27 August 1998 - Shanghai, China

So this is our last day of touring in China. There's a sadness of it all coming to a close, as well as some joy in knowing that we'll be free of the hectic pace soon. This is a day we're all looking forward to, because we'll have some contact with Chinese people, and won't just be playing tourist.

We're spending the morning is one of Shanghai's oldest residential communities. This is not like an ordinary subdivision in this country. It is much larger, more like the 'towns' within the Boston area, or the 'boroughs' in New York. This residential community encompasses several shopping districts, has its own schools, hospitals, etc. It was built in the early 1950's, soon after the revolution and the formation of 'new China'.

Our first stop was at a local kindergarten. In China, the nomenclature is slightly different - a child may attend kindergarten from ages 2 to 5, and then goes to pre-school for a year before attending elementary school. School is not yet in session, but they were able to gather together a group of students to meet with us. Also, a group of senior women came to join with us there, even though they do not normally meet at the school. The kids were eager to meet us - no sooner did we get off the bus, but the kids came running up to take our hand and lead us into the school hall. They would show us to a seat, and then run back to lead another. When we were finally all seated, they marched in two-by-two and put on several short performances for us, including a Chinese version of 'Old MacDonald'. Then it was the senior's turn, and they sang and danced for us a song about their love of gardening and flowers.

Next, a little girl gave us a song and dance of her own. And then the seniors were back to show us what Chinese aerobic dance is all about. At this point, they began to draw us out of our seats and into the dance. Much merriment was generated in that room, soon we were all mixed up and swaying and hopping together in that most universal of dances - the bunny hop! This was led by the woman who had been introduced to us as the oldest of the seniors, and she was quite the pied piper, with Michael and the rest of the crowd following her every move. The room was alive, alert, and enthusiastic as she and Michael do-se-do'ed thru the crowd. Let's not forget the little people, it didn't take long for the kids to venture into all the fun. As if music and dancing weren't enough, some people began introducing toys to the mix. Patte just happened to be carrying a bottle of bubble solution. The dancing stopped as we watched the kids squeal with delight trying to catch the bubbles, until some larger bubbles in the form of balloons appeared. Anthony found lots of eager reed flute players, and was able to give away the entire handful of reed flutes he had purchased the day before. It looks like someone was passing out stickers, as well. The guides had to beg us to wind it down, so we could say farewell by singing an 'I love you' song to our hosts, and reluctantly returning to the bus.

As we drove to our next stop, a medical clinic, I managed to snap a shot of a crowded sidewalk in a business district. Capitalism is alive and well in China, on a small scale. Every city and town has rows of small stall-like shops, about half the size of our one-car garage, with the people and wares spilling out onto the sidewalk. These appear to be small family-run shops, and they typically have living quarters above them. It appears to be as much a social gathering place as a business one.

Our next stop was to a local medical clinic. While our guide explained, the doctor asked for a volunteer, and proceeded to demonstrate some techniques of acupressure on a very willing Joanie. It was so fascinating, that while some watched in rapt attention, others reached out and practiced the technique on each other. It got rather hot in that small room with all those people, so I stepped out and wandered down the hall, which appeared perfectly normal as medical clinics go. A glance at the instrument table in the next treatment room showed evidence of a practice unfamiliar in this country - cupping.

Our next visit was to a typical home in the neighborhood. The apartment buildings were primarily five stories high, since the government decreed that all buildings of six stories or more would have elevators. Each apartment had two bedrooms, a sitting/dining room, a kitchen and a bath. We were directed to sit in what was one of the bedrooms, where we met with the residents, and got to share some of our lives and stories. This woman was recently retired, from the textile industry, and spent her time helping care for her newborn grandson. She was quite proud of the slippers she had just completed for him. She also had a nephew visiting her for the summer. He wasn't so interested in meeting us as watching TV in the next room. Teenagers aren't so different, are they? While we were there, her son stopped by for lunch. He is employed as a police officer, and spoke some English, so he was quite interested in conversing with us.

Our last stop in the community was at the community center, where one of the council members thanked us for our visit, and told us some of the history and future plans for the community. We were served tea, and we were also given an opportunity to purchase art works that had been made or donated to raise funds for their schools and senior centers.

Lunch today was different. We went to the Mongolian Barbecue, where we had an opportunity to fill our bowls from a raw-food buffet, select our own seasonings and sauces, and then present it to the cook, who stir-fried our concoction on a large hot round griddle, with a great deal of flourish! And another welcome treat - the vegetables had been washed in purified water, so we could actually enjoy a cool, crisp salad. I went back for seconds. Across the street from the restaurant, was a large store selling jade carvings. I could not afford to do anything but look, so I wandered down the alley to see how it all was done. First thing I spotted, was a pile of rock right off the truck. It was hard for me to imagine the finished product in that heap. Right behind the rock pile, was the largest saw I'd ever seen. That blade must be 3 meters in diameter! Inside, I saw pieces in all stages of completion, from the beginnings of a drawing on the side of a piece of stone, to the initial shaping, to the detail carving, and the final polishing. While much of the work is done with hand grinders, I also saw a half-dozen heavy duty lathes for turning round vases and cylindrical blanks. About half the workers were doing their carving under a running stream of water. There was rock dust everywhere, and I imagine that it can't have a good effect on one's lungs after a few years of full-time work there. In the hallway was a pile of beautiful finished products waiting to be carried up to the store.

Here, as well as all over China, I noticed a common sight. Chinese workers seem to always have at their side a jar of tea. Sometimes, there will be a thermos flask, but more commonly it is a plain capped jar. My fantasy is that since all water must be boiled before drinking, the practice of dropping a few tea leaves in it was originally to eliminate the flat taste of boiled water.

After lunch, we were supposed to go walk along the Bund, a large public park along the river, but by the time we got there, it was raining fairly hard, so we elected instead to have a bus tour of the old colonial districts of Shanghai, and listen to our guide's description of life in Shanghai during the glory days of the colonial period. He was describing the glories of the life in the foreign districts, and didn't say much about the life of a Chinese during the colonial period, which I imagine was quite different.

For our last evening in China, the hotel treated us to an American-style banquet. We dressed up for the occasion, and were served an excellent steak dinner, presented with style and individually served by uniformed waiters. After dinner, we went to an upstairs banquet room, where the hotel staff presented some entertainment for us. First, the hotel general manager greeted us and introduced the staff. The entertainment was first-class, especially since there were not professional entertainers, but hotel employees who put these numbers together for fun. First, a group of women performed a dance with fans and handkerchiefs, then another group came on and did a fairly complex number with parasols . This was followed by a very talented young woman with a simple stringed instrument. I was amazed at how much beautiful music she could draw out of just two strings! Next a beautiful young woman came on. She seemed very nervous, but when she opened her mouth, she made the most beautiful music, and we sat entranced through two numbers. As if that weren't enough, the dancers returned to do another fan dance for us. Finally, Stan was invited to speak, and he introduced the courageous among us who had agreed to entertain our hosts. Obviously, some of us were enjoying this evening. Our first courageous one was Ted, who had just retired from a medical career, and is preparing to begin another as an opera singer. He regaled us with an aria from Don Giovanni. Next, budding juggler Graham made use of the silk balls we had been given a few days ago, and kept us all entertained with balls and tassels flying.

The evening ended with the music playing, and we all stepped out on the dance floor for a few turns, and the realization that tomorrow we would all go our separate ways began to sink in.