Our group of 16 adventurers, our fearless leader and assistant met 3 times during the course of our journey with agendas to brainstorm/discuss Chinese and U.S. priorities, changes, challenges, concerns, agendas, etc. and the final meeting was mainly to generate learnings, impressions, enlightenments, etc. I would like to list these shared thoughts from everyone as this was a group experience as well as a personal odyssey and my fellow travelers had a significant influence on the outcomes. So, here goes...
The question was "What was most remarkable/memorable that you experienced?"
* cultural things, minority dancing, songs, costumes (native dress)
* EVERYTHING * the history * the Naxi (pronounced Nashi) people
* the schools taught us that if they can teach 60 kids, we can teach 30. * the daily exercise that is a part of everything for harmony/balance * Everyone has a job, a mission, everyone is useful. They keep the masses employed and productive. * the vastness of the country and how many people are here which can teach us so much. * a lot of what I thought was Draconion actually makes sense. The DINK (dual income, no kid) makes more sense, one child rule, etc.
* the likenesses but also, the differences due to culture and government. Choice is more important than I may have realized. * the people are so very welcoming * the people, family structure, the children, closeness and commitment. * the ORDER of everything, everything has a place. * I felt SAFE always * we have a lot of similar dreams * everything is so fresh * riding bikes, walking, eating healthy * landmarks were so spiritual * more awareness, uniqueness, antiquity * the Heifer Village was amazing! * all media portrays their people Chinese) and others in a negative light. Dialogue one-on-one makes a difference. * Minority museums were wonderful! * family time/ties, the interdependence coming out of Confucianism...they want, like, need to be dependent on each other * the openness of their worship practices, they hold-fast to their beliefs * their desire to stay connected with their heritage, a sign of a more grounded people with their identity * the 'wrong' parts of the U.S. may perhaps be the 'right' things about China. Can we learn and improve? * the U.S. is also a country in transition, coming to China helps us question who are we? how are we changing? what do we need to to do the same/differently? * the geography, the bus rides were gorgeous and essential to appreciate the mountains, landscapes, lakes, terrain, etc. * the food was spectacular! * the level of work ethic and discipline * the Dongba priest experience
* the sense of community everywhere, they laugh, live, play, visit, enjoy each other's company, sharing lives with each other in such a real way * people embrace, men and men/women and women, hold arms/hands in friendship and caring without worry of how it looks * the schools were probably like ours where our kids act 'right' with visitors but...60 in a room?? * Pride doesn't require a flag * their Healthy lifestyle leading toward balance, exercise parks for everyone to use. * OBEDIENCE on behalf of the children (although Catherine says not necessarily so) * the stressing of the importance of education and obedience to authority
* People are very "in the moment"! * amazingly people maintain their privacy in public
* Food is more about the socializing that the eating. * how families live together and care for each other because it's the right thing * the food...growing, harvesting, preparing, eating, clean-up, disposing of, etc. is just all part of the whole eating experience. * Tibetan men are hot!
* the Chinese people look different which I didn't notice before. * the gardens are exquisite!
* the music compliments our journey in such a positive sense by giving us another dimension as we travel. * the unique and ancient instruments, they love song and dance * their superior craftsmanship, we have come to see 'made in China' as cheap but they take great care/pride in their finished products where we were shopping * watching the process of HOW things ae made and seeing how much effort and time goes into each item * WALKING everywhere feels so good * even when it's pouring down rain, it's great fun * the streets and walkways are sooo clean * to keep foot traffic out of roadways they have underground crossovers * the mountains * the way every piece of ground is productive like the terracing and crops going all the way up the mountains and crops instead of lawns. * the children are beautiful! * I love how they all ride with each other * the wheeled vehicles are all so unique and versatile
I loved China, I miss being there but I love being home too! I can't wait to share what all I have learned with family, friends, colleagues, students. We are all really one, you know. When we visited one-on-one with the people we all have families, hopes, dreams, regrets, fears, and possibilities. So although we are different, we are alike too...both aspects to celebrate!
Nihao!
Until I have more thoughts to share and photos....happy reading!
With love and hopes for Peace, Liz
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Boo hoo, must we leave?? June 26th
I dont' have much to say about leaving except that I would have been happy to stay longer! Of course, I think Catherine was eager for us to depart so she could move on to Chengdu where she has an apartment and she awaits her daughter, Grace to join her for a visit. She will also await a group of her students of Chinese from Colorado where she directs a massive Chinese language program she created and also teaches all levels of Chinese, being fluent herself. WE departed from Shanghai to Tokyo and then, to Dallas/Ft. Worth. The 2 hour layover in Tokyo was uneventful with prices of 'stuff' pretty high and therefore, of no interest. The 11.5 hour flight to the U.S. was very uncomfortable and extremely UNFRIENDLY. What a shock to have taken 2 international and 5 domestic flights in China only to be slapped with rude flight attendants on American Airlines who made our trip worthy of me filing a complaint. I think I'll avoid the details as they are upsetting to repeat and discouraging for other travelers. We agreed the U.S. could learn about customer service from the Chinese! Then, after arriving in Dallas/Ft. Worth we continued our torture by the lackadaisical system they call customs and when we all tried to reach our next gate in the B terminal from D...the shuttle train broke down with 4 of us on board and the rest of us having to walk miles to get there without the shuttle/airlink. We all barely made our connecting flight which should not have been a problem without the distaster. Welcome home?! Bottom line? Our families were all eagerly awaiting to see our sleepy, smiling faces and to lug our much additional luggage home containing treasures from a journey of a lifetime. It's unclear as to whether or not anyone here will apprreciate the intrinsic value of each and every item we returned with but WE know where we've been and brought extrinsic objects home to share and remind us of what a delicious experience we all shared. Catherine told us along our way that she brings nothing back other than what is in her head and heart. A noble thought indeed but far too tempting for a group of capitalistic educators with plans already on the drawing board of how to entice our students and families to journey to China someday to create their own unbelieveable experience. Nihao friends and family...I finally had a relatively good night's rest on Sunday, July 6th, after many awakenings each night and a round of antibiotics to quell a raging sinus infection. I would like to share a list of learnings/reflections that I may add to as I move further away from the days of my journey. I will admit that I miss China and would JUMP at the chance to return. My eye catches every article in the daily paper pertaining to China with a new angle/perspecticve on what is written and a thought as to it's verity based on my limited experience. I guess I left a little bit of my heart overseas along each roadway and mountain pass. I NEVER for one moment felt unsafe but welcomed and embaced in a uniquely ancient and enduring yet ever changing culture. Thank you from my heart to Martha Morton, director of Arkansas Global Programs and Bringing China to Arkansas and the Freeman Foundation, the insightful source of funding, for an unforgettable journey of my life.
