China Trip 2017

The view from our hotel room on the 37th floor in Shanghai - lots of modern architecture and not as much smog as we expected.

A park in Shanghai - lots more green space than we expected, too.

Line up for the Shanghai Museum - 5,000 years of China's history

Display of Chinese clothing and costumes through the ages

Display of ancient Chinese figurines

Elaborate furniture and silk screens

Extremely detailed ancient Chinese furniture - incredible workmanship

Roosters - a symbol of luck

Ancient Chinese figurines

Ming vase

Buddha

Demonstration of silk embroidery

An amazing silk embroidery picture - incredible amount of work (and extremely expensive)

Most people in the city live in apartments. An air conditioner is a must in the sweltering heat and humidity. Many hang their laundry on the balcony to dry.

Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe

Incredible acts of contortion, trapeze tricks, balancing, etc. It was amazing!

The Bund - the promenade along the Huangpu River.  The one building is the centre is referred to as the "bottle opener". It definitely looks like one.

View of Shanghai's modern cityscape 

Old Shanghai

Using an app on your phone you can rent a scooter or bicycle for as long as you need.  You just drop it off at designated spots when you are finished. 

The vehicle that looks like a bus is actually a police vehicle.  These are located all over Shanghai.  Some are manned; some merely have cameras.

Yuyuan Garden in old Shanghai - the Crooked Bridge. The Garden was first built in 1559.

Yuhua Hall

Inner Garden

City of Wuhan - gateway to the Yangtze Gorges. Here you can see China's national bird - the crane! Construction everywhere, but most of these high rises sit empty.  Wuhan is the largest city in Central China and capital of Hubei province.

This is where we boarded our Viking Cruise boat for our trip down the Yangtze River.

Wuhan at night

Beautiful lights of Wuhan at night

The Hubei Provincial Museum is located in Wuhan.  This set of chimes and bells is the heaviest musical instrument in the world weighing 5,525 pounds.  This ensemble dates to before the time of Christ and consists of 65 bells suspended on 3 frames and divided into 8 groups. The bells were recovered from the tomb of Marquis Yi.

Following the Museum tour we enjoyed a concert by these musicians using reproductions of the famous Hubei bells.  

Our room aboard the Viking Emerald

Leaving the harbour at Wuhan.  Transport boats like this one carrying sulphur, coal, gravel, containers, etc. sailed up and down the Yangtze River - a watery highway.

Usually cruise guests visit a school in Jingzhou, but because it was summer and school was out, several of the children from the village came on board to perform for us.  They were very talented and so cute!

The girls' turn to perform

Visiting the Jingzhou watchtower and walls in the rain

The city wall in Jingzhou

A performance by several members of the crew - a very talented group of young people

Four boats squeezed into this narrow lock at the Gezhouba Dam. From the boat we could reach out and touch the wall of the lock.  It took less than half an hour for the lock to fill with water.  

As soon as the lock had filled, off we went down the Yangtze River.  

The most beautiful section of the Yangtze River is the Three Gorges.  The Xuling Gorge is nearly 50 miles in length.  

Sailing the Yangtze

We went on a tour of the Three Gorges Dam. Opened in 2008, it is the world's largest hydroelectric power station.  It has 34 generators and is believed to have cost over $28 billion.  Building the dam also generated a lot of controversy.  While it reduced the risk of flooding, over a million people living in cities, towns and villages along the river were forced to relocate after the water rose to create the reservoir.  It also destroyed spectacular scenery and important architectural and archaeological sites. Above is one of 5 locks that our boat went through.  We went through at night so we watched the boat go through one and then went to bed.

To get to the viewpoint of the dam, we rode escalators to the top.  

View from the top 

The concrete and steel dam is almost 8,000 feet long and 600 feet high.  

We boarded a sampan boat for a leisurely ride down the Goddess Stream.  Our local guide was Susan.  All our local guides chose English names like Bruce, Eric, Michael, Jack, etc. to make it easier for us.  Susan was so sweet and cheerful.  She kept saying "My mother's name is Gina, my name is Yan Yan, I have a big mouth so I have a big smile " and she did!

One of the sampans on the Goddess Stream

The water on the river was quite low at this time of the year.  

One of the many bridges across the Yangtze.  

One of the farms along the Wu Gorge which is 25 miles in length.

A hanging coffin on a cliff on the Qutang Gorge (only 5 miles in length).  It is believed these were the graveyards of the Bo people who began this tradition 3000 years ago.  Most were located in natural caves all along he river.  Historians are not sure how the coffins were placed there.

