China Day 9 – Monday 12 October

Early start today – on the bus at 8am to head out to the Great Wall!

Our first stop was a jade gallery where we were shown different types and colours of jade. It is the soft Jade that can be carved. Jadite is ornamental but is too heard to carve. Jade comes in many colours but the local jade here is pale green. They told us Jade is called a living stone as it absorbs water and oils and so the colour darkens over time.

Some of the carvings were amazing! Each piece is carved from a single piece of jade. One was a massive ship. Jason and I loved a pair of lions – one male 9with a ball under his paw) and a femail (with a cub under her paw). Pity they were $12000 EACH!



The drive to the Great Wall was quite quick! The first sight of it was breathtaking!!!!! Such an amazing image as it snakes through the mountains.
The mountains themselves were a sight to behold! They were quite steep and went on and on.

The bus dropped us off and we were in a valley between two mountains. The Great Wall steeply rose up in the two directions.

The climb was steep and tiring! I didn’t make it to the top of the mountain – although I climbed my share of steps! The step were really uneven – some were tiny rises while others required a very large step up to negotiate them!




It was just amazing to think that over 2000 years of history was below our feet! The section we were on was built in 206 BC and was renovated in the Ming dynasty between 1368 and 1644. The wall itself is 10000km long and goes through 9 provinces. It is the longest cemetery in the world as when workers died while building it, they were buried in the wall!

We took lots and lots of photos! While I sat on the terrace where I stopped I was able to take photos of those who continued up to the top.



The walk back down was quicker and we had time for a quick look through some shops just outside the gates. I couldn’t help but buy an “I climbed the Great Wall” T-shirt!

Our lunch today was dreadful! Very oily, greasy food that few of us could eat. The soup was the worst thing I have tasted on the entire trip. Yuck!!

The good news was I finally got through to Deb and Jeff and found out they had had a baby Boy while I was on the Great Wall of China!!!! Lachlan James. I was soooo excited I ran around the shop telling everyone! I even got a bit teary....

Our next stop was the Ming Tombs. This was the tomb of the Ming Emperors and Empresses. There is 13 Emperors buried here and 23 Empresses plus many many concubines.



It was nothing compared to the Qin Tomb (terracotta warriors). The grounds were lovely though and the buildings beautiful – but it was all a bit boring really.
By the time we headed up spirit road it had cooled down, the wind had got strong and it was starting to rain.

The spirit road was used to carry the Emperors body in his coffin through. It was to ensure his soul went to paradise. There were statues along the road with 12 human pairs and 6 sets of 4 animals – two standing and two resting.



They were quiet spectacular – but due to the weather we very quickly walked through.
Dinner was back at the Hotel – although we were late due to the terrible traffic!
After dinner Ting Ting organised massages for us. I found this one quite painful but Jason was very disappointed in his masseuse. Mind you at 150 Yuan (under $30) it was very cheap!

As is becoming a habit, we finished the night with pi jiu and snacks in Fiona and Idos room!

China Day 8 – Sunday 11 October

We pulled into Beijing at 7:20am and were met by our new guide Ting Ting.
We were transferred to our hotel – The Rainbow Hotel – but couldn’t get into our rooms! We were given breakfast but no chance of a shower – most of us were still in the clothes we had worn the day before – Yuck!

The bus took us to Tiananmen Square – OMG it was so so so so crowded. They say it can hold 1 million people and I am sure it was close to it!




It was the last day of their autumn festival. The whole of the square was decorated with flowers, floats, giant screens and 56 pillars (to represent the 56 nationalities that make up the Chinese population).

We walked through the square, but it was really unrecognisable to pictures I have seen before. I was a bit disappointed to be honest. We did get a photo taken there which we had to buy along with a book of the area.

From there we entered the Forbidden City – the Royal Families Palace of 9999 rooms. It went on and on and on! We were all so tired and grumpy. I found it all a bit to much!!



After lunch we were finally transferred back to our hotel and had our showers!! Some of our group went in taxi’s to do some shopping, while others went for a walk and some of us just slept!!

