Glimpses of the World via the Shanghai Prism

After the Suzhou silk extravaganza, we headed to a decidedly different area of Suzhou.  The Master of the Nets garden has apparently been considered one of the most beautiful of the many classical Suzhou gardens, and the gardens as a whole have been named a UNESCO World Heritage site, much like Gyeongju and Hwaseong Fortress I had visited in Korea three years prior.

 

 illustrated map of the garden

 

 

Our guide, Mei, reenacting how the nobility of the garden would have sipped tea

Our next stop was Tongli, also known as the "Venice of the East" thanks to its many canals.  Our group boarded several gondolas which meandered through Tongli's waterways amidst the atmospheric mist and drizzle.

Once we returned to dry land, we attempted to stop at the Retreat and Reflection Garden but unfortunately arrived just as they were closing.  Instead of traversing through the garden, then, we spent some time browsing the shops and local goods in town.

Oddly enough, once in the shopping area, it seemed as though we had entered the Twilight Zone.  Apparently there were only three types of stores- those selling the exact same silk products we had seen earlier that day in the silk factory, those selling scarves and trinkets, and those selling pigs' feet.  Every three stores, this sequence would repeat until we felt an uncanny sense of deja vu.

 

one of the many pigs' feet vendors in Tongli

After traveling a few hours east back to Shanghai, we dined at a Chinese restaurant housed in a German building in the Japanese district of the city.  As this was our final meal together as a group, we celebrated with complimentary wine, provided by the tour group.

 

Our guide Lucy toasting

 For our final day in Shanghai, we caught up with the attractions on our itinerary we had missed during our unexpected layover in Wenzhou.  First up was the Shanghai Museum in People's Square, said to have one of the largest collections in China.  Despite this noteworthy fact, only the collection of minority clothing and masks really captured my attention.  The majority of the museum was devoted to collections of ancient paraphernalia such as coins, seals, ceramics, and sculpture, which was no less important in the development of the Middle Kingdom, but decidedly less engaging for me on a personal level.

 minority garb

 Tibetan dream mask

 a strange new addition to the collection

surprisingly lifelike sculpture

 

Following our jaunt through the Shanghai museum, our group trekked over to the famed Shanghai bazaar situated in the Old City region of town.  Unfortunately, the bazaar was less of a bargainer's paradise and more of an overpriced swap meet, although we did find a spot offering reasonably priced sushi and noodles.  We also happened upon a longtime Chinese tradition nestled in the heart of this historic neighborhood, a shop called Starbucks Coffee, which was perhaps the most happening spot at the bazaar.

After perusing the goods for sale, we were let loose into the streets of the city upon the sea to explore at our leisure.  Our family decided to stop by the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center which, despite its propagand-ist sounding moniker, ended up proving to be one of the highlights of the city.  Not only did the center house a historical exhibition on the changing architecture of Shanghai and particularly the Bund, it also boasted a miniature replica and virtual flythrough of the entire city.  The exhibits displayed in the exhibition center highlighted the dramatic transformations Shanghai has undergone in the past century, as well as those it is currently undergoing in mass transit, industry, technology, and architecture.  It wasn't until we explored the museum that I even began to comprehend the amount of manpower, brainpower, and foreign capital being poured into the city of Shanghai, and I couldn't help but wonder how dramatically different the city will be twenty years from now.

 

Haibao, mascot of the Shanghai 2010 World Expo, was more derivative of Gumby and less cleverly named than the Fuwa of the 2008 Olympics

miniature replica of Shanghai

Back to the Future

We woke up bright and early the next morning at 7 am for an "appetizing" breakfast of unidentifiable Chinese dishes and watermelon at the hotel before making our way back to the Wenzhou airport we had so fondly left the previous evening.  After the inevitable two hour delay on the Wenzhou runway, we were en route to the city above the ocean, Shanghai.

As we bid farewell to our Chinese farmer friends for the last time, we returned back to our American tour group bubble and subsequently stopped at the airport KFC for lunch.  Although I'm not usually partial to Chinese egg tarts, the variety sold at KFC actually tasted more like creme brulee in a flaky pastry crust than anything else.

