Special China tour: Program
Journey from May 9 to May 23, 2015
Yang Lian and Yo Yo are guiding this tour Bild: David Oliveira
Additional details of the evening events – culinary specialties along the journey, as well as information about the invited guests who will join us for dinner: Just dinner and guests
May 9th (Saturday) - Flight to Beijing
Flight from Germany to Beijing; departure from Frankfurt/Main with Lufthansa at 19:00 (7 pm); arrival in Beijing at 5:00 (5 am).
May 10th (Sunday) - Beijing
Morning: check-in Dongfang hotel.
Transfer from the airport to the historic Dongfang hotel and check in. The hotel is located near Tiananmen Square in what was one of the traditional commercial areas during the last dynasty (Ch’ing Dynasty). Because theater was forbidden at that time in the inner city of Beijing around the Forbidden City, the hotel is located in the nearest area where theaters were permitted.
Beijing: old town quarter with traditionel hutong houses Bild: Ventus-Reisen
The hotel itself was one of the most modern hotels in Beijing in the early 20th century (for example, it was the first hotel to have a telephone in every room). This was why so many very well-known figures stayed at the hotel, and their names were adopted as the names of the rooms in the old building. So to stay at this hotel means a first-hand experience of (and journey back to) Chinese history.
Afternoon: hutong tour.
A walk will bring us to the hutong area on the northern side of the Forbidden City, by a beautiful lake called Houhai (Rear Sea – “sea” is the word Beijing people use for lake). “Hutong” is the special and classic word for the small alleyways in Beijing. Since Beijing was built with a clear design and planning, the hutongs were everywhere in the city, but during the communist period, most of them were torn down, and this small preserved area is the only place where you can see the traditional beauty of the design of the city.
Next to the hutong area is Beihai Park (Northern Sea Park), which was the private garden of the imperial family. It is famous for the beautiful lake pools (also part of the water system of Old Beijing), and Tibetan style white pagoda on top of a green hill. The best time to enter the park is in the afternoon when other tourists are leaving.
You can then take a relaxing walk by the lake and enjoy the shadow of the pagoda on the water; watch the vertical shapes moving on the waves at the horizon. You can feel the movement join together like music. Along with the returning birds' song, the music will wash out all your tired feelings from the long journey.
Dinner: Lao Hanzi Restaurant.
We shall go to a restaurant named Lao Hanzi (Old Chinese Character) next to the Houhai area and directly at the northern gate of Beihai Park. The owner of the restaurant, Chi Nai, is an artist who has been a compelling figure all the way back to the 1980s. He himself was a wonderful painter and has been a part of all the artistic movements in China since then.
The restaurant itself is a piece of art, designed in a very beautiful and elegant style. With the view of the lake as night falls outside the window, one can feel the timeless beauty of China. The style of cooking is called “hakka” or “kejia” (Guest People).
Beijing: in the "Forbidden City", former residence of Chinese emperors Bild: Thomas Hartmann
Evening: A minibus will take the group back to the hotel to rest.
May 11th (Monday) - Beijing
Morning: Forbidden City walk.
Our hotel is quite near the south side of Tiananmen Square, so after rising a bit earlier and a quick breakfast in the hotel, we will take a walk through some most famous places such as Qianmen (Front Gate – of the Forbidden City) street, Tiananmen Square (famous for the massacre in 1989, a turning point in world history), before arriving at the south gate of the Forbidden City.
There are a lot of books to introduce the famous emperors’ palace, which can be viewed as a palace, a museum, and a remarkable architecture based on the whole range of classical Chinese theology, philosophy, and politics. Yang Lian and YoYo will add their own experiences and life stories that relate to the palace, as the private lines that will run throughout the trip. For example, where the photos were taken when Lian's father came back from his labor camp during the Cultural Revolution. So the tour will touch on multiple layers throughout ancient and modern history.
Afternoon: Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall.
The Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall was opened to the public on September 2004 and specializes in displaying the history, conditions, and future of Beijing’s urban planning and development. And there will be always some personal stories to be added, since Lian grew up in the city.
Late afternoon: twilight at the Summer Palace.
