In August 1981, I visited the People's Republic of China on an organized tour that originated in San Diego. At that time, I was a freelance photographer who was very interested in getting a first-hand view of the world's most populous nation before it embarked on the road to modernization that began in 1972 when the United States reestablished diplomatic relations with China.
In those days, video cameras were bulky and not designed for the consumer market and I would have needed a special permit to bring such a recording device into China. On the other hand, portable camcorders and picture-taking cell phones would require the passage of a couple of decades to become a reality. Consequently, I brought what many tourists carried with them on such trips: a 35mm single lens reflex camera, which I augmented by bringing two zoom lenses and a portable audio cassette recorder.
I was the youngest member of 20 travelers: 16 of us who lived in and around San Diego and 4 (two married couples) who were from New York. Our itinerary included Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Guilin, and Xian. Our stay in Beijing included a bus ride on a Sunday along a steep and windy road that would take us to the Great Wall.
Gail was one of the travelers in my group who had taken time off from her daytime job as a school psychologist at the San Diego County Office of Education. During our hike along the refurbished section of the Great Wall, Gail was pleasantly surprised to meet up with a professional colleague of hers from California who happened to be visiting this famous tourist attraction at that same time. I captured their chance rendezvous in a still image and audio clip that are included in this YouTube video that I posted in 2019.
Great Wall of China UNESCO World Heritage Site