CHINA 2010 SUNDAY 26th SEPTEMBER
As forecast we awoke to rain but by the time we had finished breakfast it had stopped so off we set although it was very much cooler and we had no jackets with us. We did take our umbrellas with us today though and we sure needed them.
We began today’s voyage of discovery by walking straight up Yangyu Xiang to reach Taohuawu Da Jie where we should find a ‘Silk Museum’ across the road from ‘The North Pagoda.’ As we passed some of the fashion shops I called in one to hopefully buy a cardigan in the style of a shawl but it didn’t fit property and the assistant had great trouble getting the buttons and buttonholes to match up so gave up. I tried a sweatshirt but it was far too big so I would stay cold. We found the Pagoda as the car park was full of coaches and here we met a couple of girls from Germany who looked like twins but had only meet three weeks ago in Hong Kong. They too were looking for the Museum but thought they would visit the Pagoda as well.
We continued to walk up the road where on the opposite side I saw several silk shops and a modern building which turned out to be the Museum. As we got to the ticket desk the girls caught us up. We left our soaked brollies in the lockable brolly stand and set off following the signs. We saw live silk worms, that look like silver caterpillars, munch their way through layers of mulberry leaves in a large display room where in a corner were rows of fine bamboo frames on which the cocoons had been placed The rest of the scene was artificial. The next room was full of ancient weaving looms all ready threaded with coloured silk and if it hadn’t been a Sunday we would have had a demonstration. In the same room was a large block of concrete partly cut into a ‘V’ shape and placed between bamboo supports. Having seen a film first we knew that once the cloth had been woven it was then made into a large roll. The stone was then placed on the roll and a man would rock the stone from side to side supporting himself on the bamboo frame. He must have the best inner thighs in town! It was very quiet and Keith and I were the last to leave.
Our next stop was the ‘Silk Factory’ where we were guided down a wide passageway and greeted by a man who gave us a VIP card to use with our purchase if we made one. Again we saw the process of producing the cocoon but the next stage was something new to us. The cocoon was boiled, the insect removed, and the ball stretched over a bow shape piece of bamboo. A large frame would take 10 balls whilst a smaller frame only took 7. These were then left to dry naturally. In the adjoining room we watched one team of 4 ladies stretch fine silk pieces over a mattress. These were then carefully lifted to the other team who placed them in a cotton quilt cover before tying the end of the bag. They were currently producing double quilts today and whilst the cover was tied pressed studs were used to join the two quilts together. A silk king sized quilt cost 680 yuan. Through to the next room and we could also purchase bed linen and though there were some lovely designs I preferred the ‘bamboo design’ which dates back to 1720 and is still popular today. We missed most of the fashion show and so our final stop was in the factory clothing shop and whilst I admired the little black dresses Keith quite fancied a cream shirt – we bought nothing!
It was still raining as we walked on towards the old part passing another large modern complex that was ‘Suzhou Museum’ but we were getting hungry so continued to the small eating places by the canal that we had seen on Friday. I noticed a Tourist Information Centre and called in to ask for details on how to get to Mudu. The two young assistants were so helpful eve,n though they kept falling out over the information and bus numbers, but with a better map and their instructions, some of which they had written in Chinese, we thanked them. Just before we left I asked how long was the journey and how much would the fare be. “About an hour, and 1 or 2 yuan”. I said “It will be 2 yuan – it is always more expensive for the foreign tourist!”
It was getting late and the restaurants had finished with lunch. We didn’t want a Greek Salad or Tuna Sandwich and ‘The Bar’ only had pork dumplings which we knew would upset our stomachs so we didn’t want those either. Finally a Chinese man dressed in navy old style dress, the front part of his hair shaved away and having a pigtail invited us to enter a small building where we were greeted by a young and old lady. Looking at the menu which was also in English they asked if we would prefer to go upstairs so we all climbed up very narrow wooden stairs to the upper floor where 3 tables had been set by open windows. When it came to ordering food a lot of it was finished and the old lady said she only had one bowl of wonton vegetable dumpling soup but that would do for us plus a plate of spring rolls. The food would take a while we were informed and the young girl produced a bowl of sunflower seeds and a bowl of a round roasted bean that was very light and crunchy. The dumplings were delicious as were the spring rolls. We didn’t rush as there seemed to be no let up in the rain and a rather wet white cat began to meow loudly by a closed window. On shelves I looked at various caricatures of Chinese people made out of clay, the sculptor having a great sense of humour. As we paid our bill we discovered the man who had invited us in was the sculptor and the tapping that we thought was a workman close by was actually him working on a piece of stone, shaping it into a modern design of a woman in a similar style as all the other pieces of stone inside.
As we walked alongside the canal we passed the workmen’s tent where rain had stopped work and so three of them were fast asleep with no sign of teddy! We were glad to get home to the warmth of our room and now as we looked out of the window saw the rain had stopped!
We had to eat early as it was the Singaporean Grand Prix at 8pm. We had hoped to have mutton but there wasn’t any. As the race got underway Keith messed about with the remote and lost the channel. In the end the picture froze and he had to call for help. The lady who delivers our plate of fruit every evening came in, pressed the ‘input’ button and hey presto the Grand Prix was back. She left our room laughing hysterically!