At about 4 PM, our minibus will bring the group to the Summer Palace, so we enter the park when other tourists are starting to leave. The Summer Palace is the most beautiful surviving imperial palace and garden outside Beijing city limits, and it is also where Lian grew up after his parents came back from Switzerland. The palace itself was the site of some complex history, because it was the main place where Chinese emperors stayed during the most significant and troubled times of China, and met the western powers from the late 19th century until the early 20th century.
Dinner in restaurant Bai Jia Da Yuan (Bai Family's Great Court).
This famous restaurant is situated in a former king's garden (King of Li). It is one of very few imperial kings' gardens that survived all the turbulent history. The food is made directly from imperial recipes, which combine some typical Chinese dishes and Manchurian dishes, and have therefore been called the full banquets of Manchurian and Chinese.
Because this restaurant is very close to the University of Beijing, the site of almost all artistic and political liberation movements, we shall invite some artists and well-known intellectuals to attend the dinner, so that people can exchange ideas on China, culture, arts and politics.
The Great Wall north of Beijing. Bild: Thomas Hartmann
Among these artists and intellectuals will be Zeng Laide, the best-known and expert calligrapher, who has wonderful knowledge of Classical calligraphy and developed his own very special style (his studio is nearby, we could even visit it, depending on how tired people are); Qin Xiaoyu, a young but very talented poetry critic, who wrote six excellent essays for Jade Ladder; or Zang Di and Jiang Tao, two wonderful poets who have been published in Jade Ladder and teach at the University of Beijing... there are many possibilities. This dinner will be the first time the group has a chance to meet with current Chinese cultural figures and a time to start the direct exchange of thoughts (see the notice at the end).
May 12th (Tuesday) - Beijing
Morning: Mutianyu Great Wall.
Our minibus will leave the hotel in the early morning to go to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. The wall was built in the north of China, and for more than 2000 years, it was the bulwark against dangers that came from the Northern nomads (Mongolian, Khitan, Manchurian...etc.). It is an architectural wonder because the wall was built on some unbelievably high peaks.
We can see it very clearly at the Mutianyu section, since it is at a distance from other noisy, popular tourist parts. It is much quieter, even wild, when we stand on the un-repaired pile of arrows where, at the top of the mountains, the feelings are so original: the endless mountains in the north where the horses flooded in, the deep valleys where the battles took places; the huge, open sky keeps the wind and songs forever. The Wall runs like a long line through the epic of Chinese history and culture, right up until now.
Lunch: “Farmer's Happiness”.
There is a very special “people's restaurant” called “Farmer's Happiness”, which is a private restaurant run by farmers in their own home, all foods were produced at home, thus all ingredients are very fresh, often organic, and cooked in a completely local style. It is the best way to taste nature and the history together!
Afternoon: Da Jue Si (Temple of Enlightenment).
We will take the minibus to visit Da Jue Si (Temple of Enlightenment) in the northwestern mountains. This temple was very well known because the Yongzheng emperor (1678 – 1735) lived and wrote his famous book “The Great Righteousness solves Confusion” there. The temple had another name, “Temple of Springs” forthe spring water flowing everywhere, its nice sound singing between the ancient trees, temples, gardens and poems carved in the stones. After reaching the steps, we can sit and drink a cup of very fine green tea, to feel totally at rest in body and mind.
Dinner: Zhangshengji – writers' dinner.
After the temple, we return to Beijing for dinner in the restaurant Zhangshengji. The dishes there are typical Zhejiang style, which is very fresh, mainly with produce from freshwater lakes and rivers (as in the landscape of Zhejiang province), eaten together with the warm, yellow rice wine, representing the typical cooking style of southern China.
Studio of the painter Xu Longsen in Bejing's area 798. Bild: Archiv
During dinner, we shall organize some very important Chinese writers like Chen Guidi and Wu Chuntao, the authors of “Will the Boat Sink the Water. A Survey of Chinese Peasants””, which won them the first prize in the Lettre International award for reportage in 2004. The book was published in Chinese in 2003, and sold 100,000 copies within one month before it was banned. After that, it is said another 10,000,000 illegal copies sold and the enormous pressure that resulted forced the Chinese government to simply cancel all taxes on Chinese peasants in 2008. This should be a very thoughtful dinner.
