Wonder Stones Museum, Sunday, November 23
After a week of drizzle and cold damp, we were grateful to see the sun on Sunday. Mark wanted to check out the Wonder Stones Museum. He had picked up a single-page brochure on it, all in Chinese except for the name. He showed the brochure and its map to Joe, who succeeded in finding it after about an hour. It’s located in a suburb fairly far to the west, one where the traffic hasn’t yet caught up with the broad avenues, though with the number of construction cranes we saw around, I imagine that it will be quite congested within a year. The plaza where the museum is located also appears to be in the process of being assembled. There is a broad open area that is almost empty, surrounded by small stores. The shops that were open were selling carved stone souvenirs, art stones (rocks with interesting shapes or colors on a carved wooden stand), and a few crystals. I should say they have these items for sale, for the only transactions we saw going on were the rock vendors buying from the food vendors. Along the boundary of the plaza there were perhaps 20 large rock masses, most of them 10-12’ stalactites, that looked as if they had recently been set into place.
The museum itself was in a former exhibition hall; signs were still up for an international orchid festival that had taken place there a year or two back. The museum was set up to look as if we were walking through a cave. Unfortunately, this meant that the entire museum was cold and dark, and most of the glass cases were not well lit. The one room which had a few specimens that Mark was moderately interested in was the darkest of all. The museum exited into a large, well-lit showroom with art rocks for sale. Many of these were massive pieces of stone set on carved wooden or concrete bases. The prices were given in wan (1 wan = 10,000 yuan = $1,500). Mark and I looked briefly, but they were not pieces he was remotely interested in, at any price.
We won’t go back, but Mark was glad that we went, if only to check it off our list.
On the way back home, we had Joe let us out at the art and antiquities market near Dufu cottage. Mark had seen a beryl crystal there when we had gone on our long river walk in September. He found the vendor, and the crystal was still there. He was able to bargain the piece down from 80 to 40 yuan, easily enough that he no doubt still overpaid, but it wasn’t enough to quibble about. By this time we knew enough Chinese (barely) to ask where the rock came from. The vendor borrowed our dictionary, paged through it a bit, but couldn’t find what she wanted, so she wrote down in Mark’s notebook “Fu Lan” in pinyin. We would have preferred the Chinese characters, but we figured we could look it up.
In the evenings I’ve been reading Shark Fin Soup and Sichuan Pepper by Fucshia Dunlop, an English woman who studied in Chengdu in 1994 and eventually became the first Westerner to attend the Sichuan Higher Institute of Cuisine. Her first year she lived in the foreign student’s building at the university, which I can see across the river from my study window. On Sunday evening I read her discussion of the Sichuan dialect, which mixes up tones and L’s with N’s and Y’s with F’s, so that the neighboring province of Yunnan becomes “Fulan”. So we found our mystery location without even trying!
On Monday I went with a group of six other women to a restaurant supply store in the south part of the city. It had three stories of cookware and dishes, reasonably priced and made to withstand heavy use. I bought a thermos coffee pitcher, some glasses, and some spice containers. Afterwards, we ate a nice restaurant on the “Walking Street” of the Hi-Tech zone at the south end of town. I had never been to this are before; one of the English language grade-schools is located in this area, so there are a fair number of expats who live nearby. We had a huge lunch (30 yuan a piece) with many wonderful dishes, and had a good time talking together. Several of the women who went, including I’leen, who organized it, have been in Chengdu for several years and are fluent in Chinese, so it made for interesting conversation.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
A social week, November 16-21
North Lake, Sunday, November 16
Mark had been intrigued by North Park, a large green area in the northeast corner of our city map. Since it was a nice day, it seemed like a good time to check out another park. As with other parks, we found that the boundaries shown on the map did not reflect reality. There is indeed a large lake with some public walkways around it, but all the area outside of the road around the lake is privately owned - mostly open air restaurants, with a few hotel/resorts. Lots of people were there - couples or families with young children, eating, strolling, or enjoying the various amusements: paddleboats, horserides, amusement rides, or feeding the fish. In one section of the lake there were hundreds of large carp, in glistening gold, black, orange, and white, that were all struggling for a prime feeding spot next to the wall. Those in the rear would push those in front out of the water. The beached fish would then turn around and "swim" over the backs of the other fish until it could get back into the water, then start again in its quest for a prime feeding spot.
The areas with pedestrian paths were not bad for walking, but there were too many spots where we had to share the road with cars and vendors. It was a relatively pleasant experience, but not one we're anxious to repeat.
Getting an ayi, Monday, November 17
I had thought at first that I could function here quite well on my own. After all, it's just the two of us, the apartment isn't that big, and I'm learning the ins and outs of shopping and cooking in China. However, when I started having to deal with mildew in the kitchen cupboards and multiple design problems in the master bedroom bathroom (unsealed granite floor, shower stall with many nooks and crannies to collect moisture, and drains which are too high in elevation), I decided I could use some reinforcements. I put out the word to Robyn's driver, Feng (who speaks excellent English) that I would like someone who could work two days a week. On Monday morning he introduced me to Sisi, a pleasant 28-year-old who speaks basic English. Her only concern is that she has to leave by 4:00p.m. - to bicycle back to pick her 2-year-old son up from school. I ended up offering her 80 yuan per each 7-hour day (about $12). It still seems awfully low to me for getting my floors cleans, my clothes washed and ironed, lunch cooked, kitchen and bathroom cleaned, etc., but it's twice what she asked for and slightly higher than the going daily rate for a full-time ayi. I just hope that it's sufficiently within the bellcurve so that I'm not setting things up for future difficulties.
We spent part of that first morning going shopping at Carrefour for cleaning supplies and some vegetables. Since I was home for lunch, Sis fixed us some two nicely-seasoned vegetable dishes and some rice. It was a pleasant day - though I don't always plan on being around for the full day of cleaning.
Wholesale Market Area, Tuesday, November 18
This was the first time that my Robyn and I have gotten together for an outing. In the six weeks that we've been neighbors, I've seen her mainly in passing in the hallway, with three kids, two ayis, and a good-sized dog in tow. This morning Robyn wanted to take me to the Lotus market - a large whole-sale area on the north side of town when they "sell everything." We decided to take along both drivers: my driver Joe to drive, and her drive Feng to translate. We started off on a street with shop after shop of fabric. Some specialized in men's suiting, others in plain and plaid woolens, or silks and brocades, or a mixture of fake furs, acrylics, and dress-up fabrics. There were shops with buttons and belts and trims of all sortsm, and even a Christmas shop filled with garish paper and plastic decorations.
We then passed through an area of hotel supplies - uniforms, dishes, large red welcome mats, and formal bedcovers. Another block was taken up by shoes, including an entire closed area with dozens of little shops selling nothing but women's boots.
Robyn and I ate lunch is a small restaurant on a side street, along with our two drivers. We had a wonderful meal with cabbage dishes, green beans, soup, and mounds of rice, all for a pittance. Some of my favorite meals in China so far have been in such places where no attention is paid to the decor, but the chef is an artist.
After lunch we wandered some more. Robyn found a little umbrella shop which can custom make an awning for her roof garden. We wandered through a large building with stalls of scarves, hair assessories, and purses, then through a good-sized meat and produce market. Robyn then took me to another fabric area, which she had visited on a previous trip, because it had the fabric she wished to buy. While she negotiated with the vendor, I wandered through dozens of small stalls. Many of the women vendors were knitting or doing cross-stitch. Some of the men were eating or playing cards. One man was curled up in a nest of his merchandise for a mid-afternoon nap. So far, in any such areas I've visited, I've seen very little commerce taking place other than the buying and consumption of hot food, prepared in stalls on the outskirts of this area and then delivered. It seems to me that most of these vendors make a very meagre living.
Women's luncheon, Wednesday, November 19
The trouble with pot-luck lunches here is that I'm still having difficulty preparing dishes that are suitable for sharing with a larger audience. I have yet to buy flour or butter or leavening of any kind; if filo dough and feta are available here in Chengdu - for my formerly favorite company dish of spanakopita - they probably cost more than I'm willing to pay. I woke up with a hankering to try an egg, broccoli, bread chunks, and cheese recipe I used to make in the States. Never mind that I didn't actually have a copy of the recipe, the eggs are much smaller (and the yolks much more orange) than in the U.S., the only cheese I had was a Velveeta clone, and I still haven't mastered the complexities of the convection oven. The result looked rather flat and dry compared with the original conception, but it ended up tasting OK.
By 11:15 I was off with my casserole and some cut-up watermelon to first pick up Marianthe from the Shangri-La, then to go to China Gardens. Beth's home shares an entrance garden area with Wanda's and Doki's, so it was easy to find. Her original houseplan is the same as their's as well, but the kitchen has been considerably enlarged, with a wonderful window overlooking the front garden. I must admit to feeling a bit of kitchen envy! We had a good time talking with the other women, and the food was quite good (though I was thankful that most of my egg dish got eaten - here, cheese in any form is a luxury.)
I had thought at first that I could function here quite well on my own. After all, it's just the two of us, the apartment isn't that big, and I'm learning the ins and outs of shopping and cooking in China. However, when I started having to deal with mildew in the kitchen cupboards and multiple design problems in the master bedroom bathroom (unsealed granite floor, shower stall with many nooks and crannies to collect moisture, and drains which are too high in elevation), I decided I could use some reinforcements. I put out the word to Robyn's driver, Feng (who speaks excellent English) that I would like someone who could work two days a week. On Monday morning he introduced me to Sisi, a pleasant 28-year-old who speaks basic English. Her only concern is that she has to leave by 4:00p.m. - to bicycle back to pick her 2-year-old son up from school. I ended up offering her 80 yuan per each 7-hour day (about $12). It still seems awfully low to me for getting my floors cleans, my clothes washed and ironed, lunch cooked, kitchen and bathroom cleaned, etc., but it's twice what she asked for and slightly higher than the going daily rate for a full-time ayi. I just hope that it's sufficiently within the bellcurve so that I'm not setting things up for future difficulties.
