Today’s blog is about the fascinating discovery in 1977 of the tomb of the Marquis Yi, ruler of the small state of Zeng, in modern Hubei Province. The Marquis died in 433 BC, during what is known as the Warring States Period. This completely preserved 4-chamber tomb has yielded over 15,000 artifacts, including over 100 instruments and thousands of weapons. To give you an idea of the size of the find, the bronze objects alone weigh approximately 22,000lbs!

In the ancient tradition, the Marquis Yi was not alone in his burial tomb (serving a royal really was a job for life, unfortunately it was just limited to the royal’s  life, yikes!). Beside his lacquered coffin were the coffins of eight young females, ages 13 – 24. These were probably concubines and/or his musicians. Also in the same room was the body of a dog, also in its own coffin. In an adjacent room were another 13 servant girls. All the girls had been strangled so that they could continue to serve the Marquis in the after-life, we know this because it was documented in the tomb. The dog’s demise was not documented (I know eventually someone will ask that question).

The greatest discovery of this tomb is the massive set of 65 bells, which required five people to play. What makes these bells extraordinary is that they are perfectly tuned to the chromatic scale, exactly the same scale that we tune our pianos to today. Each bell is even denoted with the tone it renders (two actually, a high and low). This set of bells is by far the oldest chromatically-tuned instrument known anywhere; it is older by almost 2000 years than the earliest Western instruments tuned chromatically! Music theorists had to totally rethink the origin of the chromatic scale!

The bells and other artifacts are on display at the Hubei Provincial Museum, which is in Wuhan, a popular stop along the Yangtze River. The Hubei Provincial Museum was established in 1953 and is one of the best known museums in China. It is a not-to-be-missed place to see on a Yangtze River Cruise.

All the Best!

Jia

My parents are returning to Beijing for a visit and it made me start thinking about how much I love my old hometown. This is the place where my dreams always started and landed – Beijing! There are so many memories there on every corner, every street and every sunset! So I thought I would share some of the wonderful memories from growing up there with a tour using your imagination!

Long Corridor Photo Courtesy of (c)Tomo.Yun (www.yunphoto.net/en/)

I want to start our tour with my favorite garden here –the Summer Palace. Even though it is called the *Summer* Palace, it is truly a Palace for all year round. In the spring time, it’s always so refreshing to see the first signs of green and the first blossoms, which is really nature’s wake up call from the long winter hibernation! In summer it is truly a beautiful paradise! You will be overwhelmed by the deep green of the trees; the grass and picture perfect Kunming Lake. Stroll down the Long Corridor at dusk to enter the feeling of this ancient imperial palace that is eight hundred years old. Fall is the season of colorful kaleidoscopes. The explosive yellow leaves of the Gingko trees appear almost magical. Climb to the top of Longevity Hill and get a birds-eye view of the northwest corner of Beijing. Or even more dramatically, enjoy a sunset moment and watch the sun slowly sinking into the Yan mountain range, with the silhouette of a classical pagoda standing on top of the Jade Spring Hill. What an unforgettable picture! In winter, see all the colors of the ancient buildings covered in the blanket of white snow. A white dream that has repeated for hundreds of years! When the sun comes out, you can see those colors slowly emerging and asserting their beauty, contrasting with the snowy world!

Summer Palace has always been my family’s special paradise! We have our fondest family moments there. Memories flood my mind, like standing by the Kunming Lake, soaking in the dramatic color of the sunset accentuated by the silhouette of Western Hill, perhaps even a group of geese flying on their way home through the curls of smoke from early dinner cooking. Each year on the Full Moon Day Festival, we would take our moon cakes with us to feast in the reflection of the most beautiful and flawless full moon of the year on the water of Kunming Lake. We often would stroll in the Long Corridor on the summer nights. It is all lit up and so quiet and peaceful.

Marble Boat Photo Courtesy of (c)Tomo.Yun (www.yunphoto.net/en/)

You can also see the lit up dragon boats floating on the lake and imagine every character from Imperial Chinese history who has lived here before. They might have experienced the same moment in the same atmosphere hundreds years ago, who knows?

Of course you will be starving after the wonderful day of exploring the park and the Imperial Restaurant in the Summer Palace is the perfect stop to end your day. It is located right in the middle of the Long Corridor. It was a palace for Concubine Pearl, one of the most beautiful concubines in the Qing dynasty. You can’t even tell it is a restaurant from its appearance until you smell the delectable aromas coming from it. Just walk into the old building and enjoy the ancient classical Chinese decorations while being served by elegant waitresses dressed in beautiful Qing Dynasty-styled robes. You will once again be surprised by the good taste that emperors had hundreds years ago! What a treat!

