Shanghai Pictures (July 2-3, 2011)

(Above) Laura and I at the Shanghai Bund with the city skyline in the background.

(Above) Shanghai City view - older style buildings in the middle, tallest building in China in the back right, and a crane for further construction in the front.

(Above) Old Shanghai city streets

(Above) According to our guide, a Chinese garden requires four things - water, plants, rocks, and a structure for prayers.  The Yuan Garden in Shanghai meets all four requirements.

Day Twelve and then some - Traveling Home (July 12, 2011)

The walk through the Summer Palace in the near 100 degree heat was exhausting, but the lovely air conditioning on the bus was refreshing as we drove though the Olympic Park and saw the Bird's Nest which can hold 100,000 people.  The swimming arena looks like a box filled with bubbles from a bath!! :)  It was a nice way to end our tour of Beijing.

Knowing that I would traveling home which was 12 hours behind my current location in China, I decided to stay up all night before the plane ride home.  Since I had to meet the bus to the airport at 4:00 am on Tuesday, July 12th it made sense to sleep on the plane! 

The time change thing can really mess with your mind if you think about it too much.  When we traveled to Shanghai, we lost July 1st completely and on the way home traveled through two days of July 12th!  Our plane took off from Beijing at 7:30 am on July 12th and we arrived almost 13 hours later to Detroit, Michigan at 7:37 am on July 12th!! 

After another flight from Detroit to Dulles, a stop for a glass of sweet tea, the ride to St. Mary's County, a stop to reassure mom and dad that we were still in one piece, and picking up my car from Laura's house, I finally made in home just after 5:00 pm on July 12th.  I immediately turned down the temperature on my air conditioning and fell asleep for hours in my own bed!!

Thinking back to everything that I saw and experienced, I have learned a lot and gained a few insights.  I learned that people are a lot alike no matter what language they speak.  I learned to appreciate the freedoms that we often take for granted in life.  I learned to have a whole new appreciation for American air conditioning and the availability of chocolate.  I learned to eat using chop sticks without wearing half of my food.  I learned that even during a renovation, our school is a palace compared to those in rural areas of China.  I learned that progress and growth can look like a rubble-covered war zone with construction cranes.  (BTW - 70% of the construction cranes in use around the world are in China and I think I saw most of them!)  I learned that political communism does not always translate to economic communism after seeing the disparity in the living conditions of the wealthy and poor in China.  I learned that a pit in the ground can be a wonder and a wall can leave you in awe.  I learned that opera does not always include singing and signs meant to inform can entertain.  I also learned, that Dorothy was right, while it is nice to travel and have an adventure, in the end there's no place like home!  Thanks for traveling with me!

I will go through the thousands of photos I took and post a few highlights later today. :)

Day Eleven - Beijing City and Emperial Palaces (July 11, 2011)

Today we started a day of walking - more than five miles in total!!  We began this trek at Tiananmen Square where we saw many iconic images of China.  In the center of the Square, you can see several monuments to the people of China including the memorial to the people that died in the liberation of China in 1911, the Monument to the People's Heroes, and the monuments to those that fought for freedom and those that rebuilt the country.  To the right of the Square, there is the Great Hall of the People which contains an auditorium that holds 10,000 people at once and on the left is the National Museum of China.  On the south side of the Square is Mao's Memorial Hall where Mao's crystal coffin is kept for viewing during the day and to the north is the Gate of Heavenly Peace with a portrait of Mao with the inscription of either side that says, "Long Live the People's Republic of China," and, "Unity of people of the world."  It is the gate to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square is translated from Chinese as, "Gate of Heavenly Peace Square."