It was almost immediately apparent that Shanghai deserved its unofficial title of "the China of the future."  Modern art decorated the pristine Pudong International Airport, skyscrapers towered over us as we wove through the city, and little kids eating dinner at restaurants with their families focused their attention on their laptop screens as they worked through reports and homework.

Our first stop in Shanghai was one of the ten tallest buildings in the world- the Jin Mao Tower, an eighty-eight story edifice envisioned as a modern Chinese pagoda.  Floors 56 through 87 house the Shanghai Grand Hyatt Hotel, while floor 88 serves as an observation deck which not only allows visitors to take in a panoramic view of the Shanghai skyline, but also peer all the way down into the middle of the tower to the Hyatt lobby 32 floors below.  Upon directing our gazes upward, we were treated to a close-up view of the Shanghai World Financial Center, currently China's tallest building and 4th tallest building in the world.  The Financial Center bears a large parallelogram-shaped hole near its apex to prevent the building from looking like a Japanese knife.  It was here in the observation deck, gazing in awe at one of the tallest buildings in the world that the idea of Shanghai being the "China of the future," as trite as it may sound, truly sunk in.

After descending back down Jin Mao's 88 stories, we made our way to Shanghai's most famous waterside district, the Bund.  Perhaps the only aspect of Shanghai more interesting than its embodiment of the progress and advancement of China and, arguably, the world, was its history.  The city's modern history began in 1842 at the close of the First Opium War and the signing of the Treaty of Nanjing, which opened Shanghai to British colonization.  Eventually, Germany, France, the US, and Japan all carved out their own divisions in the city, the vestiges of which still linger today.  The Bund, part of the former British district, was lined with buildings built in the British style, which now housed the Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and the shops of foreign fashion designers.  The Bund was recently remodeled and reopened in 2010, replete with added greenery, an observation deck, underground road... and a statue of Mao.

From the Bund, pedestrians could view Shanghai's arguably most famous skyline, that of the Pudong New Area.  This area, which lay in the Pudong area of Shanghai east of the Huangpu River, was home to our previous stop, the Jin Mao tower, as well as the Shanghai World Financial Center, HSBC, and the Oriental Pearl Tower.

Our dinner that night was the first in a modern-style shopping mall, and thus continued our re-entry into the modernized world.  We dined on a number of dishes, including some great xiao long baos which are typically associated with Shanghai.

Our group capped the night off with a performance by the Shanghai Acrobats- an array of young kids balancing, contorting, and flying through the air- essentially a Cirque du Soleil show with an all Asian cast.

As the evening concluded, we retired to the Shanghai Sheraton Hongkou Hotel, which was just a bit nicer than our abode the previous night in Wenzhou.  

After a much needed rest, the next morning we headed west out of Shanghai to the historic city of Suzhou.  Our final component in the trifecta of factory visits, following the jade factory in Beijing and the terra cotta factory in Xian, was a silk factory in Suzhou.  There we had the opportunity to view the many stages of silk processing- from silkworm to finished product- and, of course, had the opportunity to purchase as many silk products as we wanted at the conclusion of the tour.

 Our friend on the right was quite skeptical of the silkworms on display

Sadly there are no silkworm labor unions

Near the end of the tour, our guide Mei asked if any of us wanted to test the strength of the silk.  My challenge was to pull a sheet of silk over a wooden frame.  Try as I might, I was only able to pull the silk about 1/4 of the way down the frame until the silk would stretch no further.  Some of the other group members attempted to stretch silk over a mattress to similar results. 

From there it was a whirlwind of continued silk activities as we passed through room after room of silk bedding, linens, and pillows for purchase.  As we left the silk bedding area, a stone path led us to a small department store filled with silk clothing and paraphernalia.  We began by catching a fashion show displaying many of the higher-end silk garments, after which we perused the many available goods.

 

Although we had had a jam-packed morning, our day was in fact only just beginning.

