by Gerry L. Galvan

People of mainland China, notably the Mandarins in Beijing (formerly Peking) and Shanghai, have enjoyed a good life since 1979 when China reopened its doors to the outside world for the first time since 1949 when Mao Zedong and his Communist Party took control of the nation's political and economic reins.

Such was the impression of China to your reporter who went on an 11-day tour of six cities in this erstwhile closed society with my wife and a group of 24 U.S. tourists, mostly from the Bay Area.

The six cities--Shanghai, Kuzhou, Yishui, Tainan in Shandong province, Jinan and Beijing, offer tourists the best in Oriental civilization, hospitality, food, history, art, culture and gesture in communicating.

China has been and still is predominantly a Buddhist nation with large sprinkling of Taoism and Confucianism. Of the current 1.3 billion people living in the country, about two percent are Christian.

During one of our bus tours in Beijing, your reporter requested our national tour guide, Yang Cheng, take us to a Christian church. Yang politely but firmly turned down my request saying, "Christian churches are closed today." It was a Thursday.
China is changing its ways. Xu Fei, deputy general manager of the China Shandong Tourism Corporation, who hosted a banquet for our group at the Jinan Hotel, said, "Political and economic policy changes are inevitable in China." Fei is right. China is changing for the better. Slowly but impressively.

Credit is given at this time to tourism and trade for the prosperous and comfortable human existence in mainland China. China's economy is sound. With a strong currency (8.23 Yuan to the U.S. dollar), minimum unemployment, and the country at peace,  the national standard of living has been pushed to a level described as comfortably egalitarian.

Communists in China view their politics and economics as better, if not best among the world's best. As our national tour guide, Yang Cheng said, "Our automobile industry is the best around." And our group did see many cars competing for room on their streets, avenues and the nation's six-year-old freeways although your reporter didn't see one American-made motor vehicle.
Except for Japan and Singapore, China is the most prosperous country in the region, topping her neighbors in gross national product, and in per capita income.

Tourism's role in China's economy is significant, with country has a lot to offer anyone touring cities and the countryside. Foremost of these tourist attractions are the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palaces, not to mention scores more. The Great Wall, a 1,500 mile fortress cascading over rugged mountains and awesome terrain, was commenced by rulers of Ancient China to be constructed as deterrents to invading Mongolians. The Forbidden City is a lavish display of royal power and taste in 16 magnificent imperial palaces. These 9,000-room edifices have stood majestically for more than 500 years. And the Summer Palaces served as vacation retreats for the empresses during the hot months of the years.

Some imperial buildings in China have weathered time and the elements for thousands of years in their original state. For example, structures where Confucius conducted his teachings have been preserved and are still in excellent condition.
The refurbished house where Confucius and his wife spent hours of conversation and meditation are still standing the way they had towered hundreds upon hundreds of years ago. A 500-acre cemetery holds remains of the ancient philosopher, his wife and direct descendants with no other blood lineage remains having been buried there

It's interesting to note that a Confucius 77th generation descendant is still alive and well, residing with his son and grandson in Hawaii.

In China today, if our 11-day experience in that country was any gauge, local, inter-provincial and national commute is not a problem. By the same token, travel to other countries including the U.S. is trouble free. Trains leave and arrive on time, although the railroads could benefit from having an adequate water supply for flushing in water closets.

Buses are just as punctual. Motorists who have multiplied tremendously during the past decade or so behave very admirably on the roads and other thoroughfares; so do bicyclists who still outnumber motor vehicle operators several times over.
China built its first freeways only six years ago. Prior to 1991, the limited number of automobiles used the narrow and antiquated streets. Thousands upon thousands of bicycles still dominate street use during commute hours.

Streets of the six cities my group toured were clean and appeared to be well-maintained. In Shanghai, which was the starting point of our 1,000 kilometers journey towards Beijing, our bus breezed smoothly along properly constructed and maintained inner streets. Except for a noticeable stench of mold on my bed, a three-leg Shanghai-to-Peking train commute was quite enjoyable. Coffee was available on a Shanghai-to-Sozhou train. On the Sozhou-to-Qufu midnight train, we were provided with juice, coffee, crackers and donkey meat.

While still in Shanghai, our group was taken by local tour guide, Jimmie Wong to, among other interesting sites, the bund, a location on the city waterfront where tourists could easily see large scale construction on the other side of Yangtze River. The bund, according to Wong, has been a favorite attraction to tourists coming from all over the world.

