A Fun Evening

After my day of touring I returned to the hotel in time to join the group for dinner and some entertainment for the evening.  On our walk to the restaurant we passed some lovely shopping spots.

Again the mixture of new and old adds to the beauty of the area. We were treated to a traditional Shanghainese meal of 12 courses (I think - I lost count). I surprised myself with the appetizers by learning that my favorite was the deep fried eel. It was both sweet and crunchy and oh so yummy. We had all sorts of dishes including, of course, Peking duck.

Throughout the meal our hosts kept telling us we were in for a real entertainment treat. They were so right.

Following our meal we adjourned to The Party Place. This is a very large facility that has rooms from a few square feet to banquet size to suit any kind of party you may want to have. We had a smallish room equipped with - drum roll please- Karaoke!!! Having no vocal range whatsoever and difficulty carrying a tune in a bucket (just ask my daughters), I was surprised at how much fun I had.

We were a lively group and as long as I sang back-up (and without the mike) I sounded great. For those of you who know Ken, you would not believe the transformation.

Put a microphone in that man's hand and he becomes Bruce Springsteen. We discovered that Rommel has a fantastic voice and loves to sing.

Caslin sings well but likes to warm up first by reading some fashion magazines.

Deb LOVES to sing and never stopped.

May Lene and Su were a bit quieter but lots of fun as well.

Brad had a little of that quiet yet powerful vocal talent.

Thunder and Vicki joined in and the joint really got jumpin'.

One of the highlights of the evening was a duet of "Build Me Up Buttercup" sung full voice and with lots of choreography.

There were songs sung in English, Chinese, Filipino and even a dialect or two. The choices were almost uncountable. We even did a Disney set and some Lady Gaga. 

You might think that it took a lot of beer to get this party started, but you would be wrong. Though we had some wine with dinner, for the most part we were all drinking plum juice (not plum wine - juice). Think of how we would have been had we been drinking anything stronger. But there was a big day ahead of all of the gang the following morning so saner heads prevailed.

After a last song or two, it was time to leave. So sad!

With a few goodbyes we headed back to the hotel. And just to make life interesting, I have it all on film!!!

Suzhou Lion Forrest Garden

The second garden we visited in Suzhou was quite different from the first. The Lion Forrest Garden was originally built as a Buddhist Temple. It's name is derived from the rock formations throughout, many of which resemble a lion. During the late Qing Dynasty a private family bought the property and lived there. Then the owner took his family to the U.S. and raised and educated his children there. One of his sons became quite famous for his work and in his later years returned to Suzhou and donated the property to the government for use as a public garden. Many of you may recognize him as the world renown architect I.M. Pei. He also designed the Suzhou Museum and has iconic buildings in most of the major cities of the world.


The Lion Forrest Garden is much bigger than the previous one we visited. It's entrance is more elaborate and guarded by three gods of fortune.

There is even a dragon or two keeping watch.

Almost anywhere you go in China (including many of the shops) the doors will be guarded by lions. They are always in pairs with one being male and the other female. Can you guess which one this is?

This is a male lion and, no, you don't have to peek to see which is which. The male lion always holds an orb representing the earth. The female will always have a cub. Sometimes the cub will also look like a ball, but if you look closely you can distinguish the features.


In some of the rooms that are set for the ladies, the furniture is specifically designed for their comfort.

The piece you see above is arranged so that two ladies may lounge side by side with a table for the tea service between them. I think I would like one of these in my living room - but with puffy cushions.


I mentioned before about the shapes of the interior doors. In this garden most of the doors were in the shape of a vase while a few were in a flower shape.

The interiors were just as beautiful and interesting as before, and there was one   element added by the last owners which is particular to this garden - stained glass. 

 

 Without question the highlight of the grounds were the rock formations and the ponds. Over 15 tons of rocks were dug up from the river beds and transported to create the grounds here. There are walkways and waterfalls and tunnels to traverse. There are so many formations to look at that your head begins to spin.

