Eastern China Travelogue

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Eastern China Travelogue

Asia » China » Jiangsu
October 7th 2008 by Guilin

The Plane Taking Me to Shanghai
This is the plane I took from Guilin to Shanghai. The flight took under two hours. I normally take the train, but I'd rather fly. It is so much quicker!

Eastern China Travelogue

I just went on a inspection tour for China Odyssey Tours. I visited Shanghai, Huangshan, Hangzhou, Hongcun, Xidi, Zhouzhuang, and Suzhou. The trip took two weeks and was absolutely fantastic! I had a blast.

Day1: Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Shanghai
This morning I got up at 7:30 and went down to have breakfast in the hotel. I’m staying at the Central Star Hotel. I’m very happy with it. The room is very nice and even has a cute stuffed rat sitting on the rooms table. This year is the year of the rat. That is why the rat is there. The breakfast was buffet style. It was very good. I had a lot of Chinese food. Shanghai’s cuisine is known for being slightly sweet, and the breakfast food in the buffet was that way. After breakfast I went back to my room and rested for a bit before I had to meet my guide Wendy at 9:30. I got to the lobby early and she was already waiting with bottled water for me. We went outside, where the car was waiting, and were driven to the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall by my private car

Flying Over Shanghai
I took this out of the cabin window just before landing.
and driver. The Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition hall was really quite interesting. It shows Shanghai’s past, present, and future. The first floor had a long model of the bund. It was very impressively done. A lot of attention was paid to the building’s details. There was also a large sculpture featuring the most famous buildings of Shanghai, which slowly rotated. We then went up to the second floor to experience Shanghai’s past. As hard as it is to believe, Shanghai started as a fishing village. The exhibits on the second floor showed how it changed from a small fishing village to a very hip and happening city. With its large, deep harbor, Shanghai was an ideal location for a city. During the 1920’s and ‘30’s Shanghai became a cosmopolitan city. With the many colonial businesses introduced to China, its population and importance grew. The hall showed how this all happened. The Third floor showcases current Shanghai. The main feature of the floor is a giant scale model of Shanghai. It is unbelievable! It is built with such exquisite detail. Every building in the city is there and it is constantly upgraded. The Global Finance Center building which opened just three

The Shanghai Urban Planning Hall
The architecture of the building was very cool.
days ago was already in place. The third floor shows the future of Shanghai. It showed the many things that the city has planned including remodeling and enlarging of its airport, subway systems and the Shanghai World Expo that will come to Shanghai in 2010. The Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center was quite remarkable. It was filled with models of Shanghai. It really gave me a better understanding of this great city. We then headed to the Shanghai Museum. I told Wendy not to bother coming with me because it would bore her to tears. I passionately love Chinese history and when I go to a museum I want to stop and look at each item in it. I spent quite a few hours in the museum. The Shanghai Museum is one of the best in China and is wonderful. The building is shaped like an ancient Ding. An ancient ding was a bronze period cooking vessel that eventually became a symbol of power. The Shanghai Museum has four floors and each floor has two to four exhibition halls. It features a hall on ancient coins, Ming and Qing Dynasty furniture, ceramics, bronze ware, calligraphy, paintings, jades, ethnic minority clothing,

The Model of Shanghai
This huge scale model of Shanghai is located on the third floor. The model shows both day and night in Shanghai. When the lights dim, the model's buildings and streetlights all light up. It is really ... [more]
seals, Buddhist stone carvings, and several temporary exhibits that change periodically. Their collections are exquisite. I could have easily spent the whole day there. After the Shanghai Museum, Wendy took me to lunch. We had lunch on a floating restaurant. It was very nice. The food was all local Shanghai cuisine and was quite tasty. Wendy and the driver were going to sit at another table so I could eat alone, but I thought that was terrible, so I insisted they sit with me. The view from the restaurant was incredible. It is located on the Huangpu River and sit across the Huangpu River from the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. The sky was blue with white puffy clouds. It was really beautiful. After lunch we went to the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. I’ve seen photos of it before and thought it looked nice, but standing under it and seeing the size of it, it is not only very impressive, but quite beautiful. We went inside the pavilion at the bottom of the tower. We then took one of the elevators up to the Observation platform located 259 meters above the ground. It is located in the higher of the two

The Shanghai Museum
This is the exterior of the Shanghai Museum. The building was shaped like an ancient bronze Ding, a cooking vessel. The Shanghai Museum is one of the premiere museums in China.
large spheres and has three floors. The top floor is a revolving restaurant, the middle floor is an observation area with binoculars and glass windows all the way around, and the lower floor has open windows without glass. The observation floors had tables to sit at and little shops. The view of Shanghai from the tower is very beautiful. It is amazing to see all of the construction going on. This city is definitely growing at an amazing pace. Located at the entrance to the tower is a series of photos showing the tower every ten years since its opening in 1994. When it opened, the side of the river that it sits on was almost perfectly flat and had no tall buildings. It is amazing so see how much it has changed in only 24 years. After checking out the observation platform we went down to the pavilion located at the base of the tower. In the pavilion is the Shanghai History Museum. The museum is absolutely wonderful. Wendy said most visitors don’t go to the museum because of time constraints, but I think they really should insist on going. I loved it. It was not a normal museum

The Shanghai Museum's Atrium
This is looking down from the top floor of the museum. The museum is very beautiful.
with just relics in cases. It shows Shanghai the way it used to be. The museum is filled with wax figures. The figures are placed in period shops. The shops look like shops found in different periods of Shanghai’s history. They are filled with antiques and just look like the shop keepers are waiting for customers. The wax figures are beautifully crafted and dressed. The entire museum is ingeniously laid out so that you feel like you are walking down lanes and alleyways in ancient Shanghai. It feels like time has frozen just for your exploration. After the Shanghai History Museum, we went to Jinmao Tower. The tower used to be the tallest building in Shanghai. Architecturally speaking the tower is very cool. It looks like a spiky pillar reaching into the sky. Very neat! We took the elevator up to the observation deck. The observation deck gave a commanding view of Shanghai. I could not only see the Bund and the New Global Finance Center, but also the Oriental Pearl TV Tower that I had just visited. Located inside the higher floors of the Jinmao Tower is the Grand Hyatt Hotel. The lobby’s design is exceptional! The lobby can

A view from the Oriental Pearl TV Tower
The two main buildings are the Jinmao Tower in the foreground and the Shanghai Global Finance Center
be looked down into from the Jinmao Tower’s observation deck. The views from the tower are quite a lot higher than that of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and are slightly different. It shouldn’t be missed. We then headed to Nanjing Street. The street is known as the number one shopping street in China and with very good reason. It has boutiques offering some of the best name brand items in the world. Versace and Armani Clothing, Rolex and Cartier watches, Pearls and jewelry, and many neat little shops selling all sorts of things. The road also offers things for the not quite so wealthy such as exquisite porcelains, beautiful art supplies that are as beautiful as the artworks they are capable of creating, knick knacks, fast food, and fine dining. This street truly has something for everybody. I found it hard to not go crazy spending money. After wandering the street for a while, we went to Burger King for dinner. I know, I know, you say “How could you possibly go to Burger King while in Shanghai?” The reason is simple. I have lived in China for four and a half years without ever leaving the country. I

Shanghai's Oriental Peal TV Tower
The TV Tower is really impressive. I love its design.
live in Guilin which doesn’t have Subway, or Burger King, and I have been craving it for years. I had two burgers and they were utterly fantastic! I was in heaven. After my wonderful Burger King dinner we went to watch the Shanghai Acrobatics Show at the Shanghai Centre Theatre. The acrobatics show was truly amazing! I was on the edge of my seat for the whole thing. I didn’t expect it to be so fantastic. It was done with a very modern twist, yet kept its Chinese roots. I was going to describe each act, but I think that might spoil it for anyone who might go. Take my word for it, it is so worth it! After the Acrobatic Show, I went back to my hotel room where I wrote this.