Our trip to China was a God-given gift to my wife and myself. She chanced on an inconspicuous ad in a San Francisco daily newspaper which outlined a tour to China. A series of telephone calls to its promoter, China Focus, and at least two visits to the agency's downtown San Francisco office set the stage for Violet and myself.

We left on board Air China's Flight 986 with 24 other U.S. China Focus tourists, all previously unknown to one another. It was a fun trip most of our friends, including an airline employee, couldn't believe to be possible. I personally didn't believe it to be realistic until our passports were collected and luggage checked in, as a number of elements told me our upcoming trip to Communist China was mythical and a figment of the imagination.

Just 36 hours before our Nov. 11 departure, my wife had discovered my 10-year-valid passport had expired on April 27, 1997. A U.S. passport services office on Hawthorne Street in the City helped me solve this dilemma by quickly processing my application so I could picked up my new passport at 3 p.m. Nov. 10.

And it was true. Our trip did materialized as our 747 jumbo jet plane zoomed to the heights, was afloat for 11 hours and touched down at Beijing Airport for a one hour stopover.

After an irritatingly unforseen 90 minute delay, Flight 986 finally departed for an hour-and-a-half flight to Shanghai.
China, it seems, is now starting to adopt a capitalist approach to business, with government having become deeply involved in the tourism industry with our 11-day journey an eloquent demonstration of heavy Communist Party involvement. China Focus receives unlimited support from the Shandong Tourism Corporation on one hand, and the local tourist guides association on the other. Shandong is a Communist government-owned property while the local tourist guides association boasts membership of Communist card-bearing operators. China Focus is semi-government.

Slowly but surely, Communist China is becoming more Western in outlook and business practices than some western countries which are trying to outdo one another in imitating the Communists on regimented economy and business intervention by the state.

As a first-time American tourist to China, I noticed: restaurant waitresses (there are few waiters) expect no tip; hotel chambermaids are given tips; and beggars are more an exception than common.

Restaurant management must also learn a simple Western practice of providing diners with a serving spoon. Such Chinese nationals' argument that hosts and fellow diners are insulted when one refuses to partake of food that has been dug into with active chopsticks has no place in a group of diners of Western upbringing and understanding.

One should also carry cash if possible. Spending travelers checks in China is irritatingly expensive. I cashed a $50 travelers check at one of the hotels my group and I were staying and was charged almost six dollars for a quick and simple transaction.
In the not-too-distant past, Communist China's intervention in the lives of the people was visibly demonstrated with a display and use of its huge military. During our 11-day tour of the country, we saw a very tiny sprinkling of Chinese soldiers but semi-armed guards at the foot of a Buddhist sacred mountain and at the entrance to the Great Wall didn't indicate any imposing
muscle at all.

Your reporter asked Yang Cheng what happened to the army. "The Chinese army has shrunk to three million now," he said. "The bulk is scattered along the borders by India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The army will shrink further to a mere million soon."

Except for Bangladesh, China has no confrontational threat from other countries.

And blessed with a determined population, well-positioned ports like Hong Kong and Shanghai, huge territory, rich history, cultural background, and competitive educational and intellectual attributes, China will eventually blaze a business and economic path of an era.

Once nicknamed "sleeping giants" by fellow Western journalists, China has awakened. It started flexing its muscles just two decades ago but this once-upon-a-time world recluse has its flesh, bone and blood rekindled and is hot for the exciting economic competition that lies ahead. It's the battle for equality and supremacy in an unhampered global business activity.

As China learns to adopt some Western business concepts, the nation demonstrates to the world that freedom surely brings miracles to the lives of its people, miracles brought forth by a free exchange of goods and services. And as China does this, it teaches other nations lessons on the power of free human spirit. China may not even know the business practices they have been doing since opening its door to the world in 1979 is free enterprise. But they see the difference.
Undoubtedly, the nation as a whole will realize an improved living standard, not by an outmoded Communist ideology but through application of freedom philosophy.

Weekly Siren in the Valley

by Gerry L. Galvan

Every Tuesday at 12:01 p.m., Visitacion Valley residents hear a sound resembling a wartime air raid signal.

This siren blast is produced through a San Francisco city government program called Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) which caters to five other siren sites in the City and works under an umbrella of the Mayor's Office of Emergency Services. In the Valley, the ACS siren is perched atop the Elementary School, at 55 Schwerin St. in the center of the neighborhood.

Some local residents contribute their spare time playing a major role in the ACS program by detecting and pinpointing trouble areas in the City. Data is they relayed to the system's nerve center in downtown San Francisco. If needed, sirens positioned at appropriate locations can sound a warning to the populace.