All the Best!

Jia

The Impressions of Liu Sanjie is a sensational night show performed in the largest natural theater in the world. It is a double delight in that the show itself is visually stunning, and the natural theater is so integrated into the natural scenery that it is a living, breathing part of the performance. You will see anything like it anywhere else!

The theater is a totally unique venue, with the waters of the Li River as its stage, and twelve mist shrouded hills and the sky act as backdrop. Mist, rain, moonlight, and the seasons ensure that every show will be unique. The auditorium is housed on the natural islands of the river with the audience seated on the artistically designed terraces, surrounded by green plants.

The Impressions of Liu Sanjie is a large-scaled show with 600 plus actors and actress involved. The show lasts approximately 70 minutes based on the classical Sanjie Liu folk songs. Sanjie Liu is a legendary figure in the Zhuang minority folklore. Her name literally translates as third daughter of Liu. Liu Sanjie was said to be extraordinarily bright as a child who was capable of singing about every object she pointed at. Due to her ability to compose and sing elegant and touching songs independently, Liu Sanjie was dubbed as “Song Fairy”.

The Zhuang people are the largest minority, second only in size to the majority Han people.

The Impressions of Sanjie Liu is a must-see on your visit to Guilin and Yangshuo. Yangshuo is just downriver from Guilin and we always recommend an overnight stay in Yangshuo when visiting Guilin.

Enjoy the show!

All the Best,

Jia

This guy is amazing! This Sichuan Opera company performs in Chengdu, which is the capital of Sichaun Province in China (home of very spicy food and Giant Pandas!).

This show is a must-see when you are in China and a bit hit with my clients. Sichuan Opera is famous as the face-changing opera. Their faces change in the blink of an eye! This show is authentic (not tourist kitsch) and you will see as many local Chinese there enjoying the show and their tea as you will tourists.

I will be posting some more video soon, including the face-changing (way cool!).

All the Best!

Jia

A fascinating yet little known fact is that Shanghai was a sanctuary for Jewish refugees fleeing the persecution of Hitler’s Germany. In fact Shanghai was the only place in the world that would take them in unconditionally. That is because Shanghai was the only place in the world that did not require a travel permit to enter!

Over 24,000 Jews found safe harbor in Shanghai from 1938 to the end of the war, many of them notable figures. Some of the notables that eventually came to the U.S. are Peter Max (famous artist), W. Michael Blumenthal and U.S. Treasury Secretary during the Carter administration. You can find more names and even more fascinating details on the web, including the Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Ghetto

I just wanted to share this piece of modern Chinese history with you. Most people understandably get lost in the rich and glorious 5,000 year history of China’s past, and it is easy to overlook the more recent chapters.

Of course if you would like to include this remarkable piece of history in your tour of Shanghai we would be happy to arrange for you to see the neighborhood where they lived as well as some of the still standing sites.

Happy planning!

Jia

Autumn is a great time to visit China. And with the airfares dropping, this autumn could be the best value in a long time. I did a quick, random search on Kayak.com from San Francisco and found fares as low as $773. With some search engine diligence and a little flexibility you can probably do even better than that.

Hotel rates have been coming down as well as capacity projections are not materializing. The one-two punch of the economic crisis and the swine flu have been hammering tourism and business travel in every part of the world.

The temperatures are pleasant and it is a perfect time to see the wonders of China and maybe even experience an unforgettable cruise on the Yangtze.

If China is on your must-see before you die list (and it should be!), then you should seriously consider going this Fall. This could well be the best opportunity in years!

Cheers!

Jia

I love the country side of Xi’an, especially on the way from Xi’an city to Terra Cotta Warriors Museum. It is a nice drive. Normally we’ll stop at Banpo Museum, where you can learn about the leadership role that women played in the whole society in this area. Other than its amazing exhibitions, I love the peacefulness and quietness of this place. Sometimes they play the ancient musical instrument there, the Xun, a kind of round, ball-like instrument with a hole on top where you blow. The tune is always so sad and vivid, fitting right in with the atmosphere here. Of course, the highlight is the Terra Cotta Warriors – the eighth wonder of the world! The Terra Cotta Warriors, created by Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of a unified China, this 8,000 strong army of life-sized warriors and officers along with horses and chariots serve as his eternal guarding force, still in their battle formations, facing east against the six conquered kingdoms; eternally vigilant and awaiting the command of their emperor! Emperor Qin Shihuang’s mysterious tomb is still uncovered and untouched, waiting for his day to face the world again! Each time while standing with them face to face, I still couldn’t believe the courageous look and spirit of 2000 years – what a breathtaking scene! Towards the end of the day, we’ll enjoy the same scenic drive back to Xi’an. The beautiful country scenery under the sunset makes you wonder how it looked thousands of years ago under the same light of sunset.

