Suzhou is a cultural as well as historical city, located in the southern part of Jiangsu Province, in East China, bordering Shanghai to the east, Lake Taihu in the west, the Yangtze to the south, and Zhejiang Province to the south. It is just about 80 kilometers from Shanghai, along the Old Grand Canal.

With a rich history spanning more than 2500 years ago, Suzhou is one of the oldest cities in the Yangtze basin, and is regarded as the cradle of Wu Culture. From much famed ancient as well as classical gardens and remarkable stone bridges to incredible temples and pagodas, Suzhou presents a diverse range of attractions. Discussed further in this article are some of the top attractions in Suzhou.

The prime draw of the city is perhaps its gorgeously landscaped ancient gardens, each with its own significance. Few among them are the Zhuozheng Garden or the Humble Administrator’s Garden, which is the representative of all gardens in the city and consisting of three parts with several pavilions, chambers, and towers; Liu Garden, sprawling over an area of about two hectares with a number of striking buildings, beautiful garden courts, and rockeries.

Shizi Garden, which is an elegant garden built during the Yuan Dynasty; Surging Wave Pavilion, which is much famed for its ancient rock works; the Garden of Harmony, which is located in the heart of city and built during the Qing Dynasty; Tuishi Garden, a Chinese-style garden sprawling over an area of about 7000 square meters; and Wangshi Garden. Hence, it is not a wonder why Suzhou is sometimes referred to as the ‘City of Gardens.’

Suzhou is also renowned for its awesome temples and pagodas, which among many others, are Hanshan Temple, which was erected during the Liang Dynasty; Xuanmiao Taoist Temple, which was originally built by the Jin Dynasty and later rebuilt by the Yuan Dynasty; the Pagoda of the Northern Temple, a nine-storied pagoda with superb carvings and patterns.

Kaiyuan Temple, within which includes such highlights as the Big Hall, Tianwang Palace, Dicang Palace, and Stone Buddha Palace; Baosheng Temple, which is home to the Museum of Antiquities with displays such as statues of ancient Buddhist monks; Zijin Temple, which is believed to have been erected during the Tang Dynasty; Shengeng Temple, with a spring, which is sometimes known as Spring of Boiling Water Drops; and Dengsitu Temple, with some rare cypresses.

Other must-see attractions in and around Suzhou are:

Tiger Hill: Otherwise known as Hu Qiu, this astounding spot is believed to be the burial place of He Lu, the King of Wu, who in turn founded the city during the 5th century BC. The place got its name due to its entrance gate, which takes after the mouth of a tiger and the Pagoda found atop the hill, which resembles a tail. The imposing Pagoda seen here is regarded as one of the greatest attractions in the city, and is listed as a special historical site under State Protection.

Sky-High Hill: Situated about ten kilometers west of Suzhou, Sky High Hill, which is much famed for its White Cloud Spring and Longmen Gate, apart from several grotesque rocks and stone carvings.

Divine Cliff Hill: Built during the Eastern Jin Dynasty and rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty, this contains a temple boasting of frescoes of Buddhist Scripture stories. A pond, renowned as the Flower-Enjoying Pond, can also be seen here.

Jade Belt Bridge: This is a 400-meters long arch bridge that has been built across the Daidai River.

Above all, Suzhou is also much favored for its Suzhou embroidery, also known as Su embroidery. With a history of more than 2000 years, this traditional style embroidery is truly exquisite.

When comes to accommodation, Suzhou boasts of a continuum of luxury hotels. They provide options to choose from a variety of accommodation choices. Mostly, accommodation choices are coupled with facilities such as buffet breakfast, cocktail evening, free broadband access in rooms, excellent dining choices, superb meeting facilities, business centers equipped with facilities like web conferencing facilities, printers, slide projectors and LCD projectors, gift shop, florists, hair and beauty salons, limousine services, refreshing spa facilities, laundry and dry cleaning facilities, free local calls, parking facilities, and free airport transfers.

This venue has recently been added on Expopedia, the tradefair service finder. Visit our website for more information.

Suzhou International Expo Center
Expo Plaza, Xiandai Avenue, Suzhou Industrial Park
215021 Suzhou, Jiangsu (China)
More information about Suzhou International Expo Center …

An overview of the available activities for Suzhou International Expo Center …

• Standdesign / Designstudio
• Catering / Food & beverages
• Stand construction: custom build
• Events / exhibition organisation
• Displays (design/fabrication)

The kits arrived yesterday. It was difficult looking for kits with photographs and instructions on finishing the designs. You can order your kits and threads here: http://www.fildesoie.fr/

The kits from Endora includes a general instruction in French, but not on finishing the project. No instructions showing which colors and stitches are used on which parts. You will find more than enough divisible silk threads. The design is printed on satin (or a fabric that looks like satin). I washed this satin in warm water so I can iron flat the folds. BE CAREFUL. I can´t tell whether the sticky substance came from the print or the satin itself. I believe it is a stabilizer to stiffen the fabric. But it can also be the paint for the print, which means if one is not careful, the print would stick to your iron or whatever you use to cover it while ironing. Set iron on the lowest heat. Cover it with clean cloth to protect the print from higher heat.

The kits are not for total embroidery beginners, if one wants to produce the highquality needlepainted embroideries of Suzhou. But beginners can give it a try. This is my first silk embroidery and silk needlepainting. I have done smaller needlepainted embroideries in my Totsuka projects before, but in cotton.

 My process: I sketched the stitch directions first. And then another sketch for the colors. I also took another digital photo of the printed satin, for details. I can enlarge the photo on my computer to show finer details, like the whiskers and highlights in the eyes. When stitching, most of the fine details will get covered, so these digital photos will be helpful when locating the placement of the final details.

I suggest mixing colors to have a more gradual change of shades. Needlepainting is one of the most difficult to master in embroidery, because one also has to have skills in colorshading. And those who know me, know I am colorblind. So this is really a great challenge for me. 

Endora kit Chat03

 After ironing the fabrics:

Beijing municipal officials recently announced plans to continue with seven incinerator projects in the Beijing area, despite protests of nearby residents.

As we have reported before, Beijing’s trash is growing at approximately 8% annually, though the city is capable of treating just over half of what it tosses. Currently, 90% of Beijing’s solid municipal waste is sent to area landfills.

Though source waste reduction, improved recycling programs and more active resident seperation are among the many options available for addressing the problem, local and central level officials have prioritized the building of more incineration plants as their preferred approach.

This stance, combined with a lack of regulatory oversight and monitoring necessary to ensure the plants’ safety and environmental standards, has stirred dissatisfaction among local residents, and prompted vocal protests unseen in years past.

Incinerators – Clean or Dirty? Friend or Foe?

The thought of burning trash hardly seems ecological or pleasant to the nose, and expert opinions vary as to whether they are part of a sustainable path of development.

That said, advanced facilities are capable of meeting even the most stringent emissions standards; contribute little apparent smell to the community in which they are located; and can even produce energy as a biproduct, making the plant a net negative energy consumer.

Plus, incinerators contribute to the mitigation of landfill methane gas, which has a global warming potential 25 times that of CO2.

Among the list of countries with advanced facilities in operation – which includes Austria, The Netherlands, Japan and France – is China. However, most facilities in China are not among the latest and greatest.

In Shenzhen, for example, though the Baoan incinerator produces almost no dioxin – the carcinogenic emission that often gives incinerators a bad name – it also costs ten times what incinerators across town cost to operate. Other, operationally cheaper plants, by contrast, can be smelled from a mile away and seen belching dark plumes of smoke into the air.

