What would Confucious say?

by | Oct 15, 2009 | China 2009

We spent a good deal of time yesterday on the train from Hangzhou to Nanjing. It’s about a 5 to 6 hour ride, so there was no shortage of time to admire the scenery floating by outside the train. The people crammed in beside me didn’t have the best hygiene...

Hangzhou at all hours

by | Oct 13, 2009 | China 2009

I just got back from the lake. [note: I got back from the lake last night, but was too tired to finish this entry at that time] It’s not often you find a place in China that is quiet, nearly deserted, with an abundance of fresh air. But, Hangzhou has lots of...

Suzhou’s gardens

by | Oct 11, 2009 | China 2009

This really is quite a lovely city. Even nearly 800 years later, it’s easy to see why Marco Polo referred to Suzhou as the most beautiful city on Earth. The canals, trees, bridges and elegant architecture make it a very pleasant place overall. It’s sort of...

Here we go, Suzhou

by | Oct 10, 2009 | China 2009

The title of this article rhymes, if you say it right. I’m finding it a lot easier to get around in China with my little bit of Chinese. Just the small matter of knowing how to pronounce the name of a place when buying train tickets to that place saves me a lot...

Communism, 60 years in

by | Oct 8, 2009 | China 2009

Tonight I did a little exploring Shanghai with my camera. While I was getting a sort of substandard photo of the Grand Theatre, I met a very talkative old gent. It seems that producing a fancy camera on the street causes most Chinese to take notice, and a good number...