My next highlight is the city wall. Xi’an still maintains the traditional ancient city wall, which is square in shape and symmetrically designed. At night, the whole city wall is completely lit up, framing the beautiful silhouette of this ancient capital!

After a full day of visiting these treasures you can head to bed, and after such a rich and fantastic sightseeing you will have a sweet dreams: maybe greeting Qin Shihuang, or dancing with some Tang dynasty ladies…

My fun memory came from my shopping experience on Bakhor Street. I wanted to find some real Tibetan souvenir back home and finally I found a beautiful carved bronze incense burner. It was very elegant and carved with dragon and other Tibetan lions on the incense burner. When I started asking price, as I expected the owner, a Han people (ethnic Chinese) looked at me trying to figure out where I’m from. You see part of the art of negotiating is knowing who you are dealing with. I spoke mandarin with him and told him that I’m no tourist, so to get rid of his confusion about whether I’m not a real Chinese. He was quite impressed by my standard Mandarin, but still suspiciously looking at my husband and a friend who were with me, and both of them are Caucasian. I started countering his price with one third of his asking price, as I expected he wasn’t offended at all, and just kept asking me to increase the offer. I told him we had almost finished our circle in Bhakor Street, so I know the market price pretty well. He agreed to drop one third, however we still haven’t got agreement yet. Many locals, including vendors, Tibetans, and tourists stopped by and started to watch my bargaining. Even the Tibetan monk who was sitting behind the vendor started to emerge and show interest to our negotiation. … Eventually I got it in between one third and one half of his asking price, which is quite a good deal in my opinion. The onlookers seemed didn’t have enough of the show and were reluctant to leave; so I teased them and said the show is over. The vendor appreciated my business and carefully wrapped my incense burner for me. After I went back to our group meeting place, I showed our guide Lobsong my hard-bargained incense burner and told him the price, he gave his signature sunny smile first, and as I expected he said “It was okay…” I knew by his smile that I could have got better deal if he was there. But I had great fun there, and even today that beautiful incense burner is still the center piece of our dining table, reminding me all those fun times I had in the Holy City – Lhasa!

First, because of its high altitude, not everyone is able to go there, so makes it even more mysterious. As soon as we landed at Lhasa airport, I could feel the thin and pure air, even the sun seemed stronger. What a direct, bold welcome to “the roof of the world”!

Our local guide was a sunny young Tibetan man, who was once a monk. So my group was very lucky to gain a lot of deep, insightful knowledge of Lama Buddhism. Our guide Lobsong, who was warm as the Tibetan sun in Lhasa and a smile that was just as bright, impressed my group with his genuine honesty, and warm-heart.

Lobsong’s English was beyond my expectation, especially after he honestly told the group that he taught himself English and had never been to college. I really got tickled that whenever he had difficulty with English, he would pause and ask me in Chinese right in front of the group “How do you say… in English, I don’t know.” Then flash a big sunny smile. But when people asked anything about Lama Buddhism, Lobsong instantly lit up and gave a sophisticated lecture, including those big religious words which was even first time for me to hear! Our whole group fell in love with this genuine Tibetan boy!

My highlight was the day we visited Potala Palace, which was even more impressive than its physical heights – especially after we heard and had seen how religious it is here. It is a several hundreds steps climb one way up. Not everyone in my group attempted the trek because once you start climbing, you can’t go back; since it is one-way you have to keep going forward. So standing at entrance to Palace after climbing all those stairs, I felt quite a sense of accomplishment. Even though it was so high and the air so much thinner, it was well worth it ! The dramatic architecture of the Potala Palace framed in the unusually blue sky, surrounded by the mountains around, it was quite a picture!