The topic at hand is not why have not China’s municipalities not set strict standards to mandate cleaner incinerators. Chinese cities such as Beijing and Shanghai have passed standards comparable with those in Europe. However, lacking enforcement and monitoring of operation in China has resulted in poorly performing incineration plants even in cities which have enacted strict local regulations.

Moreover, national standards permit dioxin levels ten times those permitted in the US by the Environmental Protection Agency. Foreign engineering firms cite China’s pollution-permissive legal framwork as their reason for not being more responsive to a surging demand for building incineration plants in China.

These factors combined have resulted in incineration plants which, in addition to posing an environmental threat, have also bred public distrust and resentment.

Public Outcry Becoming More Prevalent

As recently as a few years back, environmental justice was not something with which ordinary citizens normally got involved.

Whether because of higher income levels, property value concern, raised awareness, an amalgamation of these elements or something else altogether, China’s citizenry has become more vocal on environmental issues affecting local communities. Growing activism is especially apparent on the issue of incineration plants.

In the past two years, protests over planned incineration plants have broken out in major cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, and Panyu. (in Guangdong Province). Each of these cities’ protests resulted in planned projects being halted or altogether abandoned. In Xiamen, rally cries against a planned chemical plant overturned the project.

Government, Backed Into a Corner, Pushes Back

Despite a measure of recent success of citizens in defeating incineration plant construction and expansion, the mechanism for democratic governance is far from fully developed in China. Though local governments can no longer ignore public sentiment completely, they have not demonstrated a willingness to redraw waste management initiatives.

Just last week, Beijing government officials announced intentions to continue with seven planned incineration plants, slated to be built in the city’s residential neighborhoods, as part of a plan to build nine incineration plants in the Beijing by 2015.

The announcement came in spite of renewed concerns over incineration plants in the last few months.

Chen Ling, vice-director of the Beijing municipal commission of administration, was quick to address community concerns by avowing that the plants would not pose a health risk.

But a marred track record to date may speak louder than Chen’s promises.

Beijing’s one existing incinerator plant, built in 2002, was found in 2008 to be burning, on a daily basis, four times its designed capacity, and pumping 40% of its methane emissions in to the air, rather than capturing them for energy.

Beijing’s latest act demonstrates that though a corner has not been fully turned in terms of government responsiveness to public sentiment, it can neither act unilaterally, particularly on issues that affect daily quality of life. If the last few years’ of growing activism are any indication of what is to come, it would seem that the recent announcement is not the final word.

If you like what you see here, check out TALKING TRASH: Beijing.

June 27, 2009

Last night, as stipulated by my program, I went to dinner with one of Soochow University’s administrators for overseas programs, a young lady surnamed Zhu, and my classmate Ben from the Pacific Northwest whose Chinese name is 龙虾 (Lobster).

Ms. Zhu first led us to her Peugeot and drove to her parents’ home in the Industrial Park. Her mother served us an afternoon snack of sliced fruit swimming in shallow bowls of Sprite. Then we went to dine at a Sichuan restaurant with two of her former classmates, where delicious mala food was enjoyed over conversation about everyone’s academic and linguistic backgrounds.

At first, the Chinese girls all had the annoying habit of speaking to us in an unnaturally cloying manner, slowing down their speech rhythms even as they complimented our language skills. “His parents are Chinese,” Ms. Zhu explained, gesturing toward me, when we met one of her friends at the restaurant.

“But,” I exclaimed. “I’m Chinese too!”

Their conversations with us became more normal as time went on. We went to see the IMAX theater at the massive Suzhou Science and Cultural Arts Center, which is an architectural knock-off of Beijing’s Birds’ Nest replete with glittering lights shifting through a whole spectrum of colors.

Then we went on to another huge shopping area full of Western stores, a Japanese grocery, and fast food and coffeehouse chains. The complex – called Times Square (时代广场) – was pristine and somewhat quiet for a Friday night, ironically enough. I found myself pondering the weird coexistence of this bubble of consumerism and nay, even First World luxury, with the grittier, dirtier, more in-your-face face of China a mere five minutes’ drive away.

Meanwhile, the Industrial Park has built itself into an impeccable vision of Asian modernity with highrises, wide boulevards, and a sophisticated commodity culture. Apparently a light rail is also in the works. The rows of office buildings are rendered perky by their nighttime display of flashing lights, and over in Golden Rooster Lake (金鸡湖) there’s – oh, why not? – a manmade island or two. “They were going to build apartments,” Ms. Zhu pointed at one. “But it didn’t happen, so now there’s just a teahouse.”

Hidden away inside a former girls’ school in China you find the most unexpected of museums. Located on the outskirts of Suzhou, Tongi is known as the Venice of China; but it also houses something maybe the rest of China isn’t ready for, the Museum of Ancient Chinese Sex Culture. It’s surprising that this place has remained open despite the other museums and parks of its kind being prematurely closed.

Photo: lotour

Recently in Chongqing, Loveland, a much talked about sex-themed park was shut down even before its main opening in October of this year. The former location of the Museum of Ancient Chinese Sex Culture was in Shanghai and closed several years ago. The museum was closed partly because of the word “sex” in the title. As for the park, its “prurient” nature was offensive and against the will of the Chinese public. Love Land sought to educate about sex in general and its practices along with history, etc. The park not only featured a look at cultural differences and the sexual practices in other countries and how they differ from those in China but also on STD prevention as well as information predominantly about AIDS, which has become an epidemic worldwide but until recently not addressed as much in China.

But fear not dear people, you can still find other sexually themed educational places in China! You can go to China’s Little Venice to find the favorite collection of pieces by Professor Dalin Liu, affectionately known as “the Kinsey of China.” Tongli has been the new home of Mr. Chinese Kinsey’s famed collection of over 3000 artifacts that drove him out of Shanghai.

Photo: lotour

Mr. Liu’s aim was to educate the Chinese public about the role sex has played historically in Chinese society. However, even now, it is not a comfortable topic in Chinese culture. Still, in recent years, as a result of a changing times and a more sexually active generation, China has had to confront the same issues other countries face in society, like STDS and increased abortion. Twenty years ago, in 1989 showed that 13% of male and 6% of female college students had engaged in premarital sex. Now the number is as high as 60 or 70 %. However, the education has not caught up with this new sexual revolution and around 80% of abortions are from high school students so there are many who advocate that not enough is being done to teach students about sex.

So what could have caused such a stir that the museum was moved from Shanghai, one of China’s clearly defined more modern and progressive cities? Why would this subject get the museum moved? Mr. Liu was an expert sexologist who successfully published 70 books on the subject. He became interested in how Chinese tradition has influenced China’s present society. But surprisingly he found that China’s sexual past is not lacking as some would suspect. He found much more than he imagined. Erotic art, instruction manuals, furniture, and sex aides are some of the prized pieces of his collection. Mr. Liu found that even as far back as 2000 years, Chinese society wasn’t as conservative as people think.

Photo: lotour

The collection includes such lascivious items as jade-ahem…tools, and graphic little ornaments parents used to hang in the bedrooms of their daughters on their wedding nights, fully instructional scrolls.

This is definitely something out of the ordinary, and currently you won’t find anything else like it in China. We know everyone has been disappointed since the announcement of the closing of Chong Qing’s sex park, but head East! If you want something a bit different after the botanical gardens in Suzhou and the beautiful canals in Tongli, check out the sex museum.

