Shanghai, China to Memphis, TN
August 2, 2008

Goodbye China. Today was a bittersweet day, a looong bittersweet thirty three hour day. I will truly miss my time in China. The people in this country made us all feel so welcome, not just our tour guides, support staff at Hubei University, and the Fulbright people; everyone. From the shop keepers to the fellow train riders to well everyone who opened up their country to us and captured out imagination and heart.

Here is a brief recap of our last hours in Shanghai. Paul and I joined many others at the Yu Garden bazaar and market. We did our final haggling as we bought some last minute gifts before our journey home. We took a final cab crazy cab ride, after getting kicked out of one cab. I am still not sure of the reason for that.

We completed our final packing, trying to cram the last minute purchases into our bags. We all met down in the lobby for the bus ride to Shanghai’s Pudong airport. We all said goodbye to our guide Snow. Most of us, except for Sabrina, had an easy time with Chinese customs and there we waited for our flight. I watched one movie, “The Other Boleyn Girl” ate dinner took a sleeping pill and other than a few interruptions slept the next eight hours. The trip went quick. We all had a carefree customs experience in Atlanta and then had some chips and salsa at Mexican restaurant in the airport. It tasted great.

Our flight from Atlanta to Memphis was delayed about two hours so I did not get back to the “M” town till around 11:45pm. I got home and got some sleep.

For both the regular readers of the blog plus anyone who hopped on for the ride I will be spending this week with some recollections and comments, I will even share a few stories that could not be written till I returned to the states. Let’s just say I had a run in with some very polite and nice Chinese Security officers who objected to one of my photos; I believe it was an ICBM. I will fill in later when I have more time and more energy.

I have some other good news. I am coming back to China in October! Remember that program I applied to before I left for DC at the beginning of the summer, well I got in. (Link to blog entry) I will be traveling to China and Japan for two weeks in the middle of October. The program in through Columbia University and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. It is through the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia. Both UTC and Columbia have great resources for teaching about Asia. I was eligible for the program because I did summer seminar at Ole Miss’s Croft Institute for International Studies about four or five summers ago. I am stoked because I will teach my classes from China and Japan via pod cast and other internet technologies while establishing a partnership with a classroom in China and Japan.

More details later.

Hangzhou to Shanghai
August 1, 2008

Last full day in China!?!?! I can not speak for anyone else but I am having a lot of mixed feelings right now. I will visit this topic this a little later.

Woke up and grabbed some breakfast this morning. There were plenty of western options so many of us loaded up. I enjoyed and omelet, toast, and juice. You could tell the place was frequented by lots of Germans because they had some good rolls, meat, and cheese. I pulled an old youth hostel traveling Europe special. During those halcyon days of youth I would finfish up the breakfast, which consisted of meat and cheese, and pack a couple of sandwiches for the lunch and dinner. Not American style sammies here. You cut the roll in two, spread butter, and place a layer of cheese and meat on each side, put the two sides together, wrap the food in a napkin, and shove it into your pack and go. This is a cheap and efficient way to get your meals. I enjoyed my snack around mid morning. It made me wax nostalgic for my wistful days of youth.

Lots of incense and prayers

As usual, I digress. After our breakfast we enjoyed the sights of our last temple in China. This one was Buddhist. The place was packed to rafter with fans and worshippers of the Buddha. I asked our guide if this temple was more sacred than others we had seen, and his response was it was not. He stated that this temple was located in convenient and strategic area and therefore enjoyed the same crowd levels as more sacred temples elsewhere in the country. The name of our visiting place is the Lingyin Temple.

More prayers and incencse

Lingyin Temple intrigued me for two reasons. Initially it was the throngs of worshippers. Everywhere you turned you saw the faithful lighting incense, the place smelled wonderful, and bowing in every direction. There did not appear to be a standard form or practice for praying beyond the lighting of a great deal of incense. When I asked Snow, he said that some people had more training in the methodology of worship than other which accounts for the seemingly chaotic worship plan.

Let me stress there is NOTHING to do with the Nazi's

The second thing that intrigued me was the presence of swastikas on the center of the chests of numerous statues. I also know that Buddhism’s roots are in India and that the swastika in very prominent in ancient Indian culture. I never realized how integral the swastika was to Buddhism. How ironic that one symbol could have such divergent meanings.

