A Chinese proverb says, “Heaven is up in the sky, but on earth, we have Hangzhou and Suzhou.” Hangzhou is only about an hour away by high-speed train from Shanghai. Our English-speaking tour guide, Pete, and the driver were waiting for us at the train station with a van. We headed to the famous West Lake and enjoyed a quick boat ride. After that, we toured a high-tech innovation center. As the headquarters of Alibaba (often referred to as the Chinese Amazon), Hangzhou is home to a lot of AI and robotics research. At the center, we learned about advancements in robotics aimed at assisting in daily life, particularly in caregiving for senior citizens. We also watched demonstrations of robot boxing and tai chi practice.
Hangzhou is well-known for its world-famous “Dragon Well” green tea. During our visit to a tea farm, we picked some tea leaves and watched a demonstration where a woman used the strong oxidant iodine to tint the rice, then made it clear immediately with tea – a strong antioxidant. Even without this demonstration, I’m already a big fan of green tea.
Here is a clip of robots boxing if you are interested.
Southern China, with its warm weather and abundance of water, is known as the “village of fish and rice”. The three biggest cash crops are rice, short mulberry bushes (for feeding silkworms), and lotus roots. Even though we missed the peak of the lotus blooming season, I still found some gorgeous flowers in the field.
Southern China is known as the Venice of China and has many water towns. We spent one night in Wuzhen, an ancient town with old bridges, stone-paved alleyways, and traditional rowboats on the canal. After the hustle and bustle of big cities, this quiet, calm place slowed down our pace and helped us relax. We found little gems hidden in different houses: indigo-dyed fabric in the backyard, a collection of fermenting soy sauce in giant jars, wedding chambers, and many snack shops and tea houses. It was the most charming and our favorite stop on this trip.
Suzhou is my ancestral town. My grandfather was a river merchant on the Grand Canal. My good friend Shiqiu found us a wonderful hotel five minutes’ walk from the Suzhou Art Museum, the Chinese Lion Forest, and the Humble Administration Gardens. The line to the Suzhou Museum stretched all the way around the corner; luckily for seniors 70+, we could cut to the front of the line. China respects older adults, and we were glad to take advantage of it. The famous architect I.M. Pei grew up in Suzhou, and he came back at age 85 to design a museum that blended traditional Chinese architecture with modernist geometry. In addition to the 30,000 pieces of cultural relics, ancient paintings, and calligraphy, this museum also exhibits contemporary art, “The Real Unreal Landscape” by Xu Bing, who took a classical landscape and manipulating light behind with withered branches and fallen leaves – a totally surprising different view of the painting.
Out of all the famous gardens in Suzhou, I thought the Lion Forest would be the most interesting for my family. A Zen Buddhist built this garden in 1342, and its main feature is thousands of porous Tai Hu rocks piled high, creating intricate pathways filled with holes. Sure enough, I lost my whole family just minutes after we entered the garden. I caught glimpses of them high above the rock mountain peak or near the pond edge. Ray and I just sat among the bamboo grove and enjoyed the cool shade.
During this week-long visit to Southern China, I hope my grandkids connected with my family’s origins and enjoyed their first experience in the country. The seeds I planted in their hearts (more accurately, in stomachs) may one day bloom into a passion for discovering this distant ancestral home.
Thanks so much for taking us on your journey to your beloved homeland. The photos and descriptions were incredible. You always have the most fabulous adventures!
I am glad, that you enjoyed my blog. I haven’t seen you at the ARC recently. Are you in town?