Day2: Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Shanghai
This morning got up at 8:00 and went down to breakfast. Wendy met me at 9:30 with another bottled water and we went out to the waiting van. That bottled water was an amazing touch. I always forget to buy some until I am in the middle of a site where water is extremely expensive. I was so impressed with

The Entrance to the Shanghai History Museum
The Shanghai History Museum was fantastic! I was really impressed by it.
Wendy’s professionalism, knowledge, and thoughtfulness. She is an amazing guide. We then went to the Yu Garden. That place was magnificent! On the way to the garden we passed a tea house. The tea house was built over a pond. The tea house was built during the Qing Dynasty. To reach the tea house I had to cross a bridge with nine bends. I looked in and decided I needed to stop there after my visit to the Yu Garden. The garden was spectacular! It was built by a man named Pan during the Ming Dynasty. It was changed and rebuilt for hundreds of years by different descendents of the original builder. The garden is a virtual maze of caves, gardens, rockeries, paths, bridges, and buildings. Even though many people have had a hand in rebuilding the garden over the centuries, it is seamlessly blended. Every corner you turn has a new surprise, and a total different view. I had come across a single area from three different places, and didn’t realize I kept coming to the same place. It was ingeniously built! I wish I lived in Shanghai so I could go there on the weekends to just sit

A woman selling Tofu inside the Shanghai History Museum
The Shanghai History Museum is filled with wax figures showing what life was like in ancient Shanghai.
and relax with my family. After the Yu Garden we went to the Huxin Ting Teahouse. The tea house as I said was built in the Qing Dynasty. It was very beautiful. It has such history, and is such a wonderful place to sit and drink tea. I went up to the second floor with Wendy, and we chatted and watched people shopping. I think we were there for two hours. The teahouse is the oldest in Shanghai, and I expected it to be really over priced, but it wasn’t. The tea was very good and not too expensive. I had such a wonderful time just sitting, relaxing, and drinking tea that I bought the teapot that we used. I think it is the ultimate souvenir for me. I will treasure it forever. After the teahouse we strolled through the Yuyuan Market. The entire market, which is huge, was built in traditional Chinese style. The shops were really nice. I thought it would be a touristy, overpriced place, but it wasn’t at all. The atmosphere was wonderful, the shops were actually quite cheap, after bargaining, and it was filled with locals. I got to watch a traditional Chinese form of

The Jinmao Tower
The Jinmao Tower is a very impressive building.
entertainment. Visitors look into a small window in a large box and a man sings and tells a story while playing a drum and cymbal for effect. Inside the box different backdrops drop down to show a story. With lighting, the scenes on the backdrops can change. I wish I had more time to go shopping there. I also wish I had more money to shop there. The market sold clothing, tea, arts, and toys. After the market we went to the Jade Buddha Temple. The temple was built in 1918 to house two solid jade carvings of The Buddha. The temple is beautiful and unique in that visitors are allowed to take photos, except of the Jade Buddhas. The jade carvings are very large and beautiful. The buildings are in fantastic condition, and filled with monks. After the temple, we went to Nanjing Road. I like to people watch and Nanjing Road is the perfect place. I did a lot of window shopping. We then went to the Wujiang Snack Street for lunch. Granted it was a late lunch, but it was absolutely fantastic. The snack street is filled with small booths and restaurants serving truly authentic local food.

Nanjing Street
Shanghai's Nanjing Street is called the No.1 shopping street in China and with good reason. It has something for everybody and at night it is really jumping.
I ate so much I felt uncomfortable. I couldn’t help myself. It was so wonderful. I had spring rolls. I know, most of you who read this think you have eaten spring rolls. I’m sorry, but you haven’t. These were so fantastic! They were unbelievably delicious! I also had stuffed fried buns. It was fun to watch them make them. I also ate Chinese barbecue, and won tons. I was so stuffed, but it was fantastic! We then went to The Bund. Because of traffic, Shanghai is building a street under the street that runs along The Bund, so there was a lot of construction, so I couldn’t get any good photos. The area used to be the financial center of Shanghai and all of the buildings were built by western banks in traditional western style. There are very impressive! After strolling along the Bund, and marveling at its architecture, we went to the dock for my cruise down the Huangpu River. We began at 7:00pm because that is when it got dark. Wendy told me that the buildings are all lit up at 7:30. The ship was surprisingly nice. We went to the top floor because it is the

Nanjing Street During the Day
best place to get photos. The ships have VIP rooms for people to have private parties and very nice seating on the lower floors for viewers. It was so fun to watch the city light up. The buildings don’t actually all light up at 730 but seem to have their own timer, so that they light up individually, which makes the scene change by the minute. The city has done a wonderful job of lighting its buildings and they look magnificent. The new Global Finance Center was cool to see lit up because it was just opened last Saturday. The cruise was very nice. We cruised around for around an hour. After the Huangpu River Cruise, I went back to Nanjing Road for dinner. I had Subway for dinner. I know I ate too much western food while visiting Shanghai. I haven’t eaten it for years, and it was wonderful for me. You shouldn’t do it though. The local food is amazing. It is only because it is not available where I live.

Day3: September 11, 2008
Shanghai / Huangshan
This morning I had breakfast in the hotel before Wendy met me and we were driven to the Longhua

Shanghai Acrobatics Show
A group of contortionists.
Pagoda and Temple. The first thing I saw when arriving was the pagoda which is located outside of the temple. It was originally built during the Han Dynasty. It was a very beautiful and simple designed pagoda. Due to its age, it is not open to the public. The temple itself is simple wonderful. It covers a very large area and has garden areas hidden between its buildings. It is not a touristy place at all, but a real working temple filled with local Buddhists praying. It is located about 45 minutes away from downtown and doesn’t feel like you are in one of the largest metropolises in the world. The temple and its surrounding area are very quiet and peaceful. The buildings and area is really nice. I enjoyed strolling through it very much. Inside the temple buildings photos are not allowed, but the carvings and statues located inside are breathtaking. Being that Mid-autumn Festival is a few days away the temple is selling its own vegetarian moon cakes. They were also selling tofu for people who wish to cook their own vegetarian meals. I bought quite a bit. The tofu is absolutely fantastic. In fact I am eating

Shanghai Acrobatics Show
I was blown away by the ability of the acrobatics. They beautifully combined traditional Chinese acrobatics with modern production values.
tofu ham as I am writing this. After visiting the Longhua Pagoda and Temple, we went to lunch. Wendy had called in advance and they were prepared for us. The food was very good. We ate a lot. After lunch we headed to the French Concession. I really had fun walking through this area. The houses and buildings left over by the French who lived in Shanghai are very nice. The first place we found was a hotel named Ruijin Hotel Shanghai. It was simply gorgeous. I am not sure what it was originally, but now it is made up of many small villas. There were fountains gurgling, and a very large European garden. I’m sure it is a very expensive place to stay. We then walked around the area. There are a large number of mansions and shops around the area. It is almost difficult to believe that the area is in China, it looks so western. We then headed to Xin Tian Di Street. The bar street is made up of old style Shanghai buildings that have been turned into cafes. The cafes are very beautiful and very elegant. I stopped at a German restaurant because it offered

Wujiang Snack Street
This is a Chinese BBQ shop. You pick what you want to eat and they cook it for you.
a Reuben sandwich. I haven’t had a Reuben sandwich in many years and it was wonderful! After, we went to a local silk factory. This part of China is very famous for its silk. The silk factory showed how the silk moths turn mulberry leaves into silk. One of the factory’s guides introduced the whole process. It is actually quite fascinating. After learning about the silk is produced we went into the shop where they were making silk quilts. The cocoons are opened and the silk is stretched over a bamboo hoop. When ten cocoons have been spread over the hoop, they are then spread over a much larger hoop. When this is done ten times, the silk is stretched to form the filling for a quilt. It is amazing how strong silk is. Other than quilts, they had a lot of very beautiful items for sale. I was then driven to the airport for my flight to Tunxi. Tunxi is a county near Huangshan Mountain. When I arrived in the airport my guide April was already waiting for me and she took me to the car and I was driven to the Huangshan International Hotel. I checked into the

Shanghai's Wujiang Snack Street
These are stuffed fried buns. They are a Shanghai specialty and are absolutely wonderful!
hotel after 9:00pm and so the surrounding shops were all closed, so I explored the hotel for a while before sitting down to write this.