Pete in the tea fields

After our morning temple visit we went to visit a green tea plantation. Green tea is everywhere you look around China. I have come to really enjoy it myself. We walked around one of the fields near the main building. We even “picked” a few leaves ourselves. We were then directed to a room for an information session and demonstration about all things, green tea.

Grace in showing some diiferent types of green tea

A young girl named Grace was our tutor and she made wonderful presentation. She had some informative and hilarious anecdotes; we were all eating out of the palm of her hand. My favorite a Grace’s pertained to the medicinal value of tea. She was explaining how drinking green tea is good for one’s skin and then she panned, “I am eighty years old.” She looks about fifteen years old, tops. All I will say is this, Grace had us all falling out of out seats to buy green tea in various quantities. Even though many of us had never drank tea before. She could have sold ice to Eskimos, she was that good.

Gor tea the water should be hot but not boiling

Check out the awesome pour

After the tea plantation we hopped on the nap machine, I mean bus and hit the road to Shanghai. Our guide, Snow had a Q and A for about an hour on the bus for those of us with lingering questions about China. It made the three hour bus ride go much more quickly.

We arrived in Shanghai to blue skies and mild temperatures. We ate our dinner very quickly so many of our group could make it out for “The Hunt”.
They wanted to do some shopping on the famous Nanjing Road. They armed and ready to stimulate the Chinese economy. There preparations and game planning reminded of the scene from Braveheart when Mel Gibson was rallying his clan for the battle. God have mercy on the souls of the shop keepers on Nanjing Road tonight for they know not what to expect. My guess is the Mongol invasion will seem tame compared to this oncoming onslaught. (Okay, I am exaggerating a little)

The view of the Bund in Shanhai, last night in China

Floating adverstisement

Paul and I wandered from our hotel to the Bund for some people watching and night time photo opportunities. The walk was nice to shake off the lingering effects of the bus ride. One of the funny things about Shanghai and China is that at 10pm, I mean on the dot, they turn off the lights on the big buildings. There is still tons of stuff going on but the light show, which is quite impressive, is over. After the Bund shut down we walked around the neighborhood surrounding our hotel then called it a night.You never what you'll see in streets of Shanghai

Grill views

Wuzhen to Hangzhou
Thursday, Jul 31, 2008

We woke up a bit late and then had a hearty breakfast at the Hotel. It was Western style which meant omelets, bacon, OJ, and COFFEE. It was awesome. I realize that leading off with a menu is a bit dull. I have loved the Chinese food, but it was nice to have familiar food.

After breakfast we visited Tiger Hill Pagoda in Suzhou. The place was quite beautiful, even in the rain. In fact despite the slippery pavement, the drizzle added to the mystique of the grounds. The main attraction of Tiger Hill is the Huqiu Tower or the “leaning tower of China”. The tower is leaning due to lack of solid foundation. It dates to back to 960AD. There were some great views all over the area.

Leaning tower of China

After the Pagoda we left by bus to Wuzhen. Before I drifted off to a drive induced nap I watched multiple bicycles and scooters driving around in the rain. Almost everyone had a poncho to keep dry; most of them had ponchos that had a clear opening in the front for the lights of the scooter, brilliant. Not very exciting but I found it interesting.

Check out the clean par tof the poncho that fits over the person and bike

An old stand bye

After trekking around the temple we hopped in our trusty bus and made our way to Wuzhen. Wuzhen is a small but beautiful town between Suzhou and Hangzhou. The old part of town has small narrow alleys and canals winding through it. It reminded me of cross between old Williamsburg in Virginia and the French Quarter of New Orleans. The old town is occupied mostly by older people and their jobs seem to center on either hawking gifts to tourists, reenacting old Chinese artisan skill, and just hanging out.

Here are some of the more interesting things I saw in Wuzhen. I saw a place where rice wine is manufactured and bottled. To get to the “production” we had to walk through a maze of small alleys. I saw a bed museum, do not laugh it was very interesting. Some of us, not me, noticed some chalk numbers written on many of the residences of the in the old town. Paul, my roommate found out that they are, get this, the electricity bills. I love it. It is a brilliantly simple idea. We also saw a meeting hall for the communist party. The older people would have been veterans of the Cultural Revolution. I would love to get their story of the last fifty years, my lord.

