Oct 7, 2010: Our journey to China actually began when Robert arrived at our house to dog and cat sit about midnight. We loaded our suitcases and headed to downtown Akron to the Chamber of Commerce offices to board a bus for the ride to JFK. We were dreading the long ride but it turned out to be not so bad. By the time all the luggage was loaded we were under way at 2:30AM on Thursday the 7th. After a bathroom stop and a breakfast stop we finally arrived at JFK at 11:30, only to find that the Air China ticket counter did not open until 12:30. This did give us a chance to meet and chat with some of the others on the tour. Our group consists of 47 and once we arrive in China we will be divided and have two tour buses.
When we were checking in at the counter, we requested an isle and window seating. The young lady at the counter said she would do what she could and gave us seats 59 A and C. We boarded our Air China 747 at 4:45 and found that we were in the next to last row and had lots of room on the window side to stretch out. We backed from the gate at 5:30 for the 13 hour flight. While in line clearing through security, we saw the Washington Generals basketball team – the one that loses to the Harlem Glob Trotters all the time. And on board the flight was the Chinese National Woman’s Soccer team. During the flight we were served two meals and plenty to drink. We both managed to get some sleep, but did not want to get too much as we were to arrive late in the day.
Peking duck is a 40 day old duck that has been specially fed and then roasted. It is about the size of a roasting chicken in the US. The duck meat is sliced very thin and then the carcass is used to make a soup.
Oct 9, 2010: This is our first day of touring and in retrospect difficult to describe all the amazing things we’ve seen – just so far. After breakfast we met Angie at our bus at 7:30 and started out. Though it is Saturday, the people are all going to work as the Chinese just ended a week long National Holiday so it is back to work for them. Generally the Chinese work five days and have the weekend off but this Saturday our tour bus had to share the ten lanes of traffic with many, many other vehicles. Although most Chinese families only have three members, many more families are opting to purchase a car rather than riding bikes. Yes, there still are large numbers of bikes, electric mopeds and some motorcycles but the number of vehicles and buses on the road is indescribable. We’ve seen lots of VW’s, Hyundai’s and a few Buick's plus a number of Chinese brands.
Chinese couples are ‘strongly encouraged’ to not marry until the female is at least 23 and the male 25. By waiting they get a monetary gift from the government. They are also encouraged to not have a child until the female is at least 24 and then only one child. This is what they call the one family one child rule. There are exceptions for certain minority groups but as a rule you see only one child and the grandparents handle child care. To own and apartment of 800 to 1000 square feet may cost the equivalent of over $200,000.00 – and then you only own it for 70 years.
Our first stop was the Temple of Heaven, built in 1420AD. This is where the emperors prayed for a good harvest. The building is huge and was constructed by using 28 large wooded pillars placed in a circular fashion of smaller and smaller concentric circles.
As most everyone lives in an apartment, many senior citizens come to the park each day for exercise. There is dancing, Tae Che, badminton, hake sac, singing and playing cards. Chinese woman can retire at 50 or 55 and men at 60 so this is the way many spend their early mornings. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves and all it all looks like they have a good life. However, only the wealthiest can afford to travel abroad and do other unusual things.
Our second stop was at a government owned jade factory. We had a full lecture on jade that was very informative. There are all types and colors of jade and true jade is a ‘living’ element that can change colors. In China many females ware a jade bangle (usually a gift from the mother) and as years pass it becomes darker and darker. If the bangle will fit over the first three knuckles of the hand, it will go over the hand – this is how the size them. It was educational and an amazing place. Many items made from jade, including some large dragons and flowers.
(Carved from one piece of jade)
(Jade is not always green)
Our third stop took us on a drive through the “suburbs” and into the countryside was one of
thirteen Ming Dynasty tombs. On the way we passed by small little gardens spots, orchards and an old Hutong village area. Most of the Hutong areas have been torn down, but the government has decided to retain some areas as cultural heritage landmarks – and tourist attractions. We will visit a Hutong residence tomorrow for lunch.
