Essay from Seniors

CHINA WELCOMES FOREIGN SENIORS

By Joan Deleuze

from Toronto, ON

In November 1999, I enjoyed a 10 days Seniors' Tour to China, focusing on the Beijing area.

Our group of 18 visited monuments such as The Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the Ming Tombs; we also enjoyed evenings at the Beijing Opera and the National Acrobats.

In addition, we visited the city of ShiJianZhuang where Norman Bethune lived for a time, and BaoDing, known for the longevity of its citizens.

Since the tour was created as a meeting-ground for seniors, we attended a Seniors' University in ShiJiaZhunag and saw brush painting and computer classes in progress. We were also entertained by a seniors' colourful dance performance.

One evening, we were welcomed in groups of four into ordinary homes for a traditional Chinese meal when we learned how to make dumplings.

A Chinese interpreter was presented with each group, and there was an enthusiastic exchange of ideas and good will.

Several opportunities arose during the trip to exercise, sing and dance with seniors who welcomed the contact with foreigners.

On one remarkable occasion, while strolling away from our group in a residential area, three of us were invited into a private home for tea.

Although our only communication was sign-language, warmth and good will were generated on both sides.

The tour creator was Tony Pau of Toronto who also leads hiking tours on the Great Wall and in the Yellow Mountains ( info@china-hiking.com).

In China, we also enjoyed our charming and knowledgeable guide-interpreter, Mr Li.

Accommodation in three-star hotels was very comfortable, and meals were delicious and bountiful ( Chinese except for western breakfast).

I highly recommend this tour for citizens over 50. At an economic price, one has the opportunity to witness a fascinating culture.

Even more important, this tour provided many opportunities to foster friendship with ordinary Chinese citizens.

First Seniors Group to visit "University of Senior Citizens of China"

To celebrate 1999 as "International Year of Elderly"

By: Eve Gardner

from Alberta

In late March our long-time friends Jean and Bill Hoag called to say that they were going to China on a tour and asked if we would go too. The tour was designed for Canadian seniors to visit Chinese seniors in this "International Year of the Elderly". A 10-day tour, it cost CDN$2800 per person (based on two sharing) from Vancouver and back, including transportation, food, and lodging, as well as tickets to sites and events. The tour was heavily subsidised by the Chinese government and managed in China by the China H. O. I. Travel (an arm of government, I think).

The inspiration for the tour came from people at the University of Senior Citizens in the city of Shi Jia Zhuang in Hebei province. Our Canada tour leader was Tony Pau, born and raised in China and now Canadian, who has been resident in North America for some years. Highly educated, extremely knowledgeable, and deeply intellectual, Tony has a great concern for China, past, present, and future. He leads several hiking tours in China each year and now works closely with the Chinese government to help westerners to understand the country. This isn't to imply that he's sympathetic to communism but rather that he is interested in opening China to the world.

This was the first seniors' tour from Canada (there have been some from Britain and Australia) and wasn't widely advertised. We became a group of 11 tourists, 7 from Edmonton area, 3 from Toronto, and 1 woman from New Jersey who had heard about it and asked if she could join. We left Edmonton April 19th, met the

Torontonians at the Vancouver airport and proceeded to Beijing where we met Betty Lou who flew from New Jersey via Detroit. We were a small group in a small bus who spent about 14 hours a day together along with Tony, our local guide Mr. Li, and our driver who was the most proficient driver any of us had ever seen.

Nine days was just about the right length of time for a group of diverse strangers to spend in such intimate company and we all enjoyed it immensely.

This was definitely a working holiday. We were up by 6:00 am and finished each day about 9:30 pm. We stayed in good hotels, ate the very best food (western breakfasts and Chinese the rest of the time) and we were shown as much of Beijing, Baoding, and Shi Jia Zhuang as we could possibly see in the time we

had. We were entertained at the seniors' university; at the apartment home of a retired lady and her two married children and one grandson; and several times in restaurants. One such party ended with karaoke singing by our hosts and social dancing. We were taken into average homes, dark hovels, and new

apartments. We went to street markets and high-end malls and we were mobbed by hawkers at every historic site. We visited a jade factory and store, and a traditional medicine store with doctors prepared to diagnose and prescribe for our ailments. We exercised with seniors in a great park for an hour before

breakfast one morning. We went to watch Peking Opera and Chinese Acrobats, visited the Forbidden City and the Great Wall and other historic sites. We saw beautiful gardens and awful back-lanes and unbelievable traffic. It seems that there are no traffic laws, just an understanding that traffic generally

stays to the right. It all works because of the way it has evolved and because people of China, unlike North Americans, try very hard not to kill or be killed on the streets; road-rage is completely unknown.

