2011-7 Suzhou Silk Carpet Factory & Chinese Acrobats, Shanghai, China
Hello All,
After a full morning in Shanghai our next stop was a Mongolian Bar-B-Q for what turned out to be a wonderful lunch. The food was simply outstanding.
After a full morning in Shanghai our next stop was a Mongolian Bar-B-Q for what turned out to be a wonderful lunch. The food was simply outstanding.
Following lunch our next adventure was the
Suzhou Silk Carpet Factory. Wow, was it ever interesting! The first thing that caught our attention
upon entering was a basket containing silkworm cocoons--have you ever seen a
silkworm cocoon? It was a new first for us.
The local factory guide explained the whole
process of making a silk carpet to us. And, we got to watch the craftsman
(woman) at work. All the carpets are made by hand and are one hundred percent
pure silk.
Our factory guide explained
how to distinguish a good silk carpet from others by looking at the back. A
good carpet will have 640 tight hand tied knots per square inch. Only one
person works on each individual carpet. And, it will take that person about
nine months to complete it. In the following photo you can see the blueprint
she is following--talk about having patience!
Finished carpets hanging in
the factory gallery were absolutely fantastic. And, they commanded a price
commiserate with their quality. The gallery was about 150 feet long and there
were carpets hanging and stacked the length of the room on both sides. There
were beautiful quality pieces in color schemes to fit almost anyone’s taste and
décor.
We had about twenty minutes to
kill before our tour bus left the Silk Carpet Factory so we went upstairs to
the Shanghai TR Cashmere Company. They claim they were the first and largest
cashmere trading company in Shanghai and Eastern China. And, that their
cashmere came from the coldest areas of China which guaranteed superior
quality. Don’t know about all of that but what they had on display was
fantastic. There were cashmere coats, cashmere quilts, cashmere sweaters,
cashmere shawls, cashmere gloves and toys. It was oh so soft! The designs and
styles were outstanding. No, we didn’t buy any.
Back at our hotel we had a few
minutes to rest and freshen up before we were off and running again. Dinner was
provided at a local restaurant followed by a performance of China’s wonderfully
talented acrobats. Shanghai is the center for these world renowned acrobats.
For 27 centuries, acrobatics has been an honored art form in China. Their
incredible talent is legendary. They are known for their feats in circuses
around the world, including the famed Cirque du Soleil.
There is no way we can capture all their tumbling and dance in our little blurb. But, here are a few highlight shots of their strength and posed routines. They were fantastic.
Check this out!! Four girls are standing, each with a foot in the air, and a fifth girl doing a handstand on top of their feet!
There is no way we can capture all their tumbling and dance in our little blurb. But, here are a few highlight shots of their strength and posed routines. They were fantastic.
Check this out!! Four girls are standing, each with a foot in the air, and a fifth girl doing a handstand on top of their feet!
Now two girls are doing
handstands, each of them having a leg in the air and with a third girl doing a
handstand on top--simply amazing!
This one just makes your back
hurt looking at it! Their flexibility and strength was phenomenal.
The guys were outstanding
also. Talk about having strong bodies.
Also performing during the
show was a “bian lian” dancer. Bian lian, or “face-changing” in English, is an
ancient Chinese dramatic art that is an important aspect of Chinese Sichuan
opera. Performers wear brightly colored costumes and move quickly to dramatic
music. They also wear vividly colored masks, which they change within a
fraction of a second. You strain your eyes trying to figure out how they change
the masks--but to no avail. It is awesome to watch and extremely entertaining.
Here are a few photos of the dancer showing a couple of the different masks.
Here are a few photos of the dancer showing a couple of the different masks.
This wrapped up our first full
day in China. We were very busy, saw a lot of fascinating things and loved
every minute of it. Shanghai is truly a lovely city. Tomorrow we will fly to
Wuhan--but, more on that later.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns