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Trip Start Nov 10, 2009 Previous
Entry Trip End Nov 24, 2009

  Shanghai, Shanghai, China
Monday, November 23, 2009

We started our day going to the Shanghai Musuem.  As we drove in the beautiful sunshine, we noticed that there was laundry hanging from every window---lots of laundry everywhere!  Our guide told us that when they have sunshine, they take advantage of this by doing their laundry and hanging it in the fresh air to dry.  It looks strange to see cothes hanging off the balcony of a 20-story high rise apartment building.  This is a 5-story museum with treasures on each floor.  Our first stop was to the bronze exhibition.  There we saw a bronze cooking pot that was 4,000 years old.  It was used for cooking meat.  It was huge and ornately decorated.  Bronze was used in ancient times for vessels, for weapons, and for musical instruments. Then we went to the ceramics floor.  We saw pottery as old as 8,000 years and witnessed the evolution of ceramics from  glazed pottery to celadon to pottery that looked like delftware. The ceramics were absolutely stunning. Guess that's why they call it "china."  We went also to look at the furniture

Did you notice? No coats!

.  They actually had a footstool with rollers!  And folding chairs....and the most ornately carved beds I've ever seen.

Then we went to a Jade Buddhist temple.  There was a huge jade Buddha about 7 feet tall, carved from one piece of jade.  We also went to a beautiful garden behind the temple.  It is known for its Japanese koi fish.  You can buy a packet of fish food and actually put your hand in the water to feed them.  They swarm you, butting your hand and smacking their lips (I am not making this up!).  They have one very large, old koi that is worth $20,000.  Because these koi are Japanese koi, they have a multitude of colors:  white, black, orange, gold, and beige. The Chinese believe that these fish bring good luck if you rub them.  If you rub the black and orange one, you will have good health.  Rubbing the white one makes all your dreams come true.  Rubbing the gold and whte one brings you wealth.  Needless to say we all were petting all the koi. Talk about hedging all your bets...

At the Buddhist temple, we also went to a tea ceremony. And we had a vegetarian lunch.  Buddhists are not meat eaters.  It was a very interesting lunch---everything we ate was made of tofu, but it was shaped to look like various meats.  We had "crab" and "chicken" and "pork" and "shrimp."  Who do they think they're fooling???? Yep, we at lots of cheese crackers after that meal

8000 year old ceramic vessel

!

 As we were leaving the temple, we got to see a service conducted by the Buddhist monks.  They were honoring a deceased member of someone's family.  All the family members burned incense and the monks playd simple musical instruments and chanted. 

Tomorrow it is off to the airport for our l-o-n-g trip.  We are hoping our flight from Chicago is on time.  O'Hare is not noted for it's on-time departures.  Happy  Thanksgiving to all.  We will see everyone on Monday.  Can't wait!

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Folding Chair, signature piece in the gallery	Bronze pot, signature piece in the gallery	Koi fish pond	One of the fish is 40 years old
She's looking for a lucky one.	Buddhist monks chanting	It's laundry day!

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