Yesterday we went to a Buddhist temple. It was weird being there as a tourist while people were worshiping. It seemed wrong taking pictures. There were tables in front of Buddha with fresh flowers, fresh fruit, and peanuts which each had a special meaning. The worshipers would leave three sticks of incense and bow three times. I missed a lot of the explanation because Marissa was getting mobbed by people wanting pictures with her while the guide was giving the explanation. Marissa was getting irritated with the pictures because this group was obnoxious so I finally had to pull her away. Even while I was trying to get her away they were pulling on her arm. I told her we should have bought her a dark colored wig.
Then we were off to a clan house from the Qing Dynasty. It was pretty cool. They had galleries there with artwork. They had one that was all embroidery. I wish I could have gotten pictures because they were amazing. There was embroidery of landscapes, flowers, fish, and people. You wouldn't know until you got up close that it was embroidery. I have no idea how long it would take to finish one of those pieces because some of them were huge. They also had artists there doing their work. There was one guy doing finger painting that Xu Hui was fascinated with.
Today we went shopping. Nobody else in our group wanted to go so we got a personalized tour. We started out at a place that had jade and porcelain pieces. The guide taught us a bunch about picking out a quality piece of jade. It sure isn't cheap. We saw some awesome porcelain pieces. The clerk said that it took the artist over two months to complete a plate that was probably 12-14 inches in diameter. We then headed to what they call the pearl market. It was full of all sorts of jewelry vendors where the walls were lined with whatever gemstone the store specialized in. We walked into a pearl store where the walls were lined with bags and bags of pearls. We picked out the strand of pearls we wanted and then they knotted them right in front of us. We ended our trip at an embroidery store.
When we got back to the hotel we went out looking for lunch. We stopped at a store on the way to lunch that had artwork. The artist was there who ends up being a teacher at an orphanage school. He teaches the kids art. Many of the pieces in the gallery were works of the kids. You never would have known it. His partner at this school is a guy from Oregon who came to China a few years ago to adopt a child, so this artist is coming to Oregon next year to drum up support for their foundation that supports their school. It has been neat meeting and talking to the people here.
During lunch, Xu Hui was working with me on getting her name pronounced correctly with the correct tone. I got several sighs but towards the end finally got some thumbs up.
Not much on the agenda tomorrow. We may be going to the American Consulate to take the swearing in ceremony in the afternoon. If not, it will be on Wednesday. Once that is done, Xu Hui will be officially ours.
Then we were off to a clan house from the Qing Dynasty. It was pretty cool. They had galleries there with artwork. They had one that was all embroidery. I wish I could have gotten pictures because they were amazing. There was embroidery of landscapes, flowers, fish, and people. You wouldn't know until you got up close that it was embroidery. I have no idea how long it would take to finish one of those pieces because some of them were huge. They also had artists there doing their work. There was one guy doing finger painting that Xu Hui was fascinated with.
Today we went shopping. Nobody else in our group wanted to go so we got a personalized tour. We started out at a place that had jade and porcelain pieces. The guide taught us a bunch about picking out a quality piece of jade. It sure isn't cheap. We saw some awesome porcelain pieces. The clerk said that it took the artist over two months to complete a plate that was probably 12-14 inches in diameter. We then headed to what they call the pearl market. It was full of all sorts of jewelry vendors where the walls were lined with whatever gemstone the store specialized in. We walked into a pearl store where the walls were lined with bags and bags of pearls. We picked out the strand of pearls we wanted and then they knotted them right in front of us. We ended our trip at an embroidery store.
When we got back to the hotel we went out looking for lunch. We stopped at a store on the way to lunch that had artwork. The artist was there who ends up being a teacher at an orphanage school. He teaches the kids art. Many of the pieces in the gallery were works of the kids. You never would have known it. His partner at this school is a guy from Oregon who came to China a few years ago to adopt a child, so this artist is coming to Oregon next year to drum up support for their foundation that supports their school. It has been neat meeting and talking to the people here.
During lunch, Xu Hui was working with me on getting her name pronounced correctly with the correct tone. I got several sighs but towards the end finally got some thumbs up.
Not much on the agenda tomorrow. We may be going to the American Consulate to take the swearing in ceremony in the afternoon. If not, it will be on Wednesday. Once that is done, Xu Hui will be officially ours.
Tracy, Scott, Miss, and Xu Hui - I just finally realized that I could get on and keep up with all of you. Wow, what an experience for everyone. Can't wait to meet Xu Hui in person and welcome her to the family. Love you guys. I've enjoyed this sooooo much. Love you, Aunt Shir
ReplyDeleteDo I officially have another granddaughter? I'm going to have to teach GG Betty to say SEVEN great-granddaughters. I'm excited for all of us.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe the great experience you are having. With Obama in China there is lots of news coverage and I've seen plenty of snow. I hope it isn't where you are.
Thanks for the blog. Love, G. Ruth