Tiananmen Square is famous around the world for the student protest in 1989 and our guide would not openly discuss it while we were on the square, but did share his ideas once we were back on the bus.  I have heard from more than one person during my trip that they have free speech as long as they don't say it in front of a government official.  Our guide's reluctance to discuss it while on the Square was a vivid example of the balance between the old and new ways of the country.  He shared that he was a college student in Beijing at the time that the protests began in January 1989 when students from the University of Beijing went to the state council to get of government corruption, gain free speech, and move to democracy.  He remembered participating briefly in the calmer portion of the protest along with adults and students from other colleges throughout China before returning to school and home.  He said that the students did not get a response from the government, so they stayed in the Square through February and until June.  They did not go home and the protest stopped traffic and society in Beijing during that time.  He said that the government waited and did not respond to the protest until people began to tie the protest with Taiwan and began to discuss the overthrow of the government.  At that time, the government sent in tanks and soldiers but did not give the military permission to fire on the people, so when the students fought, several soldiers were killed until the military was given permission to fire on the people who scattered and fled.  In China, this is called the June 4th Incident after which the leaders of the protest were arrested and sent to prison.

We exited the Square at the Gate of Heavenly Peace and entered the Forbidden City which was the home of the emperors of China from 1420-1925.  (The last emperor lost power in 1911, but was permitted to live there for 14 more years.)  In the front square of the many squares within the palace structures, the emperor feared that someone would tunnel behind the walls of the palace so there are 15 layers of brick pavement as the floor of the enormous square!  That is not a job that I would have liked to undertake - it would seem endless! :)  Our walk through the Forbidden City was more than three miles!!!

We saw where the emperor lived and heard the story of Dowager Empress Cixi.  She was a 5th wife of the emperor, but when she had his only son, she improved in rank to the second wife.  The emperor dies when her son was six years old, so she and the first wife ruled from behind a screen in the throne room behind the child until she decided to poison the first wife so she could have more control!  Her son died at 19, so she put her sister's three-year-old son on the throne and continued to rule by placing her toddler nephews on the throne until the last Chinese emperor was removed from power in 1911.  I can't wait to go home and research her - she sounds like an interesting and devious character in history! :)

After a well deserved lunch break, we went to the Summer Palace, also known as the Golden Hill House, which was built in 1153, enlarged in 1750 and called the Garden of Clear Ripples on Longevity Hill.  It was burned down in 1860 by Anglo-French forces and built in 1888 by Dowager Empress Cixi who used the money allocated for the Chinese navy which weakened their defenses.  It was destroyed again by invading forces in 1900 and was rebuilt again in 1903 and it was converted to a public park in 1911.  It is 588 acres of mostly gardens and a man-made lake which is three meters deep.  It is famous in China - as evidenced by the masses of people bumping, shoving, and crowding all parts - for two main attractions which are the Long Corridor and the Marble Boat.  The Long Corridor is a more than one mile walkway - which we walked along with what seemed like thousands of other people - that contains more than 14,000 paintings decorating the ceiling and arches of the outdoor structure.  The Marble Boat is just that - a life-size replica of a boat made of marble.  It does not float or move, but it gives the appearance of floating on the surface of the lake for the emperor to enjoy the feel of being on a boat without actually leaving the shore.  It was also meant to symbolize the Chinese government which was believed to be as steady and stable as the marble boat.

The Summer Palace was our last destination in the city of Beijing and the last destination on this trip!  We head home tomorrow happy to be going home, but sad for the adventure to end!

Day Ten - The Great Wall‏ (July 10, 2011)

