Our daughter Chelsea has been studying (towards her masters in business) in Suzhou which is outside of Shanghai. Part of her course has been studying Chinese, three hours a day.
When she arrived in January she meet up with a few other students at the airport and heading towards Suzhou. It was cold, dark, barren and there was a national holiday that lasted over a month… Because of that no one was around, the streets were empty, shops were closed, and nobody was there to greet them. The campus was enormous, as she said, "It was if I was in a gigantic grey video game… nothing looked familiar." Since everything was closed they wandered out hoping to find something to eat. The only place open was a McDonald's. Chelsea's first meal was French fries.
Alot has changed since that first bleak day. Chelsea knows her way around, can speak basic Chinese, understands more, never eats Western food and every chance she has she goes out to experience China.
Chelsea found us a lovely hotel in Suzhou, we arrived after visiting Yangshuo and Longsheng, two places she told us we had to see. We were not disappointed.
Chelsea met us after class at the hotel. I took the elevator and French Husband ran downstairs to the lobby to met her, it was a race to see who would hug her first. When we hugged it was as if the only thing that had changed was we were in a new land, with a new language, and her hair was darker brown.
We went out to eat… ah the luxury of having a personal translator.
Hundreds of years ago when Marco Polo ventured to China he visited Suzhou. He exclaimed that… "Suzhou was like Venice, and had over 2000 bridges."
Actually it has over two hundred, and most are still intact. Some dating over a thousand years old.
China though has changed since Marco Polo's visit, and is changing rapidly still has a rich, vibrant soul that is tangiable and evident on every street corner no matter if you are in the center of Shanghai, or out in a rice paddy. The Chinese culture and tradition lends itself vividly the moment you arrive.
Of course if you take a tour you might miss the adventure; The absolutely glorious adventure! China has more than plenty of shopping centers, chic hotels, top edge architecture, moreso than I have ever have seen in the States or Europe. It would be very easy to forget you were in China if you stayed at the well known paths…
How many people come over to China is hopes to find a less expensive knock-off of Prada, Gucci, Rolex, Jimmy Chou whatever? To buy pearls, silk and jade at a fraction of the cost? It is tempting, it is beautiful and chic… but it would be a pity not to step out and explore the canals, the varied markets, the hutongs in Beijing, the narrow back streets, to go outside of the city to dive into the local atmosphere.
The faces
and daily life
of China,
on one street corner
in Suzhou.
Down those alley ways, your senses will explode, you will feel you have stepped back in time.
Walking the many alley ways in Suzhou I have encountered:
Small crowded rooms with older people playing Mahjong,
Women knitting fine cashmere in the finest invisible stitches,
Music, though not a single sound from a TV or someone talking loudly,
Artists in calligraphy, not a single morsel of graffiti,
Babies, the Chinese believe a baby should be held, I always knew you couldn't spoil a baby by holding them all day.
Cooks, I have stood and watched cooks to the point where the moon has turned blue.
People tending to their craft, handmade wonders!
Authentic life. Rich life.
I want to live here, and I never thought in a million years that I would say that.
Traveling slow, taking it in with more than the five senses I knew I had.
China is under my skin, singing in my heart, dancing on my tongue, the spirit of history and tradition literally have opened a door to another vast world.
I am awestruck, and haven't felt this way since the day I went into the monastery yeas ago, or feel in love with Yann, or gave birth to Chelsea and Sacha.
China has scored in my soul and I will never be the same.
Note:
We will be traveling with Chelsea these next ten days, the journey continues.
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