China tour – 3
On the morning of 8th September we left
Beijing for Hangzhou by a morning flight.
As we left the hotel before breakfast they gave us each a packet
containing bread and fruit. This served
us well for here also in the domestic flight our request for special meal,
vegetarian, has not been passed on. After landing in Hangzhou we proceeded to Hangzhou's most popular sight, West Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hangzhou itself had been
described by the great Italian traveller Marco Polo as “the most beautiful and magnificent
city in the world”. Hangzou, one of the seven ancient capitals of China, has
been designated by the government as “Historic and Cultural City”. West Lake, considered as one of the most
beautiful sights in China, is the symbol of Hangzhou. This is a man-made fresh water lake. We went on a boat ride in West Lake enjoying
the panoramic scenery. It is surrounded
by mountains on three sides and has also pagodas, gardens, ornamental trees on
its shores. After the boat ride we
wandered around West Lake cultural square which is used for exhibitions,
entertainment, leisure and has also a business centre where we were happy to
find a Starbucks coffee shop. The next
morning after breakfast we left the hotel for our next halt, Suzhov, by
coach. 
Suzhou
has often been praised as “Paradise on Earth” by Chinese poets and writers and is also known as the “Garden City” due to its
many classical gardens. Here we visited the Lingering Garden, one of the four greatest Chinese gardens and a
UNESCO world heritage site. Originally it was a private garden and has a history
of 400 years. It was opened to the
public in 1930. It is divided into four
parts, of which the central part which is the original part is the essence of
the whole complex. After going through
winding corridors from the gate, we reached the central part. The central part
is divided into two sections: the western and the eastern. The former features pools
and hills while classical buildings dominate the latter. The Celestial Hall of
Five Peaks in the eastern section is the largest hall in the garden. The
western section is enchanting for its natural scenery. It is a large rock
garden built from stacked stones and soil. In Suzhov also, we stayed for one
night only. The next morning after
breakfast we left for Wuxi, our next halt, by coach. On the way we visited a Silk Spinning Mill where
we had chance to learn about silk worms and silk production.
Wuxi
a city along the Grand Canal is a city 3000 years old and is called “the land
of fish and rice”. The Grand Canal is
the world’s longest and oldest canal and is nearly 1120 miles long running from
Beijing to Hangzhou. The city, Wuxi, straddles the canal and also borders Taihu
lake, the third largest fresh water lake in China. We went on a boat tour in the Grand Canal
from Qing Ming bridge, a famous one arched bridge. On the banks of the canal there are no modern
buildings and we could see only narrow streets and ancient buildings. Well-kept old houses, some hundreds of years old, span
the southern bank while markets stretch along the northern bank. The canal tour is a study of the daily life of
people, past and present. The next morning we left for Shanghai by coach after
breakfast. On the way we visited a Fresh Water Pearl Exhibition which is said
to be largest of its kind, to understand about fresh water pearls. As in the case of Silk Spinning Mill here
also after demonstration we were taken to a showroom for interested persons making
purchases.
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