About 60 km from the edge of the city, we drove into the moutains and found the section of the Great Wall closest to Beijing.  We drove past a few sections before stopping at the Badaling section.  The part of the wall at Badaling allows visitors to access the wall from the samll town and it is a section most commonly visited by US Presidents when they come to China. 
The wall already existed in smaller sections built by the northern kingdoms during the Warring States Period, but the sections were linked together by Qin Shihaugdi when he united China under one kingdom.  The wall was renovated to replace the earthen bricks of the walkways with granite bricks by the Ming Dynasty in the 1400s.  The brick walkway now has dips within the bricks to make concave brick tops which made walking a the wall a slow and uneven process.
Add to the uneven ground the fact that it was Sunday and we found a slow moving and VERY CROWDED wall!!  The entire walkway was filled with people and from a distance, it was impossible to see the brick walkways.  Instead, you saw a mass of colors moving like a river along the top of the wall.  There were two paths that could be taken, one from each direction of the entrance to the wall.  The "hard way" was shorter, but required steep steps that were also deep without the use of railings.  The "easy way" required fewer steps, but had steep inclines with the dipping stones.  Laura and I walked the "easy way" which I put in quotes because even that was not necessarily easy!! :)
After taking a group photo at the top of the wall and receiving a certificate that we had climbed the Great Wall, we walked along the top of the wall the length of between three towers.  I was able to get quite a few photos of the area, but the mass of people became overwhleming and we slowly made our way down the wall.
I can't believe I climbed the Great Wall of China!!   So . . . .  I bought the t-shirt! :)
After you climbing expedition, we traveled to a jade factory where they make jewlry and even made the jade portion of the Olympic Medals in 2008.  It appears to be a very slow and careful process.
In the afternoon, we visited the Sacred Way portion of the Ming Dynasty emperors' tombs.  The tombs are not opened or excatavated out of respect for their ancestors, but the Sacred Way is a walkway that "protects" the entrance to the tombs.  The Way starts with a Tablet House that contains a dragon headed and turtled tailed creature that is meant to bring good luck and health if touched, so we touched it! :)
Each side of the Way contains statues of animals and people that are meant to protect the tombs - lions for courage, mythical creatures for luck and prosperity, horse and camels for transportation, soldiers for protections, civil officials for administration, and ministers of merit to advise the emperors in the next life.  The nearly one mile walk was shaded on each side by willow trees.  It was quite lovely.
In the evening, we attended a brief Beijing Opera after being served Beijing Duck for dinner.  The duck was alright - not my favorite.  The opera was 10% sinding, 5% dialogue, and 85% mime and acrobatics.  It was an experience!  There are few props and no scenery, it was all mimed.  I had expected more singing, but I am glad that I attended the show.
Next up - The Forbidden City and a Beijing city tour!

Day Nine - Xian and the Terra Cotta Warriors‏ (July 9, 2011)

Today we saw the 2200 year old Terra Cotta Warriors!!  Just a few miles outside of the city is the UNESCO site where the TCW were found in 1974 buy farmers digging a well and coming up with a head instead of water.  Experts say, a few inches to the left and they never would have found them!  The have unearthed three pits but expect more parts of Qin Shi Huangdi's tomb complex to be excavated over the next several decades.  The emperor's tomb itself is a bit less than a mile to the east of the TCW but they do not plan to open it all out of respect for their ancestor.

They said that 70-80 thousand people visit the site each day - believe me it was crowded!!  The farmer that found the site has a job for life signing books about the find and I got a signed copy while I was there!!  The crowds were overwhelming in size and it was difficult to move around or stand near the railing to get pictures of the pits.  I was not very good at pushing to the front, so like a lineman opening a space for the quarterback, Laura broke through the crowds to find me a space at the railings at each pit.  She would find me great angles and let me in to get as many pictures as possible!!

They are still working in all of the pits to preserve and catalog the artifacts and pieces and people were working in the pits despite the noise of the crowds.  Our walk through the complex of four buildings was measured by a member of our group with a pedometer and we walked about 3 miles just at that site!  It is an enormous area that includes the three pits and a museum of the bronze that was found including the two chariots of bronze that were found in more than 200 pieces.

We spent three hours at the site and had a great time!  After that, we went to the airport where we had a flight to Beijing which, as my travel history would prove, was delayed nearly an hour at the gate.  Next up - the Great Wall!!

Day Eight - Chongqing to Xian‏ (July 8, 2011)

Today we disembarked from the ship at Chongqing - the most populated city in China with 32 million people!  It is surrounded my mountains on four sides and often foggy but today was mostly clear. :)  To reach the shore, we had to cut through another cruise ship and then cross a barge to a set of stone steps.  Normally, there are 100 steps to climb to reach the buses while carrying your suitcases, but we lucked out and arrived at a high tide and only had to climb 50!  There were farmers waiting at the barge offering to carry your bags up the steps for 3 USD a person.  We were told that they do this supplement their income which was reduced when the dam was built and the farmland in the area was submerged.  It is clear that there is a definite difference between the quality of life in the country and that in the city.  They are so different it is almost like two different countries.