Writings on the cliff walls

We docked at the base of Shibaozhai Hill and were amazed to see people washing their clothes at the base of the stairs.  

Traditional boat

One of the people from the boat hitched a ride up the hill (for a fee, of course).

The drunken bridge - it doesn't sway or swing; it rolls.  You have to take this bridge to get to the Shibaozhai Temple.  

The Purple Rain Pavilion is a towering red 12 story pavilion  constructed alongside the rock plateau of Shibaozhai Hill.  It is a legacy of the Qing Dynasty built in 1819.  It was built without the use of nails.  The pavilion was built to assist people to visit the Buddhist temple (Precious Stone Fortress) that sits on the top. 

View of the temple from the top of the pavilion.  

View of the drunken bridge (look how long it is!!!) and the village from the top of the pavilion.  

Some of the characters found inside the temple.

Unusual buildings, statues, etc. could be seen on the hillsides.

A Chinese sunset

Kitty, one of our favourite waitresses.  She was cute and friendly and so eager to learn English.  We spent close to an hour one day teaching her the difference between Valentine and volunteer.  It was Chinese Valentine's Day, but she kept saying "Happy Volunteer Day".  When we explained the difference to her, she wrote it all down in her little notebook. 

We were supposed to disembark at Chongqing, but a boat lost its load in the river so the river officials wouldn't allow us to dock there.  We had to turn around and go back to Feng Du and disembark there.  Viking had to hire young men to carry our luggage up this staircase  to our buses.  Unfortunately we had to climb the stairs ourselves. and then pile onto buses for the trip to Chongqing.  Our schedule was definitely messed up that day!

The Viking Emerald.  Viking is not allowed to sail its own boats in China so they have to lease a boat from a Chinese-owned cruise line.  People who had sailed on other Viking cruises said this boat was not up to their usual standards, but as this was our first cruise, we thought it was great.  The food and staff were excellent. 

The dreaded squat toilet!! Most places we visited would have 1 or 2 pedestal toilets and several of these.  Our tour guide, Eric, rated the toilets from 1 to 5 stars.  If they were 1 or 2 stars, you squatted and made sure you had your own toilet paper.  A 3 or 4 star rating  meant you had options if you didn't mind waiting in line for the one or two pedestal toilets available.  Five star meant lots of pedestal toilets and toilet paper!  Who knew?? Ted said he was extremely glad he wasn't a woman. If he had to do #2, he'd have to take off all his clothes to avoid pooping on his pants.  TMI!!

The Dazu Rock Carvings near Chongqing were amazing!  Throughout this UNESCO World Heritage site are about 50,000 statues and 100,000 Chinese characters depicting Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist beliefs carved into the sides of the cliffs. These carvings were created in the 7th century.

Their remote location and the fact that they are built well into the cliff meant they were protected from the anti-religious vandalism that occurred during the Cultural Revolution. 

Golden Hands Buddha 

We stayed at 5-star hotels thanks to Viking.  The Westin in Chongqing and the St. Regis in Chengdu both had these awesome toilets.  The lid lifted when you entered the bathroom. It flushed when you sat down on the heated seats. 

The toilet technology was amazing.  Who knew you could do all these things while sitting on the can?  I know, TMI!!

We spent two nights in the city of Lijiang - a major stop on the trade route known as the Old Tea Horse Caravan Trail. Only 100,000 people lived here, but over 2 million come to visit each summer.  It is high in the mountains - over 7800 feet above sea level - so I guess you could compare it to Banff as a tourist attraction. We went to visit the small village of Yuhu where you could go for a horseback ride if you wished. 

Buildings are constructed without the use of nails to make it more earthquake-proof.

The former residence of Dr. Joseph Rock, a famous explorer and botanist of the 1920s ,who first introduced the Naxi culture to the world through his writings and photographs.  Many of his writings appeared in National Geographic.  

People in China love to play games (especially mahjong) and gamble.  Our guide told us if you don't want to gamble, don't bother to play the game! You could see people playing games in parks, on sidewalks, in front of restaurants.  

Back in Lijiang, we went for a walk around Black Dragon Lagoon.

We went for supper in one of the local restaurants.  Most of our lunches and dinners were the same - lazy susan meals or what one lady called "spinner dinners".  We usually were given 8-10 different Chinese dishes which we shared.  We really enjoyed the food, but some found it too spicy.  We were definitely craving hamburgers by the time we got home!

