2006 China Part I Shanghai & Suzhou

China's Cultural Capitals
November 7 - November 20, 2006
14 days Grand Circle Travel

Day-To-Day Itinerary and Trip Details

Note: The narrative is based upon my videotape. I drew upon Goggle for factual information. Some photo credits go to Linda Prudencio who also took the trip.

DAY 1, Tuesday, Nov. 7

Annette dropped me off at MPS terminal at 11 am. and I departed on a Northwest Airlines 747 jet (flight #19) around 1 pm. After a lengthy 13-hour flight we landed in Tokyo, Japan. In flight I started reading Minnesotan author Jon Hassler’s well-written book Staggerford, a novel about a schoolteacher and people living in a small Minnesota town. A good book makes time fly.

DAY 2, Wednesday, Nov. 8

The layover in Tokyo was brief, just long enough to change planes and be “terror- proofed” again. My flight continued on to Shanghai (3 hr. 30 minutes) and landed at 8:20 pm. Upon arrival at the Shanghai
Pudong International Airport (IATA), one could not help but be amazed at the spectacular huge modern airport.

I did not video the site because it was dark and there was luggage business at hand, but I did make a mental note to do so when we returned for our flight to Xian. About ten of us Grand Circlers were met by a GCT representative just outside customs and transferred to our hotel. The trip to the hotel, via a
modern highway with numerous overpasses, took us past miles of beautiful buildings constructed in
modern architecture. The sleeping giant was sleeping no more.

The balance of the evening was at leisure to relax after our overseas flight. Before retiring I took video of the entrance of the hotel with a sparkling fountain enhanced by colorful lights. Bellhops in uniforms waited under the canopy for arriving guests.

The exterior of the hotel was outlined by bright lights, set for the illusion of motion, so typically Chinese. Just about every large building in Shanghai had some colorful arrangement of lights.

The Royalton Hotel Shanghai had a nice mix of modern French style overlaid with traditional Chinese values. My Room 2001 was located on the 20th floor of the tall tower. The quarters were remarkably spacious, with contemporary furnishings. From my large picture window I had a good nighttime view of recently constructed buildings. Our rooms were furnished with white robes and complimentary white slippers, which were put to good use. I lost myself in the oversized bed. Sleep came easy.



DAY 3, Thursday, Nov. 9 Shanghai

First thing in the morning I jumped, or maybe rolled, out of bed and opened the drapes and took a video
of the daytime view of the surrounding buildings.

After a 6:30 am very comprehensive breakfast in the second floor restaurant, we had an opportunity to get to know our wonderful Program Director Diana (Fen) and fellow travelers at a 8:30 am Orientation Briefing. Diana, a native of China, spoke excellent English and was easy for even me to hear. From the
very beginning I could also tell that those assembled here would be great travel companions.

When boarding the bus at 9 am, I noticed the Chinese flag flying prominently in front of the hotel, a reminder we were in Communist Red Star country. Soon we were on our way of an included tour of the city (see map).

Shanghai, Hu for short, is situated on the estuary of Yangtze River of China. The great Yangtze River empties into the Yellow Sea just north of the city.






It is the largest industrial city in China. Covering an area of 5,800 square kilometers (2,239 square miles), Shanghai has a population of 18.7 million, including the 2 million floating population. The British established their first concession here after the treaty of Nanking, which ended the first opium War in 1842. They were followed quickly by other powers busy nibbling away at China’s rump. The French, Americans and Japanese all took a slice, and the city was divided with their own jurisdiction. Hence,
Shanghai quickly emerged as China’s greatest port while Hong Kong was still a rural backwater.

Our first stop was the lovely Yu Garden (above right on map). Built in 1551 in the heart of Shanghai’s Old Town, the Yu Garden—or Garden of Peace and Comfort—offers a quiet oasis from the bustle of the city. Yuyuan Garden, built in the Ming and Qing styles, is the most famous classical garden in Shanghai.