We spent part of that first morning going shopping at Carrefour for cleaning supplies and some vegetables. Since I was home for lunch, Sis fixed us some two nicely-seasoned vegetable dishes and some rice. It was a pleasant day - though I don't always plan on being around for the full day of cleaning.
Wholesale Market Area, Tuesday, November 18
This was the first time that my Robyn and I have gotten together for an outing. In the six weeks that we've been neighbors, I've seen her mainly in passing in the hallway, with three kids, two ayis, and a good-sized dog in tow. This morning Robyn wanted to take me to the Lotus market - a large whole-sale area on the north side of town when they "sell everything." We decided to take along both drivers: my driver Joe to drive, and her drive Feng to translate. We started off on a street with shop after shop of fabric. Some specialized in men's suiting, others in plain and plaid woolens, or silks and brocades, or a mixture of fake furs, acrylics, and dress-up fabrics. There were shops with buttons and belts and trims of all sortsm, and even a Christmas shop filled with garish paper and plastic decorations.
We then passed through an area of hotel supplies - uniforms, dishes, large red welcome mats, and formal bedcovers. Another block was taken up by shoes, including an entire closed area with dozens of little shops selling nothing but women's boots.
Robyn and I ate lunch is a small restaurant on a side street, along with our two drivers. We had a wonderful meal with cabbage dishes, green beans, soup, and mounds of rice, all for a pittance. Some of my favorite meals in China so far have been in such places where no attention is paid to the decor, but the chef is an artist.
After lunch we wandered some more. Robyn found a little umbrella shop which can custom make an awning for her roof garden. We wandered through a large building with stalls of scarves, hair assessories, and purses, then through a good-sized meat and produce market. Robyn then took me to another fabric area, which she had visited on a previous trip, because it had the fabric she wished to buy. While she negotiated with the vendor, I wandered through dozens of small stalls. Many of the women vendors were knitting or doing cross-stitch. Some of the men were eating or playing cards. One man was curled up in a nest of his merchandise for a mid-afternoon nap. So far, in any such areas I've visited, I've seen very little commerce taking place other than the buying and consumption of hot food, prepared in stalls on the outskirts of this area and then delivered. It seems to me that most of these vendors make a very meagre living.
Women's luncheon, Wednesday, November 19
The trouble with pot-luck lunches here is that I'm still having difficulty preparing dishes that are suitable for sharing with a larger audience. I have yet to buy flour or butter or leavening of any kind; if filo dough and feta are available here in Chengdu - for my formerly favorite company dish of spanakopita - they probably cost more than I'm willing to pay. I woke up with a hankering to try an egg, broccoli, bread chunks, and cheese recipe I used to make in the States. Never mind that I didn't actually have a copy of the recipe, the eggs are much smaller (and the yolks much more orange) than in the U.S., the only cheese I had was a Velveeta clone, and I still haven't mastered the complexities of the convection oven. The result looked rather flat and dry compared with the original conception, but it ended up tasting OK.
By 11:15 I was off with my casserole and some cut-up watermelon to first pick up Marianthe from the Shangri-La, then to go to China Gardens. Beth's home shares an entrance garden area with Wanda's and Doki's, so it was easy to find. Her original houseplan is the same as their's as well, but the kitchen has been considerably enlarged, with a wonderful window overlooking the front garden. I must admit to feeling a bit of kitchen envy! We had a good time talking with the other women, and the food was quite good (though I was thankful that most of my egg dish got eaten - here, cheese in any form is a luxury.)
Marianthe and I then went back to the silk street area, where she had commissioned a tailor to make her a brocade jacket. It had been a bit of a gamble; she knew nothing about the tailor and they didn't speak any common language, but her communication skills must have been adequate. The red brocade jacket with black trim fit her perfectly and was very flattering. We then had Joe drop us off in the shopping district near Wenhu Temple to revisit an embroidery shop she had seen on a previous visit. The embroidery for which Chengdu is famous uses silk thread to "paint" a textured picture on a translucent background. Goldfish and panda bears are two of most common subjects; others feature flowers or landscapes. The pricier ones are stretched in a wooden frame with a geometric design carved into its border.
Sanxingdui, Friday, November 21
On Friday I had arranged to go on an outing with my friends Marya and Marianthe. Our destination was the Sanxingdui museum, located in a town about 40 km north of Chengdu. It took us about 1 1/2 hours to get there, most of that time just to get out of Chengdu. This new museum has been built on the major archeological site for the Shu culture, which predated the Chinese. Most of the artifacts are of stone or bronze, with a few pieces in gold.
Entrance price is 82 yuan - about $12 - but we decided that it was well worth it. The extensive grounds are beautifully landscaped. There are two separate museums, one for stone and the other for bronze. Although the overall lighting in both museums is minimal, each piece is well lit and presented so that you can see it from multiple angles, often with mirrors to help. For the stone pieces, especially those with extensive designwork, the back wall shows a large-scale
drawing of the object and its ornamentation. I especially liked some of the bird designs. The Shu culture revered trees; among the objects in the stone museum were some "money trees" and other tree structures that may have been used as altars. There are still a lot of questions about the Shu culture. The bilingual signs help put things in perspective by showing maps of the sites, dates of excavation, and similar objects found elsewhere around the world.
Sanxingdui, Friday, November 21
On Friday I had arranged to go on an outing with my friends Marya and Marianthe. Our destination was the Sanxingdui museum, located in a town about 40 km north of Chengdu. It took us about 1 1/2 hours to get there, most of that time just to get out of Chengdu. This new museum has been built on the major archeological site for the Shu culture, which predated the Chinese. Most of the artifacts are of stone or bronze, with a few pieces in gold.
Entrance price is 82 yuan - about $12 - but we decided that it was well worth it. The extensive grounds are beautifully landscaped. There are two separate museums, one for stone and the other for bronze. Although the overall lighting in both museums is minimal, each piece is well lit and presented so that you can see it from multiple angles, often with mirrors to help. For the stone pieces, especially those with extensive designwork, the back wall shows a large-scale
drawing of the object and its ornamentation. I especially liked some of the bird designs. The Shu culture revered trees; among the objects in the stone museum were some "money trees" and other tree structures that may have been used as altars. There are still a lot of questions about the Shu culture. The bilingual signs help put things in perspective by showing maps of the sites, dates of excavation, and similar objects found elsewhere around the world.
The highlight of the bronze gallery is a series of spectacular masks. A couple of them are perhaps three feet in diameter with eyeballs that stick out perhaps 20" on rods. Most of them are slightly larger than a human head, many similar but with different personality quirks. Mirrors show the plaited queue etched onto the back. A couple of the masks have a partial covering of gold on them.
A rotunda houses a massive model of a stylized tree with birds on its limbs. With this and a few other models where we did not see the actual piece, I was not sure whether the models were to scale or were much larger than life. They were certainly commanding in the size in which they were presented.
Outside on the grounds is an altar with a replica of perhaps the most famous piece on top of it - a Gumby-like figure with elbows out and arms in a position to hold something (there are circular holes formed by both hands to allow something to be placed in them. At this point, the hands hold an Olympic torch from the recent games.
By the time we had finished viewing the museums, three hours had passed and we were hungry. Joe drove us back to the city of Guanghan, then drove around until he found a suitable restaurant - one that was still fairly crowded, although it was well past the normal lunch hour. We asked him to order for us as well, and got a huge spread, including an artistic platter of Mu Shu Duck, soft wedges of pumpkin encircling a mound of sticky rice, tofu balls that looked like large marshmallows covered in an orange sauce, greens, and turkey neck soup. We invited him to eat with us, but he got out his pocket translator and came up with the translation "I ate." (This translation has a small square where he can write Chinese characters, which are then interpreted and translated. It doesn't work so well with more complex ideas. The day before, he wrote me a message that came out as "Iraq's China's ocean of vine." )
On the way out of Guanghan, we came across a stone fortress with a pagoda at the top. Intrigued, we asked Joe to stop so we could view it. The plaque on its side told us that this is Fanghu Park, which includes part of the original
city walls. For 3 yuan apiece, we entered through the archway, climbed to the top to look out over the city, then walked through the park, which has several tea gardens, a playground, and a small amusement park with bumper cars.
That evening, Mark and I went out for hot pot with Colin and Marianthe, and Kun Hua, a colleague of Mark's whom we have known since the 1980s, who is also assigned to the same project. As none of us is that familiar with the city, we asked Joe to find us a place. He first took us to the No. 1 place in the city, but people were waiting outside to get in, and it was drizzling, so we weren't interested. He then took us to another spot, this time calling ahead to make a reservation for a private room. When we arrived at the restaurant, Joe came in briefly to give us his discount card - he eats there often. We got off to a bad start. Colin can't eat onions, and Kun Hua hates fish; the hot pot which was brought to us - half mild (broth) and half spicy (oil) had a whole fish in it and onions floating on the top, so we started over with similar broth sans the offending ingredients. After that things went well. We had a couple of plates of thin rolls of raw lamb, and marinated beef to cook in the hot pot, followed by slices of potatoes and radish (large and mild), some greens, and tofu. We each had a bowl with perhaps an inch of oil, to which we could add vinegar, cilantro, and other condiments. We were supposed to dip each piece in this (after it had cooked in the spicy oil) to "cool" it down.
The food was moderately good, and we enjoyed the company, but both Mark and I agree that hotpot is a lot of work for food that isn't nearly as good as most prepared dishes.
A rotunda houses a massive model of a stylized tree with birds on its limbs. With this and a few other models where we did not see the actual piece, I was not sure whether the models were to scale or were much larger than life. They were certainly commanding in the size in which they were presented.
Outside on the grounds is an altar with a replica of perhaps the most famous piece on top of it - a Gumby-like figure with elbows out and arms in a position to hold something (there are circular holes formed by both hands to allow something to be placed in them. At this point, the hands hold an Olympic torch from the recent games.