Meeting place for the Communist Party

Rice wine jugs, they are quite large.

Your electricty bill

I also loved the woodwork all over the museums and homes of the Wuzhen. Overall the whole experience was incredible, just like nearly everyone we have experienced so far.

After Wuzhen we loaded up the bus and made our way to Hangzhou. When we finally arrived we ate dinner and I went to sleep. I have had trouble sleeping the last few nights and I was finally able to get to sleep. It was great. We stayed at yet another awesome hotel. They have really spoiled us the entire trip.

More photos and videos of the day, click here

Suzhou, China
Wednesday, July 30, 2008


Today we did some traveling! We took a plane from Wuhan to Shanghai. We then took a two and a half hour bus ride to Suzhou, south of Shanghai (See map above). To round out our modes of travel we took a ferry cruise through the canals of Suzhou as part of out tour of the city.

A view from our canal tour of Suzhou

It was tough to leave our newly made friends at Hubei University in Wuhan. They were there when we got up and most of them accompanied us to the airport. The administrators also showed up in the morning to see us off from our dorm/hotel. The hospitality we experienced here was unparalleled. The were many a tear shed by both sides this morning at both the hotel and the airport. I guess if everyone was not choked up about leaving then we would have had such a good time. A bit of double edged sword.

Saying good-bye to our friends

Once we bid our friends adieu and cleared the security we waited for our flight on China Eastern. The flight was pleasant and without incidence. I crammed my head into my book, The Street Lawyer by John Grisham. It is good fun read and it takes my mind off the travel time. It is set in DC and mentions Memphis a lot so its fun to follow along.

Once we arrived in Shanghai and got our bags we were met by our tour guide from earlier in the month, Snow. Yes, that is the name he goes by. The custom in China is that when you begin to study English as a student you take a western name. Most take traditional ones, others make up their own or go with stuff like Rain or in this case Snow. Well, Snow is good people and he runs a tight ship. After he drops us off at airport Saturday he immediately picks up another group slightly less important, the US National Basketball team. We will not be working with the players as much with the US Olympic basketball official. Pretty cool, huh.

Once we met Snow we loaded up our bus and headed west to Suzhou. I put on the ipod and listened to comfortable stylings of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young and slept most of the way. We were all exhausted so the few times I was briefly lucid on the us I noticed most of the group sleeping.

View of the pool at the Garden

Upon are arrival in Suzhou we visited the Master of Nets Garden. It was initially known as the Fishermen’s Retreat, it was laid out under the Song Dyansty and renamed by the under the Qing Dynasty. It has a beautiful gardens, a small picturesue pond, with roofed walkways, and all kinds of pavilions decorated with garderns, flowers, and landscapes. You can easily see why Marco Polo called this place one of the most beautiful cities in China.

Another view of the plants in the garden

Another pond photo

After touring the Gardens we took short tour along the canals of the city. The was some of the best views of the trip. I now see the comparison to Venice. It was quite nice. A water tour is always relaxing to me and this trip was no exception. Our ferry for the canal rides
A beautiful pagoda on the canal

Not a bad "backyard"

Gazing down the canal

After the water tour we had one of our best meals of the trip at this little hotel. We had eel, fish, dumplings, and about twenty other things that were tasty. We finally checked into our hotel, The Bamboo Grove, late and that’s where I am now. We found out they had “internets” (inside joke) so I am typing and posting. Ready to catch up on some sleep. Tomorrow we have a very busy day.

Brief video of the canal cruise

Click here for more photos of the day

Pete and crew are on the road again! I will check in when I can. Look forward to seeing everyone back in the States!

Here is a rough intinerary


August 1
Morning tours then bus to Shanghai
Evening free in Shanghai

August 2
"Lleaving on a jet plane"

The last night in Wuhan
Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Wow, what a day. In the morning we had a ceremony for finishing the program with all the big wigs of Hubei University, our faculty, our student helpers, and of course all of the American teachers. It was a nice ceremony. The whole conference room was set up like a meeting at the United Nations. There were translators everywhere and photos and video going every which way.

