This is a report of my trip to China with 10 of my cohousing neighbors, plus 10 of their family and friends. We went on the 12-day "Historic China" tour with China Focus Travel and were very happy with it. There were 33 people on the tour: the 20 of us plus some other folks we met and got to know.
Click on the photos to see a larger version, or go here to see a slideshow that includes these photos plus a few more, including almost every meal we ate. Throughout the text below I've added links to Wikipedia for more information about particular topics.
Day 1: We're Off!
Early morning Thursday June 14 and we're on our way. 10 of us from PHCH. Some of the group wanted to walk (suitcases rolling behind them) from home to the BART station. Others (including me because I wasn't feeling so great that day) opted to get a ride. Here's Emily waving goodbye.
Day 2: Beijing
We arrived in Beijing and met our guide Han who would be with us for the whole trip. We got to know him quite well and he was wonderful - so knowledgeable, patient with all our questions, took really good care of us, was open about his life. We hope he'll come visit and bring his wife and young adult daughter.
Beijing is the capital of China. It has a population of 13.5 million (compare to NYC which is 8.2 million, or LA with 3.8 million). It used to be called "Peking" by Westerners. Some first impressions of Beijing: It's a BIG city, lots of traffic, sky very gray, the air smells bad. Highrises everywhere, some old and run down, others new or in process. Construction everywhere. The buildings in the middle photo below are actually tilted...that's not an illusion! There is a moat around the city which has green parks and trees alongside it. The expressway is one of the old "ring roads" that used to be the wall protecting the city. We stayed at the Jiangxi Hotel, outside the city. (Note, this is one way China Focus keeps the tour price so low - we stayed in hotels that were not in the central city so were less expensive.)
More about Beijing on Wikipedia>>
Day 3: Breakfast
(This pretty much applies to all our breakfasts.) Our hotel had a buffet breakfast with both Chinese and Western food. I was determined to eat totally Chinese for the whole trip.
Later on, towards the end of the trip, I did veer over into Western food a bit and I ate some hard boiled eggs and some toast. (Full disclosure: I'm not counting the trailmix and Luna bars that I brought with me and occasionally snacked on!)
Day 3 morning: Summer Palace
After breakfast we met our Beijing city guide, Tony, and took a bus to the Summer Palace on Kunming Lake. This was a really beautiful spot, a "playground" for the emperors and empresses to escape the summer heat in the Forbidden City. We took one of these dragon boats (middle photo) across the lake and viewed the famous Marble Boat, built by the Empress Dowager Cixi circa 1888 with funds that were supposed to be used to modernize the navy.
Then we walked back around the lake alongside a lovely colonnade. There is beautiful art everywhere you look....amazing!
Day 3 afternoon: Tian'amen Square and Forbidden City
First photo is the Zhengyangmen Gate ("front gate) at the south end of Tian'amen Square (which by the way is huge!). In the middle is a photo of all of us in front of the Gate of Heavenly Peace, entrance to the Forbidden City, at the opposite end of the Square. The photo on the right shows the picture of Chairman Mao that looks out over the Square. The picture is replaced every year or so. The writing on either side of it reads: (on the left) "Long Live the People's Republic of China" and (on the right) "Long Live the Union of the People of the World." Our guide Tony was always quoting Chairman Mao. For example, "Father is close, Mother is close, but neither is as close as Chairman Mao." and "You can't make a true hero unless you climb the Wall."
More about Tian'amen Square>>
Inside the Forbidden City: Big courtyards, many buildings, too much to see everything in the short time we had.
More about the Forbidden City>>
Day 4 morning: The Great Wall
Today we take a bus to the Great Wall. But on the way (of course) a shopping opportunity! The Jade Market. Lots of very beautiful jewelry and artworks. I bought a necklace - agate not jade. It takes an experienced eye to know what is good jade (hint: the darkest green is usually NOT the best quality).
