Chinese Culture, and American Appetites

(Timmy)

Today was a long day for the group, but it was also one of the more memorable days. We started by visiting Pangliu village on the outskirts of Xi’an. The drive to Pangliu village was short, but exciting because we finally met Richard Wang, a friend of Mrs. Viz and the tour guide who we owe a great deal of gratitude to for this exchange.

Last Day in Lijiang and First Day in Xi’an

(Max)

On our last day in Lijiang we got an early start with our guide Evan and set out to visit the Black Dragon Pools. It was quite nice to have an activity close enough to our hotel that we could just walk. The pools were amazingly clear and the scenery of the overall park was picturesque. A bridge stretched over one of the pools and we had an absolutely beautiful view of Lijiang’s snow mountain, which we had ascended a day earlier. Oh, and before I forget, on our walk to the pools we passed by a kind gentleman with a monkey, with whom Timmy and I took our picture. I’m really not sure of the type of monkey, but the little thing was dressed up like a tiny bellhop and as the picture was taken he was sitting in my hand, rubbing his cheek against mine; it was adorable.

“How is that even silk? It looks like a picture.”

(Dareus)

I woke up in my own private room at the guesthouse in Shaxi Village with the Korean drama still on the TV from the previous night. After a breakfast of noodles black with spice, we boarded our little bus and began our trek to Lijiang. Our first stop in Lijiang was Baisha village where the most intricate embroideries were hand crafted by the Naxi minority people. The girl who showed us around told us the mind blowing fact that her trade master could separate a silk strand the width of a hair into 250 separate strands. After that she showed us an art gallery of embroideries that was far more modern than you would expect for a village so small. The thin strands of silk were melded together so well by the artisans that the color gradients challenged those of digital pictures. After that our tour guide brought us to see Naxi murals that were about the mixing of cultures and religions in the local regions. It seemed like the ideal environment where all the different religions just kept to themselves and didn’t bother each other.

Shaxi Village (2/7-2/8)

(Caitlin)

Friday morning we got up in Dali, had our breakfast at the hotel, and started on our three-hour drive to Shaxi village. About an hour and a half into our trip we pulled over at a roadside restaurant, had lunch, and met our new tour guide, Evan. After introductions and a hurried round of Oreo-purchasing at the gas station nearby, we set off for another leg of our journey. We had been warned that this part of the car ride might be a bit, well, bothersome if you tend to get motion sickness, but that didn’t end up being a problem for anyone. Instead, we were able to enjoy the view from the windows as the road snaked its way around the sides of the mountain.