8/1/15
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| Follow the red flag |
Unfortunately, we quickly learned the reason for low season right
now is the oppressive 90+ degree heat and equal percent humidity. I know I grew
up in Texas with this kind of weather but I am DEFINITELY not used to it
anymore. And there’s no escaping into an air-conditioned building when you’re
walking around town sightseeing for hours on end. But armed with layers of
sunscreen, a hat, several bottles of water (since we have been advised not to
drink tap water or have any ice, I have become a water bottle hoarder), and
Chinese fans (LOL) we powered through. No doubt we stood out like sore thumbs:
a crowd of white people (some quite tall) following a short Chinese man
carrying a little red flag, speaking into a microphone. We looked exactly like
the stereotypical Chinese tourists you see in the U.S. snapping pictures while
walking and trailing behind a moving flag pole (ha ha).
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| Water stash |
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| Yu Garden |
Our first visit was to Yu Yuan Gardens in the Old Quarter of
Shanghai, built during the Ming Dynasty (1577). The rock gardens are beautiful
and the pavilions really do seem like they would have been a nice, peaceful
place to sit and contemplate. At least if you were a man. As we learned from
our guide. (And I will say, it’s always worth it to pay for a tour guide – they
can always tell you so much more than a pamphlet or even the best guide book.)
He told us that the covered walkways between the pavilions often had two lanes,
divided off from each other to allow the men to walk along the water and be
seen, and for the women to be hidden and sheltered on the back side of the
house. Not that this comes as a surprise – I think almost all ancient (and not
so ancient) cultures subjugated women and hid them or their body parts from
public view, barring them from education or free will – aside from music lessons, cooking or textiles.(NN: See how much we have progressed… pretty much all women’s body
parts are in full display all the time in our advertisements and entertainment
today. Ah progress ;-) But the old structures and gardens were
impressive. The intricate symbolism and stonework was remarkable.
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| Yu Garden |
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| Divided Walkway - Women on the left, men on the right |
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| Ornate Roofs |
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| Bats! |
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| Bird not afraid of a dragon fish |
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| Roof Sculptures |
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| Roof Sculptures |
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| Roof Sculptures |
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| Roof Sculptures |
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| Roof Sculptures |
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| Reception Room |
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| Inner Pond |
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| Covered Bridge |
One point of note on the Yu Garden: in the past, only the
emperor could use the symbol of the dragon – a representation of all good
powers combined – and anyone found usurping the symbol themselves would be put
to death. As you’ll see in the pictures, the entire inner and outer wall of the
Yu Garden is designed to look like an undulating dragon (to very cool effect).
When reprimanded for this offense, he told the emperor that a) he had not
commissioned a “real” dragon, as his only had 3 toes compared to the emperor’s
which had 5 and b) more importantly, he was not using the dragon to represent
himself. But rather, he was the toad sitting below the dragon, benefitting from
the oversight and protection of the all-powerful dragon/emperor. (NN: As I am
but a simple toad standing underneath the majesty that is Catherine’s dragon.) The
flattery worked and the garden still stands. (NN: Not sure it works as well
with Catherine as it did with the Emperor.)
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| Frog Below Dragon |
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| Nick = frog & Cat = dragon |
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