Most of these stories have been told before, so just hang on for a few paragraphs. After President Nixon opened up China in 1972, Yale was eager to open up its long-standing arrangement with China. In the early 1900s, Yale opened a secondary school in Hunan province in Changsha. Chairman Mao threw them out after he came to power in 1949.
Cornell and Harvard also had places in Shanghai and Canton. Rockefeller had a program at the main hospital in Beijing. I went to China to open up Yale's presence in China and I was invited to Beijing. The problem was that at that time, China was not receptive for individual foreigners. You needed to come with a group.
My daughters' school, New Canaan Country School, had a trip arranged. One of the couples that worked there was an old-time China expert and he was able to set it up.
We took off for China and the group of kids with us were in trouble before we landed. One of our teenagers was drunk when we landed and the kids stuffed him under a seat. When the Chinese authorities tried to take a head count, they were one short. They finally found him and we were on our way.
We arrived at our motel outside Beijing. We were asked if we wanted to go into Tiananmen Square right away. We said yes and that was the start of our adventure. We saw a sea of bicycles and not one car. Everybody was in the civilian or the army version of the Mao suit. The view at the square was marvelous. Those people in the square were from many other parts of China and were wearing their native outfits. We even saw a large group flying their magnificent kites. One group put up a 20-footer that was shaped like a dragon.
The next few days, we visited the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and buildings in Tiananmen Square, like the Hall of the People, minus the people. I went to the major hospital, which had been endowed by Rockefeller. Mao took it over and renamed it Capital Hospital Number One. He also sucked up the endowment. He definitely needed a little help from Madison Avenue for a better name for that hospital.
When I arrived at the hospital on a Wednesday, most of the doctors were gone. I don’t know what they did, but it was not play golf. I tried to find where I was supposed to go, but my Chinese was no better than any other of my other language skills.
Beware of Firecrackers
When I arrived in the department, there was a big colored picture on the wall warning everyone to be careful of firecrackers. Apparently, they were having the same problems we were having with them in this country. I hope to include some pictures of this part of the trip in the picture section.
It was at this meeting that I met the senior Dr. Hu., not Junior Tennyson. I lectured to a large crowd. I had help from a young woman who translated my lecture. However, after every phrase, she giggled. I said goodbye and suggested that our two departments work together more.
Our school group then boarded an old Russian train for the rest of our trip. The train was old but in good condition and was very comfortable. Meg particularly liked the pull-down beds.
Traveling by train was especially wonderful because we got to see the countryside. On our way to the “dining car,” we walked through the tourist cars. There were no state rooms and the beds were stacked SIX high. The toilets were a hole in the floor.
We visited Luoyang, and Nanking. We stayed at the local hotel in Nanking and they brought out their old linens for the beds, which were beautiful. We also ordered their chocolate soufflé for dessert, which was great. It also was the only part of the meal that was edible.
We next got on the train and went to Wushi, where we saw the Grand Canal, the world's longest artificial river, and other local sites.
The next stop was Suzhou, which was a summer resort for the rich Chinese. Several of its gardens were very beautiful and preserved for tourists. The most famous one is called the Fisherman’s Garden and has been reproduced in a smaller size at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
We stayed at a nice hotel near a lake. Our active teenagers started a ruckus and ended up pulling the toilet out of the floor. The hotel manager was not amused.
Buddha's Birthday
We then went on to Shanghai. It was great. The hotel next to us was a 20-story Sheraton. The scaffolding was just bamboo. It was exciting to just watch the workers.
We toured around on our own. We went to the Yu garden that was known for its roses. It was near a Buddhist temple, and there was a big procession going on. It was Buddha’s birthday.
It was also Good Friday. Sally insisted we go to church, so we went to Buddha’s birthday ceremony. We also went to a children’s cultural school, which was called the Children’s Palace. It was great. The children were in grammar school. They did magic tricks, put on a small play and played musical instruments.
Sally and the girls went on the school tour and I went to the “Eye Institute.” I did not see anything that looked like a hospital. I tried to tell my driver where I wanted to go and he pointed to a building across the street. My one from Column A and one from Column B Chinese restaurant knowledge was not working.
Suddenly, a man in a white doctor’s coat was grabbing me from the window and pulling me out of the cab. I assumed he was sent out to get me and was not a mugger. However, he was quite aggressive.
We entered from a small door in the wall into a lovely garden. Many people were sitting on benches sipping their tea very calmly and quietly. In front of me was a very colorful sign saying, "Welcome Professor Walsh.'' I was impressed. The only problem was that my name was in chalk while the rest was beautifully painted.
I then visited the professor and his staff and drank some tea. He asked me if I could stay for a few more days. I said I would like to, but I had no hotel or plane reservation home. He said he would take care of it.