I mentioned before about the zig-zag bridge to keep away the evil spirits. Well the one in this garden must surely work well.

Another unique feature is a boat shaped pavilion for resting by the water. The boat was made of concrete as a sign of the wealth and status of the home owners. 

Wandering through the area I kept looking for the lion shaped formations. There are supposed to be 17 I think. Anyway, as we neared the end of our tour, I found one I was sure everyone could recognize.

With a few final peeks and a fantastic wall tree, our tour ended.

It was back to Shanghai and I night I will remember for a very long time - but that is for the next post!

Suzhou Master of Nets Garden

After touring the Water Village of Zhouzhuang we stopped for lunch and a tour of the #1 silk factory. I even got to touch a silk worm while it was eating a mulberry leaf. The tour was interesting and the shop had lots to offer.

We then proceeded to the first of two gardens we were to visit. The Master of Nets Garden is dedicated to bringing good fortune to the fishermen. A garden in this sense is actually someone's home and grounds. These gardens are hundreds of years old and each building, pond and walkway has a specific purpose or meaning. The original owners of these gardens were very wealthy and the garden was one way of showing the extent of the family wealth and status. There are ten such gardens in Suzhou.

Just out side the entrance we were greeted by the welcoming committee.

Dogs and cats are quite pampered in China just as in the U.S. This little guy had his own spot of shade and all the attention he wanted.

One thing that has been most impressive throughout our travels in Asia has been doorways. Doorways are very important in Chinese culture. By looking at a doorway you can determine the wealth of a family and it's status in the community. Doors also are designed to keep away evil spirits. Since the spirits can only move forward, you will often see a second set of doors inside the opening of the first set so that evil spirits cannot gain entrance. Spirits can only move in straight lines so they can be easily blocked by the design of the entrance. You will also see many zig-zag bridges built for the same reason.

One of the first things we came across in this garden was an original sedan chair. This was used to carry the occupants throughout the grounds. The carving is very intricate and the wood in perfect condition. On the chair and throughout the garden paths the most prevalent image was of a bat. Bats can bring good fortune.

The house and grounds are like a labyrinth. Each has multiple entrances and exits. They were built with separate rooms for men and women as well as separate gardens. They all interconnected and so it is a real trick to see it all. Lucky for me guide Vicky knew the way.

In this particular home much of the furniture is original to the Ming Dynasty while the remainder is perfectly executed reproductions. The insets are marble so I would not want to be moving it around too often.

I am always fascinated by the roof lines and door decorations. In this place most were made of intricately carved stone. The layers that must be carved to get the depth of some of the works are astounding. The pieces are carved from a single piece of stone with no added attachments. It is craftsmanship of the highest level.

Windows can also be quite decorative. Some are beautifully carved and left open to the views beyond while others are filled with beautiful pieces of art.

Throughout all of the gardens and many of the temples and palaces we visited, the inner doors often take on various shapes. Each shape has a meaning and is often repeated throughout the area. One particular doorway in Master of Nets Garden is a one of a kind. It is a Moon Gate. I had seen Moon Gates before on the island of Bermuda. There they are often used as the backdrop for weddings. Here they are used for viewing the moon.

One of the focal points of each garden will be the ponds. They are beautifully landscaped, filled with golden carp and often have pavilions for relaxing.

Natural materials are also used as pieces of art in themselves. I saw what I thought were many framed abstract paintings of the mountains. I found out that these were actually framed pieces of marble and the "painting" was the natural striations in the stone. Some were very intricate but I could not get a good photo of the best ones.

Unusual pieces of stone or wood are also used as sculptures.

As we neared the end of our tour, we walked along a path by a pond and crossed over what is thought to be the smallest bridge in China. It certainly has my vote. It is only about three or four feet across but has been built with all of the detail of the larger bridges.

It was hard to leave such a beautiful and peaceful place, but there was one more garden on the day's itinerary. And so we were off.