Farewell

Yesterday's Beijing Opera was Havoc in Heaven. It is about the Monkey King and his mischief in stealing peaches from a banquet to which he was not invited. He also stole an elixir of immortality. The opera had a lot of action and percussion, plus it was colorful. Enjoyable.

This evening is our farewell dinner at a Peking Duck restaurant.

Our wake-up call is for 4AM at the hotel for our departure for the airport. I wonder at how some of us will transport all the goods acquired in China.

This will likely be the last blog posting, unless there is something more to report.

Traveled (just to do it) on the mag lev train from Pudong to the Pudong airport. It went 30 kms. in 8 minutes at a maximum rate of 431 kms./hr. Wow. Posh. Even slicker than the Shinkansen (bullet train) in Japan.

Lunch included mussels, crab, abalone. There was a slightly sweet pumpkin rolled in almonds.

Dinner in Dai (spelled Tai, pronunced day) minority restaurant, which included the dish cooked in a stoppered section of bamboo.

Plane leaving Shanghai was delayed by weather. Arrived by 2:30AM to bed at NCUT; it was like coming home with some familiar faces at the airport to greet us; and we were knackered. Today will be slow paced, fortunately. Beijing Opera in the evening.

Shanghai (July 3 is viewable)

Today it is raining. We have been lucky with the rainy weather as it has only rained heavily when we arrived in China and now. However, the heat and humidity have been high, especially as we have come "south" as the Chinese call the Yangze River valley. Temperature and humidity have been about close to 100 degrees F.

We leave tonight for Beijing. Then preparation for and packing for home in the next few days.






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4th of July

Shanghai Museum in the morning. The busy Nanjing Street pedestrian mall after. Although I'd been here before, I'd've never know that Li Hongzhang's calligraphy was on a shop. He was an extremely important figure in the end of the Qing Dynasty.

Dinner was at Dexinguan restaurant, est. 1878. Had the specialty noodles with part of boned pig face, fried fish, and marinated eel. Appetizers were spring rolls, peanuts in vinegar and some chopped vegetable, and drunken chicken (the pieces of chicken marinated in rice wine). More food than I needed. It took us a long time to find this restaurant, but it was worth it.

All of us are getting tired. We will have some freer time to decompress in the next few days.

While we were going to eat on our own, many went to the American fast food places to help celebrate the holiday. An evening of karaoke fell through, and the Dean arranged for an Independence Day elebration among ourselves at the hotel.

Went to Pudong and went up to the observation deck of the Oriental Pearl TV tower. It was hazy and then cloudy because of rain. Still it was spectacular being over 200 storeys in the air.

Suzhou & Shanghai

In Suzhou in the morning we took a boat trip on the Grand Canal (which links Hangzhou with a place in the north near Beijing). Susan and I went on such a boat ride before. I did another boat ride here two years ago. The ride this time was different from the last one in terms of the places we saw.

I told Susan I would see the bonsai in a garden in Suzhou, which is famous for gentry gardens. Susan has visited the Lingering Gardens and the Humble Administrator's Garden here, and our plans this trip were changed to to Visit Tiger Hill, which neither Susan nor I have seen before. It has a leaning pagoda (finished 961 AD) from the Song Dynasty. Our guide said she knew we were familiar with a famous leaning pagoda in Europe. None but one of us actually saw the bonsai here as we wandered over the extensive grounds. But I've got pictures of bonsai from two years ago. .

When we stopped for lunch we discovered the air conditioning in the bus went out. So our stay was extended as we waited for the driver to fix it. drivers have to have hese skills in order to get their license. All he needed was a part, as he correctly diagnosed the situation. The wait actually allowed some of our group to shop at the attached embroidery shop and to continue to boost the Chinese economy.

Arived in Shanghai and went to the Bund, the 1920s-30s era buildings of the International Concession of the foreign powers. Our guide showed us a place at an entrance to a walk along the Bund where there was supposedly a sign which said not Chinese or dogs allowed. A bund is a water front area that I think is an Anglo-Indian word. It is on the west side of the Huang Pu river. This is Susan's favorite place in her favorite city in China. When we were here together before in 1985, there was nothing east of the river (pu dong) but agricultural land. Now it is named Pudong and is the financial center of China with skyscrapers and accommodations that boast malls similar to ones you find in the US, but with a difference, and living areas with green swards and playing fields for Brit kids who do soccer. Soon Pudong is expected to take over Tokyo's financial role in east Asia.