He then asked me if I was ready to operate. I agreed and we slowly walked through the garden still filled with people quietly drinking tea. The garden was made up of three buildings. The hospital was the old French Embassy.
As we walked into the other building, he suddenly pulled me to one side. I didn’t know what was happening. Then a bell sounded and all those calm people came rushing through the door like a fire sale at Macy’s.
It seemed that no matter how early you arrive, you couldn’t register until the bell rings. They only see 500 patients a day, so you have to be sure you are one of them or too bad.
We went up to the operating rooms. I got into my scrubs and went with the professor into the OR. Everybody was standing there waiting for me. They even introduced me to the patient. I didn’t understand her, but I felt she was saying, "I hope you know what you’re doing.”
The OR was quaint. Their idea of air conditioning was an open window, but at least the room had screens. I didn’t ask about heating in the winter since there was a fireplace in the corner. The case went well. After we left, I asked about my change in plans. The professor told me he had taken care of it, but he could see I was still concerned.
Instead of lunch, he found a car and sent me to my new hotel called the Peace Hotel. It was old but famous. It was on the corner of the Bund and Nanking Road. It was right on the river. It was in the English sector of the city. It was seen in many movies in the 1930s.
No Chinese Allowed
The architecture was different in parts of the city where different foreign countries had set up shop. Through our entire trip in China, we were taken to tourist shopping places that said in bold letters, ''friends welcome.'' We found out in Shanghai it meant no Chinese allowed. So much for Mao and the equality of people.
It all began in front of our hotel when the British controlled that part of town. They had a sign on the promenade that said no dogs or Chinese allowed. I went into the hotel and found out we were already registered, even though Sally or I had not signed in.
I saw the two rooms that we had and they were very nice, with views overlooking the river. I assumed that Sally would know about this place also, so I left her a note. I told her not to worry when I would arrive since they were having a reception for me after my afternoon lectures.
The afternoon went fine, and I was taken back to the hotel. When I arrived, Sally was taking a bath. I asked if she was worried about my not coming back sooner. She said the tour driver constantly kept telling her where I was. The driver knew when I was operating, or when I was lunching, or when I was lecturing. I don’t know how he knew my every move since this was a time before cell phones.
That night, we all went to the hotel next door to dine. The restaurant was on the roof with a great view and pretty good food. The next day, I went back to the hospital. Sally and the girls went shopping and went to a regular shop for brocade to use for their deb dresses. Sally also went to a jewelry store and picked up some great jade. This was early on for tourists in China, so we got some great jade at great prices.
We finally went to the airport and left for Tokyo. It was Easter Sunday and we were at the Imperial Hotel. We went to their buffet for lunch, which was magnificent. We even had a table overlooking the inside of the Imperial Palace. Some people said they could see the Emperor in his tub. I’m not sure.
We spent a few days showing the girls the sites of Tokyo. We even had a visit with my father-in-law's man. His name was Bill Connor. He picked us up in his Rolls-Royce and took us out for tempura. Both of them were a real treat.
Sally caused a ruckus at the airport. The custom people accepted her passport, but they did not stamp it and she caused a roar. They also were unhappy with her luggage that had a knife and fork in it. It all got straightened out, and we left on time. We went home with no more adventures for that trip.
Second Trip to China in the '80s
We were headed to Bejing in 1984. This time, we were invited by the other Dr. Hu, the one known as Junior Tennyson. It was just before we went that we saw him at the Cosmos Club that I talked about in a previous chapter of this story.
Before I left home, we had a visit from a Dr. Jang from the Yale project in Hunan province. She was not as sophisticated as Dr. Lao. I invited her down one weekend in February. When we arrived at the house, Sally had all the lights on, which was unusual. When we were having a drink or juice, Dr. Jang asked if our small Franklin stove, which was fired up, heated our entire house that very cold night. Sally said no. We had a furnace.
Dr. Jang asked what a furnace was. That gave us an idea of her living conditions in China. However, she did have street smarts. She knew I was heading off to China. She suggested doing my slides in Chinese and presenting them in China’s national colors rather than Yale blue.
I did that with numbers in the corners so I could identify them with the ones I had in English. Madison Avenue could not do better. I might also not need the giggler.
No Tennyson
Dr. Hu’s first name was Tennyson, like in the poet. If you went to the Yale secondary school in Hunan, you had to have an English name. We wanted to take him and his wife out to dinner one night, so we took him to a branch of the Paris restaurant called Maxine’s. He managed a car and a driver. He let us out at the restaurant. Sally, his wife and I went in while he took care of the driver's dinner and parking the car.
We went inside and, after 20 minutes, no Tennyson. I went out to the front door and I saw my friend having some difficulty with the French maitre d'. It seems Tennyson was having a problem with the "no Chinese allowed.'' It seems his wife was with us, so that did not count. I was embarrassed but I enjoyed reading out the maitre d'.
