Entries tagged with china

Current Mood: contemplative

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After Words about China

Dad asked me, a while back, to actually write something about how I felt about going to China. Not just the things we saw, the history that was there, or what it was we did, but how it made me feel.

I'll admit that I've kind of avoided doing that, at first because the whole whirlwind trip was pretty overwhelming, and we've had a really busy time of it since. But there's a lot more to it than that, and a huge chunk of it is tied with the fact that when most Americans meet me, they ask me, "Where are you from?" And I always answer, "Well, I was born in Ohio."

The rest of my reluctance lies with the the fact that my feelings, my emotions mostly stem from value judgments. Mine are obviously different than theirs. And I know that that doesn't make them any better than theirs. Still, I'm so abjectly grateful for what I have here, for the values and mores and focus of the people here compared to there that it moves my most fundamental emotions, that I can't help but know that, for me, the U.S is so much better for me.

( Cut to save friends' lists from a lot of thoughts. )

Current Mood: accomplished

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china,
travel

The Whole China Trip

Here's the whole of the trip to China in 2013, from preparations to getting home and some of the aftermath as well. I'm getting the individual entries off my sticky post, so thought they'd do well in a bunch here.

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Shanghai -- Last Day and Getting Home - June 2 and 3rd

Our very last day in China was in Shanghai. The hotel was in this middling area where it was within very close driving distance to the shopping districts, but there wasn't all that much that was withing walking distance.

I got up pretty late, had a leisurely breakfast, and Dad and John had something of a plan to go see some lake or another and or just walk through town. We got everything packed, but kept the luggage for once, since we were going to have to bring it with us when we met up with Jevons afternoon. I wasn't sure how far I'd be able to go, but decided that I wanted to try it instead of just sitting in the hotel room on our last day.

It was a little bittersweet in ways, as we'd done so much in so little time, and had explored so many things; but I was also completely worn out between the illness, doing all the travel, and simply having to deal with all the strange things here. Still, the morning was clear compared to the previous days, and we only had to get back to the hotel in time for our flight.

( Read more... )

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Suzhou, the Humble Administrator's Garden, and the Last Dinner in Shanghai - June 1, 2013

Suzhou is just West of and a little north of Shanghai, and it's on the Grand Canal, an enormous canal that was built all the way from Beijing, and was used by an emperor or another to do the Grand Inspection, a euphemism for Tax Collection. It's beautiful, though thinking about the fact that it was all dug by hand with what was essentially slave labor, it isn't that surprising that it was one of the reasons why that particular Dynasty didn't last more than a few years.

The city is also the site for one of the largest and oldest private gardens now owned by the Government. The Humble Administrator's Garden is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was originally built in the Shaoxing period (1131-1162) of the Southern Song Dynasty, but in 1513 CE Wang Xiancheng, who was an Imperial Envoy and a poet of the Ming Dynasty, took it over and created a garden when he was retired by the Emperor from Imperial life. In Chinese, the name of the garden was The Stupid Administrator's Garden, given in a fit of bitterness at being discarded by the Emperor. The gentler name was given through a well-meaning translation. I kind of like the original better.

It was an extra trip out to Suzhou, and we paid a fee to do it in addition to the rest of the tour. The only alternative was to go shopping in Shanghai or lie in my bed in the hotel. I was so sick at this point I couldn't really speak, but I'd been looking forward to this for much of the trip, ever since I found out that the Humble Administrator's Garden was the one the Portland garden was modeled against. I really wanted to see the original, and so we went.

( Read more... )

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Entry tags:

china,
travel

Shanghai -- Art Museum, Silk, City God Mall and Garden, Jet's Chop, and Acrobats, May 31

I woke up unable to speak because of my throat. I was tired, but felt mostly lucid. I was also absolutely determined to be able to go on the extra trip on the first, the next day, as we'd paid extra for it, and I really wanted to see the Garden out in Suzhou.

I knew that there was going to be a lot involved today, so was careful about where I spent my energy. It helped that the breakfast buffet in Shanghai was one of the best that we'd seen up to that point. One of Jet's favorites at this stop were the baked buns topped with roh soong (a slow cooked pork that was cooked until it fell completely apart and even further until it dried to crumbles of sweet/salty porky goodness) and butter. There were also three kind of rice porridge, including a pumpkin one that I fell in love with. They also had fresh longan and three kinds of croissants along with paper-wrapped muffins of all kinds.

I did realize that I was beginning to long for American food, but it might have been as much a comfort thing because I was sick as anything.

Everyone was very nice to me, too, which was wonderful. I really have to say that I enjoyed our traveling companions, and the beauty of this new city before us.

( All over Shanghai.... )

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china,
travel

Guilin -- Tea and the Reed Flute Caves -- May 30

I woke up feeling really awful on this morning, and while I went to breakfast with the boys, I was coughing like crazy. There had been no sneezing, whatsoever, but my lungs were not happy with me. We didn't have to get our luggage together for pick up until 10, and the group wasn't leaving the hotel until 10:50, so the boys had planned for a morning walk after breakfast along the river.

I told them that I'd go a short way with them, but that I really needed more time in bed than time outside. I'm glad I did it, but even happier that they got some time to wander the city. It's a beautiful city, and runs far more at the pace I love than the BIG ones, I think... still... I got a little time to look around before going back to collapse on my pillows...

( Cut for pictures and the usual spill of prose... )

Entry tags:

china,
travel

Guilin River Tour and Evening Shopping-- May 30

Guilin was the smallest of the cities we were visiting, with "only" 700,000 people, and according to Lily and Jevons, it's pretty much a village out in the middle of no where, in comparison. It's quite close to Vietnam, and the sultry weather matches. The city has very distinct limits on the buildings, making sure that there were no high rises to cut off the views of the mountains. And there were mountains everywhere... all of limestone and all carved into karst formations that are covered with trees and tropical growth. They are quite reminiscent of Vietnam's landscape.