Random China link:  Gaokao- Entrance Exams

Breakdown

Quote of the Day
My sister:  "It feels like one of those movies where society breaks down into chaos.  Except this isn't a movie..."

As we waited for our plane in the Guilin airport, we passed the time discussing eye surgeries and the lady that threw up all over my sister in the women's bathroom.  Upon boarding the plane, we waited through the usual delays which we had grown accustomed to on Air China, all of us growing impatient to be getting to the futuristic metropolis of Shanghai.  Our flight was comprised of three distinct tour groups-

1) Our own, consisting of English-speaking Americans and Canadians
2) A French tour group
3) A group of Chinese peasants

Suffice it to say, we were in for some culture clashes.

While the Frenchmen and women conducted themselves in a refined manner befitting any civilized people, the Chinese peasants apparently thought the airplane was a bar and acted in a boisterous manner, laughing and chortling, leering at the other passengers, and smacking people with their carry-ons.

About midway through this brawl of a flight, the flight attendant piped up over the loudspeaker, delivering a message in Chinese.  Amidst the garbled Mandarin, I thought I interpreted the attendant to be announcing that we would be landing in Hangzhou, a popular tourist destination known for its scenery and nature.  "Hangzhou," I thought. "This won't be too bad."

Picturesque Hangzhou

A few minutes later, our guide Lucy came speeding down the aisle.  "We have a very small delay due to some bad weather at Pudong International Airport," she said. "We will be landing in a new city called Wenzhou.  It will not be so bad."

Wenzhou, a far cry from Hangzhou

  

Although Wenzhou was no Hangzhou, it was still just an hour flight from Shanghai, and held the potential to be an interesting stop on our way to Shanghai.  Apparently, our peasant friends thought so too, as the moment our plane touched the ground at Wenzhou Airport and the flight attendant began her announcement to remain in our seats, the peasant tour group had already made a mad dash to the front of the plane, smacking every passenger unlucky enough to have been assigned an aisle seat upside the head with their carry-ons.  As the remaining passengers began filing out of their seats to disembark the plane, the French group remained still in their seats, paralyzed, no doubt, by the barbarousness they had just witnessed.

Once on the tarmac, we were instructed to wait for shuttle buses to take us the remaining 500 feet to the airport terminal.  The three intermingled groups boarded two buses and made our way to the terminal where we prepared to await our uncertain fate.  At this point, the airline had not made a decision whether our spontaneous layover would be merely a pit stop or an overnight stay.

As time ticked by and we began to grow more tired and irritable with no definite resolution to our quandry, the sense of surrealism heightened.  Many a stalled passenger had retired to the men's room which became the de facto smoking room, billowing with clouds of thick gray smoke which seeped out into the main terminal.  Within the already confining airport terminal housing our three tour groups, the group of peasants alternated between stampeding towards the gate to find out the latest update from the airport representative and taking the time to party it up and have a good time.

Before long, every flight status on the "departures" screen had changed to "canceled" and our fate had been sealed.  We would be spending the night in Wenzhou.

Somehow the airline had deigned that the Chinese peasant group would stay at one hotel for the night, and our group would join the French group at another hotel.  We all sluggishly boarded a bus which would transport us to our destination a few miles from the hotel.  As we pulled away from the airport, it became clear that Wenzhou was definitely not a city that regularly hosted tourists.  Unlike our other stops, there were no downtown districts nor tourist attractions to observe as we drove through the town.

Ironically, each unexpected twist actually ended up making our evening a much greater experience.  After a week and a half of perfectly, meticulously planned schedules and itineraries, the spontaneity and mystery of the Wenzhou adventure was more than welcome.  The four star hotel we stayed at was a far cry from the Marriotts and Sheratons we had grown accustomed to, but there was something far more authentically Chinese about sleeping on rock-hard beds and using bathrooms splotched with brown stains than sleeping on plush queen-size beds and using bathrooms decked floor to ceiling with marble.