Such calamities as fire, earthquake, flood, gang or family-related violence, traffic disasters, or vehicular accidents are reasons for a React call. ACS also prides in the ability to respond to a foreign aggressor's armed attack.

Valley resident Vincent Gagliardo is a charter member of React of the Golden Gate Area, Inc., a 21-member club having volunteered to work alongside ACS. React members patrol the City in their own private vehicles operating their own equipment to do a civic job of detecting and reporting problems. Gagliardo's car is equipped with sophisticated communication equipment.

"React of the Golden Gate Area, Inc. members are alert 24 hours a day," Gagliardo told Grapevine while demonstrating how the program works.

Founded on a concept of helping those in need of assistance, React works under React International, founded in 1962 by a group of civic-spirited citizens who met in Illinois during the club's inception and initial operation.
Locally, React received its charter papers in 1964, which is when Gagliardo became an active member. Now retired, he has always been on his React feet, so to speak, patrolling Visitacion Valley streets and communicating with peers while reporting neighborhood issues and problems.

How You Can Reduce Waste During the Holidays

by David Assmann
S.F. Recycling Program

As the holiday season gets into full swing, waste increases. Nationwide, we generate an additional 10 billion pounds of waste during the holidays. Here are some tips on how you can reduce this burden on our environment during the holiday season:

*Buy gifts that benefit the environment. These could include memberships in environmental organizations, hand-made and home-made gifts, gardening items or long-lasting "environmental" gifts like a solar battery charger with rechargeable batteries, water-conserving shower heads or ceramic mugs. For kids, consider giving an environmental excursion, like a whale-watching or camping trip; or enroll them in a holiday class at the Randall Museum (554-9600) where they can make holiday decorations and gifts from previously used materials.

*Take a canvas bag or back pack when you go shopping. One-third of all municipal solid waste is packaging. Much of this packaging is not even needed in the first place. You can help reduce this waste by reusing packaging and only accepting packaging when absolutely necessary.  For every dollar you spend in stores, 10 cents is used to pay for packaging.

*If you are entertaining, send invitations on recycled paper, buy in bulk, and use reusable dishes and utensils. If you need paper products, buy products made from recycled paper. Set up an area to recycle cans, bottles and other recyclables at your party.  Decorate with plants, flowers and reused materials instead of plastic streamers. Rent or borrow infrequently used items like punchbowls or large platters. You can also set up a sharing arrangement with neighbors for party items you may only need once or twice a year.

*Use recycled and reusable materials in your gift wrapping and packaging. Buy recycled wrapping paper, use air-popped popcorn or newspaper for packing and reuse your packing materials. You can also use reused and reusable boxes, baskets, bags and tins.  Cloth napkins, dish towels, scarves, handkerchiefs and clothing can be both wrapping and gifts. Decorated paper or grocery bags can add a personal touch. A personal quote or favorite poem adds meaning to the package. Old cards can be recycled into gift tags.

*Recycle your steel cans and glass containers (bottles and jars!). Every year, San Francisco residents throw out more than 8 million pounds if steel cans and 24 million pounds of glass containers. Remember, all tin/steel cans and all glass containers (bottles and jars) are recyclable in San Francisco's curbside and apartment recycling programs.  You can also recycle your #1 and #2 plastic bottles.

*If you do purchase a tree, consider a live, potted or a reusable one. For example, the Living Tree Company (800-810-PINE) offers free delivery and pick-up of potted trees for about the same price as a cut tree. If you purchase a cut tree, make sure you recycle it. Put your tree on the curb on your street's first recycling day after January 4th (businesses and apartment residents are included in this program--just put trees out on your street's first recycling day after January 4th). If you want to recycle your tree before or after your designated TreeCycling day, call the San Francisco Recycling Hotline (554-RECYcle) for a list of locations and schedules for drop-off sites.

*Be careful with holiday snapshots. One of the best ways to save film--and holiday memories--is to write legibly. Each year Kodak disposes of 400,000 rolls of film due to illegible return addresses. Also buy rolls of 36 instead of 12 exposures--you'll reduce waste by 67 percent and save about $4, or 40 percent

*After the holiday season is over, save your old cards, wrapping paper and packing materials for reuse. If you have Styrofoam peanuts left over, you can donate them to the nearest Mail Boxes, etc. so that they can reuse them. You can also arrange to have your old holiday cards reused. Send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Jack Early, All-Year Christmas Cheer, 134 Pfeiffer St., San Francisco 94133 for a list of places around the world that reuse holiday cards. Remember to recycle your desktop calendars and other non-reusable materials. Donate unwanted clothing and gifts to thrift stores. And if you work in an office, do not throw your old desktop calendars out of the window at work--this wastes valuable resources and costs the City thousands of dollars in cleanup costs.