Sex Culture Museum
Cost: RMB30
Tongli, Wu Jiang County, outskirts of Suzhou.

***

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Au cours du moins d’octobre de voir mes parents à deux reprises en Chine. Ils ont en effet voyagé pendant 3 semaines en Chine pour célébrer leur 30 ans de mariage, oui oui, 30 ans, incroyable n’est-ce pas?

Je les ai d’abord retrouvé à Beijing car j’y étais également pour le boulot, ça tombait bien n’est-ce pas? Ils sont donc arrivés vers 7h du matin et ils étaient plein de courage alors nous avons commencé directement la journée par visiter un peu la ville. Ils faisaient quand même un peu moins les malins en fin de journée, mon père a même réussi a s’endormir alors qu’une femme nous recevait chez elle et nous parlait de son quotidien… Il a bien été puni puisqu’il a oublié sa caméra chez cette femme, ce qui lui a valu bien des émotions avant de la retrouver le soir… Au programme de la visite de la journée, temples, temples et temples. Les noms m’échappent déjà alors que c’était il y a à peine un mois, mais je retiendrai particulièrement l’un deux, situé derrière la Cité Interdite et donc à l’opposé de la place Tian’anmen. J’ai particulièrement apprécié la vue que l’on avait sur la Cité Interdite et j’en fut même très impressionné tant je n’imaginais pas une telle grandeur! Je vous laisse juger par vous-même.

Le lendemain nous nous sommes rendu à Badalin, un des meilleurs sites proche de Pékin pour visiter la grande muraille… du moins, c’est ce que les guides prétendent… Il faut tout de même avouer que le nombre de touristes sur cette partie de la Muraille est impressionnant, et particulièrement le nombre de touristes chinois, vêtus de casquettes identiques et suivant docilement un parapluie de la même couleur que leurs casquettes… Malgré l’encombrement de la Muraille, il faut reconnaître que c’est assez époustouflant, de voir cette muraille s’étendre a perte de vue dans des collines plus escarpées les unes que les autres… De plus, nous bénéficions d’une journée d’automne magnifique, soleil et arbres aux belles couleurs étaient au rendez-vous… Mes parents ont eu la chance de passer la nuit là-bas alors que moi je suis rentré à Pekin (environ une heure de route) car je devais rencontré des partenaires tôt le lendemain. Ils ont donc pu sortir des sentiers battus et visiter la muraille quasi seul! Je vous mets deux photos afin de vous permettre de juger de la différence de monde!

J’ai ensuite passé le reste de la semaine a Pékin pour le boulot, et je dois avouer que je n’ai pas eu le temps de voir grand chose… si ce n’est traverser la Cité Interdite en 30 minutes avant de commencer ma journée de boulot… mais ça me donnera une bonne raison d’y retourner…

Mais voici quand même quelques choses à ne pas manquer à Pékin: premièrement, le canard laqué évidemment! Cette spécialité est tout simplement délicieuse, et je vous recommande de vous rendre chez Quanjude pour le déguster, nous avons mangé un canard entier pour 3 accompagnés de crèpes bien sûr mais également d’autres plats de légumes, n’hésitez pas à passer votre tête en cuisine pour voir comment ils préparent les canards!

Une autre chose à ne pas manquer ce sont les parcs où les séniors se rendent pour s’exercer à leur loisirs favoris… aussi loufoque les uns que les autres: danser tous ensemble, gymnastique en groupe, tai chi, la chanson, l’opéra et j’en passe!

Mes parents pour leur part ont fait un fameux voyage en Chine, ils se sont d’abord rendus à Xi’an, pour voir l’armée de guerriers en terre cuite, puis sont descendu plus au sud pour se rendre à Lijang, pour ensuite remonter plus au nord pour visiter des régions peuplées par des ethnies tibétaines, et ensuite redescedre vers Guilin, pour terminer leur voyage par une semaine chez moi, à Shanghai!

Ils sont arrivés un vendredi soir et nous sommes partis dès le lendemain matin, direction les montagnes jaunes! Ces montagnes sont tout simplement magnifiques mais finalement pas très sauvages… Je m’explique. Encore une fois tout est fait pour accueillir les nombreux touristes (principalement chinois, démographie oblige). C’est donc dans des sentiers entièrement balisés et bétonnés que vous visiterez ces montagnes… Donc si on regrette un peu les sentiers de randonnées que l’on connaît en Europe, on apprécie tout de même parfois les escaliers dessinés à même la roche dans certaines pentes difficile… il faut dire que j’ai réussi à me faire une entorse dont j’ai le secret le premier jour de notre randonnée de 2 jours dans ces montagnes… J’ai donc tout simplement souffert, mais ça aurait été bien pire dans des sentiers plein de pierres!

Nous avons pu profiter mon père et moi d’un lever de soleil magnifique, dévoilant au fur et à mesure, une mer de nuages ou de brume à nos pieds, laissant passer quelques pics au loin… Je ne regrette absolument pas de m’être levé à 5h du matin!

La semaine à Shanghai est passée très vite, j’ai laissé mes parents visiter la ville à leur aise et je les ai rejoins quand je l’ai pu… mais nous avions des soirées bien occupées! Le dernier jour nous nous sommes rendus ensemble à Suzhou, une “petite” ville d’eau proche de Shanghai. Petite ville qui abrite tout de même autant d’habitants que la Belgique. Suzhou est particulièrement connue pour ses jardins splendides! Et cette réputation est bien fondée! Nous avions avec nous une locale pour nous montrer les bons endroits, et nous avons découvert des jardins paisibles et splendides!

En résumé, je fus vraiment heureux de voir mes parents en Chine, et c’est bon de savoir que mon père reviendra probablement pour son travail (Magotteaux a un bureau à Shanghai et une usine à Suzhou), il prendra même probablement ma grand-mère de 83 ans avec lui! Ma mère a dit qu’elle viendrait aussi, avec sa soeur. La prochaine visite sera celle de Laurence qui doit arriver d’ici une semaine tout juste! Je vous laisse deviner si je me réjouis ou non!

D’ici là, je tâcherai de vous décrire un peu mon voyage à Hong Kong…

Voici les liens vers les différents albums photos que j’ai mis sur Facebook :

This is a follow-up to the last post, another photo of the canal surrounding Tiger Hill Park in Suzhou, China.  This time, the scene includes people.  As I mentioned earlier, I am in the process of preparing photos for a book on China, one that focuses on one city, Changzhou, a city not to distant from Suzhou.  Perhaps when I have finished the book or two based on Changzhou, I will attempt to write about other places in China that I have visited, places such as Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, Suzhou, Nanjing, Nanning, Haikou, Sanya and Chongqing.  Two years in China has resulted in changes within, something I didn’t expect.

Like anyone else heading to China to teach English, I say it as a way to save my pension cheques and make retired life in the future just a little more secure economically.  I saw the venture as a way to see the world on someone else’s dime.  I had paid my dues as a teacher for thirty some years and now, I thought it was time to be rewarded.  Both motives, that of saving money and having others pay for my being a tourist were realised.  However, China was much, much more than that.

In China, all the rules were off.  What I had learned as common sense in societal behaviours was not applicable.  I quickly understood that I basically knew nothing that was helpful.  The only good thing for me was my natural tendency towards being a quiet person.  Not knowing the language reinforced my quietness.  Yet the strangeness was intriguing enough for me to wander outside of my safe apartment in order to listen, to watch and to study the world around me at that time.  It was almost as if I had again engaged in hero’s journey.

