Kyle Acierno

This time it took three weeks.
The trip started in my backwater home(China)town province of Yunnan. Surrounded by hostile mountains, inhumane jungles, and nomadic tribes; it was and still is a place of great mystery.
My male companion(Ryan Wilhelm) and I travelled through 7 provinces, each boasting its own history, food, and secrets. Bizarre minority villages we passed housed great warriors, beautiful flower women, and fire eating youths. The more we travelled the more delusive the scenery became. The mountains began rise out of the ground like ripe rice shoots. Sky scraping rock cities sprouted up in every valley. The craggy, mutilated, quartz formations leaves every passerby with the same feeling, shuang*. The waterfalls fell to creeks, creeks turned it to rivers, and they all went the same direction, to the mighty Yahtze River. One of the biggest rivers in the world and the biggest in Asia, we would follow this river all the way to our final destination. But this wild beast of a river, under the hand of man, is being tamed. The biggest damn in the world was finished this year. The gorges that wall this river will begin to fill and by 2010 the dam will be at full capacity and supply 1/6 of Chinas power. After only months the damage is already beginning to breach the surface. As the water begins to flood the lowlands, mammals are in search on new land. Farmers began to report mountains turning black. Later villages were overrun by millions of field mice. They destroy all crops and now China is out to build a second great wall. This one, yet only three feet high, is also meant to keep away the invaders!
The cities along the great river are massive. Every city we stopped at was a replica of the last; massive highways, intersections, overpasses, and bridges. Thumping discos, bustling markets, and overcrowded walkways. And everywhere people. The Chinese race, after a 5000 thousand year breeding campaign, have had great results. There are 34 provinces, 56 minorities and over 1 500 000 000 different faces in the land we call China but they call 'Middle Kingdom'.
August 15th, 2:05PM - Shanghai
Shanghai has been called so many names by so many people. For me, Shanghai is the future. Shanghai is the biggest city in the biggest country in the world. Everything feels like its moving a million miles an hour. The current of black hair sweeps you through the city like a peony blonde twig. Shanghai takes what you thought was China and mashes it up, throws it in a grinder, pours it in a wine glass and serves it to you in a prestigious 5 star restaurant.
Shanghai is the big brother of China who knows everything before you. Everything I thought was wrong.
China being a cheap country is suddenly apocryphal. I went to a club last night and paid 11USD for a drink. ( I could get 12 beer in Cobra Club for that price)
The Chinese being short is suddenly beguiling. I went to a club last night and felt dwarfed as men and woman danced about me.
The Chinese being conservative is suddenly fallible. I went to a club last night with girls in bikinis, ladies with male genitals, and women who loved to scream, 'Whoa Bitch get out the way!'
This city has all the lights and all the fights of any other major international city, but its different. Shanghai has woken up.
Ici repose un géant endormi, laissez le dormir, car quand il s'éveillera, il étonnera le monde' - 'Here lies a sleeping giant, let him sleep, for when he wakes up, he will shock the world'
Napoleon, 1803
*Shuang* The translation for this word is often said as 'awesome'. For me its not awesome, its something different, the only way to explain it is to go the Zhangjiajie and feel it yourself.

Kyle Acierno