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Published: September 28th 2007
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Mural inside the Astor
Depicting some of its more famous guests. Our anniversary fell one week after we arrived in China. We were still jet lagged, had been in our apartment only days, and I had caught a nasty cold. We made the decision to postpone a celebration.
This past weekend we finally felt settled in enough to venture away on our own for the weekend. It was actually crazy to have so much time to just the two of us, as most adventures here are group events. We didn't go far, but it was an amazing weekend. We just hopped on the light rail and headed in to Tianjin.
The Astor Hotel
We stayed at a beautiful hotel in the heart of the British Concession. The hotel was built in 1863, and though it has been expanded and updated, it is filled with history and is much like staying in a museum. As we are cheap, and went for the cheapest room, this meant we were in the original part of the hotel, in a room with hardwood floors and overlooking the formerly named "Victoria Park". The halls of the hotel are filled with portraits of its famous guests including Herbert Hoover and the last emperor
of China, the tango dancing Henry Pu Yi (thus the movie "Last Tango in Paris). The hotel still has the original elevator (though not in use), as well as artifacts on display from when it first opened.
Breakfast at the hotel was an interesting mix of foreign and local breakfast options. We could have bacon and eggs or fried squid, wonton soup or jellied bean curd. I enjoyed a plain steamed dumpling as a very nice morning treat.
Dabei Monastery and Back Again to Culture Street
Saturday morning we headed up to the Dabei Monastery in the North end of town. Although it wasn't open to the public when we were there, there was still much to see. Even from the outer walls there was much artwork to admire. There was a little market selling incense and prayer mats outside. A young boy and his father were practicing martial arts. We just sat and enjoyed the atmosphere. We venture into a building and discovered a fabric mall. There were Chinese woven fabrics and silks ranging from very cheap to very high quality.
We then ventured back to Ancient Culture Street. Our first trip there
Giant Clock
Our taxi drove past this massive clock on the way to the Monastery. had been pretty short and we felt there was still a lot to be discovered, and some Christmas shopping yet to be done.
Taking the time to venture back through lesser alleyways we discovered all kinds of people selling antiques on blankets in the middle of the street. There were so many interesting items, but I only made one purchase this day, and though I know you would all like one as well, this is for me. Its a Chairman Mao wind up alarm clock. The seconds are counted by a student whose arm waves the little red book twice each second. Its awesome. I am also improving in my bartering skills. His initial asking price was 240 rmb, and I got it for 50 rmb!
We then went to the Tian Hou Temple or the Palace of the Goddess of Heaven. There were no english explanations on site, but later at the Tianjin Museum we received belated insight into what we had seen. The temple was originally built in 1326 in the Yuan Dynasty, and it is the oldest temple in Tianjin.
Sailors believed she was their guardian, so they would come to visit the temple
Detail on the Dabei Monastery
There were all kinds of images painted just underneath the roofing of the Monastery. before they left on a trip and whenever they safely returned.
You pass through the archway all you can smell is incense burning outside each building in stone troughs. Inside the buildings are various figures and prayer mats, most being used as we walked around. There was a drum inside one doorway which was attached to the wall, and local people tossed their coins inside sounding the drum. The buildings and artwork were fantastic, and we took our time enjoying the sites and smells.
We then found the Confucious Temple which was closed and seemed in poor repair. A local restaurant next door offered very tasty, very cheap food. I tried ordering new dishes unsuccessfully (really need to work on my pronunciation), and fell back on my tried and true "Gong Bao Ji Ding" or Kung Pao Chicken. For the record it is nothing like the Kung Pao Chicken I knew back in Canada, and much tastier and spicier.
Learning the history of my new home
We then crossed town to the Tianjin Museum. The building itself is quite impressive built to resemble a swan with its wings spread to take off. Outside there
The Dabei Monastery
Sadly, the doors were closed. were people everywhere: inline skating, practicing martial arts, flying kites, sitting around. They really know how to enjoy their parks here.
The first exhibit we saw was a display of watercolours and calligraphy from the 1400s. With no english explanations all we could do was admire the craftmanship. Next we visited a pottery exhibit, again admiring the art, with no great understanding.
Finally we visited the history exhibit of Tianjin. This permanent exhibit does have English explanations and was absolutely fascinating. The exhibit includes a huge "miniature mock-up" of the city before colonial powers arrived. It has eerily realistic wax statues of Tianjin's famous inhabitants and visitors including Ulysses S. Grant and Herbert Hoover. It takes you through the Cultural Revolution with the final display containing Chairman Mao's uniform and microphone stand from his speech in Tianjin. The exhibit has lots of recreated rooms and buildings, massive murals and movies. I highly recommend the visit if you want to truly appreciate the history within the city of Tianjin.
Sunday Morning... a leisurely stroll before returning to Teda
Sunday morning we venture out for a walk on the river and through the concessions. Out on
the HaiHe River in front of our hotel were teams of Dragon Boats practicing on the river.
We then went to the former "Victoria Park" now renamed and no I can't remember the new name. It was inaccessible to the Chinese during the concession era, so now that they have control of it again, they make a point to use it. We find all park space here is well used but this was absolutely vibrant with energy. People were playing ping pong, practicing musical instruments, dancing, practicing martial arts, performing gymnastics, playing hackey-sack meets badminton, sitting, strolling....endless activity.
We strolled around the concessions admiring the architecture. While many buildings have been well preserved many are sadly disintegrating or being torn down in the name of modernization. We enjoyed the big old trees (all the trees in Teda are young and scrawny) and a fresh aired day.
Before moving to China, I read a lot of negative reports on Tianjin. Even at my own school, a number of staff members think its pretty funny we would head into Tianjin for a holiday. I must say, I think for anyone interested in the history of the past 200 years,
Craig finds some new friends
This shop was facing the monastery. Tianjin offers an awful lot. Additionally, I was suprised at how few westerners I saw over our 2 days. Except when we met our travel agent at Starbucks (needed to pay her for our October Holiday Trip and this was her suggested meeting place), and 2 FIFA Female Soccer Players on Ancient Culture Street, we didn't see any. While this certainly increased the amount of staring, it also meant all our western needs were not catered to, and we were seeing a more authentic China.
We started Chinese Lessons this week, and are apparently even going to learn some Chinese Characters. While this is a daunting task, probably a useful one. Another blog will hopefully be published this weekend about a little tea party we attended. Other than that the week has been pretty mundane...but that is just fine as we are heading North next week to Chengde for the October Holiday. So it will be a bit of a break before my next blog, but please continue to make contact with comments or messages. I assume I will be able to check my email in Chengde, even though my Travel Agent told me there are only 400 000
Looking Forward to the Big Trip
In anticipation of our trip to Mulan Imperial Hunting Grounds and horseback riding, I can't resist the chance to practicing my form on Ancient Culture Street people there. Small town you know?
Cheers!
Love and Hugs.
Beth
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Kelsey Marie Fawcett
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RANDOM!!
Cheese Fork!! Hehe, I really miss you guys! That museum sounds amazing!! Did you learn a lot of history there?? I also love the random numchuck footage. Keep it real out there guys!! *PEACE OUT*