By the time we got to bed at 1:30 am, bereft of luggage and sleeping in the clothes we'd worn all day, there was a distinct sense of having been through something unexpected yet entirely welcome, as if we had brushed past the golden facade of "tourist China" and had a brief encounter with a small part of "real China."  As discomforting as the Chinese farmers' conduct had been, there was no denying that their behavior had been authentic and unfiltered, and had granted us insight into the culture of the average rural Chinese citizen.

And I'll take that any day, luggage-smacked head and all.

Lions and Dragons and Elephants

Our second day in Guilin took us to the Li River cruise, one of Guilin's most famous attractions.  From possibly the most immaculate dock lobby I've ever seen, we passed through a turnstile to the docks, presenting tickets to the attendant.  Our guide Chanel handed over the tickets for our entire group all at once, and since one local Chinese tourist slipped into our group, I, at the end of the line, was stopped by the attendant who was convinced I was a local Chinese tourist trying to join the foreigners' tour group.

Apparently it was our boat's maiden voyage, and our departure from the docks was accompanied by fireworks and fanfare.  Our initial glide down the Li River proved to be one of the most peaceful periods of the trip as our boat weaved through the waters, with majestic green mountains rising on either side.  Ultimately, the tranquility could not last forever, as a touring group of Canadian high schoolers filed out of the cabins and joined us on the decks.

lobby

The nine horses of Painted Hill were one of the major landmarks along the Li River Cruise, and legend has it that Bill Clinton claimed he could spot 18 horses imprinted on the mountain.

Nine horses

The Li River also appears on the back of the 20 yuan bill, as seen below.

After a few hours, we finally arrived in Yangshuo, a sleepy little town replete with cafes, canals, and cormorants.  It was here, after splitting off from the tour group and effectively untethering from the umbilical cord that was our group of foreigners, that I finally re-experienced the indelible feeling of utterly immersing oneself in a foreign land.  There's nothing quite like being surrounded by strange and new sights and sounds with nothing familiar or recognizable to retreat back to in order to remind one of the wonder the world can hold.

This experience was short-lived, however, as I found myself walking alongside a row of fast food chains filled with foreigners chatting about their afternoon plans.

From Yangshuo, we headed back to Guilin, where we were set loose to find our own dinner.  Trying to avoid succumbing to the familiar KFC in downtown Guilin, our family perused the street vendors' stalls and finally decided on the spicy fried chicken booth which seemed to be popular with the local college students.

Even though the fried chicken was delicious, especially when topped off with McDonalds soft serves, we came to later regret consuming the poultry on a stick after every member of the family came down with food poisoning.

The next morning we stopped at the Reed Flute Cave, full of natural rock formations and artificial fluorescent lighting.  At various points in the cave, our guide Chanel would entreat us to see the mother lion and her cub or caterpillar or old man watching his grandson- all of which were, of course, actually rock formations and required the eyes of one who has been trained in the art of cloud watching.  The lights certainly made for some very impressive displays, and there was even a light show with laser beams, flashing lights, and music in one large clearing in the cave.

After leaving the cave, we boarded the bus and made our way back to the Guilin airport, ready to move on to the long-awaited metropolis of Shanghai, but unaware of the surprise to be had en route.

The Deep South of China

Quote of the Day:
Recent Harvard grad my sister and I met in Shanghai:  Xian... that place was a hellhole.

While Xian may not have been quite as bad as our acquaintance made it out to be, our trip certainly took a turn for the better once we made it out to Guilin, a city in Southwestern Guangxi Province.  For one, temperatures in Guilin hovered around a pleasant 70°.  Guilin also boasted a thriving downtown area with arcades, malls, and food vendors, teeming with college students.  For the first time, it seemed, our hotel was located not in a historic or working class neighborhood, but in the midst of a more vibrant, modern scene.

The name "Guilin" （桂林）translates to "Osmanthus forest," an acknowledgment of the many osmanthus flowers lining Guilin's streets.  Our main reason for visiting Guilin, however, was not for the flora, but rather to hike the Dragon's Terrace Rice Fields in Longsheng, roughly two hours away from the Osmanthus forest.