The conference room before the closing ceremony

Claire preparing to translate the speech

We started of with remarks from Hubei University’s vice president. After that Dr. Kung made some remarks for himself and the group. We all then took turns making general remarks in Chinese. We each learned a line. Our Chinese was interesting. They say we did a great job but my guess is that were humoring us quite a bit. After our collective speech Paul and I made our presentation. Paul did the power point and wrote and gave the presentation/speech. We were graciously aided by Clare, one of the Chinese students who ahs been assisting us, who translated my presentation. I think it went well. I will include the text of the speech at the end of this entry.

The final official picture

Our student helpers

When the ceremony finished we made our way to one of the formal dining rooms for a lunch and reception. The food was wonderful. To summarize the luncheon all I will say is this, I really like the way the Chinese finish a program. We had a great time. We presented a Memphis Basketball T-Shirt to Minnie, who was our main liaison from Hubei University. All of us signed it. She worked her tail off for us and we appreciated all of her work. Anything we wanted to see or do, Minnie arranged for us a group or even individually. The entire staff was so helpful. I really love college kids, no matter what country they are from.

Minnie with the signed T-Shirt

Claire, Pete, and Wendy at the luncheon

After a much needed nap many of us headed back to the Brussels Café fro a final meal in Wuhan. We treated the student helpers to a meal. I go there a little early and got a chance to meat the owner of the place. They brew their own beer and it has a great vibe to it. If you have ever been to an expat hangout the Brussels Café had all the good mojo going on. We enjoyed the meal, drinks, and most importantly the company.

Pete, David (The owner), and Celeste

That is a black pepper encrusted tenderloin with a black pepper cream sauce

It is difficult to find the correct words for out time in Wuhan and at Hubei University. It is even more challenging to express my feelings for the people who we met, learned from, took care of us, and became our friends. Here was my speech. It hardly conveys my total feelings. It is a rough draft and I can not find the final copy so forgive the many mistakes.

THE CLOSING REMARKS DELIVERED BY PETE

Before we begin I would (again) like to thank Hubei University and President Wu, administration, faculty, staff, and students for allowing us to be guests of your wonderful campus. You have made our experience here one we will cherish for a lifetime.

Our trip began with visits to Shanghai and Beijing two of the most well known cities of China. In these cities we were able to see some of the famous sites in China. Thanks to the Fulbright Program, the Confucius Institute, and Dr. Kung we were able to tour places that most of had only read about in textbooks and seen on television. Places like the Bund of Shanghai, the Forbidden City and the Imperial Summer Garden of Beijing. And of course the Great Wall of China.

China is much like the famous Lotus flower. As it opens to the viewer it becomes more beautiful. With each day we saw more of China. The more we saw the more we loved this country of yours. We were able to taste, hear, and witness the beauty of the history of the remarkable Tang Dynasty in Xian with the dumpling meal and Tang music and dance performance.

Each day we saw something more spectacular then the next. From the terra cotta warriors of Qin Shi Huang to Buddhist Temples we were able to experience more than any Western tourist is blessed to see. Make no mistake that in those first days we were tourists, well taken care of, but still tourists visiting a distant, beautiful, and mysterious land.

As tourists we were able to see the love Chinese people had of the country. We saw it in their work ethic and hospitality to us. We were able to even meet of few Chinese people along the way that helped us enjoy your country even more. But we were still tourists.

It was not until we reached Wuhan, a city that I must embarrassingly confess never heard of until this program, that we felt at home. Dr. Wu thank you, your people, and your university for making us feel so welcome.

Just as New York City and Hollywood are famous cities of America so are Beijing and Shanghai. China, like America, is so much more than these famous cities. What makes China so great are its people. If Wuhan and Hubei University were not well known to me before they will now never be forgotten.

The program that was put together for us was better than we could have ever imagined. Each day we were exposed to another aspect of China’s story. Whether it was its fascinating history or beautiful music we learned each day as our brilliant teachers taught us about a China that very few westerners ever get a chance to see. But our experiences did not end in classroom. Confucius said, “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” For every lecture on a philosophy we were able to visit a temple or historic sight that we help us deepen our understanding and appreciation of China’s culture and history.

The lessons we learned enlightened to the wonderful and storied history of your people and your country. We saw museums, climbed mountains, and saw the power and beauty of the Yangtze River. These things were made so much better by the lessons we learned in class. From our lessons on culture and economics from the great teachers of Hubei University we received information that will help fill the minds of not only ourselves but our fellow teachers and our students.