As an experienced teacher, I had little difficulty in teaching.  In fact, it was as if I was a superhero in the classroom.  I was loved and could do no wrong.  Other teachers came to watch me teach and soon wanted to establish friendships that would benefit them with extra English language contact as well as perhaps helping them to make their own teaching situations better for them and their students.  It didn’t take long for me to begin to see myself as a superhero type of person in China.  There are dangers when one develops a mana personality.  Recognizing the dangers, I looked within and saw the trap I was setting for myself if I bought into an inflated ego.

Every step toward greater consciousness creates a kind of Promethean guilt.  Through self-knowledge, the gods are, as it were, robbed of their fire; that is, something that was the property of the unconscious powers is torn out of its natural context and subordinated to the whims of the conscious mind.  The one who has “stolen” the new knowledge becomes alienated from others.  The pain of this loneliness is the vengeance of the gods, for never again can one return to the fold. (Sharp, Digesting Jung, 2001, p. 120)

The is no superhero here, no special person “chosen” by the gods.  There is only a person who has become yet more different than before, more of an individual, a person that finds himself or herself more alone than ever.  If I was to hold to the role being cast for me in China, I would lose both my sense of self, I would find myself more and more isolated as well.  I refused to believe in the myth that placed me in the role of teacher superhero.  I laughed at my moments of hubris.  And, I began to learn liking my warts, the faults that made me one just like everyone else.

This photo was taken in Suzhou, China, at the edges of a large park area called Tiger Hill.  The canal surrounds the whole park area.  While travelling the length of the canal, many side canals branched off to head to other parts of the city making their way eventually to the main canal. These particular boats are for tourist, most of whom are Chinese.  It is a beautiful scene; the ride was serene and peaceful.  For a few moments, one entered a different world, an unreal world.  For a few moments one lives an illusion.

For me as for many others, water is symbolic of the unconscious.  I think that this might have to do with our pre-emergent existence within an amniotic sac in which water was home.  And the ultimate source of that water was “mother.”  Now, as an adult, water has a sense of power and mystery that both entices and terrifies.  It is the great unknown.

Having dared a number of small journeys into the inner world in the guise of a hero, I, like so many others, have emerged a different person.  Like many others who have taken these journeys, I have come to the conclusion that I am connected to something larger, yet I remain small in comparison.  I feel more humbled than enlarged.  A few who have dared these small journeys have emerged larger.  I worry about them.

In choosing this photo, this morning, I went through my bookshelves in search of something suitable to “fit.”  I didn’t really know what I was looking for.  But on looking at the books, my eyes stopped at a book by David Tacey called Remaking Men.  Picking up the book, I opened the book and immediately found this passage:

Jung insists that individuation is above all, a dialogue with the unconscious psyche.  The ego needs to maintain its essential connection with social reality as it attempts to ‘have it out’ with the unconscious forces.  As the ego makes its ‘descent’ for the sake of renewal, it must resist the ‘inertia’ of the unconscious, and the forces that would paralyse it, and maintain its human integrity at all costs.  A tell-tale sign of failure is the tendency to inflate one’s insignificance … (Tacey, Remaking Men, 1997, p. 19)

It is too easy to get caught up with archetype and shadow and allow the self to become inflated.  In my opinion, all who stand tall, too tall, in their self-assigned roles as shamanic figures, as leaders and guides, are lost a bit or more in their own unconsciousness.  I often wonder if it wouldn’t be best to become a hermit and live a life of silence in some remote place.  But then again, even this is a conceit.  And so, I resist all of this and remain a flawed and confused person living as best I can in a flawed and confused world.

It just hit me that many of my photos are incredibly stale, some being over a year old now. I saw some Halloween decorations while walking around in Sūzhōu, and I thought it would be interesting to share. I remembered that I had some similar photos from Japan, as I had been there in October 2008. I guess I’d better get cracking before the photos become totally irrelevant as things continue to change!

Ganso is one of the many bakery/pastry chains in China. I don’t think the other chains had Halloween decorations, though.

A Halloween event poster outside a bar/club on Shiquan Jie, which is where a number of bars and restaurants are located, in addition to clothing boutiques and other hip shops.

On actual Halloween day (October 31, 2009), I was still in Sūzhōu. I had passed the entire day without seeing any other signs of Halloween. That is, until I saw three kids (maybe high schoolers or university) in fairly decent costumes (at least one from a Japanese manga) climbing into a taxi. I was actually a little stunned by the sight, so I was slow on my camera and missed a shot.

Later, when I got back to where I was staying (Suzhou Watertown Hostel), I noticed that there was a party with some Halloween-like trappings (a mask here and there), but it just seemed to be an excuse to drink beer and hang out in the common courtyard.

So Halloween has some distance to go before it catches on like other Western staples. My guess is that it’s still more of a promotional thing started by ex-pats for now.

Hello Batty will suck the cash from your wallet.

On October 31, 2008, I was in Osaka, but I don’t recall seeing any trick or treating. Perhaps I saw some people in costumes, but it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference in Japan…

I haven’t taken a photo for a few days.  I then thought of digging into my archives for a photo for today’s post.  This photo was taken in October, 2006 in the city of Suzhou, China.  It is a city that is filled with canals, the Venice of China.  While living in China for two years in a city only about an hour away from Suzhou, we managed to visit the city a number of times simply for the sake of exploring.

For me, there is a need at times to step away from the status quo, the daily norm so that I can see something different, even if it really isn’t too different.  I’ll give an example here.

I often go for walks no matter where I find myself living.  It doesn’t take long for a walking routine to find a familiar path along which I walk almost oblivious of the walk itself.  This happens when the path becomes predictable from having been travelled many times.  Almost immediately finding myself in a new place, a walk of similar distance becomes a journey of discovery.  My camera finds scenes and people to engage my mind.  I become more present in this outer world.

Returning back to well-travelled paths, I disappear into silences and inner spaces.  Sometimes it becomes an emptiness, sometimes it becomes an opportunity for the inner voices to gift me with thoughts and ideas and projects.  The shifting rhythms of new and familiar create a balance for me.  And in the process, provide me with these photo images which become symbols of something more than their two-dimensional content.

Regional Lean Leader in Suzhou, China for a diversified operating company headquartered in the United States that is a global manufacturing leader in providing innovative products and systems which are used worldwide.

Position Description: 

The Regional Lean Leader will work with Lean sponsors/team leader(s) to develop process improvement strategies:

• Facilitate, Train and Lead Strategy Deployment Activity
• Drive change management activities (create transition plans from current to future state and execute).
• Train improvement teams in Lean transformation philosophy, approach, activity and appropriate transformation tools
• Create the right sponsorship to drive improvement activity.
• Develop business cases and establish financial and non-financial project goals
• Lead projects through discovery, design and implementation.
• Manage people and projects to ensure proper achievement of results

Provide expertise to teams including:

• Apply continuous improvement methods such as Six Sigma (DMAIC/DFSS), Lean, change execution and Behavior and Consequence management.
• Lean principles of teamwork, methodology, business benefit, innovation and customer focus.
• Subject matter expertise in Manufacturing, Sourcing or support functions (Quality, Technology).
• Lead transformational change and work on identifying greatest Lean opportunities across the company.
• Coordinate benchmarking and external analysis (Subject Matter Experts, Workshops, company visits, etc.).
• Identify and share best practices and external trends.
• Teach and coach others in scientific problem solving and standardized work

 Why consider the opportunity?