May 13th (Wednesday) - Beijing
Morning: free.
Dongfang Hotel is situated in the heart of Beijing, so you could walk to Tiananmen Square again, then to Wang Fu Jing, the busy shopping area nearby. For those who want to see a more ancient place, Tiantan (Temple of Heaven) is also close. It has some very renowned buildings among ancient trees, a wonderful place for a walk. For these who might be interested in buying pearls, jewelry or gifts from China, YoYo can lead them to Hongqiao market at the eastern gate of the Temple of Heaven,
Afternoon: 798 – the artist area.
After a simple lunch, we shall visit the very famous 798 art district. The name comes from the number of a former military factory, but it is now a huge place where thousands of artists gather. Endless galleries show what's happening in Chinese arts today. We can visit them for hours, as well as visit some studios of well-known artist friends to see their work in progress and to discuss the current state of Chinese arts and culture with them. We will meet some artist friends of Yang Lian.
Among them are artists of an older generation, like Shang Yang who is great at both figurative and abstract paintings; Xu Longsen, the Chinese Michelangelo-like water-ink landscape painter; or younger generation artists like Yang Liming and Guan Jingjing. Both artists will be part of the exhibition curated by Yang Lian as part of the Edinburgh Festival 2013 - so the tour around 798 will be a great banquet of visual beauty and intellectual power. (Yang Lian and Yo Yo refer to these artists - Xu Longsen, Yang Liming and Guan Jingjing - in the Edinburgh Festival catalogue: "Stepping outside post-cultural revolution".)
Dinner: San Ge Guizhou Ren (Three Guizhou Men).
Yangzhou: the Slender West Lake Bild: Ventus-Reisen
This restaurant is near 798. Its owner is a poet, Dao (meaning knife) who cooks wonderful Guizhou dishes famous for their spicy taste, as well as creating some very special dishes found nowhere else. We will be joined at dinner by a group of artists, poets and intellectuals, with whom we can further discuss the Chinese situation and understanding of the world.
May 14th (Thursday) – Beijing/Yangzhou
Morning: high-speed train from Beijing to Yangzhou.
We will experience the newly-built Chinese high-speed train, which runs at 250 kph, seeing the landscapes, countryside and cities during the four-hour journey. On the way, we shall travel through the provinces of Hebei, Henan, and Jiangsu, and cross the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, the two most important rivers in China. After arrival at Zhenjiang, on the south bank of the Yangtze, a minibus will bring the group past the new Yangtze River Bridge, during the drive of about 30 minutes to the city of Yangzhou.
Check-in at the Grand Skylight Hotel, a wonderful five-star hotel at the gate of the famous traditional garden park of Slender West Lake, followed by a late, light lunch in the hotel.
Afternoon: relaxing walk around Yangzhou.
Yangzhou was the richest city in China, after the capitals, for more than one thousand years because it was a rich trade city due to its location at the juncture of the Jinghang (Grand) Canal, built 606 – 610 and the Yangtze River. Almost all of the great classical Chinese poets, artists and literati were here, as well as the most famous beautiful women. Thousands of masterpieces have been composed in and for the city. Its wealth meant many imperial visits, thus Yangzhou is also famous for its traditional gardens, cuisine and luxurious life-style. In particular, the city has been spared the waves of skyscraper building, so you can still enjoy the traditional aesthetics of garden architecture. Every window frames pictures of the landscapes in the distance. This is a view no longer to be seen in any other garden city in China.
If we have enough time, we will take a walk through Wang Shi Xiao Yuan (Wang family's home). This very beautiful series of houses is very special, because it was the former home of YoYo's family, only sold to Wang's family in the 1930s. You will enjoy the four extremely nicely designed gardens at the four corners of the yard, one of them was for female family members only. You can experience the real life of rich families in the olden days.
Dinner: evening banquet Heyuan Garden (He Family Garden).