Day4: September 12, 2008
Huangshan
I had breakfast in the hotel and met April at 8:00 in the morning to go to Huangshan. I checked my large suitcase into the hotel because I didn’t want to carry the giant thing all over the mountain. The car drove us to the base of the mountain. We then took a bus up to one of Huangshan’s cable car lines. Huangshan means “Yellow Mountain”. It is named after the Yellow Emperor, who is believed to be the first Chinese and all Chinese are his descendents. He came to the mountain thousands of years ago and the mountain is named after him. Originally the mountain was covered with temples and monasteries. There are now none left. Most of them have been moved over the course of history. The cable car we took was brand new. It was put in last year. When we got out of the cable car, we started our two day hike around the mountain. There is no way to describe the beauty in words,

Longhua Pagoda
This is the ancient pagoda located outside the Longhua Temple.
so I won’t even try. I was mesmerized. I hope to someday come back and spend many more days there. I have been studying traditional Chinese paintings for many years, and found that the bizarre and twisted pines often seen in ancient paintings are still alive and well on the mountain. I took a large amount of photos of the trees and I have no doubt that my paintings will improve greatly when I get back. The first area we went to was Stalagmite Peak. We then climbed to Beginning to Believe Peak. I was quite impressed with how well the paths had been designed, and that they were very stable, safe and had nice railings. Actually, I really liked the railings. They are made of concrete and appear like logs, vines, and branches. It sounds tacky, but they are beautifully built and look very real. We then headed to Brush pen peak, then to the Cloud Dispelling Pavilion, before heading to the West Sea Area. In the area we came across several famous ancient pine trees. One was named Black Tiger Pine and the other was Umbrella Pine. We then went to one of the hotels located on top

A Villa in the French Concession
This is one of the many European Styled buildings in Shanghai's French Concession.
of the mountain for lunch. We had a buffet lunch and it was wonderful! Every item on the menu has to be hiked up the mountain, making it taste that much better. We had a beautiful view of Lion Peak while eating our lunch. While climbing we passed many porters. These porters are the mainstay of the mountain. They haul everything needed up the mountain. I saw them carrying rice, bottled water, and meat. I asked one man how much he hauls on each trip and he said he carries at least 75 kilos each time. I had enough trouble climbing around the mountain with just my backpack. Very impressive! After lunch we climbed up part of Lion Peak before going to Xihai Grand Canyon which April, my guide said was her favorite area. Sadly, as we got closer, the clouds came in and we couldn’t see more than a meter in front of us. We sat down in a pavilion to rest for a while. We couldn’t see a thing. We chatted for quite a while about the area and all of the sudden a mountain appeared in the clouds. I was excited and started taking a bunch of

Xintian Di Street
This beautiful street is lined with restored traditional Shanghai architecture.
photos of it. It appeared to be floating in the clouds. April was looking at the mountain very confused. She said that the mountain we were looking at wasn’t there. I could see the rocks, trees, plants very clearly and said she must have gotten turned around in the cloud bank. She said no, that the mountain we were looking at was actually located several kilometers behind us and definitely not in front of us. I said that was impossible. I was looking at it. As soon as I said that a gust of wind came by and the clouds and the mountain we were looking at blew away and in front of me was an amazing view. The mountain just vanished and was replaced by another. What we were looking at must have been a mirage, but nothing like I have ever seen. It definitely was not the same mountain we were then looking at. It was unbelievable! April said she had been working on the mountain for years and had never seen anything like it. We took photos as quickly as we could because we were afraid the clouds would come back in and the view would be

Xintian Di Street
The old buildings are filled with cafes and boutiques.
gone. The clouds came back and visibility fell to about two meters again. What an amazing experience though. We then went to our hotel which was the Huangshan Xihai Hotel. We had dinner in the hotel. We hoped to be able to watch the sunset, but it couldn’t be seen because of the clouds, so we chatted for a while before heading to bed. April said she really loves her job and is frequently surprised by the mountain. She is very passionate about it. She also loves taking photos of mushrooms, flowers, insects, and animals she finds on the mountain. I suggested she make a book about it. I’m sure if it was written in English visitors would love to get a copy. One time while we were hiking I turned around and saw her pointing her camera straight at the wall. I couldn’t figure out what she was doing. She had found a single drop of water that had gotten stuck in a spider web and was trying to get a photo of it. It was in a crevice in the mountain. I could barely see it. She has a great eye.

Day5: September 13, 2008
Huangshan
In

My Shanghai Guide Wendy
This is Wendy. She was fantastic!
the morning we got up at 4:30 to watch the sunrise, but it was hidden by the clouds. I met some of April’s coworkers and their guests and we chatted for quite a while about the mountain, their jobs, and the guests experience on their tours of the area. I learned a lot about the guide’s jobs. They really work hard, but they say that it is so worth it because of not only the views that they are rewarded with, but the expressions on their guest’s faces when they turn each corner and are presented with a totally new view. We then all headed back to the hotel where we had breakfast together. After breakfast we all headed off in our own directions. April and I headed to the front side of the mountain. We first headed to Flying Rock. It was a 3 kilometer climb. We were tired and were going much slower than the day before. When we reached Flying Rock we realized that it was the mountain that we had seen the day before on the other side of the mountain. It was the mirage we had seen. The clouds had largely been burned away when

Cable Car up Huangshan Mountain
This is a view from my cable car. I'd love to climb the mountain, but it takes about six hours and I couldn't spare the time.
we arrived and the visibility was much better. I took a number of photos there. One of the things that make Huangshan so interesting is the different forms and shapes that the rocks on different parts of the mountain have. The Xihai Grand Canyon’s rocks and mountains are very jagged and sharp, and the Flying Rock area is much more rounded. The Flying Rock is a huge rock is a giant boulder that looks like it is ready to fall over. According to legend, a goddess responsible for the creation of man was always making mistakes that angered the other gods. They decided to cause floods to kill off the humans and the goddess dropped rocks from heaven to stop the flooding and save the humans she created. Flying Rock is one of the rocks she dropped to save humanity. After leaving Flying Rock, we headed to Brightness Apex. It is one of the highest peaks on the mountain. I could see Turtle Peak from it. Turtle Peak looks exactly like a turtle resting on the top of the mountain. Its shape is so perfect that it looks manmade. We then hiked over to Turtle Peak. I climbed all over

My Huangshan Guide April
This is April in the cablecar. She was a lot of fun and an avid photographer.
the peak. We then took a rest for a while and just enjoyed the view. We then climbed down the back of Turtle Peak. The stairways down the back are very narrow and steep, but the views from them are incredible! We then headed towards the Guest Welcoming Pine. It is the most famous tree in China. It can be found on the back of the Chinese 5rmb note. The tree has its own 24 hour caretakers who guard and take care of it. The tree is also under 24 hour video surveillance. On the way to visit the tree, we passed Lotus Peak. I was very surprised to learn that Lotus Peak had been closed to visitors for five years. Chinese officials closed the peak to allow nature to take control. They are afraid that too many visitors climbing around the peak will damage the plants and trees, so they are giving the area a break for five years. I think it is a great plan. They will eventually do it to all of the peaks. April said they will close another peak once they reopen Lotus Peak. There was originally a Buddhist Temple in the area where the

This is the Stalagmite Peak Area
The rock on each part of Huangshan Mountain was very different. This part is sharp and others were very smooth and rounded.
Guest Welcoming Pine is located. Long the area is a large rock formation known as The Jade Screen. This part of the mountain is packed with Chinese tourists trying to view the pine tree. The tree is very beautiful, but I think all of the ancient pines on the mountain are of equal beauty. I really was awed by them. They are ancient and twisted. An interesting aspect of all of the pines is that they each have branches only on one half. The side of each pine that faces the mountain has no branches, which makes them strangely beautiful. We then headed to the cable car to go down the mountain. I was sorry to leave Huangshan Mountain and pledged to my guide that I would be back with my family and when I did, I would spend many more days to truly take my time on this amazing mountain. Normally when I travel, I like to visit historic sites and usually do not head to places of natural splendor. I think I am going to have to rethink my game plan next time. I was so bowled over by this mountain, that I really want to explore China’s

This Poor Guy Was Worn Out
There was a lot of climbing on the mountain and even though there were stairs it was still a lot of work. I'm happy to say I never was as worn out as this guy though.
other natural sites. We then took the bus from the cable car to the base of the mountain where my driver was waiting with the car. I loved the vehicles so far on my trip. They are all very comfortable vans and each has its own rear air conditioning controls so I can control my own temperature. April took us to lunch at a local restaurant. I enjoyed the restaurant very much. It was nicely designed and had a very cultural feel to it. The food was pure Chinese and fantastic. We sat at a black marble stone table. The Huangshan area is known for its pure black marble, which makes very impressive carvings, and furniture. After lunch we then went to the ink stick factory. It is the oldest ink stick factory in China. It was opened during Emperor Qianlong’s reign. The factory is a mix of ancient and modern buildings. Quality Chinese ink sticks have a very beautiful smell. Because animal glue is one of the main ingredients used in making good ink, it can cause the ink to rot. To counter this they add secret ingredients to not only keep the ink from rotting, but also to

Xihai Grand Canyon
This area was the most beautiful I thought. The clouds were very thick and when they cleared out by gusts of winds it gave us views like this.
keep its color for centuries. These secret ingredients add a wonderful smell to the ink. Cheaper inks do not have a smell. The factory area smelled fantastic! I loved it! The process of manufacturing has changed very little since ancient times. Originally pine was burned under bowls and the soot collected in the bowls was scraped off and used as the ink’s main ingredient. This process was used until the 1970’s Pine wood is still used, but it is burned in machines instead of under bowls. Oil is now also burned to create the soot. The ink made from pine is not as dark as the ink made from oil and is used for painting while the oil made ink is used for calligraphy. The soot is added to many secret ingredients and the ingredients are mixed together. The mixture is still not perfectly mixed and there are still many powder grains in the ink paste. The paste is then pounded on a block of wood with a solid metal hammer and kneaded this way until it is perfectly mixed. The paste is then put into wooden molds made of nanmu wood. Nanmu wood is very old and resistant to

Another View of the Xihai Grand Canyon
This area was just amazing. I wish I could have sat there all day.
the oils that are in the ink paste. Since nanmu wood is now very rare in China, the factory has it imported from Japan. The molds are compressed and the ink stick is taken out of it. If the ink stick is not perfect, it is thrown out. It is said that the ink has many medicinal qualities, and China’s oldest medicine company buys the ink that doesn’t make the cut to use in its medicines. Once the ink comes out of the mold it is then put in a room where it is dried for up to a year. When the ink is fully dried, its designs are painted. I watched a girl painting the beautiful accents on the ink sticks. In another room I saw a woman carving the molds used to make ink. Her skill was unbelievable. After the ink is painted, it is boxed, and sold. After seeing the ink manufacturing process, we headed to the factory’s shop. I was really impressed with the large variety of inks that they made. I bought a pine and an oil base sticks of ink. I can’t wait to try it while painting the trees I saw on Huangshan.

Padlocks
Along the chain railings on Huangshan Mountain people had locked padlocks. There were thousands of them. They symbolized locking two people's love together for eternity.
After visiting the factory, I was taken back to the Huangshan International Hotel before heading to Tunxi’s Tea Market. My suitcase was waiting for me when I arrived. I loved the Tunxi Tea Market. The tea market consisted of street after street of tea shops. I was very excited to visit the tea market. I love tea, and had a blast walking through the market trying different types of green teas. One woman we found was so much fun and kept brewing tea for us that I couldn’t help buying a lot of tea. Huangshan is famous for its Huangshan Maofeng Tea, so of course I had to have some of that. I can buy it in Guilin, but it is more fun to buy it at its source. After visiting the tea market we went to Tunxi’s ancient street for dinner and shopping. The restaurant we went to for dinner was named Mei Shi Ren Jia. It was absolutely beautiful and the food was fantastic! It was a xiaochi “small eats” restaurant. You get a piece of paper and you walk around looking at the food available. When you see something you like you write it down. When you

Hey, It's me
This is me standing by Flying Over Rock.
have made all of your choices you give it to the waitress and the food starts coming to your table. Huangshan food tends to be a little sweet. Their local chili sauce is fantastic and fits the food’s taste extremely well. The restaurant is filled with Chinese touches. There is a fountain on the lower floor and the staircases are made of marble and the banisters are solid marble with large lions on the ends. The lights are traditional Chinese palace lanterns and the furnishings are all traditional Chinese. When we finished we decided to stroll down the Tunxi Ancient Street. The street was an ancient commercial district in Huangshan. A large majority of the buildings along the street are originally from the Qing Dynasty, and the remainders are faithful reproductions of the original ones. The street was wonderful, and terrible. It was wonderful because of the beautiful things it had to offer, and terrible because I couldn’t afford too much. Not that the prices were high, it was just that I still have a lot of destinations to go to on my trip. Huangshan is very famous for what is called “The Four Treasures of the Study”. They are

Huangshan Mountain is Stunning
This mountain is so beautiful. Sadly my photos can't begin to show the beauty that this place posesses.
ink, paper, ink stone, and paint brushes. Some of the best produced in all of China can be found here. Since I am an artist, I wanted them all. The ink stones are spectacular. The stone they are made from is extremely beautiful and because of its beauty, the ink stones are often very simple in design to not take away from the beauty of the stones. After shopping I went back to the hotel to write this. Tomorrow I am going to visit two beautiful ancient villages. I am extremely psyched to see them.

Day6: September 14, 2008
Hongcun / Xidi / Hangzhou
This morning after eating in the hotel, I was taken to Hongcun and Xidi Villages. I love ancient villages and was worried that since Hongcun and Xidi had been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List and has become a very famous destination that it would be painfully touristy and like a theme park. I was delighted to find that that was not the case. There were many little shops of course, but they were located in ancient buildings and were not intrusive. Hongcun was the first village we visited. After buying a ticket we walked

Guest Welcoming Pine
This is the most famous tree in China. It is on the back of the 5rmb note and has its own personal guards which watch over it 24/7.
along a path running next to a perfectly calm pond with a stone pathway and arched bridge crossing it. There were many students sitting along the pond painting it. We crossed the pathway and bridge, which was used in the movie Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. The village is located on the other side of the pond. We entered an alley and started exploring. The architecture styles of the buildings are very different from other villages I have been to in China. The ancient houses had large gates opening to the street and upon entering visitors found themselves in the great hall of the house. There is a huge skylight which opens to the sky to allow light and air in. the houses were covered in gorgeous carvings and filled with beautiful antiques. People are still living in these ancestral houses and it really makes these villages feel alive and not touristy. One major aspects of the village is water. There are canals down almost every street and each house is connected to the water system and fresh water flows through each house. No villager is allowed to dump anything or clean anything in the canals until after 9:00am. That way

Tea Market
The tea market in Huangshan was a lot of fun. It wasn't pretty, but it was filled with wonderful teas. I bought a lot of stuff from this lady. It was the only way she would let me take her photo. It w... [more]
the water in them is clean in the early morning and villagers only need step out their front door to get buckets of fresh water for their daily uses. I went into one house that had its own pond built inside a small courtyard in the middle of a room. The water flowed right through the house. It was amazing. You know, the more time I spend in China, the more I get amazed by its culture and history. The houses were spectacular. After Hongcun we went to Xidi Village. At the entrance of the village is an ancient stone gate. It was built in honor of a single man. It was very intricately carved and extremely beautiful. The houses in the village are similar to Hongcun, but had very different details. It had a totally different feeling than Hongcun did. It also did not feel touristy either and very comfortable. There were many gardens in the houses’ courtyards and they could be seen from the gate. The villagers were obviously quite proud of their gardens and loved it when people looked in to check them out. We explored the village and its many mansions. The reason that these two

Ink Factory
These are the wooden molds used to make traditional Chinese ink for painting.
villages have such amazing architecture is that many of the residents were businessmen and very successful. They went out and made their fortune and upon returning built splendid mansions. After exploring for about an hour April suggested we go to lunch. We walked to the back of the village to a house nestled amongst bamboo groves. I was thrilled to find out that it was where we were having lunch. The house is filled with antiques and we got to eat lunch in the houses great room in antique chairs eating at an antique table. The food was exceptional. The women of the house cooked very simple Chinese food that was so delicious. After lunch we strolled through the bamboo groves before heading back to the car. I was driven to the bus station for my trip to Hangzhou. April escorted me to the bus and said goodbye. I’ll miss her. She was a lot of fun. The bus only took two hours. When I got off the bus my guide Sheila was waiting for me in Hangzhou. She took me to the Lily Hotel. The hotel was very nice. I explored the hotel a bit before going back to

Ink Painter
This woman is painting the ink sticks produced by the factory. the color does not affect the ink, yet makes it look much prettier.
my room. I went down to the bar and met a nice German couple who were on a similar trip with me. We chatted for quite a while before I went back to my room to write this.