We were there because China is in desperate need of help for its problems and it needs the world to know this. Millions of people live in the type of windowless brick house that Pearl Buck wrote about in the '20s. I'm reading The Good Earth again and, for some people, things haven't changed all that much except that the horrible famines no longer are part of their experience. Of course, at least in the cities, there is more equality of the sexes and people on the streets are generally very well and fashionably dressed. In the distant rural areas things are, perhaps, quite different from what we saw.

Unemployment is extremely high even though most work is still being done by hand with no machinery. Farmers still work bent over in the fields; stones of floors in ancient historical buildings are being re-set by hand and pounded into place with large wooden posts. China is being rebuilt and it's an astonishing sight.

Highways are being built with rows of trees planted along them but there is no heavy highway equipment to be seen. Buildings are going up but one sees few building cranes. We were assured by one guide that the whole country is moving forward in the same way but they don't have the technology or the know-how.

What is really disturbing is the thought that if they begin using the equipment we use there will be many millions more thrown out of work. The Chinese continue to be the same creative and hard working people they have been for a thousand years and many are becoming entrepreneurs but the country will have to find a path between our technological system and their traditional feudal system. The one-child rule is pretty much accepted by everyone as being necessary; they all have to live each day with the problems of over-population.

In one event of our trip Bill Hoag tripped and fell one evening on an ill-lit street in the city of Baoding, nearly severing a large chunk of a finger. He was taken to the local hospital which Jean said was frighteningly primitive. He had 10 or 12 stitches and shots of antibiotics and all communication was carried on by our wonderful guide Li Yihu. The following morning when Bill went back to the hospital to have fresh dressing applied the wound began to bleed again as they removed the first bandage. Jean was terrified of infection. We then travelled to Beijing as scheduled and Hoags had their insurance company recommend a hospital there. Bill was taken to an American-Chinese collaborative hospital which Jean described as the most beautiful hospital she'd ever seen and Hoags were well pleased with the treatment he received there. Such is China. Bill is recovering nicely.

Communism isn't revered by the younger generations; my impression is that they see the Communist government as simply the group of people in command at the present time. It is, in fact very difficult to comment on Chinese politics after such a short visit. Our guides narrated a great deal of Chinese history as we toured the historic sites and museums and I found it interesting that these young people spoke of such things as the Cultural Revolution in the same way that they described many other violent events in the long history of China. To them these are simply events of the past, not to be explained or defended, just enumerated. China is most fortunate not to have imploded as Russia did and this has much to do with the philosophy of the people which is based on Confusianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. They have the patience and the ability to wait while working to improve a situation. Possibly the average Chinese person isn't

aware of the argument about human rights going on between his country and the west. Having seen how China is reaching out to the world I'm guessing that attention will slowly be paid to human rights under pressure from other countries. Premier Zhu is only one man who has to work with many other people

and the Chinese are not about to lose face by immediately acceding to the demands of foreign governments.

I'm still rather bemused by our good luck in being part of this tour. We were certainly not a chosen group nor are we people of influence anywhere. All that was asked in return is that we spread the word that China is open - for business, for tourism, and for friendship. China is very real to me now whereas formerly I

think it seemed a sort of mythical place. Also, I now understand why many of the people of Hong Kong were happy to be reunited with the mainland.

I've been asked if I think China is really open. Certainly it is open to friendship (although the public attention to us might have been different had we been in Beijing when their Belgrade embassy was bombed). Strangers sometimes smilingly took our pictures as we photographed our surroundings. Several times strangers asked us to pose with them for photographs. Generally those who speak English comment freely on the reality of life in China, there was no sense that they were afraid of saying the wrong thing. Also, we were free to go out on the streets alone; we didn't have government guides attending us every moment.