But names, dates, and statistics can only tell part of the story of China. By learning and participating in calligraphy, Chinese art work, and martial arts we were able to paint a more complete picture of your interesting country. Each lesson had something for everyone. It touched all us more than my humble words can fully communicate to you. For all this, we are forever grateful to Hubei University and its people.

Sometime in our study Wuhan and Hubei University stopped being a place we were just studying China and became “Home”. After we returned from our first trip away from Wuhan and Hubei University to see the area around Three Gorges many of said, “It is so good to be home!” We all felt joy to when we turned the street corner to see our home away from away home, Hubei University.

As much as we saw, and as much we learned, we cannot thank the faculty, staff, students, and administration of Hubei University enough. When we watch the Olympics or teach about China our first thoughts will be of you. You are the true story of China that we bring back to our cities, schools, friends, and family. Confucius said, “To be able under all circumstances to practice five things constitutes perfect virtue; these five things are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness and kindness.” Your unending work ethic, careful care, and historic hospitality honor your families, university, country and its history.

We have a saying in America, “Home is where the heart is.” No matter where our journeys take us. China and Hubei University will always have place in our hearts. And for this, forever thanks.

Wuhan
Monday, July 28, 2008

Today we finished up the official class portion of our program here at Hubei University. There are a lot of mixed feelings in the groups. Without a doubt we are all anxious to return home to family and friends. We look forward to familiar things and comfort items. On the other hand we will definitely miss our time here in Wuhan and at Hubei University. Before I wax nostalgic for a place I have not even left yet let me briefly recap the day.

The first class, taught by Dr. Yang, focuses on the cultural differences between China and the US. Specifically it enlightened us to the common misconceptions that plague our understanding and communication between the two cultures. The lecture topped on a number of topics and specifically addressed the following; daily communication, hospitality, romance, table manners, and privacy. It was a fascinating lecture that gave us some insights to our host country.

Our imstructor rolling out the dough

After lunch we had a demonstration, more specifically a cooking class. We learned to make Chinese dumplings. It seems every culture has some doughy confection that people hold dear. The Italians have ravioli, the Polish have pierogi, and the Chinese have dumplings. The making of them is a gathering and family affair. It was fun to watch Dr. Kung dive into their creation. He is quite adept at the rolling of the dough and stuffing of the mixture. You can stuff them with anything you like. Ours were a mixture of pork, celery, spices, and different Chinese herbs. After watching the demonstration we made several ourselves. Thankfully they benched the Americans and put in the first team. They made the rest up, which we gladly wolfed down for dinner.

I give my best effort

These are finised dumplins, mine were .., not chosen

After dinner we went bowling, yes bowling. A number of us went to the on campus alley and had a great time. Our scores did not match our enthusiasm but despite our respective performances we enjoyed ourselves. We called it an early night, very busy tomorrow.

The crew getting our bowl on. There was no draft beer:(

I had the middle score. My usual bowling name is "Chunky Luv".

Paul and I have been asked to give a presentation at the closing ceremony tomorrow. Paul is preparing the power point slide show and I am writing a small speech to go along with it. It is an honor to do so, but I am admittedly a bit nervous.

More photos and videos of the day, Click here. (Micah there is vidoe of the cooking)

Wudan Mountains
Sunday, July 27, 2008

We got up after a solid rest, not the beds at Hubei U. but they would make do. Hey a rhyme, not a rap, but a rhyme. Where I am going with this? Well I learned today that the very mountain were are on is the place where some major components of Kung Fu was founded. Some of these founders were from Shaolin School and the other from the Wudan School. The latter group was the inspiration for none other than the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. The ending scene from Ang Lee film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was filmed at Wudan monastery. Another note on the Wu-Tang is that the number of MC’s (AKA rap singers) is nine, a very important number in Chinese culture. Who would have thought that lessons in China would give me some insight on ODB, the lead singer of the Wu-Tang Clan?

Walkway up to the first temple of the day

Wow, did I get off topic. Anyway, we first went to a Daoist temple that was gorgeous. It was a resting place of Mao’s Red Army troops in 1931. I believe this was during infamous Long March, when the Chang Kai Shek’s Guomingdang (Nationalist Army) was chasing the communists around the country. For those who care the Long March, was THE event that probably won over the hearts and minds of the peasants of China to the Chinese Communist Party.