The Great Wall is in many sections. We went to the one closest to Beijing, called Juyongguan (I think that's right?). It was very crowded. Emily and some of the other kids (and Marian and Harry, others) went all the way to the pagoda at the top of the mountain. I did not. I went to the 2nd tower and then back down which was enough for my knees. It was pretty cool, though, to imagine all the people who have walked on those steps. The Great Wall covers about 4,000 miles, the world's longest human-made structure. It was begun in the 5th century but took many years and emperors to finish.
More about the Great Wall >>
Storytime: The long chain in the photo below is made up of padlocks. People come to the Great Wall to get married and they add a lock to the chain to ensure their marriage will be solid and never come apart.
On the way back to Beijing, we drove by the site for the 2008 Olympics. Massive construction going on. We saw in process the "birds nest" National Stadium building and the "bubble" swim building. Here are some pix I found on the web showing what it WILL look like when done.
More about 2008 Olympics>>
More about 2008 Olympics>>
Day 4 afternoon: Hutong area - Old Beijing
We had a special guide for the Hutong area of Beijing, Nathan. He's a historian and feels strongly that the old areas should be preserved. He took us there and, after having seen mostly modern buildings, it was surprising to turn the corner and see a completely different part of the city with a canal and trees and old buildings. This is what China must have looked like to the first Westerners who came here.
We walked for awhile and then took a pedicab (middle photo is me and Sue) through the alleyways. We then visited a private home (Mr. & Mrs. Lu) and spent some time learning about their life. Unfortunately I didn't get any good photos of the home which I suspect was nicer than most of the homes in the area, but you can see what the courtyard looked like (last photo).
More about the hutong>>
Day 5 morning - Temple of Heaven
Went to the Temple of Heaven park and later the temple. The park was really cool. Lots of people out doing things such as ballroom dancing (first photo shows Barbara & Ted joining in) and a variety of Tai Chi done with a ball and racket (middle photo) which looks a lot easier than it is (I know because I tried. We bought a set of rackets and balls and Isaac got pretty good at it). Inside the colonnade, people were playing cards, singing, knitting, playing instruments, all very friendly and peaceful. Really fun and a nice scene.
Then we walked through the park to the temple area. This was a very important place; it's where the Emperor (the son of heaven) would offer sacrifices to the god of heaven. The main building, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (last photo), is notable for being built without a single nail.
More about the Temple of Heaven>>
Day 5 afternoon - to Ji'nan
After lunch, we went to the train station, said goodbye to Tony, and boarded the train for Ji'nan. Nice train, very clean, we were in first class. When we arrived in Ji'nan, Han said the hotel had a special welcome for us. Apparently they don't get a lot of tours. But it's the home of the travel company and they greeted us with a band! Ji'nan is in Shandong province. It'is a "small city" (Han said) - population 2.8 million.
Day 6 morning - Ji'nan springs and Yellow River
Ji'nan is known for its springs. We visited an area where people come to collect water. It was very relaxed, lots of folks just hanging around. Decided it was a good opportunity for a cohousing group photo (last photo).
Next we stopped at a park to see the Yellow River. As always there was someone selling paintings and other trinkets - the photo on the right shows the bronze statue that caught my eye. He's part lion, horse, bird, snake and is decorated with red stones. I was told he is one of the 9 dragon sons, maybe called "Shaleen" but I can't find any info about him. If you do, please let me know. (Note that in China dragons are good, whereas in Western literature they tend to be bad.)
Day 6 afternoon - Tai'an
Travelled by bus to Tai'an which took most of the morning. After lunch we had time to walk through the local market which had an astonishing variety of things for sale! The first photo is lotus root which we had for dinner the previous night - kind of crispy and yummy. There were sacks of spices that you would recognize (red pepper, star anise), and a million kinds of eggs! Those long skinny "fish" in the last photo are eels.
In the "art-is-everywhere" category, check out this streetlight shaped like Chinese Knotting.Had some free time later in the afternoon and some of us (not me) had a massage at a place recommended by Han. Marian and I went to the big department store down the street which looked very much like a Macy's except there were SO many salespeople! We found a bargain bin and Marian bought a couple of things. That was an adventure...it took several steps and help from a couple of salespeople to figure out how to pay for the items. No English. Very involved process.