Day7: September 15, 2008
Hangzhou
This morning I got up early to eat breakfast and explore the hotel a bit before meeting my guide. The hotel has a nice swimming pool. I’d like to try it, but I didn’t bring my trunks. I went down to eat my breakfast, which was a buffet and Sheila sat down across from me to eat her breakfast. We ate and chatted. That was nice. After breakfast we walked around the hotel before heading out on the day’s adventures. We first went to Feilai Peak. It was located next to Linyin Temple. It is a small mountain and is covered with bizarre rock formations. The mountain and rock formations are pock marked with caves. The caves are filled with ancient Buddhist carvings. The guide told me that one rock ledge was where a crazy Buddhist monk once lived. He did not bathe once in his entire life and it was said that by touching him,

Hongcun Village
This ancient village was a joy. It was so beautiful and not touristy like I feared it would be. It felt like a real living village.
a sick person would be instantly healed. Some of the carvings dated back over a thousand years and were very beautiful. The caves twist and wind through the rock formations and the Buddhist carvings were hidden in the nooks and crannies. It was a very beautiful area. After exploring the area we went to the Linyin Temple. The temple complex was very large. It was filled with ancient relics. There were ancient stone pagodas, beautiful carvings and works of art. The first building housed the four heavenly kings. In the hall are four giant statues of the four heavenly kings who help mortals. They were huge and looked very ferocious. They were wearing armor and each was holding something that he used to protect or instruct humanity. In the middle of the hall was a large statue of the laughing buddha on a magnificent stand. The next hall had a carving of The Buddha. It is the largest sitting Buddha statue in China. It was carved in the 1950’s. Located on the sides of the halls are The Buddha’s guardians. Behind the large statue of The Buddha is a huge carving of Guanyin Bodhisattva, the goddess of mercy, and her

Hongcun Village
Canals run down every street in the village. they are used for cooking, drinking, and washing vegetables and clothing. They also kept the village very clean.
two followers. The next hall had huge carvings of three Buddhas. There is also a building housing 500 bronze statues of Arhats. It is very interesting in that the building is built in the shape of a swastika. The swastika was a symbol of good long before it was adopted by Hitler in the 1930’s. The sutra depository has been turned into a museum displaying the temple’s treasures. The temple’s buildings are beautiful and are located on the side of the mountain so they are built on different levels. The area is filled with huge ancient trees and lots of plants really adding to the serene atmosphere. There are large ancient stone pagodas in the temple complex also. After we left the temple, we still had some time to kill because my cruise of West Lake didn’t start until 2:00pm. My guide suggested I go to Flower Harbor Park located next to West Lake. I’m glad she did because it was beautiful. The park is quite large and has many garden areas and lakes and ponds. There are many pavilions and several old houses located in the areas. It was lovely. We wandered around the area for quite a while

Hongcun Village
This is a large pond located in the middle of the village. It was lined with artists painting the architecture.
before heading to the boat for our cruise around the famous West Lake. At that point it started to rain and sadly the weather was not sunny, but it didn’t matter too much because the views were fantastic. There are three islands on the lake and we cruised around all of them. They were very beautiful and each had its own pavilions. One of the most famous sites on the lake is what is known as the Three Pools. They are three small stone pagodas located out in the lake. They are only several feet high and can be seen featured on the reverse of the Chinese one RMB note. We passed several bridges including the famous broken bridge. I could see several pagodas in the distance. One of them is dedicated to the local city god looks extremely interesting. Sadly I didn’t have time to see them. I guess I’ll have to check them out next time. After cruising around West Lake we went to the Six Harmonies Pagoda. Originally built in the Northern Song Dynasty, the pagoda has been restored several times throughout its history. It is located in a large park area and has a commanding view

Xidi Village
This stone memorial gateway was at the entrance to Xidi Village. It was built in honor of one man.
of Hangzhou’s mother river. I had fun climbing it and taking photos of the surrounding area. After climbing the pagoda we wandered around the park area. My guide said she would show me a funny bathroom and of course I was intrigued, so we headed there. The bathroom is definitely a unique one. The men’s bathroom has a large tree growing right in the middle of it and no roof or door. Behind the bathroom area is a part of the park that has 100 miniature pagodas representing pagodas throughout China. The “miniatures” are 15 to 20 feet high and are beautifully detailed. They are placed on the mountain side and are connected by winding paths located along bamboo groves. It was really beautiful and very cool. I have visited many pagodas throughout China, but usually you can only see one or two at a single location. Here I could not only see a large number of them, but also compare architectural styles. After visiting the pagoda and surrounding park we went to a local tea street. I had a lot of fun there. The entire street was lined with tea stores. We stopped in about half of them and

Xidi Village
The ancient village of Xidi is criss crossed with narrow lanes.
tried dozens of kinds of teas. I had a blast. Some shops specialized in green tea, while others specialized in Puer or red tea, and some sold all of the accoutrements needed for a full Chinese tea ceremony. We visited shops until they started to close. By that time we were both getting hungry, so we stopped at a local restaurant and had won tons. They were wonderful. I then went back to my hotel where I showered before writing this. Tomorrow should be amazing! I’m really looking forward to it.

Day8: September 16, 2008
Hangzhou / Suzhou
This morning I woke up earlier than my alarm. I think it was because I was so excited. I have been really looking forward to this part of my trip. Today was dedicated to tea! Dragon Well Tea is the most famous of all of China’s teas and Hangzhou is famous for its Dragon Well Tea. We first went to see where it was produced and try some. We were taken to the Dragon Well Plantation. When we got there, we wandered around the area looking at the tea bushes covering the hillsides. We then went into the complex where we

Grinding wheel
This giant wheel was powered by an ox. It was used to grind grain. It doesn't look like it's been used in a while though.
sat under a tree while a woman described Dragon Well tea and how to brew it properly. She showed what different quality levels that the plantation produced. My itinerary for the day only has the plantation, and the China National Tea Museum. Since I would have a lot of extra time, and since I also know a lot about the history of Dragon Well Tea, I asked the guide to take me to some different places not on my itinerary. During the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qianlong took six trips to the south of China, and visited Hangzhou. According to legend, while he was there he picked some tea leaves himself. He received an urgent message that his mother was very sick, so he stuck the tea leaves in his sleeve and flew back to Beijing to be with her. He had forgotten all about the tea leaves in his sleeve and when he was talking with his mother she asked him what the smell was. He pulled out the leaves and brewed them. He was very impressed with the flavor and had 18 trees planted for tribute tea that would annually be sent to him. I wanted to visit the

Xidi's West Garden
This garden is located inside the entry courtyard of a large mansion. It is open to the public and is very beautiful.
trees which are located in Dragon Well Village nearby to the plantation. I had to pay 10rmb to see them, but I would have gladly paid much more. There are many reasons for this. First, I love Qing Dynasty history as well as tea history, secondly because the area around the trees has been turned into a beautiful garden area. There are many buildings and paths located on the hillside and there is tea trees planted all around them. The area is very beautiful and a very nice surprise. The area has a tea house and restaurants. There are a number of pavilions located on the hillside where visitors can sit and have a girl in a traditional Chinese outfit perform the Chinese tea ceremony for them. They get all of this while looking over the surrounding landscape. The pavilions and buildings are built in the traditional local architectural style and are very beautiful. There are also streams and springs in the area. When we finished visiting the area, I asked if we could see the Dragon Well. Dragon Well Tea is named after a well in the village where according to legend a dragon dwelled and ensured that it

An Ancient Clan Hall
This is one of the clan halls in Xidi Village. It was where a particular clan would hold meetings, weddings, funerals, and celebrate festivals.
rained. The well is still there and I wanted to see it. This area was free to visit. The area surrounding the well has many buildings and pavilions in it also. There are meandering paths connecting them, and the area is sheltered by large trees and bamboo groves. It is also a very lovely place. I was very happy to see the well. It is very deep and is still being fed by a natural spring. The well is surrounded by a small marble fence carved in the shape of clouds. Clouds are where dragons are supposed to traditionally dwell. It dates from the mid Qing Dynasty. We strolled around the area for quite a while. I wanted to get some water from the well. It can’t be drank, but I thought it would be neat to have some, so I bought a bottled water in one of the tea houses, drank it and filled it with water from the Dragon Well. I’m not sure what I’ll do with it, but it is cool to have. Well, at least I think it is. After visiting the well we went to the China National Tea Museum. I haven’t visited it before

A Traditional Toilet?
This is the very large and very traditional looking public toilet in Xidi. I was impressed.
and was very excited to do so. It is the only national tea museum in China. It was magnificent, and free. I like free. The area is surrounded by tea trees and is beautifully manicured. There is a stream flowing in front of the museum which is stocked with large koi fish and has a lot of blooming water lilies. When we entered the museum, the first thing we saw was a two storey waterfall in the lobby. It takes up the entire wall and has the Chinese character for tea in the middle of it. The museum begins with tea history starting at the pre-historic age till the mid 20th century. It described tea culture and brewing techniques throughout the centuries. There were a large number of artifacts on display. The museum was very well set up and had English and Chinese descriptions on everything. The next area of the museum talked about the different types of Chinese tea, where they are produced and how they are produced. There were a lot of tea leaves on display to help visitors understand the different kinds of tea. The next area displayed tea ware throughout the centuries. Their collection is quite

Feilai Peak
The Feilai Peak Leading to the Linyin Temple was covered with Buddhist carvings. It is pockmarked with caves which are also filled with sculptures.
impressive. The items on display were extremely beautiful. I’m a bit jealous. I have a few antique tea items, but nothing like what they have. The collection is very comprehensive and well displayed. The next section showed tea houses throughout China. The first display was Tibetan. It was set up like a Tibetan house with all of the furnishings. It looked just like the interior of a house. It was very well done. There were also tea houses from Yunnan, Sichuan, and Anhui Provinces. They were all very nicely done. We then exited the building to walk around the museum’s grounds. The area is filled with antique post bases. They originally sat under the posts of ancient houses and are beautifully carved. They are located along the paths that go through the area. There were also different tea pavilions and places to drink tea. It was very well done. There was a building named the Tea Culture International Center. I’m not sure what they did there, because it was off limits. It was a very large building though. We wandered the grounds for quite a while before heading back to the main entrance. I went back inside because I wanted