We began today’s voyage of discovery by walking straight up Yangyu Xiang to reach Taohuawu Da Jie where we should find a ‘Silk Museum’ across the road from ‘The North Pagoda.’ As we passed some of the fashion shops I called in one to hopefully buy a cardigan in the style of a shawl but it didn’t fit property and the assistant had great trouble getting the buttons and buttonholes to match up so gave up. I tried a sweatshirt but it was far too big so I would stay cold. We found the Pagoda as the car park was full of coaches and here we met a couple of girls from Germany who looked like twins but had only meet three weeks ago in Hong Kong. They too were looking for the Museum but thought they would visit the Pagoda as well.
We continued to walk up the road where on the opposite side I saw several silk shops and a modern building which turned out to be the Museum. As we got to the ticket desk the girls caught us up. We left our soaked brollies in the lockable brolly stand and set off following the signs. We saw live silk worms, that look like silver caterpillars, munch their way through layers of mulberry leaves in a large display room where in a corner were rows of fine bamboo frames on which the cocoons had been placed The rest of the scene was artificial. The next room was full of ancient weaving looms all ready threaded with coloured silk and if it hadn’t been a Sunday we would have had a demonstration. In the same room was a large block of concrete partly cut into a ‘V’ shape and placed between bamboo supports. Having seen a film first we knew that once the cloth had been woven it was then made into a large roll. The stone was then placed on the roll and a man would rock the stone from side to side supporting himself on the bamboo frame. He must have the best inner thighs in town! It was very quiet and Keith and I were the last to leave.
Our next stop was the ‘Silk Factory’ where we were guided down a wide passageway and greeted by a man who gave us a VIP card to use with our purchase if we made one. Again we saw the process of producing the cocoon but the next stage was something new to us. The cocoon was boiled, the insect removed, and the ball stretched over a bow shape piece of bamboo. A large frame would take 10 balls whilst a smaller frame only took 7. These were then left to dry naturally. In the adjoining room we watched one team of 4 ladies stretch fine silk pieces over a mattress. These were then carefully lifted to the other team who placed them in a cotton quilt cover before tying the end of the bag. They were currently producing double quilts today and whilst the cover was tied pressed studs were used to join the two quilts together. A silk king sized quilt cost 680 yuan. Through to the next room and we could also purchase bed linen and though there were some lovely designs I preferred the ‘bamboo design’ which dates back to 1720 and is still popular today. We missed most of the fashion show and so our final stop was in the factory clothing shop and whilst I admired the little black dresses Keith quite fancied a cream shirt – we bought nothing!
It was still raining as we walked on towards the old part passing another large modern complex that was ‘Suzhou Museum’ but we were getting hungry so continued to the small eating places by the canal that we had seen on Friday. I noticed a Tourist Information Centre and called in to ask for details on how to get to Mudu. The two young assistants were so helpful eve,n though they kept falling out over the information and bus numbers, but with a better map and their instructions, some of which they had written in Chinese, we thanked them. Just before we left I asked how long was the journey and how much would the fare be. “About an hour, and 1 or 2 yuan”. I said “It will be 2 yuan – it is always more expensive for the foreign tourist!”
It was getting late and the restaurants had finished with lunch. We didn’t want a Greek Salad or Tuna Sandwich and ‘The Bar’ only had pork dumplings which we knew would upset our stomachs so we didn’t want those either. Finally a Chinese man dressed in navy old style dress, the front part of his hair shaved away and having a pigtail invited us to enter a small building where we were greeted by a young and old lady. Looking at the menu which was also in English they asked if we would prefer to go upstairs so we all climbed up very narrow wooden stairs to the upper floor where 3 tables had been set by open windows. When it came to ordering food a lot of it was finished and the old lady said she only had one bowl of wonton vegetable dumpling soup but that would do for us plus a plate of spring rolls. The food would take a while we were informed and the young girl produced a bowl of sunflower seeds and a bowl of a round roasted bean that was very light and crunchy. The dumplings were delicious as were the spring rolls. We didn’t rush as there seemed to be no let up in the rain and a rather wet white cat began to meow loudly by a closed window. On shelves I looked at various caricatures of Chinese people made out of clay, the sculptor having a great sense of humour. As we paid our bill we discovered the man who had invited us in was the sculptor and the tapping that we thought was a workman close by was actually him working on a piece of stone, shaping it into a modern design of a woman in a similar style as all the other pieces of stone inside.
As we walked alongside the canal we passed the workmen’s tent where rain had stopped work and so three of them were fast asleep with no sign of teddy! We were glad to get home to the warmth of our room and now as we looked out of the window saw the rain had stopped!
We had to eat early as it was the Singaporean Grand Prix at 8pm. We had hoped to have mutton but there wasn’t any. As the race got underway Keith messed about with the remote and lost the channel. In the end the picture froze and he had to call for help. The lady who delivers our plate of fruit every evening came in, pressed the ‘input’ button and hey presto the Grand Prix was back. She left our room laughing hysterically!
posted by Pam at
13:32
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