By the time we had finished viewing the museums, three hours had passed and we were hungry. Joe drove us back to the city of Guanghan, then drove around until he found a suitable restaurant - one that was still fairly crowded, although it was well past the normal lunch hour. We asked him to order for us as well, and got a huge spread, including an artistic platter of Mu Shu Duck, soft wedges of pumpkin encircling a mound of sticky rice, tofu balls that looked like large marshmallows covered in an orange sauce, greens, and turkey neck soup. We invited him to eat with us, but he got out his pocket translator and came up with the translation "I ate." (This translation has a small square where he can write Chinese characters, which are then interpreted and translated. It doesn't work so well with more complex ideas. The day before, he wrote me a message that came out as "Iraq's China's ocean of vine." )
On the way out of Guanghan, we came across a stone fortress with a pagoda at the top. Intrigued, we asked Joe to stop so we could view it. The plaque on its side told us that this is Fanghu Park, which includes part of the original
city walls. For 3 yuan apiece, we entered through the archway, climbed to the top to look out over the city, then walked through the park, which has several tea gardens, a playground, and a small amusement park with bumper cars.That evening, Mark and I went out for hot pot with Colin and Marianthe, and Kun Hua, a colleague of Mark's whom we have known since the 1980s, who is also assigned to the same project. As none of us is that familiar with the city, we asked Joe to find us a place. He first took us to the No. 1 place in the city, but people were waiting outside to get in, and it was drizzling, so we weren't interested. He then took us to another spot, this time calling ahead to make a reservation for a private room. When we arrived at the restaurant, Joe came in briefly to give us his discount card - he eats there often. We got off to a bad start. Colin can't eat onions, and Kun Hua hates fish; the hot pot which was brought to us - half mild (broth) and half spicy (oil) had a whole fish in it and onions floating on the top, so we started over with similar broth sans the offending ingredients. After that things went well. We had a couple of plates of thin rolls of raw lamb, and marinated beef to cook in the hot pot, followed by slices of potatoes and radish (large and mild), some greens, and tofu. We each had a bowl with perhaps an inch of oil, to which we could add vinegar, cilantro, and other condiments. We were supposed to dip each piece in this (after it had cooked in the spicy oil) to "cool" it down.
The food was moderately good, and we enjoyed the company, but both Mark and I agree that hotpot is a lot of work for food that isn't nearly as good as most prepared dishes.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Around Town, November 10-14
On Monday and Tuesday, the electricity in our apartment complex was out for annual maintenance from 7:00a.m. - 8:00p.m., so I made plans to be elsewhere. On Monday morning I picked up Marianthe, who is in Chengdu for a three-week visit (her husband Colin is a consultant who works with Mark), and Wanda, to visit the Shu Brocade Museum. Wanda discovered a charming restaurant/ coffee house next to the museum, where we had coffee afterward. (Not too many places here serve coffee; they tend to be the more upscale places with upscale coffees.) We then drove to "Silk Street". This street is one of the listings in the Taxi book I was given in our relocation package - a listing of places by type and by name in English and Chinese. We found a single shop selling silk there which had bolts of cloth, silk scarves, and long Pashmina scarves (55% Pashmina, 45% silk). I had noticed these scarves for sale elsewhere; they are made in China, but not locally. They are pretty and quite cheap, so I bought several.
We found a nice-looking restaurant on the same street. Wanda and Marianthe know even less Chinese than I do, but we managed to get a fairly satisfying meal - lots of food, which cost us less than the coffees we had drunk earlier. We then walked around, exploring the other stores on the street, before calling it a day.
That evening Mark and I met Kun Hua and his wife Grace for supper. Mark had worked with Kun Hua 25 years ago in Denver. I had never met Grace before, but found her very gracious and easy to talk with. Since Kun Hua and Grace are new to town (they are house-hunting, and will be moving to Chengdu in January) and Mark and I don't have a great repertoire of restaurants, we took them to our old stand-by, the "$5" restaurant near the Shangri-La. With Kun Hua's help, we ordered a much more satisfying set of dishes than we usually get. All in all, we had a good time together - and the lights were on by the time we got back home.
On Tuesday I went to Wanda's, laptop in hand, to show our pictures of Guizhou to our friend Marya. It was the first time I had seen Wanda's pictures - it was fun to relive our trip without the hours on the windy roads and all the kleenex. Wanda's pictures have better color and look sharper than mine. I don't know how much is the quality of the pictures and how much is the quality of our computers - hers has better resolution. We were joined in the process by two other friends, Pat and Doki (Doki has just moved in next door to Wanda). It was close to noon by the time we finished viewing our pictures. Marya had to leave, but the rest of us went out for lunch. We walked out of China Gardens by a back gate and walked a short ways to a restaurant featuring noodles and dumplings. I ordered noodles, which came in a large bowl of soup. They were filling and tasted fine, but it was not one of my more memorable meals. We then walked a ways on Tongzilin Street, which has many shops which cater to an expatriate clientele. Wanda pointed out a video store which has some American movies. I asked if they were rentals; she said that they all for sale, most of them for 5 yuan each - less than $1. Next to the front gate of China Gardens (Wanda's entrance - there are multiple entrances) is a building with a woman standing in front wearing a Korean dress. We went in to see what was there (Pat lived in Korea for a while and is fond of Korean food). There is an upscale restaurant on the fourth floor, then a fancy spa for women on the 3rd. I don't know what a single visit costs, but from what I could make out in the brochure, annual membership is upwards of $4,000.
On Wednesday, our shipment arrived. A crew of four brought up our boxes, carried them to the designated rooms, then opened and unpacked them for me. They put together the table, bookcase, and keyboard we had brought. The whole process took about three hours. It was nice to be reunited with our things, especially our winter clothes, as it has turned colder here. (I know many of you don't consider the low 50s to be particularly cold, but it's a very damp sort of cold.)
Thursday was a bit of a circus in the apartment, as I had my Chinese lesson, a workman installed new lights in the kitchen and bathroom, another one "repaired" the TV and yet another came to work on the house phones. Anthony, our relocation representative was here coordinating everything. I must admit that it is a tad bit annoying to be told by a cocky twenty-something male to "be careful" walking down the stairs and when standing on the ladder to clean the air-conditioner filters. We tried out the phones after the phone man left; the one downstairs still didn't ring. Anthony didn't know what to do, so he took both phones with him to "check them out". Granted, we haven't used the phones at all, but they are the only way we have so far to call out of the country. We have the software to set up Skype, which will give us cheaper access to calling the U.S., but we don't have it set up yet.
On Friday I met Marianthe again to do some more exploring. Our first stop was the bookstore at the Sichuan Art Museum, where we browsed for about an hour. Our next stop was the Science and Technology Museum. We saw a large group of students coming out of the museum, with their red and white school jackets, but the entrance was locked and there was no one at the ticket office. The man sitting at the open exit door told us (I think) that the museum was closed until tomorrow.
Marianthe then suggested that we go to Wenshu, a large Buddhist temple on the north side of the city. It was a good choice. The large, park-like grounds were pleasant to walk through. There were monks and other tourists there; enough to make the place seem alive, but not too crowded. We ate lunch at a large vegetarian restaurant within the temple. (It was cold enough that we were glad to get indoors for a while). The menu was in both Chinese and English. We ordered spicy eggplant (very good), mushroom dumplings (ok), and a lotusroot and seaweed soup. The latter came in a large bowl; we both had several helpings, but barely made a dent in it. It wasn't bad, but not something I'd order again. Meanwhile, we drank lots of hot tea and had a good talk.
There is a several block area around the temple with all manner of tourist shops and stalls, so we wandered around looking at what there was to offer. Most of the shops are in old-style buildings, though I think the buildings themselves are probably quite new. After an hour or so of exploring, we were ready to find someplace warm to sit for a while. We were looking for a tea house, but came instead on a modern coffee house, where we ordered cappucino and a latte. They came with glasses of hot water with lemon, which we sipped after the coffee was gone, as we talked on and on, about families, politics, aging, etc. It amused us that the bill for the two coffees (44 yuan) was more than the bill for lunch (40 yuan). The basics here can be very cheap, but luxuries can be expensive.
We found a nice-looking restaurant on the same street. Wanda and Marianthe know even less Chinese than I do, but we managed to get a fairly satisfying meal - lots of food, which cost us less than the coffees we had drunk earlier. We then walked around, exploring the other stores on the street, before calling it a day.
That evening Mark and I met Kun Hua and his wife Grace for supper. Mark had worked with Kun Hua 25 years ago in Denver. I had never met Grace before, but found her very gracious and easy to talk with. Since Kun Hua and Grace are new to town (they are house-hunting, and will be moving to Chengdu in January) and Mark and I don't have a great repertoire of restaurants, we took them to our old stand-by, the "$5" restaurant near the Shangri-La. With Kun Hua's help, we ordered a much more satisfying set of dishes than we usually get. All in all, we had a good time together - and the lights were on by the time we got back home.
On Tuesday I went to Wanda's, laptop in hand, to show our pictures of Guizhou to our friend Marya. It was the first time I had seen Wanda's pictures - it was fun to relive our trip without the hours on the windy roads and all the kleenex. Wanda's pictures have better color and look sharper than mine. I don't know how much is the quality of the pictures and how much is the quality of our computers - hers has better resolution. We were joined in the process by two other friends, Pat and Doki (Doki has just moved in next door to Wanda). It was close to noon by the time we finished viewing our pictures. Marya had to leave, but the rest of us went out for lunch. We walked out of China Gardens by a back gate and walked a short ways to a restaurant featuring noodles and dumplings. I ordered noodles, which came in a large bowl of soup. They were filling and tasted fine, but it was not one of my more memorable meals. We then walked a ways on Tongzilin Street, which has many shops which cater to an expatriate clientele. Wanda pointed out a video store which has some American movies. I asked if they were rentals; she said that they all for sale, most of them for 5 yuan each - less than $1. Next to the front gate of China Gardens (Wanda's entrance - there are multiple entrances) is a building with a woman standing in front wearing a Korean dress. We went in to see what was there (Pat lived in Korea for a while and is fond of Korean food). There is an upscale restaurant on the fourth floor, then a fancy spa for women on the 3rd. I don't know what a single visit costs, but from what I could make out in the brochure, annual membership is upwards of $4,000.
