Panchihhua

As the east wind blows, the red flags fly, Tachai is a vast ocean of magnificent crops, From Panchihhua iron-ore and coal flow in an endless stream;[…]

While the river dreamed of the East China Sea, I nodded off and dreamed my own dreams. Whatever they were, they were shattered when we stopped in the town of Panchihhua. “Panchihhua” means “vine flower.” Apparently the name was meant to describe the town’s construction along the cliffs above the Yangtze. The vine part was apt, but the flower part was a misnomer. Panchihhua was the ugliest town I had seen anywhere in Southwest China. It looked like something an animal had dug up and gnawed on. Vine flower, indeed.