*Finally, call the Recycling Program 24-hour hotline at 554-RECYcle for a free copy of the Eco Holiday Guide.

Waste Wise Holiday Ideas Showcased at War Memorial Hall

Find out how you can enjoy a holiday season that is friendly to both your pocketbook and the environment. Drop by the War Memorial Hall. In the lobby area, treat your eyes to a multi-colored visual display of ideas for holiday gifts and decorations. In addition, get ideas on tree ornaments from the live, potted Colorado Spruce trees decorated with ornaments made by San Francisco school children from discarded materials. For more holiday waste prevention ideas, get a copy of the Eco Holiday Guide, an ECOlogical and ECOnomical guide to the holiday season at the exhibit, or call the San Francisco Recycling Program Hotline at 554-RECYcle.

Recycle Your Tree

Recycling your Christmas tree is easier than ever. This year, TreeCycling Day is on Recycling Day. Just put your tree on the curb next to your blue recycling bin on your first recycling day after January 4th by 6 a.m. If you are an apartment resident or business, put your tree at the curb on your street's first recycling day after January 4th. If you can't recycle on your designated TreeCycling day, take your tree to one of the tree recycling locations. Call the San Francisco Recycling Hotline at 554-RECYcle for locations and schedules.

Science and Sport at the Exploratorium

LIVE WITH BEAKMAN
Get in on the process of creating a brand new Beakman show. Paul Zaloom, star of the popular CBS kids' show, Beakman's World (KPIX, Saturdays, 7 a.m.) appears live at the Exploratorium Jan. 10.

He promises to captivate viewers with lively science explorations like the ones performed on his show. He will also gather from the audience suggestions for a new live Beakman show currently in development.

Three shows, at 11 a.m., 1:30 and 4 p.m. in the Exploratorium's McBean Theater will allow the public to participate in the development of the shows and view how a fun, educational show evolves.

Beakman's World is based on an internationally syndicated Sunday cartoon strip that helps kids and adults around the world understand basic scientific principles through colorful, easy-to-do experiments with household objects. Jok Church, creator of the strip, says of the Beakman day at the Exploratorium "Beakman had truly come home. The cartoon strip was inspired by the Exploratorium, where how the world works is made exciting yet obvious with the use of one part self-discovery, one part experimentation, and three parts fun. Instead of getting a job there, I translated the essence of the place into another medium."
The science demonstrations were created in collaboration with Exploratorium teachers. This event is free with museum admission.

SPORT!
At Sport! at the Exploratorium through Jan. 8, 1998, try pitching a baseball the regulation distance of 60 feet, or experience the thrills of rock climbing on an indoor rock wall. Spin like an ice skater or walk a balance beam or hurl at 100+ miles an hour in an Olympic bobsled on a special effects track. In short, discover the excitement, challenge, psychology and science of a sport as you play.

Klutzes, couch potatoes and competitive athletes alike will be cheered and coached by the principles of angular momentum, the theories of gravity and the complexities of human perception as they get involved in pitching, jumping, climbing or spinning. Special weekend events cover everything from figure skating to baseball, from rock climbing to outrigger canoeing, from hockey to bicycling, from surfing to wheelchair racing.

Lectures, forums, films and presentations on themes such as women and sports, sports and aging, and sports as a vehicle for educational reform are all a part of the exhibition, along with the new Exploratorium web site devoted to Sport! at http://www.exploratorium.edu/sport. It is on now featuring the topics of Hockey, developed with the participation of the San Jose Sharks, Cycling, and Baseball.

For more information, call the Exploratorium at (415) 563-7337.

New Documentary Latest in Series Chronicling Life in San Francisco

KRON-TV will soon premiere San Francisco in the '80s, a one-hour documentary about life in the San Francisco Bay Area during the 1980s.

Hosted by KRON Anchor Wendy Tokuda, San Francisco in the '80s is the latest in KRON's acclaimed series San Francisco Through the Decades. The documentary features exclusive interviews with local sports stars, political leaders and high-tech revolutionaries, and showcases original news footage from KRON's video archive.

San Francisco in the 80s looks back at a time when nuclear protests were in the spotlight, local sports teams were winning world championships and Bay Area musicians were topping national charts. The PC Revolution was catching on, economic success sparked big spending, and Latinos and Asians immigrated to the Bay Area in record numbers.