On Wednesday, our shipment arrived. A crew of four brought up our boxes, carried them to the designated rooms, then opened and unpacked them for me. They put together the table, bookcase, and keyboard we had brought. The whole process took about three hours. It was nice to be reunited with our things, especially our winter clothes, as it has turned colder here. (I know many of you don't consider the low 50s to be particularly cold, but it's a very damp sort of cold.)
Thursday was a bit of a circus in the apartment, as I had my Chinese lesson, a workman installed new lights in the kitchen and bathroom, another one "repaired" the TV and yet another came to work on the house phones. Anthony, our relocation representative was here coordinating everything. I must admit that it is a tad bit annoying to be told by a cocky twenty-something male to "be careful" walking down the stairs and when standing on the ladder to clean the air-conditioner filters. We tried out the phones after the phone man left; the one downstairs still didn't ring. Anthony didn't know what to do, so he took both phones with him to "check them out". Granted, we haven't used the phones at all, but they are the only way we have so far to call out of the country. We have the software to set up Skype, which will give us cheaper access to calling the U.S., but we don't have it set up yet.
On Friday I met Marianthe again to do some more exploring. Our first stop was the bookstore at the Sichuan Art Museum, where we browsed for about an hour. Our next stop was the Science and Technology Museum. We saw a large group of students coming out of the museum, with their red and white school jackets, but the entrance was locked and there was no one at the ticket office. The man sitting at the open exit door told us (I think) that the museum was closed until tomorrow.
Marianthe then suggested that we go to Wenshu, a large Buddhist temple on the north side of the city. It was a good choice. The large, park-like grounds were pleasant to walk through. There were monks and other tourists there; enough to make the place seem alive, but not too crowded. We ate lunch at a large vegetarian restaurant within the temple. (It was cold enough that we were glad to get indoors for a while). The menu was in both Chinese and English. We ordered spicy eggplant (very good), mushroom dumplings (ok), and a lotusroot and seaweed soup. The latter came in a large bowl; we both had several helpings, but barely made a dent in it. It wasn't bad, but not something I'd order again. Meanwhile, we drank lots of hot tea and had a good talk.
There is a several block area around the temple with all manner of tourist shops and stalls, so we wandered around looking at what there was to offer. Most of the shops are in old-style buildings, though I think the buildings themselves are probably quite new. After an hour or so of exploring, we were ready to find someplace warm to sit for a while. We were looking for a tea house, but came instead on a modern coffee house, where we ordered cappucino and a latte. They came with glasses of hot water with lemon, which we sipped after the coffee was gone, as we talked on and on, about families, politics, aging, etc. It amused us that the bill for the two coffees (44 yuan) was more than the bill for lunch (40 yuan). The basics here can be very cheap, but luxuries can be expensive.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Dazhou, Xiling Mountain, November 6-9
Dazhou, November 6-7
After my trip to Guizhou, my everyday life in Chengdu seems a bit mundane to write about. I've been working on my Chinese, getting together with friends, cooking, and working a bit on the apartment. For the most part they've been pleasant, moderately productive days.
Last Thursday and Friday I had to take a trip to Dazhou, a city of 6 million about a 5-hour drive to the east, in order to complete my resident's visa. Northeast Sichuan is the part that seems to have been left out of all the guidebooks. Dazhou itself is known for its coal, sulfur, and gas production, which did not seem overly propitious for tourism. On-line I learned about an artificial dead sea which has recently been created along the way, the focal point of a new resort, but swimming in November isn't really my thing. Wanda had offered to go along with me, which would have livened things up considerably, but her passport is still off being processed for her own visa, so she would not have been able to check into the hotel.
They weren't the greatest two days I've spent here, but they went very smoothly. There is a new expressway connecting Chengdu with Dazhou, so the ride was smooth, and there were plenty of clean rest stops. To the west of Dazhou we drove through a hilly agricultural area that is quite attractive. Dazhou itself is right at the edge of the foothills. I was given a business suite at the hotel - a bit of an overkill for one person, with two rooms, two bathrooms, and two TVs. It had windows overlooking two sides of a broad intersection. Compared with Chengdu, the traffic was light and leisurely.
The next morning I was met by two bi-lingual women who would be helping to process my visa. There was another family there from Mark's company for the same reason - a young couple with an 11-month-old son. We were taken to the immigration office, a one-room office along a narrow street filled mainly with small clothing stores. The unfortuante clerk who had to process our applications seemed unfamiliar with English letters, so our two helpers had to stand over him for two hours to get our four applications completed. (Except for the 10 seconds it took to have my picture taken, my presence there was completely extraneous.) Then it was back in the car and another five hours back to Chengdu.
Xiling Mountain, November 9
Mark planned an expedition for us to the ski resort side of Xiling Mountain. We left our apartment at 7:30, at which hour [on a Sunday] we were able to get out of town fairly quickly. It was slightly after 9:30 when we reached the official entrance to the resort, about 12 kilometers beyond the nearest town. At this point it consists of two large parking lots, the ticket office, the WC (clean but definitely not Western), an empty tourist information center, a police station, and the cable car building. There is a hotel under construction and other places being prepared for future buildings. There is a row of vendors offering coats to rent, corn on the cobb and a potato kebab, nuts, and various dry foods and little tourist items, but there is no place to have something hot to drink or to get out of the weather.
The road to the hotels and ski lifts is closed, but it appears undamaged. (Mark thinks that it may be closed until the ski season officially opens.) The one way up to the high flat area housing the ski resort is a cable car. We bought tickets for both cable cars - the one up to the ski resort, and the one from the ski resort to the top of the mountain. The two tickets cost a total of 98 yuan - about $15. The combined price listed on tickets was 240 yuan per person, but that price seems to be for the ski season when the ski lift is included.
The first cable car ride took about 18 minutes, straight up the mountain. The car was roomy - it could easily hold six people, and it was clean, although the windows were sufficiently scratched up that we had to contort ourselves somewhat to appreciate the view. The top of the cable car is located off by itself; there was a bus there to take us along a road to the main resort area. This area has at least three large new resort-hotels; I'm not sure that any of them are open yet. we were let off at an area near the cable car to the upper part of the mountain. From there we could see a pedestrian road up to the top of a grassy slope, where kids could ride tobaggons down on the grass. There is a ski lift to the top of some bunny slopes. It also serves for the top of the longest water slide I have ever seen. This being November, it was closed, but I imagine that the water must be rather cold even in the summer.
The cable cars for the upper lift are large enough for two people max. Since they don't slow down completely for getting on and off, it can be a bit of a scramble. I was thankful for the assistant helping us in the process on either end. Mark and I made it into the car all right, but the assistant was unable to close the door, so Mark had a clear view down to the ground - until the fog became dense enough that it was difficult to see that far. About 10 minutes into this ride we came to another cable station. Since our car was defective, the assistant had us hop out of it and into the next one. I was glad for the door on the next part, since the ride went on for 40 minutes, during much of which it was foggy enough that we could barely see the car in front of us. The tops of ghostly evergreens would loom off to the side of us. I was wearing a sweater, jacket, and raincoat, and was glad for all my layers.
The upper cable car station was off by itself, with a long stairway leading up to a plaza area on top of the ridge. A sign offered various services: accomodations (a two-story building nearby looked like it might have rooms, but probably no heat nor electricity), porters if you would rather be carried than walk, hot tea, food, and local souvenirs. There was one food vendor who was doing a brisk business. Mark bought us some lamb sate. The other offerings appeared to be roasted corn on the cob on a stick, and peeled new potatoes on a stick (then fried).
The posted map showed a circular path. Going to the right took us along the ridge. In about 15 minutes we reached the Yin-Yang divide, so named because on clear days you have a clear view on one side (yang) and fog on the other (yin - hidden). On this day there was no yang, only yin on both sides. We continued on another kilometer or so until we got to a part leading up to the summit. We climbed it because it was there, but again, there was no view to be had.
Most people take the summit path back to the cable station, but Mark wanted to try out the other leg of the circle, which descends about 300 meters. On the good side, we had the path almost to ourselves, passing over some quaint footbridges and through lush green forest. On the down side, we walked down hundreds of steps, only to have to walk back up another set of endless steps. The individual steps were tall enough that it got to be quite an ordeal to go up them. It is a path I will definitely not be going on again.
I was exhausted by the time we reached the top of the ridge and walked back to the cable car. But we still had a long ways to go - 40 minutes down the upper cable car, a long wait for the bus to take us to the lower cable car, then 17 minutes down on that one. When we got to our car, our driver was nowhere to be seen. Mark tried calling him, but could not reach him. He then got a text message from him saying 4:45 (it was then 4:20). So we had to wait, during which time we realized, as our driver had earlier in the day, that there was no place to go inside or get anything hot to drink. At 5:00 Chao finally came rushing up to us - he had gone up the first cable car himself to see the resort. There is also a restaurant there where he could sit indoors for the duration.
One of the problems with exploring new places here is that we not only have to deal with our own day, but also with our driver's. Chao is resourceful and knows the language, but most of these places are new to him as well.
After my trip to Guizhou, my everyday life in Chengdu seems a bit mundane to write about. I've been working on my Chinese, getting together with friends, cooking, and working a bit on the apartment. For the most part they've been pleasant, moderately productive days.
Last Thursday and Friday I had to take a trip to Dazhou, a city of 6 million about a 5-hour drive to the east, in order to complete my resident's visa. Northeast Sichuan is the part that seems to have been left out of all the guidebooks. Dazhou itself is known for its coal, sulfur, and gas production, which did not seem overly propitious for tourism. On-line I learned about an artificial dead sea which has recently been created along the way, the focal point of a new resort, but swimming in November isn't really my thing. Wanda had offered to go along with me, which would have livened things up considerably, but her passport is still off being processed for her own visa, so she would not have been able to check into the hotel.
They weren't the greatest two days I've spent here, but they went very smoothly. There is a new expressway connecting Chengdu with Dazhou, so the ride was smooth, and there were plenty of clean rest stops. To the west of Dazhou we drove through a hilly agricultural area that is quite attractive. Dazhou itself is right at the edge of the foothills. I was given a business suite at the hotel - a bit of an overkill for one person, with two rooms, two bathrooms, and two TVs. It had windows overlooking two sides of a broad intersection. Compared with Chengdu, the traffic was light and leisurely.
