Sunday, 22 July, 2018
I arrive at the airport to be told that the flight has been cancelled -a taifun- and postponed for TWO DAYS. I was about to cry when the nice lady from Cathay Pacific offered an alternative flight direct to Shanghai. After a long process, involving THREE computers I was given a boarding pass.
The flight was wonderful- I had a window seat next to an vacant one and saw a good Russian movie about fraudulent paintings.
Tolstoi would have been proud (maybe).
At least WendyWu could organise my arrival. I was greeted in Shangai by her guide who took me to the elegant Crown Plaza hotel.
It was late, I was tired but relieved.
My trip had a good start.
Monday, 23 July, 2018
Our guide Stephen will take us through Shanghai, or rather parts of it; it certainly needs more than two days for a complete visit.
We start with the Yu gardens, from the Ming dynasty. We walk around and admire the stones, plants rockery and water which are essential to the Chinese garden design. We take photos and mingle with the locals; it is summer, the children are on holidays and the make the garden come alive.
After lunch we go for a walk on the Bund. This is the place where in 1842 the European powers obtained 'concessions'- granted unwillingly by the Chinese - and built Western colonies here. We walk along the river, admire the tall buildings - I get the impression that the city which seems to extend upwards, as if there was not enough room on the ground.
Tuesday, 24 July, 2018
We are promised a visit to the'Silk Museum'. It turns out to be a visit to a silk workshop. The 'museum' are a few displays showing the life cycle of the silk worm and a 'talk' promoting the virtues of silk bed linen. I walk away pitying the worms and the women who work here.
There will be no silk for the wedding dress.
What follows is more fun.
After a long drive we arrive at the Grand Canal. This is a very ambitious project dating from the fifth century linking the north and the south by connecting the Yangzi with the Yellow river.
The canal is no longer in use, but the sleepy village on its banks has been maintained as a tourist attraction. People can live there, along as they refrain from modernising the place.
We walk along the shops selling bizarre things, admire the water views and have a nice lunch (chinese).
Now, after watching the slow boats glide along the rover we must experience a very fast train.
It is, fast.
From the very old to the very new. Pudong district is completely new, built only in the last twenty years. of course there are very tall buildings, shopping centres and an atmosphere of prosperity and wealth.
A final treat, a night cruise on the Huagpu river. Lights, colour, animation.
It is very impressive. Light pictures changing on tall buildings along the river. Very expensive, we are told, but good for the tourism.
Wednesday, 25 July, 2018.
Our last day in Shanghai .
We visit the Shanghai museum. there is furniture ceramics, coins, jade, costumes, but the most impressive is the building itself.
After lunch -the usual- we fly to Guilin.
There is a long way from the airport to our hotel and we get to admire the special landscape of this region. These are karst peaks, al weathered into intriguing shapes. We see more of them during the cruise along the Li. This is true rural China, with grazing buffaloes, fishermen with cormorants trained to catch fish , all against those magnificent karst peaks, unique to southwest China.
This is school holiday time in China so we turn away from those karst peaks to admire the children on the boat, quiet, well behaved an each a living doll.
Friday, 27 July, 2918
Today we go for a ride to the COUNTRY to see how 80% of the Chinese - those who are not in the cities - live. Not very well, we think. The fields which give us our daily rice look rather untidy as compared to the manicured European ones and the houses, maybe clean, are primitive and run down. Those elfin children look delightful but it is sad to see their grandparents with bent necks, from extra work or bad nutrition.
yes, this is rice
... I prefer them in the courtyard
The karst mountains in the background are magnificent.
Saturday, 28 July, 2018
Pearl'museum'...
The lunch that follows is good though. it is in a lovely restaurant high up on the 10th floor. We admire the view and enjoy the food.
Then a 'leisurely walk along the
'the conjoined Ring and Shan lakes (which) lie on either side of Zhongshan Lu, which runs through the heart of the town'.
The garden setting is delightful; water, greenery and the mountains in the background set off magnificently the pagodas 'Rong Hu and Shan Hu. We are told to be quiet so as not to disturb the old Buddha.. he should be happy, he smiles.
Sunday, 29 July, 2018
Flight to Xian
I wish we could spend more time here.
This is the ancient capital of China, 4000 years old. It has lived through 11 dynasties..Zhou, Han, Qin
Sui and tang (probably more) and is still beautiful . The old city walls, the Stelae Museum (no time to visit the inside) and great Wild Goose pagoda blend perfectly with the new, modern city.
We climb the city wall, admire the views and read about the Silk Road which started here.
The Silk Road story,
(so named by the Baron Richthofen, we learn) comes alive at night, when he city puts on a light and sound display to entertain and enlighten the visitors ( the locals do not pay much attention to the displays, they are busy dancing in the streets to the sound of modern music)Monday, 30 July, 2018
There is a long drive to the place where the farmer -now famous- discovered the buried warriors.
It is hard to describe the enormity of the find; it is indeed as if a real, huge army has been cursed and turned to stone.We look at the stone statues but see real people, about to move. ...maybe they will, one day.
At night we are given special treats; first there is a 'dumpling banquet', consisting of a dumplings meal followed by an superb opera . This is a theatre restaurant, with guests sitting and eating while watching the show. The dumplings are heavy and tasteless but the opera- traditional Chinese- is superb; the music, dancing and stage decorations are wonderful.
This is the true story (more or less0 of the Empress of the Great Tang Dynasty
the photos do not do it justice
Tuesday, 31 July, 2018
We take the train to Beijing and arrive at midday, in 39% heat, very humid heat. (Later on I am told that this is caused by pollution, I know that we can hardly breathe and are drenched in sweat).
We recover somewhat during lunch, taken with a family who lives in a rather strange house, which appears to have been built from bits and pieces. The lunch is OK though (there is a fridge and a modern stove) and we admire the crickets in tiny cages. As we eat we listen to the story of her family, in translation. Then we go for a ricksha ride, to get to know the neighbourhood. We pass through some miserable streets and come to rest in an extra luxurious hotel.
This is China.
Wednesday, 1 August, 2018
Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City
Tianamen square is supposed to be the largest public place the world - it needs to be, to contain all the students, school children on summer holidays, their parents. Tourists- unlike myself and the WW group- know that they have to keep away from China during the summer holidays.
So, we walk, look around, have our photo taken under Mao's portrait and start on the long walk through the Forbidden City. We visit the large gold and red buildings but we are disappointed because there is very little to see inside- the rich furnishings have been taken away. The gardens are beautiful though, with the traditional plants, stones and waterfalls beautifully displayed. I wish I could see them with less people around.
Tianamen Square with Mao presiding beyond the grave
the gardens overlooked by pavilion
Afternoon
We visit the Temple of Heaven
'Completed in 1420 during the Ming dynasty is one of the largest Chinese temple complex and a 'perfect example of Chinese architectural balance and symbolism.' We walk around the temple then enter into the the circular hall and admire the sky as painted in the ceiling.
In the past entrance to this temple was restricted to he Emperor, he could talk to the gods and pray on behalf of his people. Today they are walking in the gardens and playing cards. 
famous ceiling
UNESCO certificate of historical value
Chinese playing cards the temple gardens
The Great Wall
And great it is!
The weather is very warm, the sly is overcast so that the whole place, far into the horizon is seen as through mist. The structure covers such a large surface that with all the crowds the majestic wall still stands out. It crosses the maintains higher and higher until it disappears.,into clouds.
This is our last day her -rather busy. There is the jade factory, lunch and then a gymnastics show, an incredible combination of dancing and superhuman acrobatic display played against a background of projected images.
We are tired but this was not to be missed.
A good finale to our trip
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