Yu gardens, Old Town, pearls, June 25th
Okay so, Shanghai is a HUGE city with a comfortable feel. We can walk just a few blocks from our hotel (Park Hotel) which reminds us of the Arlington a bit because it's old and renovated but still has that old feel. The beds are like everywhere in China, thin mattressed and minimally blanketed which is fine. Actually, Jo and I thought the bed here may have been a bit softer. Oh well, our sleep has not been affected so, we may have trouble when we return home. Just a look out our window proves we are indeed in a huge city with buildings and skyscrapers as far as we can see. We can watch below where people have hung out their laundry to dry (in the humidity that's an oxymoron). Just blocks away is the pedestrian walk where the road traffic is forbidden and only foot traffic is allowed. At night this area is what makes Shanghai famous because it is all aglow with neon lights, musicians playing impromptu concerts, expensive namebrand stores open only until 10pm but party places alive with alluring music, drinks, and entertainment. I did not partake in that nightlife but others did. I did however take off with Jo in the back alleys in search of a long-sleeved shirt or jacket of some sort to wear on the return flight tomorrow, I froze on the plane coming. That was fun...going in the storefront is only the 'front" but be beakoned beyond the door at the back of the 'front' and you are now in a magical world of knock-off purses, shirts, luggage, ties, shoes, belts, etc. WOW! So I found an inexpensive red Prada zip-up for 60 yuan ($13.) originally $100. Ha! People everywhere on those back alleys behind the 'fancy street' playing cards, chess, eating, drinking, visiting, wheeling-dealing. The shops close early, 10pm to give room for the night life to lure residents and tourists. They all pull down their garage-type doors until the next morning's dealing.
Wednesday, last day, was busy with 3 destinations in the morning, another glorious lunch, and a 2 hour group meeting in the afternoon after which...more shopping and of course, eating. Gotta get that last deal and meal!
Destination #1 was a favorite of mine: the Yu Gardens, created by the Pan family. The Ming dynasty gardens were created for his in-laws as a gift (wish I were related!). This being private gardens the white walls proudly displays its undulating dragon with only four claws instead of the imperial gardens five to respect the emperor. Private gardens 3,000 years ago typically smaller than imperial ones hold much history, relics, chambers and of course beautiful, simple design. Chinese classic gardens were more backyard/residential gardens. About 5 miles outside Shanghai is Suzhou, home of the classic chinese gardens, about 50 in number. The Yu gardens were like a maze of 6 different areas with traditional trees, water, fish, rock formations (the Rockery) that are reputedly the largest and demonstrate the caves and gorges of southern China. Being a rock hound, I was so tempted to bring a sample but...they held me back!! Once you leave this pristine area you are jolted back to reality by the collossally busy bazaar that awaits outside the gardens. These are old-looking buildings that lure tourists to buy, buy, buy!! Most items are similar to what we've seen all along but several of us did stop to purchase prayer flags, postcards, etc. I actually stayed back in the gardens for some quiet time and to stop in the shop in the gardens where I found several beautiful and unique yak bone boxes, handcarved purportedly by the Miao people (one of the 56 minority groups in China).
We boarded the bus and toured the Old City area which includes the Bund along the Huanpu River area, French concession area which once housed white Russians and Chinese but now is a collection of fancy boutiques, restaurants , bars once the center of the opium trade Green Gang with its own police, utilities, governing. Bund means "waterfront" and when I get my photos organized you will see me standing with the river and Pudong behind me. The dense skyscrapers were all farmlands only 18 years ago. About 14,000 couples choose (and pay dearly) to have their weddings along the water each year. Weddings are still traditional with men and women living separately until marriage. What's an appropriate gift? Usually a red envelope containing a minimum of 500 yuan ($70.) and a BIG party to celebrate! This is interesting, the boy's parents ae responsible for arranging for the new couple's apartment...
Okay...on to the Pearl Factory/showroom, another shopping experience. But first, a little background on pearls. The lady had one of our 2 guys select an oyster fom the water bucket for her to slice open. We first all had to guess how many pearls may be nestled inside...whatya think?? Well, most of us were surprised to count 22 small pearls, we each got one to take home. We learned how tell if pearls are real or fake, rub 2 together to hear a slight rough sound. If they is no roughness just smooth and slippery, they're fake...voila! They assured us those in the store were ALL real and why? Because it's a government owned and operated store and we all know, the government never lies! Ha, just kidding because actually these stores were always our best assurance. Yes, I did buy some pearls for the younguns in my family and then some. It was somewhat overwhelming actually! Jay, in our group, found an anniversay gift for his wife he will hold on to for 2 years, what a guy! Virginia purchased the only brown pearl there and it is quite pretty!
So, after our meeting...I was the guide by leading 3 book lovers in our group to the 7-story Book City I visited yesterday. We scattered and agreed to meet to return to the hotel in 90 minutes. On the walk back we passed the 5star Howard Johnson's, the Olympic merchandise store, a Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and Burger King. I must admit I never touched one morsel of American food in China but many of my travel mates did indeed CHEAT! I don't eat that stuff in the U.S. so I wasn't even tempted.
Farewell dinner time was 6:30 sharp at our bus to e transported to another fabulous dinner spot for the "creme de la creme" dinner with speeches by our fearless (?) leaders and group sing-fest lead by our songwriters, Krystal and Yvonne. There were 3 songs all to the tunes of Gilligans Island, Brady Bunch, and American Pie. Of course the songs contained adult sarcasm gathered from the oopsies of our trip and would only be laughable to us. I can certainly speak for my self bby saying I was feeling very reluctant to depart China, I had grown to love the people, the food more than before, beer at lunch, the beauty of the country, the culture and traditions, etc. China reminded me of my trip in 1977 to England with my Mom. Every city has a Buddhist temple on almost every corner as England has it's churches. But, I must admit I enjoyed seeing every temple we visited, each had a unique story and buddhas.