Dinner was at our Hotel and then a few of us walked over the road to a small merchant who was selling beer for 5 Yuan a bottle (600ml).

So we took our beer and left over snacks from the train to Ido and Fiona’s room and started a nightly tradition!

It has been very hard to find wine in China so I have been drinking beer with the meals (each meal has come with a glass of beer or soft drink included). The Chinese do not drink cold drinks. Every time we ask for bing pi jiu they are shocked. As it is cooler outside they believe they should drink warm drinks – so they don’t refrigerate soft drinks or beer!

The weather has been very different in each city. Shanghai was hot and humid. Xian was cool and rainy (and very smoggy) and so far Beijing has been overcast and a little cool.

China Day 7 – Saturday 10 October

After breakfast we packed up and checked out of the Hotel.

Our first visit for the morning was to the city wall – once again in the misty rain and smog.



The wall ran around the inner city to protect the Emperor from attack. It was built over 8 years from 1370 – 1378 and is 12km long (3km x 4km). It is 12m high and ranges from 18m wide at the bottom to 14m wide at the top. It was build using packed earth mixed with sticky rice, kiwi juice and lime.

Even though it was raining it was quite pleasant walking around the top of the wall. There were replica canons, ladders and other pieces of equipment along one section of the wall.

The archer houses were quite beautiful. Each little window opened out so that archers could fire out of them! If the enemy was approaching a bell would be rung. If it rang once it indicated 1000 enemies, twice 2000 etc.

The enemy could be trapped in an area called the jar. They were able to close off the gates and trap them in it and kill them. It is now used as a car park!



Outside the city wall is the city park and then the city moat. The battlements faced this side while a lower wall faced the Forbidden City.

We were then taken to an art gallery and museum in Xian. They gave us a tour and described some of the different periods in Chinese art history. It included paintings by farmers, some used as propaganda for the Cultural Revolution.
The shadow puppets were beautiful and very detailed! They were made from leather and were then painted. Each figure had around 11 joints to allow the puppet to be moved.
The paper cuttings were also stunning! They are a traditional art and are used to decorate houses during special events. Red is a very traditional colour.

The calligraphy class was fun! We were shown a number of Chinese characters and then shown the 8 basic brush strokes used to create all characters. The symbol for longevity uses all of them! We were then given rice paper and brushes and had the opportunity to draw this symbol.




Lunch was in the Sunshine Theatre complex again. It ended up quite memorable as it was Jenny S’s 50th Birthday. We bought her a birthday cake and all sang to her!

It was a bit of a drive out to Siyuan Middle School. The school was very large. It was a boarding school and we were lucky enough to be taken for a tour.
The facilities were not all that flash really. We saw the Science labs – they had speciality labs for Bio, Chem and Physics. They also had computer labs and a language lab. All were quite old – and each were set up for very large classes!



We were able to join in a Physics class. The students were older and their desks were covered in piles of books! They were quite shy with us – especially when we gave them gifts of Australian lapel pins, koala clip ons and other little Aussie things!

The dorms were an eye opener! There were 6 students per room. They each had a desk and cupboard area with a bunk bed above. The floors were concrete with a heater out on an attached balcony (it must be freezing in winter as it snows here!!). The bathrooms and toilets smelt and were very basic.

A metal roller door separated the Boys and Girls dorm and was locked each night!
The Principal then showed us the world class soccer field and athletic track that was shared with the uni next door. It was in sharp contrast to the student living facilities!

We presented the school with a copy of the Griffith Photo Book donated by Marie Photo graphics.



Jolie (our guide) then took us for a drive through to the middle of Xian, behind the city wall. The traffic was a nightmare! Fiona too video of the chaos around a giant roundabout!

Jolie showed us the Bell Tower that was built in 1384 with no nails in the original structure – it was all dove tail joints. It is built right in the centre of Xian and is only 100m from being in the exact middle of China!

The Bell tower bells are rung in the morning.

