The Wild East Of Yesteryear

Originally published by Toy and Family Entertainment, February 2018

 I've been going back and forth to China for over 20 years. My first trips were just to Hong Kong with the occational trip into Shenzhen. Before the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to the People Republic of China, venturing across the Hong Kong/Shenzhen boarder was a tad nerve wracking. This was pre 9/11 and the idea of soliders holding machine guns ushering you along wasn't something I was accustumed to. The border que was packed with people of all ages and I recall a lot of barbed wire. That same border today is a lot more orgainized and far less intimidating. It helps, also, that I have since crossed that border countless times. But of all my trips to China, it isn't my first trip to Hong Kong or Shenzhen that stands out the most. It is the events of my first trip deep into Northern China that is etched in my mind.

We left out of Hong Kong on a flight 6 hours into China at the height of the SARS epidemic. Mainland China was ground zero for SARS and people were very nervous about catching the virus. On the flight my post nasal drip caused me to cough a lot. …and I mean a lot. I coughed so much that I got to enjoy an entire row to myself. All the passangers a next to, in front of and behind me decided to stand in the back of the plane for the duration of the flight. We were in China to work with wood toy factories on a line of toy kitchens for Toys R Us that my travel-mate and customer, Jason Witkin of Toy Concepts, was developing. When we arrived at the airport we were greeted by a large group of people who we thought to be from the factory. They lead us to a car and sent the two of us off with only the driver. We never saw any of those people ever again. I also remember the day being very cold and nothing like the warm humid weather of Hong Kong. 

 Our driver spoke no english. We drove for hours into the mountains in silence. Occasionally we'd pass an abandoned cluster of high rises spaced every few miles between billboards honoring Yang Liwei, the first Chinese national in space. As the sun set, our driver started making calls on his cell phone. At one point he pulled over the car, muttered something in Mandarin and then left us in the car as he walked into the woods. ..yes he walked into the woods. We assumed to pee, but when he didn't return for 30 minutes we began to panic. About an hour later he returned with gas and we were off. For hours there was no one else on the road but us. Eventually we arrived at our destination, a small mountain town. Our hotel was called “4 Star”, and at best, was ? a star. I walked into my room to find a large beetle-like insect that I've never seen before on my pillow. I tried to sleep on a wooden chair instead. That night however, for whatever reason, they shot off fireworks until the break of dawn. Sleeping was futile. 

 The next morning a group of people came to our rooms to great us. They brought us to a restaurant where the major was there to supposedly honor us, and at 7am he was there drinking warm beer and chain smoking cigarettes. He would spit on his cigarettes and put them out in his beer glass. The smell was unique to say the least. From there we headed to the factory to work. Thankfully, the factory was very clean and organized. I was very impressed with their wood-working skills. Many of the workers showed me around and displayed some tricks of their trades. When lunch came around the major meet us once again. This time there was a parade for us. After a 30 minute ceremony the major gifted us with large scrolled paintings and beautiful boxes of tea. We drank with the major and ate the smallest ribs I've ever seen. After lunch we went back to the factory and worked until late in the 3rd floor conference room. Later on, my dear friend Jason plugged his laptop into the wall outlet creating a small explosion. The lights went out! First they went out in the building we were in, and then, as we watched out the window, one by one, every building across the entire village went out. About an hour later the power was back up. …we didn’t say a word. 

For several days we woke up early and had beer for breakfast with the major. We would then go to work and then have beer for lunch and dinner with the major. ...you would guess that very little got gone. But for some reason the product came out fantastic. After a week of working tight with the factory, we developed some amazing products. The major had a goodbye party for us (with more beer) and we headed off the follow morning for the airport. I was not long fast asleep in the car when suddenly I was coverd in mud and the car was drifting sideways. Turns out we were caught in a mud slide. Our bags, with all of our clothes and with all our samples, were covered in mud!!! We flew back to Hong Kong looking, and perhaps feeling, like two filthy homeless guys. But we had an “adventure" and we knew it! In fact, it had been awesome.

 Today much of these mountain roads have been replaced with highways. The result is, with easier access to these factories, a major boom in production. These once small factory towns left are now "industrial cities" unto themselves. Also it is now commonplace to see westerns in these towns. Gone are the days when the major could become your new drinking buddy and throw you parties and celebrate your being there. The wild east is becoming tamed.