Another night, Tennyson invited us to his apartment for dinner. He and his wife were very proud of their refrigerator. However, at 10 o’clock, the power was stopped in the building. I did not ask what they did about the refrigerator.
We had forgotten they turn off the power. They arranged for one of the elevators to be turned on so we could get out. Somebody was stuck in one of the elevators in the other end of the building, but I was told that they would have to wait until the morning.
Ambulance call
Now back to our China trip. One day when I was leaving the hospital, I saw the hospital's ambulance. It was a Chevrolet sedan painted white. They had taken out the back seat and put the patient in from the trunk. I have a picture that I will try to add to the book.
After we left Beijing, we went to Zion to see the soldiers in the ground. It is a magnificent site. Up front is a covered wagon about four feet long, which was supposed to carry the Emperor’s soul to heaven. There were four horses pulling it. It is important since nobody knew about this collection of soldiers until a farmer tripped on it while digging a well.
I collected soldiers and wanted a copy of this wagon. None was to be had in the gift shop. I arranged from a friend to have a copy made that is about a foot long and also has four horses.
The following year, we were at the Asian Antique fair in New York and we saw one for sale for $4 million. How could there be one since there was none in the tomb except the big one and this was not found until 1976?
My cost was $600, plus shipping. I feel that either I got the bargain of the century or there is some fraud going on. Mine is still in my collection. I would have gladly sold it for $4 million and had two more made.
We then flew into Hong Kong because we were going on to Japan, where I was to speak. We arrived in rough traveling clothes at about 10 o’clock at this marvelous hotel on the harbor and near the Peninsula Hotel.
The man who escorted us to our room was dressed in morning clothes and striped pants. I asked him how late the restaurants served since we had a lot of shopping to do. He said the Plum Room started serving at 9 p.m. I asked him if he could make a reservation for us. He said he would, but with a bit of a smirk he mentioned I would need a jacket. I told him I could arrange that.
Christmas Shopping
That day, there was a flurry of shopping. We used to do our Christmas shopping when we were on these trips. We did not use our American Express card except when we traveled. When several thousand dollars started amounting on the card, the company called our house to see if it had been stolen. One of the kids answered the phone and told AMEX don't pull the card and ruin their Christmas.
The next day, we were going to the plane. The house limousines were Bentleys-like Rolls-Royces. Sally wanted us to get one of those to take us to the airport. I said we had spent a lot of money and insisted we would use a standard yellow cab. We went to the airport. As our luggage was being unloaded, I paid the cab driver. I forgot my Gokey flight bag in which I had all the jewelry we had bought and my slides to lecture with.
I got out the cab and the driver drove off before I noticed my error. I was in deep trouble and Sally scolded me about being cheap. We checked in and then went to the police booth and told the clerk our story and that we had used a yellow cab. He said there were hundreds of them.
We wandered around moaning our misfortune. But then I got paged to come to the police booth. We went and it seems the cab driver was very honest and returned to the airport and turned my bag in.
Then the policeman asked me if I was missing anything. I was embarrassed to look, so I just flipped the top, put it down and said everything was there. I thanked the driver and gave him a very generous tip. I always say that I would rather be lucky than smart.
We went to Osaka and spent a day in Kyoto and then went to Hakone Park. We had a magnificent room with a view of the lake and Mt. Fuji.
I gave my talk and we had a wonderful time before going home from Tokyo.
Chile
In the late '70s, our friends the Noceses were being transferred to Rio de Janeiro to take over all of South America for the accounting firm of Arthur Young. They told me that if I am down their way lecturing, come and visit.
I said yes, but I knew it was not a reality. Before six months went by, I got a call from the Army. They wanted me to go down to Chile to see a member of the junta on the quiet. The deal included full first-class airfare for me and my wife, or whoever. They also included another week of vacation that we did not have time for.
We called our friends in Rio and they were delighted to hear we were headed south. Before arriving in Chile, we flew directly to Rio. The second day we were there, the Noceses took us to an international jewelry store called H.R. Stern. I brought Sally two rings. We also got a pin that you put on your kilt like the Scots do. Then the locals add silver-like charms. They used the value of the charms to help pay for their funeral. We called it Sally’s burial money.
I had two other type of jobs to see men behind the Iron Curtain and we arranged for me to see them in London. I used the office of a good friend of mine who did the Neuro-Op in London. I’ll tell you about them later.
North Carolina Eye Society
In the early 1980s, I was invited to be the guest of the North Carolina Eye Society in Asheville. It was nice to be back in North Carolina and to see some old friends. We also had a tour of the Vanderbilt Estate with all the flowers in bloom. There was also a world’s fair across the mountains in Tennessee.
We had a day trip and had a marvelous time. We attended a few parties and one was with an old friend from the Study Club. He showed us his greenhouse that had 500 types of orchids.