Children of China…

I spotted this father and child being carried up the Tianmu Mountain just as we were finishing about two hard grueling hours of rock climbing, and believe me I was jealous!!!!  I couldn’t believe my eyes, fortunately the father was elated that I wanted to take their picture, because I was taking this picture either way!  Just Kidding, I always get permission.  

The Next Generation of Peace

Look closely at the little girl in the middle, she asked me where I was from, when I told her that I was from the USA, she made the peace sign just as I snapped the picture!  How cute was that?  I actually didn’t even realize that she did that until I loaded the pics on my laptop then I spotted her holdng up her two little fingers! 

More Children of China…

I cannot tell you how cute and adorable the children are in China.  They are so friendly and many of them are taking English in elementary school (as a second language), so when they see Americans they say, “Hello, nice to meet you”  and they will say it over and over, it is so cute!!!!!!  “Hello, nice to meet you.” The parents are amazing too, they will just hand you the child to take a picture, they love Americans in China, and they love us to take pictures of their kids.    This little boy on the right was so excited about me taking his picture that he stood up so I could get a better view (click on caption).

Our Last Local Road Trip…West Lake

I wish I had the words to describe a lot of what we see here.  For example, this is one of the entrances into West Lake, a resort area in Hangzhou Province.  The harmony between the landscape and the architecture will captivate you, you find yourself standing in front of these “giants” just staring at their grandure!  We walked around the lake for hours today checking out the artifacts in the many museums that are tucked away on the outskirts of the lake.  We read about ancient pottery, weapons made of Jade, and historic photos of past leaders (just to name a few).  Click on caption for group pic…

Chinese Painting With Mr. Xing Yanling

I’m no painter, but Derick, Andrew and Danette definitely are!  We had art lessons with the famous painter Mr. Xing Yanling today and he was talent times-ten!  Mr. Xing Yanling told us that his secret to success is memory, not visual painting.  He does not paint his subjects, he looks at his subject only once, then he paints what he remembers.  How cool is that?  His work is a collage of one lifelike painting after another, brilliant flowers, birds, bamboo and nature scenes that pull you in head first.  He creates a beautiful flower with three little strokes, a skinny brush, and some ink, and it looks like he spent all afternoon painting away!  He was vibrant yet relaxed as he made his way around the table spending time with each one of us and illustrating techniques that would help us improve our own paintings.  He didn’t speak English so we couldn’t understand him, but his eyes told a story about his life and his passion for art and nature.  He told us through a student interpreter that he paints every single day and that we should too.  He said his father was a calligrapher, and when he was a child he would watch him, and that’s how he developed his love for art and calligraphy.  As we painted and chatted around the table, Chinese instrumental music was playing in the background, and delicious hot green tea was continually brought to the table just for us!  What a way to spend an afternoon.  When we got done with our art session, Mr. Xing Yanling gave each one of us a book of his published art works, autographed with a special message and our names written in Chinese calligraphy.

 

And The Winner Is…

See details below “Miss Zhejiang University pageant”. This was the winner.    *Pictures of the pageant are courtesy of one fine photographer, Mr. Derick Haynes.  Thank you Derick!  Click on caption for more pics… 

Tai Chi with Mr. Li Jiyuan

This was not as easy as it looks!  We practiced for two hours, and there are no wheaties here!  Click on caption for more pics…

The Art of Tai Chi

This art form is quite relaxing and quite a workout.  Overall, Danette Gaines had the best form, and by the time we were done, it was obvious that Danette has been an athlete and a cheerleader for sometime!  Tai Chi is an internal Chinese martial art often practiced for health reasons.  The Global Discovery team practices Tai Chi with Mr. Li Jiyuan.  Some of tai chi ‘s training forms are well known to Westerners as the slow motion routines that groups of people practice together every morning in parks around the world, particularly in China.  Today, tai chi has spread worldwide. Most modern styles of tai chi trace their development to at least one of the five traditional schools: Chen, Yang, Wu/Hao, Wu and Sun.  

Miss Zhejiang University Pageant

Derick, Danette, and Angela attended an unforgettable event on Tuesday night.  The high fashion show was the final round for contestants competing for the Miss Zhejiang University crown.  The most beautiful and talented students at Zhejiang U. participated in the campus wide event.  The pageant opened with a procession of ladies and gentlemen wearing white formal attire in beautiful spring fashion.  An elaborate colorful exhibition, complete with music and melodramatic scenes followed.  A casual wear and talent show closed the formal event, and the winner was crowned.  It was a spectacular and unforgettable show to all who attended.  Click on caption for more pics…      

The River of Wuzhen

The houses line this lazy-river as the narrow boats carry visitors, and local residents of Wuzhen to varies parts of the canal.  You can see many ancient stone bridges over-head.  The grand old houses along the river were built during the Ming and the Qing Dynasties.  This scene was amazing!