An Exciting Boat Trip to Guangzhou (Canton) - Page 1
We Take a Boat to Guangzhou In June of 1995, we were invited to visit a student in Guangzhou. She had been a student when we taught at the Chengdu Branch of the Chinese National Academy of Sciences in Chengdu. We booked first class passage from Xiamen where we were working for Lujiang University. Our room was somewhat primitive but usable. It was large and had two single beds. You are not given keys to your stateroom and you cannot lock it when you leave. You can lock it while you are there. We had dinner in the dining room that evening. You don't order things; everyone eats whatever they serve for the day. Dinner was good but not spectacular. The seas were smooth and weather pleasant. Security was very strict getting aboard. You were not allowed to be on deck until the ship was well under way.
The Police Break In We retired for the night and went to sleep. About 2:00 AM someone unlocked the door and the lights went on. Two policemen with guns drawn were pointing pistols at us with flashlights in our faces. When the saw us they said "Sorry" closed the door and left. Bernice had difficulty getting back to sleep. I just figured it was one of those things you encounter in China. This was not a boat for tourists and we were the only foreigners on board.