Driving on bit further we came to the Drum Tower where the drums are beaten at night.

We were given free time to walk around a bazaar and go to a supermarket to buy supplies for the train.

The bazaar was bizarre!! It was full of food stalls – meat on sticks, flat bread filled with meat and veges, stir fries etc. The rest of it was filled with hundreds of little stalls – that soon all started to look the same! We bought the Boys and Jake a T-Shirt each and Jason found the scroll he had been looking for. It is of the Great Wall of China and is beautiful! The scroll part at the base even has jade ends. He also found a bottle opener that has proved very useful!

That ended our time in Xian and we headed to the train – it was even more chaotic this time! It was VERY crowded. After much pushing through the crowds we made it to the soft sleeper waiting area. There was no where to sit and nearly no room to stand!

Eventually we were able to get on the train. It was a nicer train this time, with softer mattresses and higher pillows (just!). After snacking on “crispy crispy good flavour” biscuits with “fragrant crispy entry” we went to sleep.

China - Day 6 part 2

After heading back to the Hotel, we had a chance to rest until dinner which was at the Hotel.

We then had the option of going to the Sunshine Theatre to see a show. Jason stayed at the Hotel with Ido and some beer, while Fiona and I went with quite a few of the group.




The show was dancing, depicting various scenes in Chinese history. It started with a dance called “Greeting Ambassadors” it was a dance performed by girls in red dresses and men who played drums.

The next act was “Spring Chinese Songs”. It was 6 musicians playing a number of instruments including a special flute like instrument.

The “White Sleeve Dance” was displayed next. The girls wore long sleeved white dresses that they flapped around to create beautiful effects.

“Monk Xuanzang ” told the story of the monk who walked to India and back over a period of 17 years. He brought back the teachings of Buddha and translated them. It was a very dramatic act with some amazing acrobatics by the men.

The “Spring Outing” dance was the girls, again in beautiful costumes. The dance depicted the girls returning from a day out in the spring, talking about girly things.

The “Emperor Meeting his Troops” was the next act, and again it was very dramatic. The men depicted the troops fighting and included lots of acrobatics.
“A Beautiful Dream” was a dance created by the Emperors favourite concubine after he had a dream. He dreamt of fairies dancing on the moon and wrote a poem about it. This she turned into the dance. It was beautiful watching the two of them dance while the fairies were in the stars.

“Colours of the Autumn”. This was soooooo funny!!!! He played a Chinese trumpet as well as another type of trumpet and then made this very funny “weeeeeeeeeeee” sound that was very high pitched. I got the giggles as did Jenny T. The more we laughed the funnier it was!!!

The Finale depicted the “Grand Dynasty” and showcased more of the dancers.

It was well worth the money and very entertaining!

Day 6 – Friday 9 October - part 1

Breakfast was at the Hotel, the restaurant at least was very nice! They had a chef cooking you omelettes at as you watched as well as the usual rice, congee etc. Plus there was bacon, ham, potato cakes, French toast, pastries (that were very chewy and not all that nice!), fruit and yoghurt.

After breakfast we were off on our Terracotta Warriors Day!!!!

Our first stop was to see them making terracotta warriors. The shop attached to the workshop made me want to spend!!! They had some wonderful 1/3 and ½ sized warriors that would have been wonderful in our garden – price was an issue though! SO we settled on a small set of 4 Warriors and a horse to bring home.


The shop also specialised in inlayed lacquered furniture – very ornate!

We then headed on to Huaqing Pool. This was part of the Emperor’s Winter Palace. It is fed by hot springs and so was used as bathing houses. The Emperor had a large bath house for his use – where he invited his selected concubines to join him.
One of the bath houses was in the shape of a crab apple blossom and was the use of his favourite concubine – history says she had BO!

There were other bathing houses including one that originally had no roof so you could lie in the hot water and watch the stars! Another had small holes in the base so the chefs could wash their feet without using their hands.