There were uniformed security guards, police, and soldiers on the streets but we had no more sense of being watched than we do here. China is working hard to expand tourism. Historic places are being refurbished wherever we went and our guides were very knowledgeable. Tiananmen Square wasn't open to us; we had to look at it from across the street in the Forbidden City. It was closed while work was being done on it but, of course, for political reasons this anniversary time was a good time to do the work. None of this is to suggest that China is democratic; it's not, but it's a far cry from the days of Mao Zedong. As for it's being open to business I'm not competent to comment; our tour didn't cover that at all. One sees that Beijing is being westernised to some extent; there are lots of familiar western company names along the streets. I do know that cousins of ours who own several businesses including a cement plant in the town of Rimbey, Alberta were approached by the Chinese to take their expertise to China and they have done so. We have heard this through the family grape-vine and haven't yet had an opportunity to talk to them. We expect to see them at a family reunion in August.

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CHINA BECKONING SENIORS

by Kevin Barker

China - the very word evokes images of sloping pagodas, mysterious herbs, rice paddies, millennia old dynasties, the grey, relentless face of Communism and more recently a mixture of emerging capitalism and change. It is hard for Westerners to know the real China and impossible to know it from behind the walls of distance and media reports, which is why it is drawing more and more people to its exotic shores. Despite the rigors of transcontinental travel, many mature Canadians are now acting on the desire to visit its Forbidden City, sample its exciting cuisine, marvel at the Great Wall, and witness first hand a complex social structure they have only read about.

Now, for the older traveler there is an opportunity to be more than just a tourist. A new tour has been created by a small company out of Toronto, to maximise the interaction between Canadian and Chinese seniors.

So says Tony Pau, an authority on China and host of the Seniors' China Tour, shortly before the November departure of the quarterly excursion. [Chinese seniors], he says, "have their own university. People who have run the country for years have retired, and they would also like to meet their counterparts from North America."

That's why Tony's guided tour is special. China's mature citizens are anxious to see for themselves if the picture of "the decadent west" painted by their government and media is true. So, in addition to seeing all the great attractions China has to offer, the traveler gets up close and personal with residents their own age.

Of course the Seniors' China Tour is more than just a debate on cultural differences. According to Tony it is designed to answer four questions they posed to seniors on visiting the world's most populous nation. "How many seniors are interested in visiting China, why haven't they gone before, what would they like to see, and how would they like to meet people their own age?"

The answers were intriguing. Tony reports that a full 85% of respondents said they would like to see China before they died: "That's very high," he mused. "The [respondents] also told us that most commercial packages are not right for them. Those packages are for people who want to visit five or six different cities. They didn't want to go to all of those, although the majority wanted to see the Great Wall. Many want to meet the seniors there and find out why they live longer, despite a lower standard of living". Many of the Canadian interviewees were interested in overcoming the problem of mortality (the oldest citizens of the world live in China).

No one knows the secret of longevity, but experts agree that the pace of life and close family ties are definitely part of the equation. Another factor is undoubtedly the rich spiritual life enjoyed by the Chinese, which is an integral part of social life. Despite time and political developments (the Cultural Revolution, for one), the Taoist ethic of hard work and filial piety has endured and prospered. Grandparents are more than just involved in their grandchildren's lives; they actually rear them while the parents are making a living. In return, they get the undying respect of their children and their children's children.

Adds Tony: "They don't have two cars in the garage. Though they work hard to maintain their standard of living they have their own safety net, so society in general has less stress. Within the closely-knit family, the senior's job is to take care of the grandchildren. It's something no one questions. "

"One of the things we do is break the group down into four and visit the families, where they can see three generations living in a single home. They can see the family structure and why it exists."

Also on the itinerary is the University of Senior Citizens in Shijiashuang. Visitors may discuss fine art appreciation with China's leading experts, along with Chinese brush painting and ancient healing techniques such as acupuncture.

"Our seniors are fascinated by the University," adds Tony, "particularly history, culture, philosophy and religion. The Buddhist philosophy influences every head in China, so I look for examples of that in the

behaviour we observe every day on the road."

