Our Trip to the People's Republic of China

Day 09
Suzhou

Garden City (Optional Tour)

Rather than spend our free day shopping in Shanghai, Mother, Pat, and I opted to go to the City of Suzhou, which is world-famous for its elegant, formal gardens.

My mother, who is always embarrassingly early, had her turn at holding up the bus. After a nose count, the tour leader returned to the hotel on a search and rescue mission. Mother was standing in the lobby, wondering why everyone else was so late.

As we drove south past rice paddies, the weather was misty and cool. I kept rubbing viewing circles on the bus window with my stash of tissues. The expressway quickly became a two-lane road and we were at the mercy of the slow traffic ahead.

The Humble Administrator’s Garden

The Humble Administrator’s Garden is not humble. This is an ironic reference. The emperor had entrusted one of his ministers to check on regional bureaucrats. The minister collected bribes from throughout the empire and used the money to build a gigantic horticultural park. How many ways can I say pretty?

Low bridges zigzag over streams and ponds, framed by lacy willow trees. Pagodas feature sharply upturned tile roofs. Bright flowers contrast with the dull sky. Flower arrangements float on anchored boats in the middle of the ponds. Branches with cherry blossoms crane over the water. Everything is mirrored in the still water.

Tiger Hill

The rain poured as we approached Tiger Hill, another of Suzhou’s famous gardens. I could pull out my tiny umbrella, but others, my mother among them, hadn’t brought rain gear. Such situations must happen a lot, because the gift shop at the entrance suddenly showcased a stash of umbrellas. The tour group created a veritable feeding frenzy. I bought mother TWO umbrellas, each for "a dollah." The opening umbrellas looked like budding flowers.

Christine, our lady with the limp, was able to rent a litter and was carried in great style up and down the hill amid the cheers of our group. The rest of us trudged up steep stairs toward the leaning pagoda (think Pisa, Italy) at the top of the hill. My memories are of splashes of rain, splashes of color, and a reclining golden Buddha relief along a long brilliant blue wall.

The Grand Canal

The tour guides compared Suzhou’s canal to Venice, Italy. It does have potential as a tourist destination, but for now the water is filthy. One man on the boat was so loud and derogatory about the trash floating in the river that I finally shamed him into silence. I pointed out how the stucco pealed away from the brickwork underneath and told him that Disney has only tried to reproduce such ambiance in its Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

Pearl Factory

Ferry on the River / Shanghai Harbor

The Changjiang River and the Huangpu River both run through Shanghai. The Yangtze River enters the East China Sea nearby. Our cruise was on the Changjiang River, looking across to Chongming Island, the third largest island in China. We stood in the rain on the top deck of the ferry, laughing and talking with a young couple from San Jose, California. We laughed to keep from crying as we compared woes on the recent stock market decline. The bear market had occurred while we were in China. We received the play-by-play from CNN in the evenings in our hotel rooms. The couple planned to visit family in Hong Kong, but this was Pat’s and my last evening in China. The air was bracing and much more appealing than the humid cabin. The buildings along the Bund faded with distance and the growing fog until we were left with just a view of refineries and dry docks.