After the bus parked, we walked a distance along a crowded narrow street (Discovery moment) to ex-
perience the locale. We turned left into a narrow passageway, called Yu Yuan Street that led to a large square with a beautiful pond called Lake Pontoon, surrounded by beautiful Oriental buildings.


Our guide explained the various sculptures and scenic areas of the park. After our trek we were given free time to reexplore the square area. Diana kept track of our group so we wouldn’t lose anybody.

Vendors sold various items on a sick -- even lizards.

I taped a young lady eating pigeon on a stick (after first asking permission) and a cute little Chinese girl parading around the square.

We walked back to our bus via a different route that took us through a scenic park. Our capable driver dropped us off at the impressive entrance of the fancy Shun Feng Restaurant. As would become customary, we started off lunch with an included tasty beer poured out from quart containers, though some of the non-Germans chose soft drinks as an alternative. Lunch was served on a glass lazy Susan, as would also be the common practice throughout the trip.

Thomas Jefferson is often attributed as the inventor of the lazy Susan in the 1700s, but the Chinese made it into a nation wide icon. The varieties of dishes at Shun Feng were endless and our meal concluded, as often in the future, with melon.

Our next stop was at the Shanghai Museum of Art and History, a show place containing fascinating glimpses into ancient everyday Chinese life and including a rich collection of artifacts from the Song to Qing Dynasties. This modern and top-notch museum, built in 1994, contains more than 120,000
Chinese art pieces and archeological findings. Along the front walk were large sculptures of animals. Permanent exhibits inside feature bronzes, ceramics and paintings, among other artifacts. Audio sets were available in English and Japanese so we each picked up a set. The building itself is an archi- tectural showpiece, resembling an ancient tripod when viewed sideways. The rooftop with glassed dome is modeled on a Han Dynasty mirror.

We started off by looking at the highly recommended bronze exhibit on the first floor. Quite impressive was a wine vessel featuring an ox head (13-11 century BC). The nose bridges as the central line and its horns, eyebrows, eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth and long teeth are symmetrically arranged on the two sides from top to bottom. Equally impressive were the bronze bells from the early 9th century BC.

Up on the 2nd floor were colorful ceramics statues and vases embellished with intricate drawings. Note the happy dragon on one of the vases. In Chinese fairy tales the dragon is the god of water, a mysterious being. People worship it as the power of nature.

On the 4th floor of the museum were displays of wooden masks from the Qing Dynasty.

Back at the hotel, our 6 pm evening activity included a speaker who spoke on the Cultural Revolution of Chairman Mao. The lady speaker had herself suffered during the Mao purge because she was a university student with non-conforming ideas. She was sent to the countryside and endured harsh labor to “clear her mind.” The speaker complained about how she suffered and went without recreation, that she still was bitter. She spoke of being forced to read Communist propaganda and the little Red Book. During the course of her presentation she passed out both the Chinese and English editions of Mao’s Red Book,

This book, she said, intended to destroy old ideas, old culture, old customs and old habits and replace them with his new guiding philosophy.

The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution was a struggle for power within the Communist Party of China, which grew to include large sections of Chinese society and eventually brought the People's Republic of China to the brink of civil war. Mao did not want China to follow the revisionist version
of Communism as practiced in Russia.  The Revolution was launched by Communist Party of China Chairman Mao Zedong on May 16, 1966 to regain control of the party after the disasters of the Great Leap Forward led to a significant loss of his power to rivals. Though Mao himself officially declared the
Cultural Revolution to have ended in 1969, the term is today widely used to also include the period between 1969 and the arrest of the Gang of Four in 1976.

During the Revolution religions of all sorts were persecuted. Today the impact on churches is still felt and most Chinese call themselves atheists. Many religious shrines and temples are devoid of clergy and are used only as tourist sites. Freedom of religion is now somewhat allowed, but the setbacks are still evident.