Wednesday, last day, was busy with 3 destinations in the morning, another glorious lunch, and a 2 hour group meeting in the afternoon after which...more shopping and of course, eating. Gotta get that last deal and meal!
Destination #1 was a favorite of mine: the Yu Gardens, created by the Pan family. The Ming dynasty gardens were created for his in-laws as a gift (wish I were related!). This being private gardens the white walls proudly displays its undulating dragon with only four claws instead of the imperial gardens five to respect the emperor. Private gardens 3,000 years ago typically smaller than imperial ones hold much history, relics, chambers and of course beautiful, simple design. Chinese classic gardens were more backyard/residential gardens. About 5 miles outside Shanghai is Suzhou, home of the classic chinese gardens, about 50 in number. The Yu gardens were like a maze of 6 different areas with traditional trees, water, fish, rock formations (the Rockery) that are reputedly the largest and demonstrate the caves and gorges of southern China. Being a rock hound, I was so tempted to bring a sample but...they held me back!! Once you leave this pristine area you are jolted back to reality by the collossally busy bazaar that awaits outside the gardens. These are old-looking buildings that lure tourists to buy, buy, buy!! Most items are similar to what we've seen all along but several of us did stop to purchase prayer flags, postcards, etc. I actually stayed back in the gardens for some quiet time and to stop in the shop in the gardens where I found several beautiful and unique yak bone boxes, handcarved purportedly by the Miao people (one of the 56 minority groups in China).
We boarded the bus and toured the Old City area which includes the Bund along the Huanpu River area, French concession area which once housed white Russians and Chinese but now is a collection of fancy boutiques, restaurants , bars once the center of the opium trade Green Gang with its own police, utilities, governing. Bund means "waterfront" and when I get my photos organized you will see me standing with the river and Pudong behind me. The dense skyscrapers were all farmlands only 18 years ago. About 14,000 couples choose (and pay dearly) to have their weddings along the water each year. Weddings are still traditional with men and women living separately until marriage. What's an appropriate gift? Usually a red envelope containing a minimum of 500 yuan ($70.) and a BIG party to celebrate! This is interesting, the boy's parents ae responsible for arranging for the new couple's apartment...
Okay...on to the Pearl Factory/showroom, another shopping experience. But first, a little background on pearls. The lady had one of our 2 guys select an oyster fom the water bucket for her to slice open. We first all had to guess how many pearls may be nestled inside...whatya think?? Well, most of us were surprised to count 22 small pearls, we each got one to take home. We learned how tell if pearls are real or fake, rub 2 together to hear a slight rough sound. If they is no roughness just smooth and slippery, they're fake...voila! They assured us those in the store were ALL real and why? Because it's a government owned and operated store and we all know, the government never lies! Ha, just kidding because actually these stores were always our best assurance. Yes, I did buy some pearls for the younguns in my family and then some. It was somewhat overwhelming actually! Jay, in our group, found an anniversay gift for his wife he will hold on to for 2 years, what a guy! Virginia purchased the only brown pearl there and it is quite pretty!
So, after our meeting...I was the guide by leading 3 book lovers in our group to the 7-story Book City I visited yesterday. We scattered and agreed to meet to return to the hotel in 90 minutes. On the walk back we passed the 5star Howard Johnson's, the Olympic merchandise store, a Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and Burger King. I must admit I never touched one morsel of American food in China but many of my travel mates did indeed CHEAT! I don't eat that stuff in the U.S. so I wasn't even tempted.
Farewell dinner time was 6:30 sharp at our bus to e transported to another fabulous dinner spot for the "creme de la creme" dinner with speeches by our fearless (?) leaders and group sing-fest lead by our songwriters, Krystal and Yvonne. There were 3 songs all to the tunes of Gilligans Island, Brady Bunch, and American Pie. Of course the songs contained adult sarcasm gathered from the oopsies of our trip and would only be laughable to us. I can certainly speak for my self bby saying I was feeling very reluctant to depart China, I had grown to love the people, the food more than before, beer at lunch, the beauty of the country, the culture and traditions, etc. China reminded me of my trip in 1977 to England with my Mom. Every city has a Buddhist temple on almost every corner as England has it's churches. But, I must admit I enjoyed seeing every temple we visited, each had a unique story and buddhas.
Monday, July 7, 2008
winding down in Shanghai June 24,25
Nihao! Hope everyone had a very happy birthday, 232nd! We all had a blast (Ha!) down in Hot Springs on Lake Hamilton. Rest, relax, boat, float, play, and of course...eat!!
So, let's see if I can continue on with our journey, the last 2 days. We took our bus to Shanghai from Hangzhou, wait, did I tell you that we went to the National Silk Museum? Well, that was fun and a great follow-up on the couple in Lijuang who made our comforters. The museum had rooms showing the history of the Silk trade, the famous Silk Road routes, and the scientific portion of the life cycle. They also had live silk worms demonstrating their skills right in front of us...neat to watch. Of course, there was a demonstration by skilled marketers of how to detect real silk from a fraud and in case you're interested...real silk doesn't burn with a flame but rather, smokes. So, the next time you're not quite sure in the retail store, just pull out your lighter and test the flame on the inside seam...ha!
