To the Country

This morning we headed about two hours outside of Shanghai to experience "rural" life in China. What amazed me most was that even in "rural" Shanghai the number and size of buildings still beats the Raleigh skyline. Our trip took us to Suzhou where we visited the Master of Fishing Nets Garden which dates back at least 2,500 years, the Suzhou Embroidery Research Institute, a silk factory and the Pan Men City Gate. The embroidery work was incredible. We watched Chinese women hand stitch in an ancient Chinese tradition which takes 6 years to master. The Pan Men City Gate was interesting. I got to ring the Pan Men bell three times – for prosperity, health and longevity. (Boy did I ring it loud.)

We left Suzhou for Tongli. Tongli was amazing. We went deep into the city to visit a very old part. Tongli is surrounded by a canal system. They use boats, similar to Gondolas to move through the city. We took a ride and then left to meet our bus in rickshaws. It was a long day but well worth a trip away from city life and smog. It was a sunny day and a little windy making it much easier to breath. Tomorrow we go back into the business world.

Stay tuned.