But the really big discovery of the day was the restroom at the restaurant next door to the massage place. Note that it's a squat-type which we'd gotten used to. BUT it was immaculately clean and there was incense burning! What a great idea!
Day 7 morning: Tai'shan Mountain and the Zoo
This was the day we were going to climb the mountain, Tai'shan. Looked out the window and it was raining! Found out the cable car which we had planned to take partway up was not running because of the weather. BUT it all turned out fine. We bought cheap rain ponchos from a couple of conveniently-situated vendors (i.e., crowding up to us as we got on the bus!). We figured we'd walk as far as we could. We trudged along through the rain. It was beautiful, green, smelled good. (We saw marijuana plants growing wild.) The walk was a gentle slope with steps every now and then. We kept going until we were soaked and decided to turn around and head back. Stopped at a Buddhist temple and paid our respects.
Then, slight change of plan. Han said we were near the zoo so we walked there to see the tigers. At first I was worried about whether the zoo would be awful (I don't generally like zoos because I hate to see the animals all caged up) but actually it was much better than I expected. The tigers have a lot of space to roam around and seem well cared for. And it was thrilling to see them because you can get VERY CLOSE. Basically there is just a fence and a ditch between you and them. The zoo staff took the opportunity of our visit to feed the tigers and that was a sight to see. The last photo doesn't do it justice but we were so close we could see down his huge throat! Beautiful animals, much bigger than I imagined. The white one is a Bengal(?) tiger. The orange ones are Siberian(?). (I might have it backwards. Does anyone know?)
Day 7 afternoon: Massage
After lunch we had free time. Now I was ready for that massage especially since it had been so highly recommended by others in the group. The place is quite different from a "spa" where you get a massage in the US. For one thing, they put several people in one room. Katy, Barbara and I were together. There was a TV but it wasn't turned on.
You sit in a comfortable chair, all clothes on, and a young woman (one for each of us) comes in to work on you. This Chinese-style massage was a new experience. It's more vigorous - they pound you and rub hard. I think the idea is to get the energy (called "chi" pronounced chee) to move.
One thing I never had before: they heat these glass cups by holding them upside down and setting fire to something inside. Then they put the cups on the bottom of your feet and as the heat dissipates (it's quite warm but not painful, just a little scary at first!) it creates STRONG suction and you really feel it and it's a strange sensation. I think the idea is that it's supposed to pull bad energy out of your body. Interesting. I liked it.
After the massage, Katy, Barbara and I went next door to the little restaurant with the nice bathroom (these are the things that become important when travelling!) and visited the facilities and also had an iced tea. Barbara had some kind of icey thing that looked like a mountain!
Day 8 morning: Qufu Confucius temple and mansion
Bus ride to Qufu (pronounced "Choo foo"), home of Confucius. Confucius lived around 500BC but his influence on Chinese culture is still felt strongly today. At the time he was alive, the country was transitioning from a system based on slavery to a feudal system. There was lots of conflict with different kingdoms fighting for control. Confucius emphasized the importance of stable social relationships and government. Not all emperors liked him because he didn't support the idea of an all-powerful emperor. He felt that leaders should be chosen based on merit. He encouraged people to study and think for themselves.
More about Confucius>>
Met our city guide, Mei, and toured the temple. The photos below show the entrance to the temple (middle photo), and the city wall. ... Below that is a photo of one of the dragon sons - this one is Bixi whose special talent is he is good at carrying things. Here he carries a tablet. ... The columns of the temple are carved with dragons. Each one was done by a different artist as part of a competition by the Emperor to see which one was best. ... The red things on the board are little blocks that people buy and write a wish on. Some of them said, "I hope I do well on my exams" - things like that. (Yes, there were a few of them in English.)
Storytime: "Tyranny is fiercer than the Tiger." (can someone remind me how this story went?)
Day 8 afternoon: Qufu market and cemetery
After lunch we had some free time to walk around Qufu. Several of us went to see the local market.
Then we drove to the Confucius cemetery which is a huge forested park. Storytime: The bridge in the picture below goes over a river that was not always there. When Confucius was alive, he chose this place to be buried because Tai'shan mountain was to the north and thus the spot had good feng shui. However, after he died, the Emperior ___ (?) who did not like Confucius and wanted to mess with him, created the river in-between Confucius' grave and the mountain, to break the feng shui. What a guy...