The Seniors' China Tour is an unforgettable journey, and the learning opportunity of lifetime designed to suit the needs and comforts of older travelers. Best of all, it's priced at a very modest US $1,199 per person,

covering all land costs with the exception of travel insurance, visas, and taxes. Airfare is not included. Other highlights include tickets for the fabled Beijing Opera, the China National acrobatic show, giant Pandas at the Beijing zoo, the Royal Tomb of the Ming Dynasty, TianAn'Men Square, the world's oldest stone arched bridge and a farewell Beijing duck dinner are provided, compliments of the Peoples' Republic.

If you're thinking of making at least one transcontinental journey this year, make it this one. You won't regret it. Check out the tour's website at http:// www.china-hiking.com/seniors, or call Tony direct at (416) 605-7479 for more information.

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SIDEBAR

A SAMPLER OF CHINESE LIFE

Things are getting better for average folks in the Peoples Republic of China, reports George Illsley, an Edmonton lawyer who took the Seniors' China Tour in April, 1999.

"We had contact with a lot of seniors," he recollects. "There isn't a great deal of difference (between us), and they seem like fine people. The average Chinese person is laid back, doesn't get upset very easily, and is friendly. "

He adds the standard of living seemed reasonably good by western standards: "They seem to be advancing," he says. "Their young people seem to be attaining the heights we've achieved in the West, which their parents weren't able to do."

He adds that the specifics of the political situation isn't readily apparent in China, and rarely forms a topic of dinner time conversation. However, there were subtle signs of a government presence during the tour.

Photographers were present when the group was introduced to a renowned University for Seniors (see main story). And one of the scheduled visits was to a kindergarten for Muslim children, suggesting that religious

freedom is alive and well in the republic established in the late 1940s by Mao Tse Tung.

George also visited BaoDing, where the phenomenon of longevity is being studied. Each morning, seniors gathered in the village square to engage in physical activities including various forms of dance (including some from Latin America!), and the ancient practice of Tai Chi. The image of people performing western style dance in a public square in China is quite significant, since such a "decadent" act would have been unthinkable even ten years ago.

Contact with the locals also occurred on a more symbolic level, he adds. While observing the physical exercises one morning at BaoDing, one elderly person approached him and held his fingers up to his head. "He held up seven fingers indicating 70. I realized later that he was trying to guess my age."

He came pretty close," he says, with a chuckle.

Written by AARP member Mary Rogers, Morrisville, Pa. U.S.A.

November 21, 1999

I just returned from a 10 day tour of the Beijing area in China with 18 senior citizens from Canada and United States. I looked forward to seeing China's national treasures, e.g., the Great Wall, Forbidden Palace, Summer Palace, as well as cultural performances such as the Beijing Opera. However, I believe that the real treasures of China are its citizens. Through the SENIORS' CHINA TOUR offered by KENTOURS in Toronto, Canada (info@china-hiking.com), Mr. Anthony Pau made it possible for us to meet, mingle, and communicate with many Chinese senior citizens. They are a warm and friendly people offering us their hearts and homes.

We were graciously welcomed into the ShiJiaZhuang home of a Chinese family. The mother, sons, daughter-in-law, grandchild, and senior friends were in attendance. We shared making and eating wonderful Chinese dumplings and enjoyed a tasty, bountiful meal. The warmth of this family was truly evident and many hugs were generated.

Mr. Pau offered us the opportunity to observe seniors in various classes such as brush painting and computers at the Senior University. One evening, we witnessed a gala musical and dance performance given by several Chinese senior women who attend the University. Our group reciprocated by singing three songs for an appreciative audience. Following the program, we all dined together, communicating through gestures, smiles, words, and warm grateful hugs.

Other opportunities to mingle with senior citizens were offered by Mr. Pau. We exercised, sang, and danced together on different days in various parks. The Chinese citizens easily accepted our presence and encouraged us to join them in these activities.

Trips such as the Seniors' China Tour make it possible to foster relationships between peoples of the world as well as nations. Credit is due Mr. Pau for his generous efforts on behalf of all of us.

