Visiting Dan's Home City

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On the evening of 30 September, Dan and I hopped on a sleeper bus to Fuzhou, the city where she grew up. Fuzhou is surrounded by mountains, so rail travel was not practical. We arrived there on the National Holiday. We soon meet Dan's father who is a remarkable individual who jogs some 2 hours per day. He very sober in his habits and certainly wanted to know how I would care for his daughter. He was very kind and welcoming. We visited a really fine art exhibition, which included a calligraphy gallery and some historic sights nearby, including an ancient part of the city wall, the White Pagoda and various other pavillions. Then there was shopping! Dan's Uncle, a businessman, hosted us all to a very fine feast. He and I toasted our way through a fine bottle of Chinese red wine. We also visited a girlfriend of Dan's, a lady who was a close friend of Dan's mother and a man who is her father's best friend. He had an extraordinary collection of carved stone and other fine art objects, and a traditional Chinese painting handed down from his father. Sadly Dan's elderly grandmother, with whom she stayed during her middle school, was gravely ill. Only Dan, of course, was able to visit.

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