Chongqing was China's capital city during World War II when Japan occupied many cities in the east including the capital city of Nan king.  There is great respect for Americans in the city still today because of the American Volunteer Group that came and aided the Chinese for military airplanes during WW2 when they created a military base on a sand barge in the middle of the river because there was not enough flat land in the mountain city for an airstrip.  There are old bomb shelters scattered throughout the city from this time that have now been reformed to create usable spaces like storage for food at the zoo, shops, and stores.

We visited the zoo to see the Giant Panda and found that there are now about 800 of them in the wild within the nature preserves in China.  We arrived as they were feeding them in the morning and I think we got some great pictures.  As you can image, the rest of the zoo was a real thrill for me.  We walked among the aroma of hippos, rhinos, and the wild donkeys.  The weather was a bit cooler in the morning in the high 70s and by the time we left it was in the mid 80s.

We then went to the airport to fly to Xian.  Typical of my flying experiences, the flight was delayed by two hours, so we sat in the airport with our group before taking the short trip to the northern city.  We arrived in just enough time to catch the Tang Dynasty show and to quickly eat our dinner.  On the bus ride to the show, we did see quite a bit of the city and got a bit of information as well.

Someone is waiting for the computer and we have to catch our bus to see the Terra Cotta Soldiers, so I will cut this post off here and share my information on the city tomorrow!! :)

Day Seven - Shibaozhai Pagoda‏ (July 7, 2011)

Today we woke to the rainy skies after having docked at Shibaozhai.  With the near constant heavy rains came cooler temperatures in the low to mid eighties!  We had a lovely breakfast with a cup of tea or two before braving the elements!  In mid morning, we crossed the many barges to land.  Each barge, connected by chains, floats and bobs at its own pace making crossing something done with great care.  Add to that the rain and you get an opportunity for a plunge!  Knowing that, I took my time.  When we reached land, we had to climb 30 stone steps that were a bit uneven to reach the a ramp that began three 45 degree angle ramps to the street before finishing the nearly one mile walk to the bridge to the Shibaozhai Pagoda.

About 20 minutes later, we reached the suspension bridge that is the only access to the pagoda.  The bridge moves up and down and side to side with each step - Did I mention that it was also rainy at this time?  I am sure that you can imagine my reaction and how gracefully I crossed the bridge! :)

The pagoda was once a Taoist temple that was built in the 18th century on top and along the northern side of a mountain along Yangtze River.  It is a red building that appears to have grown into the side of the mountain.  There are 99 steps to reach the top of the ninth floor of the pagoda.  The significance of nine was to represent heaven.  Walking through the markets on the one mile trek to the pagoda, I was able to find a replica of the ancient bronze food vessels for 70% less than the first offer by the vendor, but the expected marketplace haggling is still a bit stressful and it is definitely something that requires practice!

We walked back to the ship after about 2 hours of constant, and at times heavy, rain and discovered that my choice of the offered umbrella was more successful than Laura's choice of the offered poncho.  She was soaked from the plastic stuck to her and the hood that blew off while I was completely dry and so was my camera!  Hopefully the pictures are worth her sacrifice!! :)

In the afternoon, while Laura huddled under the covers to attempt to ward off the chill from being in the rain so long, I attended a lecture on China today.  The focus of the lecture was how Chinese culture has changed in the last thirty years since the end of the Cultural Revolution.  Material luxuries and goods have become a top priority to the young people especially those living in the city.  The speaker showed a chart that explained what was commonly need to be purchased by the groom before he married and how it has changed in the last few decades.  In the 1970s they needed to buy a bike, a watch, and a sewing machine to start their household.  In the 1980s it was a TV, washing machine, and fridge.  In the 1990s it was a computer, house phone, and air conditioning (which is still not commonly included in newly built condo even today - they have to use window units).  Now it is a new condo (up to 500 USD per square meter), car, and a diamond ring.

The speaker also said that there are 600 million cell phones with China's largest cell phone company, China Telecom, and 800 million people have access to the Internet.  Freedom of speech is allowed as long as you don't say it in front of government officials he jokingly said as well! :)  He talked about the corrupt government officials that take bribes in order to approve business projects.  He said it is commonly known among the people that it is an expected part of the process, but in the last two years the government has been more strict about it.  In 2009, 32 government officials and in 2010, 16 government officials were convicted of corruption.  Their punishment?  Execution!!!  Much harsher than any politicians in the US!

