| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
An
Ancient City of Classical Gardens and Canals
Suzhou, an ancient city located in the
eastern part of China and 2 hours drive away from
Shanghai, was once called the “Heaven”. Yet I had
never known that the unique cultural spirit of Suzhou
could be so charming until I escorted a group of Rotary
Club members there in April.
Personally, I think the classical
gardens of Suzhou, listed on the World Heritages by UNESCO
in 1997, are definitely the highlights of this ancient
city. The Humble Administrator's Garden, Lingering Garden,
Lion Grove Garden and Tiger Hilletc, all have history of
over hundreds years and full of fascinating stories. Take
the Humble Administrator’s Garden as an example, Wang
Xianchen, an administrator in the Ming Dynasty who was
disappointed in the governmental administration, returned
to Suzhou after his retirement.
Wang said, “Gardening and growing vegetables is
the way of administration of a clumsy person like me”.
It turned out that such saying later took the name of the
garden. It is indeed a masterpiece of nature and
artificiality combination with crystalline lakes, verdant
hills, pavilions, terraces and chambers. |
|
Besides classical gardens, silk
production and embroidery are also well known in Suzhou.
We were all amazed by the technique of stitching on both
sides of the silk. One side shows a white cat and the
other side presents a brown dog. Some of us even mistook
the embroidery for photographs!
To experience the unique culture of the
Wu Region, I would recommend seeing the Kunqu (Suzhou
Opera) and Pingtan (storytelling). The latter is a kind of
story-telling art in Wu dialect dating all the way back to
the Tang and Sung Dynasties. A pair of performers, usually
a man and a woman, sing and tell serial stories of
romances. The singings are accompanied by folk musical
instruments such as the “Pipa” and “Sanxian”
(Banjo). Their crisp and delightful tune of ballad
singings are definitely impressive. |
 |
Last
but not least, the hotel we stayed in Suzhou, the Suzhou
Pingjiang Lodge is a pleasant surprise for travelers
who look for something different. It was once the
residence of the "Fang" Family in the Ming
Dynasty and is situated by the side of the Pingjiang
River. All rooms were designed to blend in with the
local traditions, and affording a courtyard view. Staying
at the Pingjiang Lodge was like traveling back in history
and experiencing life as it were 450 years ago at the home
of an affluent family.
Helen Chan
Nov 2006 (published in the Silk Road E-news Nov
2006 issue) |
|
| A
Spiritual Journey to Tibet
Tibet
is
an isolated region that outsiders are intrigued by its
mysterious religion and magnificent natural scenery. The
journey included the few major cities in Tibet - Lhasa,
Gyangze and Xigatse. We took a flight from Chengdu to
Lhasa, the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region at 3,700
meters above sea level. In fact, the mild headache I
suffered in the first few days did remind me that I was
standing on the rooftop of the world. We visited a number
of monasteries including the “World Cultural Heritage”
– Potala Palace. The huge red and white palace is a
landmark of Lhasa, which situates proudly on a mountain
guarding this holy city. Potala Palace has been witnessing
the past 100 years changes of Lhasa and fortunately, it
could be remained. Today, it is the most important and
memorable historical building for the Tibetans. |
| We
have been to one of the three major monasteries of Yellow
Sect Buddhism – the Deprung Monastery, and have seen the
famous “debating” amongst the monks, which is a key
activity of training monks. The monks were shouting and
arguing to each other with their body gesture as if they
were about to fight. By having such fierce debates, they
were indeed going through a process of learning and
understanding their religion. Away from Lhasa city,
we passed through the snowy-white mountains and the Mt.
Kangbala at 4990 meters altitude, reached the lake Yumzhog
Yum, one of the 3 holy lakes in Tibet. We had a picnic by
the lakeside to enjoy the beauty and quietness of the
nature. The lake was in deep blue color sitting at the
bottom of the mountain. The water was calm as silk. The
sky was also in blue and was so close to us. The scene was
wonderful. For a city person like me, having a lunch in
such an unspoiled environment was definitely a
deluxe experience. |
 |
 |
|
The
life of Tibetans is harsh. For most of the families, they
only live with their basic needs, without beautiful house
and luxury items. However, Tibetans are devoted to their
religion and choose to live a peaceful life. When we
passed by a village on the way back from Xigaze to Lhasa,
a Tibetan family welcomed us into their home. Their
settlement was simple and crude. The whole family was
living in a little hut and their only property was two
yaks. Our visit aroused a sudden excitement of the
children in the village. They were curious to foreign
visitors and blissfully happy to receive our candies. For
Tibetans, their lives are simple but easy to fulfill. They
own the nature, live with it and the most important is,
they are spiritually rich.
The
ease of restrictions in once-forbidden areas allows
travelers to have a closer look at this amazing Buddhist
kingdom. Visiting Tibet is a cultural, spiritual and
natural journey.
Echo
Ng
Aug 2006 (published in the Silk Road E-news Aug
2006 issue) |
|
古道絲路，聞名不如親遊。八天絲路精選之旅
– 西安/敦煌/吐魯番/烏魯木齊 – 令我體驗良多，獲益良多。同行的團友對中國歷史的認識，對文化之旅的認真態度，實令我敬佩不已。
|
所謂以史為鑑，可知興替。西安的華清池、莫高窟內的璧畫、火焰山的雄偉、昔日高昌故城的繁華等，為後人帶來不少歷史的啟發。
酷熱的天氣並未減卻團友探秘古絲路的熱誠，同行一對年過六十歲的夫婦，體魄絕不比其他團友遜色，有好幾回他們走得比年輕的團友還快，誰說遊絲路是年青人的專利?
May
8天絲路精選之旅
2002年8月2日 – 9日 |
 |
 |
|
|
| “…
The service you provided and the quality of our
trip was absolutely outstanding. We were extremely
impressed with the diverse itinerary, tours, cultural
events, fabulous meals, and unique accommodations.
It was truly a pleasure to stay at your Culture
Hotels along the Silk Road tour, which offered superb
service and much appreciated sensitivity to the
local environment. This was a tightly organized
tour, and many of my fellow travelers have reported
to me that they had a wonderful time, which exceeded
all their expectations. We would highly recommend
your Silk Road Tour to anyone.” |
| By
Mr. Donald A. McQuade, Vice Chancellor – University
Relations, UC Berkeley, who joined a 7-day Silk
Road tour on 4 November 2001. |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