The next morning I was met by two bi-lingual women who would be helping to process my visa. There was another family there from Mark's company for the same reason - a young couple with an 11-month-old son. We were taken to the immigration office, a one-room office along a narrow street filled mainly with small clothing stores. The unfortuante clerk who had to process our applications seemed unfamiliar with English letters, so our two helpers had to stand over him for two hours to get our four applications completed. (Except for the 10 seconds it took to have my picture taken, my presence there was completely extraneous.) Then it was back in the car and another five hours back to Chengdu.
Xiling Mountain, November 9
Mark planned an expedition for us to the ski resort side of Xiling Mountain. We left our apartment at 7:30, at which hour [on a Sunday] we were able to get out of town fairly quickly. It was slightly after 9:30 when we reached the official entrance to the resort, about 12 kilometers beyond the nearest town. At this point it consists of two large parking lots, the ticket office, the WC (clean but definitely not Western), an empty tourist information center, a police station, and the cable car building. There is a hotel under construction and other places being prepared for future buildings. There is a row of vendors offering coats to rent, corn on the cobb and a potato kebab, nuts, and various dry foods and little tourist items, but there is no place to have something hot to drink or to get out of the weather.
The road to the hotels and ski lifts is closed, but it appears undamaged. (Mark thinks that it may be closed until the ski season officially opens.) The one way up to the high flat area housing the ski resort is a cable car. We bought tickets for both cable cars - the one up to the ski resort, and the one from the ski resort to the top of the mountain. The two tickets cost a total of 98 yuan - about $15. The combined price listed on tickets was 240 yuan per person, but that price seems to be for the ski season when the ski lift is included.
The first cable car ride took about 18 minutes, straight up the mountain. The car was roomy - it could easily hold six people, and it was clean, although the windows were sufficiently scratched up that we had to contort ourselves somewhat to appreciate the view. The top of the cable car is located off by itself; there was a bus there to take us along a road to the main resort area. This area has at least three large new resort-hotels; I'm not sure that any of them are open yet. we were let off at an area near the cable car to the upper part of the mountain. From there we could see a pedestrian road up to the top of a grassy slope, where kids could ride tobaggons down on the grass. There is a ski lift to the top of some bunny slopes. It also serves for the top of the longest water slide I have ever seen. This being November, it was closed, but I imagine that the water must be rather cold even in the summer.
The cable cars for the upper lift are large enough for two people max. Since they don't slow down completely for getting on and off, it can be a bit of a scramble. I was thankful for the assistant helping us in the process on either end. Mark and I made it into the car all right, but the assistant was unable to close the door, so Mark had a clear view down to the ground - until the fog became dense enough that it was difficult to see that far. About 10 minutes into this ride we came to another cable station. Since our car was defective, the assistant had us hop out of it and into the next one. I was glad for the door on the next part, since the ride went on for 40 minutes, during much of which it was foggy enough that we could barely see the car in front of us. The tops of ghostly evergreens would loom off to the side of us. I was wearing a sweater, jacket, and raincoat, and was glad for all my layers.
The upper cable car station was off by itself, with a long stairway leading up to a plaza area on top of the ridge. A sign offered various services: accomodations (a two-story building nearby looked like it might have rooms, but probably no heat nor electricity), porters if you would rather be carried than walk, hot tea, food, and local souvenirs. There was one food vendor who was doing a brisk business. Mark bought us some lamb sate. The other offerings appeared to be roasted corn on the cob on a stick, and peeled new potatoes on a stick (then fried).
The posted map showed a circular path. Going to the right took us along the ridge. In about 15 minutes we reached the Yin-Yang divide, so named because on clear days you have a clear view on one side (yang) and fog on the other (yin - hidden). On this day there was no yang, only yin on both sides. We continued on another kilometer or so until we got to a part leading up to the summit. We climbed it because it was there, but again, there was no view to be had.
Most people take the summit path back to the cable station, but Mark wanted to try out the other leg of the circle, which descends about 300 meters. On the good side, we had the path almost to ourselves, passing over some quaint footbridges and through lush green forest. On the down side, we walked down hundreds of steps, only to have to walk back up another set of endless steps. The individual steps were tall enough that it got to be quite an ordeal to go up them. It is a path I will definitely not be going on again.
I was exhausted by the time we reached the top of the ridge and walked back to the cable car. But we still had a long ways to go - 40 minutes down the upper cable car, a long wait for the bus to take us to the lower cable car, then 17 minutes down on that one. When we got to our car, our driver was nowhere to be seen. Mark tried calling him, but could not reach him. He then got a text message from him saying 4:45 (it was then 4:20). So we had to wait, during which time we realized, as our driver had earlier in the day, that there was no place to go inside or get anything hot to drink. At 5:00 Chao finally came rushing up to us - he had gone up the first cable car himself to see the resort. There is also a restaurant there where he could sit indoors for the duration.
One of the problems with exploring new places here is that we not only have to deal with our own day, but also with our driver's. Chao is resourceful and knows the language, but most of these places are new to him as well.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Weekend around Chengdu, Nov. 1 and 2
Mark had spent the previous Sunday back on Xileng mountain. He had gone early, come back late, and had gathered enough information to map out the part of the trail he had hiked. He wants to go back again, this time to the ski resort side, but it didn’t happen this weekend.
On Saturday morning, I stayed home while a workman installed a satellite TV for us (I still haven’t tried it out), and Mark went shopping for a fall coat and a camera case. In the afternoon we walked around the campus of Chengdu Technical University, on the east side of the city. The sun was actually out, and the campus proved to be a pleasant place for a walk, with some tree-lined streets and a large ornamental lake.
Afterwards, we had Chao drop us off at Tazishan Park, a large park on the southeast side of town. It is a heavily used area with a large amusement park, an aviary, and a tall pagoda-like tower which is currently closed. We enjoyed our walk there, but have no great desire to visit it again.
It was not yet 4:00, so Mark wanted to try out another bookstore, this one on the west side of town. It took quite a while to get there since we went through several very congested intersections. This book store was more geared toward school books than Xinhua Book Store, but it also had a good selection of maps. I bought three for Guizhou province (I wish that I had had them the previous week!) and Mark bought a few others. Fortunately, it didn’t take long to drive back home from the book store. Sometimes it is difficult to judge what errands can be combined together; the shortest distance is not necessarily the fastest.
On Sunday morning we had agreed to pick up Vava Kovic an her husband Marijan to go up to Anren, an “ancient town” near Dayi (on the way to Xileng Mountain). It takes about an hour to get to the turnoff for Anren. Anren is advertised along the main road, but the way to it was not well marked, and Chao stopped several times along the way to ask directions. There are several attractions clustered together; he dropped us off near Liu’s Manor House.
The Manor House had belonged to the prominent Liu family. We wandered through the house and its courtyards, saw displays of old furniture – carved wood with ornate inlays, jewelry, and old and new paintings. There was another larger complex next to it that had belonged to a Liu who was essentially a warlord. One of the parlors was labeled as the place where he entertained local tyrants and bandits. There were signs throughout pointing the way to the rent yard clay figures. These turned out to be 114 life-size clay figures that had been created during 1964 and 1965 to depict the peasants’ suffering under the tyranny of the local rent collectors. They were striking figures, all of clay except for beaded eyes giving the figures a penetrating gaze. When the exhibit first opened in 1965, it made quite a hit; replicas of the statues can be seen in Beijing as well.
Included in the ticket is a marriage-customs museum, which is still a work in progress. We were amused at some of the English translations.
Liu’s Manor is a private museum recently developed by a local landowner. I’m not sure what Mao would have thought of having the clay figures depicting the class struggle be the focal point for a private enterprise.
All in all, it was a delightful day. The sun was fully out, but there was still a hint of crispness in the air – probably the nicest weather we’ve had in China. Vava had brought a big lunch of sandwiches, fruit, and cookies, which we enjoyed outside on a bench. There were other people around, but it wasn’t too crowded. We had good conversations, looked at antiques, and bought oranges, apples and peanuts.
We will probably be back in the area again. There is a large museum complex adjacent to Liu’s Manor that will require another day.
On Saturday morning, I stayed home while a workman installed a satellite TV for us (I still haven’t tried it out), and Mark went shopping for a fall coat and a camera case. In the afternoon we walked around the campus of Chengdu Technical University, on the east side of the city. The sun was actually out, and the campus proved to be a pleasant place for a walk, with some tree-lined streets and a large ornamental lake.
Afterwards, we had Chao drop us off at Tazishan Park, a large park on the southeast side of town. It is a heavily used area with a large amusement park, an aviary, and a tall pagoda-like tower which is currently closed. We enjoyed our walk there, but have no great desire to visit it again.
It was not yet 4:00, so Mark wanted to try out another bookstore, this one on the west side of town. It took quite a while to get there since we went through several very congested intersections. This book store was more geared toward school books than Xinhua Book Store, but it also had a good selection of maps. I bought three for Guizhou province (I wish that I had had them the previous week!) and Mark bought a few others. Fortunately, it didn’t take long to drive back home from the book store. Sometimes it is difficult to judge what errands can be combined together; the shortest distance is not necessarily the fastest.
On Sunday morning we had agreed to pick up Vava Kovic an her husband Marijan to go up to Anren, an “ancient town” near Dayi (on the way to Xileng Mountain). It takes about an hour to get to the turnoff for Anren. Anren is advertised along the main road, but the way to it was not well marked, and Chao stopped several times along the way to ask directions. There are several attractions clustered together; he dropped us off near Liu’s Manor House.
