After a long day and evening, a majority of students were
ready for some much needed rest. The day began at 10:30AM, while we loaded all
suitcases into the bus for a day in the city and an evening in which we would
be loading the train to Wuhan.
The group found a beautiful Buddha and Buddshiva garden
beyond the hotel. While we waited for the bus to come around, many of us
ventured into the beautiful gardens beyond the hotel. Ornate decorations
adorned the rooftops and doorways of buildings around the garden. A large pond,
stream, and Buddshiva’s lined the wall coming back to the hotel. Some of us
took pictures of what we saw, to document our departure from our Shanghai hotel.
We were off and at the Bank of China in Shanghai to exchange funds for our days
ahead. After approximately 45 minutes of conversation and conversions to the
RMB – we had in tow a thick stack of Chinese money. We re-boarded the bus and
were off to a Cantonese lunch.
Lunch was an interesting endeavor. We were greeted with
several ladies (and a few gentlemen) who greeted us in roller skates. Shortly
after we arrived, several servers danced in their skates around the floor for
entertainment. During lunch, several brave members of class decided to try the
snake, while many others ventured off to view exotic sea life (fish, lobsters,
clams, crab, shrimp, and crocodile) that was on display at the restaurant.
Other decorative displays included meat dishes, glazed baby ducklings, and
duck. The flavors of Cantonese were substantially different than other forms of
the Chinese cuisine we had been introduced to. Slightly blander – yet more
various in color and textures, Cantonese provided a different perspective of
Chinese food.
After lunch, the group boarded a bus for the Jade Buddha
Temple. The streets
surrounding the Jade
Buddha Temple
were crowded and filled with vendors and shopkeepers hocking their wears. Upon
entering the Temple,
it was obvious that the pace of this place was slow and sacred and the depth of
devotion by those visiting was of an importance we could not yet understand.
Several devoted members of the Chinese community bought incense which was lit
in fire pits and devotees bowed to the four corners of the Buddha Temple.
We were given a description of the two types of temples prevalent in China. The two
types were conservative and democratic temples. Conservative temples always
showed the gatekeeper with his sword at his foot. Democratic temples always
showed the gatekeeper Buddha with his sword in a raised position. The
differences between them showed the beliefs in the monk system in which
conservative Buddhist temples allowed only monks originally from the temple to
hold the highest position whereas in democratic Buddhist temples, any monk from
any area who spent time at that temples had the ability to hold the highest
position.
After viewing the central
devotional area, we were led up a narrow staircase to the Jade Buddha. The
largest of its kind, the Jade Buddha represented a religion still held close by
many Chinese. Primarily – Buddhism represented a focus on the future (after
death) – therefore, life for the Chinese could be hard and toilsome, yet,
reprieve and release from a hard life came in death. The focus of the religion
is on the afterlife – so the focus is not on worrying about the now (a
temporary state of being). This is why, as Tony our tour guide explained to us,
many Chinese who still suffer with difficulties and a hard life are happy and
generally unconcerned about their current state of suffering – because this
life is temporary.
After visiting the Jade Buddha,
many of us decided to participate in the Jade Buddha’s complementary tea house.
As we sat down around two large wooden tables that stretched the length of the
room, we were served a number of teas to taste. Each tea was touted to
represent different types of remedies to common problems (stomach problems,
energy, arthritis, etc.). After much tea tasting, many of us purchased a tea
product or two to take home with us.
Next we headed back to the crowded
streets and market we passed on the way to the temple. Given an hour to shop –
we all hurried off in different directions, ready to use our bartering skills.
We met back at around 4:30PM and headed to the silk factory.
The silk factory is renowned in Shanghai for its high
quality silk products – including; comforters, duvets, pillow cases, and
clothes. It was explained to us that currently, silk comforters were note
available in the United
States. Silk, which comes from the silk
worm, could lend over 1,000 meters of silk in a single cocoon. Two types of
cocoons exist. The first is the common single cocoon. However, in some
instances two worms will choose a partner and form a much larger cocoon. After
the silk worm has formed its cocoon and is ready for processing – Chinese
workers soak the cocoons in a water solution – which loosens and allows the
silk to be unraveled. A single strand is threaded through a spooling machine
with over a dozen wheels on each side of a large electronic machine. We witnessed
the tiny strands of silk being pulled from their cocoons – which spun around in
the water like a fish bobber in a lake. The strands were so tiny; they could
only be picked up on film when one of the workers put her hand behind the five
or six strands that were pulled through the machine to make a single strand of
usable silk.
We also witnessed a separate room
in which all cocoons that had two worms we painstakingly pulled apart in water
and stretched into a cap like shape. These ‘caps’ once dry, were pulled across
the length of a bed frame to make layers, which would later become silk
comforters. The number of layers in a comforter determined its weight – and
several different weights were available for customers to choose from depending
on the size of their bed and temperature of their area. The uniqueness of the
silk comforter is that it does not shed, making it allergy proof, and does not
bunch, given proper care. Silk comforters can never be washed, but are instead
spot cleaned as needed and put out in the sun for several hours. Silk duvets or
covers provide protection.
Given some of the language
barriers, it was sometimes difficult to understand answers to all of our
questions. However, the tour provided some insightful information about a
business and unique micro industry that is successful in Shanghai. Currently, most 5-star hotels in ShanghaiU.S. does not have a retail outlet
for this industry and no major importation business exists for the import of
silk comforters to the area. provide silk
bedding to its clientele for their stay. Again, currently the
After our tours, students were
invited to look around the retail area of the factory, where silk was available
in abundance.
As a special treat, our tour
guides took us to a Mongolian Barbeque for dinner. Given the foreignness of
some of our previous meals (many dishes of which were unknown to us), the
Mongolian Barbeque allowed individuals to pick amongst their favorites – buffet
style, and have it cooked over a hot plate. Similar to the set-up in a hulas in
Chico, the
unique flavors of the barbeque provided some relief about the knowledge of just
“what” one was eating.
It was nearing the time of train
departure after our dinner. It would be a 10-hour train ride, beginning at
10PM, which meant we would have soft sleepers for an overnight journey to Wuhan. The bus took us to
a convenience store to pick up some last minute beverages and snacks, and we
were off to the train depot.
I have traveled to many cities
both in the states and outside the states. The train station took on a whole
new meaning of ‘hugeness’ and ‘larger than life’. The train station
dwarfed our Sacramento
Airport. A freeway took
us above the city and its streets, and a modern steel and marble structure with
huge hallways, glass roofs over lower levels and the like awaited us. After
making our way past a security checkpoint, we all walked in awe of this great
structure that put any modern American transportation system (that I have seen
to date) to shame.
Nearly an hour and a half later,
we boarded the train – most students tired. Many students exhausted from the
long day, hauled loads of luggage, backpacks, packages, silk comforters,
goodies, and other shopping bags to the train station. We were in car 9, seats
1 to 23.
Our train departed promptly. Each
car held four soft sleepers and four televisions (one station in English) with
personalized control buttons. We couldn’t see the countryside, given the
darkness, but the quiet and comforting lull of the train pulled most of us into
a deep sleep that we hadn’t felt since we’d arrived.
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