Saturday, June 7, 2008

A full day devoted to Hangzhou, and well worth it. We visited many great places. Unfortunately, my camera was not working. Arne said he would send me some shots, so all was not lost.

After breakfast in the restaurant at the West Lake State Guest House (where I tried congee for the first time - it tasted like the rice equivalent of grits), we went by charter bus to the Guo Zhuang Garden. This garden was originally developed in the later years of the Qing Dynasty by a wealthy silk merchant who eventually lost the land to gambling. For my tastes, this was by far the most beautiful of the gardens we have toured. I was particularly pleased to see the crape myrtle trees, a familiar favorite for someone from Mississippi. Also interesting were the different glassless windows used to frame views of the garden. Each view is like a different work of natural art. Luckily, I was able to buy a book about the garden appropriately entitled Guoshuang Garden.

We also visited the Ling Yin Temple. According to Wilson (our Hangshou tour guide), this Buddhist Temple has one of the largest carved Buddha statues in the country of China. Additionally, limestone carvings on the grounds go back hundreds of years, showing the different characterizations of Buddha overtime. We learned about how the temple was saved from destruction during the Cultural Revolution. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of people on the temple grounds while we were there. Incense was thick in the air, and people were praying, taking pictures and having a good time.

Next on the list was a nearby collection of small-scale tea farms that produce what is collectively known as Dragon Well Green Tea. We at lunch at one of the farmer's houses. Among numerous other dishes, the woman of the house served a chicken soup and sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves. I loved the food! I guess I am going to have to raise bamboo if I am going to make this dish.

Touring a nearby plot, we learned about the growing, harvesting and processing of green tea. Then we went into a tea tasting room and were instructed about how teas are graded, the best ways to prepare green tea, and marketing techniques. Our instructor was a man who had studied tea in college, now works as a quality inspector, and refers to himself as Dr. Tea.

It began to rain on our way to West Lake, so our boat ride was postponed a bit. In the meantime, we toured the park which was alive with Chinese tourists. I noticed numerous magnolia trees on the grounds. Interesting to those readers not schooled in Mississippi botanicals... The magnolia is Mississippi's state tree and state flower!

We rode a pheonix boat (representing the empress, not be confused with the dragon boat representing the emperor) around West Lake. It was beautiful. Rain was in the air, but we still had great views. The green of the park on one side and the city scape of Hangzhou on the other.

In sum, it was a good day. Now I need to flesh out those notes on the green tea commodity system. You know what they say, once a rural sociologist always a rural sociologist!