As we left, we had to once again walk through the gauntlet of shopping opportunities. At least in this one the sellers were in their stalls instead of grabbing at our elbows!
Tonight we take the overnight train to Shanghai.
Day 9: Shanghai Bund, Museum, Acrobats
Arrived in Shanghai. I was wiped out from not much sleep - there were smokers next door and the smoke came into our compartment. Impressions of Shanghai: very humid (we are clammy and dripping), huge highrises, traffic very bad, interesting architecture especially for the new buildings, lots of contrasts of old and new, construction everywhere.
Met our city guide, Ally (she said, for Ally McBeal!) and drove to The Bund, the famous riverfront area. Lovely old Western style buildings along the Puxi (west) side of the river (the Huangpu). The opposite side which you can see in the photo of me below is called Pudong (means east side of river) and it's totally modern with hundreds of skyscrapers. (Note, though we did not see blue sky the whole time we were in China (because of the haze from air pollution), it's not quite as bad as this photo which was taken on a misty day.)
Then a visit to the impressive Shanghai Museum which has amazing collections of everything from minority group costumes to furniture to porcelain etc. Then back to the hotel for rest and a shower and then a fabulous show by the Shanghai Acrobats.
More about Shanghai>>
Day 10: Suzhou Garden, Silk Factory, Canals
Took a bus to Suzhou, about an hour away from Shanghai. Suzhou is in Jiangsu Province, population 1.7 million. Suzhou is known by Westerners as the "Venice of the Orient" (so, then, from China's point of view, Venice is the "Suzhou of the West", right? was one the model for the other? or did they develop independently? anyone know? ). The city is also known for its many beautiful gardens. We visited the Garden of the Fishing Net Master which was lovely. While there, we had a shopping opportunity(!) to buy beautiful artwork including wood cuts and paintings. I bought, direct from the artist, a small painting for about $12 US.
Then to the Silk Factory (Suzhou is also known for its silk) where Ally (her hometown is Suzhou) gave us an interesting introduction to how silk is made. Then we walked through the factory to see all the steps and the equipment. Finally to the store (Oh! another shopping opportunity!) where they had beautiful quilts and covers for sale. In particular, the silk quilt came highly recommended as a lightweight summer blanket. It's made from the "double" cocoons which have 2 worms inside and thus 2 threads which cannot be separated to make silk thread. So instead the coccoons are left whole, softened, flattened and then pulled apart to make a large thin piece of fabric, very thin. Imagine if you pulled a cotton ball apart but you could do it evenly. (see photo below). 40 layers make up a quilt! (I bought one and I love it. This was my big splurge of the trip. $65US for a quilt plus $80US for a silk/cotton cover)
Later we went on a boat ride on the canals through the older parts of Suzhou. (and guess what, more shopping opportunities on the boat! tiger balm, decks of playing cards, cute hats - all so cheap you just have to buy a few items.)
Went back to Shanghai and had dinner at a restaurant owned by a minority group of which there are many in China. This group is called the Dai and they are from Yunnan Province. The food was good, a little different but I can't remember exactly how. They did a dance performance - it looked similar to the hula.
Went back to Shanghai and had dinner at a restaurant owned by a minority group of which there are many in China. This group is called the Dai and they are from Yunnan Province. The food was good, a little different but I can't remember exactly how. They did a dance performance - it looked similar to the hula.
Day 11 morning: Old Shanghai
Our last morning. Went to the old area of Shanghai. Last shopping opportunity. Han led me and Marian through alleyways and many twists and turns to this place (middle photo) where we bought 27 knockoff Olympic t-shirts for all the coho kids and Emily's track team. I think the guy was in shock because we were buying so many t-shirts -- he had to send someone off to get more! M & I bargained hard and got a reasonable deal (16,000 yuan down to 600 for all of them - about $3 each) although in hindsight we probably could have done better - this bargaining thing is just not in our American psyche. After shopping we went to a tea house and had a demo of a tea ceremony which is a very involved ritual with many many steps including washing the leaves and warming the little cups between our hands as you can see in the photo below.