All of this was nestled at the bottom of a mountain – we unfortunately couldn’t see it as it was covered in smog/mist/fog and rain!!



Lunch saw us try belt noodles, a speciality of Xian and said to promote longevity. They were really yummy! We also had sweet potato – it really was sweet, roast potatoes covered in toffee!

A quick walk around the market shops and we were off to the much anticipated Terracotta Warriors!

I just can not even begin to describe how I felt to stand and see those 2000 year old statues. I honestly think my heart skipped a beat – I was so totally amazed by them.




Emperor Qin was certainly an arrogant man! He had these life size men built to ensure he kept his stature in the next life that he enjoyed in this one. He even had the workers who built it killed so they could not disclose the location and on his death his concubines who had not born him children were buried alive so could procreate with them in the next life.

The first pit – although not fully excavated yet, was breathtaking! I soooo wanted to jump in and have a go at unearthing one of these amazing artefacts.


We walked around the first pit full of soldiers. They estimate that there is 6000 pottery figures and horses in this one. We could see where they were still excavating more of the soldiers. There is a long way to go. You could see a number of statues they were still piecing together. You could see numbers on each piece – I guess indicating where they were found so they could be returned to where they belong.


In a circular theatre we watched a movie of the history of Qin and how he had the Terracotta Warriors and his tomb formed. It also showed the uprising of the farmers and how they destroyed the Warriors and how they were discovered in 1974 by a group of farmers digging a well.

We had the chance to see the last surviving farmer who uncovered the Warriors and buy a book of the history of the area signed by him, which I did!

It was then free time for us to explore the rest of the site! A new exhibition showcasing the bronze horses and chariots that have been pieced back together was open. It was all created in ½ size and the detail was amazing! On the chariot was and umbrella with the first known lock on it. It was used to adjust the umbrella so it could be bent in different directions and protect the Emperor from the sun.



The second pit contained the cavalry although not much has been excavated so far. There were horses as well as the spaces where wooden chariots may have been.

The third pit, although smaller, had some amazing statues. It was the bunker for the generals to plan. The four horses at the entrance were to take messages to the troops.


We ended our tour at the Tea House where the rest of the group met up with us.

.....................................................................................
The tour guide gave us a lot of information about the Warriors:
At age 12 the Crown Prince ordered the start of the building of his tomb. At 23 he became the Emperor. At 36 he unified China – Named himself Shi Quan Di (first Emperor) He died at the age of 50 by accidentally poisoning himself with his longevity medicine!

He was a cruel man who killed schoolers and had books burnt. He forced workers to spend 38 years each working for him on his tomb – most never lived long enough to finish and return to their families.

The main tomb with his remains has not been excavated as records state he had rivers and lakes of mercury built in it. Soil test at the presumed sight have shown very high levels of mercury supporting this. Also the tomb is said to be full of traps.
30 pits have been unearthed: soldiers, armour stores, bronze animals, bones of the concubines (who were buried alive so they could have children with him in the afterlife), acrobats etc

The terracotta warriors have little rounded tummies as they were fed wine to increase their courage in battle.

If a soldier could get ten heads of his enemy (by killing them and bringing back their heads) one of his parents no longer had to be a slave; 20 heads, both parents free; 100 heads, the family could own their own farm land; 500 heads, they could own 2 slaves and become a higher ranking officer.

China - Day 5 – Thursday 8 October

We pulled into Xian at 10:10am – and it was even more crowded and scarier than Shanghai! We had to leave the train and carry our luggage several blocks to the bus, through crowds of people. How we didn’t lose someone I don’t know!



We were transferred to our new hotel – which was terrible. It smelt, was mouldy and very noisy. Not somewhere I would ever go again (Wan Nian Hotel).

At least we could have a shower before we were taken out to lunch (where we saw another two weddings!). Our first stop after that was the Shaanxi Historical Museum where we were given a quick history lesson on the Chinese Dynasties. It was quite fascinating!