So, Tuesday we were on our way into Shanghai with hopes of it not being as hot and humid as the day before. The scenery was quite dramatic in terms of the enormous amount of new construction and very different architecture from the other areas of China. All of that tea money and other 'new' money building 3 story homes with fancy cupolas on top, very different. Shanghai weighs in with 18 million people, 24 million when you include the suburbs. That's ALOT of people! But interestingly, it didn't feel like that much and I can only guess it's because there are so fewer cars. In China, (did I aleady mention?) you pay 110% interest on a car when you but one and a very stiff annual usage fee. If you live in the city and plan to park the car you can count on paying upwards of $15,000-30,000 just to park it. Yikes!! That's real motivation to ride a scooter. Aside from all of the wonderful architectural sites out guide, Vicky, pointed out along the way into the city, we spent 2 hours at an absolutely marvelous museum, the Shanghai Museum. It was a wonderful comprehensive museum of 4 floors and included a very special on-loan exhibit from the London Museum of the history of the Olympic Games. I really had to pace myself so I wouldn't miss one bit of this fabulous place. So, I disconnected from everyone to drink it ALL in. The top floor was all furniture (Ming and Qing dynasties), breattaking!! Then there was the ancient Chinese Jade Gallery showing pieces that were so amazing I just shook my head, and the Chinese Minority Nationalities' Art (one of my favorites) including dress and ornaments, dyeing, weaving, and embroidery, metalworking, pottery, lacquering, cane, and bamboo, and MASKS!! All was so very unique and amazing how they were able to create such elaborateness without...technology. Of course, what else did they have to do on the weekends for fun, huh?! The next floor down had the history of coins (including shells), history of seals, history and examples of calligraphy spanning all the dynasties, and painting dating Wayyyyyyyyyyyy back, all beautiful! The 2nd floor showed Ancient Chinese Ceramics, history & famous kilns & all of the different types of ceramics beautifully displayed and described. Then, there were the sculptures of all the dynasties particularily many religious figures (a huge room of buddhas) and it truly is amazing to me that they made these with so little 'know-how' so long ago, the antiquity is awesome. The history of ancient Chinese bronze, classifications, decorations, and casting techniques and craftmanship rounded out the standards of the museum. Then.....the Olympic exhibit. WOW!! How exciting that we were able to witness this exhibit, it was terrific. No photos were allowed but I did purchase a small museum book on the exhibit even though they only had it in Chinese just to keep a record of what was there. So, y'all come on over for a glass of wine or pop and look through my various museum books. I couldn't buy one everywhere because of the weight but I did enough damage collecting some.
Now, on to the Shanghai Jade Buddha Temple: This was really something, one solid 12 foot piece of carved jade from knees to the top of his head with much other jade and gems adorning it. This buddha had such a peaceful, gentle expression on it's face and is very carefully protected. This buddha and the reclining buddha were brought from Burma to this temple by the abbot Wei Ken. We saw the present abbot while we were there as he toured the rooms and prayed, that was neat. I took photos carefully, not to offend. We couldn't photograph the Jade buddhas. There were also the 3 huge golden buddhas in the Heavenly King Hall, gorgeous! We then drove over to the Bund, the heart of colonial Shanghai bordered on one side by the river and the other by the old hotels, banks, offices, and clubs of wetsren commercial power. Many of the old buildings are still used and a sure eyecatching part of a stroll along the water. Gaze at the other side of the river for an eye-full of new skyscrapers that amaze anyone when you're told that 18 years ago all of that land was farmland, incredible! This is called Pudong and used to be the city's poorest area of slums and brothels. It became a special economics zone in 1990 making it now one of the largest building sites in the world. We reboarded the bus and traveled along Nanjing Lu (road) where all of the foremost shopping is and goes on past People's Park then, the theatres, hotels, cinemas, restaurants, salons, etc. Oh boy, lunch and time to shop!! Katherine (our tour director) took Gwen and myself to an amazing bookstore (Book City) that was 7 stories high and we had to go to the 7th floor to the very small Foreign language section for a cookbook that is the best. While there, I picked up Chinese versions of Little Marmaid, Harry Potter, Mulan, and Finding Nemo for only $3.00 each. Also, some music CD's and a Beijing Olympics concert DVD. Hurrt back to jump on the bus by 6:30pm to go to see the Chinese acrobats perform at the Hyatt Regency hotel. That was surreal! Those people are beyond flexible, they define double-jointed! Unbelieveable!!!! Dinner was on our own but several of us convinced Katherine to take us somewhere REAL! So...we knew Shanghai is famous for seafood and we got to 'see' our food we ordered, swiming first. We had razor clams (2 necks), abalone, shrimp, fish (head-on of course), fresh veggies and lots of local wine. Total YUM!!
Okay...you and I both need to take a break!! So, it's 11:15 pm and I'm going to bed and will continue with June 25th in the morning!! Okay?! Bon soir!
So, let's see if I can continue on with our journey, the last 2 days. We took our bus to Shanghai from Hangzhou, wait, did I tell you that we went to the National Silk Museum? Well, that was fun and a great follow-up on the couple in Lijuang who made our comforters. The museum had rooms showing the history of the Silk trade, the famous Silk Road routes, and the scientific portion of the life cycle. They also had live silk worms demonstrating their skills right in front of us...neat to watch. Of course, there was a demonstration by skilled marketers of how to detect real silk from a fraud and in case you're interested...real silk doesn't burn with a flame but rather, smokes. So, the next time you're not quite sure in the retail store, just pull out your lighter and test the flame on the inside seam...ha!
So, Tuesday we were on our way into Shanghai with hopes of it not being as hot and humid as the day before. The scenery was quite dramatic in terms of the enormous amount of new construction and very different architecture from the other areas of China. All of that tea money and other 'new' money building 3 story homes with fancy cupolas on top, very different. Shanghai weighs in with 18 million people, 24 million when you include the suburbs. That's ALOT of people! But interestingly, it didn't feel like that much and I can only guess it's because there are so fewer cars. In China, (did I aleady mention?) you pay 110% interest on a car when you but one and a very stiff annual usage fee. If you live in the city and plan to park the car you can count on paying upwards of $15,000-30,000 just to park it. Yikes!! That's real motivation to ride a scooter. Aside from all of the wonderful architectural sites out guide, Vicky, pointed out along the way into the city, we spent 2 hours at an absolutely marvelous museum, the Shanghai Museum. It was a wonderful comprehensive museum of 4 floors and included a very special on-loan exhibit from the London Museum of the history of the Olympic Games. I really had to pace myself so I wouldn't miss one bit of this fabulous place. So, I disconnected from everyone to drink it ALL in. The top floor was all furniture (Ming and Qing dynasties), breattaking!! Then there was the ancient Chinese Jade Gallery showing pieces that were so amazing I just shook my head, and the Chinese Minority Nationalities' Art (one of my favorites) including dress and ornaments, dyeing, weaving, and embroidery, metalworking, pottery, lacquering, cane, and bamboo, and MASKS!! All was so very unique and amazing how they were able to create such elaborateness without...technology. Of course, what else did they have to do on the weekends for fun, huh?! The next floor down had the history of coins (including shells), history of seals, history and examples of calligraphy spanning all the dynasties, and painting dating Wayyyyyyyyyyyy back, all beautiful! The 2nd floor showed Ancient Chinese Ceramics, history & famous kilns & all of the different types of ceramics beautifully displayed and described. Then, there were the sculptures of all the dynasties particularily many religious figures (a huge room of buddhas) and it truly is amazing to me that they made these with so little 'know-how' so long ago, the antiquity is awesome. The history of ancient Chinese bronze, classifications, decorations, and casting techniques and craftmanship rounded out the standards of the museum. Then.....the Olympic exhibit. WOW!! How exciting that we were able to witness this exhibit, it was terrific. No photos were allowed but I did purchase a small museum book on the exhibit even though they only had it in Chinese just to keep a record of what was there. So, y'all come on over for a glass of wine or pop and look through my various museum books. I couldn't buy one everywhere because of the weight but I did enough damage collecting some.
