A lovely ancient water village in the Qingpu district of Shanghai, Zhujiajiao is a unique city. (pronounced zoo jowl jowl, sort of…) Randy and I spent one full day sightseeing during the spring festival.
Here is a little snip-it of our day. I love finding images of people without their knowledge your taking their picture.
Randy the other Beatle……. trying on wigs in the market…. hee hee
Photo shots of just Randy and Susan… Jess this is for you! Hugs……
My favorite is this one of Randy walking away!
Where to start! Shanghai Zoo! Panda bears, oh my gosh…. cutest things ever, I wanted to take one home. How many people own pandas….? Only the Chinese government. But I see why they are precious. So here are photos from the the zoo with my son Randy.
Mao says climbing the Great Wall makes one a man. Daisy and I did just that so does that make us men?
This stele states Mao’s comment in Chinese.
I found a driver and a guide and off we went to the Great Wall with a couple from Bintan, Indonesia. Robert is an American hotel owner and his wife Etie is a darling Jakarta native. Robert wanted to smoke his cigar on top of the wall to celebrate his 57th birthday. We had a “hoot and a howler” laughing about all the little mishaps during the day.
First stop the Jade Factory and Market. They wanted to sell us jade out the wazzoo. I took a picture of a giant jade cabbage, one of those auspicious omens. Who needs a jade cabbage in the first place and where would you put it? Then to the wall, as we paid our toll, we passed a two hump camel going the other direction though the toll. Like I said a “hoot and a howler!”
We climbed to the first tower, huffing and puffing. Low and behold look what I found! What are these terra cotta soldiers doing on the wall, guarding?
Robert with cigar in hand passing me up to higher towers. I took a latte break and only climbed two towers.
Next to the Ming Tombs. As it turned out, we were the only tourists there, it is bad Feng Shui to visit a tomb during the holidays. For some reason it riles all the dead emperors! Nothing is more fun than riling up dead Chinese emperor souls! No bad ju-ju here! The guide said it would unbalance the Yin and Yang!
We walked into the entrance and it was totally vacant. The guide just wanted to leave and I kept dragging him on. We patted the butt of a turtle sculpture for good luck. Then the guide made us say something in Chinese as we stepped into the rooms where the ceremonial banquets for the emperors were held. Left foot first for men and right foot for women, he was so superstitious. The picture with the red canopy bed is for the dead souls to lounge in. I thought that was really cool, Daisy about lost it at this point and wanted to leave. I thought if I was dead, what fun this would be to lounge and look at the tourist folk passing by. The Chinese emperor that is seated in the throne shows his traditional garments. It is not a stuffed dead emperor! Well I don’t think so.
Next stop was “China Town!” Yes a China town in Beijing, just like San Fransisco. We experienced the Tea Market and the Silk Market. They are always wanting us to spend more money, sorry I spent all mine at the Forbidden City yesterday. The driver took us lastly to see the Olympic bird nest stadium. Very cool, but I am not into sports so we went in the Boxing Stadium and had a foot massage instead. Absolutely hysterical wonderful day!
I’ve had no strange dreams of Emperors coming to visit me in the middle of the night! The Chinese and their beliefs!
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. Located in the middle of Beijing it was the home of Emperors and their households (including concubines), as well as the ceremonial and political center of the Chinese government, for almost five hundred years. The complex covers 7,800,000 sq, ft. consisting of 980 buildings with 8,707 rooms. It was built around 1406. The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture. When I walked in I noticed the buildings were brightly painted and rambling to the end of the horizon. One building after another. It was just the most amazing place, I kept imagining myself as a little emperor playing on the stairs, hiding behind walls, and climbing the most delightful shaped trees.
One of the trees had gnarled elbows with long branches hanging downward which looked like dragon claws.
I love this tree and want one in my yard!