The speaker discussed other freedoms as well including travel outside of China.  Two years ago, travel to the US was restricted to business visas but now Chinese citizens can travel to the US after arranging it with an agent and leaving a 15,000 USD deposit to ensure that they return to China and not become immigrants to the US. 

Most of the Chinese people are not religious, but 100 million are among those that practice Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, and Christianity.  There is freedom of religion, but Communist Party members are supposed to be atheists to show their loyalty to the Communist Party instead of practicing religious beliefs that may challenge the power of the government.

Urbanization in China has grown drastically.  In 1978, 82% of the people lived in rural communities.  Now that has sharply declined to 55% of the people.  This has led to overcrowding, unemployment, and pollution.  China's newest census has calculated that the population is currently 1.37 billion people and they predict that by 2033 it will be 1.5 billion people!  The one child policy has curbed this somewhat but has caused the population of China to be older and taking care of the elderly people will be more and more difficult.

It was a very informative talk and there was quite a bit of information that sounded much like our lives in the US.  Housing has become too expensive for many people in the cities.  There are few job opportunities in the country so people are moving to the cities.  They like their luxury items and have become the second largest market for luxury goods behind the US.  Children are expensive! :)  The environment has become a concern for people. And there is a large gap between the wealthy and everyone else! :)

Today is our last full day on the boat and we will continue further west tomorrow with a visit to see the pandas at a zoo.

Day Six- The Lesser Three Gorges (July 6, 2011)

During the night, we traveled through the five ship locks of the Three Gorges Dam and sailed further west until we arrived at the city of Wushan.  The city as it is now is less than 10 years old while the original city is now located under the surface of the Yangtze River.  When they decided to build the dam, they knew that some city would be completely submerged so they informed the people that they would be relocated when the final plans were made in 1992.  By 2003, the entire population of the city was moved further up on the mountainside just above the old city.  Those living in the city were offered incentives for their relocation that included housing subsidies that allowed them to buy larger homes.  Unlike the rest of China, many were given deeds to their land that allows them to own the property beyond 70 years which is unlike the rest of China.  According to our local guide, in 2003 she watched while it took 10 days for the old city to be completely covered by water to its present level.  I cannot imagine having to watch Leonardtown being slowly drowned by a river!

Before the city was submerged, they demolished many of the buildings and used some of the materials to build the new city.  The local guide described the debris that had to be collected from the surface of the river for months afterward!  She seemed pleased with the change despite these descriptions.  Before the dam was built, the people would travel using bicycles and now they use motorcycles and water taxis to travel within the city and to other cities or villages in the province.  She told us that visiting her grandmother used to take 8 hours and now she can travel there in about an hour.  This is because the water level was often less than 5 meters at times before the dam and today it was 145 meters allowing for water travel instead of land travel.

We left our ship to take a smaller boat into the Lesser Three Gorges.  I must say that every time I leave the ship, I have this image of slipping off of the very narrow walkway and falling into the river!  We exit the ship using a 2 foot wide plank that they have placed on top of another ship or a port or a barge and they have stationed lovely employees at both sides of the plank who smile and wish you well as you depart.  They take you hand or arm as you walk across the plank which at times has been at 45 degree angles or spanning a space over the water of about 3 feet as if they will be able to stop me if I plunge into the muddy water of the river!  I am more likely to take them with me!! :)  I do take great care because I really do not want to have to explain how I ended up floating down the river without a passport! :)

The Lesser Three Gorges were quite pretty.  The river flows between the sheer cliffs of mountains on both sides.  Villages and farms are dotted throughout the area of the Wu Gorge and I was able to see a wide range of terraced farms as well as fish or shrimp farms.  The fish farms looked like scaffolding in the water that held netting beneath the surface.  In the Misty Gorge, I was able to see a mountain peak shaped like Buddha of which I was able to get a clear shot!  In the Qutang Gorge, we saw monkeys running along and climbing the cliffs as well as the Hanging Coffins.  The Hanging Coffins are at least 2000 years old and are believed to have come from the wealthy families of the Ba culture.  The petrified wood coffins were placed into caves high on the sides of the sheer cliffs of the gorge.  Scientists have not yet figured out how it was completed because the Ba people disappeared abruptly in ancient times.  They do believe that they placed them on the cliffs up high so that it would ease their journey to heaven.