We did a lot of step climbing at the tombs which were built almost in the forest on the hillsides at the base of the mountains. It was a very peaceful. The weather was warm (about 68) but still the smog – or as they call it fog hanging in the air.
This is a good place for a geography lesson. Beijing is what they call a municipal province, sort of like a city/state. Though it is a city it is as big geographically as a small state in the US. It is near the sea to the SE and has mountains boarding it on the other three sides. Hence the ‘fog’ has no place to go. The picture below was taken at about 2 in the afternoon and that is the sun!
After lunch we again boarded the bus for a ride to “The Great Wall” - one of the items on Judy’s bucket list. She had dreamed of walking on the wall for a long time and finally the opportunity was here. The wall is really a series of inter connected walls constructed as military barriers and built over a number of years. Along the wall are outposts for observation and defensive fighting. Several of these outpost buildings had central fireplaces. This section is northeast of the center of Beijing in the start of the mountains. When we arrived we had our choice of two sections to climb. The one to the left was very steep but shorter or the less steep but longer one to the right. .
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| Before the climb |
We had one hour and thirty minutes to do the climb to the top if we desired. It was only about 85 steps up to the actual wall but another long distance and climb to the end of this section. The steps are of varied heights so it was difficult to get a rhythm going on the climb up.
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| One of the long flights of steps |
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| At the 'top' |
At the beginning of one section there were hundreds of rusty pad locks hooked to a long chain. Angie said that couples getting married at the top, put there initials/names and date on the lock as a promise of their love forever. The keys to the lock are then thrown over the side into the brush. As an aside here we later learned that the divorce rate in China is nearly 40 percent!
Oct 10, 2010: We were on the bus at 7:30 for our first stop of the day – the Summer Palace where the “evil Empress Dowager” visited in the hot season. This is the Empress depicted in the movie “The Last Emperor.” Longevity hill was made from the earth dug out to form Kumming Lake around the palace grounds. Dragon boats were docked and there were beautiful walks and trees all around.
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| Dragon Boat for Cruising the lake |
As you walk you pass by seniors practicing their calligraphy using a large brush and water. They paint the Chinese characters on the stone pathways.
After the Summer Palace it was off to the government run “Pearl Factory” where we again were given an informative presentation on pearls. This particular area is famous for its freshwater pearls and contrary to what some think, a shell can contain more than one pearl. The presenter opened a shell for us and there must have been a dozen small pearls inside.
A short bus ride took us to the Hutong Village area where we boarded a ‘rickshaw’ – actually a bicycle pulled unit – for a 30 minute ride through the old streets of the area. Tried to snap pictures as we went, just holding the camera on a knee and snapping and got some interesting shots. This cultural historic heritage location is being maintained not only for tourists but for younger Chinese to know how their city ancestors lived. It consists of hundreds of narrow alley ways which zigzag around and are flanked on both sides by densely built structures. At one time the area now containing the Olympic Village complex contained many structures similar to these and housed many Chinese. That area was “reclaimed” in order to construct all of the facilities for the Olympics.
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| Narrow streets and alleys |
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| Ready for Rick-Shaw ride |
Most all of the structures were connected and shared one if not more common wall. Every so often there was a small alleyway off the main road that appeared to lead to a courtyard behind the structure facing the main road. At the end of our ride we arrived at the home where we were to have lunch.
As we entered the small house, grandpa was sitting by the door eating some soup and the 22 members of our group were ushered through a small room (about 6X6) into the house’s main room which was about eight feet by ten feet and had been configured with two large tables and stools. This is where we had one of the best meals of the trip. The father was Manchurian and their custom was to protect the emperor and they were Kung Fu experts. The host was a Kung Fu Master and he demonstrated some of the moves for us.
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| Sitting down for lunch |
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| Kung Fu Master and host |
His oldest son lives in Huston, Texas where he is a Kung Fu instructor. As he is a minority, the one family one child rule does not apply so they have two children. His family has lived in this dwelling for five generations and it was only recently that the got their own toilet. One of the families living behind them on an inner courtyard wanted to have indoor plumbing, but had to run the pipe under his house, so he was able to connect.