Linyin Temple
This is a corner of the temple. The temple was so filled with ancient trees that I was not able to get photos of entire buildings. I could only capture little bits.
to check out the museum’s bookstore. I love books and it is not easy to find good books on Chinese tea in English. I bought a couple of books there before we left. After the museum we went to the Hubin International Boutique Compound. It is a very high end shopping mall. It had such high end boutiques such as Versace, Georgio Armani, Christian Dior, and Dolce. Across the street were a Ferrari and a Rolls Royce Dealership. Each one only had two cars each. I went into the Rolls Royce Dealership. I had never been in one, or seen a real Rolls close up so I wanted to check it out. The salesman heard the door stood up and upon seeing me sat down again. I guess I don’t look like I could ever afford one. I though the cars were ugly, but their quality is very evident, and yes, I will never be able to afford one. After the Boutique Compound we went to the Qinghefang Shopping Street. That was really cool. It is a couple rows of ancient houses that have been restored into a shopping area. Either side of the street is lined with shops selling

Mahavira Palace in the LInyin Temple
This is one of the great halls in the Linyin Temple. The buildings were huge and very beautiful.
arts and crafts, jewelry, clothing and silk, and traditional Chinese medicine. Running down the middle of the street are a number of small booths selling small handmade items. Many of them are made while you wait. There were a couple of candy booths. Two in particular were very interesting. At one the visitor spins a dial which stops at a picture of an animal or auspicious item, and the booth’s owner would create it for the visitor out of molten candy. It was very cool to watch. The other one which was also a candy booth made figures out of a white candy. The man would inflate the candy like a balloon and shape it into an animal, or flower. There are many shops on the street that has been in existence for over a hundred years. Another street running parallel to the shopping one sold wonderful local snacks. After the Qinghefang shopping street we went to the former residence of Huxue Yan. He was a very wealthy merchant during the Qing Dynasty. His house was amazing! It was a huge compound surrounded by a large wall and the rooms were built in the courtyard style. Each room is still

Buddhist Garbage Cans?
I found this row of terracotta garbage cans behind one of the buildings. I thought it was such a funny sight.
filled with antiques and is quite wonderful. It is quite obvious that the man was extremely rich by the attention to detail found everywhere in the compound. There is a huge garden on the one side of it and some smaller ones located within the living quarters areas. I really enjoyed this place it was very beautiful. The man had excellent taste to go along with his tons of cash. I thought it was interesting to note that there was a telephone system in the house. The owner had it imported from Germany in the late Qing Dynasty. The compound has been beautifully restored and maintained and it feels as though the owner and his family have just stepped out. It didn’t seem touristy or like a museum at all, just somebody’s residence, which is pretty rare when visiting an ancient Chinese residence. We then headed to the train station for my ride to Suzhou. The train ride was three hours long. I didn’t mind because I had my new tea books to look at. I arrived in Suzhou before I knew it and my guide was waiting outside the train for me with a sign. Her name is May

Flower Harbor Park
Hangzhou's Flower Harbor Park is located on the banks of the West Lake. It is a very beautiful park filled with gardens, pavilions, and bridges.
and she took me to where the car was waiting and drove me to the hotel where I checked in. the hotel is very nice. It is called the Garden Hotel. It consists of several buildings surrounding a central garden. The garden has pavilions, covered walkways and a bridge across the pond stocked with Koi fish. The rooms are very nice and the beds are covered with silk quilts and pillows. I will sleep very well tonight.

Day9: September 17, 2008
This morning I got up and went to the hotel’s buffet. I finished early, so I walked around the hotel’s garden. It is very nice. I met May at 9:30 in the morning and she took me to visit the Pan Gate. The Pan Gate is one of the two remaining ancient gates in Suzhou, and the only remaining water gate in China. The area is huge and has much more than just the gate. The area originally had a temple, and only the pagoda is left from it now. The pagoda is well over a thousand years old and quite beautiful. The entire area has been turned into a scenic spot. It is large and very nice.

Flower Harbor Park
Another corner of the park. I liked this place a lot.
There are many gardens, pavilions and ponds scattered throughout the area. It is a very nice place to stroll and relax. I had been there in 2005 and some places were still under construction at that time. It was cool to see it again today and see the finished product. After visiting Pan Gate we went to Suzhou’s No.1 Silk Factory. I thought geez, another tourist trap. It definitely wasn’t. I really enjoyed it. It has a museum dedicated to silk and shows its production methods which were very interesting. It also had people working on producing silk, and it was real. They weren’t just there to entertain visitors, they were really working. There was one section which had looms producing brocade silk. It was really fun to watch. I have seen women working on old fashioned wooden looms before, and to see a huge automatic one was pretty cool. After we went through the museum we went into their shopping area. It was impeccably laid out. The items on display were of incredible quality and the prices were not bad either. I bought a couple of scarves there. I was really impressed by it. Nobody pushed sales on visitors.

Flower Harbor Park
The park was filled with places to rest and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
They just let them wander around by themselves and if they did have a question, there was always somebody eager to answer them. The factory produced silk quilts and pillows, clothing, embroidery, cloth, paintings, and small gifts. I will definitely go back when I am back in Suzhou. After the factory we went to lunch in the same compound. The food was buffet style and very good. I had a fantastic lunch. The best part was the hostesses and waitresses all wore silk qipao dresses. I love the qipao and think more women should wear them. After lunch I was driven to the Lingering Garden, one of Suzhou’s four most famous gardens. The garden used to be the private residence of a very rich merchant. It is unbelievable that this place used to be private property. It is so huge and so beautiful and extravagant. Almost instantly upon entering the garden I heard traditional Chinese music. I just figured it was piped in through speakers. When we entered the garden area I found the source. It was a beautiful girl wearing Tang Dynasty style clothing and playing the pipa. There were musicians located throughout the garden and they were there

My boat
This is the boat I took to cruise around West Lake. It is the most famous lake in China. It is famous because of the many legends that surround it.
simply for the enjoyment of visitors. Some were singing, some were just playing, and some were duets. It really made the garden come alive. The cool thing about these Suzhou gardens is that they are designed so that visitors can only see what the creators intended them to see at any given moment. As soon as you turn a corner a whole new scene opens up and visitors are rewarded with scenes more splendid than the one they were just in. The Lingering Garden was filled with small hills, rockeries, caves, paths, pavilions and much much more. I wish I could live in such a place. I did have a horrifying thought though. With the dozens of buildings, pavilions and places to rest, imagine if you lost your keys. It’d take months of searching by dozens of people to find them again. I guess that’s why the owner had servants whose only job was to take care of the keys. I’d probably go through a cell phone a month. The Lingering Garden was my first garden in my trip to Suzhou and I am really excited to see what the other ones have in store. Before we left we watched

A much bigger boat
This boat I was told is reserved for government officials and foreign dignitaries.
Suzhou’s local Kun Opera which is performed daily for visitors. I really enjoyed it. The singing style of Kun Opera is much more natural than that in Beijing Opera. They performed an act from the famous opera The Peony Pavilion. The garden was wonderful. After, my guide asked if I was hungry and wanted to visit an ancient shopping street. I like food, and I like ancient so I said sure. The shopping street’s name is Shangtang Street 山塘. It runs along an ancient canal and the shops were a lot of fun to visit. There were shops selling art, carvings, crystal sculptures, traditional clothing, traditional cloth shoes, food, and brand new antiques. The food was sold in little stands and was unlike anything I had eaten before. It was very good. I had the local stinky tofu. It is sold throughout China and it is very good. It does stink, but it is only the smell. The taste is mild and delicious. All visitors should try it. I think they, like me, would become hooked on it. I also had something yummy that I’ve never had before. It was sort of like a stuffed muffin covered with tasty things.

Six Harmonies Pagoda
This is one of the many pagodas in Hangzhou. Its shape is very unique and the views from the top were wonderful.
It was very good and a famous local food. The last thing I had was a ball of dough. It was fried and covered with sesame seeds. Inside was hollow with a sweet bean paste coating the inside. It was fantastic also. I love to go to a new place and eat the local food. The road was very interesting because it was lined with not only shops, but ancient clan memorial halls, an ancient fire station, and an ancient opera which is open for locals to perform. I saw two old ladies singing Kun Opera, and on the way back I saw a little orchestra made up of old men performing on traditional instruments. The place felt very community like and not touristy.