In the afternoon, I learned to play Mah Jong which is a game played by four people with tiles that resemble dominoes.  I am not yet very good at the game, but I think with enough practice, I could do well enough not to lose too badly! :)

Our local guide also taught us to say "I love you" in Chinese.  While I do not know the spelling or the characters to write it, I can type it out phonetically.  "Oh-eye-knee"  (The knee part is said with the inflection of a question.) 

I am off to practice my Mah Jong! 

Day Five - The Three Gorges Dam‏ (July 5, 2011)

I woke this morning to a window filled with fog!!  The haze lingered along with the humidity and heat.  It was 38 degrees centigrade - how close is that to 100 degrees F?  It felt like it had to be close!  I do believe that I was boiling at one point today!!!  The hazy skies did limit visibility today, but I was still able to see quite a bit of beautiful views and learn a ton of information throughout the day!

I started my day with a lecture on the history of the Three Gorges Dam while the ship was docking.  According to the speaker, the dam is the largest dam and hydroelectric power plant in the world.  The dam was originally designed and the location suggested by an American named Dr. John Savage who visited China in 1945.  Nothing was done about construction until Chairman Mao wrote a poem in 1956 expressing his desire to have the dam built which caused a great debate that ended when the scientists that did not agree to the building of the dam were imprisoned.  Political concerns derailed the building until 1992 when the government voted to build the dam.  The original plan was completed in 2003, but since then there have been additions to the project including underground generators and a small ship "elevator" which will be completed in 2015.  Construction of the dam required 103 million cubic meters of rock to be moved and the pouring of 28 million cubic meters of concrete!  When completed, it will have 32 generators that are 63 feet in diameter each.  The project is considered a success because of its ability to control flooding and produce power.  It was predicted that it would provide 20% of the needed energy in China, however, it only provides 3% at this time. 

Passage through the ship lock steps (five steps of raising the water one level at a time) is free, but our speaker did say that it is not uncommon for gifts to be given to those that determine a ship's place in line at the locks in order to secure necessary times!  We passed through the first ship lock today and it was fascinating!  The ship and several others pull into what looks like a great big toll booth with one set of gates open on one side to enter and the other gates closed for the exit.  Then the gates (which can weigh 850 tons each) close behind them.  They then take about 15 minutes to raise the level of the water in that small enclosed space to the same level as the other side of the exit gate.  Then the exit gate opens and ships can continue on their way up river.  It felt like being on an escalator! 

Once we exited the ship lock, we enter the Xiling Gorge where I saw steep mountainsides and several farms that use terrace farming!!!  I took lots of pictures!

In the afternoon, I attended a demonstration of a Chinese tea ceremony where they described the various types of teas and their strengths and uses for people.  My favorite black tea is good for attention and calming a person.  I know some students that are glad I drink it in the morning!! :)  The tea ceremony requires an elaborate tea set and is one to welcome special visitors to their home so it is not done everyday.  The Chinese enjoy watching the tea leaves flow through water, so they do not use tea bags.  They did make it look pretty, but I am not sure I have the patience to blow the leaves away before taking a sip!

We docked in Sin Dou Ping and took a bus to view the dam and the ship lock.  I again took lots of pictures.  I am so sorry that I have been able to upload any pictures at this point because of the limited Internet access.  I can use one of eight computers on the ship that are connected to dial-up which works intermittently.  Needless to say, I save my drafts often!! :) 

Tomorrow, we will be taking a smaller boat to see the areas of the gorges that can't be viewed from the ship.  I think I will go ring out my socks and take a third shower to cool off!! :)

(P.S Happy Birthday to Heather!!!!!!-Christie)

Day Four- Sailing the Yangtze River (July 4, 2011)

We woke in the sailing along the Yangtze River from Wuhan to Yueyang where we visited a school that is sponsored by the cruse company. 

