China Project 2007

The night cruise on the river was awesome....a beautiful night and a trip around the harbor with firecrackers and all. After the cruise, we stopped off at the Internet cafe...hard to find, it was on the second floor of a shopping mall where everything was closed. As we came out we got turned around and one of the group wanted to go outside and try to find our way back...I had to insist on finding the elevator and going out that exit...easy to find our hotel from there....each street looks like a maze with everything in Chinese and few English signs....gives you a new perspective on how it feels to foreigners in the US.

Our breakfast the next day was really good...eggs, fruit and a great variety. We went to the Shanghai Museum with the option to go also to the City Planning Museum. I could have spent another three hours in the Shanghai Museum, After the museum we went to the Yu Yuan gardens...another Scholar's Garden...then a bit of souvenier shopping and dinner at the hotel, It was at dinner that we gave out our "awards" to the group, "most adventurous,"" most inquisitive," etc....After dinner we were treated to anothe Chinese Acrobatic Performance....the contortions were unbelievable.....

Have left west China and headed back towards a more modern city...the city of Nanjing (approx. 6 million) was a whirlwind trip and I think we hit most of the highlights....We met with the city officials, the mayor and the director of education (among others).Then it was off to the war museum honorimg the Chinese military....we were unable to go to the Nanjing Holocaust museum because it was being remodeled...a disappointment to many of us after reading the book, The Rape of Nanjing. We then visited the only Pagoda that I have been inside of...it was located in the gardens at.....(will fill in later) and eight of us climbed to the top...about 13 flights....each row of steps was one step shorter as we climbed...starting with 39 and ending with 26...the view was spectacular..but the weather was awful and we were unable to see much past the fog....the humidity rivals Missouri and when we weren't being rained on, we were soaked with perspiration and eaten up by mosquitos....We spent the night in Nanjing  and then traveled to Sushou, the Venice of China....the weather was oppressive with 100 humidity, but the scholars gardens...The Lingering Garden and the Fisherman's garden were beautiful..... On to Shanghai on the bus.......the amount of construction and roads is unreal....Think Houston, doubled....the most fun was when the bus (a full sized greyhound) tried to back up a ramp because traffic was stopped....after a few minutes...traffic started moving again...and we were off....straight to the hotel in Shanghai and then, dinner....then off to a cruise of the harbor.....a very full day....more later....

We took a flight to Kashgar (it was only half full)and when we arrived at the airport, our plane was the only one. I really feel I am in a different world. After a good night's rest on a bed about like the floor, we got up and went to the local Sunday market. There are two, the livestock market and the city market and are both quite famous. The first pictue is the livestock market and the second the city market. Both were quite an experience.....

Urumqui is awesome...we have now moved to the Chinese Muslim world. In Urumqui we stayed in a 5-star hotel located across from the city center square. We spent just one night but will return to this hotel in three days....There were rose petals in the toliet and rubber duckies in the bath along with candy and a small teddy bear on our beds....This was also the first hotel that I have had enough room to do some yoga..We spent the evening at the square, communicating with the local people, watching children roller skate (inline skates), dancing by all ages, badmittion and  the movie Eight Below (in Chinese with Arabic subtitles) on the big outdoor screen, we went back to the hotel and packed a carryon for our three days in Turpan and Kashgar. We will spend two days in Turpan, drive back to the Airport in Urumqui (2 hours) and then off to Kashgar.  Our first stop was the Kasar Underground Aquifer system that has provided water to the region for at least 2000 years. It was very fascinating. We next visited a Mosque with a Minuret tower. The history and information has been tremendous.This Mosque was a traditional Mosque until the cultural revolution in China. During that time, all decorations inside the Mosque were removed and it is still plain terra cotta walls today. We left the Mosque and returned to our new hotel for lunch and then to our rooms.  I am typing this from Turpan.  Our hotel room looks like something out of Arabian Nights..of course I lost my black notebook at the Aquifer.....and Alim,our guide found it for me......hooray.....It has my life in it..I hope to get it back later today...Will post pictures later....Off to Kashgar next!!!

Later........."Dunhuang lies at the western end of the Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province in Northwest China, an oasis on the eastern edge of Taklimakan Desert. It is nourished by melted snow water from the Qilian Mountains. The ancient town used to  be an important stop-over point on the Silk Road. The name "Dunhuang" was given in the Han Dynasty. In Chinese "Dun" means grandness and " Huang" means prosperity. In the 2nd century B.C. Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty sent imperial envoy Zhang Qian to the Western Regions, opening up a trade route which was to be known as the "Silk Road" in history. The imperial court set up Dunhuang Prefecture in A.D. 111 and Dunhuang became a strategic town. Through this route Chinese culture and products, especially silk, were introduced to European and Middle East countries, and foreign culture and products such as Buddhism of India came to central China. Much of Buddhism is propagated through artistic forms, which were soon assimilated into the Chinese traditional culture. The result was that many Buddhist images were carved in caves in mountain cliffs along the Silk Road. Many of them have been well preserved. The best are those at Mogao in Dunhuang."  A little history lesson...unbelievable to see so much preserved so well....Needs to be the eighth wonder of the ancient world along with the Terra Cotta Warriors....At Mogao is the second largest Buddha in China...but it is the largest indoor Buddha in the world standing at 35 meters. After lunch and a rest (being the desert, everyone rests from 12-3, a custom I highly recommend) we went to the Yellow Sands or Mingsha desert...and the Crecent Moon Oasis. I rode the two-humped camel (much smaller than the one humped in Egypt) and climbed the sand dunes in the  Taklimakan desert. The view was spectacular...ala Lawrence of Arabia or Indiana Jones! I also slid down the dunes on a sand sled...great fun.....fast ride!! Looks like National Geographic...and there was a photographer at the top waiting for the light of the sunset while we were there. Next stop on the Silk Road is Urumqui....then Turpin ...then Kashgar!!