Cocaine was the drug of choice, homelessness was on the rise, the outbreak of AIDS was reaching epidemic proportions, and a devastating earthquake ripped from Santa Cruz to the City, where residents joined together to rescue victims and rebuild their communities.

The documentary features interviews with San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, former Mayor Art Agnos, Senator and former Mayor Dianne Feinstein, Tales of the City author Armistead Maupin, the Reverend Cecil Williams former 49ers Joe Montana and Dwight Clark, and musicians Huey Lewis, Todd Rundgren and MC Hammer.

Volunteer Orientations in January at SPCA

Help the animals by volunteering for one of the many important jobs available at the San Franisco SPCA. Volunteers are needed on an ongoing basis as cat socializers, dog walkers and adoption counselors, among others.

Volunteer orientations are held Tuesday nights and Saturday mornings. Call (415) 554-3087 for dates and times.
All orientations are held at the SF/SPCA's Educational Center at 243 Alabama St. (around the corner from our main entrance at 2500 16th St.) For more information, call 554-3000.

PET LOSS SUPPORT GROUP
On Tuesday, Jan. 6, Dr. Betty Carmack will lead a free pet loss support group for grieving pet owners at the Education Center from 7:30-9:30 p.m. For more information, call 554-3050.

Five Years Ago in the Grapevine

DECEMBER 1992

*San Francisco Boys and Girls Club sponsored the third annual Miss Sunnydale Pageant with Shanani Bardell winning the honor.

*Visitacion Valley Middle School officially dedicated its new gym floor Nov. 20.

*Geneva Towers Residents' Council held a festive event to celebrate it establishment on Aug. 31.

*Captain Harlan Wilson became captain of the Ingleside Police Station.

*Department of Public Health Center #3 celebrated its 25th anniversary on Dec. 8.

Historic Proportions

Match clues to answers.

1969

1. On July 20, he took "one small step for man" on the moon.
2. Record of the Year at the Grammys.
3. It's Jan. 20 an the press isn't kicking him around.
4. Their 16-7 Super Bowl III victory was guaranteed.
5. Miracle of the 1969 World Series.
6. About 450,000 music lovers attend this three-day event beginning Aug. 15.
7. But this Dec. 8  concert draws 300,000 and plenty of problems.
8. First time we heard, "You've come a long way, baby."
9. Vietnam War protest across the nation on Oct. 15.
10. We first heard, "I'm a pickin' and I'm a grinnin'" on June 11. Top money-making movie of the year.
12. He was singing about A Boy Named Sue.
13. Neighbors share a medicine cabinet to advertise this product.
14. Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
15. Rooftop concert Jan. 30 was their last live performance.
16. Would you believe, Best Comedy Series at the June 8 Emmy Awards.
17. Champs of the NBA.
18. On Nov. 10, first show from this place.

A. Right Guard
B. Oliver!
C. Hee-Haw
D. Johnny Cash
E. Richard Nixon
F. Virginia Slims
G. The Love Bug
H. Sesame Street
I. Boston Celtics
J. Get Smart
K. New York Mets
L. Moratorium Day
M. Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In
N. Altamont
O. New York Jets
P. Neil Armstrong
Q. The Beatles
R. Woodstock

Answers: 1-P, 2-M, 3-E, 4-O, 5-K, 6-R, 7-N, 8-F, 9-L, 10-C, 11-G, 12-D, 13-A, 14-B, 15-Q, 16-J, 17-I, 18-H.

Sez Who?

Match quotes to speakers.

1. "When choosing between two evils, I always like to pick the one I never tried before."
2. "I find television very educational. Every time someone switches it on, I go into another room and read a good book.
3. "The less a man knows, the bigger the noise he makes and the higher the salary he commands."
4. "I don't know jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts."
5. "Too bad all the people who know how to run the country are busy driving taxicabs and cutting hair."
6. "I'm trusting in the Lord and a good lawyer."
7. "Either I've found a rope or I've lost a horse."
8. "Man consists of two parts, his mind and his body. Only the body has more fun."
9. "My doctor gave me six months to live but when I couldn't pay the bill he gave me six months more."

A. George Burns
B. Woody Allen
C. Ed Wynn
D. Mark Twain
E. Mae West
F. Walter Matthau
G. Oliver North
H. Groucho Marx
I. Will Rogers

Answers: 1-E, 2-H, 3-D, 4-I, 5-A, 6-G, 7-C, 8-B, 9-F.