The city of Yueyang is populated with 5 million people and it used to be greatly effected by the flooding before the building of the Three Gorges Dam.  The 4th grade students performed dances and songs for us and we visited the classroom where 70 students are tuaght at one time.  The school is closed for vacation at this time, so they only came to the building to greet us.  Education in China is very different from the United States.  While both start at the age of 6, in China they are required to attend school for nine years before taking a test that will determine if they continue with academics or they go to a vocational school to learn a trade.  Thirty years ago, every student was required to learn Russian as a second language, but in the mid1970s, that changed to English.

While Laura took a nap in the afternoon, I attended a lecture on the Yangtze River.  The third largest river in the world behind the Amazon and the Nile, the Yangtze provides China with a quarter of its ariable land and has three reaches or levels.  The upper level, furthest to the west, is known for its rapids and schoals that even required the use of trekkers to physically pull boats upriver.  They did this naked to reduce the need to replace clothing which became expensive.  The middle reaches have areas of cliffs and mountains which provided the perfect location for the building of dams to prevent flooding in the lower reaches.  The lower reaches are the widest and reach to the East China Sea and , as we saw today, the most boat traffic of any area in China.  It was like the beltway in some parts!  There are over 100 bridges along the Yangtze and they are planing to build at least 20 more in the next 10 years.

After the lecture, we had a traditional Chinese meal.  I have been learning to use the chopsticks and I think I am getting pretty good!  There was little food on my shirt and I was able to use them until my thumb began to cramp! :)

Tomorrow we travel through the Three Gorges Dam!

Day Three- Shanghai to Wuhan (July 3, 2011)

We started our morning in Shanghai by visiting the Shanghai waterfront called the Bund where we saw the city skyline along the Huang Pu River.  The waterfront is a one mile long walkway that begins with a monument built to honor those that were lost fighting for Chinese freedom. Along the skyline, we saw a variety of architectural styles with one common theme - bigger is better! 

There was the International Convention Center that contained a huge circular glass portion that was made to look like the globe.  Next to that was the Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV Tower which looked like a great big ray gun. :) 
 
Until 2008, the tallest building in China was next.  It was called the Jin Mao, but it was replaced by its next door neighbor in 2008.  The tallest building in China now is the Shanghai World Finance Center which will loose the title in 2015 when another building is built next door! The SWF Center has a large square hole near the top.  Designed by a Japanese firm, the Chinese government felt that the original design of a circular hole looked too much like the Japanese flag and requested that they change it to a square.  Its purposes are to allow the dragon to pass through for luck and to allow more stability in high winds.  On he other side of the waterfront, there are buildings from the 19th century that were originally the embassies of the European countries which have now become office buildings.  While I was looking at all of these buildings and listening to my guide, I was approached by a Chinese family that asked me to pose for a picture with them.  I figured it would be neat to be part of someones photo album, so I posed.  I don't know why they asked, but they were very excited that I said yes! :) 
 
We then went to the airport and caught a flight to Wuhan.  I was surprised by the amount of partially completed high rise buildings were scattered throughout the city as well as the amount of rubble from older buildings that had been knocked down.  In this city of more than 9 million people, they appear to be in such a hurry to build more housing that 20 year old buildings are too old and need to be replaced.  There are literally thousands of road construction projects going on throughout the city including new bridges and a tunnel under the Yangtze River.  All of this construction and new building has been helped by the government.  According to my guide, a person can only "own" their home for 70 years before it reverts back to the government which can then resell it to another developer.  With all of this construction and apparent prosperity, there are still large numbers of people living among the rubble or in rundown areas.  The crowds were enormous!  People on bikes, motorcycles, buses, or waking over the roads and sidewalks!  Driving is a contact sport! :) 
 
We ended our day at the Provincial Museum of Hubei where we viewed a performance of traditional Chinese bells like those found in the tomb of a Warring States Period feudal king named Yi de Zeng.  His tomb was undisturbed for over 2400 years before it was accidentally discovered while the Chinese military was attempting to expand the barracks of a local army base.  The four chamber tomb was found under 3 meters of water.  The tomb contained and artillery room, ceremonial chamber (where the 5 ton bronze bells were found), and two burial chambers - one large one for the king and a small one for his 30 wives!  They were all killed at the time of his death in order to take care of him in the afterlife! 
 