Our guide Diana said she has no religion as such, but if she is in trouble she will burn incense at a Buddhist shrine because her mother used to do that. The official view, which has since become the
dominant framework for the Chinese historiography of the Cultural Revolution, separates the personal actions of Mao during the Cultural Revolution from his earlier heroism as well as separates Mao's personal mistakes from the correctness of the theory that he created. Thus he is still held in esteem while his Cultural Revolution is subject to criticism.

The Chinese Welcome Dinner at 7 pm that evening had Peking duck among the items on the revolving wheel of fortune. Since we had a birthday in our midst, a large birthday cake was distributed among the guests.

A few words about “Chinese style” food: The Cantonese style (southern China) of cooking is probably the most familiar to the Western palate, for the greater number of Chinese restaurants established outside of China are of this type. This school of cuisine is associated with the southern city known as Guangzhou where steam and water are used in preparation more than frying and the great abundance of fresh vegetables in the region are cooked for the shortest time possible to maintain their natural crispness. Dishes have a slight tendency to be sweet and spices are used with moderation. White rice is the usual accompaniment to the meal. Desserts are usually sweet cakes and then followed by fresh fruit (quite often water melon). Hopefully any meals we eat will not be anything exotic. The Cantonese are said to make use of “anything with four legs excluding tables,” and cook dog, cat, snake, bear, monkey, and birds’ nests in various forms – but they are not in the mainstream of Chinese cooking.

Shanghai food tends to be heavier than Cantonese and usually takes slightly longer to prepare so they tend to absorb more of the sauces. Much of the food is fried and there is greater use of sesame oil and vinegar. Spices like ginger, garlic, and small (but very hot) red peppers are used; the seasonings tend to be sweeter with more sugar and dark soy used in their preparation. Noodles are flavored, although rice is eaten in this region more than wheat. They use a wide variety of vegetables.

DAY 4, Friday, Nov. 10 Shanghai: Acrobatic Show and the Bund

After another huge and satisfying breakfast, we gathered at the bus by 8:30 am for our next adventure. Streets were crowded. Everywhere there were relatively new models of cars, but the early morning rush also included some bikes. Driving in China is not easy with everyone competing for space, creating constant traffic jams. If a driver wishes to turn, he does not wait for traffic to clear; but simply edges in front of oncoming trafficuntil it stops. Consider also that driving is a new experience for many Chinese.

Our destination this morning was a local silk carpet factory. A guide informed us about the process of carpet making from cultivation of silk worms cocoons to the weaving the final product. Ladies demonstrated how they tediously put together the silk threads resulting in beautiful patterned carpets. Our visit ended up in the showroom where some in our group made purchases.

A short time later we visited a local farmers market, or what our guide called a “free” market. He did add that nothing was really free here. We started off with the fruit and vegetable section. I watched as a woman was purchasing a pomelo and the clerk was peeling back the thick rind for her. The pomelo is a yellow citrus fruit that looks likea grapefruit but is larger than a typical grapefruit, with sweet flesh and thick spongy rind. It may have been introduced into China around 100 B.C. It is widely cultivated in southern China provinces of Jiangsu, Jiangxi and Fujian. The pulp color ranges between clear pale yellow to pink to red, and tastes like a sweet, mild grapefruit.

From here we moved on to the squash and cabbage section. The tall lettuce stalks are what I pick up for Annette when she asks for Chinese cabbage. The cabbage that looks like a cross between an onion and a turnip is also called Chinese cabbage. When it was served with our meals, I thought it rather tasteless. Next on the tour were the fresh fish stalls. Chinese like their fish fresh so they pick their choices from the water tubs and have them killed right there. Snakes, chickens and other creatures were sold in the same manner as the fish. We found the same to be true in the Hong Kong of 1992.

A short drive away, we visited a neighborhood senior citizen center, also referred to as a recreation center by our guide. Here older ladies enthusiastically greeted us and were eager to explain how they had been fortunate to keep active at this center. They presented a fashion show featuring themselves as models, and then happily sang for us. We reciprocated with an American song of our own.