After lunch we went to the courtyard/playground and his youngest son demonstrated some additional moves with a sword.
Anytime we are not at a government building, there are lots of vendors (hawkers they call them) trying to sell all sorts of goods. They are hawking everything from umbrellas (if it is drizzly) to Chairman Mao watches (Mao’s hand waves), “silk” scarves, Rolex’s or whatever. You can haggle and bargain and the more you walk away the lower the price goes.
After our lunch in the Hutong Village it was off to the Forbidden City which was the home to 24 Chinese Emperors over the years. The city is actually a collection of courtyards and buildings containing 9999 room. It seemed to just go on and on with fancy temple type buildings some of which were used for nothing more than changing clothes.
The roof of the building edges contained carved animals with the number of animals indicating the rank of the building; eleven - those of highest rank could enter and nine - those of lesser rank.
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| Count the animals on the edge |
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| Center courtyard of Forbidden City |
From the Forbidden City it was a quarter mile walk to Tiananmen Square. It was on the other side of a ten lane roadway so we had to walk to the end of the block and take stairs down to a tunnel under the roadway and then steps back up to the square itself.
From the Forbidden City it was a quarter mile walk to Tiananmen Square. It was on the other side of a ten lane roadway so we had to walk to the end of the block and take stairs down to a tunnel under the roadway and then steps back up to the square itself.
On the Tiananmen Square side of the wall surrounding the Forbidden City was a huge picture of “The Chairman.” Within the square on either side of a tall monument to “Hero’s” were two twelve foot high by at least fifty foot long jumbo-trons flashing Chinese slogans or playing short videos of flowers, streams, clouds and abbreviated performances of the ribbon dance done at the opening of the Olympics.
Behind the monument is the tomb of The Chairman, but it was not open for viewing this day. His body is on view in a glassed box and they say he looks just as he did the day he died.
Though this was a workday, the square was fairly crowded. It is said that one million people can stand in the square. The surface is made of a number of blocks about 2 feet by 3 feet and according to their calculations each block will hold two people so there must be five hundred thousand blocks in the square.
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| Chairman Mao over looking the square. |
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| "Hero's" Monument is the mist |
At the end of the day we visited another Chinese restaurant. Most of the restaurants we went to seem to serve mainly tourists and not just Americans. We finally got back to our hotel (the Crown Plaza – Beijing) about 8pm. Just in time to get ready for bed because the next day we are set for a 4:30AM wake up call.
Oct 11, 2010: We were up before the 4:30AM wake up call, but not by much, to prepare for the 2 hour flight to Shanghai. We boarded the bus at 5:30 and had a small bag breakfast to eat on the 45 minute drive to the airport.
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| Waiting to board for another flight |
On our arrival at the Shanghai airport we were met by our new guide, Henry. Henry preferred to be called by his Chinese name Chai (like the tea). He was married with a 7 year old daughter in first grade. He had been working as a guide for 16 years. He was full of information and there was a difference in his approach and comments as opposed to our Beijing guide, Angie. He chalked it up to the fact that Beijing is the Capital seat of government whereas Shanghai is much like New York – the banking and financial center. Chai told us some interesting things such as how much the Chinese dislike he Japanese and he made some political comments that would not have been approved in Beijing.
Our first stop was the world Expo in Shanghai. The Chinese are hoping to out do all other Expos and Fairs in attendance. To help meet the goal, school kids from the city and surrounding area are being bused in for special days.
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| Expo Mascot - Blue Gumby? |
The area containing the Expo had recently been a shipbuilding area and rice paddies. When the Expo is completed at the end of October, many of the buildings will be dismantled and returned to the country of origin. We were among the fortunate in our group as we did get to watch the daily parade through the main street of the Expo.
One of the busiest places in the Expo was the main food court containing of all things – a Pizza Hut and a KFC. KFC is the number one fast food in China!
