Beijing Part Two: We Get Jaded

After our trip to The Forbidden City, tour guide Tony and our driver took us to one of the world’s biggest tourist traps…Dragon Land Superior Jade Gallery.  Dragon Land has over 20,000 square meters of restaurants, knick-knacks, and jade jewelry. 

Chris was SO excited to learn all about jade.

This is jade in its raw form.

While at the gallery we learned how Jade sculptures are created, we learned how to spot counterfeit jade, and shopped for souvenirs.  

Workers use a diamond cutter to create family balls.  Workers spend 8 hours per day creating intricate masterpieces. 

The gallery sold thousands of little jade animals like the one above.

This jade dragon boat, complete with a Mao picture, can be yours for the bargain price of $1,000,000.

While at the Forbidden City, Tony told us according to Chinese folklore, every woman should have three jade bracelets: one from her parents, one from her husband, and one from her child.  Chris bought me this bracelet, so I have one out of three.  I have a gut hunch that Tony gets a kickback from all of the purchases made on his tour.  Well played, Tony. :)

After grabbing a quick lunch and picking up a bangle for myself, it was time for the main attraction…the Great Wall of China.

Beijing Part One: Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City

Chris and I have decided that while we are in Shanghai, we will give each other trips as birthday and Christmas gifts.  So in honor of Chris’ birthday, we spent last weekend in Beijing, China.  Our whirlwind weekend included tours of Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, a jade factory, the Great Wall of China, and the Emperor’s Summer Palace. 

Saturday Morning- Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City

I will never forget the first time I heard about a place called Tiananmen Square.  I had gone to a sleepover at my friend Megan Mulligan’s house to celebrate my 12^th birthday.  After a night of giggles, we watched a man standing in front of a tank in China on TV. I had no idea why he was trying to stop the tank, and feared he was going to be run over.  Now I know the man was fighting for something that I took for granted…the right to have a voice.

The Tiananmen Square that I saw was significantly different than the one I saw on TV many years ago.  Instead of protesters, there were tourists and jumbotrons boasting Chinese scientific advancements.  A huge floral structure planted in the center of the square was a stark contrast to the tanks I remembered.  However, the steel gray government buildings, which line the side of the square, reminded me that this is what I saw years ago. 

This was not the Tiananmen that I remember as a child.  BTW, the flowers are fake.

If there was one word I could use to describe Tiananmen Square, it would be massive.   When Chairman Mao had the square built, he wanted to showcase the size and strength of the Communist party.  Rumor has it that parades of a million people would march in the area. 

This looks like the Tiananmen I remember.

Chris, Tony (our tour guide), and I took a stroll through the cold, wet square towards the Gate of Heavenly Peace that protected the Forbidden City.  There are three entrances in the gate.  According to Tony, the central entrance was reserved for the emperor; if a commoner attempted to go through the central entrance he or she would be beheaded.  We decided to enter through the side gates to beat the crowds.

Chris and I stop for a photo in front of the Gate of Heavenly Peace.  Notice the large Mao portrait on the gate.

Our tour guide, Tony, was awesome!  He knew all the right places to take us, and was very informative.

The emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasty really knew how to design a palace. The city was breathtaking!  I was amazed at how much attention was paid to architectural detail. 

I don't think you can find this drainage system at Home Depot.

  The intricate painting was unbelievable! How did they keep everything so balanced and straight?

Many of the buildings had elaborate imperial roof decorations.  Many dragon boats have the same sculptures on their ends.

All of the ramps leading to gates were designed at a steep incline so one involuntarily bows when climbing them.

This statue of a female lion playing with her lion cub is outside many city and palace buildings.  

I was surprised to learn that guards still live in the Forbidden City. I was able to catch a picture of one of them on the sly.  A basketball court and shoe rack were the only indicators that anyone currently lives there.

I was lucky to get this shot of a guard.  Security was heightened in Beijing because the People's Congress was in session.  

I am surprised they left their shoes outside in the rain.

As part of our visit, we toured the Hall of Jewelry where we saw jade, diamonds and other royal jewels.

I would like the Empress's crown, please.

Back in the day, the Forbidden City must have been a happening place.  

According to Lonely Planet, during the Ming Dynasty there were around 9000 concubines and 70,000 eunuchs who lived in the city.  The Mings believed that surrounding the emperor with young women could rejuvenate his health.  

No, these are not concubines. A group of Chinese tourists wanted a picture with me.  

For the final stop on our Forbidden City trip, we saw the Well of Concubine Zhen, Emperor Guanxu’s favorite concubine.  The Empress Dowager Cixi was not happy that Zhen supported the Emperor’s views on modernization, so she had a Eunuch drown Zhen in the well.  You know what they say about a woman scorned. 

Concubine Zhen must have been teeny.

After our trip to the Forbidden City, it was time to check out a Jade Factory for lunch and a trip to the Great Wall.  To be continued…

Portrait of a Geisha Doxie

This morning Leia got a care package containing this FABO geisha costume from Joanna, one of my friends in Charleston.  While she knows geishas are traditionally Japanese, Leia was so excited to try on her new costume in China!  (At least mom was excited to have her try it on.)  With the help of a few doggie treats, I was able to snap a few shots before she wiggled it off. 

Really Mom???  Do I need to wear this?

Okay.  I will do anything for a treat!

Okay, I've had enough of this suffering for the sake of beauty.  I don't want to be a geisha anymore.

So much for a career in entertainment! J  Thank you so so much Joanna!!!

The Great Pumpkin, Shanghai Style

One of the perks of being a foreign English teacher is the thrill of celebrating western holidays with students.  Halloween is no exception. 