The Manor House had belonged to the prominent Liu family. We wandered through the house and its courtyards, saw displays of old furniture – carved wood with ornate inlays, jewelry, and old and new paintings. There was another larger complex next to it that had belonged to a Liu who was essentially a warlord. One of the parlors was labeled as the place where he entertained local tyrants and bandits. There were signs throughout pointing the way to the rent yard clay figures. These turned out to be 114 life-size clay figures that had been created during 1964 and 1965 to depict the peasants’ suffering under the tyranny of the local rent collectors. They were striking figures, all of clay except for beaded eyes giving the figures a penetrating gaze. When the exhibit first opened in 1965, it made quite a hit; replicas of the statues can be seen in Beijing as well.
Included in the ticket is a marriage-customs museum, which is still a work in progress. We were amused at some of the English translations.
Liu’s Manor is a private museum recently developed by a local landowner. I’m not sure what Mao would have thought of having the clay figures depicting the class struggle be the focal point for a private enterprise.
All in all, it was a delightful day. The sun was fully out, but there was still a hint of crispness in the air – probably the nicest weather we’ve had in China. Vava had brought a big lunch of sandwiches, fruit, and cookies, which we enjoyed outside on a bench. There were other people around, but it wasn’t too crowded. We had good conversations, looked at antiques, and bought oranges, apples and peanuts.
We will probably be back in the area again. There is a large museum complex adjacent to Liu’s Manor that will require another day.
Trip to Guizhou III, October 27-30
Monday, October 27: Kaili - Guiyang - Shuitouzhai
There wasn't much of an agenda for this day. We drove into Guiyang - not a bad drive from Kaili, since we had been going in a circle. We stopped at a pharmacy in town to buy me some cold medicine and kleenex (I had a full-blowing cold by this time, and Wanda was feeling one coming on.) We also brought supplies - mostly breads and fruit - for the following day. We then drove about an hour north to the Buyi village of Shuitouzhai. This village is in the early stages of being "beautified" - the paths have been paved and there are wooden signs in Chinese and English, but it still has the feel of a village. Li's boss, Chao, has built a guest house in this village along the river, and that was where we would be staying for the evening. I don't know how I'd feel about a prolonged stay there, but for one afternoon and evening, it was delightful. We walked through the village, then along the river, then across a bridge and up a mountain path. In the evening we walked over to the neighbor's house for dinner. There was a table set up in the front yard for us, and we had four wonderful dishes and newly harvested rice. The man who cooked for us does not officially run a restaurant, but some evenings he will have 5 or 6 tables of people, locals as well as guests.
Tuesday, October 28: Shuitouzhai - Renhua
It was delightful to wake up and look outside at the river below us. Wanda and I sat at a table on the verandah overlooking the river while we drank our coffee and ate an assortment of breads. Since Chao caters to foreigners, this was one of the few places that we could actually get coffee. For most of the trip we had been making do with instant coffee and hot water boiled in our room.
We took a narrow paved road up from Shuitouzhai past a nice waterfall. We eventually wound our way back to the main north-south road, the Guizu Expressway. After years of driving along the Atchafalaya Causeway, I have gotten somewhat blase about road engineering, but this new expressway impressed me. It had at least a dozen bridges, all over 1000 meters in length, connecting mountaintop with mountaintop, each supported by enormous concrete columns. I figured that each bridge probably knocked at least 40 minutes of hairpin curves off the journey. It was far too soon that we left the highway to head west.
After close to an hour of less than prime mountain roads, we stopped at a roadside restaurant, one of two on that stretch. It wasn't much to look at - several rooms of unadorned concrete right along the highway - but we had the best hotpot I've had yet. We had a mushroom-based soup with at least three types of mushroom. While we were eating, Li talked with the restaurant owner and discovered that there was a Miao family living nearby whom we could visit. So after lunch we took a side road up just a short ways to a farm by itself on a mountain slope. I should mention that this afternoon was the only sunny one we had.
We walked down a narrow path to a well-kept white house. The large concrete area in front of the house was covered with rice drying in the sun. We were lead into a small sitting room that also served as a classroom. The dignified man who owned the farm was proud of his Miao heritage and eager to share his knowledge. He put on his festival outfit, as did his wife and two daughters-in-law. We took pictures, then one of the young women swept aside some of the rice so that her father-in-law could dance for us while playing the lusheng, the 6-pipe instrument we had heard at the festival on Sunday. He played very well - much more musical that the dirges we had previously heard. His instrument looked new; we were told that the best ones are made in Chengdu.
We walked down a narrow path to a well-kept white house. The large concrete area in front of the house was covered with rice drying in the sun. We were lead into a small sitting room that also served as a classroom. The dignified man who owned the farm was proud of his Miao heritage and eager to share his knowledge. He put on his festival outfit, as did his wife and two daughters-in-law. We took pictures, then one of the young women swept aside some of the rice so that her father-in-law could dance for us while playing the lusheng, the 6-pipe instrument we had heard at the festival on Sunday. He played very well - much more musical that the dirges we had previously heard. His instrument looked new; we were told that the best ones are made in Chengdu.
We thanked the family for their hospitality, then we were back on the road. Shortly before dusk we crossed a high new bridge over a gorge to arrive in Renhua/Moutai. Li had arranged for us to stay at the Hot Springs Resort there. It turned out that we were the only people staying there. The whole place looked like it had seen better days, especially the bathrooms, but we decided it was adequate for one night. It was a bit strange that we weren't given a key - a young woman staying on the ground floor (was she there just because we had come?) let us in with a key from a large bunch. Our agenda had included a tour of the Moutai alcohol museum, but Wanda and I both agreed to give it a pass. After all, the hill we looked out on from our room had a giant bottle of Moutai beer (?) on top of it. Just outside of the Resort grounds was a large arched gateway and a bridge over the river that had been closed to traffic. Li and I walked over the bridge; in one direction we could see the new bridge and another one beyond it under construction, which in the other dirction we looked over a hydro-electric dam. This had been the main bridge before the new one had been built - at which time the arched gateway would have been an impressive entrance to the city. As soon as the new bridge had opened, everything but the resort had moved, so we were a bit isolated from the rest of town.
Li had arranged a "bath" for Wanda and me; a giant jacuzzi in the Women's area was filled with hot water just for us. We sat in it for about an hour - a pleasant way to relax. I was about ready to blow off supper, but Li convinced us to go into town. Unfortunately, we got stuck in a giant traffic jam - an area of the main road was being repaired, and was narrow in spots, causing a bottleneck, further aggravated by heavy coal and construction trucks going in both directions. It took us an hour to make it the short ways into town. (We could have walked faster, but it was dark and rainy, and then our driver would have been stuck.)
I was surprised to find that Renhua is a large modern-looking city. We had our choice of many restaurants, but Li picked a hotpot place specializing in duck. He and our driver really liked this local specialty, but when he saw Wanda and me turn up our noses at the fatty soup, he ordered some other dishes for us. Fortunately, but the time we finished the traffic jam had dispersed, and we made it back to our rooms in ten minutes.
Wednesday, October 29, Renhua – Chishui
We woke up to a misty morning, and we had a light rain for most of the day. Li had set up quite a sizable breakfast for us downstairs with various breads, apples, oranges and kiwi, and instant coffee. Then we were on our way, following the Chishui (= Red Water) River. We had left karst behind and were passing through an area of dark red cliffs and soils. We stopped briefly at an area with dramatic waterfalls and cliffs. For lunch we stopped at a restaurant along the river and watched several barges loaded with coal pass quickly by. The Chishui is a tributary of the Yangzi.
Our first real stop was at Be’ang, an “ancient city” known for its part in Mao’s history. He and some of his generals stayed there in 1935. We crossed the Chishui on a length pedestrian suspension bridge high over the water. Be’ang is a cluster of buildings along a narrow flat area part way up a red cliff. There was a cluster of food and souvenir stalls just in front of the gateway to the village, but inside most of the buildings along the street were homes and a few restaurants. There were several small boys running around in and out of the buildings, and a few older people sitting at the open entrances. The focal point for tourism is one building with pictures of the generals, a few exhibits, and an elaborate bed that was used for a time by one of the generals. There was another street above this one, but we were told that it was modern and not for tourists.
When Wanda and I started walking back to the car, Li left us for a few minutes, then came back with a large straw hat, about 3 feet in diameter, with a stiff brim covered with plastic. He presented it to Wanda, who had been admiring these hats (I had a hooded raincoat and an umbrella, so I was not in as much need.) She wore it for a while, though it meant that no one could walk very close to her.
Our main stop for the day was to be a nature preserve with waterfalls, a bamboo forest and giant ferns. However, it was raining heavily enough that neither Wanda nor I was particularly enthusiastic about it. This was just as well, since when we arrived at the gate to the park, the man at the gate told us that the waterfall was off, and the park was closed for the afternoon. The water is diverted to a hydro-electric plant in the afternoons – although in the summers, when there are more tourists, the waterfall is allowed to run for a few more hours.
We took pictures of the waterfalls just outside the entrance, then headed into the city of Chishui for the night. We wandered around for about an hour on the streets around the hotel. There were perhaps a dozen shops specializing in bamboo products, but we didn’t see anything we wanted to buy. There were some nicely made chairs that convert into a small stepladder (we have a larger version out of wood which came from Indonesia). However, the back on the chair had a 6” long brand name on it – “Madein China”. As a brand name, it’s not quite up there with Gucci and Armani.
We ate supper at the hotel: dumplings, pork with chilies, and a mushroom soup with a local mushroom that looked like 3” jellyfish floating in the soup. There wasn’t much to them; once outside the soup, they collapsed into thin pile of fiber. They were interesting but didn’t have much taste.
Thursday, October 30, Chishui – Chengdu
This was the last day of our trip. Wanda had arranged for our drivers to meet us in Luzhou, the first large city across the border in Sichuan. The breakfast buffet had signs in English on much of the food, but didn’t have any food that was even remotely Western. I ate sautéed vegetables and some rice cakes wrapped in bamboo leaves. The two drinks offered were hot orange drink and hot soy milk, so Wanda and I made ourselves some coffee in the hotel room before leaving.