Just before noon we joined a Shanghai family for a home-hosted lunch. We were introduced to local customs firsthand as our gracious hosts prepared and served typical Chinese food. Grand Circle chose apartment dwellers who were typical, neither poor nor wealthy. Our host presented us the usual multitude of dishes served on a lazy Susan. They themselves usually eat only a few selections at mealtimes, but we were guests. It seemed like we were always overfed in China.

During our conversations we learned that the man of the house was a ballroom dancer and that he had recently won first place in a local dance competition. With a little prodding he gave us a dancing demonstration in the hallway. Just outside the apartment complex was a common park area replete with various exercise equipment for the tenants. The whole apartment community was walled in with a security guard checking those who wished to enter or leave. Our guide explained the reason for this by telling us that many poor people from the countryside have come to Shanghai for a better life. This has resulted in an increase of crime and homelessness. Originally these apartments were assigned (government provided) but with the change in the economic system more people can now own their own apartment (but still not the land). Those who are ambitious turn their investments upward by selling and purchasing better higher priced apartments. The people we visited said they were happy with the apartment they had. Across the street was another apartment area, much newer and much nicer -- also with security gates.

In my humble opinion, Shanghai is the most architecturally pleasing city in the world, as I know it. As we drove towards the central city I was amazed at the beauty of such large magnificent buildings all with unique distinguishing features, reflecting East and West and well as well as the best of the new and the old. Many of buildings were very modern, but esthetically beautiful. See picture below. Quite a contrast with some modern buildings where architects “created” wrinkled aluminum foil buildings and disproportioned ugly buildings (as in Dusseldorf, Germany). Recent construction in Shanghai reflected not only the prosperity of the city, but its vision for the future. The infrastructure for transportation was not only functional, but also very attractive with futuristic layers of overpasses within park-like settings. For some interesting YOUTUBE VIDEOS of Shanghai, see the following two videos by Librada Prudencio (who took this same tour). Presented with with permission.

The Old And Fresh Shanghai http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl2QW3oQ7a0 and A Foggy Day At The Shanghai Bund http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EFwoLejDQE

Further along down the freeway we came to the more traditional buildings of the historic Bund. Note: Bund

Travel Photos by Galen Frysinger, Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

This stretch of Zhong Shan Dong Yi Road on the banks of the Huangpu River was once the home of British, French, American, Russian, and Japanese banks and trading houses, and remains a major financial hub. The hodgepodge of architectural styles—Art Deco, Gothic, Renaissance, Romanesque,
and neoclassical—illustrates the many foreign influences. (Note map of the Bund on the tape).

Across the Huangpu River was the famous Pudong Skyline of the Financial District. The Oriental Pearl Television Tower is the latest new landmark in Shanghai, facing the Bund across the Huangpu River. At a height of 1,535 feet, it is the tallest TVtower in Asia. An elevator whisks visitors to the tower's observational deck at a height of 863 feet, where it has the best panoramic view of Shanghai. The tower is equipped with tourist service facilities, including eateries, shops, recreational centers and a hotel.

The Grand Hyatt Shanghai in the 88 floors Jinmao Building is the world’s highest hotel.

See map to the right.


We walked along the romantic five-block-long riverfront promenade. Here every afternoon finds street performers and vendors sharing the boulevard with pedestrians. Worthy of note is the Art Deco Peace Hotel, built in 1926.

In the foreground is a large monument that looks like Mao, but is really of a mayor of Shanghai. It seemed like everyone was taking photos in this scenic area. Quaint Chinese style riverboats chugged by on the river. A newlywed bride and groom posed for a photographer.

On the way back to the hotel, the many newly constructed architectural monuments again captivated me.


We proceeded with a panoramic drive through the historic Bund, to see how this area comes alive after dark. The buildings were all lit up and provided a pleasant sight.

