Gatherings
Nomadic Gatherings - by Michel Guntern.

Nomadic Gatherings available on Kindle

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NextChapter Seven: Grasslands to Terracotta.