Suzhou

Monday June 21
First, we went to Lingering Garden. The home and gradens of a very wealthy family, the Lius. It is now open to the public, a very big draw for tourists because you can see there traditional architecture, furniture and, of course, the beautiful gardens including a water garden.
Next, we went to a silk factory and I got to see silk worm cocoons being unwound and prepared to be turned into beautiful silk fabric. It was interesting and I think I undertand the process better than I did before. I made videos to bring back. Later we saw ladies using silk thread in vibrant colrs embroidering intricate designs. I have never seen such amazing embroidery. For the first time I truly understand why it was for so many years that the Chinese did not want to trade with the West. Their level of artistry was so advanced, their finished products so fine that the goods available in the rest of the world were simply not needed by the Chinese people.
Finally some of us, (not me!) are getting a little tired of Chinese food. So we ate at Pizza Hut last night. The menu was huge! Besides pizza (just like the ones you can eat right there in Pendleton) they had steak on the menu! I also had green tea with pear and lilly to drink. Delicious! Finally, we got donuts from “sweet donut” which looks a lot like Duncan Donuts, but the donuts were so pretty. Intricate designs decorated the tops. And they tasted great too.
Silk Factory
Tea House
Canal Cruise
Embroidery Factory