Went over to the Peace Hotel on the Bund and took a picture of the Jazz Bar there. In the 1900s the Peace Hotel was given te award of being the most famous hotel in the world.

At dinner tonight, some of the people at my table encouraged a toast to Susan for her love of the Bund and Shanghai. We all drank to her and hoped she heard it.

Went on a cruise on the Huang Pu River and saw all the lights come on the buildings, especially the Aurora inPudong which has a adds in lights all over its front, including moving pictures of soccer, humming birds, etc. Then there were the lights on the Oriental Pearl TV tower. the surrounding area, and best of all, the lighted up Bund. The guide told us that Shanghai is without makeup in the day but with makeup on at night. And she is from Hangzhou, which she thinks is the best place in the world. But she comes to Shanghai to shop.

Suzhou & Shanghai

In Suzhou in the morning we took a boat trip on the Grand Canal (which links Hangzhou with a place in the north near Beijing). Susan and I went on such a boat ride before. I did another boat ride here two years ago. The ride this time was different from the last one in terms of the places we saw.

I told Susan I would see the bonsai in a garden in Suzhou, which is famous for gentry gardens. Susan has visited the Lingering Gardens and the Humble Administrator's Garden here, and our plans this trip were changed to to Visit Tiger Hill, which neither Susan nor I have seen before. It has a leaning pagoda (finished 961 AD) from the Song Dynasty. Our guide said she knew we were familiar with a famous leaning pagoda in Europe. None but one of us actually saw the bonsai here as we wandered over the extensive grounds. But I've got pictures of bonsai from two years ago. .

When we stopped for lunch we discovered the air conditioning in the bus went out. So our stay was extended as we waited for the driver to fix it. drivers have to have hese skills in order to get their license. All he needed was a part, as he correctly diagnosed the situation. The wait actually allowed some of our group to shop at the attached embroidery shop and to continue to boost the Chinese economy.

Arived in Shanghai and went to the Bund, the 1920s-30s era buildings of the International Concession of the foreign powers. Our guide showed us a place at an entrance to a walk along the Bund where there was supposedly a sign which said not Chinese or dogs allowed. A bund is a water front area that I think is an Anglo-Indian word. It is on the west side of the Huang Pu river. This is Susan's favorite place in her favorite city in China. When we were here together before in 1985, there was nothing east of the river (pu dong) but agricultural land. Now it is named Pudong and is the financial center of China with skyscrapers and accommodations that boast malls similar to ones you find in the US, but with a difference, and living areas with green swards and playing fields for Brit kids who do soccer. Soon Pudong is expected to take over Tokyo's financial role in east Asia.

Went over to the Peace Hotel on the Bund and took a picture of the Jazz Bar there. In the 1900s the Peace Hotel was given te award of being the most famous hotel in the world.

At dinner tonight, some of the people at my table encouraged a toast to Susan for her love of the Bund and Shanghai. We all drank to her and hoped she heard it.

Went on a cruise on the Huang Pu River and saw all the lights come on the buildings, especially the Aurora inPudong which has a adds in lights all over its front, including moving pictures of soccer, humming birds, etc. Then there were the lights on the Oriental Pearl TV tower. the surrounding area, and best of all, the lighted up Bund. The guide told us that Shanghai is without makeup in the day but with makeup on at night. And she is from Hangzhou, which she thinks is the best place in the world. But she comes to Shanghai to shop.

Wu Zhen & Suzhou

Trip from Hanzhou to Wu Zhen, a "water village," was along a bumpy expressway. A water village is an old community along the water that has become a tourist attraction. We went to one from the Qing Dynasty (the last dynasty) that has been developed for tourism rather recently. These villages attract a lot of foreigners but also Chinese, who want to see what the old life was like. There is a museum of beds, a demonstration of dying blue flowere Qing cloth, weaving, period clothing, etc.

On to Suzhou which Susan visited and again I have been to the third time. First stop was the Han Shan (or Cold Mountain) Temple. Everyone liked the name of the temple, because of a n
North Carolina namesake. Like Hangzhou, the weather is very hot, in the 90s F and with high humidity. We were dripping persperation, Americans and Chinese alike. Outside the temple is bridge that poet Jiang Qi memorialized when he failed the exam into the imperial bureaucracy. Out guide read the English translation to us, then the Chinese, and then I asked for her to do the English again. Eac h guide has a different style. The last one was jokey. This one has wonderul grammar, a great vocabulary, and is thoughtful. She has finished her bachelor's in marketing. I hope she goes on to the US for further study. She is the one who taught us to say thanks in Hangzhounese dialect. She says that it can be recognized in Suzhou. But she taught us to say in Suzhounese ayoyo (good, pretty) and ayaya (bad), and we kept misusing them throughout the evening. And of course we ended up with saying ayayai.