• This is a stable company.  They are doing well financially and producing profits.
• Lean initiative is being supported at all levels of the company.
• The Regional Lean Leader positions are highly visible.  There are multiple paths for career development including operations leadership, other divisional leadership positions, and global ex-pat opportunities.

 Requirements:

• BA or BS in business, engineering or related field or equivalent experience, MBA preferred.
• 15+ years of business/operations management or manufacturing experience with management responsibilities.
• Technical Mastery of TPS continuous improvement tools and methodologies.
• Results oriented, strong analytical skills, and demonstrated process improvement success in managing large teams in a continuous improvement culture.
• Proven change agent and ability to lead teams through: making case for change, stakeholder management, change communications, removing barriers, setting milestones and acknowledging progress, and reinforcing change through organizational systems.

Contact me for more details, or send a CV for consideration to yschuster@duffygroup.com

Suzhou Bilder sind oben!
http://german-bash.org/~boardy/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=504

Und hier noch einmal eine Erhu Session:
http://german-bash.org/~boardy/blog/Streetmusic_091013.wav

Wieder da von Suzhou!

Es ist wirklich speziell mit dem Zug unterwegs zu sein. Mamamia! Die Leute werden hier erst kurz vor Zugeinfahrt aufs Perron gelassen. Das bedeutet Chaos hoch 200!
In Shanghai gehts ja noch einigermassen, aber in Suzhou wars echt höllisch! Dazu aber später mehr.

Am Freitag reisten Adrian und ich alleine nach Suzhou, weil Till mit dem Taxi zur Shanghai Railwaystation unterwegs war und prompt mal schön in die Rushhour reingekommen ist. Er hat den Zug dann um 5 Minuten verpasst.
Wir haben für die Hinfahrt 31 RMB bezahlt (3.10 Euro) für ein Erstklassticket. Die Fahrt in die Stadt dauerte 40 Minuten und war ganz gemütlich eigentlich. Bis dann der Stress wieder losging. Die Leute stehen 15 Minuten früher auf, damit sie ja aus dem Zug rauskommen! In der Schweiz (S12 lässt grüssen) macht man das wenigstens erst 5 Minuten vorher.. Es ist halt auch stressig, weil man nicht mitbekommt, wieviel Zeit man zum Aus- oder Einsteigen hat, wenn man kein Chinesisch versteht.
Kaum waren wir aus dem Bahnhof draussen, kamen schon die ersten Leute an, vonwegen “Aah wo wollt ihr hin, ich habn Taxi, wollt ihr ne Karte von Suzhou” blabla, blabla. Wir haben dann irgendwann ein richtiges Taxi bekommen.

Die Jugendherberge (Watertown Hostel) sah echt gediegen aus und wir hatten auch ein tolles Zimmer für drei Leute. Das einzige was wirklich gestört hat, waren die lästigen Mücken. Der Innenhof des Hostels war gemütlich gestaltet und es war eine ruhige Gegend! Der Haushund war sogar ziemlich vertrauenserweckend, sogar für mich..

Adrian und ich spazierten etwas später durch die Stadt und merkten, dass da nach 22 Uhr echt nichts mehr los ist. Oder wir waren einfach nur am falschen Ort (?). Es war jedenfalls die “Hauptstrasse” Renminlu.
Suzhou ist schon ziemlich flach. Es gibt kaum Hochhäuser, ausser dort, wo halt die ganzen Firmen ihre Sitze haben, was aber nicht im Stadtkern gelegen ist.  Es gibt ne menge Häuser die noch so traditionelle Dächer haben, die mit den “geschwungenen Ecken”. Wir trotteten noch durch einen kleinen Strassenmarkt und entdeckten mehrere Leute, die Hundebabies verkauften und ich konnte natürlich nicht anders, als hin zu gehen und die zu streicheln. Hätt sie am liebsten alle mitgenommen!

Am Samstag haben wir Till vom Bahnhof abgeholt und uns dann zum etwa 7km entfernten Tiger Hill aufgemacht. Das ist ein kleiner Hügel mit einer grossen, alten Pagode drauf. Auch schiefer Turm genannt. Perfekt war der Zeitpunkt an dem wir angekommen sind, weil dort so eine Parade mit vielen Akrobaten statt fand. Der Turm auf der kleinen “Erhebung”, Hügel ist eigentlich das falsche Wort, ist sehr eindrücklich, weil er so alt ist. Die Luft war auch schon ganz anders.
In Suzhou atmet man eine Menge Abgase ein, weil man viele Wege mit dem Taxi fährt, da die ja keine U-Bahn haben.
Unten wieder angekommen, haben wir eine Bootsfahrt durch die Kanäle gemacht. Die Leute wohnen da in ihren kleinen, alten Häuschen und waschen ihre Wäsche wohl auch dort im Fluss. Die Gegend und die Leute machten einen zufriedenen Eindruck, obwohl die Häuser nicht sehr neu waren. Erstaunlicherweise sieht man in Suzhou (fast?) keine solchen verlotterten Hütten, wie hier in Shanghai.

Eins der grossen Highlights passierte am Abend. Wir spazierten wieder einmal herum, als Adrian und Till plötzlich eine German-Sausage Hütte entdeckten! WURST! Wie ich richtige Wurst hier vermisse, ohje! Haben uns gleich mal etwas bestellt. Die Thüringer Bratwurst schmeckte ganz gut und ich glaube ja fast, dass man dafür bestraft wird, wenn man sich zwischendurch mal westliches Essen gönnt! Die Verdauung rächt sich jedes mal…

(Wie ihr vielleicht merkt, fällts mir schwer, alles zu erzählen, was ich erlebt hab. Es waren wohl etwas viele Infos für mein Hirn die Tage. Ich geb aber mein Bestes..)

Am Sonntag haben wirs ziemlich easy genommen. Bis 10 Uhr geschlafen und danach unser Zeug, was wir in der Jugendherberge deponieren durften, gepackt. Wir haben uns auf der Landkarte einen Ort ausgesucht und uns ein Taxi genommen. Die Wahl traf auf einen See, von dem wir hofften, dass er schön ist. Gottseidank wars dann auch so. Er Lag in der wohl eher aufstrebenden Gegend, etwas ausserhalb des Stadtkerns. Als erstes haben wir uns dann gleich mal auf die Wiese gelegt und ein Nickerchen gemacht. Das hatte schon ein bisschen was von zu Hause. Es gab erstaunlich viel Grün rund um den See, nur das Wasser war irgendwie braun. Man konnte durch den Smog noch ein paar besondere Gebäude am anderen Ufer erkennen, wie zum Beispiel ein chinesisches palastähnliches Gebäude und ein grosses Riesenrad. Das zu benutzen wär bestimmt cool gewesen!

Ein paar Stunden und etliche Spazierschritte später haben wir ein Taxi erwischt und sind zurück zum Hostel gefahren, wo wir uns dann schliesslich auf den Heimweg gemacht haben. Dass uns dann doch noch ziemliche Äktschen erwarten würde, hätten wir wohl nicht gedacht.

