Month: July 2015

There is the old saying that the mountains are high and emperors are far away.  And I feel this tonight from my perch in Hong Kong.

What can anyone say about the startling beauty of the Shanghai evening?  With the HuangPu River threading between PuDong on the east and Puxi on the west, the city skyline vibrates with magentas, aqua blues, citrine yellows and brilliant white lights. Every Shanghanese we meet is proud of their city with a genuine love of it’s beauty and international feel.  We all fall in love too.

The week has flown by with visits to the Shanghai Art Museum and the contemporary China Art Museum.  Lectures in minority groups of China, gender issues, business and economics and a visit to the University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.  Again and again we are reminded of the Confucian ideal in search of Harmony. This theme appears in some form in many of our lectures.

At dinners we are treated to marvelous plates of sweet and sour pork, steamed baby bok Choy, various forms of chicken, spicy noodles, whole fish and many new dishes everyday!

I have finally experienced Karaoke!  Mr Zhai took us out last night and we did sing and dance and listened to Mr Zhai sing with his heart for us. It was wonderful. Mr. Zhai, on the mike. We leave Shanghai today saying goodbye to our dear guides Mr. Zhai and Fan. And to four of our group not going on to Hong Kong. 

 

 

Lots of traditional Chinese painting. No sculpture here to speak of.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fulbright gave us a day of free activities and I’ve been drawing and painting all day. Heavenly. What a miraculous gift this is. I am learning and seeing and experiencing so many new things. My colleagues are brilliant and share their thoughtful responses to our lectures and activities. Another perfect day.

Arhat temple in Chongqing

 

There is so much here and the people are just as curious about me as I am about them!  Just enjoyed a family home visit yesterday which was joyous!   I made dumplings!  I love Fulbright for arranging all this so beautifully for us. I am very, very fortunate.

 

On the bus on our way back from Tongliang to Chongqing in Sichuan province.
Earlier today three of us visited the No. 1 Experimental Primary School in Tongliang. Our two escort teachers are fluent English speakers and teach English at the Model school. It is famous for its concentration in the arts!!  10 art teachers, 8 music, 60 who teach poetry (every classroom teacher) and 4 technology teachers. The school has 4,000 students and 200 teachers. It draws on the surrounding upper and middle class community.

The buildings for classes

 

 

 

 

 The art, music, science, technology building

 

 

 

Our guides, Grace and Lilian in the Calligraphy studio

 

 

 

 

Grace, Principal He Daiguo, Fulbright delegates Roberta, me, and Kyle, Chairman Hou Youhua, and Lilian. They had a very successful partnership  last year with a school in Wales around food and culture. I’m excited to think about ways we might be able share with each other.

Over 100 degrees in ancient city of Anju, Sichuan province. Restoring the old city and reenactments of mayoral greetings and a wedding ceremony in full costume. The current city dates back 1368-1600’s but the location is much older.

 

Just for the Fulbright delegation in Tongliang   These two women are from Experimental Primary School One in Tongliang where I’m hoping to develop a collaboration.

In rural Sichuan province we eat a  farm to table lunch. Boiled lotus seed, fried and boiled and pickled lotus root. Lotus petals battered and fried. Lotus leaf omelette. All delicious!  The cicadas are roaring and the guests are happy this hot afternoon. I sit on a bench over the water. Honey bees are at what looks like purple flowering pickerelweed. Fuschia bougainville overhang ponds of enormous lotus leaves.  Pink petals and buds rise waving in this magical place.