On our way to the rice fields, we explored the mountainside city full of cafes and hostels, many of which prominently advertised their free wireless Internet.  PVC pipes wrapped in hollowed out bamboo tubes criss-crossed along the path, and locals went about their business washing clothes in the river and playing first person shooters on their computers.  Several local men offered a sedan chair service to carry tourists up the mountain in style, and several other locals strapped tourists' suitcases on their backs, carrying them down the mountain to make a living wage.

Apparently the locals had an interesting courtship ritual- if a guy liked a girl, he would step on her foot and if a girl liked a guy, she would slap his behind.  Luckily, there was a severe lack of butt-slapping in our tour group.

  Chinese depictions of Chinese people were so... non-stereotypical and non-racist

Unfortunately there were no dragons in the rice fields- the name "Dragon's backbone" actually comes from the rice field terraces along the hill which resemble a dragon's spine... and from the fact that Chinese culture dictates that if anything can be associated with a dragon it shall.

To refuel after the rice field hike, we had a lunch of Chinese food and French fries at the hotel on the hill before our third home tour.

 

In contrast to the hutong dwelling in Beijing and the cave home in Xian, the local residence in Longsheng was elevated high above the ground, allowing farm animals to reside in the space beneath the house.  Aside from an attic, nearly all of the rooms of the home were simply subdivisions of one large main room.  In the hallway was a shrine to the owner's ancestors, and in the kitchen, a roasted pig's head and grilled rats hung from the ceiling.  I was quite thankful for the French fry lunch. 

After our descent from the dragon's backbone and Longsheng, we stopped at a restaurant in Guilin where Hilary Clinton had taken part in a tea ceremony many years ago.  This restaurant had become famous for cooking every dish in tea, as well as for presenting food in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

  

Green tea jook

The servers presented dish after dish of tea-infused dishes and we ate and ate into the night, amidst the playing of the zither behind us and the raucous laughter of the Cantonese speaking table beside us.

The Religions of Xian

Xian's location at the terminus of the Silk Road resulted in it becoming a melting pot not only of cultures, but religions as well.

Xian religious site #1- Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

This pagoda, now part of a Buddhist monastery, had historically served as a repository for many ancient texts.  During the Cultural Revolution, however, most of these texts had been destroyed.  The seven-storied structure was also a popular site for parents to bring their children, as it was said that taking a child to the top of the pagoda would ensure them good scores on their exams.  Perhaps because of this, the pagoda leans slightly to the left, so unfortunately we didn't get to make the ascent to the top and instead spent the morning meandering around the courtyards and rooms surrounding the pagoda.

 Imitating the Chinese tourists

group photo

 

The structures surrounding the pagoda were being rebuilt according to their original plans, but in a sign of the times, these traditional buildings were occupied by Pizza Hut, Subway, and their ilk.

For lunch we stopped at a restaurant called "Ding Ding Xiang," which roughly translates to "best aroma."  It was the best Mexican food we had in China.  Even though Ding Ding Xiang purported to be a Chinese crepe restaurant, with flour and spinach crepes to wrap around grilled beef and chicken, the wraps there tasted as good as any fajita I've ever had!

Xian religious site #2- Great Mosque
Xian is also home to a sizable contingent of Hui Muslims, who largely reside in the Muslim Quarter, a district of the city bustling with food vendors, souvenir salesmen, and a variety of shops.

The Great Mosque of Xian merges a Chinese architectural style with the Muslim faith, and looked less like a mosque and more like a traditional Chinese settlement than anything.  A few men were praying in the main room of the mosque, which was a haven of tranquility amidst the bustle of the surrounding city.

 

Once we exited the mosque to the Muslim Quarter, it was time for Goal #4- find Jia San, a Xian landmark ostensibly serving the best xiao long baos in the city.  Sadly, it was not to be.  While my sister and mom went to bargain with the hello people, my dad and I ventured out to Jia San and ended up taking the long way and and going completely around it.

 According to Google Maps, after hotels the most common thing in this part of Xian is KFC

And thus, the comedy of errors continued.

Random China link:  Panda-Fertilized Tea