Yo Yangzhou!

Two weekends ago, Nanjing University organized a trip to Yangzhou, a city not too far from Nanjing. The group was an interesting mix of retired American professors teaching in China, families, and then, of course, a group of younger teachers (including myself) who I had met in the beginning of the year and have hung out with them a bunch of times throughout my months here. (They live out in the boonies of Nanjing, so I don't get to see them often.)

I must preface this post by admitting: my camera died at the first place we went. I thought I had brought my charger, but it was the wrong charger. So this is a very photo-less post. I also must admit that I really have no idea what were the names of the places we went. I just hopped on the bus when instructed and hopped off when everyone else did! Also, everywhere we went was basically just a pretty garden, with either a temple or a home in which a family resided.

So first, we went to a pretty garden and lake (no temple, no home.) For this, there are pictures! I realized that I am too obsessed with taking pictures, so I think the fact that my camera was dead may have actually been a blessing in disguise. I was able to appreciate everything just a little more. Our tour guide was very informative, so I learned a little bit about the history of the lake, the famous emperors and people who have visited, and why it was set up the way it was.

A famous bridge

A famous lake

Famous people (kidding, it's Violeta, Sophie and Clément)

David, in a traditional Chinese pose

Pretty roof 

Famous bridge 

Famous view of the lake

Famous rock

From there, we went to have dinner (including famous Yangzhou foods, like a mix of corn, shrimp and green beans.) That evening, a group of us tried to find a place to go out and have a drink, but that doesn't really exist in Yangzhou, so we ended up on a very famous market street at a restaurant. Not only were we the only foreigners, we were the only PEOPLE. The family who owned the restaurant chatted with those who spoke Chinese, but otherwise they watched us sip at our Tsingtaos.

I slept like a rock (not unlike famous rock pictured above), finally being in a WARM room under a million blankets. The next day, we went to some very famous (I find that everything in China is the "most beautiful" or one of the "most famous") gardens. Since it used to be the home for... someone... we also got to see how the kitchen worked and learned about the living space, which was pretty cool. Afterward, we went to a vinegar factory. It was odd... In China, a lot of the dishes have vinegar. Vinegar goes in soups, it is used (not soy sauce) for dipping dumplings, etc. There was a place where you could see the Chinese vinegar that is exported all over the world (I could read the Hebrew, Spanish, French and Italian, go me!) We even got to see where the grains were being fermented (smelled TERRIBLE) and we got to try some straight up vinegar (which was way too strong.) At the end, we tried vinegar candies (not bad) and Sophie and I bought Apple Vinegar juice, which was really delicious. It was like apple cider, but lighter in color and more acidic. Lastly, the tour hit up another beautiful garden temple area, which also had a "very famous" engraving by a famous calligrapher whose handwriting is still copied and emulated today. In China, everything I see is rebuilt or recreated, due to natural forces or the cultural revolution, so it was cool to see something that was actually old.

The trip was fun, but FREEZING! Everywhere we went, our tour guide told us the best time to come is the spring, which is kind of disappointing. When I got home, I got into bed with my electric blanket and stayed there for a good 24 hours, I was exhausted. But it was worth it: I love seeing new places, and it was nice that this trip was totally organized. China Doll: frozen but happy!