We then took in the breathtaking artistry of Chinese acrobats as guests for an acrobatic performance. Performances by these incredible acrobats—many of who move on to Cirque du Soleil after their tenure in Shanghai—involve inexplicably limber contortionists, aerial gymnastic stunts, enough spinning plates to shake a stick at, and up to five synchronized motorcycles spinning around in a wire-mesh globe. We shuttered to think what would happen if one of the cycles ran out of gas and threw off the timing.


DAY 5, Saturday, Nov. 11 Shanghai

Today we took in a full-day excursion to old Suzhou in China’s fabled Silk Region. We were scheduled to travel by train (just over 30 minutes) because GCT wanted us to experience life with the Chinese people as a Discovery moment. The train depot was large and many people were milling about. The leather lounge chairs in the waiting room were large and comfortable.

At the appointed time, Diana led us to the two cars that had been reserved for us. Ken, Henry and I (three solo males) sat in the last seats in our section, seats that were facing tourists from another travel company. The two ladies across from us haled from northern England and Wales.

These two were quite fascinated by Henry who was always very outgoing and humorous. Henry had the pleasant disposition and mannerism of a Bill Cosby. He was an asset to our group.

Our train traveled along rice fields, finally arriving in Suzhou in mid morning. The unloading platform of the depot was jammed with people, but our group managed to keep up with our leader holding up the purple umbrella. Miraculously, no one got lost.

YOUTUBE video Suzhou: The Venice of China by Prudencio http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlPBKH-sTk

Suzhou was the city of silk, gardens, and canals that inspired Marco Polo. We were going to investigate all three aspects. Our first destination was the Wangshi (Master of the Fishing Net) Garden. It is the smallest of the Suzhou residential gardens, yet it is the most impressive because of its use of space, which creates the illusion of an area that is much greater than its actual size.

Even more than the architectural achievement is the mood of tranquility and harmony that this humble garden embodies. This exquisite garden was first designed during the Song Dynasty  (960 - 1279) as part of a residence that was used until the Taiping Rebellion in the 1860's. It was later restored and became the residence of a government official from which the garden gets its name. It is said that in a moment of frustration with bureaucracy he declared that he would rather be a fisherman than a bureaucrat. The garden was divided into three sections: a residential section, the central main garden and an inner garden.

The main garden has a large pond that is surrounded by pathways and a variety of buildings such as the Ribbon Washing Pavilion, and the Pavilion for the Advent of the Moon and Wind. As is common in Suzhou gardens, the pond has a small pavilion in it. Here the pavilion is accessible by a bridge that is less than one foot wide. Children were having fun playing at the water’s edge.

The morning was well spent and lunchtime seemed to pop up suddenly. Our lunch stop was conveniently located just outside the silk factory we were to tour. The buffet here offered a wide variety of dishes and beer was included with our meal. All beer was served from large bottles, unlike in the States, but in every case the beer was very refreshing and tasty. However, no coffee without an extra charge.

After lunch we visited a silk workshop for a discussion and demonstration of how silk is made from mulberry-munching silkworms to thread and fine cloth. Of all the silk demonstrations I have seen, this one was the best.

We were shown the actual moths, live larvae eating mulberry leaves, stages of growth of the caterpillar and the pupa (in bottles that we passed around)-.

The pupa is what the caterpillar turns into after spinning its cocoon before emerging as a moth. Cocoons
are carefully watched so that the pupa doesn’t break the cocoon. Most of the pupas are killed by hot water, but some are allowed to develop into months to restart the cycle. We were able to watch machines unravel the thread from the cocoons onto spools.

A single cocoon may contain up to 3,000 feet of silk. We visited an adjoining room where the cocoons were soaked (not unraveled) and stretched for use in comforters. Our group participated in the stretching process – which required great effort.