Spending the night on the train was an experience...I had fun but not much sleep.....we arrived in Xi'an the next morning..met our guide, Rose, and off to the hotel that is located inside the city wall...Xi'an is the only city with a complete city wall in China. It is also the home of the Terra Cotta Warriors. We first went to the factory to see how the warriors were constructed and then to the Museum and actual site. We ate lunch in the Friendship Restaurant and then went to the three pits that have been excavated. From what they have found and what they know about the dynasty and  Qin emporer, they know that they have only uncovered about  1/3 of what is there...After leaving the museum, we stopped at another burial site of the Emperor and his wife.This was the most unusual museum, it was completely underground and we walked on glass and viewed the remains in the pits below our feet...very unique and so very authentic...we then returned to the hotel and went to Dinner Theatre ...The Ming Dynasty Theatre where we watched a reenactment of the history of the dynasty. After the performance we boarded a plane for Dunhuang (and the starting point of the silk road. This is the city that was the meeting point or center of the Silk Road..) When we arrived at the airport in Dunhuang, ours was the only plane...and it looked like we were landing in the desert....not far off...we were on the edge.... more later....

Leaving  Beijing University after a week was much more difficult than I thought. We made many friends and had the most awesome lectures on Chinese Ethnic groups, Calligraphy and Chinese History as well as Tai Chi lessons and many sightseeing tours of historical interest. We also were treated to the Chinese acrobats and the Beijing opera. Our farewell banquet was held in the palace of the Ming emperor and was absolutely incredible.  No time to post pictures but will later. We then boarded a train for Xi'an at 8 p.m. and arrive the next morning at 8:30...off again.....

The part of the Great Wall I climbed in Beijing is just a very small part of the wall. When I got to the top, I was told to look north and we could see Mongolia...we were very high up and the could see distant hills (mountains). Will try to upload some pictures but that is proving more difficult than I thought..The second picture is the view of the wall. The third picture is of  the other two women from our group  that made it to the top and myself.. Only seven out of our group of twenty took the plunge and went all the way to the top!!

Before leaving Beijing, we visited a Daoist Temple and a Tibetian Buddhist Temple, with the largest Buddha in the world carved from a single piece of sandlewood.It was over 900 meters high..and unfortunately I was unable to take a photo...but the last photo is of the temple itself.

There are three things that you need to do in China to experience it and assure that you will return. One is to climb the Great Wall, number 2 is to have Peking Duck and three is to see the Chinese Opera....I have managed all three....On June 21, I climbed to the top of the Great Wall. Only seven from our group made the trek all the way....We are now the "Magnificent Seven" and it took an exhausting two hours to make it all the way.... The weather was great and so was getting to the top....It took an hour and fifteen minutes to get up to the top and then...another 45 minutes to return.....and it was straight down....hope to be able to add pictures soon....

Before I left St.Louis, I had problems...Two of us in the group had a different departing flight than the rest of the group!! I was to leave at 7:05 instead of 7:45....What a shock...I had to really hurry through securtiy to get to my flight on time...and I thought my passport went missing in all the hustle!! I did find it in my bag and was able to get through an off to the gate on time!...Then, of course, the flight was delayed and we ended up leaving 15 minutes after the rest of the group's flight. In Chicago, we lucked out and ended up just two gates from our connecting flight to Tokyo. After arriving in Tokyo we had a four hour layover and spent the time roaming around the airport and playing UNO....Then 3 1/2  hours more to Beijing. We were picked up in the airport and carried our bags to the bus....where  we had another 30 minute drive to the campus. We are staying in the "guest house" at Beijing University...and it is about like a three star hotel. Nice enough accomodations. Our first morning we met with Professor Zhang (Jong) and were welcomed to the  University. Our first outing was to the Summer Palace where we walked the Long Corridor and saw the Marble Boat. We also got to ride on a dragon boat and go to the 17 Arches bridge. This  Palace was designed by the Empress Quix(will look up for exact) and it is said that any couple that walks the corridor together will be in love by the end. ( It is 2700 feet long) We also went into the Temple of Longevity and Happiness. We returned to the campus for dinner and then off to bed to recover from the 30 hours of flight time...On the 21st we arose early for a Taoi Chi Lesson, went to the Jade Factory, the 13 Ming Tombs, Lunch and then the trip to the Great Wall... More later...I am out of time!!