Suzhou

Yesterday I went to a famous landmark called Suzhou. It's famous for its silk and water gardens.

I must say Suzhou is one of the most scenic places I've seen in China. The gardens are located in the house of a nobleman, with separate quarters for each member of the family.

I also visited a Buddhist Temple in Suzhou. Here is the outside of one of the buildings in the complex. It is disrespectful to take pictures inside the temple, but I can describe it: A giant, almost ridiculous-looking golden statue sits in the middle of the hall, with lavish decorations around it. On both sides of the hall is a line of golden monk statues, each with a different face.

Not being Buddhist, I thought I would remain unaffected by this centerpiece of faith, the faith of possibly 500 million people. But the place definitely had a certain ominous feel, like the statues were frowning on you. I realized how far removed I was from the Chinese culture, as I saw a woman bow with the utmost reverence to the statue.

However, I did light incense outside of the temple. You light this big wooden stick, say a prayer facing Buddha, and bow in all four directions. This is my "I don't know what I'm doing" stance.

I prayed to find God. Ha. Ironic.

Arrived: Shanghai

I'm here. Shanghai.

I'm staying on the 19th floor of the Jianguo Hotel, a 4-star hotel located in one of the three major shopping districts of Shanghai (score!) The hotel has been usurped by the 400+ attendees of my Dad's biostatistics conference. Website here .

Here is the view from my room (yes, you can be jealous now):

Last night, I had a traditional Shanghai dinner with my Dad, his friend (a professor from Fudan University, the Harvard of China) and some Fudan grad students. It was a feast: around 20 spicy vegetable and meat dishes. A blog on food, which is paramont in Shanghai, will come later.

Shanghai is the granddaddy of all cities. There are over 4,000 buildings over 30 stories. We're not even staying in the most modern district of Shanghai, which I understand is even cooler than this one.

More later.

Til then,

JC

OKC to Memphis to Philadelphia

It's past midnight.

I've just arrived at the Philadelphia Int'l Airport from OKC, via Memphis. I'm sitting comfortably in my Dad's two-story white stucco home in suburbia PA. I hear crickets from outside my window and jazz from my radio, a kind break from the obnoxious rap and shouted ebonics of after-hours Boulder Ridge (my apartment back home.)

At the Memphis Airport, I stopped for dinner at Corky's Bar-B-Que. Dinner was delicious (Memphis bar-b-que, after all), and the entertainment was, to my fortune, equally Memphis-esque.

He sang old-time blues, accompanied by his ipod and his soul. At times he shouted, at times he almost cried. It was beautiful. Each song was written for him and by him, it seemed. Even though travelers were scurrying across the way, and hungry diners were waiting impatiently in line, the Blues Man never lost a beat. A fortysomething woman in the corner would shut her eyes and gently rock her body to each line he uttered. A young boy clapped his hands to the lively notes as if his hands were an instrument.

Tomorrow, I rest. Then Wednesday morning, and by morning I mean 3:00 am, my Dad's company car will come take us to the airport. Our flight to Atlanta won't be bad, but from Atlanta to Shanghai = 15 grueling hours of air travel. Thank God for naps, books and love letters to keep me sane.

You'll hear from me soon, friends.

Always,

JC