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Virtual China Bikers Group #4 Perspectives

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Virtual China Bikers Group #4 Perspectives
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Virtual China, Bikers Group 4 ...... traveling from Siu Hing toward Sun
Hing in Southern China along country roads. This is the first of several
sets of messages to come from Group 4 as they bike along their route over
rural country roads. The date is Tuesday, March 26th, 1996. The messages
below are from the 7th grade students from Hong Kong International School
as they bike through this area.
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Author: Lawrence Sullivan
Date: March 26, 1996
Location: Song Tao Hotel, Siu Hing China
Activity: From perspective of a waiter at the hotel restaurant

Message: I had a regular day today serving people and talking to my
friends. Then around six forty-five I heard lots of people talking. I
turned around and I saw lots of kids about 12-13 years old. I was surprised
to see foreigners in the hotel. They don't come here very often. I wanted
to serve them because foreigners don't come here very often. I knew that I
could only speak Chinese so I couldn't talk to them. To my surprise quite a
few people spoke my language. I was afraid to say very much to them because
I was really nervous. The way they ate was strange. They didn't have the
manners like the Chinese people did. I thought they wouldn't like it but
they seemed to eat it. They were really hungry. They talked louder then
what so were mite to. But, I enjoyed them eating in the restaurant.
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Author: Charles Dizon
Editor: Ms. Pfieffer
Date: March 26,1996
Activity: From perspective of a Chinese person who is asked for directions

Message:
After a long, strenuous hike to the top of a mountain of stairs, we were
ready to get back to our hotels and rest. Then we saw that we were followed
by these people that were wearing red shirts that said "China Tours" on one
side and had a big dragon on the other. We were not sure what they were
saying behind us, but we did not care because our main focus was to get
back to our hotel rooms .
The one that looked like a monkey came up to me and asked me a question. I
did not know what to make of it, so I just ignored him and left him behind.
They eventually overlook us and we didn't think that we would see them
again.
A couple of minutes later, we saw them again as we saw them again as we
were going out of the park and realized that they were lost and going
around in circles and couldn't help but laugh at them. We all hoped that
they found their way to where they wanted to go.
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Virtual China Readers!
( From Bikers Group 4, Mrs. Lewis' group...... March 27th, 1996 ...... day
3 of their trip )
Near the city of Sun Hing .... probably about 130-150 km inland from the
South China coast.

The following messages come to you from the Hong Kong International School
7th grade students who are biking from Siu Hing to Kwang Hai, China as part
of their study tour of that country. This is the third day they have been
traveling. Today's trip will take them from Long Shan, where they spent the
night ...... to Hoi Ping, a distance of approximately 30-40 km as they
travel south.
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Author: Thomas Lo
Date: March 27, 1996
Location: Foreign Merchants Entertainment Center Hotel, Long Shan, China
Perspective: a couch in the hotel lobby

Today, at least during the morning and early afternoon, was pretty much the
same as normal for me: a sofa in the Foreign Merchants' Entertainment
Center. As usual, I watched from my place in the lobby as hotel officials
strolled around the place, turning on lights wherever they went and dusting
off dirty tables. Of course, most of the lights had been on during the
night, but some had been switched off to conserve energy.
Anyhow, at around 5:00 pm one of the rowdiest bunch of kids I had ever seen
came. Covered with mud and dirt, they then proceeded to sit on us. Onto me
came a blonde, thin boy of about 12 years old. I didn't really mind, as
that is my purpose in the lobby. Soon, a lady called Mrs. Lewis came
forward, bustling about handing out keys. Within ten minutes of all this
starting, it was all over. All through the rest of the day I strained
forward whenever one of those strange kids approached, hoping to learn more
about them.
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Virtual China, Bikers Group 4, Mrs. Lewis' group ...... traveling from Hoi
Ping to Tai Shan in Southern China along country roads. This is the third
set of messages to come from Group 4 as they bike along their route over
rural country roads. The date is Thursday, March 28th, 1996. The messages
below are from the 7th grade students from Hong Kong International School
as they bike through this area.
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Author: Marcus Tirronen
Editor: Jenny Brockberg
Date: March 28, 1996
Location: Biker's Grp 4, near the city of Sun Hing, China Activity:


Message:
The layers of low clouds had just recently broken up which caused the long
overnight drizzle to stop. A small road uphill is now orange and red with
deep thick mud. I believe the mud measures about three inches deep. The
long waited sun is now clearly visible, sometimes seen glowing above the
dispersed clouds.
The 1500 people of my small village take farming as a living. I am a farmer
myself. I work in my field, plowing and planting the rice paddies, from
sunrise to sunset. Labor normally begins at 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., then
lunch, and then return to the field at 3:00 p.m. and stop working at 6:00
p.m., afterward returning home to ;have dinner.
The government has enabled me to own the field since 1982, because of my
family size. The field before 1982 was government owned. For example, a
family of 3 may own 70% of 1 acre. Fields about the size of 1 acre can grow
up to 1000 kg of crops. Unfortunately, 50 kg of crops must be given to the
government.
Awhile later a group of students in red arrived. They told me they came
from Hong Kong. This reminded me that Hong Kong would be returned to China
next year. I am delighted to have that happen.
Undoubtedly, my hard labor in the field is made possible with the help of
my 12 year old female buffalo. Male buffaloes have horns, but females
don't. I was lucky that my buffalo gave birth to 2 buffaloes. When my 12
year old buffalo retires 4 years from now it will be brought to a market,
slaughtered, and sold.
I am now hoping for another productive day for my crops in my field
tomorrow. I would also be taking care of the 2 baby buffaloes, mainly to
see if they can work in the field when their mother dies. The group of
students has gone to visit my village. I think I'll
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Virtual China .... March 29th, 1996 (Last messages from Bikers Group 4)
Mrs. Lewis' group traveling north to south in Southern China.

Today bikers group 4 rode their bikes from Hoi Ping to Tai Shan in Southern
China. Tomorrow they will ride the final 30-35 km from Tai Shan to Kwang
Hai, on the coast, and board a high speed ferry bound for Hong Kong.
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Author: Joe Krystofik
Date: March 29th, 1996
Location: Tai Shan Overseas Chinese Hotel
Activity: From the perspective of an eagle in a market

I'm an eagle in a cage, now. I'm located in the meat section of a market.
I've been here for awhile now. I don't know what's going to happen to me.
My friends told me about a place like this awhile back and said that people
would eat me, but I didn't believe them. I'm starting to believe them now,
though. Oh ..... this place sticks!
I thought I was an endangered species. Don't people care? My wings have
been damaged so I can't fly anymore and I've been treated awful. There's no
respect for me. I mean they just throw me into plastic baggies and tiny
cages one after another. I keep wondering if the government's going to do
anything about this (there are international rules and regulations on this
kind of stuff you know) because I don't want my children to grow up like
this. This place scares me, all the sick rats and cats. Especially the
"gweiloes" (white people) staring at me.
Whooooosh ......... (silence)
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Author: Robert Pattenden
Date: March 29th, 1996
Location: A Chinese market
Activity: From the perspective of a snake in a market

Today I was picked up by the person whom I tried to bite. I couldn't,
because he was hanging me by my tail and shaking me. There were all these
people with bright red shirts. These people were watching me and asking
questions. I've been locked up in a dark box all the time. One kid even
asked if I bite. I wondered what she was thinking ........ how many snake's
don't bite? Some people had small boxes that had bright flashing lights.
(cameras) They looked at me strangely. I wish I could escape and go outside
to the bushes, but I can't.
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