From Canada to China with Love
Feb 3-17, 2008
After a grueling 20 hour and 26 minutes of flying and 3 connections later we (my husband, daughter and I) arrived in Shanghai Pudong airport in China. Our daughter and her friend came to pick us up at the airport. We hailed a taxi, which she negotiated in Chinese and proceeded to our hotel.
The Pacific Luck Hotel, Shanghai, is located on 299 Wusong Road near the famous Bund. It overlooks the Huanpu River. The Nanjing Road and Sichuan Road, the main shopping centers are all within walking distance. Chinese and western breakfast is included daily.
We had pre-arranged a 4 day tour of Shanghai and Suzhou. The first 2 days we toured an array of sites. The tour started us off strolling along the Bund. After we sampled some of the many traditional teas and were given a brief rundown to its history and culture. Next on the tour were The Yuyuan Gardens and the Yuyuan market and the Julong Silk Factory.
Lunch was at Wanxihe Restaurant, a traditional Chinese restaurant, with Chinese style food, although not as good as in Canada. The afternoon took us to the Jade Buddha Temple. Rebuilt in 1928, it’s beautiful and rich in history. This is a great place to go whether you are a Buddhist or not.
The Shangcheng Acrobatic show takes place in the evenings at a glittering, modern arena, which seats 1,638 people. A circus theater show with computer controlled lighting and state of the art acoustics.
The next day we boarded an electric train and traveled 30 minutes north to Suzhou, Renowned as “Venice of the East”, Suzhou is famous for it’s unique, elegant gardens, it’s network of rivers and canals, and it’s silk production. The city is very attractive, with a lot to offer visitors, including ancient, beautifully architecture gardens, temples, stone bridges, silk factory and traditional Chinese lifestyles. With the Lion Forest Garden and the humble Administrators Garden taking up most of the morning we stopped for a Chinese lunch at Tongji Restaurant. A set menu for us gave a wide array of dishes to try. Mostly I found the food very bland and lacking in flavor.
After lunch the highlight was a visit to the number 1 silk factory, complete with its own fashion show. We went through the complete technical process of silkworm raising, cocoon sorting, cocoon boiling and silk reeling, rewinding and packing. Silk quilts, duvets and covers are the main products they handle.
Lastly we traveled through the old streets and narrow side streets of Suzhou by rickshaw, seeing up close the local people’s daily life. What an exhilarating and eye opening experience, a must for all tourists.
With our tour now complete, we headed to our Suzhou hotel for the night. The Changmen Hotel with all its beauty and grandeur was built in 1936. A European-style villa in 1991 became a historic reservation of Suzhou. 211 standard rooms and suites are nicely equipped. A Chinese restaurant, tennis court, billiard room, sauna center and disco are available for recreation.
No trip to Shanghai would be complete without a shopping trip or two. Shanghai is known for its great shopping and “fake markets” have some great deals to offer if you know how to barter.
Our daughter and her friend took us to several ones she called “Cheapy Lu” and the other one where we felt more comfortable is Shanghai Longhua Fashion and Gift Market.
Our 10 days with our daughter came to an end all too quickly. She is returning home on July 1st. I’ve found in China that it’s custom to push for things. Things that might seem rude to out western ears, are perfectly acceptable here and the gap between the rich and the poor is becoming bigger. |