The party started two Mondays before Halloween.  One of the local teachers at my elementary school approached me and asked,

            “Annie, can you please teach the children about Halloween?  On Halloween, we are going to have the students trick or treat around the school.  Could you make sure you teach them how to say ‘trick or treat, give me something good to eat?’”

            “Sure thing! That sounds like fun!”  I replied. 

            “So, can you start teaching them about Halloween Thursday? “ The teacher asked.  This was going to be different.  In the US, I would wish my kids a Happy Halloween and would keep instruction going as usual to prevent the Halloween candy crash from happening in my classroom. We would not spend multiple class periods on the holiday.  I immediately started searching online for holiday activities. 

As per the school request my students spent two hours singing Halloween songs, telling spooky stories, creating masks, playing games, and learning about the traditions of my childhood. 

I was able to find a cheap witch hat at the YuYuan Garden Bazaar.  I was so touched when my 4th grade students gave me a matching cape.  How did they know I was going to dress up like myself for Halloween?  I rewarded them with a rendition of the "Golden Arm" ghost story.

The kids didn't really get the concept of Jack-O-Lanterns.  It is very common to eat fried pumpkin around here.

The kids quickly picked up the concept of trick-or-treating.  Fortunately, I only had to stop one student from singing,
"Trick or treat. Smell my feet.  Give me something good to eat.  If you don't, I don't care, I'll pull down your....".  How do these kids know that chant?  I thought it was an American deal.




I was able to keep some level of academic normalcy when the students created their own Halloween masks out of paper plates.  My first graders are learning parts of the face, while my second graders are learning about animals.

I loved the zombie mask, complete with rhinestone blood coming out of the eyes and mouth.

After teaching about Halloween for 4 days, it was time for Witch Anne to have some fun!  So Chris and I headed with some German friends to a Halloween bash at club M1NT in downtown Shanghai.  We had a great time watching Cirque Du Soir, dance, dangle, and devour fire on the bar. 

Dancing fire eaters rocked the bar.

Ditka Chris and Werewolf Joachim enjoyed cocktails and cigars.

I can do that...just give me my magic broom.

I promise I didn't put a spell on the Packers. :)

Overall, it was a fun Halloween!

Golden Week Part Two: Shanghai

After our whirlwind trip to Suzhou, Chris and I decided to be tourists in our own town.  Since Chris started his job less than one week after our arrival to Shanghai, we have not seen many monuments as a couple.  It was about time he joined me on some local field trips.

After resting on Thursday, Friday we decided to do what many tourists long to do in Shanghai…eat street food and shop at the fake markets. 

Many street food vendors sell meat on a stick all over the city.  Good stuff! 

I'll take two...

Chinese fake markets are not for the claustrophobic or agoraphobic.  After walking through the plastic door flapped entrance, hoards of customers weave through a maze of stalls and are greeted by aggressive salespeople offering Gucci, Prada, Rolex, DVDs, Deats by Dr. Dre and more.   (That is not a typo folks. J ) Aggressive salespeople will gently grab your arm or shove a laminated product sheet in your face in hopes of landing a sale. 

Chris bargains for some DVDs.

The only problem with these markets is what you see isn’t always what you get.  For example, I thought I purchased the movie Campaign starring Will Farrell.  Imagine the disappointment I felt as I popped the movie in my DVD player to find Game Change, a movie about the McCain campaign.  I could not believe my eyes.  The DVD itself had the Campaign movie art on it.  (I double-checked.)  At least I was able to watch my other movies.  At the bargain price of 7-10 RMB ($1-$2), I should not expect these movies to be flawless.

After scoring some DVDs and a pair of ‘Prada’ shades, it was time for a rest.  

You make the call...Prada or Frada?

After rehydrating at the rooftop bar at the Museum of Contemporary Arts, we decided it was time to take in some culture.  The Shanghai Art museum was within walking distance, so we took the 10 minute walk to a museum Frommer’s called  “superb” and “full of fantastic old photographs in their original fittings”. 

When we entered the museum, we were told admission was free.  I figured that the museum was running a Golden Week special.  We walked up the stairs to see a minute clothing exhibit.  That was the only art in the museum. 

What was the artist thinking when creating this installation?

This exhibit completely redefines minimalism.

I guess the museum folks decided to clean and renovate the galleries during the break. 

We figured it was time to cut our losses, go home, and have a comfy night in.

Saturday was a brand new day.  The sun was peeking through the clouds, so we decided to take an elevator ride to the top of the Pearl Tower.  Built in 1994, the Pearl Tower was the tallest structure in China until the World Financial Center was built.  I did not care that it wasn’t the tallest structure in Shanghai.  Since the moment I saw it lit at night during our information trip in April, I knew I had to take a ride up to the top.

I could not wait to head to the top of the tower.

Needless to say, the view from the 269^th floor of the tower was literally breathtaking.  I am normally not afraid of heights, but when I stepped onto the Plexiglas floor I had a minor panic attack.  “What would happen if this thing cracked?” kept playing through my mind.  

This was the view down.  

 To make matters worse, Chris told me,

“Don’t worry honey, Plexiglas is very sturdy.  That is unless the manufacturers messed up the chemistry of the materials.” 

If Plexiglas is so sturdy, why are you hanging on to a handrail and standing on a beam???

We were on the next elevator down to the lobby.

Saturday night we headed out for Turkish food...yummy!

After dinner, we decided to hang out at the House of Blues and Jazz.  Good times!

After a very relaxing week, I was very ready to get back to work!