Now, on to the Shanghai Jade Buddha Temple: This was really something, one solid 12 foot piece of carved jade from knees to the top of his head with much other jade and gems adorning it. This buddha had such a peaceful, gentle expression on it's face and is very carefully protected. This buddha and the reclining buddha were brought from Burma to this temple by the abbot Wei Ken. We saw the present abbot while we were there as he toured the rooms and prayed, that was neat. I took photos carefully, not to offend. We couldn't photograph the Jade buddhas. There were also the 3 huge golden buddhas in the Heavenly King Hall, gorgeous! We then drove over to the Bund, the heart of colonial Shanghai bordered on one side by the river and the other by the old hotels, banks, offices, and clubs of wetsren commercial power. Many of the old buildings are still used and a sure eyecatching part of a stroll along the water. Gaze at the other side of the river for an eye-full of new skyscrapers that amaze anyone when you're told that 18 years ago all of that land was farmland, incredible! This is called Pudong and used to be the city's poorest area of slums and brothels. It became a special economics zone in 1990 making it now one of the largest building sites in the world. We reboarded the bus and traveled along Nanjing Lu (road) where all of the foremost shopping is and goes on past People's Park then, the theatres, hotels, cinemas, restaurants, salons, etc. Oh boy, lunch and time to shop!! Katherine (our tour director) took Gwen and myself to an amazing bookstore (Book City) that was 7 stories high and we had to go to the 7th floor to the very small Foreign language section for a cookbook that is the best. While there, I picked up Chinese versions of Little Marmaid, Harry Potter, Mulan, and Finding Nemo for only $3.00 each. Also, some music CD's and a Beijing Olympics concert DVD. Hurrt back to jump on the bus by 6:30pm to go to see the Chinese acrobats perform at the Hyatt Regency hotel. That was surreal! Those people are beyond flexible, they define double-jointed! Unbelieveable!!!! Dinner was on our own but several of us convinced Katherine to take us somewhere REAL! So...we knew Shanghai is famous for seafood and we got to 'see' our food we ordered, swiming first. We had razor clams (2 necks), abalone, shrimp, fish (head-on of course), fresh veggies and lots of local wine. Total YUM!!
Okay...you and I both need to take a break!! So, it's 11:15 pm and I'm going to bed and will continue with June 25th in the morning!! Okay?! Bon soir!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
July 2nd, 2008
Okay...NO, I'm home, not in China although a little piece of my heart is still there! I've been jet-lagging, yard working, friend and family visiting, and now I sick with something...allergy? So, I want to catch up on my journey from where I left off. I last brought you to the Mu Mansion (June 21st) that is now a museum since they wee all killed during the cultural revolution, and the Naxi music and dance extravaganza...fabuloso! I failed to mention our walking mission to find Jo's fabulous silk find. Yesterday, (June 20th) she found a married couple who make 100% silk comforters and pilows in a lttle hole in the wall storefront. Of course, all of the stores are like that. Well, she got a King sized one that you just put inside a duvet cover. It's made of the silk from 16,000 silkworms, that's a lot! We all headed out along the winding, smooth stoned foot streets (smooth from hundreds of years of foot traffic) and when we finally found it, we were amazed and facinated...so much so that 2 of us also placed an order. My order had to be delivered to our hotel later that night since we were leaving in the morning. We watched how they make it and learned that it takes a week to complete a king sized one. Wow!! Come to find out that is what we have been sleeping under at our hotel, no wonder it's so soft!! Then, Jo and Catherine and I found the same restaurant as last night and between Jo's proprietor friend and Catherine's flawless Chinese we had an amazing dinner ( spicey black beans, soy paste beans and veggies, greens with garlic (my favorite), special seasoned jelly noodles, soup with fresh exotic mushrooms (a must with every meal), and with refreshing Chinese red wine. Jo gave her (Ha) one of her glass bluebids and after she admired my glass heart necklace made by Laurie Ament (my glass earring friend), I gave it to her and after refusuing 3 times which is customery she was entrusted with a special glass pendant from Little Rock. Thanks Laurie, I'll need a new one!!
Sunday morning, we were up bright and 'squirrely' for a LONG day of travel and touring. We may be winding down on our trip but not on our activity level!! We flew out of Lijuang airport to reach Kunming airport where we caught another to Shanghai...arrived around 2:30pm. With a bus awaiting and our new, precious tourguide, Vicky and our driver Mr. Fu, we were off and headed for Hangzhou to visit what is known as one of the 7 ancient cities of China. Traveling south you may wonder how hot and humid it miht be so close to the equator??? HOT and very HUMID!! But, all of that must be awfully good for the growth and harvesting of tea because there was tea growing EVERYWHERE!! Up the mountains and down, in front yards, back yards in boxes, pots......We visited the Dragon Well Tea plantation and were delighted to learn all about the healing (for body and face) qualities of green tea, what to look for in quality tea (color, aroma, and flavor) and they showed us examples of 3 levels of green tea quality, Dragon Well tea the world famous tea. This tea contains 6x more vitamins than blck tea and is good for diets and your face and skin. 1gram of the highest level of this tea is $10,000. Guess what, I passed up on that bargain and settled for the next best, the Emperor tea...fresh, green, aromatic and lucious. And, reasonable. Come by and share a cup with me here at our home in Little Rock...YUM!! There's an old Chinese quote, " Up in heaven, there is Paradise. On earth there is Suzhou and Hangzhou." It's rich and fertile land and plentiful waters have brought them abundant tea, rice, and fish. Did you know...the life span of a tea bush is 27 years and it can only be chopped 2x and each time it will poduce for 5 years???! Anyway......
