China

May 8th, 2005
I Left Shanghai and flew to Yichang via Shanghai air. Our lunch consisted of dried pork, dried plums, peanuts, walnuts and a Bean Roll. It wasn’t great but considering what we get on US Domestic flights, it wasn’t bad. When we arrived in Yichang it was hot and humid. We boarded the MV Dragon River Boat and checked into our room.

I had hoped that we would be on the Dragon Boat as opposed to one of the other more modern and generic riverboats but when I first boarded I had my doubts. Ornate woodwork, almost to the point of being gaudy, lamps with red tassels that hit me in the face as I walked through the common areas; I wondered if it wasn’t a little much. After an hour on-board, I realized that we were on the right ship and the atmosphere added to the adventure.

The boat was built for 489 people and our small tour group was the first to arrive.  The other groups didn’t arrive until the next day.  It was kind of creepy with a large dining room with our group occupying the corner of the dining room.  There were floors of unoccupied rooms and empty hallways.  It felt like a ghost ship. At dinner, we joked about having a murder mystery weekend or assembling to tell Ghost stories.

May 7th, 2005

We arrived at the City wall and Panmen Water Gate and were greeted by the locals selling the usual tourist gifts. “Hello!, Have a looky…… Looky! Looky!, one dolla!” as we were serenaded by various Chinese instruments playing Happy Birthday to you and other obnoxious American Songs.

The Suzhou City wall and the Panmen Gate were first constructed in 514 B.C. The one present today was rebuilt in 1351. There is both a land and water gate that protected the city. Originally there were eight pairs of these gates, there is only one remaining.

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May 7th, 2005

The Lingering Gardens in Sozhou were named because they linger between earth and heaven. After researching the Garden on the internet, I discovered that it was built-in 1583 and is considered to be the top Garden in Sozhou and in the top four in all of China. Much has been written about the garden and the artistic way in which the spaces between various kinds of architectural forms are dealt with.

The Garden has a web-site www.gardenly.com that has a lot more information.  I found the garden peaceful and relaxing. While we wandered through the garden, there was a girl playing and singing traditional Chinese music.  We have Gardens in the USA, but nothing like this.

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May 7th, 2005

After an hour and half trip from Shanghai, we arrived at Tiger Hill. Tiger Hill was created as the resting place of King Helu, founding father of Sozhou who died during war in 496 BC. His son buried him at the top of the hill and three days after the funeral a white tiger came to guard his tomb -hence the name “Tiger Hill”.

As the legend goes, King Helu was a collector of swords and when he was buried, he was buried with 3,000 swords. To keep the buried swords a secret, the 1,000 workers who built his tomb were put to death. Continue reading →

May 7th, 2005

Yu Yuan began as a private garden in the Ming dynasty created by Pan Yunduan, who spent almost 20 years (1559-1577)b – and all of his savings – to build a garden for his parents. “Yu” in Chinese means “peace and health”.

The garden is very impressive with ornate structures and elaborate landscaping depicting different scenes.

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May 6, 2005

After another short but bumpy flight, we arrived in Shanghai. What Xian and Beijing lacked in character, Shanghai made up for, and then some.

There are 16 million people living in Shanghai, larger than Beijing but still not the largest city in China. It is Shanghai that is destined (if not already) to be China’s landmark city as well as replacing Hong Kong as China’s economic center.

During the 90’s there was an effort to bring back the glory Shanghai once enjoyed. There was so much construction going on that it created a shortage of cranes throughout asia. The result is an unmistakable skyline, stunning by day and something from a futuristic sci-fi movie at night and a city that feels both old and new.

We took a harbor cruise at night and I thought about the story of being “Shanghaied” Back in the shipping days, Shanghai was such an attractive place for sailors that captains frequently had to go to the bar district and drug sailors and carry them back to the ship. When the sailor awoke, he found themselves out to sea, thus the term “you were Shanghaied!” You know? I might have to be Shanghaied! Continue reading →

May 5th, 2005

Seeing the Terracotta Warriors was the most impressive thing yet.  The Great Wall is an architectural wonder, the Warriors on the other hand is about something so much more.  Over 2,000 years ago, Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor, created China through war.

The Chinese believe that when you die, the person’s soul continues on into the afterlife. An object here can become an object in the afterlife.   Seven hundred thousand workers spent 36 years creating life-size terracotta warriors to protect the Emperor’s spirit in the afterlife.

The Terracotta Warriors were discovered in 1974, by farmers digging a well in the proximity of the tomb.  What has been excavated today is just a fraction what still lies beneath the ground.

Each warrior stands close to six feet tall and although the bodies were mass-produced, each face is different.

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May 5th, 2005

We headed to the City Wall.  The City Wall is a wall that created a rectangle around the inner city of Xian.  It was built between 1374 and 1378 by Ming Emperor Hong Wu.  The walls stand 40 feet high.  You can walk the entire 7 1/2 miles along the top of the walls.

We were visiting the North Gate.  We were told that the scene with two women fighting in “Crouching Tigers and Hidden Dragons” was filmed there.

Thursday, May 05, 2005

Our first morning in Xian, we headed to the Big Goose Pagoda.  The Big Goose Pagoda was originally built-in 589 but was subsequently rebuilt in 647 and added to.  In 652, the Pagoda was built to store the sutras and the figurines of Buddha brought from India  by monk Xuan Zang.  Xuan Zang’s journey was portrayed in the book “Journey to the west” which described in detail the customs of different places he visited on his journey.

Why was this pagoda called the Big Goose Pagoda?

The monks living at the temple had no meat to eat.  One of the monks started to pray to the gods to bless them and at that moment, a flock of wild geese flying over the temple dropped to the ground.  A pagoda was ordered to be built-in the place.

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May 4th, 2005

I, along with the tour group, spent the last morning in Beijing shopping. It was an easy morning where we could do what we wanted to do at our own pace. The only thing I needed was medicine for my allergies. The air in Beijing is not kind to those who suffer from allergies. Find the right medicine in a Chinese pharmacy was interesting but I finally saw names I was familiar with. Although they tried to sell me Ancient Chinese medicine, I stuck with what I knew. Not a time to try something new.

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