west lake ~ hangzhou, china...

 A designated World Heritage site...

West Lake has been a paradise for the Chinese people of all walks of life for centuries.

We  enjoyed a boat ride on the scenic lake.

Once again...

there was no sun to be seen.

But boats in the mist...

...with mysterious shapes in the background

...make for fine photos as well.

Not everyone had the privilege of  being on a boat with a motor.

 Most were self-propelled.

Water taxis...

they were.

I think I'd prefer to ride the dragon boat!

Pagodas...

...in the gardens and across the lake.

Top Hoi Who...

our local guide in Hangzhou.

He got us to each of our venues most efficiently...

and to the front of the line-up every time.

While in Hangzhou...

we were privileged to take in an evening performance at the theatre.

Night of West Lake.

We had no expectations going in.

What a treat we were in for!

It was just the best!

Four motorcyclists raced around inside this sphere...

all at once!

And guess what?

Three of them were girl riders.

Wow!

 

As for this troupe...

they were absolutely amazing.

Thousand Hand Guan Yin

(click to watch.)

 

It's all about reaching out to those in need...

apparently.

We couldn't really understand  the lyrics!

 The evening ended far too quickly...

as did our time in Hangzou...

the love and leisure capital of China. :)

 

Our guide took us down to the lake after the performance.

West Lake at night...

a lovely site!

In case you are wondering if this tour will ever come to an end...

the next stop is Shanghai.

That's where we begin and end our tour.

Nanjing

Nanjing was once the capital of China...

...and is a large commercial center today.

It has population of seven million.

We entered the city through the gates of the city wall...

a wall that was built by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhuang to protect the city 600 years ago.   

The wall remains in good condition today.

Our destination?

The Fuzimiao Walking Street...

...where the lantern festival was in full gear. 

Our tour guide took us to the centre of the 'pedestrian only' zone...
...and then left us to our own devices.

As you can see...

we weren't really ALL on our own!

The sun was about to set...

...as we strolled along the Quinhaui River.

I'm not sure what happens along the river the rest of the year...

...but being there over the Chinese New Year was most special. 

And just in case some of the fireworks 'missfired'...

...these guys were ready.
They looked like they meant business!

For those who thought it was dinnertime...

there were many choices.

We enjoyed our time with the crowds along the river..
and even found our way back to the designated meeting place on schedule.

In the morning...

we spent some time at Xuanwu Lake.

Our tour guides dropped us off at the entrance to the park...

and we set off to explore.

 Maggie was a local guide who joined John for this part of our tour...
a most delightful gal.

It was a lovely morning for a walk in the park.

Though it appears that everything is shrouded in mist...

it seems that is the norm over there.

The sun finds it hard to break through the pollution.

It was Valentine's Day.

I think they knew it.

We so enjoyed watching the people in the park that morning.

Some were doing their morning stretches.

Others were rollerblading...

or playing badminton...

or making music...

or turning cartwheels.

The cart-wheeler and the badminton players were all about 80- years old. 

How fun is that?

These men brought their birds out to the park for some fresh air.

Some two dozen bird cages were hanging from the bare branches...

and the birds were singing up a storm.

And so ended our stay in Nanjing... 

 with all the locals who were enjoying their holiday in the park.

of pearls and silk and tea pots...

 Fans...

...and silk scarves

...and a pink pearl from the fresh water pearl factory

...and a tea pot from the red porcelain tea pot factory.

Those are a few of the things that came home with me from China.

The clay pottery teapots are a trademark of the region we visited...

and have been hand-crafted here since the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

Apparently these tea pots brew the very best tea...

though I'm sure the superiority of it would be lost on me!

While we are on the subject of tea...

...let me take you along to the green tea plantation we visited. 

We learned all about the harvest and production of green tea...

and sampled tea made from the best quality leaves.

The premium grade tea leaves are  for local use only...

and never make their way to the export market.

It was available for us to bring home.

I opted not to.

After drinking green tea at every meal over there...

I could only dream of the coffee I would be drinking back home!

But now I am wondering what kind of tea I will brew in my Chinese pot!

While visiting the green tea plantation...

we posed in the fields with our traveling companions.

Just for the record!

Two years ago we had a similar photo taken with the same friends...

in the tea plantations of Kenya.

Now we are wondering...

who else grows tea?

Where to next?

Tomorrow..

I'll take you to Nanjing...

the second largest commercial center in East China.

back to china ~ wuxi and tai lake

Nestled on the northern shore of Tai Lake...and just 80 miles northwest of Shanghai...lies the 'wee town' of Wuxi.  With a mere 5 million people living there...it had a small town feeling compared to Shanghai!

We visited the famous Xihui Park...considered to be an 'open air museum' of the history of Wuxi.  

Many features are of historical and cultural interest...and date back to the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qin dynasties.  
 

By now I have long forgotten the significance of each of the buildings and gardens that we saw...but I'll just take you on a 'low-commentary' tour!

 

Things looked most festive...

 

...with lanterns hanging everywhere as part of the Chinese New Year decor. 

We strolled pathways and gardens...and observed incense and candles burning here and there along the way.  Of what significance...I'm not sure.

The 'Thousand Hand' statue is a symbol of compassion seen throughout the Far East.

The Huishan Temple...was originally an imperial palace and became a temple during the Sui Dynasty around 600 AD.   Everything is older than I can wrap my mind around!

Before we left the park...we added our signature to the 'greeting wall'.  I don't think many will be able to read it, however! Some years ago...we did a road trip to Alaska and stopped off at Watson Lake, Yukon where we left our signature at the famous sign-post forest.  Of course we had to leave our calling card in China as well!

We paid a visit to Turtle's Head Park...a large park situated on the shores of Tai Lake.

It was rather a picturesque place...

...a prime tourist location.

We were privileged to take in a local musical performance while in the park.

How this happened...I'll never know! I have no idea how to play a harp...and I don't normally dress in Chinese robes.

But somehow a few of us found ourselves on stage.  Can you tell that we are somewhat taller than those who usually wear those clothes? We left the robes behind...

...bade farewell to Tai Lake and were soon our our way to Nanjing.  To be continued...