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| KFC and Pizza Hut - Big om China!! |
On our arrival in Suzhou you could see many canals and waterways on the way to the boat dock. We walked down a narrow roadway to the canal edge and boarded a motorized launch for a 45 minute cruise through the canals. About halfway, we stopped near a 1400 year old bridge and got out and walked through a marketplace. It was a maze of narrow passageways and stalls selling all sorts of things.
We saw many different food items including vegetables, fruits, crabs, live chickens and ducks. Most unique were the trays of pig snout and chicken feet and some others we could not readily identify. It was a bit dirty and looked grimy but the people appeared happy and as they had lived this way for centuries, knew of nothing different. This is another area being maintained as an historic cultural district.
At many of the canals had been filled in and are now streets, but at the urging of I. M. Pey (who is from this town), the city government has ceased that and is trying to restore the canals. Yes the canals are still used for commerce as many of the streets are too narrow and winding for even small trucks to maneuver.
On our way back to the dock, the canal was lit with strands of lights and many, many red lantern balls. It made a beautiful sight.
After boarding the bus for our hotel we first made a stop for dinner at, of all places, a German “Beer Garden” for dinner. Our hotel was again five star, our room was more like a mini suite with a large sitting area separated from the bed by a large flat screen TV on a swivel – and again a glass wall separating the bath/shower from the room.
Oct 12, 2010: Tuesday we awoke in Suzhou and were rewarded by being allowed to not having to board the bus until 8:30AM. But most of the group was up early and enjoyed the views from the dinning room over breakfast.
We began our day with a drive and then walk through the Lingering Garden. It was a beautiful place and could have been very peaceful, except for the mass of tourists – most of whom were Chinese. Taking pictures was futile with all the bodies so we bought some postcards for about $2. There were many Ginkgo and Camphor trees and another tree with small yellow flowers that fell in the breeze and covered the ground like a gold carpet.
Our next stop was the silk factory where we again were given an informative lecture on silk and how it is harvested. We watched as cocoons were placed in hot water to first kill the worm and then loosen the threads. This was all done using an antiquated machine (certainly they have more advance methods now) which was manned by a number of ladies monitoring the threads as they were pulled from the cocoons. The threads were wound on to large bobbins for use later. At the next stop we watched as four ladies pulled a ball of silk thread apart to form the filling for a silk comforter.
As usual we were invited into a large showroom where we could purchase at a reasonable cost silk item. The big item was the comforter as these are what the Chinese use for covers. We had them on all of our hotel beds but actually found them a bit too heavy both in warmth and weight. As was the case at the pearl and jade factory, Chinese sales girls followed us around to assist, but they were not pushy.
Time for still another factory tour and this time it was an embroidery factory. As with the other tours, this place is a government ‘owned’ facility. We were simply amazed at the skill of the master sewers. It would take years and years to become a master and now only women do it. They may come from a family where the woman’s mother did embroidery and then they go to further schooling. It takes about 5 years of schooling before they then work as a ‘student’ learning more and doing more and more as the years pass. The masters are able to create beautiful works which are two sided and on some the reverse side is different than the front. All of the hand embroidery is done on silk using silk threads. Some of the larger carpets are done on cotton, using silk for the design. To further enhance the designs, a cutter may trim low spots in to borders or edges to give a three dimensional look. Some of the animal ones are so life like you can see the individual hairs sticking up. Cat’s eyes and fish tails are the most difficult to do as they are done with a single thread.
Our last stop today was Tiger Hill. An Emperor was buried on the hill in about 498 AD and the day after the burial a white tiger was seen on the top of the hill – hence the name. Because they believed that the tiger was the spirit of the emperor, they constructed a large tower in his honor. As the tower was made using only mud for mortar, over the years it has sunk on one side started to noticeably lean much like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy. Interestingly, this tower predates the one in Pisa. It was a long walk up the hill to the tower and there were many plants and trees along the way.