Am Bahnhof warteten oben schon hunderte von Menschen auf unseren Zug. Ganz viele standen schon in einer Kolonne vor dem Einlass und es war heiss! Die Bahn hatte 30 Min Verspätung und als das Tor zum Bahnsteig geöffnet wurde, gings erst recht los. Die Menschen drückten nur so darauf los! So habe ich es bisher nur an Punkrock Konzerten erlebt – zum Glück. War also nichts Neues für mich und mit dem Gedanken, dass mir viele Chinesen körperlich unterlegen sind, habe ich mich dann mitquetschen lassen. Ging eigentlich ganz gut und ohne Reisetasche hätts sogar irgendwie Spass gemacht. Alle hatten wohl Panik, den Zug nicht mehr zu erwischen und so gings dann auch weiter als dieser einfuhr. Theoretisch hat ja jeder seinen Sitzplatz.

Erschöpft kamen wir in Shanghai an und ich war froh, wieder hier zu sein. Es geht alles etwas einfacher.

Nächstes Mal nehm ich das Flugzeug zum reisen

Achja, Fotos gibts hoffentlich heute Abend. Konnte sie noch nicht raufladen.

Edit: Mir ist grad noch was schlimmes wieder eingefallen! Als wir Sonntag nach unserem McDonaldsbesuch ein Taxi nehmen wollten, sahen wir von etwas weiter weg einen Typ auf dem Boden knien. Er beugte sich immerwieder nach vorne und es sah aus, als würde er beten. Dann sah ich aber dass er Blut auf dem Arm hatte und realisierte erst, dass er seinen Kopf rhythmisch auf den Boden schlug! Sowas abgefahrenes, schockierendes hab ich hier wirklich noch nicht gesehen. Zum Glück war das etwas weiter weg. Schrecklich!

I’m slowly working through the photos.  Digital photography has made life much easier, in some respects – knowing that there won’t be horrendous processing costs for potentially dodgy pics frees you up to snap away.  The downside? Over 200 photos from a two week holiday.

My Picasa account now has sets from Shanghai and Suzhou.  Given that China is a heavily populated country, I was quite surprised by how many shots we have with no people in them.  I was not surprised by how many photographs we have of buildings – that’s par for the course when the travelling companion is an architect and takes possession of the camera.

I will write more about the trip soon when I 1. find a minute and 2. get to a point where I feel I can articulate my thoughts properly.  I am, however, constantly remembering amazing dishes and meals we ate while we were there, so perhaps food might be my starting point (who’d have guessed?!).

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts has opened 3 new properties in China, Egypt and the UAE, along the path of the ancient silk road. The Fairmont Yangcheng Lake, Fairmont Nile City and the Fairmont Bab al Bahr are the latest additions to the brand’s portfolio.

Fairmont Yangcheng Lake

Located along the shores of the scenic Yangcheng Lake in Kunshan, the 200-room Fairmont Yangcheng Lake is easily accessible from metropolitan Shanghai and the picturesque city of Suzhou. The city offers numerous tourist attractions, including historical sites, temples and scenic water towns within close proximity to the hotel.

12 accomodation types are available to guests, including a selection of suites and specialty rooms. Each guestroom offers either a park or lake view through large floor-to-ceiling windows and is furnished with a luxury bed, spacious bathroom with Miller Harris bath amenities, 42-inch plasma televisions with cable programming, DVD player, dual-line telephones with voicemail, high-speed internet access and an executive work desk. Guests are also provided with a refreshment center and coffee-/tea-making facilities. Most of the hotel’s suites, which feature a separate living area, as well as selected rooms also feature a balcony from which guests can take in the sights of Yangcheng Lake. Discerning guests can also choose to stay in the Fairmont Gold accomodation, where they enjoy the complimentary use of the Fairmont Gold lounge and a boardroom.

Dining at the Fairmont Yangcheng Lake promises to be a gastronomical affair led by authentic Cantonese cuisine at the signature Yi Feng Court restaurant, where guests can sample creations such as Imperial Lobster Dumpling and the area’s famous Hairy Crabs. At Essence, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, a wide range of local and international selection is available through its buffet and a la carte dining options, while the intimate and sleek Luwei lobby lounge is the ideal setting to relax over light snacks, drinks and its selection of premium chinese teas. After sundown, guests can retreat to the Curve Bar to wind up their day with drinks and live music entertainment.

The hotel boasts a range of recreational facilities for guests, including a state-of-the-art health club comprising an indoor swimming pool, outdoor swimming pool with whirlpool, steam room, fitness center and a yoga studio. Fairmont’s Willow Stream Spa also provides an adult sanctuary with spa treatments and facilities such as steam rooms, saunas, mineral pools, experience showers and ice fountains.

Meeting and event planners can choose from a multitude of indoor and outdoor venues, including a 1,200-meter Grand Ballroom overlooking the lake and breakout areas ideal for teambuilding activities. A full-service business center with secretarial services is on hand to support business travellers.

Fairmont Nile City

Built within the Nile City corporate complex, the 567-room Fairmont Nile City offers sweeping panoramas of the majestic Nile River and the Great Pyramids in the distance. The hotel is located 16 kilometers from Cairo International Airport and easily accessible to the Egyptian capital’s major tourist attractions and shopping districts.

Art deco and contemporary design is reflected in each room and suite, which is furnished with king-size or double beds with 100% Egyptian cotton bedding, bathroom with rain shower and amenities from Miller Harris, interactive television system, telephone with voicemail capability, high-speed internet access, large workdesk, in-room safe, refreshment center and coffee-/tea-making facilities. Guests staying in the 75-square meter Nile Suite, 102-square meter Deluxe Nile Suite or the 233-square meter Royal Suite enjoy additional space with separate living areas, while the Fairmont Gold accomodation offer 24-hour, on-call butler service and complimentary access to the Fairmont Gold Lounge.

The Fairmont Nile City offers a variety of cuisines and dining options at its selection of restaurants and bars. Located on the second floor, the all-day dining Napa Grill is based on a ‘Californian grill’ concept with its Spanish, Mediterranean and Mexican influences, while Saigon Bleu’s Vietnamese dishes and contemporary Asian design blends impeccable flavours, stylish presentation and seamless service. Focusing on tea and coffee service, the Onyx Lounge will offer light snacks and desserts with a vast array of teas and coffee, while a taste of Japan can be experienced at O Bar’s sushi bar, accompanying specialty cocktails, imported beers, wines, fine cognacs, whiskeys and premium spirits, as well as Cuban cigars in the walk-in humidor. For a bird’s eye view of Cairo, the rooftop Sky Bar and Sky Pool offers Lebanese food and cocktails accompanied by music tunes mixed by the resident DJs.

The hotel is home to Cairo’s biggest spa with over 2,043 square meters of private sanctuary for men and women at Fairmont’s Willow Stream Spa, where guests can indulge in holistic, tailor-made therapies. A beauty salon, full-service health club and rooftop swimming pools are also available to guests for recreation. Business travellers have a variety of indoor and outdoor meeting venues to choose from, supported by a comprehensive range of business services. 

Fairmont Bab al Bahr

One of the newest hotels in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, the 369-room Fairmont Bab al Bahr is located directly on the beachfront between Maqtaa and Musaffa Bridges, offering easy access to the city centre and Corniche. The hotel enjoys views of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and the azure waters of the Arabian Gulf and is a 15-minute drive from Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Embracing an organic theme, the guestroom furnishings employ a range of rich textiles and natural materials such as marble, walnut wood paneling and furnishings inspired by bamboo flowers. All rooms and suites are equipped with a king-size or 2 queen-size beds, 5 piece bathroom with Miller Harris amenities, LCD television, voicemail-enabled telephone, high-speed internet access, a work desk, in-room safe, refreshment center and coffee-/tea-making facilities. Suite and Fairmont Gold guests also enjoy exclusive lounge access, private check-in/check-out, butler service and bespoke VIP amenities.