We had a visit to a bamboo forest scheduled for that morning. Wanda thought she had explained to Li that if it was raining (which it was), we wanted to skip the forest and go straight to Luzhou. However, we ended up going to the forest anyway. It would have been a beautiful place on a hot summer day, and even in the cool rain I enjoyed it. There were a few large ferns at the entrance, then the rest of the area was heavily shaded in tall bamboo. We walked up a few steps to a rest area with tables in front of a small waterfall. It was a beautiful, restful place. There was a 700 meter walk – mostly up stairs – to a red cliff overhang. Wanda declined to go, but Li and I made our way up. There was a pagoda and another waterfall on the way. The cliff reminded me of some of the Aboriginal areas I’ve visited in Australia. There was enough of an overhang to provide shelter from the light rain, and there were three small waterfalls flowing over the cliff. In a way, this was a good time to visit it, since in summer there would have been crowds of tourists there, and we would not have gotten the same sense of serenity
.
I was surprised to find that Renhua is a large modern-looking city. We had our choice of many restaurants, but Li picked a hotpot place specializing in duck. He and our driver really liked this local specialty, but when he saw Wanda and me turn up our noses at the fatty soup, he ordered some other dishes for us. Fortunately, but the time we finished the traffic jam had dispersed, and we made it back to our rooms in ten minutes.
Wednesday, October 29, Renhua – Chishui
We woke up to a misty morning, and we had a light rain for most of the day. Li had set up quite a sizable breakfast for us downstairs with various breads, apples, oranges and kiwi, and instant coffee. Then we were on our way, following the Chishui (= Red Water) River. We had left karst behind and were passing through an area of dark red cliffs and soils. We stopped briefly at an area with dramatic waterfalls and cliffs. For lunch we stopped at a restaurant along the river and watched several barges loaded with coal pass quickly by. The Chishui is a tributary of the Yangzi.
Our first real stop was at Be’ang, an “ancient city” known for its part in Mao’s history. He and some of his generals stayed there in 1935. We crossed the Chishui on a length pedestrian suspension bridge high over the water. Be’ang is a cluster of buildings along a narrow flat area part way up a red cliff. There was a cluster of food and souvenir stalls just in front of the gateway to the village, but inside most of the buildings along the street were homes and a few restaurants. There were several small boys running around in and out of the buildings, and a few older people sitting at the open entrances. The focal point for tourism is one building with pictures of the generals, a few exhibits, and an elaborate bed that was used for a time by one of the generals. There was another street above this one, but we were told that it was modern and not for tourists.
When Wanda and I started walking back to the car, Li left us for a few minutes, then came back with a large straw hat, about 3 feet in diameter, with a stiff brim covered with plastic. He presented it to Wanda, who had been admiring these hats (I had a hooded raincoat and an umbrella, so I was not in as much need.) She wore it for a while, though it meant that no one could walk very close to her.Our main stop for the day was to be a nature preserve with waterfalls, a bamboo forest and giant ferns. However, it was raining heavily enough that neither Wanda nor I was particularly enthusiastic about it. This was just as well, since when we arrived at the gate to the park, the man at the gate told us that the waterfall was off, and the park was closed for the afternoon. The water is diverted to a hydro-electric plant in the afternoons – although in the summers, when there are more tourists, the waterfall is allowed to run for a few more hours.
We took pictures of the waterfalls just outside the entrance, then headed into the city of Chishui for the night. We wandered around for about an hour on the streets around the hotel. There were perhaps a dozen shops specializing in bamboo products, but we didn’t see anything we wanted to buy. There were some nicely made chairs that convert into a small stepladder (we have a larger version out of wood which came from Indonesia). However, the back on the chair had a 6” long brand name on it – “Madein China”. As a brand name, it’s not quite up there with Gucci and Armani.
We ate supper at the hotel: dumplings, pork with chilies, and a mushroom soup with a local mushroom that looked like 3” jellyfish floating in the soup. There wasn’t much to them; once outside the soup, they collapsed into thin pile of fiber. They were interesting but didn’t have much taste.
Thursday, October 30, Chishui – Chengdu
This was the last day of our trip. Wanda had arranged for our drivers to meet us in Luzhou, the first large city across the border in Sichuan. The breakfast buffet had signs in English on much of the food, but didn’t have any food that was even remotely Western. I ate sautéed vegetables and some rice cakes wrapped in bamboo leaves. The two drinks offered were hot orange drink and hot soy milk, so Wanda and I made ourselves some coffee in the hotel room before leaving.
We had a visit to a bamboo forest scheduled for that morning. Wanda thought she had explained to Li that if it was raining (which it was), we wanted to skip the forest and go straight to Luzhou. However, we ended up going to the forest anyway. It would have been a beautiful place on a hot summer day, and even in the cool rain I enjoyed it. There were a few large ferns at the entrance, then the rest of the area was heavily shaded in tall bamboo. We walked up a few steps to a rest area with tables in front of a small waterfall. It was a beautiful, restful place. There was a 700 meter walk – mostly up stairs – to a red cliff overhang. Wanda declined to go, but Li and I made our way up. There was a pagoda and another waterfall on the way. The cliff reminded me of some of the Aboriginal areas I’ve visited in Australia. There was enough of an overhang to provide shelter from the light rain, and there were three small waterfalls flowing over the cliff. In a way, this was a good time to visit it, since in summer there would have been crowds of tourists there, and we would not have gotten the same sense of serenity
.
It was only 70 kilometers to Luzhou, but the road was narrow and windy, so it took us a while to get there. We drove over a tall bridge over the Yangzi River, at the edge of the city, but there was so much fog we couldn’t see a thing. Li had never been to Luzhou and he had no idea where the Hotel Eton was, where our drivers had stayed the night before. However, he assured us he had his ways. He got out of our car, got into a taxi, and our driver followed close behind as the taxi went to Hotel Eton. Then, with fond farewells, we were handed over from our Guizhou guides to our Chengdu drivers. Then out Guizhou guides took off, anxious to get out of Sichuan and back to familiar territory.
The Hotel Eton is a nicer hotel than any that we had stayed in on our trip. Wanda decided we should indulge ourselves and our drivers (Mark and Chao) in a lunch at the hotel restaurant. We had a great lunch, including some of the nicest fish I’ve had in China. Then Wanda and I settled back in her van for a smooth ride on the expressway back to Chengdu. We arrived back about 6:00.
The Hotel Eton is a nicer hotel than any that we had stayed in on our trip. Wanda decided we should indulge ourselves and our drivers (Mark and Chao) in a lunch at the hotel restaurant. We had a great lunch, including some of the nicest fish I’ve had in China. Then Wanda and I settled back in her van for a smooth ride on the expressway back to Chengdu. We arrived back about 6:00.
Trip to Guizhou II, Miao Festivals
Saturday, October 25. Pingjang - Chong'an - Kaili
Wanda and I got up before 7:00 so we could take a better look at Pingjang. This time we turned left instead of right, and found we were only a block from the river. There was a nicely landscaped walking path along the river, so we took it for a ways. We saw one woman go down to the river to wash lettuce, while a more modern-looking woman went jogging past us. This was the day of our first Miao festival, and we still had a long ways to go, so we left Pingjang by 8:00.
With a few stops along the way, we eventually reached Kaili, the capital of the Miao area. I had the impression of a modern-looking city with broad boulevards. Then we were off on another windy road that went on and on. It was after 1:00 when we reached Chong'an, the site of the festival. We passed over a bridge crossing a small tributary and saw the festival crowds down on its floodplain, but for now we passed on and drove through town to a restaurant at the other end. It was a pretty white building with outdoor seating on the verandahs overlooking the river and potted plants. It would have been wonderful in warmer weather, but I was still feeling cold (though I was wearing about five layers of clothes, including my sweater, jacket, and raincoat. While we were waiting for the food, Li and I huddled on a couch by a small ch
arcoal heater, while warm-blooded Wanda went around in the drizzle snapping pictures. The food - a fish hot-pot with lots of rice - was good, and I started to warm up. I also started getting sleepy - I hadn't gotten much sleep the past two nights - so I had to fight off thinking of a nap.
There were several pedestrian suspension bridges near the restaurant, so of course we had to walk over them. We saw three narrow boats coming by under us, bringing people to the festival. They seemed in good spirits and waved and shouted at us.
Our driver let us off in town so we could experience the view while walking to the festival site. We found a few photogenic places in town, plus we were intrigued by a series of rice mills located on a sand spit in the river bed.
Wanda and I got up before 7:00 so we could take a better look at Pingjang. This time we turned left instead of right, and found we were only a block from the river. There was a nicely landscaped walking path along the river, so we took it for a ways. We saw one woman go down to the river to wash lettuce, while a more modern-looking woman went jogging past us. This was the day of our first Miao festival, and we still had a long ways to go, so we left Pingjang by 8:00.
With a few stops along the way, we eventually reached Kaili, the capital of the Miao area. I had the impression of a modern-looking city with broad boulevards. Then we were off on another windy road that went on and on. It was after 1:00 when we reached Chong'an, the site of the festival. We passed over a bridge crossing a small tributary and saw the festival crowds down on its floodplain, but for now we passed on and drove through town to a restaurant at the other end. It was a pretty white building with outdoor seating on the verandahs overlooking the river and potted plants. It would have been wonderful in warmer weather, but I was still feeling cold (though I was wearing about five layers of clothes, including my sweater, jacket, and raincoat. While we were waiting for the food, Li and I huddled on a couch by a small ch
arcoal heater, while warm-blooded Wanda went around in the drizzle snapping pictures. The food - a fish hot-pot with lots of rice - was good, and I started to warm up. I also started getting sleepy - I hadn't gotten much sleep the past two nights - so I had to fight off thinking of a nap.There were several pedestrian suspension bridges near the restaurant, so of course we had to walk over them. We saw three narrow boats coming by under us, bringing people to the festival. They seemed in good spirits and waved and shouted at us.
Our driver let us off in town so we could experience the view while walking to the festival site. We found a few photogenic places in town, plus we were intrigued by a series of rice mills located on a sand spit in the river bed.
Our driver wisely parked on the homeward side of the bridge, anticipating the traffic jam which would come at festival's end. We had to walk down a steep, narrow path to get down to the floodplain, then along a low brick wall as we passed by a number of fields. 
