Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2002 04:52:49 -0800 (PST)
From: “Benjamin Sandler” <ibenibeni@yahoo.com>
Subject: Yangtze disappearing...
To: Everyone

Mud and dust cover the rubble of former buildings, homes, and footpaths. A ceiling beam sticks out, and the bricks forming the corner of a room, still intact, give reminder of what was. From afar, blotches of pink and navy blue dot the landscape; up close, these favored colors of clothing are joined by a toothbrush, a comb, a single shoe, a hanger, and many other easily replaceable items. Now, a wasteland lies near the banks of the Yangtze. It’s a place for scavenging anything from metal beams still bound by concrete, to plastic wrappers.

What I’ve seen so far is not too different from what I saw three months ago, except, much more has been leveled. Finding a familiar spot to find my bearings is now very difficult, and will soon be impossible. What would seem to be a hurried process, is actually moving at the speed of ..ping....ping....ping..ping… a slow and rhythmic tune by hammers and chisels almost gently bringing structures back to the ground.

After a very uncomfortable police interrogation last night, I decided, today, to visit some familiar faces. On a small island called Xiao Taiwan, smack in the middle of the Yangtze, I discovered a paradise. This morning at the dock, when I asked about boats to this place of seclusion, no one had heard of it. They only knew of a “little” island, not far away.

Three months ago, the (surname omitted) family graciously welcomed me, and my friend Eddie into their home for dinner and to stay the night. Now their home is no more. The bricks of their house can be seen intact in some of the photographs I brought back for them. Looking at the photographs, (omitted) turned and pointed at the mound of rubble, uttering, “Dou chaile” (It’s all torn down). He continued shooting these words every so often, sometimes with a frown, sometimes with a smirk.

We spent the morning loosening soil, and planting lettuce on the family plot that will be used up to the eleventh hour. We ate a hearty lunch of rice, boiled squash, sautéed zucchini with Szechuan peppers, and egg soup. A good day.

Happy Halloween, sorry I can’t be there to enjoy it with you, though Fengdu (the city of ghosts) may provide just the right replacement.

Take care –Ben