Thursday, April 12, 2018

This morning saw our delegation depart Changsha, saying goodbye to our hosts Bill and Annie, and taking the hour plus bus ride to the outskirts of Changsha to catch the Bullet train to Shenzhen, 475 miles to the south and the border city to neighboring Hong Kong. Riding the Bullet train was eye opening for those of us from New Haven. The newness began with the massive, sparkling Changsha Train Station. In short, the station felt more like a modern day bustling airport terminal than it did a train station. As for the Bullet train itself, it actually pretty much always runs on time, cruises at 190+ mph, and is the smoothest train ride we all have ever experienced. And yes, the 190 mph is correct. We thus traversed the 475 miles in just over three hours, inclusive of a half dozen or so stops.

I was watching out the window admiring the beautiful rice paddy farms, which contrast against the numerous cities scattered about China and in the cases such as Changsha, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong, the incomprehensible (for those of us from the US) urban building and development that is occurring. It seems China is very much a tale of two worlds… traditional or historic China, with its farming, fishing, and factory workers living in extremely humble settings against the modern, exploding growth China that seems to sprawl forever. Even when in the urban cities, there is stark contrast in merged neighborhoods between run down apartments/shanties/shacks/extreme poverty and the climbing sky scraper glitz of urban development. On the drive to the Changsha train station, I spotted the man in the picture pushing his cart full of what appeared to be shrimp and perhaps scallions over a heavily traveled bridge.

Upon arriving in Shenzhen, we boarded another bus to make the drive to the actual border with Hong Kong. There, we had to get off the bus, carry/wheel our own luggage (a Customs requirement) into the border-crossing building, leave China through Customs, then walk about 100 yards to the Customs area to enter Hong Kong. After navigating that ritual, we then walked into Hong Kong, re-boarded our same bus, that had now driven through Customs, to finish the drive into Hong Kong’s islands.

First impressions of Hong Kong as you arrive is overwhelming amazement and fixation with the urban development and sprawl juxtaposed against a beautiful harbor with spanning bridges, all the while back-dropped against numerous mountains and ranges. Hong Kong harbor, and its multiple high rise developments in the various inlets, is beautiful. Hong Kong is divided roughly into three sections. First is Hong Kong Island, which was the original British settlement and today is the urban financial district, with its own beautiful harbor inlet and the historic Star Ferry… more on that shortly. The second area is known as Kowloon, which is full of neon-lit shops, restaurants, and buildings of all sorts; to get a feel for its size, this area we agreed was similar to NYC’s Times Square, but much larger. And the third area is known as the New Territories, which I believe is, as the name suggests, the newest developed area of Hong Kong and is the border town to China’s Shenzhen.

After we checked into our hotel, which for those who are on this trip I’ll simply say was an unexpected adventure, we quickly reassembled to catch another bus to the Star Ferry dock to make the short trip across the harbor to Hong Kong Island. Out on the open harbor water, one is able to get a better look at the circular beauty that defines Hong Kong, its harbor, and its various geographic regions. I hope the pictures will help bring all of this to your mind’s eye.

On Hong Kong Island, we boarded its historic Tram to The Peak, the highest point in Hong Kong at roughly 1300 feet. At the Peak’s summit, numerous shops and restaurants greet visitors. We gathered as a complete group for an evening dinner. Not sure my iPhone will do justice to the spectacular neon urban, nighttime scenes that sit below Hong Kong’s Peak.  The camaraderie over dinner, after our day trying to mimic the famous (infamous?) John Candy/Steve Martin “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles,” was a wonderful end to the day’s journey into Hong Kong. Tomorrow, we have a full day of meetings and exploration.

President Marc M. Camille, Ed.D., will write regular reflections during his week-long trip to Changsha, China, with New Haven Mayor Toni Harp and the New Haven delegation. The New Haven-Changsha Sister City relationship promotes mutual awareness of cultures, customs, and heritage. Invited by Mayor Toni Harp, President Camille is the only college president from New Haven making the trip.