Onto the Wild Goose Pagoda! This was a Buddhist Temple with a Pagoda built where a wild goose fell dead after prayers for a sign from Buddha. There were many buildings, each dedicated to a different Buddha, It was a beautiful place but the rain and fog (smog?) and a bad headache meant I did not enjoy it much.


The shop run by the monks gave us each a card with our Chinese zodiac sign on it as well as a list of the Chinese Dynasties.

Dinner was at the hotel and afterwards we were given the option of a reflexology massage in our rooms. Jason and I both took the opportunity! The massage was for 1 hour and concentrated on the feet. It was wonderful and we both had a good nights sleep after wards.

China Day 4 – Wednesday 7 October

Time to pack up and move on! Our last day in Shanghai.
We spent the morning in a 400 year old garden called the Yu Garden. It was built by a wealthy man to honour his parents. It took him 28 years and was just stunning. The rocks were collected and transported to the garden from hundreds of km away and cemented together with cooked rice mixed with lime.




There were lots of ornate carvings, especially of dragons. He was caught out as only emperors could have dragons in their gardens – his whole family was going to be persecuted. Luckily, as he was well liked by the Emperor, he escaped trouble by telling them the cravings were not dragons as dragons have 5 claws and his only had 3!


The garden was surrounded by shops and stalls and was horribly crowded! At least some of the girls were happy to see Starbucks!

We then drove to the famous shopping strip Nanjing road. It was full of famous brand shops – but we really could have been anywhere. The nicest part was stopping at a bar while Jason had a beer and watching the passing traffic – so many people, and some very cute kids!

We met up with Amy and went to find the bus – but he had disappeared! Amy had to catch a taxi to find him and get us picked up LOL.

We eventually got on the bus and to a Mongolian BBQ restaurant for lunch. You had a bowl and went along choosing what you wanted to eat. There was meat (with pictures indicating it was pork, chicken, goat or beef!) then veges and sauces. This was taken to the chefs who upended your bowl and started tossing it around a big solid hotplate. It was really yummy!


Attached to the restaurant was a folk art studio. It had some beautiful things to buy. I couldn’t resist the paper cuttings!

Off next to a “Free market”. This means that the government does not have control of the prices and you are free to bargain (“Friendship” shops are government controlled and have set prices). It was quite intimidating with vendors grabbing you and trying to get you to buy from the. I was terrible at bargaining, Jason has a much better chance of getting a good price – but they tricked him with false size labels on the shirts he bought so none fit grrrrrrr.

After an early dinner we headed for our overnight train to Xian. On the way Amy took us to a supermarket to buy supplies for breakfast. What a laugh! We had no idea what things were, but ended up with a good supply of snacks and muesli bars to get us through!

The train station was very crowded and quite scary! We had to wait for a while in the soft sleeper waiting room (first class). Finally we could get on the train.
The rooms on the train were tiny! Four to a room, with a very hard berth each and a tiny table to share. It was not a comfortable night. I don’t think many of us slept at all. Every time the train slowed or stopped (which was a lot!) I was awake.

China Day 3 – Tuesday 6 October

Another busy day! After breakfast we hopped on the bus for the 90km drive to Suzhou. What an experience! Busy traffic, funny road signs and amazing toll gates – glad I wasn’t driving!!

Our first stop was the Master of the Nets Garden. It was the smallest Garden in the Suzhou – but the oldest at 800 years! It didn’t seem small in there, each garden piece flowed onto the next in what was almost like a maze. Each section had the four elements – rock, corridor, pavilion and water. They each had unique windows or arches through which you glimpsed aspects of another section. Just stunning!




The silk factory was another great stop! It was fascinating to see the process of silk being taken from the cocoon, to thread, to fabric. Each 5m of silk fabric takes a full day to weave! No wonder it is expensive!!

Lunch was also at the factory and I gave in and had a Shandy – the wine options are non existent! It was surprisingly nice!

On to Tiger Hill! This is the place of the tomb which is said to be guarded by three white tigers. At the very top is a leaning pagoda that was built in 960 AD. It was made from brink and wood – but not with very good foundations!


