China and Yangtze River Haunted an 84-Year-Old Chinese American's Dreams

In my experience with travelers, many are not first-time visitors, but repeaters from a long time ago. Jan, an 84-year-old Chinese American, whom I assisted in early July, was one such example. Her daughter, Christina, reached out to me about Jan's 30-day trip to China. Her gentle words leapt out from the email: "For my dear mother..."

Her mother, Jan, had spent most of her life in the United States, but in the depths of her memory, she was always connected to the landscapes and people of her homeland. She wanted to return, not for a fleeting glance, but to spend an entire month reconnecting with the land she had left in her youth. What she most yearned for was a cruise on the Yangtze River's Three Gorges. In the late last century, she had followed her elders in the Three Gorges resettlement, tearfully parting with her hometown as the river surged. Now, the migratory bird was returning to its nest.

I secretly told myself that I must design a truly memorable trip for her.

25 Days on Land, 5 Days on the Yangtze River

30 days, such a long travel period—where should she go? I stared at the keyword "spectacular" on my laptop, and an outline of the trip gradually formed in my mind.

Returning from the United States, they already had the "sky" part covered. Adding "water" and "land" would surely make it spectacular. The Yangtze River cruise was the first part to be finalized. I combined it with a journey along the Silk Road in Northwest China and a slow-paced trip to Tibet.

I booked her a 25-day cruise on the "Such a Beautiful Land" route, the most relaxed and elderly-friendly option offered by the Century Cruises line. She could watch the clouds drift by on the deck and disembark to explore ancient towns and mountain cities along the way.

For the 25 days before the cruise, I meticulously designed a grand route across Northwest China. A 10-day Silk Road tour, starting from Xi'an's city walls, passing through the Hexi Corridor in Gansu to see the thousand-year-old murals of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, and venturing deep into Xinjiang's Heavenly Lake and Turpan Oasis.

After that, came a 12-day Tibet journey. She would arrive in Lhasa to gaze at the golden rooftops of the Potala Palace, sit quietly by the butter lamps of Jokhang Temple, visit the Peach Blossom Valley in Nyingchi, and feel the solemnity of Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse. I repeatedly confirmed that every hotel room had oxygen supply, checked the altitude changes for every car ride, and even prepared a detailed guide for acclimatization. I explained the risks of altitude sickness in Tibet to her in detail. She excitedly told me that this was the closest she would ever get to a "pilgrimage" in her life and wanted to try it.

However, five days before the Silk Road portion was set to end and the Tibet trip was about to begin, Christina sent me a message: After careful consideration, Jan had decided to cancel the Tibet portion. The high-altitude environment made her uneasy, and her family was worried about her physical endurance. I didn't hesitate and immediately contacted all partners, including the Lhasa hotels, local travel agencies, and chartered car drivers, to communicate the cancellations one by one. Although some fees could not be fully refunded, we did our best to negotiate and minimize her losses.

Making a last-minute change of direction was not an issue. I quickly re-planned her remaining itinerary.

The new route returned to the warmth of the cities. I arranged for her to visit Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guilin, and Zhangjiajie. She had visited these cities 20 years ago, and by revisiting them, she could see the new marks left by time on the land and the rising skylines in Chinese cities.

In Beijing's hutongs, she saw old houses being renovated. On the Bund in Shanghai, she watched the lights of Lujiazui across the river. In a Chengdu teahouse, she listened to Sichuan opera and watched the face-changing performances. In Guilin, she took a bamboo raft on the Li River, gazing up at the peaks reflected in the water like a painting. In Zhangjiajie, the towering stone forest made her exclaim: "It's even more like a fairyland than I remember it from when I was young."

One day during her trip, at Chengdu East Railway Station, as she was going up an escalator with her suitcase, the handle suddenly broke. She lost her balance and fell. When the news came, my heart sank. We immediately contacted the local ground agent to take her to the hospital for a check-up. I stayed by my phone until I received a message from the doctor confirming she only had minor scrapes and was fine, and only then did I truly breathe a sigh of relief. That night, I repeatedly asked if she needed to adjust her subsequent itinerary, but she insisted on continuing, saying that she couldn't let a small accident spoil the gifts this land had to offer.

Three Gorges Cruise that Haunted Her Dreams

The end of the trip was spent on a Three Gorges cruise. The ship slowly left the pier, and the familiar damp river breeze touched her face. Jan stood on the deck, watching the lights on both banks fade into the distance. She was very emotional and sent many messages to our group chat.

"I feel like I'm back decades ago. Beneath this deep blue river, my entire childhood lies sleeping."

The bluestone street she used to run barefoot on, the old locust tree she used to hide under for shade in the summer, her family's wooden door with its peeling paint, and even the small restaurant at the alley's entrance—all were covered by the surging river. Jan had traveled to many parts of the world, but what haunted her dreams was this small, submerged piece of land.

When her 30-day journey ended, she stood in the night lights of Chongqing and took a photo of the dazzling lights of Hongyadong. And I was fortunate enough to have connected her to this journey home.

We are currently arranging the Japan and Korea itinerary for Jan after her cruise. She was extremely satisfied with her China trip, and this positive experience will now extend to her travels in Northeast Asia.