Date: Mon, 4 Nov 2002 21:57:40 -0800 (PST)
From: “Benjamin Sandler” <ibenibeni@yahoo.com>
Subject: East-West divide
To: Everyone

Hello to everyone, from Wanzhou...

I came back yesterday from Fengjie, an ancient town, with a long history. It sits at the entrance to Qutang gorge, the first and most magnificent of the Three Gorges. Its scenery has inspired poets and artists alike. Early in the morning, crowds gathered on the hillside, on bridges, balconies, and roofs, to witness their city’s last moments. They chatted about their town, pointed to the rubble that was their home, school, shop, their hangouts.

At precisely 10:50, as planned, the remaining structures of the old town were leveled by the simultaneous blast of thousands of explosive sticks. To me it seemed to happen in slow motion. I felt the temperature drop suddenly, and then the warmth of the sun. The dust cloud expanded to cover nearly the entire old town. Once settled, the crowds were still there, gazing on the remains; they never dispersed. Whether in disbelief, or a need to experience the meaning of the day to its fullest, for a good hour few people took their eyes off the scene.

Apart from an excursion to witness this historic event, documenting this journey has become more difficult. I’ve covered a lot of ground, but it’s felt a little more like being on the run than making productive use of my time. Since the police paid me a second visit to my hotel room, laying low has been key. It’s difficult to tell if I am being paranoid, or if there is genuine danger lurking.

For sure, the People’s Republic would not be so keen on my attempts to make a documentary. However, it’s quite possible that the only trouble I’m in is for that of raising eyebrows. Nevertheless, I’ve tried to steer clear of smaller towns, and dormitory style hotels, not meant for foreigners. My gut is telling me to spend as little time as possible where it looks like I don’t belong; except for the tourist boats and other sites with admission fees, that’s just about everywhere.

For now, larger cities have been my haven. I’ve had a lot of time to think about what I’m doing here, how to stay out of trouble, and continue doing what I came here to do. I’ve realized that this fear that I’m experiencing sprouts directly from the fact that my perspective of the world, and in particular, of the politics of the Three Gorges Dam, is a very foreign one.

I feel there is value in seeing and experiencing the changes in the old and new cities here in this region. I’ve seen a new city under construction, with few people but workers, transform into the later stages of completion, with shops selling everything from paint, drywall, faucets, ceiling fans, etc... Now there are markets, with vegetables and meat, roving noodle saleswomen, and the endless blaring of honking horns.

In a reverse scheme the old cities, once bustling at the water level, transformed into sparsely populated centers for organizing demolitions, recycling bricks, straightening steel wires, and dumping heaps of garbage. Food stalls under shells of buildings or makeshift tarps would cater mostly to laborers, and the few remaining residents. Now, in the flattened rubble of what looks like the aftermath of war, there are only memories.

I find all of this fascinating. It’s like watching a history textbook unfold its pages, though it hasn’t been written yet. But, for Chinese people here, experiencing this day in and day out, my interest may be more like that of sniffing through their dirty laundry. I’m told not to go certain places, because it’s not pretty. They don’t understand why I’m not on a tourist boat, visiting temples, or other tourist attractions.

There are risks in what I’m doing here, but I’ve decided to continue by paying closer attention to the fact that not only am I an oddity here in China, but my politics and idealism don’t resonate either. It’s easy for me, from the West, to lament over forced emigration, cities lost and submerged like Atlantis, or the wholesale denigration of the environment. But this perspective ignores the daily experience of the people living it. Their experience is more about survival, and making the best of an unjust situation. Now, it’s time for me to let go a little, and learn something from Chinese optimism and endurance.

If there are any brilliant ideas out there for how to incorporate into film, all the variances in perspective, please let me know.

I hope you all are doing well. And thank you for allowing me to share these experiences with you.

Take care,
Ben