Day 10: September 18, 2008
This morning I had breakfast in my hotel before meeting May at 9:30. She took me out to where the car was waiting and we headed to the Grand Canal. When we got out of the car we were standing in front of another of Suzhou’s remaining city gates. I don’t know why, but I really like city gates and walls. We passed through the gate to get to the

It's me surrounded by tea
Hey, that rhymed. I am in the Dragon Well Tea Plantation.
Grand Canal and where our boats were waiting. We then boarded our boat for our cruise down the canal. Since it was early, there were no other passengers, just May and I. The boat cruised very slowly down the canal and it was very nice. It turns out that the Shangtang Street that we walked down yesterday was located along the canal, so I got to see the buildings from the back. That was neat. The stage had what appeared to be a full opera being performed on it. I also saw the man whom we got the stinky tofu from yesterday. He smiled and waved. We cruised for several kilometers before heading back. We left the boat and walked along the city wall for a ways before going back to the car. After the canal we then went to a Sandalwood Fan Factory. Suzhou has been famous for its sandalwood fans for centuries. The wood is naturally beautifully scented and by waiving the fan to cool yourself, you scent the air around you. Sandalwood is now extremely rare in China and now most of the wood is imported from Malaysia and India. The factory has been in operation for

Grades of Dragon Well Tea
These are many different grades of Dragon Well Tea. The worker told me the differences.
years and has a nice garden in the middle of it. There are gardens everywhere in Suzhou. The front of the factory has a museum dedicated to Suzhou’s local arts. The things on display were fantastic. There was carved ivory, jade, porcelain, embroidery, and of course sandalwood fans. We then went into a large room which displayed Suzhou’s famous silk embroidery. There was a woman there who was making some and it was interesting to watch how it was done. She said one silk embroidery painting can use over 6,000 different colors of silk threads. It was so precise and the threads were so thing. The embroidery on display was amazing. We then went to where the fans were displayed. Most of the fans are not for use, they are meant for display. The ribs of the fans are cut into incredible latticework. A woman was demonstrating how it was done. About a dozen fan blades were cut at a time by a small jig saw. It was all done by hand. The cuts were so very small. I can’t imagine how many years it took her to learn the skills required to make them. After the factory we had

18 Imperial Tea Trees
These are the 18 tea trees supposedly planted for Qing Dynasty Emperor Qianlong.
lunch in the connected restaurant. I was the only one there, so May and I ate together. The food was very good. We ate a lot of food. The staff was very polite and friendly. After lunch we went to the Humble Administrator’s Garden, which is also one of Suzhou’s four famous gardens. It was totally different than The Lingering Garden. It was built during the Ming Dynasty by an official who was disillusioned with official life and decided to retire and move back to his hometown of Suzhou. He built the garden as a place to relax and forget about the cares of the world. The garden is huge! Each building and pavilions were meticulously placed and each has wonderful stories about them. Although this garden doesn’t have performances in it, it does have music being played on hidden speakers throughout the garden. The garden’s ponds and rivers are filled with lotus plants and when they are in bloom the garden draws visitors from all over for its Lotus Flower Festival. Sadly, today the blooms are all gone and only the beautiful leaves remain, so I guess I got to see the Lotus Leaf Festival. The garden is very

China National Tea Museum
Different varieties of tea on display in the museum.
popular with visitors and I can see why. Every part of it was carefully designed not only in the details, but also in the placement, and surroundings of each. I hope someday I am able to afford to build my own garden. It would never be as magnificent as the ones in Suzhou, but it’d be nice to have such a place to relax in. After we left the Humble Administrator’s Garden we went to the nearby Suzhou Museum. The museum is free and was designed by a famous American architect who was born in Suzhou. The architecture mimics the traditional homes of ancient Suzhou, but with a modern twist. It was incredibly designed. The architect was brilliant in his designs. Each corridor is designed in a way that the light coming in makes patterns on the wall, and the museum is built around a central courtyard with a fish filled pond and a pavilion in the middle. The many large windows in the garden have benches placed in front of them for visitors to just sit and look outside at the courtyard’s bamboo groves. The glass in some windows is built to appear like it is raining outside. It

China National Tea Museum
A recreated Tibetan tea room. The museum had reconstructed several different styles of tea houses and rooms from throughout China.
was quite an amazing structure. As amazing as the buildings, are the artifacts the museum holds. It is filled with exquisite porcelains, furniture, paintings, Buddhist Relics, and treasures of all kinds. After the museum we had some extra time and May suggested that we go to the Lion Grove Garden. It also one of the four most famous Suzhou gardens, yet not often visited by visitors. Without a doubt, this was my favorite garden that I visited in Suzhou. After entering, we went into the living quarters of the garden. I still can’t believe that these gardens were built for a single person. This garden was built during the Ming Dynasty by a group of monks, in honor of their teacher. What makes the garden so special are its rockeries. Visitor’s entering the garden first must pass through the rockeries. The rockeries are simply amazing. The rockeries were built into an intricate labyrinth. The rockery is filled with caves, bridges, peaks, paths and stairs. And the whole thing centers on a two story pavilion, which I imagine was built for the owner to sit and laugh at the visitors trying to find their way out. It is an amazing labyrinth.

China National Tea Museum
This is a statue of Lu Yu, the father of Chinese tea. He really does seem to be enjoying his cup of tea doesn't he?
I walked through the labyrinth trying to find each of its 21 caves and 9 peaks. I did it. When we had found them all I suggested that May and I race and see who can find their way out of the rockery first. She agreed and I beat her by over 20 minutes. It was so much fun. She kept popping up out of caves and I would root her on each time. By the time she got out we were in hysterics. We then went to a teahouse overlooking the rockery where I drank some of the local Biluochun Tea. I think May just needed to catch her breath. She said she has been there many times and each time gets lost. Apparently Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty so enjoyed the rockeries that he visited the garden six times during his journeys to the south of China. After the tea we then explored the rest of the garden. The garden had a beautiful pond with a stone boat anchored in it. There were several little pavilions hidden in the corners. The main building of the garden which overlooks the pond and rockery is more magnificent than the

Qinghefant Ancient Shopping Street
This is a traditional medicine shop on the shopping street.
rest. The beautifully carved details are covered with gold accents and the name board above it is covered with dragons and gold leaf. The reason that one building is so fancy is because it is where the emperor would sit when he was visiting the garden. The name board inside the pavilion was inscribed by him. I truly loved this garden. It would be the first one I will visit next time I come to Suzhou. After the garden I went and checked into the Bamboo Grove Hotel. Tomorrow I will go to the village of Tongli. I am really excited about that. I have been to Tongli before and absolutely loved it!

Day11: September 19, 2008
This morning I got up early because I wanted to spend more time in Tongli. It took about 40 minutes to get there. May and the driver took me to my hotel. It was a little guesthouse located near the famous three bridges of Tongli. Once I dropped off my stuff we went to explore the village. I love this place. The ticket to the village covers all of the gardens and mansions in the village and its only 80 kuai. We

The Residence of Hu Xueyan
This is an ancient Qing Dynasty mansion. It was spectacular! I wish I was rich!!!!!
first started by strolling along the canals. The village has as many canals as it does roads. No cars are allowed into the village making it very peaceful and quiet. The best part of the village is that all of the tourist busses leave in the early afternoon and all of the tourists leave with them. All of the tourist shops close and the regular shops open. Little gondolas glide through the canals and people can rent one and travel through the village. If begged, the gondoliers will sing local songs. The ancient buildings and people of the village are what draw me to it. They are both equally wonderful. The village is filled with elderly people and they are quick to smile at visitors. I love just sitting in Tongli. I like to sit next to a canal with my feet in the water, or sit in a teahouse watching the gondolas pass by. It is a really great place to sit. Tongli has several gardens also and when the tourists leave they are deserted and very magical. Visiting them makes one feel like they are the owner of the garden. I like to buy a small bag of

The Residence of Hu Xueyan
This is the private garden of the house.
fish food and find a small secluded spot to feed the fish. The first garden I went to was the Garden of Seclusion and Meditation. It is one of the two largest gardens in Tongli. The garden is very nice. Visitors enter the area in the living areas. It must be remembered that these gardens were somebody’s house. The garden is centered around a large pond filled with fish. Each building is built so that it offers its own unique view of the surrounding area. The gardens in Tongli also have musicians in them performing music. One pavilion had a man playing a flute, while another had a woman playing the Guzheng and another had two girls wearing qipaos playing a duet. The gardens are very beautiful. After I left I saw an old man playing the Erhu. He had a long white beard, long hair pulled up into a traditional Chinese bun, and was wearing traditional clothing. He had the cutest smile. He was fun to watch. He played so lively and smiled so largely. After watching him for a while I went to the Pearl Pagoda Garden. It is the largest garden in Tongli and also my favorite.

