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“‘A bridge will fly to span the north and south,’” Hulan murmured
“What did you say?” David asked
“It’s a line from a poem by Mao He envisioned the dam back in the fifties” She looked at David and smiled “Don’t expect any more poetry You’ve just heard all I know”
Although most Chinese of her social class ell-versed in both the classics and conte been sent as a child first to the countryside, then to the States, she’d forgotten most of the folktales of her childhood and had missed the university courses in Chinese history and literature that others of her generation took
A few e—Bashan meant Ba Mountain—which lay about 130 meters above the waterline on the north shore Boats—froht whitethe pier, where passengers greeted family and friends Bearers shouted out their best prices, then carried baggage, gifts, and goods like television sets and refrigerators bought in Chongqing up the steep stairs that led to the town itself On the edges of the stairs the usual food and water vendors crowded together omen and children who sold homemade items—knit booties, fans, sandals, and woven straw hats
Dr Ma Zhongyan, the leader of the Site 518 excavation, was easy to find in the pushing, shouting, waving throng He was dressed in khaki pants, a white linen shirt that had wrinkled in the humidity, and a Yankees’ baseball cap His feet were planted apart, and his arlish was as perfect and A not only that he’d been educated abroad but that he’d spent a great deal of tie Maybe he was a Red Prince, but if so, Hulan would have knoho he was, and she definitely didn’t
They climbed into Ma’s Jeep, and he beeped the horn to alert the crowdsthrough, but the action was hardly necessary The Jeep apparently had no round the Jeep into gear and, after a series of jerks, eased into traffic
Bashan was a relatively ss by the dock were practical, with corrugated roofs and electrical lines hung in a jury-rigged juh to rant City, so everyone here would be e placard on the central plaza declared the fact in huge red countdown numbers—423 days left In the meantime, life in the old town continued as usual They drove past open-air etable stands, and kiosks for cos, and herbal reot into the town, the older the buildings, which were constructed of hoh this place was far off the tourist track, signs in Chinese and English welcomed all visitors and proclaimed Bashan’s hospitality
“Our group has practically taken over the town,” Ma shouted above the roar of the engine “It hasn’t been very developed or influenced by the outside, but we do have a good hotel for our foreign experts The headman thinks our business is so important that he’s allotted electricity all day to the quadrant of Bashan that includes the Panda Guesthouse Of course, pros Still, I think you’ll find the Panda Guesthouse quite nice”
The words guesthouse and quite nice rarely found theether in China
“Don’t worry,” Ma said “The Panda Guesthouse was originally a courtyard home for a very wealthy fa by now if you’d like”
They didn’t, and Ma continued on Billboards and posters advertised regional products—pickled arettes, and canned lichee There were also the usual one-child ad New Ies But here and there were crudely painted characters slapped onto rough walls: BE REVERENT, FOLLOW THE NINE VIRTUES, and BE CAREFUL FOR THE END AT THE BEGINNING Hulan had never before seen such a blatant display of All-Patriotic Society slogans The phrases contained nothing infla interspersed with al nonetheless Why hadn’t the local Public Security Bureau painted out these signs? Why hadn’t they s? Once she’d dealt with Brian McCarthy’s ate the local All-Patriotic Society’s movements
The Jeep slowed as it approached a narrow bridge that crossed the river There was considerable foot traffic here, and Ma explained that this old bridge connected the village to the countryside and served as theproduce and other uardrails, throwing rocks into the Bashan Streae and continued east along a dirt road that cut over the hills and followed the course of the Yangzi Hulan saw no other cars, trucks, or bicycles Cultivated terraces planted with corn rose above her as far as she could see and extended down to the river’s edge
They traveled east another kilometer The hillsides becaave way to dust and rocks Every few meters they passed electric poles that teetered precariously on the side of the road No wonder electricity and phone service were iffy at the site A strong wind or a slight bu pedestrian could easily topple one or more of the poles
Ma braked at a barrier made up of a two-by-four propped on two piles of stones and held in place by large rocks He juate, and juate wouldn’t have been much of a deterrent for thieves whether from inside or outside the camp