A dream come true
Late 1996, over a good meal, my friend Jan Haas and I were talking about a shared wish we both had: to see the “real” China one day. Our wives proved to be a source of wisdom. If this was what we truly wanted, we should just go for it—and not wait until we were old and gray! We chose to travel by bicycle. We never regretted that decision for a single moment (well, maybe just a little when we were climbing a five-kilometer ascent in the scorching afternoon sun at 1 p.m. on our way to Xiaosanjiang, with temperatures hitting 34 degrees Celsius…).
China anno 1997
Perhaps it is good to reflect on the fact that in 1997, China had only recently opened its borders to foreign visitors. By far the vast majority of travellers visited the major tourist attractions, like the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, on organized group tours. Relatively little was known about life in the countryside. For many people in rural areas, we were the very first Westerners they had ever met.
It was also a time before the internet and before mobile phones. As soon as we ventured deep into the countryside, all communication with our families back home was completely cut off.