On the way out from the Potala Palace, there were some Tibetan ladies working on repairing the roof, they were patting some dirt or mud into the walls with some very primitive tools. Our group had just finished touring the Potala Palace and on our way out. After several hundred steps up and down combined with the altitude sickness, no one had energy to talk any more, we were just trying to breath in the thin air and at the same time enjoy the unusual blue sky. It was quite a picture: the dramatic Potala Palace with its shining gorgeous red and gold colors under the beautiful sunshine, framed against the pure blue sky! Suddenly, the sound of a deliberately rhythmic beating came to us. All of the young women were beating the patching mud to the same beat. Then so naturally, a beautiful song began to flow out of that rhythm… Listening to them sing to the beat so cheerfully, the performing was magical! What a peaceful and natural scene! No one could make it as perfect as the way it was naturally made. Everyone stopped and looked up: there they were – those Tibetan girls dressed in their traditional dress sitting on the roof, patting and beating and singing in perfect harmony… They didn’t even notice that we were videoing them, just enjoying themselves in their work. They were so happy, even though they don’t have fancy designer clothes or modern lifestyle; they were being true to themselves. No one was directing, no one was following, but it made such a harmonious symphony! I felt my heart lifted with this original beauty of human beings, and I truly hope they can always have and enjoy this true happiness! That video is one of my priceless treasures I took home form Tibet!

Located at the foothill of Yan Mountain, on the western side of Beijing, Fragrant Hill enjoys the reputation as the best place in Beijing to see the autumn colors! Of course due to its naturally higher elevation, Fragrant Hill area also enjoys the fresher air of Beijing. Combined with densely populated trees and plant life, Fragrant Hill well deserves the reputation of Summer Retreat!

Even though Fragrant Hill is more famous for its fall colors, in my opinion, it’s beautiful during all four seasons. There are four attractions in Fragrant Hill area: Fragrant Hill Park, Beijing Botanical Garden, Cherry Blossom Valley and Reclining Buddha Temple.

Fragrant Hill Park is a large park of hills and forest covering 160 hectares (395.4 acres). The park was first built in 1186 in the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) and later extended to a large scale in the Yuan and Ming dynasties. The most spectacular natural scenery in the Fragrant Hills Park is the red smoke tree leaves over the mountains in autumn! When autumn arrives, fiery red leaves blanket the entire mountain. It becomes one of the top attractions for the locals to look forward to in the autumn!

Beijing Botanical Garden is a large 400 Hectare ( ~988 acres) park close to XiangShan at the foot of the Western Fragrant Hills. It presents magical, peaceful surroundings just 15 km from central Beijing. There are many local and exotic flora and fauna, including the Perennial Garden, Peony Garden, Ornamental Peach Garden, a magnificent 10,000 square meter Conservatory housing Rain Forest House, Orchid House, Desert Garden House, Exhibition Flower House and numerous other gardens featuring camellias, bamboo, tree peonies, ornamental cherries and many others.

Cherry Blossom Valley, (Yingtaogou) also commonly known as the Zhou’s Family Garden, is situated at the foot of Shou’an Mountain near Fragrant Hill Park. Walking west from the Botanical Garden, one comes to a narrow, winding path, which leads to Cherry Blossom Valley; a quiet, secluded valley ideal for a getaway from the city life. During the Ming Dynasty, the Temple of Wisdom (Guanghuisi) was built here. In front of and behind the temple were orchards in which cherry trees were especially abundant, which is how the valley obtained its name. It is so quiet and peaceful here, that you can hear the sound of a bubbling spring, the wind blowing through the pine trees and birds chirping!

My favorite is actually Cherry Blossom Valley. From the name you can tell this valley is full of cherry trees which are consider rare in Beijing. And you can imagine the best time for this part of Fragrant Hill is spring: during cherry blossom time. The whole valley is full of blooming cherry and all the other flowers: peach, magnolia, peony… it’s truly a fresh picture of spring! My favorite time is sunset time at Cherry Blossom Valley, after it has quieted down from a whole day of visitors. Since it’s next to Reclining Buddha Temple, you can basically walk in between the two places. With the solemn and peaceful atmosphere of the temple, you can even appreciate more of this quiet moment by yourself.

Another reason I love Cherry Blossom Valley is that the author of my favorite Chinese book: Dream of Red Mansion – Mr. Cao Xue Qin used to live here and supposedly was inspired here. If you want to read one of the true classics of Chinese literature, Dream of Red Mansion is an incredible, haunting love story that you will never forget! If you walk all the way to the end of Cherry Blossom Valley, you will see there is a famous site called: Pine Growing Out of a Giant Rock. This was one of the most memorable symbols in his book (Dream of Red Mansion) of the love and relationship between a girl and the boy. What a touching and inspiring story!

I highly recommend if you get chance to go to Beijing, spend some time in Fragrant Hill. Even though it’s not on top of the tourist’s list, its beauty and charm will be really win you over, especially if you are into the traditional Chinese culture. Try to spend at least one night there, slow down and wander around the old temple, breathe in the fresh air from the fragrant valley, immerse yourself into mother nature, read a couple of chapters of Dream of Red Mansion… That’s an enchanting moment of your life!