Fairmont Bab al Bahr’s dining options leave guests spoilt for choice with 8 restaurants and bars. Michelin-starred celebrity Chef Marco Pierre White opens his first steakhouse and grill in the region at the hotel, serving guests innovative grill cuisine and classic English fare, as well as collaborating with famed horse jockey Frankie Dettori to open Frankie’s serving authentic Italian cuisine. Elements, a casual yet elegant venue, offers international buffets from Asia, Europe and the Middle East throughout the day, while the hotel is also slated to open a new Lebanese restaurant and lounge in 2010. At the Al Naba’a Lounge, guests can sample one of many blends of tea available under the guidance of the hotel’s tea sommelier, while chocolate enthusiasts will appreciate The Chocolate Gallery, where signature hot and iced chocolate beverages await, complemented by fondues, cakes, truffles and pralines. After sunset, guests can party the night away at Chameleon with its range of cocktails, vintage champagnes and music from the resident DJ.

Like its sister properties, the hotel boasts a health club with 2 outdoor swimming pools and separate gymnasiums for men and women equipped with state-of-the-art equipment. Fairmont’s Willow Stream Spa debuts in Abu Dhabi with a 2,500-square meter sanctuary opening in early 2010 with facilities including whirlpools, ice showers, relaxation area and a modern fitness center.

As a business hotel, the Fairmont Bab al Bahr offers a spacious 1,070-square meter ballroom and 6 other meeting rooms ranging from 22 square meters to 186 square meters in size to accomodate events of all sizes. A fully-equipped business center is on hand to support guests with a full range of services and facilities.

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts is slated to continue its expansion in 2010 with new properties planned for Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the Indian city of Jaipur and Shanghai’s landmark Fairmont Peace Hotel.

For more information, visit www.fairmont.com.

Suzhou est une ville réputée pour ses nombreux jardins chinois… à juste titre ! On se laisse facilement envahir par cette tranquilité qui y règne. La plupart des jardins possèdent des lacs où l’on peut admirer les carpes sacrées, une légende dit que les lacs repoussaient les dragons. N’oubliez pas de toucher une carpe … il paraîtrait que cela porte bonheur !

Places visitées:

• Le jardin de la politique des simples (+++)
• Le jardin du Couple retraité (+++)
• Balade le long du grand canal
• Le jardin de l’est

Ce petit bout de femme à la voix très haut perchée (oreilles sensibles aux aigus s’abstenir !) nous a fait découvrir une forme d’art peu connue : le pingtan. Malgré une attitude physique très statique, sa présence sur scène était très intense. C’est avec un flot continu de chansons et d’histoires déclamées avec fortes intonations et des expressions faciales étonnantes que cette artiste nous a “bercés”, ainsi que le public d’habitués, pendant une heure.

L’atmosphère de la salle a largement renforcé l’impression d’être admis dans un autre monde. Nous nous sommes immédiatement sentis intégrés par l’audience, composée essentiellement des personnes âgées du quartier, assemblées autant par goût pour le pingtan que par l’envie de se retrouver entre amis. Nous avons été amusés par ces groupes jouant aux cartes en attendant le début de la performance, tous armés de bocaux en verre au fond duquel trônait l’ingrédient culturel essentiel à la longévité, les feuilles de thé vert, arrosées régulièrement d’eau chaude à l’aide de grands thermos chromés posés sur les tables.

Puis, lorsque la lumière s’est éteinte et que le spectacle a commencé, nous avons vu les éventails, si utiles jusque-là à apporter une légère brise dans cette chaude moiteur estivale, devenir de surprenants métronomes. Ainsi supportée, notre chanteuse de pingtan a pu donner le meilleur d’elle-même et s’est vue récompensée à la fin de chaque chant par une foule d’applaudissements et de battements d’éventails.

Before I was 10 I imagined myself growing up and living out of a backpack, traveling to exotic locations and experiencing all the adventure the universe might have to offer. Today I don’t feel that much different from my younger self. I am still me, often smiling in awe of every beautiful thing that exists, my curiosity still far from being satisfied. The difference is that I have a plane ticket to China, leaving in two days.

Where exactly this desire to travel came from, I don’t know. It feels as though it is an inherent part of me, I must travel, because I am. So, off to China I go. There’s no turning back now, even if I can’t decide what to wear on the airplane, even if I don’t like my haircut, even if I don’t get around to eating at that little “Latin Food” place just up the street from my parents house that I promised myself I’d go to all summer, but haven’t yet. I have a plane ticket sending me and my bags to Shanghai, a ride from Shanghai to Suzhou, where I have an apartment and job waiting on me. There’s no turning back now! Which is good, because I don’t think that I can wait another day to begin reading the books I bought for the trip:

11

And finally…

I can’t quite decide which one to read first!

It’s time for me to get some sleep before the little girls wake me up in the morning. There is so much to do before I depart, but I bid you good night with a quote from one of my favorite authors, Paulo Coelho. If you haven’t read “The Alchemist,” yet, you probably should. However, my advice should be accompanied by a disclaimer, your should read “The Alchemist” if you are prepared to be inspired to fearlessly follow the callings of the universe, no matter where or how the may lead you. You should also read this book if you believe that you have already heard the voice of the universe and feel quite satisfied with all that you have learned, and no further desire to nomadically follow the plans of the universe. However, if you feel that it is best to stay at home and lead a “normal” life, then perhaps this book is best to be avoided. But, I digress here is the quote and now I need to sleep.

“Making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.”

Chinese-American or American-Chinese?

I think the latter is actually more accurate. American is the modifier, while Chinese is the concrete noun. A Chinese person, with American characteristics.

China and America are organically different societies. It seems appropriate that the physical journey between them is so intense and almost surreal. On the way home, I ended up dead center in the middle row of five people. There we floated in abstract space for about thirteen hours. I couldn’t even look out a window; most people kept their shutters down nearly the whole way. I didn’t watch any movies. I read Murakami in Chinese and slept a fair amount. I kept the video screen on the satellite map that provided numerical precision detailing the remainder of our journey: only eight hours left at 34,000 feet and I’m hovering over Alaska.

I finally ended up in front of my fifth floor New York apartment at 2 a.m., twenty-seven hours after I left Suzhou bound for Pudong Airport on a bus.

On my flight from Shanghai to Chicago, I was seated next to a Chinese student heading to Kansas for school. He huffed nervously the entire time. The immigration and customs forms flabbergasted him. I showed him how he could abbreviate words so the address would fit. It might have been his first time out of the country.

A retired professor sat next to my friend and I during our final leg to LaGuardia. Just your typical, grandfatherly film historian. The woman behind us slept stretched out on three seats. While waiting for my shuttle after picking up my bags, I watched CNN and slowly reeled myself back into the bosom of America: Anderson Cooper and Nancy Grace on Michael Jackson.

My birthday week is here, as painful as that is, but we have decided to celebrate this with a fun five-day trip away, to a province just north of Shanghai. We shall visit several cities in Jiangsu province and just generally “have a good look around”. My China book had virtually nothing on this area, but i’m reliably informed that there are some good things to see. We shall also be quite near some beaches at some point which could be good, so long as the multitude of typhoons that currently are swarming around Southern and Eastern China do not pay us a visit.