The production of tea shows the wealth of the people involved by touring back toward Shanghai and viewing the unusual, new, and lavish housing along the freeway. I will try to send some photos soon. We stayed in Hanzhou overnight and left for Shanghai (population 18 million not counting the 6 million that communte from the suburbs each day) after a touring a few sites. YIKES, that's a lot of people...but, it doesn't seem so bad because many people do not have cars, they commute, ride bikes, walk, ride scooters, etc. We went to West Lake, a gorgeous and expansive lake, coveing over 3 miles. The plan was to take a lake cruise but, the weather reminded us of Akansas when the dark clouds descended and lightening shot across the sky. We chose the tour by motorized land cart instead and then hung-out with the locals beneath a gazebo during the torrents of rain. The lake was lined with romantic foot bridges, pavillions where locals gathered to play cards, chinese chess, and indigenous instruments with passionate singing. One older gentleman could have competed with Pavarotti!! The crowds listening and watching were fascinating, young and old locals. The lake was covered along the edges and in the coves with bright pink, fragrant lotus flowers. We then went to Lingyin Temple, "peak flying fom afar" and the #1 Buddhist temple in the province, showing off 9th-14th century grotto carvings. There were huge Buddhas, made of camphor wood and the pathway to them was lined with Buddhas carved into the side of the mountain, amazing!! Also, we visited Yue Fei tomb, a popular hero who was framed and executed by the emperor who was jealous of his popularity with the common people. Noteworthy were the fenced in statues of 4 figures who were those who were kneeling to represent his betrayors and tormentors. It is said they are to be spat upon fo their jealousy but...we refrained.
Just when we thought we had no more to purchase, we visited a silk museum, I refrained...NOT! A few ties for Spencer, coupla scarves, and I was outa there! I did learn how to detect real from fake...real smokes while fake flames. Don't try that in the department store but, it does work! Well, I must temporarily depart...it's 10:30 pm. More tomorrow!! Actually, we're off to Hot Springs tomorrow so it may be Monday before I return ....Nihao and sweet dreams, Liz
Okay...NO, I'm home, not in China although a little piece of my heart is still there! I've been jet-lagging, yard working, friend and family visiting, and now I sick with something...allergy? So, I want to catch up on my journey from where I left off. I last brought you to the Mu Mansion (June 21st) that is now a museum since they wee all killed during the cultural revolution, and the Naxi music and dance extravaganza...fabuloso! I failed to mention our walking mission to find Jo's fabulous silk find. Yesterday, (June 20th) she found a married couple who make 100% silk comforters and pilows in a lttle hole in the wall storefront. Of course, all of the stores are like that. Well, she got a King sized one that you just put inside a duvet cover. It's made of the silk from 16,000 silkworms, that's a lot! We all headed out along the winding, smooth stoned foot streets (smooth from hundreds of years of foot traffic) and when we finally found it, we were amazed and facinated...so much so that 2 of us also placed an order. My order had to be delivered to our hotel later that night since we were leaving in the morning. We watched how they make it and learned that it takes a week to complete a king sized one. Wow!! Come to find out that is what we have been sleeping under at our hotel, no wonder it's so soft!! Then, Jo and Catherine and I found the same restaurant as last night and between Jo's proprietor friend and Catherine's flawless Chinese we had an amazing dinner ( spicey black beans, soy paste beans and veggies, greens with garlic (my favorite), special seasoned jelly noodles, soup with fresh exotic mushrooms (a must with every meal), and with refreshing Chinese red wine. Jo gave her (Ha) one of her glass bluebids and after she admired my glass heart necklace made by Laurie Ament (my glass earring friend), I gave it to her and after refusuing 3 times which is customery she was entrusted with a special glass pendant from Little Rock. Thanks Laurie, I'll need a new one!!
Sunday morning, we were up bright and 'squirrely' for a LONG day of travel and touring. We may be winding down on our trip but not on our activity level!! We flew out of Lijuang airport to reach Kunming airport where we caught another to Shanghai...arrived around 2:30pm. With a bus awaiting and our new, precious tourguide, Vicky and our driver Mr. Fu, we were off and headed for Hangzhou to visit what is known as one of the 7 ancient cities of China. Traveling south you may wonder how hot and humid it miht be so close to the equator??? HOT and very HUMID!! But, all of that must be awfully good for the growth and harvesting of tea because there was tea growing EVERYWHERE!! Up the mountains and down, in front yards, back yards in boxes, pots......We visited the Dragon Well Tea plantation and were delighted to learn all about the healing (for body and face) qualities of green tea, what to look for in quality tea (color, aroma, and flavor) and they showed us examples of 3 levels of green tea quality, Dragon Well tea the world famous tea. This tea contains 6x more vitamins than blck tea and is good for diets and your face and skin. 1gram of the highest level of this tea is $10,000. Guess what, I passed up on that bargain and settled for the next best, the Emperor tea...fresh, green, aromatic and lucious. And, reasonable. Come by and share a cup with me here at our home in Little Rock...YUM!! There's an old Chinese quote, " Up in heaven, there is Paradise. On earth there is Suzhou and Hangzhou." It's rich and fertile land and plentiful waters have brought them abundant tea, rice, and fish. Did you know...the life span of a tea bush is 27 years and it can only be chopped 2x and each time it will poduce for 5 years???! Anyway......
