Why China?
When I first announced that I was planning a trip to China, my friends were all surprised. After all, we had been working to promote the rights of the Tibetan people, and protesting against the Chinese government's treatment of them.
My reason for going was clear; the next World Rainbow Gathering was going to be held in China, and I felt called to be there. More than that, I'd been to China eight years ago, and had a pretty rough time. Though I'd had a bad experience then, I always felt that I needed to go back to see if it's really that bad. I'm prepared to give most anything a second chance.
Several of my friends couldn't understand why I was going, since they support the current boycott on China. And others worried that the government would make life difficult for alternative people, especially as we were planning to organise a festival in the current political climate.
Though I felt strongly about supporting Tibetan people, I also felt that the Chinese people need support. I couldn't believe that the entire population of China was in support of what their government is doing to Tibetans. I even suspected that many of them weren't aware of what was really happening.
I came to realise that if everyone who wants to promote human rights and justice would stay away from China, then the people there, the ones who could really make a difference, would never hear our story.
I felt that if there was even one person in China who might be receptive to these ideas, then I would find her.
Healing Past Wounds
My first visit to China had been really difficult. I hadn't managed to communicate with anyone; finding people who could speak English was next to impossible. Even finding someone who was willing to try communicating with me, using my phrase book or simple sign language was very difficult. It seemed people were spitting everywhere and many people were downright rude to me.
I thought a lot about that first visit, and when I'd meditated on it, I realised that I had gone to China without really grounding myself in being there. I was just passing through, on my way to India.
It became clear to me that in order to truly understand China, and experience it as it really is, I needed to let go of my past and be completely open to seeing the country positively; being fully present.
Willing to start afresh, I got off the plane with my family and passed easily through immigration and customs. It was two in the morning, and we didn't have a hotel booked. I had no idea where we would stay or how to get there.
A Good Start
On the airport shuttle into the town, a man smiled at us and asked me about my daughter. Since he spoke English, I asked him if he knew where we might find a good hotel that wouldn't be too expensive.
The man recommended the hotel where he was staying, and offered to share a cab with us. He helped us so much - insisted on paying for the taxi, translated for us at the check-in desk and even lent us money to pay for the room, until we could get to a foreign exchange office in the morning.
That was the first of a long succession of people who were exceedingly friendly and helpful. Everywhere we went, people were open and happy. I felt like it was a totally different country. Of course, eight years had passed, and I was in a different part of China, but I felt the real change was in me.
At The Gathering
At the rainbow gathering, a Danish man named Lars was talking about saving the planet. He was working hard to talk to everyone he could about conservation and reducing carbon consumption. Lars was doing his best to bring information to as many local people as he could get to listen. Even though he spoke no Chinese, it was inspiring to see him communicate.
I saw many people interacting with this man, and how he believed so passionately in his ability to bring about global change, one conversation at a time. Lars shared with so many people ways in which we can make a change; things like only buying goods manufactured in a sustainable way, and fairly traded supplies.
A long workshop was held to educate people on carbon emissions, and that one of the best ways we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to avoid flying in aeroplanes. Lars himself had travelled to China from Israel overland, in order to spread the word about supporting human rights and environmentally sustainable travel.
Communicating Beyond Words
It was so inspiring to meet someone who was really walking their talk, and impressive to see how he managed to speak to people who shared no common language, and yet, they understood him. I loved watching the faces of the local Chinese people as they listened to him, and seeing their expression change from confusion to joy and understanding.
Down in the village one day, we met an old woman walking by the marketplace when Lars was explaining to some people in the market about organic food. The woman approached us; she was small and frail, and her face a crazy maze of deep wrinkles, though she carried herself with an internal strength that shone through her deep eyes. She was wearing some old, well-mended clothes, left over from the communist era, and a beautiful, traditional, hand woven cloth on her head.
The woman came right up to us, and though she didn't use any words, seemed to speak openly of friendship. I was sure Lars would launch into his usual sign-language spiel, but he remained unusually silent, and we all smiled at each other. I felt that more was communicated in that moment than in hours of talking, and I knew that I'd found a person whose heart was open.