Check this map to get an idea of where we’ll be:

At the top, you’ll see Lian Yung Gang which also has an island nearby which we plan to visit. On the way there, or back, we shall fit in a few other places too, possibly Wuxi, Nanjing or others.

Lian Island just off Lianyungang on the North Eastern Coast of Jiangsu Province.

the Boyfriend came over to shanghai for the weekend and i wanted to take him somewhere scenic outside of shanghai without a too-long travel time (so plan A, which was xi’an, was out of the question). the 2-hour ride to suzhou fit the bill. i booked a 1-day coach tour via http://chinatour.net/1-day-coach-tour-to-suzhou-from-shanghai-back.html, which cost RMB450/person inclusive of a set lunch, admission fees, transportation to and from the hotel and an english-speaking guide.

come saturday we were pleased to find that our coach tour got converted to a private one, since no one else had booked the same tour as us. our guide was a chinese woman named lily, and she picked us up around 30min behind schedule in a white van (traffic was the reason for the delay).

tiger hill--what we had to climb

first stop was tiger hill, a large hillock covering 14,100 sqm and 36 meters in height. the hill has a number of historical sites, the more notable of which is the tiger hill pagoda, which leans slightly to the right (kind of like a chinese leaning tower of pisa).

see the base? the pagoda leans slightly to the right

there was also a terrace called “the heavenly terrace looking forward suzhou” that used to offer the best view of the city in ancient times. nowadays most of the view is obscured by the greenery.

afterwards we were taken to an embroidery factory, the first of the many “factories” and “markets” i’d be taken to for the next couple of weeks. apparently, the in-thing with tours in china (and thailand, as i will later relate) is to take you to a jade market or a silk factory or a gem store, the visit to start off with someone explaining the unique properties of this-and-that, or how so-and-so is manufactured. it invariably ends up with the salesperson following you around the store encouraging you to buy their merchandise (or pointing out the “SALE!” section in case you look disinterested) at steep price tags. there are exceptions to the rule, and admittedly the products are all genuine, but the tour operators make money off bringing tourists to these markets and shops. they make even more money in case you actually bought something. proof of the pudding: if you want to remove one of these compulsory stops in your itinerary you’ll be told to pay extra for the tour fee. at any rate, you’re not mandated to buy anything.

anyway, the place we went to was the suzhou lanli garden embroidery research institute, which was also where our lunch place would be (that’s another common feature: these places usually have restaurants attached to them). the guide was informative enough, explaining the differences between one-sided (usually used for wall hangings) and double-sided embroidery (both sides are embroidered, meaning they could be used as screens or framed in rotating clear frames that showed both sides). she just got a tad pushy when it came to the actual purchasing, showing us embroidery from the students (cheaper) and the masters (totally expensive–some even worth a million yuan) alternately. she was trying to point out how superior the masters’ work was compared to the students, and how it would make a lovely present considering shipping fees were included. we ended up buying a cute double-sided panda frame for just RMB180, which obviously disappointed her a bit.

set lunch at the embroidery institute restaurant

set lunch wasn’t half bad, as i’ve had worse on other tours. it consisted of a sweet and sour fish, ground pork with flakes, egg fried rice, spinach, clear tomato soup and watermelon for dessert. the only drawback was to down all this food, you only had one glass of sprite included in the meal. we didn’t know this at first, and tried to raise a fuss when the waitress wouldn’t give us the whole bottle. haha.

zhang ji's famous bell

next stop was hanshan (chilly hill) temple, famous for a bell described long ago by poet zhang ji. the original bell has long since disappeared, and a replica was modeled on the previous one in 1904. every lunar new year the bell is tolled to pray for happiness and safety in the coming year.

han shan and his brother

of course, one has to recognize that the temple was named after han shan, a famous monk and poet that came to take charge of the temple in the tang dynasty. he inscribed his poems on the rocks and temple walls in the vicinity, and someone had the mind to copy, translate, and add them to the definitive t’ang anthology (including poets li po and tu fu).

here is a poem about a student failing his exam and feeling totally depressed. he gets inspired by the serenity of his surroundings and the beauty of the moon to retake the exam, and finally to pass it. the topic was very much on my mind as this was pre-cfa level 1 results release--which i thankfully passed.

suzhou's canals

we did not stop by ancient city gate and grand canal, but saw these from the window passing by. we had the option to stop for pictures but as the weather that day was very hot and humid (when wasn’t it? phew) we decided to opt out and enjoy the view from the comfort of our air-conditioned van.

  

 

 

 

 

silkworms on a bed of mulberry leaves

next stop was the suzhou no. 1 silk factory co, which was another one of those markets i told you about earlier. this one was okay, given that silk is one of the products suzhou is famous for. we were given a pretty thorough tour of the process of making silk from the worm to the actual beddings. a useful takeaway is the tip from the guide on how to identify fake silk and real silk. one thing you can do is to burn your silk pj’s and check out the burns left. if the edges are rough and hard to the touch, it’s fake. the burnt edges of real silk are smooth, and look like they’ve just been scissored out. of course, no one wants to start burning their bedsheets and curtains just to check out if the stuff is real, so another tip is to take the silk in the palm of your hand and blow on it. if you can feel the air through the material, then it’s real. last tip: scratch the silk with your nails. the material shouldn’t run. of course after all that there is the obligatory tour of the merchandise.

how silk is made: boiling pupa

master of the nets garden

last stop was the master of the nets garden, reputedly the best and most celebrated ming dynasty garden in suzhou. it’s also a UNESCO world heritage site and is “particularly regarded among garden connoisseurs”–which is saying something as suzhou is full of beautiful gardens. it’s also home to the smallest arch bridge in china (photo below).

the smallest arch bridge in china

We had a fun trip last weekend to the city of Suzhou, just half an hour from Shanghai on the bullet trains! Tickets cost about 25Y from what i remember, per person for a single. We found tickets fairly easy to get hold of, close to the time of the journey.

Suzhou is certainly a more relaxed city than Shanghai, with some good shopping streets and a calmer, quieter atmosphere. Suzhou is best known for its gardens dotted around the city, and we visited a couple on the Sunday before returning home. The previous day we just popped about and get an idea for where everything was, and neither Ruby or I had visited the city before.

Quite a few foreigners live here and i can understand why. There is enough a foreigner to feel at home, when they need it, but Suzhou has enough differences to Shanghai to appeal to those who want a smaller city with less “madness”! I could see alot of expats moving to here once Shanghai becomes too much.

I’m back… since a while now…
I had one of those trips that you never forgot… Because I think I was so expecting that trip… For almost 5 years… Finally I got my Shanghai tour… I like this city, for tasty restaurants, good clubbing, so much different places in the same city, street food obviously… I know that i was overthere like a tourist… maybe living in SH for a long time would change my opinion but still amazed by what I ve seen and felt bout the way of life overthere. And i didnt even enjoy like the way I would have… Now I know that one day (asap) I would return overthere and stay for a while… My plans? dun know yet… I would say I have to make this year a success, at work I mean, and that may be the focus of this year in order to choose my way next year… I dun know where i’m heading to but I have to take chinese courses again
When I’m talking about Shanghai, I mean my whole trip in China… Actually, I’ve visited another part of china: Suzhou… I was litterally blowed by the beauty of the garden and I ve only visited one… Even just sightseeing was nice… isn’t it?