Yangzhou: Pavillon in the Slender West Lake Bild: ChinaTtravelGuide
This unimaginably beautiful garden restaurant is NOT open to the public, but by special arrangement, it will open just for us. It offers Yangzhou dishes, which I call “the literati's food” in order to be in tune with the poetry and paintings of the intelligentsia, because of its extremely elegant style. To go with this, local Yangzhou poets, writers and artists will join us to introduce the city and its history.
May 15th (Friday) - Yangzhou
Morning: Slender West Lake.
Travel by boat and walk through the beautiful Slender West Lake area, for which so many famous and beautiful poems have been composed. Among those, the best known poets were Li Po and Du Mu. In April 2013, at the first Rainbow Bridge International Poetry Festival at Slender West Lake, well-known UK poet Sean O'Brien freely translated a Du Mu poem into English:
After Du Mu
Green mountain veiled in fog. Cold waves on the lake.
Autumn is gone with the leaves.
When I walk
Among twenty-four bridges, the bright moon
Shines from the jade girl. What music!
I wish the flute she plays was mine.
Following the turns of the lake, actually more like a long river that linked up the many gardens, we shall pass through many historical places, enjoy many picturesque courtyards and bridges, and at the same time, join the local people, who still use the park as part of their daily life. This will be an unforgettable experience!
Afternoon: Pingshan Hall and Shugang Hill.
From this hill, at 40 meters above sea level, you can look out at the flat city of Yangzhou below. It is a very historic place, where Sui Yangdi (Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, who commissioned the grand canal) built his palace and was finally killed here, with his tomb first being discovered in 2013!
Next to Pingshan Hall is DaMing Temple (Great Ming Temple). With its Tang Dynasty-style buildings and a very high pagoda, this was the temple of Jianzhen, the monk who brought Buddhism to Japan and died there. He is regarded as the founder of Japanese Zen Buddhism.
Dinner: Ye Chun Restaurant (Restaurant of Melting Spring).
If Yangzhou's food is the literati's food, then Ye Chun might be great art, because it shows how tasty and fresh the food is. The restaurant is located by the ancient canal, very near the “Emperor's pier” where the emperors docked their boats.
Evening Concert: Guangling school of Guqin.
Yangzhou: the blogprinting museum Bild: Archiv
Yangzhou's ancient name was Guangling, and it gave its name to the famous school of musicians who play the Guqin, the ancient musical instrument with seven strings. The master Li will play some great classical Chinese pieces and exlain the characteristics of the school (style). This will be a very rare chance to enjoy this beautiful Chinese musical tradition.
May 16th (Saturday) - Yangzhou
Morning: Ge Yuan (Garden of Individual).
Geyuan's name came from the character “Ge” (个), which is half of a bamboo (竹) and the shape of a bamboo leaf, one of most popular subjects of traditional literati's paintings. The four seasons have been echoed in the colors of the rocks and the plants in the garden, and the many different kinds of bamboo create a huge, dark green roof for the whole garden. Walking under the bamboo shadows, you feel the cool and not the awful heat of summer.
If the group is not too tired on the first day in Yangzhou, then people can also visit Wang Shi Xiao Yuan palace in the morning. Or go see a very exquisite garden in a private home, proving that China’s cultural tradition is still going strong even after many years of “revolution”.
Afternoon: Shuang Bo (pair of museums).
A visit to two museums. The first one is Yangzhou Museum where the most valuable antiques from Yangzhou are kept, particularly the important collection of originals of the extremely famous eight artists who lived here and have been called the “eight eccentrics” because of their individual styles. The second is the China Block Printing Museum. On display here is the long tradition of Chinese block printing. It comes alive at the museum, as visitors can make their own block printings, experiencing the foundation of the ancient Chinese culture of reading.
Dinner: Fu Chun Restaurant (Restaurant of Rich Springs).
Gaoming monastery near Yangzhou Bild: Archiv
I call the more than a century-old restaurant Fu Chun “the mountain peak of Chinese cooking”. That means Yangzhou dishes are the highest mountain among the mountains, but Fu Chun is the peak of the mountain. Every dish is a piece of art. Our journey through Yangzhou cuisine reaches its highest point – Fu Chun's own tradition.
