SUNDAY, MAY 26, 1996 8:30 AM
Finally we are about to embark on the expedition. We are sitting in the lobby of the hotel, waiting for Sun to pick us up, luggage piled high and ready to go. I had a hard time getting my laundry back this morning. I left it at the 5th floor desk last night, thinking they had overnight service. Apparently this was not the case. There was much gesturing and pointing at the laundry list and some loud slow talking (as if that makes a difference!) and a few phone calls from the desk boy to someone downstairs who speaks rudimentary English. After about 10 minutes of this he pulls my bag of still dirty laundry from under the very desk from which we have been trying to communicate. Whew!
We pile into the van. There are six of us -
I am sitting in the front seat of this vehicle, on the left side for passengers in this Japanese made Toyota van. Cars drive on the right hand side of the road here, and in most vehicles the driver is on the left, as in America, but apparently, here, anything goes. It seems as if anything that will go if it has a motor on it is fair game on the roads here. There are 6 of us in this rickety van. When jokingly asked if this van would make the trip, the very serious reply was 'Oh, yes, it's made it many times before'. Seat belts? What's that? There's not much between myself and the road. I make sure that the door is locked at all times, clicking the door button firming down, but not really convinced that it would hold if tested.
IMAGES AND IMPRESSIONS:
Scattered small villages, close set groups of dark sandy colored earthen buildings with tile roofs, peaked at the corners, rice paddies, terraced vegetable gardens.
The surrounding hillsides stripped of trees long ago, although we do still see an occasional forest covered slope.
Incarvellia arguta is in bloom in cracks in the rocks along the roadside, the sprays of small pink trumpets stand out against the flat grey of the dry rocks.
Large tall clumps of bamboo lining the riverbank. The smell of eucalyptus is in the air. It is common as a road tree in this almost subtropical area. Musella, a smaller banana relative, is frequently seen, in full bloom now with large yellow cone shaped flower heads.
Water buffalo being herded on the ridge. Peasants tending fields, with wide brim straw hats, large baskets slung over their shoulders, bark blue hip length jackets, loose black pants. Some wear orange hats, bright dots of color in the distant scene against the cool green of the new rice.
Terraced rice paddies, bright 'new rice' green, stripes of reflected sunlight glinting from between the road, following us as we pass.
The road cuts through red earth, eroding with the rains, mounds of loose soil partially blocking the road in spots.
Intriquing small oval mound-
Long irrigation canals of stone and concrete, built into steep slopes.
Horse drawn carts piled high with coal.
An old man with a broad straw hat and a manchu beard wielding a stick, chasing his runaway water buffalo across the road, holding up traffic.
Big bright blue 'lorries' -
I wonder if our driver is the same kamikaze driver that I have read about from other
expeditions, or are they all like this? Driving is a constant game of 'chicken'.
Our driver is impatient. He loves to lay on the horn. Maybe it's a sign of manhood
here -
I am feeling increasingly like I am on one of those 'death defying' amusement rides at Disneyland, only there you know that you will be coming out the other side alive.
A herd of small black goats is coming our way, followed by an old woman carrying a baby on her back.
Seven accidents seen so far on this road.
We travel a stretch of road with widely separated small whitewashed houses, with
varying amounts of large Chinese writing on them in bright red -
We come to another town, this one is very dirty, the smell and feel of coal smoke is strong, ours eyes burn. There are many very large domed structures of earth and rock, with a small rounded entrance hole at the bottom of each, and some have smoke coming from the top. I don't know what they are. (I find out later that they are kilns, and they are making bricks.)
8 accidents, now 9.
Around a bend a long stretch of carvers are working on large piles of white stone. They look like grave markers.
I wonder if one needs a drivers license here, and if they do, if they have to take a test to get it.