Day 11 afternoon: Nanjing Road, Urban Planning Center, French Concession
Afternoon was free time and we all went separate ways. I tagged along with Marian and Harry. We were tired of sitting in the bus and we wanted to WALK. So we did, from The Bund to Nanjing Road (famous shopping district) which is a lovely, wide tree-lined pedestrian area. Saw the ubiquitous MacDonalds. Checked out the chopstick store (sells only chopsticks - some very fancy, made of nice wood, etc.).
Then we visited the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre. I had no idea what to expect...I was just following Marian. But what a surprise! Wonderful photos comparing old and new views of areas of the city. And a huge scale model of what Shanghai will look like in 2020 - it took up an entire floor (see photo). There was also a very cool exhibit called "Virtual Shanghai", a computer-generated 360-degree flyover of the (future?) city - like a ride in Disneyland.After that we were tired so we took a cab (using a note written by Ally with the Chinese characters for where we wanted to go) to the French Concession, one of the European sections of the city, which looks very much like Paris. Had a beer, found the restaurant Ally had recommended called Luna which had Western food, walked around. Met up with several of the group and had dinner. Steak and pasta and cheese and all the things that are not Chinese cuisine that we had been missing! Yum Yum.
After dinner, Elaine, Katy, Paul and I went on a river ride to see the lights of the city. It was a bit of an adventure finding it (no note from Ally), but eventually we found the place, along The Bund, and were escorted to a room where we were supposed to wait. There were other people there so we were pretty sure we were in the right place. But the surprise came when we all were led out of the room, down the walk, away from the water, and onto a BUS. What? Are we being kidnapped? No, of course not, but it was very strange. The bus went quite a long way down The Bund and finally arrived at the dock where we boarded the boat and had a nice ride. It was especially good to be on the water because there was a slight breeze - a welcome relief after the hot and humid day.
First photo below is the Puxi (old) side of the river. The other photo is the Pudong side with all the new buildings. This building is a TV tower, a very distinctive part of the skyline. Here, at night with all the lights, I think it looks like a rocket or some space-age thing.
Day 12: Fly Home
Left Shanghai early morning. Said tearful goodbyes to Han at the airport. Endured a L-O-N-G (16 hour) flight. Photo at right shows what the teenaged girls (Clinna, Gretchen & Emily) did to pass the time! Myself, I watched 4 movies, walked around, and dozed a bit. Finally we got home and it was good. Some of us went out for pizza. Took a few days to get over the jet lag (15 hour time difference) but I would do the trip again in a minute. I loved it.
People ask me what my favorite part of the trip was. It's so hard to say. But if I had to pick one thing it would be all the beautiful art. Everywhere you look there was so much color and texture. The paintings, sculptures, architecture. The markets full of such variety of items. It's a very visual place. I also loved being there with a group of friends. That really added to the experience. I look forward to reminiscing about all the things we saw and did.
It was a fabulous experience. I will definitely go back to China again. Bye for now.
*** THE END ***
P.S. Here are 3 photos that I like that did not fit anywhere. First one is little jello thingees at the Wu Mart next to our hotel in Shanghai. Middle one is ceiling detail from the colonnade in the Summer Palace. Last one is close-up of ancient weapons at the Great Wall.
P.P.S. Some Chinese phrases we learned:
Ni Hao - Hello
Zai Jien - Good bye
Xia Xia (shee-a shee-a) - Thank you
Hao - good
Bu Hao - not good
Ding Ding Hao - very good
Ma Ma Hu Hu - so-so
Bu ya shay shay - No thanks, I don't want it.
Now it really is THE END. Zai Jien!
Ni Hao - Hello
Zai Jien - Good bye
Xia Xia (shee-a shee-a) - Thank you
Hao - good
Bu Hao - not good
Ding Ding Hao - very good
Ma Ma Hu Hu - so-so
Bu ya shay shay - No thanks, I don't want it.
Now it really is THE END. Zai Jien!
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