May 17th (Sunday) – Yangzhou/Yellow Mountains
Morning: Gaoming Temple and Sui Yang emperor's tomb.
Gaoming Temple is an internationally renowned Zen monastery, with students from many countries. It is normally not open to the public, but our visit will be specially arranged, including a meeting with the highest Zen monks. It is a very rare chance to learn about the transformation of Buddhism.
If we have enough time, I then highly recommend a visit to the tomb of the emperor Yang of Sui. He was the second and last emperor of the Sui dynasty. He did two extremely great and important things for China. First,, he built the great canal, which has been the economic artery of China for more than a thousand years. He also set up the Imperial examination system that became the structure for the classical literati culture until the 20th century. At the same time, He was famous for his hugely decadent life-style. In the end, he was murdered in Yangzhou.
Lunch: light and simple.
Afternoon: travel to Yellow Mountains (Huangshan) area.
For the next four days, we will have a bus for the Yellow Mountains journey. It will run through some interesting landscapes along the Yangtze River. We will pass Zhenjiang and Nanjing (South Capital) in Jangsu Province, one of the richest provinces in the country, then enter Anhui Province, with its hilly landscape, through Wuhu, to the southern classic cultural center of Huzhou (now named the Huangshan City area).
Check-in at Hangshan Wenquan Dujia Binguan (Huangshan Hotspring Hotel), rest and dinner.
The famous landscape of Yellow Mountains is inspiring poets and landscape painters since hundreds of years. Bild: Archiv
The hotel is INSIDE of the Yellow Mountains area, thus among some beautiful mountains views. The hot spring will wash away your tiredness from the journey. Then enjoy a delicious dinner with a totally different style from Yangzhou's cuisine. The bamboo, wild mushrooms, and local vegetables and meats will let you feel clearly that the mountain is next to you!
May 18th (Monday) - Yellow Mountains
Morning: Yellow Mountains.
We will get an early start to catch the cable car to the top of Yellow Mountains. We will check in at the Hotel Beihai (North Sea – Sea of Clouds), then follow the guide on a walk through the famous landscape. Yellow Mountains has been called the best model for classic Chinese ink wash landscape paintings, as well as the origin of the inspiration of Classical poetry. It's famous for the special styles of its pine trees, its rocks, its seas of clouds, and its waterfalls. You will think you are walking through ink wash paintings and an ever-changing silent opera of views when you walk through the mountains.
Lunch: simple lunch on the way, and perhaps a little rest in the hotel because it is in the mountain plateau area.
Afternoon: Yellow Mountains.
Continue foot journey around the mountains. Because Yellow Mountains consists of the front and back parts, we shall walk around in different areas, perhaps even without the guide, allowing people to discover their own favorite places and moments, and take photos to exchange in the evening during/after dinner.
Dinner: restaurant in Beihai Hotel.
Taste the food in pure Yellow Mountains style, very original and cooked in the local style.
After Dinner:
Yellow mountains sea of clouds Bild: Archiv
Photo exchange, as well as discussion about the past busy days, YL and YoYo will join the group to read some poems and talk about their experiences with China's changes and the situation now. It is the time to summarize our thoughts and therefore to prepare for new steps.
May 19th (Tuesday) - Yellow Mountains
Morning: Yellow Mountains.
Get up early to see the sun rise from the sea of clouds (if we are lucky) above the famous landscape of Yellow Mountains. Then walk around to feel the mountains again before other tourists arrived. The morning is a heaven of bird song. People can try to find the places they saw on others' photos the night before.
We then descend from the mountain. Some will take the cable car again, some might be interested in walking down, it is a beautiful walk (about two hours), offering extensive views of the mountains.
Lunch: a rather simple lunch in a “people's restaurant”, perhaps “Farmers Happiness” again, with local foods, at the foot of the mountain.
Afternoon: bus to Hong Cun (Hong family's village).
This village is famous for its perfectly-preserved houses in the original Huizhou style. Characteristic of the style is a black tile roof, whitewashed outer walls, and floating platforms by the paths. The interiors of the wooden houses have some beautiful carved decorations and the family's temple, where the discussion of our first Chinese – English Poetry Festival (titled “Yellow Mountains Poetry Festival”) is held; it is huge and serious. Since Hong Cun is under official protection as a UN Cultural Heritage site, there are no hotels in the village. So you can experience the true traditional way of living here.