THAT NIGHT:
We're in Dali tonight. It is near dark when we arrive, but what I can see is more
than intriquing. I'm anxious for morning, to see the mountains that I barely glimpse
in the twilight, rising in the misty distance as I peer down the narrow street, beyond
the ubiquitous shops. It's raining now. I hope it stops by morning. Dali is in large
part a tourist town, charming and old and picturesque. Narrow streets with the everpresent
shops, but more tourist items here -
Dinner is superb. Lusciously tender pork leg, deep fried goat cheese, thin and curled
like chips, with sugar on them, eggplant slices folded, stuffed with meat and fried,
and among others -
MAY 27
We spend the day in the Cangshan Range outside of Dali. I had read much about this
well known area before the trip and I am excited about what we will find. This has
been one of the better explored ranges of this area of China, particularly during
the early part ot this century, most notably the famous plant explorers Frank Kingdon-
It strikes me that if I could be set down in the middle of this gravel mountain
road, the feeling would similar to being at home in the national forests of the Pacific
Northwest. The families and genera of the plants of China and the temperate USA are
similar enough that the feeling would be the same until one becomes aware of the
richness of the species surrounding us. And look up, and we can be nowhere else but
in China. Rounded peaks beyond peaks, sharp ridges covered with rich green vegetation,
rising steeply all around us. Clouds settle between the ridges, wrapping their mistiness
around the hills -
The highest peak is about 14,000' here. We drive to a trailhead, then hike, not too
far, but steeply to about 10,000'. There is not too much in bloom, but so much is
getting ready to open given another few weeks of warmth. Aconitum, Gentiana, Lilium
and Nomocharis, a small Gaultheria common under larger shrubs, Rhododendrons, Thalictrums,
many liliaceous species -
We left Portland 6 days ago.. Still almost 4 weeks to go. Will it go fast, or will I be ready to leave when the time comes?
May 28, Tuesday
We are just leaving Dali, on the road to Lijiang. The clouds hang low, it is raining, not heavy but steady, like an Oregon rain. The mountains that we just barely started to explore yesterday are mostly hidden by clouds today but we get an occasional glimpse of their broad base as we drive away.
We are driving through a broad flat fertile valley. The road goes straight for miles. At times it is bordered on both sides with tall straight eucalyptus, but when the roadside is clear of vegetation our view is unencumbered, and we can see the endless rice paddies on either side, stretching to the rise of the distant hills. There is much activity in the fields and along the roadside. People are working in the fields, sometimes solitary, but mostly in groups, lined up in straight rows, bending in unison, planting rice, in water to their knees. On the road men and women of all ages are walking, carrying large baskets on their backs filled to overflowing with vegetables, sticks, grain, bamboo. Some wear broad, dark brown, stiff, knee length capes down their backs, made of rough palm fibers. Protection from the rain?
The road still stretches ahead and the people keep coming. I feel like I am begin pulled along in some fantasy. It is exhilarating somehow. I take many pictures. I miss so many. Every one tells a story.
A herd of small black goats barely makes it across the road. The pig was not so lucky. He turned into the street just as we were upon him, and his rump met our front right fender with a thud.
Piles of golden grain -
I see a moving pile of cut bamboo ahead. All I see are legs from the knees down. The load is so big and heavy that all else is hidden. The back is bent with the weight of the load.
Something is wrong with the car. I hear talk of a bad bearing, and hear clunky noises. We have to trust that it will make it to Lijiang. We drive in silence, the air is charges with nervous energy, but we make it. Lijiang is a much bigger city than I expect, bustling, and all the hotels are full. We must drive 10 miles out of town to a new hotel on the nature reserve. As we drive thorugh this flat area with many scattered Pinus yunnanense, I see an intriquing carpet of plants that we will be able to study closer tomorrow. We pass many bushy clumps of blooming Cynoglossum amabile, almost a roadside weed. It is a borgage relative, about 2’ tall, with the curling cymes of true blue flowers typical of this family. I think how nice it would look in my garden back home
It is beautiful here. Mostly open meadows, with scattered Pinus yunnanensis, and
a loose carpet of numerous species of Anemones, mostly A. demissa and A. obtusiloba,
unnamed Roscoea (probably R. praecox) , a small greenish-
Y 29
I have my first glimpse of the jagged snow capped Jade Dragon Mountains ( the Yulong Shan) this morning, rising up through the clouds, a grand view from the hotel room window. It is unexpected, imposing, intriguing.
After breakfast Sun, Jack, Dusty and I begin to explore the meadows across from the
hotel. I am overwhelmed, again. The flat meadow gives way to a wooded slope, and
we follow the gravely road up the hill in the fog. Blood red Paeonia delavayi is
seen in profusion, though most are very small plants, not even seeming to be of blooming
size, although we do find a few in flower. There must be larger plants around to
be throwing those seedlings, though we do not see them. Rodgersia is common in the
understory here, though, again, small specimens, not the large lush specimens we
saw in the Cangshan Range. Dipelta yunnanaense is in fragrant bloom. This is a very
attractive shrub in the Honeysuckle family with large fragrant clusters of fat tubular
flowers of white-
THURSDAY, May 30
A day of sightseeing. We visit the Jade Summit Monastery in a grand setting in the
hills outside of LIjiang, very peaceful. This temple is famous for the 550 year old
Camellia growing in the inner courtyard, an incredible multi-
A huge 200 year old specimen of Magnolia delavayi grows inside the walls of the monastery, with dense shiny dark green foliage and a few luxuriant blossoms of creamy yellow.