Th
ere was the usual assortment of vendors and carnival games that I have seen at tourist sites in Sichuan. We walked into a meadow area where the dancing was taking place. Several groups of (mostly) women were dancing at once, each with a crowd of people around them. It made it somewhat difficult to see since everyone, including the dancers, was on the same level, but I had about six inches of advantage over Wanda and much of the crowd. There were probably about 20 other Westerners there as well - including a blond man over 6 feet tall. Our best luck at finding people in costume was looking at people who were not currently dancing.
We watched one young woman being dressed in her costume. The finishing touch was the large silver headdress - almost spherical and covered with ornamentation, including a butterfly at the top. This came out of a large metal can - they are valuable possessions, and it must have been difficult keeping them shiny in that damp weather. The young woman grimaced when it was placed on her head;
it didn't look at all comfortable. There were a fair number of little girls in costume. We also photographed some babies, both for their headdresses and for the brightly ornamented cloth baby carriers. At one point larger groups of mostly men headed off to one side of the festival for the bull-fighting. We told Li we weren't interested.
About 3:30 the drizzle started turning into a rain. We decided it was time to leave, as did many others. There was a large crowd converging onto the narrow path up to the top of the bridge - although there were still a few people coming down to complicate things. We made it to the top and across the bridge, then found our car ready to hit the road. We thankfully climbed in, and made it back to Kaili without too much ado.
Li took us to the home of a local collector of Miao embroidery. The woman took us to a large room with tables piled with jackets and embroidery of all sorts. There were a lot of beautiful pieces, but they were pricey, and I didn't know enough about Miao embroidery to know what to buy. We must have looked at every piece there. Wanda found two beautiful small pieces; she was able to bargain the prices down considerably, but they were still much more expensive than she had been paying several years before in Beijing. When were we finally done, or so I thought, the woman took us up a flight of stairs to another room filled with metal, wood and leather artifacts from the Miao and other people. From my experiences on Timor, I knew how fascinating these things can be, but I was in no condition to embrace the whole of Chinese material culture that evening. I was relieved when Li and Wanda called it quits after a few minutes. The woman thanked us for coming, and invited us back the following evening - she still had another room for us to see. We'll probably never know what treasures we missed; we were both on sensory overload, and we had a full day planned for Sunday.
The Crown Plaza at Kaili was the most modern hotel we had stayed in so far. It was across the street from a new exhibition hall, which looked more like the Roman colliseum. Our room even had a computer with internet. Wanda and I were both able to check our e-mail, but writing replies turned out to be more of a problem. The software kept guessing which Chinese character I was trying to write. I would have a choice of several characters, and perhaps one English option. THIS kept coming out as THISTLE, but I managed a short note to Mark.
Sunday, October 26: Kaili - Xijang - Gulong - Kaili
Li told us that the festival this day would be far bigger than the one the previous day. There were other Westerners at the hotel breakfast buffet. They headed directly to the festival after breakfast, but Li took us first in another direction, telling us that the festival wouldn't really get going until afternoon. We stopped at an embroidery factory, where four women were doing handwork by the light of a window. (The Miao people are ethnically the same as the Hmong, whose intricate handiwork can be seen in the U.S.) The rest of the room was a store with jackets and a variety of embroidered pictures, both modern and more traditional Miao. Many were very nice, but neither Wanda nor I felt any particular piece calling out to us. Upstairs was a museum of Miao costumes, beautifully presented with adequate lighting. They were a joy to look at.
Th
ere was the usual assortment of vendors and carnival games that I have seen at tourist sites in Sichuan. We walked into a meadow area where the dancing was taking place. Several groups of (mostly) women were dancing at once, each with a crowd of people around them. It made it somewhat difficult to see since everyone, including the dancers, was on the same level, but I had about six inches of advantage over Wanda and much of the crowd. There were probably about 20 other Westerners there as well - including a blond man over 6 feet tall. Our best luck at finding people in costume was looking at people who were not currently dancing.
We watched one young woman being dressed in her costume. The finishing touch was the large silver headdress - almost spherical and covered with ornamentation, including a butterfly at the top. This came out of a large metal can - they are valuable possessions, and it must have been difficult keeping them shiny in that damp weather. The young woman grimaced when it was placed on her head;
it didn't look at all comfortable. There were a fair number of little girls in costume. We also photographed some babies, both for their headdresses and for the brightly ornamented cloth baby carriers. At one point larger groups of mostly men headed off to one side of the festival for the bull-fighting. We told Li we weren't interested.About 3:30 the drizzle started turning into a rain. We decided it was time to leave, as did many others. There was a large crowd converging onto the narrow path up to the top of the bridge - although there were still a few people coming down to complicate things. We made it to the top and across the bridge, then found our car ready to hit the road. We thankfully climbed in, and made it back to Kaili without too much ado.
Li took us to the home of a local collector of Miao embroidery. The woman took us to a large room with tables piled with jackets and embroidery of all sorts. There were a lot of beautiful pieces, but they were pricey, and I didn't know enough about Miao embroidery to know what to buy. We must have looked at every piece there. Wanda found two beautiful small pieces; she was able to bargain the prices down considerably, but they were still much more expensive than she had been paying several years before in Beijing. When were we finally done, or so I thought, the woman took us up a flight of stairs to another room filled with metal, wood and leather artifacts from the Miao and other people. From my experiences on Timor, I knew how fascinating these things can be, but I was in no condition to embrace the whole of Chinese material culture that evening. I was relieved when Li and Wanda called it quits after a few minutes. The woman thanked us for coming, and invited us back the following evening - she still had another room for us to see. We'll probably never know what treasures we missed; we were both on sensory overload, and we had a full day planned for Sunday.
The Crown Plaza at Kaili was the most modern hotel we had stayed in so far. It was across the street from a new exhibition hall, which looked more like the Roman colliseum. Our room even had a computer with internet. Wanda and I were both able to check our e-mail, but writing replies turned out to be more of a problem. The software kept guessing which Chinese character I was trying to write. I would have a choice of several characters, and perhaps one English option. THIS kept coming out as THISTLE, but I managed a short note to Mark.
Sunday, October 26: Kaili - Xijang - Gulong - Kaili
Li told us that the festival this day would be far bigger than the one the previous day. There were other Westerners at the hotel breakfast buffet. They headed directly to the festival after breakfast, but Li took us first in another direction, telling us that the festival wouldn't really get going until afternoon. We stopped at an embroidery factory, where four women were doing handwork by the light of a window. (The Miao people are ethnically the same as the Hmong, whose intricate handiwork can be seen in the U.S.) The rest of the room was a store with jackets and a variety of embroidered pictures, both modern and more traditional Miao. Many were very nice, but neither Wanda nor I felt any particular piece calling out to us. Upstairs was a museum of Miao costumes, beautifully presented with adequate lighting. They were a joy to look at.
We then drove on to Xijiang, the biggest Miao village in China, which is billed as the 1000-home village. The village occupies a beautiful site on the hillsides on either side of a river, but both Wanda and I were distressed at the amount of commercialization. THe village had been "beautified" in anticipation of large crowds of tourists at the time of the Olympics, crowds that never came. There is a large plaza by the river, with room for hundreds of dancers, with stadium seating on the other side of the river. All the footpaths through the village have been paved with stone and brick, and there are probably at least a dozen tourist shops. In their enthusiasm to save the local culture, the government may have contributed to its demise. On the other hand, it may not be som different from Williamsburg and various other heritage places in the U.S.
Then it was time to go on to the festival. It was nearly noon already, so we stopped at a Buyi [ethnic group] restaurant along the way - a nice place, but by not means fast food. We had a fish-based hotpot. Then we had to pass through Kaili and out another twisty mountain road, up and down, up and down, are we there yet? It was past 3:00 when we finally reached the festival site, and then we had to park a good ways up a mountain slope and walk down. It was beginning to rain, and crowds of people were already leaving. Both Wanda and I felt that Li had serious misplanned this one.
We were able to photograph quite a few people in costume. There was a large stage set up at one end, where we watched several short acts - a young woman singing a Miao song, another doing a "modernized" dance, then a sort of amateur hour with a few men. We saw a few groups of dancers off to the side surrounded by their own crowds. In one area there were several groups of men marching in a line, playing a dirge on the lusheng, a traditional bamboo-pipe flute. We had a good time watching, but both Wanda and I wish we could have traded in the hours we spent at Xijiang. It was past 5:00 when we started our walk up the hill to our car. I was not looking forward to the drive back in the dark, but I felt a bit wimpy when I saw the hundreds of villagers walking up the mountain back to their homes, including small kids. We passed groups of walks all the way up the first peak and well along towards the next one. These people are hardy! By the time we reached Kaili, Wanda and I had no energy left to go out for supper. We hurried straight up to our beds.
Then it was time to go on to the festival. It was nearly noon already, so we stopped at a Buyi [ethnic group] restaurant along the way - a nice place, but by not means fast food. We had a fish-based hotpot. Then we had to pass through Kaili and out another twisty mountain road, up and down, up and down, are we there yet? It was past 3:00 when we finally reached the festival site, and then we had to park a good ways up a mountain slope and walk down. It was beginning to rain, and crowds of people were already leaving. Both Wanda and I felt that Li had serious misplanned this one.
We were able to photograph quite a few people in costume. There was a large stage set up at one end, where we watched several short acts - a young woman singing a Miao song, another doing a "modernized" dance, then a sort of amateur hour with a few men. We saw a few groups of dancers off to the side surrounded by their own crowds. In one area there were several groups of men marching in a line, playing a dirge on the lusheng, a traditional bamboo-pipe flute. We had a good time watching, but both Wanda and I wish we could have traded in the hours we spent at Xijiang. It was past 5:00 when we started our walk up the hill to our car. I was not looking forward to the drive back in the dark, but I felt a bit wimpy when I saw the hundreds of villagers walking up the mountain back to their homes, including small kids. We passed groups of walks all the way up the first peak and well along towards the next one. These people are hardy! By the time we reached Kaili, Wanda and I had no energy left to go out for supper. We hurried straight up to our beds.
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