Dinner: in Huangshan.
This dinner will be held in a very good restaurant that cooks typical Anhui dishes, We shall invite some local well-known poets, artists and musicians to join us, and show us their art, music and calligraphy. Yellow Mountain is famous for the classic cultural traditions of the intelligentsia because the best-known inkstones, rice paper, and inks were produced here. The local artists might show us some extremely valuable antique inkstones that they have collected themselves.
The traditional village Hong Cun in the Yellow Mountains area Bild: Ventus-Reisen
Overnight in a hostel near Hong Cun village
May 20th (Wednesday) - Yellow Mountains/Shanghai
Morning: She Xian – Bao Jia Ci Tang (Yellow Mountains area).
She Xian (She County) was the ancient central town of the Huizhou district (southern Anhui province). It's well known for its deep and rich cultural tradition, and very strong adherence to education in families. Thus many famous Classical literati came from here, as well as the most important figures in modern Chinese culture of the early 20th century.
Bao Jia Ci Tang is a village not far from She Xian. It is famous for nine huge stone gates given by the emperors to award members of the Bao family who passed the difficult imperial examinations. The gates created a great street to let people enter the village, where most of the original houses have been very well preserved.
Lunch: final nice local foods on the way to the Yellow Mountains airport.
Afternoon: flight to Shanghai, and check in to hotel.
Shanghai has a rather short history, based on international trading, but it rose to the challenge of the modern transformation of Chinese cultural tradition perfectly. So Shanghai is always a window on China but open to the world. This style is clearly visible on the banks of the River Pu, where our hotel is.
After checking into our new hotel “Baron”, people can have a relaxing walk along the river embankment, to feel the enormous energy of the city. On one side are the old buildings in the colonial style, the trademark of Old Shanghai; on the other is the busy, working river, along with the forest of 21st century skyscrapers, marking the modern city. Walking between them, you will feel as if you are in a time machine, seeing the rapid changes to China.
Dinner: Nanling restaurant.
Nanling means “actress and actors of southern theater”. The name stems from the fact that it is located in the back yard of the Shanghai Peking Opera house. The restaurant has some very typical Shanghai-style dishes, which were developed from Yangzhou cuisine, but transformed into softer and slightly sweet tastes (Shanghai is farther south than Yangzhou).
Shanghai: the business area Pudong Bild: Ventus-Reisen
There are many poets, artists and intellectuals living in Shanghai, and we will invite some to join us for the first evening. On the first evening, we could invite Yan Li, a talented poet and painter who has known YL since 1970s. Or perhaps Chen Dongdong, another very good poet, who was sent to prison for almost a year, then composed a wonderful sequence titled “Unbanned Book” (published in Jade Ladder); or Xiao Kaiyu, another talented poet who has been living in Berlin for quite some time and speaks German....etc. They might give you some very first-hand experiences of life and literature in China today.
May 21st (Thursday) - Shanghai
Morning: Shanghai Museum.
Shanghai Museum is no doubt the best museum in China, because of its extremely rich collections and the beautiful way they are displayed.
We will meet Zhou Ya, the well-known archaeologist and specialist on the Chinese bronze era, who is the head of the department of bronzes at the museum. By his arrangement, we can visit the perfect traditional garden hidden ten meters underground. It is normally a place only accessible to the highest-ranking professional visitors, to look, study and discuss never-displayed national treasures, such as the original paintings of the Song or Yuan dynasties, the ancient writings of the I Ching (Book of Changes) on thin bamboo, or the powerful yet extremely delicate bronze era pieces. Mr. Zhou, or other specialists, will give details of each one.
Apart from the hidden garden, the normal exhibits in the museum are also worth a much closer look. You can see ancient jade pieces with inconceivable carving, fine imperial porcelain, made for the emperors of different dynasties, and world-famous calligraphy and paintings created by extremely well-known artists; all are among the one million pieces. Mr. Zhou and professional guides will explain them in detail.