I found a couple artisans, one carved me a chop mark that says su san, maybe su shan. Su means family name. San stands for the number three and they seem to prefer Shan which means mountains. Personally it means family of twin peaks, my play on words. Then I meet a teacher from the local art university. He was selling his work along with other professors to help generate money for scholarships. I am a sucker for helping kids go to art school and bought a black and white oil panel with the four children holding red yarn stars and a traditional tiger painting. Love my art finds.
Inside some of these rooms we found mini-museums of pottery, jewelry, weaponry and ceremonial attire.
Then a trip to the hutongs or alleyways of Beijing to eat and shop. I ran out of memory on my card but here is my find at a propaganda store.
My OBaMao T-shirt “Man who serves the people!”
Daisy and I left at midnight by train to Beijing. She booked us a berth. We had the top bunks, above two other twin sleepers. It was quite a climb up and then only two feet in height to sleep, rather claustrophobic and extremely warm. Underneath us was a young officer in the PLA (Peoples Liberation Army), a cute man named Galileo (Wong Zhang Tao). He is the first Chinese army soldier and the first Galileo I have ever met. I couldn’t resist to ask him, “What is your job in the army?” The response was something I never expected. He is a magician, an entertainer somewhat like a performer in Bob Hope’s traveling show. Did he ever entertain us, card tricks and disappearing money. I laughed at his antics as he changed a Kennedy half dollar into an old Chinese coin. My fear of the Chinese army was totally dispelled after meeting him.
Ten hours on an overnight train was interesting to say the least. Next to our hotel, in a typical Chinese neighborhood near Daisy’s university alma mater. We had no tub or shower stall, only a shower nozzle overhanging the toilet, another unique Chinese bathroom! The hotel room was clean and included a buffet breakfast. I keep forgetting toast/butter/jelly and fried eggs are not on the menu. I am not sure I like green steamed cabbage, black hard boiled eggs and porridge for my first meal of the day. Oh well, give it a try, not bad!
Next stop Tienanmen Square. I have heard so much about this place and was delightfully surprised to find a large civilized outdoor shopping area next to an open assembly square surrounded by government buildings. The gate to the Forbidden City was at one end with a humongous picture of Mao over the top. It was sunset and we were fortunate to see the army march out onto the square and take the Chinese red flag down. Twenty years ago, no westerns would have been able to see this. It was an awesome site. I was so excited I bought an army hat!
Tomorrow the Forbidden City and the hutongs!
Chinese guardian lions, known also as stone lions and often (incorrectly) called “Foo Dogs” in the West, are a common representation of the lion in pre-modern China. They are believed to have powerful mystic protective powers that has traditionally stood in front of Imperial palaces, Imperial tombs, government offices, Buddhist temples, and the homes of government officials and the wealthy. Pairs of guardian lions are common decorative and symbolic elements at the entrances to restaurants, hotels, supermarkets and other structures, with one sitting on each side of the entrance. The lions are always created in pairs, with the male playing with a ball and the female with a cub. It is auspicious to have pairs but four is an unlucky number much like our thirteen.
Lions are very much a part of my site seeing tours and I photograph all the different poses a lion can make. My astrological sign is Leo, no wonder I am attracted to the lion.
FIELD TRIP….. I took my senior IB students to the Yuejiang Tower or Lions Gate Temple for an art outing. We had a lovely afternoon. The focus was on photographing patterns, architecture, people, light and shadows. Mike, Anna and Ophelia accompanied me along with the economics teacher, Michael. When we got to the steps to climb the hill to the pagoda Michael took a leave (something about nap-time) and it was just me and the students. The temple was part of a Buddhist monestary built in 400AD. Much was destroyed, rebuilt and opened to the public in 2001. Being new, there are no Buddhist monks to be seen. More of a tourist attraction, it still represents the Ming Dynasty when Zheng He sailed to the Atlantic. It includes complex architecture lines in traditional Chinese style. Housed inside is information such as ship building, scientific sailing, how to conquer the ocean, peaceful diplomacy, good-neighborly relationships, transmission of civilization, equal trading and culture exchanges as well as local customs and practices in western countries. (This last sentence I copied from a tourist guide!) Since I can’t read the Chinese characters I enjoy the museum visually.