A delegation of SENIORS from Calgary, Alberta visited

University of Senior Citizen in China in April 2002.

The following photos are donated by members of this delegation.

If you want to copy the following photos,

please obtain permission from

Elenor Jordon : "bjordan" <bjordan@telusplanet.net>

********

Dear Tony,

Here are a few photos from our trip in China. The Seniors Centre was a great place, where we sat in on two different Classes in progress. We really enjoyed sharing a meal and evening with a family in a small suite in ShiJiaZhong. The Great Wall was a real high light of the trip. And we really enjoyed our tour by pedicab around an interesting area of Beijing.

Obviouly seniors in China have discovered that regular activity is the basis of good health, both physically and mentally.

We do thank you for making this trip possible for us.

Sincerely,

Bunty Jordon

**********

Jean playing ping pong at University of Senior Citizen in China

Jean, Bunty and "GrandMa" our hostess

Jean, Bunty, Maureen and Carol at Great Wall

Bunty on a camel at Great Wall

Bunty and Jean in a rickshaw on a tour in Beijing

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Subject: China Hiking

Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 19:21:46 -0600

From: Jean Hogg < jack.hogg@telusplanet.net>

To: info@china-hiking.com

Dear Tony,

What a wonderful trip! We had a great time.

I enjoyed everthing about the trip but I think that I especially liked

our time in Shijiazhuang and Baodong. It was interesting to meet the

Chinese seniors at their center and in their homes. I enjoyed our

conversation with the professor from the University and exchanging ideas

with him - he was a good listener. I loved our visit to the Lang Zing

temple. It had such a peaceful atmosphere. I think I liked it better than

the forbidden city with all the crowds. It was quite inspiring to see the

seniors doing their exercises, singing and dancing in the park in Baoding.

I will remember that scene for a long time. It was a great pleasure to

visit the nursery school and to observe the delightful children. I was

surprised at how much I enjoyed the food.

My only suggestion might be to make the trip a little longer and to have

half a day off in the middle of the trip instead of at the end.

We were very, very happy with Mr. Li as our guide. He was thoughtful and

sensitive to our needs. He made the history of that part of China come

alive with his storytelling. He is a gifted teacher. We could not imagine

having a better guide, and we felt very safe in the hands of our driver.

Thank you very much for arranging our trip. I will remember it with

pleasure for a long time. I hope you have a good trip to Tibet. It sounds

very exciting and challenging. I like seeing your photos on the computer.

Sincerely yours,

Jean Hogg

**************

Carol helping to prepare food in Chinese home.

China2 Park in BaoDing where seniors do various exercises.

Dinner with Chinese family at hotel.

The above photos belong to Jean Hogg

If you are interested, please contact Jean at :

jack.hogg@telusplanet.net

A delegation of SENIORS from Province of Prince Edward Island visited

University of Senior Citizen in China in October 2001.

Each PEI tour visitor was given a free Chinese painting

as souvenir by the students of the Chinese University.

The following photos are donated by members of this delegation.

If you want to copy the following photos,

please obtain permission from

Evelyn Patricia STRONBRIDGE TEL: HOME( 902 ) 892-5309

Seniors' China Tour

GRANDPARENTS TAKING CARE OF GRANDCHILDREN photo by Johannes and Emma Van Doesberg (780-986-2406)

VISIT TO KINDERGARDEN photo by Johannes and Emma Van Doesberg (780-986-2406)

PLAYING WITH KINDERGARDEN KIDS photo by Johannes and Emma Van Doesberg (780-986-2406)

JOINING THE KIDS IN GAMES photo by Johannes and Emma Van Doesberg (780-986-2406)

MAKING CHINESE DUMPLING photo by Johannes and Emma Van Doesberg (780-986-2406)

Visit GREAT WALL photo by Johannes and Emma Van Doesberg (780-986-2406)

Visit Great Wall photo by T Pau

Visit Forbidden City photo by T Pau

Visit Beijing Zoo to see Giant Panda live photo by T Pau

Visit Summer Palace photo by T Pau

Visit Farmer's home photo by T Pau

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FOR DETAILS PLEASE CALL HIKE-OPERATOR TONY at (416) 605-7479

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