Wu Gorge to Washan

Trip Start Jul 28, 2006
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Trip End Ongoing


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Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Today was probably the highlight of the cruise for me. We are sailing through the Xiling and Wu gorges, the most scenic part. It is very misty so our photographs do not do justice to the mystic beauty of the area. Our shore excursion takes us on a glass sided boat up through the Daning River and its renowned small gorges, the Dragon Gate, Misty and Emerald, where we can see the beautiful scenery up close. Next we board a sampan to go through one of the lesser gorges. Beautiful flute music and singing by our guide and sampan driver in Chinese enhance our trip. Later we share some silly songs with our hosts to return the favor.
The rest of the day is devoted to a study of the Chinese arts. Since we are only 35 on a cruise ship with a capacity of 200 and most of the others are not interested I get private lessons in kite flying, embroidery and painting inside a bottle. The Chinese consider kite flying to be good physical exercise and to bring happiness and good fortune 3 gorges
3 gorges
 . Our hostess shows us many kites she has made from silk and bamboo and explains the meaning behind the shapes. We take one up on top deck and fly it but it is very windy and a storm is approaching.
Next I get a lesson in Chinese embroidery of which there are 3 types-Xiang, Shu and Yue. Most is done in the Shu style and includes one-sided and double sided, done with the aid of a mirror. It is interesting to me that embroidery as an art piece is only 400 years old when Shen Shou began embroidering not just clothes but pieces of silk to hang on the wall. The irregular form of embroidery, which is based on and looks like a Western oil painting is only 200 years old. Few Chinese women want to take up the art so the government set up an institute in the 1950's to promote the work. Finally, Eric teaches me about inside bottle painting, which has been done, in his family for many generations. He is in his early 20's and has been painting since he was 10 years old. There are 3 steps to the art form: cutting the bottle out of glass, drilling the inside out and finally painting the inside using fine brushes made from animal hair. A small intricate painting will take him 5-7 days for a small bottle and 12 days for a larger size. He confesses he doesn't really like selling on the ship and hopes to open his own business.
In the evening the crew performs many beautiful folk dances for us. The colorful costumes and intricate movements intrinsic to each area are very interesting.
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jvassr55
jvassr55 on Aug 21, 2006 at 07:40AM

hello from Chandler
Sheri & Matt: Judy W. gave me your website and I've enjoyed your entries. Would love to join you Scandanavia since Norway is part of my heritage and no one in family is interested in traveling there, but not sure about dates. Keep up your rich and interesting diary...jan vassar

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