There were 53 steps leading up to the temple as he had 53 disciples. The stairs then continued up to the tower and then down the other side.



There were crowds of people there due to the 8 day holiday for the moon festival. There were performances and celebrations all over the hill.

From there we were taken to a master silk embroidery place. It was just amazing. Only 5 masters exist and 3 of them worked for this place! The embroidery was exquisite and very detailed. Some of them were double sided, with different colours and sometimes even designs on each side of a single piece of fabric!!


The drive back to Shanghai was long and hairy! Many people were returning from holidays so the roads were even busier, bumper-to –bumper. AS our guide Amy put it – there are no road rules in Shanghai, only road suggestions! The toll gates were incredible! – at one I counted 13 lanes on our side of the road – traffic was going everywhere. But not only that – there are cars parked on the highway, people walking up and down and vendors flogging all sorts of things. Sheer chaos!

After dinner at the Rainbow Hotel we were lucky enough to see two Chinese weddings! At the second one we caused much excitement as we peaked in. The groom was from Melbourne!! He and his new wife were moving back there after the wedding. Some of us ended up in the official wedding photos (in our daggy travelling clothes!) and received little gifts (picnic bars wrapped in pink tulle!).

China Day 2 – Monday 5 October

Breakfast was at the Hotel. Things like fried rice, steamed buns (yum!) and scrambled eggs with tomatoes were next to the good old toast and jam!

We watched the most amazing streetscape while we ate. Across from the Hotel is totally different to anything I have ever seen. The buildings are derelict, partly demolished and covered in rubble, yet people live there! The road is a constant stream of people, motor bikes, scooters, bikes and wheelbarrows!


Our first visit today was to the Shanghai Museum. It was fascinating, but 1 hour was not enough to see it all. The porcelain exhibition was gorgeous!




We then went to the banks of the river to view across to the Bund. The Bund itself was closed as they are preparing the area for Expo. The river itself was awful! So dirty and uninviting. We did get our first experience at street sellers though! Jason was harassed by a guy selling watches - he was very intimidating.
We did buy some ornaments from another seller though!


Lunch was at a nearby restaurant, where Jason had his first taste of Chinese Beer! No wine in sight though! Beer is called pi jiu (pee jo) a word I am sure Jason will get good at!




From there we headed to the Jade Buddha Temple – it was beautiful! Fascinating to see some of the religious ceremonies. There were people there praying with incense sticks and many areas were covered in red ribbons – each with a wish or prayer written on them that had been placed during the recent moon festival (Oct 1).



While we were there we tasted traditional Buddha Tea. Each tea we tried had traditional medicinal uses, many of us bought some to bring home! The whole process was very interesting and I have discovered a like of green tea! Lucky as it is served at every meal!




Next we visited a pearl shop where we were shown the removal of pearls from an oyster and the way to tell real pearls from fake (when a real pearl is scratched it produces pearl powder and no mark is left on the pearl – fake ones scratch and produce no powder.



The jewellery was beautiful and many of us could not resist a purchase or two!!

As we still had some time before dinner Amy took us for a walk to a local market where they sold mainly meat and seafood. The smell was quite overpowering and the meat out in the open air with no refrigeration put most of us off! Some of the group bought nuts, bananas and the ever important bottled water!!!

Dinner was ok – but involved our first squat toilet experience! It was survivable and not as bad as I thought it would be!

Our evening was spent at the theatre watching a Chinese Acrobatics show. Wow! The stand outs for me were a young boy balancing on chairs (I think he ended up with five or six stacked up on each other with him balancing on one hand at the top!) I nearly forgot to breathe! The other was a cage where a motorbike was doing loop the loops and driving around in. Then a second, and a third, the a forth and finally FIVE bikes were whizzing around this little cage! Can’t believe they didn’t crash!


We were all exhausted when we got back to the hotel – but I still needed to get some washing done! So Fiona and I went to the laundry and had a catch up while we put a load through the machine together!