After leaving Tiger Hill we boarded the bus for the two plus hour ride to Hangzhou. Again we travel through some urban areas as well as country side. We saw many independent houses leading up to Hangzhou which is a very rich and fertile area. The independent farmer homes were basic cube shapes but many had cupolas at the top of the 3 to 4 storied dwellings. These are where symbols are hung in memory of the dead as cremation is the norm – no cemeteries. In some cases the families keep the ashes of their relatives in containers in these rooms at the top. We saw many rice paddies and gardens. The paddies are actually small patches of maybe ¾ acre, no gigantic multi-acre fields.
As we arrived in Hangzhou we were given a ‘taste’ of home – we had Chinese pizza from Pizza Hut for dinner as we checked into our Holiday Inn. We had hoped to walk the shopping area near the hotel, but the sky opened and it poured rain for several hours. All of the areas we visited are considered safe at night if you want to go out to shop etc. Something interesting about the Holiday Inn was the third floor was the ‘spa’ – and it was operated by a third party and had a walk way connected to the adjacent building for ‘other activities’ should one want. We were instructed to avoid the third floor.
Oct 13, 2010: We started our morning in mist as we boarded the bus for the trip into a valley where the Longiing Green Tea Plantation is located. As we neared the center of the valley, you could see the tea plant/trees/bushes in terraced rows up the hill sides on each side of the road. They are planted in deep red rich soil. This valley is especially good for growing green tea because of the amount of humidity, rainfall and the matching proper amount of sunlight.
The tender green leaves can not tolerate too much sun.
Tea grown in the higher elevations has more caffeine and is bitterer than the valley teas. While at the tea plantation we were again given the ways and uses of teas. Green tea is to be consumed after meals as it aides digestion. Drinking it on an empty stomach can cause digestive and other problems. We were part of a Chinese tea ceremony and were instructed on the proper way to drink tea and to make full use of not only the tea, but the cups/glasses it was placed in.
Next on the agenda was the Lingyun Temple which features a 64.3 foot high carved camphor wood Buddha plus hundreds of other Buddha’s of different shapes, sizes and physical appearance. Many were symbolic as it seems most everything in China is a symbol of something. One hall contained over 500 Buddha’s and it is said that you can find your look-a-like among them. We did see a Ben Franklin look-a-like Buddha.
Our final stop was at West Lake for a short cruise. It was sort of a mystical ride, seeing the arched bridges, pagodas and such along the shore, shrouded in light fog. It would have been much more picturesque had the sun been out, but you have to take the weather as it comes.
At 3:15 we boarded our bus for the nearly four hour ride from Hangzhou back to Shanghai. Along the way we stopped at a ‘rest area’ which was much more like a strip mall. As we entered the Shanghai district we were stopped at the police check point and two officers entered the bus. Our guide showed them our passports and they looked at us curiously, but after a few minutes we were on our way. This check point would be like having to go through a security point travelling from Ohio to Pennsylvania.
There are no huge cell phone towers as you see in the US. Instead, they have many small towers located on buildings and factories. They do not take away from the beautiful scenery. They are not big ugly structures.
The Hangzhou and Suzhou areas are considered better off and have more millionaires than any other section of China. It is because of the high tech companies and software firms located there and these are clean (non-polluting) industries. Because of clean industries and the fact that the area is near the sea and beautiful, many rich Chinese have second homes in the area, even though they are extremely expensive. And unlike Beijing or Shanghai, we saw may free standing or single homes, not high rise apartment/condo buildings.
During the drive our guide talked about how Chinese society focuses on the children. Even though his daughter is only in the first grade he is trying to guide her to get the best education. She attends school from 7:30 to 4:30 three days a week and from 7:30 to 2:30 two days a week. He is concerned about the amount of homework she has each day and between he and his wife they receive a number of text messages from the school and teachers each day. Because of the one family/one child rule most households rely on grandparents for child care. But, because of the rule, early retirement and longer life spans, China is facing the same problems we are – an aging population. In fact there was an article in the newspaper about the 4-2-1 families – 4 grandparents; 2 parents and 1 child – and often they live together in one ‘house.”