Afterwards we could purchase comforters or other products from the store under the famous “Choyers” brand name. One area off of the showroom had a runway with women modeling silk clothing.

Marco Polo reported that so much silk was produced in Suzhou that every citizen was clothed in it. At one time, Suzhou guarded the secrets of silk making so closely that smuggling silkworms out of the city was punishable by death.

Suzhou means “Plentiful Water,” and its Grand Canal is central to the city. The Grand Canal, second only to the Great Wall as a Chinese engineering feat (longest manmade waterway in the world, over a 1,000 mile route), was begun 2,400 years ago.

We took a short ride to the waterfront where we entered the Gate to the canal. Two quaint boats were reserved for our group. We cruised the canal observing graceful bridges that crossed over the water and tile-roofed whitewashed houses situated close to shore.


Our bus driver was waiting for us as we exited our boats. We returned to Shanghai by motor coach (map), which took little more than two-hours. En route the bus pulled over at a gas station for a Happy Stop. Since Diana had warned us to keep a supply of Happy Paper on us (some potties have none) we were prepared. Walking around our bus were old toothless grandmothers seeking empty water bottles for recycling money. They were poor country people on the move for a better life. The sight was pathetic. Hopefully they had accommodations somewhere and were just seeking supplementary money.

We were to have dinner that evening on our own in Shanghai, but I was still so full from lunch that I just skipped that meal. I tried to catch up on the news on BBC in my room that night and, anticipating a busy day tomorrow, I went to bed early. While we were in China the media did cover adequately Tiger Wood’s golfing in China, the President Bush visit to Asia (wearing pajamas with Putin) and some tall Chinese fellow who played professional basketball in the United States.

DAY 6, Sunday, Nov. 12 Shanghai/Xian

After our usual ample breakfast this morning, we were transferred to the Shanghai airport. Our bus crossed the Huangpu River (map) and headed eastward about 30 kilometers from downtown Shanghai. Our guide proudly pointed out that parallel to the highway was the Maglev speed train to the airport.

Maglev is short for magnetic levitation, which means that these trains will float over a guideway using the basic principles of magnets to replace the old steel wheel and track trains. The big difference between a maglev train and a conventional train is that maglev trains do not have an engine -- at least not the kind of engine used to pull typical train cars along steel tracks. The engine for maglev trains is rather inconspicuous.

Instead of using fossil fuels, the magnetic field created by the electrified coils in the guideway walls and the track combine to propel the train. The magnetized coil running along the track (guideway) repels the large magnets on the train's undercarriage, allowing the train to levitate between 0.39 and 3.93 inches (1 to 10 cm) above the guideway. Once the train is levitated, power is supplied to the coils within the guideway walls to create a unique system of magnetic fields that pull and push the train along the guideway.

Maglev trains float on a cushion of air, eliminating friction. This lack of friction and the trains' aerodynamic designs allow these trains to reach unprecedented ground transportation speeds. At 310 mph, one could travel from Paris to Rome in just over two hours.

Pudong International Airport faces the East China Sea (see map). Landscaped with a scenic lagoon, this is the most beautiful airport that I have ever seen. This magnificent project occupies an area of about 32 square kilometers. Pudong International Airport can provide landing service for 36 aircrafts simultaneously. The second terminal is under construction and scheduled for completion by 2007. The long-term plan calls for a total of four terminals and four parallel runways, for a final capacity of 80 million passengers per year. The construction area of the main building of Pudong International Airport is about 278,000 square meters. What is truly spectacular about this building is that its shape is that of an extremely big mew stretching its wings to soar above the sea. The interior is as impressive as the exterior. My personal opinion is that the rods extending from the ceiling look like beams or rays of light.

We boarded a China Eastern Airline A300-600 with a seating configuration of 2-4-2 and set off on our short flight to Xian (pronounced she-ann). After we left the delta region of the east, I videoed the mountains below. Soon we would be in the valley of the Wei River.


GO ON TO 2006 China Part II