Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Mausoleum and flight via Hongkong to Australia

PHIL: Day 34/20 march

Sun Yat-Sen , father of Chinese proletarianism, is buried in a memorial park nearby. Allie tries to unravel for me the complexities of 20^th century Chinese politics including the ‘Last Emperor’, Pu Yi, Japanese puppet Emperor in Manchukuo, Chiang Kai Shek’s KMT Nationalists and Mao’s Long March Communists. Very complex and incestuously inter-related once you add Western interests and WWII.

entrance to the Sun Yat-Sen mausoleum in Nanjing

Flight to Hong Kong and then a long transit awaiting Cathay Pacific to Cairns, our destination, via, illogically, Brisbane. The wi-fi works at both Hong Kong and Brisbane, however, and we catch up on news. 

Not before I am in trouble with Allie for packing the laptop power lead in our checked luggage, so I creep off sheepishly to buy some expensive replacement which offers power in cars, on aeroplanes and even from Australian plug sockets. Our aircraft, however, has none of these.

ALLIE: DAY 34: Tuesday, 20^th of March

Bye-Bye to China and on to the land of down-under!

Since we are already used to worship ‘great leaders’ we don’t want to miss the founder of the republic of China, Dr. Sun Yat-sen. His memorial grave is set against the green hills of the purple mountains with a long fleet of steps gradually climbing up towards the mausoleum.

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen

Dr. Sun Yat-sen died in 1925 just 13 years after the abolishment of the monarchy in 1911. He is highly revered even today by the Chinese people for his progressive ideas of democracy, equality and peace.

The weather is beautiful and it’s nice to be outdoors before we have to spend the rest of the day in transit lounges and on aeroplanes. 

Three things I find remarkable: the masses of Chinese tourists here (it’s 10.30 on a Tuesday morning), the incredible high entrance fee of 80yuan per person and the noise and laughter around his tomb. 

So far for Suns ideas of equality, or paying reverence to their great leader. If North Koreans would watch this amusement here, they certainly must be shocked.

A quick visit to the Lingyu Temple and then its time to say good-bye to Nanjing and leave for the new Pukou Airport, 37 km to the south of the city. At 15.00 we take off and fly down to Hongkong. 

long stairs up to the Memorial

The service of China Eastern is not our favourite (cold beef with white and also cold noddles!) but the flight only takes 2 hours. 

Alas immigration prevents me from exiting the airport and seeing my friend Teresa again, but at least we have a nice chat over the phone.