I loved Lijiang. This was the China I had hoped to see. We went to the market in what the locals called Old Town (also a UNESCO World Heritage site)  which dates back over 800 years.The townspeople came every morning to choose their meat and vegetables. You could pick a chicken, watch it being butchered and cleaned, pay for it and take it home for supper. 

Meat for sale - the long legs at the top once belonged to goats.

Every kind of egg you can possibly imagine!

Streets were crowded with buyers and sellers.

Herbs and spices were also for sale in the market.  Many of the mushrooms sold had been dehydrated.

Lots of fresh vegetables

Mu Mansion - once the residential and working site of the Naxi rulers of Lijiang in ancient times.  The family governed for 22 generations. 

Along the cobblestone streets, there are many tea shops, jewelry stores, clothing stores and souvenir shops.

Canals often ran alongside the narrow streets. 

Our group attended a tea ceremony in Old Town where we sampled puer tea - both fermented and unfermented.  This tea shop was one of the 800 found in Old Town.

Jade Dragon Mountain - over 18,000 feet high

Rice paddy field

At the Sanxingdui Museum in Chengdu, we saw many cultural and historic relics of gold, jade, stone and bronze.  This is a huge chunk of jade.

Jade was commonly used to make weapons 3000 years ago including spearheads and knives.

After a long day, it was nice to relax in the tub at the hotel and watch TV.

Some of the amazing architecture we saw in Chengdu - a city of 33 million people including the outlying areas.

Chengdu is home of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.  It was founded in 1987.  They are sooooo cute!

Their diet consists almost entirely of bamboo and they eat as much as 20 to 30 lbs of bamboo shoots a day. 

Baby pandas

Red pandas also known in China as racoons

Pandas playing

What I consider China's national treasure - their beautiful children!

We went for a walk in Chengdu to see a statue of Mao. Only 8 cities still have statues of him.

It seemed very fitting that the statue faces this display of capitalism across the street - the one thing he tried his best to destroy.

Tea ceremony prior to the Sichuan Opera.  This opera began during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).  It included traditional music, fire-breathing and face-changing (which was amazing).

Shadow puppetry

Stick puppet performance

We enjoyed a play about a man who was addicted to playing mahjong. His wife insisted that he wear a lit lantern on his head and perform various acrobatic moves as a way to amuse her and make up for his frequent absences. This was called "lantern theatre".

The costumes and make up were incredible.

At our last lunch in Chengdu, we ate at a restaurant where a wedding reception was being held.  Guests (and our tour group) were given candy and cigarettes as we entered the restaurant.  We've never seen that before!

A beautifully coloured dragonfly (I think)

All the trucks in China were cab-overs.  This was one of the longest truck/trailer units we saw.

By day these poles in the city of Xi'an were quite ugly.  At night they came alive and were just beautiful.

Dancing water fountain display is held each night in Xi'an

On our way back to the hotel, we saw these people dancing in the square.  They were so much fun to watch.  Behind them were dozens of couples waltzing to the music.  

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda by night

Definitely one of the highlights of our trip - the Terra Cotta Warriors.  They were discovered by accident in 1974 at Xi'an when local farmers digging a well broke into a pit containing 6,000 life-size terracotta figures.  Excavation in 1976 revealed two further pits, both filled with Terra Cotta warriors, chariots and warhorses.  In total the remains of 8,0000 warriors, 130 chariots, two horses and 150 cavalry horses have been found.  This is the first and largest pit found. This pit is 750 ft. long, 203 ft. wide and 23 feet deep (230 m x 62 m x 7 m).

The heads and hands were made separately and each head is unique with individual features and facial expressions.They vary in height, uniform and hairstyle according to their rank. 

The Terra Cotta army was built to guard the tomb of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang who lived over 2200 years ago.  He unified the warring states into what is now China, became the country's first emperor, instigated the building of the Great Wall and became obsessed with the idea of immortality.  This obsession inspired him to built this army to guard his tomb for all eternity.  Over 700,000 workers were involved in the construction.

It is an amazing sight!

The original roofs of the pits collapsed and crushed the army figures below.  The figures currently on display have been restored from the fragments.

The tedious job of reconstructing the warriors and horses from the fragments.

Workers continue the excavation in Pit 2. Qin's actual tomb has been located about 1 miles from this site, but because of high levels of mercury found in the soil, it has not been excavated.  It is rumored that he was buried with palaces, towers,  officials, valuable artifacts and 100 flowing rivers filled with mercury to simulate water.  This would explain the high concentration of mercury.