We spent about an hour in town at a busy downtown pedestrian mall. I had a lot of traditional Chinese snacks. I couldn't eat after our usual meals. Wished I could shop here for sweets to take home. I did get a snack at the water town; it was sticky rice and had the option of being served sweet or salty. I chose salty. Hangzhou food is not spicy. Suzhou food is sweet. Our dinner had a fish that was slightly sweet and excellent as ever. So was the whole meal. One of our group made the observation that when you had a breakfast, for example, in the USA the food is frequently the same. As we browse and graze through China, we are surprised with all the new dishes we encounter. I wonder how old you'd have to be to have tasted everything in China. It would take several reincarnations if we are to do the cuisine justice. Just one culinary delight after the other.

Our bus went into the old part of town through narrow lanes to our hotel. The young people refer to our accommodations as motels. We're staying in a place originally housing officials, so it is quite good, and now it is open to the public.

June 29 draft is viewable

The item I thought I lost is now viewable. Sorry for repetitions.

Off to Suzhou in half an hour.

Hangzhou

In Xi'an some of the newly planted or young trees are protected from the sun with netting. In Hangzhou, I took a walk yesterday around 10 or 11 PM and saw workers putting in support wires and pegs around young trees.

Visited Hangzhou's Ling Yin Su Buddhist temple complex from pre-Sung times. This was not destroyed during the Cultural Revolution because People's Liberation Army troops were stationed here. There are temples after temples going up the side of a hill. In another part of the area there are numerous Buddhist carvings on rock faces and in caves.

Had an introduction into green tea and silk; their culture, appreciation, and significance.

Walked along West Lake at night. Lots of people out. Then walked the commercial area. Shops are busy and don't close until 10 PM.

Not speaking much Chinese, the guide here taught us to say thank you (xie xie in standard Mandarin) in Hangzhou dialect, which is jia jia. Trouble is when I said this to most people who work here, they did not understand me because they were "not from around here" (as they say in east Tennessee). In any case, I didn't get the tones right. It sounded to me like dziadzia, which is Polish for grandfather. But the stress was different, and then there were the tones. I got the tones repeated to me and I think I got them right so that some people understood me. Tomorrow we go to Suzhou, not to far away, and to an entirely new Chinese dialect, and no one will understand this expression.

The food continues to amaze me with dishes we have not yet been served. Not many of our group eat the fish because it contains bones, and I think because it is fish. So I make out very well eating plenty of fish.

Xi'an to Hangzhou

Twice two nights ago my message did not connect with the fershluggener blogger site. I'll do these blogs piecemeal now.

Xi'an as a shouting opera, which Westerners cannot seem to sit through too long. It's a predecessor of theBeijing opera. However, a favorite seems to be the Anhui opera, where I visited over ten years ago.

As some of us passed along the streets of Xi'an, one of our students popped out of a shop called Purple Haze to say Hey. I had to investigate what the shop was (shades of Jimi Hendrix). It was a hairdresser cum snack bar. Two if our crew got their hair done there (a male as well as a female).

Watched a Tang Dynasty show. The music was very nice.

Plane to Hangzhou. Despite half hour delay on the tarmac, it was an easy two-hour flight. Hot in Hangzhou: 95 degrees and high humidity. I've never been here so it is a real treat. Boated on West Lake, which has a scene which is depicted on the one Yuan note: the three moon-reflecting pools. Elaine and Frosty would like this place. It has little pollution, due to emphasis on light or high-tech industry; it has preserved a lot of the foliage; it has planted a lot, too. Lot of prosperity. Even peasants have built multi-storey homes here. Gated communities exist.

Went to the Six Harmonies Pagoda, about a thousand years old. Octagonal and wooden, 13-storeys on the outside, 7 on the inside.

Then to the Song Dynasty show in a Song Dynasty village. The show was a spectacle with, rain (mist fell on the audience), something resembling snow, stage and front seats mechanically moving to reconfigure area, horses galloping, a spectacular laser light show, cannons firing, and I'll try to think of what else.

Took a late evening walk. Street shops are open and there are a lot of people out in the hot night.

Our hotel has coffee for breakfast.