The production of tea shows the wealth of the people involved by touring back toward Shanghai and viewing the unusual, new, and lavish housing along the freeway. I will try to send some photos soon. We stayed in Hanzhou overnight and left for Shanghai (population 18 million not counting the 6 million that communte from the suburbs each day) after a touring a few sites. YIKES, that's a lot of people...but, it doesn't seem so bad because many people do not have cars, they commute, ride bikes, walk, ride scooters, etc. We went to West Lake, a gorgeous and expansive lake, coveing over 3 miles. The plan was to take a lake cruise but, the weather reminded us of Akansas when the dark clouds descended and lightening shot across the sky. We chose the tour by motorized land cart instead and then hung-out with the locals beneath a gazebo during the torrents of rain. The lake was lined with romantic foot bridges, pavillions where locals gathered to play cards, chinese chess, and indigenous instruments with passionate singing. One older gentleman could have competed with Pavarotti!! The crowds listening and watching were fascinating, young and old locals. The lake was covered along the edges and in the coves with bright pink, fragrant lotus flowers. We then went to Lingyin Temple, "peak flying fom afar" and the #1 Buddhist temple in the province, showing off 9th-14th century grotto carvings. There were huge Buddhas, made of camphor wood and the pathway to them was lined with Buddhas carved into the side of the mountain, amazing!! Also, we visited Yue Fei tomb, a popular hero who was framed and executed by the emperor who was jealous of his popularity with the common people. Noteworthy were the fenced in statues of 4 figures who were those who were kneeling to represent his betrayors and tormentors. It is said they are to be spat upon fo their jealousy but...we refrained.
Just when we thought we had no more to purchase, we visited a silk museum, I refrained...NOT! A few ties for Spencer, coupla scarves, and I was outa there! I did learn how to detect real from fake...real smokes while fake flames. Don't try that in the department store but, it does work! Well, I must temporarily depart...it's 10:30 pm. More tomorrow!! Actually, we're off to Hot Springs tomorrow so it may be Monday before I return ....Nihao and sweet dreams, Liz
Saturday, June 28, 2008
china blog too, too (June 21, 2008)
Okay...well, it's our last night in the beautiful, peaceful, exciting, safe and delightful city of Lijiang. We are all sad to leave here. Our hotel is in the center of the old/new town area where all the action, food, shops, etc. are. The people here are mainly of the Naxi (pronounced Nashi) and Bangpo minorities and are quite remarkable people. Down through history they have been renowned for their desire for everyone to be at peace which is why their temple and frescoes dating back 500-600 years show respectful markings of all three of China's religions so as not to offend anyone. We have been treated to the most exciting scenery as Lijuang sits at the foot of the famous snow mountain of 16,000 feet. Yes, it is gorgeous, breathtaking, awe inspiring! We have visited a monastery atop a mountain, lighted incense and watched young men being tutored. Each family selects one male child to become a monk, it's an honor. They begin their training at 5 years old, amazing, huh? We have visited a buddhist temple atop a mountain and a Daoist temple with the walls of the Mu Mansion (the museum home of the Mu family leaders of Lijuang who executed during the cultural revolution. What a sad state of events as this family was so very kind and influential for the Naxi and Bang po people. There is at least one surviving member,elderly, in Lijuang while the others were long ago sent to re-education camps. So, they only have the Mansion and extensive relics left and are maintained by the people and tourists. Last night we attended a fabulous musical production that illustrated the history of the Naxi people (Bangpo) through song, ancient instruments, and dance. The Bangpo priest (an actual priest of 81 years of age) is the star and trains all of the other members. He's amazing and the show was truly spellbinding, we could have watched and listened for hours more. Then, we met him afterwards and were so excited. We visited the Naxi heritage museum and met the highest Bangpo priest who also wrote special pictograph documents for anyone who wished to give loved ones a message. I did a couple and can't wait to show them off. I have shopped until I am about to drop. We eat 3 times a day and walk so much I don't think I've gained anything but an increased appreciation for Chinese food, people, and landscape. Yesterday, we were finished with our tourist stuff by 1pm so, I spent the rest of the day by myself walking EVERYWHERE. I walked and looked and photographed and met people and shopped for 7 hours. I loved it! I must have over 4000 photos so far. NO, I won't make you see them all. I have taken easily 200+ photos of children and families. The children here are so precious, it's hard not to take pictures of them. And, I love their pants that are slit around the crotch so they can just squat and pee or poop whereever. It's funny. The streets throughout China are immaculate, people are hired to clean the streets daiy, swwep and discard trash. There are fresh food and veggie vendors everywhere. Last night Jo and I ate at a restaurant where the woman has befriended us. She selected our mewal that was exquisite! We had scrabled egg pancake with peacock blossoms and a fresh mushroom and vegetable dish that had mushrooms freshly picked on the mountain that morning, and soup ( that is with every meal), 2 large beers all for a mere 120 yuan which less than $20 for the 2 of us. The flowers and trees here are lush and immaculately cared for. The museums are terrific and so well cared for. Can you imagine viewing frescoes that are over 800 years old and the colors are still vibrant and so very meaningful?! The crafts here are phenomenal and the prices are ridiculously low. I have to admit that I have a suitcase full of gifts and artifacts and had to purchase an extra bag to carry stuff home in. We are leaving at 7am tomorrow morning (Sunday) by air to Kunming and then to Shanghai where we'll grab a bus for 3 hours to Hangzhou overnight where we'll visit a silk factory and a tea plantation. Then, to Shanghai until we depart on the 26th for home. Well, I must go finish packing and shower so that I can just float in a fog in the 6:15 hour to the bus to the airport. Love to all as always!!!! Liz
china blog too! June 18, 2008
NiHao friends and family! I am finally at a hotel where there is a computer I can use on-site. We arrived in Lijuang ( the 'g' is silent) this noon, ate lunch and immediately drove to the local school for elementary and middle school students. There was a devastating earthquake of 7.0 in 1996 here when 300 were killed and much of the city of 1 million was severly damaged or destroyed. So someone from Hong Kong donated money to rebuild the school. They have 3700 students and only 217 teachers. That means each teacher has 60 students per class period. YIKES! This is our second school visit and these children are truly precious!!! We are not naive enough to think that they are always as well behaved as they were when we visited however, the pressure is very extreme here to study very hard to be allowed to enter a university and they must excell in all areas not just some. This school is located in a province that has many of the 56 minority groups who live in China in residence. There are 21 minority groups represented here with the main ones being Naxi, Bai, and Dongba. The Naxi are darker people from the sun at this altitude. When they marry here, the man quits work and the wife works...wierd! Also, for those of you who are "fluffy" that is very desirable here, the men like their women buxom. I am currently at 7,000 feet above sea level, in the clouds and loving it. The hotel we are staying in is 4 star and so very lovely. We have only stayed in local hotels which is so neat, the ambiance is amazing! The rooms are surrounded by an environment that is so very asian...trees, flowers, water, fish, meditating areas, etc. The food is too good for my good. Here in Lijuang they serve a lot of veggies fresh out of the gardens which are everywhere. they make use of all available space for planting crops even up the mountains in a 'terraceing' arrangement which serves a purpose of helping to prevent erosion.
