Hangzhow/ Shanghai

March 29, Saturday
Day 7

We started our day with a trip to the government Longjing Green Tea Plantation. It was very misty, but we had wonderful views of the tea picking followed by some green tea and tea instruction. And.....of course, some high quality green tea to purchase.

This was followed to a visit to the centuries old Lingyin Temple with its 64.3' high camphor-wood carved Buddha.

By noon the mist had risen enough to take a boat cruise on beautiful West Lake and its jewel like pagodas.

Finally we bused back to Shanghai.........

from my sister Judy-
Saturday, March 29 After a large and impressive breakfast buffet, we took a bus tour of Hangzhou (hung-chow). Even through the fog and misty skies, the beauty of Hangzhou was apparent. Spring-green buds, forsythia, magnolias, cherry blossoms, and pansies added to the artistic landscape and abundance of trees. The city was beautiful, lush, and inviting. Emily has every right to be proud of her hometown. We soon realized that we were approaching our next stop when we started seeing fields of low-growing tea bushes on both sides of the road. Dozens of farmers in brilliant blue rain jackets and conical,straw hats were bent over the bushes picking the newest tea leaves. We entered the Tea Plantation where we examined the tea bushes and watched a farmer roasting slender tea leaves in a large, copper pot. He actually stirred the leaves with his bare hands. Our group was escorted into a small tea-tasting room where we all sat around a rectangular table. A pinch of grade A tea was dropped in the bottom of each of our glasses and then a small amount of hot (not boiling) water was poured in. After whirling the glass around, we were instructed to smell it. We then put the glass down and leaned over to allow the steam to sooth our eyes. It really felt quite good! Our glasses were then filled and we sipped the green tea and ate the tea leaves. The Chinese say that they "eat a cup of tea" not that they "drink a cup of tea." This green tea is supposed to be very beneficial to your health. We bought some of the tea and look forward to using it. We, and every other person in southern China, decided to visit the Lingyin Temple, which is a 1600 year old Buddhist Temple. Many, many Chinese Buddhists were making pilgrimages to the temple and there were large families going to the Temple to pray. The tree-lined pathways leading up to the Temple were beautifully landscaped and lined with statues and grottoes. Many of the pilgrims were purchasing packs of incense sticks from on-site vendors. They then lit the incense from several fire pots located in the courtyards by the front and rear entrances. Once the incense sticks were lit, the pilgrim would hold the sticks between folded hands and bow several times in all four directions. The smoke from the incense supposedly carried the pilgrim's prayers skyward. The golden Buddha, inside the Temple, was 64.3 feet high and carved from camphor wood. The pilgrims knelt on prayer cushions around the Buddha and also around the statues of his disciples. We also saw several young Buddhist monks wandering through the Temple grounds dressed in their saffron-colored robes and slippers. Our all-too-familiar Chinese luncheon buffet was held at an elegant hotel called the Lily Hotel. Fortunately, the intermittent showers finally stopped, but the sky was still overcast and the beautiful countryside was hazy. We drove to a popular area called West Lake,where thousands of people had come for a day at the park. This was the same lake that one of the emperors had recreated at the Summer Palace outside of Beijing. We encountered "an ocean of people," as Emily says. Our bus group boarded a small, enclosed boat for a sail around the lake. Every size and shape of boat imaginable was chugging or rowing around the lake. Families were having picnics and were strolling along the shoreline while kiters lifted their kites high into the air. Small buildings along the shoreline included pagodas,tea houses, and small restaurants. It truly was a beautiful sight. After disembarking from the boat, we walked through hordes of people to get back to the bus. We had a lengthy wait because of heavy traffic and felt completely enveloped by traffic and people. The feeling bordered on being claustrophobic. After finally boarding the bus, we drove for three hours to get to Shanghai. The landscape gradually changed from that of lush, green countryside to concrete, metal, and skyscrapers. Shanghai presented itself as a large, bustling metropolitan area with a glaring abundance of neon. The construction within the large cities was amazing and large areas of high-rise apartments were visible in the distance. Shanghai resembled every other large city except for the Chinese characters spelled out in neon. We stayed at the Crown Plaza Hotel,which was somewhat older, but still worthy of its five-star rating.