My terra cotta warrior

Our evening show in Xi'an told the story of a concubine who became the first (and only) Empress of China during the Tang dynasty. This is the Warriors' Triumphal Dance.

The music, costumes, dancing and backdrops were amazing.

The final scene - the Empress of China

The Xi'an City Wall is more than 90 miles long and has four gates.  It is the most complete ancient wall in China. Xi'an was the capital city of 12 imperial dynasties and its history stretches back more than 3100 years.  

Traffic in Beijing - the worst we've ever seen.

We visited a hutong in Beijing.  A hutong is narrow street or alley found only in China.  Here we were entertained by a 62-year-old man who could send the shuttlecock flying up in the air and have it land precisely on his forehead or on the back of his foot or wherever he wanted it to land.  His speed, skill and coordination were incredible. This ancient game (also known as jianzi) is very popular in hutongs.  

We went for a rickshaw ride while we were in the hutong.  

One of our stops in the hutong was in a tea shop for a tea tasting ceremony.  

Adding tea to a tiny cup and pressing it to your face is supposed to improve your complexion.  I thought we just looked ridiculous!

In the hutong we visited the home of a local woman.  Her family had once owned a huge property, but Mao subdivided it into smaller apartments as part of his Cultural Revolution.  She was a wonderful artist who made snuff bottles, tiny bottles with miniature scenes painted from the inside.  Some of her snuff bottles were given to athletes who attended the 2008 Beijing Olympics. 

Her niece is carrying on the tradition of "inside painting". 

Our first glimpse of the Great Wall from the bus! The Wall is 5500 miles (8850 km) long, but much of it has disappeared due to erosion, vandalism and theft

The Badaling Hills section of the Great Wall was built in 1504 during the Ming Dynasty.  It is the best preserved and most complete section.  Only 2.3 miles and 29 watchtowers on this section have been restored and opened to visitors.  Our guide told us that once we entered the gate we could go either right or left.  The right is the easiest route and most popular.  The left is steeper and more difficult.  Guess which way we went - left, of course!! This is the view of the wall on the right side.  

You can see how steep it is!  I was grateful for the hand rails!

View of the wall from one of the watchtower windows.

Slowly making my way up the wall.  

The first watchtower where you could have a small plaque engraved with your name and the date stating "I climbed the Great Wall"!

Taking a rest along the way.

The last leg of the route was much less busy.  The watchtower at the end was as far as we were allowed to go.

On our way down.  Even the little children were climbing it! Another item off of our bucket list!

Modern architecture in Beijing

Reminders of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics (and more cranes)!

The Beijing Olympic Stadium (known as the Bird's Nest) and the Beijing National Aquatics Centrer (the Water Cube)

We stopped for lunch at the Run-Ze Jade Garden.  Here we saw artisans creating  jade puzzle balls aka "happy balls" from pieces of jade.

An intricately carved jade galleon

Our next stop was the Sacred Way of the Ming Tombs that emperors chose as their burial place.  The tree-lined avenue is guarded by 18 pairs of huge sculptures including elephants, lions, camels and mythical beasts.  

Beijing traffic jam

Look at all the people waiting for buses after work!

Tiananmen Square - once the entrance to the Forbidden City.  It is 100 acres in size, one of the world's largest public squares.  It can accommodate a million people.  

Guard standing at attention in Tiananmen Square.  They work 2-hour shifts standing at complete attention.

Tiananmen Gate - it is here Mao Zedong announced the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

The Forbidden City - the Gate of Supreme Harmony.  The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from 1420 to 1912.  It was the home of 24 emperors and their households as well as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government.  It now houses the Palace Museum.  It is home to 980 buildings with 9,999 rooms.

Court yard in the Outer Court

Palace of Heavenly Peace (I think)

Part of the Inner Palace

Through the grimy windows, you could see ceramic pieces and palace artifacts.

The Imperial Garden

Our guide told us that this was the palace where the concubines were trained to please the emperor.

On our last night we went to see the "Legend of Kung Fu" at the Red Theatre.

The story followed the life of the young monk, Chun Yi, as he meets many mental physical and mental challenges on the way to becoming a Kung Fu master. It was an amazing display of martial arts.

The cast of the "Legend of Kung Fu".  This show was a great way to end our trip to China.  It was an awesome trip.  We saw so many incredible things, met great people and crossed so many items off of our bucket list.  Now where should we go next?