Without a doubt, travelling China was the most challenging and rewarding adventure I've ever undertaken alone. Culturally, linguistically, logistically- nearly every aspect of the trip presented me with trials that, once overcome, made it all that more of an accomplishment. I started in Shanghai, then went to Xi'an, Chungdu, Kunming, Dali, back to Kunming, and then finially I flew to Chiangmai, Thailand and on to Hong Kong before returning home- all in seven weeks. I took my Bike Friday- a collapsible bicycle that fits in a suitcase, my backpack, and a lot of nerve! Between cities I rode the trains- usually 24+ hours for each leg and then I would set up the bike and ride around the various cities using a local map (with Chinese characters for street names) and a compass mounted on my handlebars. This mode of transportation enabled me to see areas rarely visited by other foreigners and my presence made for some interesting reactions. Usaully people were just curious to know where I was from and what possible interest I could have in their neighborhood. Highlights included fantastic museums in Xi'an (the end of the silk road and capital to many dynasties), incredible smog in Chungdu, friendly people in Kunming, traditional Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in Dali (untouched by the iconoclasim of the Cultural Revolution), amazing temples in Chiangmai, and a cosmopolitan Hong Kong that the West has nothing to compair to.

Shanghai proved to be an exciting city with more variety than any other Chinese city. With so many people it never sleeps and many shops and resturants are open all nite. However, this is a refection of a larger problem of rural migration affecting most Chinese cities. It is conservatively estimated that 100 million rural Chinese are currently in cities looking for work- mostly along the eastern seaboard- making it the largest human migration currently taking place on the planet. One thing I found interesting, and something I saw almost everywhere I went, was the juxtapostion of traditional Chinese lifestyles with the ever-encroaching modern world. This naturally became one of my photographic themes.

Xi'an was my favorite Chinese city. I spent most of a week there exploring back alleys and side-streets, enjoying the open-air markets, colorful muslim quarter, and the fantastic medieval wall and moat pictured here. Running almost 14 kilo- meters square to protect the city this feature from the 1300's helps seperate Xi'an from all other Chinese cities as the hands-down winner for charm and beauty. Now the wall serves to protect the inner part of Xi'an from a fate befalling all other Chinese cities- rampant modernization and expansion. As an every-present landmark the wall, and the unique grid pattern layout of the streets, made navigating Xi'an by bike a most pleasurable experience.