My Guide in Hangzhou
This is Sheila my guide.
Each traditional Chinese garden is unique and I never get bored visiting them. This huge garden seems very intimate and personal. It is accomplished by its design. Each area is surrounded by walls and walkways. None of them are straight or have ninety degree angles so that new scenes are constantly unfolding before you. There are many small hidden courtyards with a small room, water and rockery in each. It is very easy to feel like you are the only person in the entire garden even if it has hundreds of visitors. I spent several hours there wandering and enjoying myself. I then decided I would visit some of Tongli’s mansions that are open to the public. The first one I visited was Chongben Hall. It was a very nice place. It is a large two storey house without a garden. It is fully furnished with antique furniture and is beautifully designed. There are carvings everywhere and it feels very opulent. I then visited the Gengle Hall. The house was not as large as the previous one, but it did have a fairly large garden with a large pond in the middle of it. The house was fairly simple and

The Pan Gate
This ancient pagoda is all that remains of a temple that was located near the Pan Gate in Suzhou.
straightforward, but the garden’s buildings were extraordinary. They were all built around the pond and each one had its own unique door and window designs. Their function was so that the owner and his guests could sit in different buildings and each enjoys their own unique view of the garden. One of the buildings was built for the owner to paint in and another was built to store his library. It is quite obvious that he felt the garden was the most important part of his house. By this time it was getting late and the sites were closing for the night so I decided to go to dinner. For dinner I stopped at the largest teahouse in Tongli. It is named Nanyuan Teahouse which means Southern Garden Teahouse. It is an ancient structure which is in beautiful condition. The first floor is filled with tea making paraphernalia and the second is filled with tables. There is a stage on the second floor for Kun Opera. It is a wonderful place to sit and spend a few hours. I had a wonderful bowl of noodles, and then tried several different kinds of tea. I sat upstairs next to the window

The Pan Gate
This is the Pan Gate. It is actually a double gate. The half shown here is a land gate, and the other half is over a canal.
overlooking the street and just sat, drank tea, chatted with a waitress and watched people walk along the street. It was lovely. I watched it get dark and watched the traditional lanterns being lit. I then strolled around the village. At night, every shop hangs traditional lanterns along the canals and at night they are lit and reflect beautifully in the water. It is such a magical place. I dream some day of opening my own traditional teahouse in China when I am old as a place to pseudo retire and spend my remaining years relaxing, painting, and chatting with friends. I hope that it will be in Tongli. I really love this place. The atmosphere is almost like a drug. Once you visit, you regret having to leave, and can’t wait to come back. I can’t explain it, it just has to be experienced. After strolling through the village I went back to my room to write this. The day went so quickly. It always does here.

Day12: September 20, 2008
This morning I woke up early so I could stroll around the village one more time before leaving. I saw all of the local women squatting down

Lingering Garden
The Lingering Garden is a magnificent traditional Chinese garden. It's hard to believe that it was once part of somebody's house.
by the canals washing their clothing or vegetables for the day. It is such a peaceful place. Men were riding their three wheeled bikes delivering coal, and supplies to different shops and houses and old women were going door to door cleaning chamber pots. That is not a job I would want. May met me at my hotel at 7:00 in the morning and we went to the van to head back to Suzhou. In Suzhou we went straight to the train station for my ride to Shanghai. I took the maglev train. It was fast! We traveled at over 179 kilometers an hour. It took less than half an hour to get to Shanghai. In Shanghai Wendy met me and we headed to Zhouzhuang. It was very nice to see a familiar face again. I slept most of the way. The trip took an hour and a half. Zhouzhuang is an ancient water village. It is also filled with canals and ancient buildings. It has some very famous bridges in it. Many of them have been used in advertising around the world, but most people wouldn’t know where they were from unless they actually went to Zhouzhuang. We visited

Lingering Garden
A pavilion and stupa in the garden.
several ancient mansions in the village, which were spectacular. The streets are lined with shops selling antiques, food, local snacks, artworks, and not so ancient antiques. It is a very popular place with visitors. Normally visitors can be driven over the river to the village, but the bridge is under construction so we had to take a ferry. The village was very nice and we had a lot of fun there. After Zhouzhuang we headed back to Shanghai. Luckily, Shanghai is holding its annual jazz festival. I love jazz and decided to check it out. It was really fun. It’s been years since I heard live jazz. Shanghai has been famous for jazz since the 1920’s and is very proud of that fact. After visiting the festival for a while I headed back to the hotel to write this.

Day 13: September 21, 2008
This is the last day of my amazing trip to the east of China. I think I’ve said it before, but no matter how much I travel, or how much I understand this country, it still find surprises. It is this unending surprises that keeps me so in love with this amazing country. This morning

Lingering Garden
The white stone is considered one of the treasures of the garden. It is a rare Hu Lake stone.
I got up and had breakfast in the hotel. I had a simple breakfast of toast and eggs. Wendy met me in the lobby and we headed to the Shanghai Global Finance Center. It just opened up last week. It has the highest observation area in the world. There are actually three observation floors. We entered on the ground floor. The area is very modern and cool. We got our tickets and then waited in line for the elevators. The waiting areas are very well designed and are very entertaining. We were then taken to a small room with a model of the building in it. The building began to spin incredibly fast and the lights in the model began flashing to make many different patterns. It was fun. We then went to the elevator to head up to the lowest observation floor. The elevator was filled with moving lights. It was very cool. The observation floor is very open and well lit. it has little shops selling building related merchandise. We then headed up a long escalator to the next observation floor. The building is designed with a very large hole in it and the bottom and top of

Lingering Garden
An actress performing Kun Opera.
the hole are observation areas. The top one has a glass floor allowing visitors to look very far below them. It was a big scary, yet exhillerating. The views from the building are incredible. It is the tallest building in Shanghai and overlooks the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and the Jinmao Tower. After visiting the Shanghai Global Finance Center we went to lunch at the Daijia Restaurant. It is a Dai Minority themed restaurant. The waitresses wear Dai minority clothing and every few minutes girls do traditional Dai minority dances on the stage in the restaurant. The food was wonderful and we ate like pigs. After lunch we headed to the local Xinhua Bookstore. It is the largest book chain in China. I love books and wanted to pick up a book on the Yu Yuan Garden I visited last week. I also found a book on Beijing’s Tea Culture. We then went to the Shanghai Art Museum. Parked in front was an old steam locomotive. I love steam trains. There is something wonderfully romantic about them. I took a couple photos of it before heading inside the museum. The museum was wonderful it showcased art from throughout China and

Shangtang Street
An opera stage for locals on the street
the world. After we went to the nearby People’s Park, which formerly was Shanghai’s horse racing track. The park is very large and filled with plants, tress, people and meandering paths. There were old people sitting playing cards, and young people walking along together. It is a wonderful escape from the busy city. Shanghai’s Museum of Modern Art is located within the park. I peeked in the door, but we sadly didn’t have enough time to visit. We then went to Nanjing Road for a final visit before stopping at a Subway Restaurant for a final taste before going to the airport. From the airport I headed back home to Guilin to see my family. It was a wonderful trip that is sadly over. I am writing this with one hand while holding my baby with the other. Life is good.

Shangtang Street
One of the snacks I tried on the street.

Humble Administrators Garden
A fan shaped pavilion overlooking lotus leaves.

Humble Administrators Garden

The Suzhou Museum
The architecture of the museum was very interesting.

Lion Grove Garden
This is a photo of a very small part of the labyrinth in the garden.

Lion Grove Garden
My guide trying to find her way out of the labyrinth.

Lion Grove Garden
The pond in the garden.

Tongli
One of the many bridges in the Village of Tongli.

Tongli
Comerant fishing in Tongli

Tongli's Garden of Seclusion and Meditation
This is just one of the many gardens in Tongli Village.

Tongli's Pearl Pagoda Garden
This is a little courtyard in the corner of the garden.

Zhouzhuang
One of the many bridges in Zhouzhuang Village located between Suzhou and Shanghai.

Zhouzhuang
A water taxi in Zhouzhuang.

The Global Finance Center
This is the brand new Global Finance Center in Shanghai.

The Global Finance Center
This is one of the three viewing areas in the building.

Shanghai Museum of Art

Shanghai Museum of Art
Me and a Choo Choo Train in front of the museum

Me and Burger King
Oh the joy!

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