After that, we boarded the ship and now I am ready to sleep!  Tomorrow we visit a school!  Fingers crossed that the Internet holds out!

Day Two- Shanghai (July 2, 2011)

I thought that it was a temporary error when I attempted to post my blog yesterday, but I have since discovered that my blog site has become one of the sites blocked in China!  Luckily, my lovely sister is going to post my blogs each day from home in St. Mary's County after I send them to her in an  email!  Gotta love the technology! :)  Thank you, Christie!
Today, after two very necessary cups of tea, we took a tour of Shanghai!  Our first stop was the Yuan Garden - built over 500 years ago, it is a five acre mixture of buildings, flowers, and streams.  According to my tour guide, a traditional Chinese garden requires four items to be present - water, plants, rock, and pavilions.  It was a private garden until the government took it over in 1949.  There were very detailed sculptures throughout including carvings of dragons which were to be used strictly for the emperor with a punishment of death!  The builder found a loop hole because he said that dragons have five fingers on their claws and his sculptures only had three or four so they could not be dragons.  This saved his head!
After meandering through the garden in the 95+ degree humid morning, we drove through the city to the Shanghai Carpet Factory where we watched artisans hand weave silk and cotton carpets.  For a large 10x6 carpet, it would take one artisan a year to make!  Each square inch has approximately 1700 knots!!  That would require more patience than I have!
For lunch, we ate Mongolian BBQ.  It was a buffet with a selection of raw meats, vegetables, sauces, and spices.  You place your selections into a bowl and take the bowl to the grill.  Then they throw the entire contents of your bowl onto the grill and use two very long sticks to move it around until everything is cooked.  Then they toss it into a new bowl.  Christie, you so could not eat there! :)  After that you could add rice or noodles.
Our tour guide said that there are two types of people in China - noodlemen and ricemen.  He said that north of the Yangtze they eat mainly noodles and south of the Yangtze they eat mainly rice.  This is due to the production of wheat in the north and the production of rice in the south!
Our first stop after lunch was the Shanghai Museum.  The museum contains artifacts from the Bronze Age to the present.  The building itself is built in the shape of the bronze food vessels that China is famous for using in the ancient times.  There was traditional clothing from the 56 ethnic groups in China, samples of calligraphy on scrolls that were measured in feet instead of inches, samples of jade artwork, paintings, and coins.  Needles to say, by the time I reached the 4th floor, I was exhausted!!

For dinner, we ate at a family style restaurant in which they place the food in serving dishes in the center of the table on a spinning centerpiece to pass the food around.  I tried chicken curry, shrimp fried rice, vegetables, sweet and sour fish, spicy pork, and lemon chicken.  I even ate with chop sticks!  It took forever, but I did not give up until I reached the peas.  Seriously - how do they do that?
Tomorrow, I am off to Wuhan!

The picture is of one of the shops outside of the Yuan Garden in old Shanghai.

Day One - Shanghai (June 30, 2011)

Today we woke in the early morning hours and made it to the airport by 6:15am!  Thanks to a cup of tea, I was ready for the first leg which was a flight to Detroit.  We arrived with hours to spare before the flight to Shanghai.
True to my traveling karma, that plane was delayed due to a flat tire!  The plane was only delayed a few minutes and we were off . . . on a 14 hours flight!!
I arrived in Shanghai at 7:09pm (which is 7:09am on Friday in Maryland) and went through customs and immigration.  You can forget at home how helpful picture signs can be!  I have notice how important they are in being able to understand what is expected of you.
I changed some US Dollars in Rmb (Chinese money) which I have pictured.  I hope that I can keep track of it and not overspend! :)

The hotel for the night is really nice and I can't wait to get up early and begin exploring the city in the daylight!

Why am I traveling to China?

I was inspired in my choice to travel to China after taking my students on a field trip to the National Geographic Museum last year to see the traveling exhibit of a small portion of the Terra Cotta Army.  Being so close to an actual piece of ancient history made the people and culture more real to both me and my students.  Each year, when I introduce a new culture to my students, someone always asks, “Have you ever been there?”  I am determined to be able to answer, “Yes!” as many times as possible.  My exploration of China will be my first step to succeeding in that determination to reach my goal.