Day 14
We are now in Hangzhou (hung joe) which is only a very small place with a population of a mere 5 million. We left Suzhou by coach and travelled to Hangzhou stopping at the water village of Xitang along the way.
We loved Xitang. It was a similar in a way to the previous water town but much bigger. Although it was still the holiday weekend there weren’t quite as many people about which made it better. We had a local guide who took us on a walking tour through the narrow twisting lanes that line each side of the canals. The streets on either side of the canal are tea houses. Very small and low tables and chairs sit precariously close to the edge of the canal (no fences or barriers here) where people sit and drink green tea. This is a tea plantation province so the area abounds with tea houses and shops selling teas and tea making/drinking equipment.
There were many streets of tourist shops selling trinkets but there were also a large number of very simple guesthouses with traditional chinese beds. They look like what we call day beds with a very thin mattress, about an inch thick on a solid wooden base, not my idea of a good nights sleep, that’s for sure. Many of the houses are hundreds of years old and are now museums. We went into the workshop of a man making buttons from mother of peal shells. He showed how he cuts the button from the shell, polishes it and puts two holes in the buttom. He gave me a large mother of pearl button to keep. I should imagine it is very rare to have a hand made button these days.
We also went into a house where the owner who has since died did these amazing carvings in tree roots. We also saw some silk scrolls with beautiful calligraphy work.
Our guide took us to a local restaurant for lunch and after lunch we were able to wander around the village on our own and we walked up and down the narrow cobbled streets, over bridges and we eventually came to streets without another tourist in them. It was so peaceful wandering along these streets. People were sitting outside their tiny houses. Ladies were doing some knitting. Men were playing mah-jong or cards. All of them smiled and waved at us as we passed. Big smiles when we said hello in chinese.
Along the canals we saw some performances from the local ladies, some dances with sticks, a couple of chinese operas and some men dancing with a chinese dragon.
We left Xitang and drove on to Hangzhou. Our hotel is situated right on the lake. The lake is called Westlake and is surrounded by a beautiful park.
Last night we went to a performance on Westlake called Impressions of Westlake. It was choregraphed by the man who did the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics. It was an absolutely stunning show. We sat outdoors and the performance was on the lake. The story is about a man who falls in love with a girl who is really a snake and it makes the gods of the sea angry. It is a well known tragedy apparently. Last nights performance had a happy ending and the man and girl/snake ended up living happily everafter.
The performers all looked like they were walking on the lake. Obviously, the stage was just a little bit underwater. The effect was brilliant and there were boats, people walking on water and a fantastic coloured light show. Absolutely amazing.This morning we took a trip to the 13 storey high pagoda which sits high up on a hill and overlooks the lake. Inside you have to climb up seven flights of stairs. I started to climb but came back down as the steps were very steep and there was no hand rail. Colin went all the way to the top.
We are now in Hangzhou (hung joe) which is only a very small place with a population of a mere 5 million. We left Suzhou by coach and travelled to Hangzhou stopping at the water village of Xitang along the way.
We loved Xitang. It was a similar in a way to the previous water town but much bigger. Although it was still the holiday weekend there weren’t quite as many people about which made it better. We had a local guide who took us on a walking tour through the narrow twisting lanes that line each side of the canals. The streets on either side of the canal are tea houses. Very small and low tables and chairs sit precariously close to the edge of the canal (no fences or barriers here) where people sit and drink green tea. This is a tea plantation province so the area abounds with tea houses and shops selling teas and tea making/drinking equipment.
There were many streets of tourist shops selling trinkets but there were also a large number of very simple guesthouses with traditional chinese beds. They look like what we call day beds with a very thin mattress, about an inch thick on a solid wooden base, not my idea of a good nights sleep, that’s for sure. Many of the houses are hundreds of years old and are now museums. We went into the workshop of a man making buttons from mother of peal shells. He showed how he cuts the button from the shell, polishes it and puts two holes in the buttom. He gave me a large mother of pearl button to keep. I should imagine it is very rare to have a hand made button these days.
We also went into a house where the owner who has since died did these amazing carvings in tree roots. We also saw some silk scrolls with beautiful calligraphy work.
Our guide took us to a local restaurant for lunch and after lunch we were able to wander around the village on our own and we walked up and down the narrow cobbled streets, over bridges and we eventually came to streets without another tourist in them. It was so peaceful wandering along these streets. People were sitting outside their tiny houses. Ladies were doing some knitting. Men were playing mah-jong or cards. All of them smiled and waved at us as we passed. Big smiles when we said hello in chinese.
Along the canals we saw some performances from the local ladies, some dances with sticks, a couple of chinese operas and some men dancing with a chinese dragon.
We left Xitang and drove on to Hangzhou. Our hotel is situated right on the lake. The lake is called Westlake and is surrounded by a beautiful park.
Last night we went to a performance on Westlake called Impressions of Westlake. It was choregraphed by the man who did the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics. It was an absolutely stunning show. We sat outdoors and the performance was on the lake. The story is about a man who falls in love with a girl who is really a snake and it makes the gods of the sea angry. It is a well known tragedy apparently. Last nights performance had a happy ending and the man and girl/snake ended up living happily everafter.
The performers all looked like they were walking on the lake. Obviously, the stage was just a little bit underwater. The effect was brilliant and there were boats, people walking on water and a fantastic coloured light show. Absolutely amazing.This morning we took a trip to the 13 storey high pagoda which sits high up on a hill and overlooks the lake. Inside you have to climb up seven flights of stairs. I started to climb but came back down as the steps were very steep and there was no hand rail. Colin went all the way to the top.
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