Our hotel was right by the Li River, in the heart of their shopping district. It had rained the day before, so profusely that the temperatures had dropped to something in the high 70's and low 80's when, usually, by the end of May, their temperatures are in the 90's. Sadly, the change in location didn't help my asthma, which really started to act up. Luckily, though, the overcast stayed around and made the river cruise quite comfortable.

( The river cruise and evening shopping... )

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china,
travel

Xi'an -- Wild Goose Pagoda (Sanzo), the City Wall, and Getting to Guilin

The next morning dawned wet and drizzly, and we had to go through the routine of packing up all our suitcases early enough for the bellboys to get it all and pack it up to go to the airport. Our flight to Guilin was an evening flight, and we had the Wild Goose Pagoda and a visit to a jade store and climbing the Xi'an City Wall all scheduled for the day.

It surprised me to learn that the Wild Goose Pagoda was actually the home monastery of Xuanzang, or Triptaka, also known in Japanese as Sanzo. *laughs* Yes, you Saiyuki fans might get to see some of the history behind the monk who went on the Journey to the West.

( Pictures and some unexpected Buddhas... )

Entry tags:

china,
travel

Xi'an -- Terracotta Warriors and Tang Dynasty Performers - May 27

The breakfast buffet in Xi'an was so long and so spread out that we took an extra fifteen minutes for breakfast. *laughs* I had a pumpkin congee, fresh longan fruit still in their shells (and peeled and bitten they looked just like the dragon's eye they were named for), an almond croissants, and one of the fruit yogurt cups that were designed for straws, not spoons. I was impressed to see sushi, grilled fish, various dishes, hot soy milk, and tofu gnar (tofu brains... *laughs* it's a very soft custard made from tofu that's good sweet or salty).

As I was walking through, I heard one of our European friends exclaim, "Thank God they have museli! Prepared, even!" It had been pre-mixed with milk and served appropriately.

So we were well-fed and onto the bus to see one of the great wonders of China, the Terracotta Warriors.

( Read more... )

Entry tags:

china,
travel

The Temple of Heaven and Getting to Xi'an - May 26

We got up, had our amazing buffet breakfast, and headed to the publishers next door the minute the porters had taken all our bags.

It turned out to be a place called The Commercial Press which has been around since 1897 and focuses mostly on textbooks, references, and educational materials. Dad had a friend who always frequents the Shanghai branch of the house, and says that the brings a suitcase just for all the books he finds there. *laughs*

We didn't do quite so much shopping, but we did find some treasures, including a bunch of good calligraphy books for me to use as examples, and several books for learning how to write Chinese for Jet. Dad found a few calligraphy books for himself, as well, so we were pretty happy when we met up with everyone in the lobby.

( A bounty of books, the park and the Temple of Heaven, riches found at the Beijing Airport, and a little of the millenium long history of Xi'an. )

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Beijing - Ming Tombs, the Great Wall, and Beijing Duck - May 25

Okay, I found this cool quick reference for all the Chinese Dynasties on Wikipedia. The best is that there's a graphical representation near the bottom of the page as well as the table at the top. Most people don't actually start listing these until the Qin Dynasty (the sixth one down) because they don't actually consider all of China united until the Qin Emperor (for all that it only lasted 15 years because of his excesses, obsession with immortality, and having a son whose sense of entitlement was way beyond his means of influence).

The Ming Dynasty was the one just before the last Qing Dynasty, and overlapped contact with European powers. Most of the dynasties that lasted several centuries did well by art, literature, and the whole country made all kinds of progress because of their stability and treatment of the people in China. There were seventeen Emperors of this Dynasty and thirteen of them were buried, with their concubines and wives and one eunuch, in one valley. in 2003, they were designated as another of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

While some efforts on the Great Wall were started way back in the Qin Dynasty, the majority of the effort to create the vast network of communication, military coordination, and safety that was the Wall was done during the Ming Dynasty.

Just overall context for this day's explorations.

( Cut for the usual plethora of pictures and adventure notes! )

Entry tags:

china,
travel

Beijing -- Forbidden City and the Summer Palace - May 24

The morning began with a wake-up call at 7:30, we were supposed to meet up with everyone by 9, and Hawk had told us about the 9 am meeting in the lobby, but hadn't told us there would be a wake-up call. Luckily, it coincided with John's alarm going off, though it startled the heck out of us. It gave us plenty of time, however, to contemplate the wonders of the Crowne Plaza's breakfast buffet.

( The wonders of breakfast, the historical musings on Tienamen Square and the Forbidden City, and the mythical dimensions of the Summer Palace and its grounds. )

Current Mood: happy
Current Location: Beijing, China

Entry tags:

china,
travel

Travel and First Day in Beijing -- May 21, 22, and 23

We picked Jet up from school, with his backpack and everything, and headed for DIA. We'd already planned it that way, even to packing his lunch in a disposable bag for once. He was happy, content with being out of school a little early, and we were all pretty relaxed.

DIA was as efficient as ever, the cheap parking shuttles rumbling by regularly, and we made it with plenty of time to spare as our flight was leaving a little late. It seemed like any other flight, until we got our luggage tags.

( Cut for pictures and omg length... )

Entry tags:

china,
travel

Getting to China -- Preparations

The trip to China started over the Thanksgiving break of 2012. I'd been wanting to go to China for a while, but I hadn't had a good reason to push the time table until my Dad showed some interest in going with us. And it was good that we put that much time into the preparations because there was quite a bit that had to be done.

( The 101 Preparations. )