Lunch: foods of inspiration.
We shall have lunch with Mr. Zhou and few other professionals, such as historian Prof. Zhu Yuanqing, to continue our inspirational morning. They will be very happy to answer questions from the group.
Afternoon: visit to Liu Dahong's studio.
Liu is one of the best-known (and most expensive) artists in China, and as is usual in that case, he is also a figure that creates a lot of political controversy. He and his students mounted an exhibition entitled “Cultural Revolution” to challenge forgetting of the past. The exhibition was banned by officials, sparking a nation-wide debate. Surprisingly, Mr. Liu and his students won the fight, and the leader who banned the exhibition lost his job. Mr. Liu's style is both serious and funny, wonderfully technical yet highly conceptual. To see his painting and to discuss the arts with him is always a great joy. He will also bring along some of his students, giving us an opportunity to meet the future generation of the Chinese arts.
Dinner: restaurant with typical Shanghai dishes.
Shanghai: the Bunt street alongsite the river Pu - a popular promenade.
We shall invite more local Shanghai artists, such as Hai Chen, a wonderful contemporary porcelain artist (who has a shop selling her beautiful wares for everyday use), or Jiang Cheng, a well-known film director who has won many international prizes, or Wang Yan and Huang Shuhui, two of the new generation of publishers. They published YL's books and have always used creative means to break through the official restrictions on publications, or Prof. Chen Sihe and Prof. Chen Xiaolan, who teach at Fudan University and the University of Shanghai, so they are very familiar with the state of the Chinese educational system. The dinner will be a brainstorming session on China.
After dinner: People could walk around the city and the riverbank, enjoy the nightlife of Shanghai, sit in a bar to sample all different kind of drinks, or seek out theaters, concerts, dancing, or even literary events, to get a feel for this famous “city of endless nights” (the nickname of Shanghai).
May 22nd (Friday): Shanghai
Morning: Yuyuan Garden.
Yuyuan garden is the only traditional garden within the city of Shanghai. It is in what is called the old town, but is now a hugely colorful and busy market. The millions of things on sale, like the delicious local cakes and desserts, together with so many toy and gifts shops, always made Yuyuan beloved by the locals. But apart from that, it's has the very typical characteristics of Chinese gardens – the little bridges, the pavilions, the ponds and fish, and a very good teahouse. That is the perfect place to have a cup of fresh green tea on the upper story and watch the bustle of people; a nice way to feel one is in real China.
Afternoon: free shopping time.
Shanghai, one of the few traditional areas Bild: Ventus-Reisen
Shanghai is heaven for shoppers. Whether you’re looking for highly expensive goods to extremely cheap stuff, there are always some places for you. This last afternoon will be the ideal time to find gifts for your family, friends or yourself, YoYo and other friends will tell you of many shops. This is going to be a “heavy” afternoon, because nobody will return with lightweight bags.
Dinner surprise: a good restaurant with newfound artist friends, or follow their recommendation to some unknown place (like the small but so delicious restaurant named “St Paul's Bar”). You will not be disappointed.
After dinner: once again time to try to find a show – particularly Shanghai local and traditional theatre (Hu drama), or the traditional Yue theater from Zhejiang province (very near Shanghai), but hugely popular in the city. It's famous for having only actresses on stage; all the male roles are performed by beautiful girls. Or Peking opera, performances that have also been very popular in Shanghai all the way back to 1920s, perhaps because of the wealth of the city. Those so varied theater styles, originating from other places but congregating in the city, are a perfect way to check out Shanghai as a meeting point of Chinese cultures.
May 23rd (Saturday) - Shanghai
Early morning check-out of the hotel and departure from Shanghai Pudong airport at 13:15 (1:15 pm), to return non-stop to Frankfurt. Arrival at 19:00 (7 pm).
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NOTICE: At the time of announcement of this tour the mentioned friends of Yang Lian and Yo Yo announced their willingness to meet the group. On which evening they will be available will be fixed and announced on short notice. If one of the mentioned artists is not able to meet the group, other friends of Yang Lian or Yo Yo will stand in for this person.
