Taking the Train to Shanghai

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Geo: 31.23, 121.47

We took a train trip after 3 incredible days in Beijing - packed with adventure and activity. The train was very modern and comfortable (2nd class) and travelled throughout the day so we could enjoy the Chinese country side. Watching the Chinese countryside was fascinating. Every inch of land was developed. We passed cities, villages, industry and agricultural areas. It was a challenge to figure out how the land allocation was done with the workers (it has been leased to worker groups as far as I understand). Take a look at some of our photos from our Shanghai adventures (cough, cough - that is the smog)!

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Photos

Darold by Trudy Golley's artwork in Shanghai
Trudy Golley (Red Deer College Visual Arts) had a bronze version of her artpiece, "Becoming Goddess" installed in Changshou Park in Shanghai. What a lovely setting. The green park was a welcome reprieve from hte urban surrounding. It had artwork (mostly abstracts) from around the world everywhere. Trudy's was the only Canadian one. We had to shoo away a couple of teenagers lounging on Trudy's artwork in order to take this photo. When we looked at the name plate the title was simply "Woman" which was similar to the titles on many of the artworks. I guess the Chinese just wanted to keep it simple.

Yu Gardens
What beautiful gardens. You wouldn't believe that you were still in a major city when you are tucked away in these Gardens. I became the subject of many photos as I walked in the gardens. I had bought a shoulder bag with Chairman Mao on it along with "Service for the People" written in Chinese. All the Chinese had a good giggle and insisted on getting their picture taken with me. Shucks - a celebrity for fashion!

Moat near the highest bridge in Suzhou
Suzhou is considered the "Venice of the East" with it's large canal and pleasant climate. This photo was taken by the only remaining section of the old city wall where the tallest bridge over the canal is located. The emperor travelled to Suzhou with his dragon boat and they had to rebuild this bridge to allow for the great height of his Dragon Boat giving you an idea of how large the boat was.