Incense is burned here to honor the gods.

Focus, Pete! After touring the monastery we stopped for a simple tea ceremony/tasting at shop at the temple. Awesome! The tea was great, all of it. I think we tried about twenty different varieties. It was relaxing and yet another great experience. I apologize for the over use of my adjectives, there just aren’t enough for this trip.

Tea is served

After a tea party we took a roller coaster mountain ride on our bus and ended up at the foot of the largest peak of the Wudan Mountains and location of the Golden Hall. We rode a small cab like lift up the mountain, straight up the mountain. The ride lasted thirty minutes. Each time we thought we reached the last peak we kept going up. At one point we simply rode off into the mist. You could only see the cab right in front of you. It looked like cloud city in the Empire Strikes Back, all it was missing was some smooth Billy Dee as Lando. If you do not get that reference, brush up on your Star Wars. And again, I did have dates in high school, a bunch of them, as a matter of fact.

One of the Fulbrighters heading to Cloud City

Once we reached the top of the world, it seemed that we, we wait for it…, climbed more stairs. It was not disappointing. The sights were from an Indiana Jones movie. The steps got so steep that the next step was above your waste. The cool mountain air and ancient sights made journey well worth the sweat. At every turn there was incense being offered to the gods. It added to mystical quality the mountain exuded. The amazing thing is the whole thing was built not by slave labor, my thought, but by Daoist monks. Wow. The Golden Hall was crowded but still amazing to see.

Burning incense

One could easily argue that the Wudan Mountains was a match to the Great Wall. I think they would lose but it would be a great conversation. The ride down the cable cars (two per car) was much more enjoyable for many of our group. My photographs do no justice to sights and views of the mountain and its temple.

View from near the top of Wudan Mountain

The locks represent people who have sealed their love. It is very good luck to have done this.

The view even higher

After lunch we were treated to lecture and demonstration of Martial Arts. We sipped our green tea and listened to the philosophy of their art form. The philosophy is not outward battle but an inner discipline that guides and provides balance to your life. There were some demonstrations don. What was cool is that this was arranged by one our professors At Hubei U. who is a friend of one the instructors on the mountain. Apparently, Wudan Mountain is to martial arts study as the Ivy League is to American Universities.

A little green tea and martial arts

A little green tea.

We winded the hairpin turns down the mountain to the station where we caught our train. It was right on time. The train was packed with humanity. People were everywhere and they seemed to keep coming and coming. It looked like it was going to be a miserable trip back after such a relaxing and enlightening trip to the mountains. Wrong.

I was on a middle bunk, comical enough. Myself and Sharon, on a middle bunk across from me, watched the Chinese countryside roll by our window. We saw water buffaloes, lone farmers, rivers, and rice fields as far the eye could see. It was sooo relaxing. I finally decided to finish my book and catch some sleep, when we were joined by these two little girls who were sleeping underneath us with there mom and grandmother respectively.

Watch the butterfly song

They were hilarious. One them would climb the ladder to my bunk and spy on me and “flirt”. I snapped a pic of her with my camera. She laughed and giggled, she was a total “ham”. She posed for every shot from now on with ever present victory symbol. Well this goofing around when on for hours. Pure entertainment. At one pint when I was reading she started grabbing my toes from underneath my bunk. The mom was super nice and we talked as much as three people who do not understand each other can.

My little friend sneaking up on me

Our whole area, still crammed like sardines, was in on the fun. One business guy played with the girls also. Eventually her little friend woke up and they put on signing and dancing exhibition. We all loved it. Sharon shared some of her peanut butter with them. After initially being apprehensive, the soon devoured it and wanted more. They then gave us some of their yogurt. The simplest things reveal the character of people. The people of China are caring, thoughtful, and a joy to spend time with.

The two little girls, they are freinds, the mom, and the other girl's grandmother

Sadly the train ride ended but it was great to get back to the city of Wuhan and our home at good old Hubei U.

Click on this for more photos and videos of the day, there are some great ones
I am looking forward to heading back to family and friends in the states but man what a wonderful experience.