I grew up in a time when it was unthinkable that anyone would be able to visit China. As a primary school child I remember we all once took part in a musical drama based around a green tea ceremony. I enjoyed the songs and thinking how completely exotic it all was - green tea for goodness sake! My only other awareness of things Chinese were some willow patterned china plates my parents had showing blurry images of strangely shaped buildings with curled up corners, and wobbly looking bridges, which were enchanting.
When my nephew sent an invitation to his wedding in Shanghai, saying he would understand if no one went, because it was so far away, I knew I had to go. So it was that I found myself on a plane with several members of my immediate and extended family, all very excited as we flew into the unknown.
Apart from the joy of seeing my nephew get married, the other draw of the trip was the chance to come back on the Trans-Siberian railway. Something that had hovered around in my head for some time. Again, I remembered from my childhood people mentioning it in rather respectful tones, and it carried with it an intriguing mystique. I decided to come back all the way to London by train. What a crazy idea!
Shanghai was immense. Our first view of it as the plane banked to land took our breath away. It spread for miles in every direction, with massive sky-scrapers and blocks of flats as far as the eye could see. I was expecting it to be big, but it exceeded all my expectations.
The wedding was wonderful - a real privilege to take part in a REAL TEA CEREMONY - who'd have thought it! There was lots of fun first, with the groom having to persuade the bride to come out of her room, and completing challenges with his groomsmen. The bride looked really beautiful in traditional costume, and my nephew very handsome in his. Everyone was on good form and we enjoyed dancing the night away to a live band in the city somewhere - who knows where!
After a few days of great fun, visiting traditional markets and modern malls, eating weird and wonderful things (lots of tentacles and suckers - I wasn't brave enough for the duck's tongues), going up really tall towers and generally enjoying the views and sunshine, it was finally time to break away from my family and get on the train.
I went on the super fast train to Beijing. Fields flashed past the window, telegraph poles, paddy fields, shacks, sheds, roads and distant tower blocks. The sky was a weak yellow, giving way to darkness.
Beijing Station was very confusing, but as I came out with the crowd, a 'man in black' blocked my path. A little scary until he tried to pronounce my name, then I knew it was OK. On the drive to the hotel, I looked out at all the shop fronts with strange characters on the signs, and all the people busy with their lives. The car pulled in to what I thought was a scruffy layby, but turned out to be the hotel drive. I was very relieved to have arrived safely and was able to turn a blind eye to the cockroaches having a bit of a party in the bathroom. After Ronald the Rat in Malawi, Colin the Cockroach was no problem at all and there were green tea sachets on the side, GREEN TEA! Imagine! Me!
There followed two really fantastic days sight-seeing with a small group. The Summer Palace was just like I'd stepped into one of those willow pattern plates from home, the Olympic Park looked just like it had on TV some years ago, Tiananmen Square - I had to pinch myself - and the portrait of Mao. The Forbidden City with its expansive courtyards, one after another, after another. Most of all though, the Great Wall - how amazing was that. Our feet skimmed the tops of trees on the chair lift up. I could walk along the flagstones and duck down into the watch towers and admire the views of rolling hills disappearing into the horizon through the arch shaped windows. I drank some jasmine tea while on the wall and took time to try to take it all in. The Great Wall of China, me!
I wasn't too sad to leave the hotel after a couple of days. The diet of soggy chips or soggy pak choy was a bit grim, and each time I loaded my plate I was worried one of Colin's friends would appear to wish me a good morning. I mainly settled for the egg fried rice.
The other thing about leaving the hotel meant I was bound for the next stage of my adventure.......
When my nephew sent an invitation to his wedding in Shanghai, saying he would understand if no one went, because it was so far away, I knew I had to go. So it was that I found myself on a plane with several members of my immediate and extended family, all very excited as we flew into the unknown.
Apart from the joy of seeing my nephew get married, the other draw of the trip was the chance to come back on the Trans-Siberian railway. Something that had hovered around in my head for some time. Again, I remembered from my childhood people mentioning it in rather respectful tones, and it carried with it an intriguing mystique. I decided to come back all the way to London by train. What a crazy idea!
Shanghai was immense. Our first view of it as the plane banked to land took our breath away. It spread for miles in every direction, with massive sky-scrapers and blocks of flats as far as the eye could see. I was expecting it to be big, but it exceeded all my expectations.
The wedding was wonderful - a real privilege to take part in a REAL TEA CEREMONY - who'd have thought it! There was lots of fun first, with the groom having to persuade the bride to come out of her room, and completing challenges with his groomsmen. The bride looked really beautiful in traditional costume, and my nephew very handsome in his. Everyone was on good form and we enjoyed dancing the night away to a live band in the city somewhere - who knows where!
After a few days of great fun, visiting traditional markets and modern malls, eating weird and wonderful things (lots of tentacles and suckers - I wasn't brave enough for the duck's tongues), going up really tall towers and generally enjoying the views and sunshine, it was finally time to break away from my family and get on the train.
I went on the super fast train to Beijing. Fields flashed past the window, telegraph poles, paddy fields, shacks, sheds, roads and distant tower blocks. The sky was a weak yellow, giving way to darkness.
Beijing Station was very confusing, but as I came out with the crowd, a 'man in black' blocked my path. A little scary until he tried to pronounce my name, then I knew it was OK. On the drive to the hotel, I looked out at all the shop fronts with strange characters on the signs, and all the people busy with their lives. The car pulled in to what I thought was a scruffy layby, but turned out to be the hotel drive. I was very relieved to have arrived safely and was able to turn a blind eye to the cockroaches having a bit of a party in the bathroom. After Ronald the Rat in Malawi, Colin the Cockroach was no problem at all and there were green tea sachets on the side, GREEN TEA! Imagine! Me!
There followed two really fantastic days sight-seeing with a small group. The Summer Palace was just like I'd stepped into one of those willow pattern plates from home, the Olympic Park looked just like it had on TV some years ago, Tiananmen Square - I had to pinch myself - and the portrait of Mao. The Forbidden City with its expansive courtyards, one after another, after another. Most of all though, the Great Wall - how amazing was that. Our feet skimmed the tops of trees on the chair lift up. I could walk along the flagstones and duck down into the watch towers and admire the views of rolling hills disappearing into the horizon through the arch shaped windows. I drank some jasmine tea while on the wall and took time to try to take it all in. The Great Wall of China, me!
I wasn't too sad to leave the hotel after a couple of days. The diet of soggy chips or soggy pak choy was a bit grim, and each time I loaded my plate I was worried one of Colin's friends would appear to wish me a good morning. I mainly settled for the egg fried rice.
The other thing about leaving the hotel meant I was bound for the next stage of my adventure.......
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