This afternoon we were on to the Black Dragon Pool in Lijiang. This is a restful large public park with a large clear lake, reflecting the temples, ornate pagodas, the marble bridge, and the Jade Dragon Mountains in the distance. It is lovely. There is a small nursery for park use.
We move to the hotel in Lijiang this afternoon. Lijiang is divided into a new modernized
section, and the old section with narrow streets and the old homes. This town is
near the epicenter of the strong earthquake that hit the region last autumn and signs
of destruction are easy to see -
In the late afternoon I wander the streets of Lijiang, the old part of the city,
with cobblestone streets, the usual shops and vendors everywhere, a narrow river
that runs through the town, small picturesque bridges. It is warm and sunny. I wander
alone down many streets, never feeling afraid. I buy some Chinese greeting cards
-
I have dinner in town tonight with Zhou, J , D . We sit outside a local restaurant
until almost dark, then do some shopping. I buy a traditional Chinese instrument
for my son -
Lijiang is home to the Naxi people, and this evening we attend a concert of authentic Naxi music. The orchestra is composed of mostly old men, some well into their 80's, the last of their kind, it is said. It is feared by those who care deeply about such things, that the old traditional music will die away soon if the younger generation does not pick it up. This traditional orchestra is unique, and has played it's ancient music, by invitation, in England and other far away places, and a few nights a week holds a concert in an old dusty building with folding chairs, seating about 50 people. We are surprised to see that by the beginning of the concert the room has filled to overflowing, almost all of them westerners.
Before the concert we visit the home of the leader of this orchestra, Chin Ku, an
ethnomusicologist. Dusty has befriended him on previous trips, and he is happy to
see us. But, even more interesting to me, is the fact that in his small home, on
the third floor, is the original desk of legendary and eccentric plant hunter Joseph
Rock. Chin Ku's father worked with Joseph Rock earlier in this century, and when
Rock left the country, left his desk and some other belongings with this man. It
is now in the custody of this wonderful man in this unassuming home, walls cracked
with earthquake damage. Now, many botanical groups make the mini-
I go to Mao Square after dark. It is about a block from the hotel. It contains the only statue of Mao remaining in Yunnan. It is impressive as I stand at the foot of the statue, looking up. Mao rises huge and imposing with one hand raised to the stars, against a black sky. Two children come out from behind the statue where they sit with their parents on this warm moonlit night. They say hello in their giggly way. I say hello back and give them each a cookie. They giggle and run back to their parents, run back to me and giggle a thank you.
I continue my walk to get a Pepsi, using some sort of sign language that I seem to be picking up that consists of a lot of pointing and improvised gesturing. Most shops are still open at 9:30, even the street vendors selling meat in the open air, slabs of beef and pork, plates of pigs feet and chicken feet, whatever is left over from the day. In a doorway, two men haggle over the price of a black puppy, most likely destined to be someone's dinner when it is fattened up this winter. Black dogs are prized for being 'hot' extra good in the winter cold.
There is a full moon tonight, and as I sleep she has risen high. When I awake in the middle of the night, I am covered with warm silvery moonlight.
FRIDAY, MAY 31
Today we hike Gang Ha Ba, a flat valley at the base of the Wolong Shan -
On the far side of the valley, the Jade Dragon Mountains rise sharply, the snow covered ridges looming and dramatic. We hear the sheep before we see them, the shepherd, and his daughter. We run into another group of plant hunters, from England, being led another botanist from the Kunming Botanical Garden. Nice folks, looking not collecting. Two of the British women are interested in someone who could lead a plant trip in thePacific Northwest. It's something I will think about doing.
Now I sit in my room, noisy with music from outside, people talking loudly in the room next door, and TV noise coming from somewhere. It's a beautiful clear night, and warm.
I tried calling Bill this morning. It is still yesterday in Battle Ground. I got
the answering machine -
Plant hunting in China -
Collector's Nursery,16804 NE102nd Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604, 360-