We came here from Dali where we stayed for 2 days and our hotel again was just a part of the landscape so we could just walk out and enter the streets filled with food and product vendors in small street side shops. These shops go on and on and.....Food is prepared right in front of you and there are so many choices. We visited a village where we walked around a communal family home housing 5 families. It's really hard to descibe how they live separately but use common spaces. The last three cities we have visited are surrounded by a city wall which of course dates back to ancient times. It's a facinating history here. It's pretty amazing when you walk into a tomb for a queen and learn that she died thousands of years ago. It's quite a chilling and thrilling experience!! The people throughout our journey cannot have been more gracious, kind, helpful despite our language barrier, friendly, and excited to meet us. The people at the schools, shops, restaurants. hotels, everywhere.... I am so impressed by their high level of motivation and drive to succeed. WE all realize the political status here and the government is very much a part of everyone's daily life. If you are a small business owner here, you pay about 40% tax to the government. WE have had the pleasure of meeting and visiting casually with a number of locals who have shared their thought on life here in China. After our school visit in Xian, one of the teachers and I exchanged e-mails and have already written and responded to each other twice, very cool! Maybe I'll just forward her e-mail to y'all so you can share that with me also. The other night in Dali (close your eyes young people) we found a little tiny bar where we spent four hours visiting with the young lady who was college educated and we had a blast sharing and drinking a variety of small flavored shots of vodka. That's all the detail I will share....it was an invigorating experience and we all felt fine the next morning when we had to be alert and on the road early. Why?? Because we left by 10pm and ate and slept...healing environment!! We have visited so many museums that I will list and describe later because we are getting ready to go for supper. The computer usage only costs 10 yuan/hour which a little over a dollar an hour so, I think I can come back.. Also, I don't want to bore you too much. I will tell you that it rained mostly for the two days we were in Dali but we just kept treking along with our umbrellas and thank goodness I bought that expensive North Face jacket!! It was a little cool in Dali, altitude is high. Then, yesterday. we took a 30 minute gondola ride to the top of the mountain where there are both Daoist and Buddhist temples immacuately cared for by a group of elders. It was absolutely gorgeous, inspiring and WET. I was soaked from the rain that continued all the way up and down....soaked tomy underwear but, who cares?? Earlier in the morning we took a boat ride across the Erhai lake (which is 1/3 the size of Shanghai...huge) to a little village where we went to 2 temples. One housed the local protector and the other was buddhist. I decided to sit a bit and meditate and while doing so the people there handed me some container with some wooden sticks with Chinese on them to shake for awhile and then, I picked one which had a number on it and a corresponding message/fortune that was very special. I have had a number of "spiritul experiences along my way here in China. With thousands of years of history, it would be difficulkt tonot be awed along the way!! Again, an inspiring experiience to see how simply these people live and are happy and content. Okay...that's enough rambling for now. I send my love to each of you and wish you everything grrrrreat! Lotsa love from me to y'all!! Liz
We came here from Dali where we stayed for 2 days and our hotel again was just a part of the landscape so we could just walk out and enter the streets filled with food and product vendors in small street side shops. These shops go on and on and.....Food is prepared right in front of you and there are so many choices. We visited a village where we walked around a communal family home housing 5 families. It's really hard to descibe how they live separately but use common spaces. The last three cities we have visited are surrounded by a city wall which of course dates back to ancient times. It's a facinating history here. It's pretty amazing when you walk into a tomb for a queen and learn that she died thousands of years ago. It's quite a chilling and thrilling experience!! The people throughout our journey cannot have been more gracious, kind, helpful despite our language barrier, friendly, and excited to meet us. The people at the schools, shops, restaurants. hotels, everywhere.... I am so impressed by their high level of motivation and drive to succeed. WE all realize the political status here and the government is very much a part of everyone's daily life. If you are a small business owner here, you pay about 40% tax to the government. WE have had the pleasure of meeting and visiting casually with a number of locals who have shared their thought on life here in China. After our school visit in Xian, one of the teachers and I exchanged e-mails and have already written and responded to each other twice, very cool! Maybe I'll just forward her e-mail to y'all so you can share that with me also. The other night in Dali (close your eyes young people) we found a little tiny bar where we spent four hours visiting with the young lady who was college educated and we had a blast sharing and drinking a variety of small flavored shots of vodka. That's all the detail I will share....it was an invigorating experience and we all felt fine the next morning when we had to be alert and on the road early. Why?? Because we left by 10pm and ate and slept...healing environment!! We have visited so many museums that I will list and describe later because we are getting ready to go for supper. The computer usage only costs 10 yuan/hour which a little over a dollar an hour so, I think I can come back.. Also, I don't want to bore you too much. I will tell you that it rained mostly for the two days we were in Dali but we just kept treking along with our umbrellas and thank goodness I bought that expensive North Face jacket!! It was a little cool in Dali, altitude is high. Then, yesterday. we took a 30 minute gondola ride to the top of the mountain where there are both Daoist and Buddhist temples immacuately cared for by a group of elders. It was absolutely gorgeous, inspiring and WET. I was soaked from the rain that continued all the way up and down....soaked tomy underwear but, who cares?? Earlier in the morning we took a boat ride across the Erhai lake (which is 1/3 the size of Shanghai...huge) to a little village where we went to 2 temples. One housed the local protector and the other was buddhist. I decided to sit a bit and meditate and while doing so the people there handed me some container with some wooden sticks with Chinese on them to shake for awhile and then, I picked one which had a number on it and a corresponding message/fortune that was very special. I have had a number of "spiritul experiences along my way here in China. With thousands of years of history, it would be difficulkt tonot be awed along the way!! Again, an inspiring experiience to see how simply these people live and are happy and content. Okay...that's enough rambling for now. I send my love to each of you and wish you everything grrrrreat! Lotsa love from me to y'all!! Liz
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