This tower can be seen from my office window and I look at it daily. It is fun to be standing on the top balcony and see my building for a change. I can see the Yangtze river bridge, the vast array of apartment building, old and new, hi rise and small old hutongs. It is miles and miles of building, so unbelievable, bigger than New York City, so awe inspiring.
Our trip to the suburb of Suzhou (pronounced Sue Joe) started on Saturday morning 7am, at the train station and boarding with Alice. There are ten of us going, I am the only western teacher. Suzhou is west of Shanghai and about an hour on the bullet train. We are picked up by a driver in a nice large van and taken to the Blue Tassel International Private School. The principal cordially greets us and gives us a delightful tour of the K-12 school premises. A canal meanders through the grounds with an orchard and gardens for the children to enjoy. The dormitories are set up four per room. The art class rooms are wonderful. I walk into one art room, a young boy is practicing his Chinese calligraphy and I am amazed at his determination with such a large brush.
After our tour we have a wonderful seafood lunch at the fisherman’s wharf on one of the lakes in Suzhou. Large fish in platters were the main dishes, with shrimp, crabs, snails and a variety of other morsels for tasting. Wine in an urn was uncorked and poured for all. Little did we know it was 70% proof, tasted like ever clear with sugar and burned all the way down till we toasted each other. Much toasting is a Chinese custom! I began to toast with hot tea!
Next we drove around Suzhou looking at all the canals, homes and lovely landscape. Suzhou is compared to Venice, and considered the Venice of the Orient. We picked some tangerines and took pictures at a rest stop by the waters edge.
Then it was on to supper. I had not eaten much at the seafood luncheon, so the principal said he would take us to a more vegetarian place for supper. Off we went in the van following his suburban. Onto the freeway as our driver was trying to keep up with the principal going 140 kilometers. This was much too fast and I suggested seat belts. I believe this was the time I recall saying “oh, my god we are going to die!” I think Esther replied something about me going to my creator! We exited and drove for miles in the dark, came to a detour and made a right turn down a single lane road that wound through a village and back into the dark. We came to an abrupt stop behind a parked flat bed truck loaded with big white bags. Three men were standing next to the truck, maybe it was broke down. Who knows? At this point I don’t care for dinner and just want to go home. We had to get out of the van and wait till our driver could turn it around, because he might run off the road and into the levee and didn’t want us in the van. My colleagues were star gazing now, amazed they could see them in the night sky! Stars, you’ve got to be kidding? Back in the van back tracking to find the restaurant. The principal is determined to get us there “hell or high water!” He questions a stopped biker and she calls her friends who immediately show up and lead the way. We do actually find this wonderful resort for dinner where we had thirty dishes of food, including turtle soup, crispy goose feet, steamed chicken feet, thinly sliced liver and gizzards, duck bill soup, shrimp, black tofu, steamed pumpkin, and a variety of other tasty bowls of things I couldn’t name. I’m glad we arrived, no longer lost and defiantly vegetarian!
This is the last Sunday for the world expo in Shanghai after six months of a highly successful show. A taxi over the river and oh-my what a site, acres of prime real estate on the edge of the river covered with exotic pavilions. I heard many Chinese families were displaced and moved to build the expo. The old Chinese cultural homes were replaced with many world expo buildings. It is impressive, as each country is represented by a building. It took an hour just to get in, thank god it isn’t raining. Right to the USA pavilion, and to the VIP line, show my passport and right in we go. We pass up three hours of waiting in five minutes. USA didn’t really go out of their way to impress me, with a slide show of the country side and a movie of “Seed Folks.” I did get a pink cowboy hat to wear and show my Texas culture. Then I took many pictures of pavilions and visited a limited number.
