When I lived in Rotterdam there was this story about German tourists who’d ask “Wo ist die Altstadt?” (Where is the old city?), apparently not knowing that ‘the Germans’ bombed it to the ground during the Second World War. The irony of course being that ‘they’ (those tourists) would somehow be responsible for that.
And it’s just a joke alright. And while I’m not asking around for historical buildings — nor am I British — I do feel a bit similar walking here — taking the role of the tourists who are somehow guilty. We’re in Zhapu (乍浦镇), where the battle of Chapu was fought in 1842 between the British and China, as part of the Opium War. (Another location tip from Ash.)
The Opium Wars aren’t anything to be proud of, from either side. One side resorted to greed, injustice, and violence. The other side lost. And so in the two parks (浙江九龙山国家森林公园 and 汤山公园), there isn’t a lot of text or signage about the history — they’re mostly just parks. By that I mean they’re not about anything.
Near the cannons (four can be found) there’s simply a board with a line that says here the Chinese fought with resilience against the Japanese and the British, without any context of the outcome. In any case, the feelings about this place aren’t remotely the same as they are with the Old Summer Palace (圆明园) in Beijing. I think most people are entirely oblivious to the whole history here.
We and everyone we met were in a great mood — helped by today being 22° Celsius on the 2nd of November, and the gentle waves coming in from the Hangzhou Bay (杭州湾).