On arriving in Shanghai we went to the Bund area along the river. On one side is new Shanghai with all its glitter, lit buildings, skyscrapers and signs flashing and scrolling down the sides of these 50 to 100 storied buildings. Unlike Beijing where no building can exceed 25 stories, there are many tall buildings in Shanghai including what Chai called the “bottle opener” – a large building with a multi floored opening at the top. The initial design had the opening as round, but that looked too much like the rising sun on the Japanese flag.
Five years ago the “new” side of the river was old China and rice paddies. On the other side of the river is the old or British/French financial area; old style 18th and 19th century buildings with columns, massive block and mostly drab sandstone. 
We had breakfast in the hotel dining room and only had to sign for the bill – each breakfast was only 184 RMD or about $27.
Views from the 26th Floor Our first stop for the day was a silk carpet factory. Again we had an informative session about silk and silk rug weaving. The more knots and finer the fringe, the more expensive the rug will be. Silk on silk is much more expensive than silk on cotton. A person could easily spend $20,000 for a room sized carpet. A hand made 4X6 silk rug may take a weaver six to eight months to complete.
For lunch to day we were taken to a Mongolian Barbecue. Chai told us to take two bowls as we went through the line and be sure to fill them both to the top with different types of meats and vegetables. We took our bowls to the cooking station where they were grilled, chopped, mixed and diced. In the end our two bowls were enough to nearly fill one. It was good and everyone enjoyed it – a slight break from Chinese food.
After lunch was the Shanghai Maglev Train travelling at 431 kilometers per hour. It is an electro-magnetic train that moves about 10 millimeters above the track. It was designed and built by the Germans. The only problem is its pure demonstration train. It does not really go to a destination and runs only for tourists to say they travelled that fast.
We then had several hours to shop and be on our own in the Yu Garden which is basically the old town China bazaar – the Chinese version of China Town. It had many narrow streets and shops and store front sales places all over.
Even though it was a Thursday afternoon the walkways and stores were crowded. We did do a little shopping but spent lots of time watching the people, many of whom were Chinese tourists from other areas of the country. Some were from the areas near Tibet or Mongolia as you could tell their dress was different.
After dinner we walked next door to the ERA Show Multimedia Theatrical Spectacular – the first of its kind in China. It would be comparable to Cirque du Soleil (Circus Olay) in the US. Acrobats, fantastic juggler, elaborate costumes, lighting light ballet and ending with a dare devil motorcycle show in a steel ball cage. It was amazing how gestures and movements used are really universal performance language and spread across cultures.
Oct 15, 2010: Up at 4:15 and now carrying three bags for check in instead of the two we came with. We had packed an empty fold up bag, just in case, and we needed it. The bus pulled out at 5:30 and we drove through the city as the sun was coming up and it looked like it would be a sunny day in Shanghai. We boarded our plane for the trip to Beijing and again we were seated in the rear. But this time it was not a good place to be. We had a sick passenger a few rows up and the medics came on board and were treating him and we could not exit. Finally they realized that we were getting hot in the stopped plane and moved to the side so we could exit.
We had to clear through security again and that left us enough time for a quick cup of coffee and Internet check. Something interesting about the Internet; in the Shanghai Airport the connection was ‘open’ but in the Beijing terminal, you had to have your passport scanned to be granted a connection. After a short wait it was time to board our Air China 747 for the 13 hour flight back to JFK. This time we were seated in the very last row – row 60. We departed Beijing at 1pm on October 15 and landed at JFK at 2:15pm on Friday Oct 15.
After clearing through Customs it took some time for all 47 of us to gather our bags and move to the bus that would take us back to Akron. The ride to Akron took a bit longer than the trip to JFK. By the time we were loaded and headed out of the city it was 4:30PM – the middle of rush hour. It took us three and a half hours to reach the PA line. When we arrived in Akron at 2:15AM on the 16th the next group was waiting for our bus. By the time we got home and unloaded everything, we finally hit the bed at 3AM. A very long long day, but it felt so good to be home.
