A Date With Wuxi / Shanghai (我与无锡、上海有约)

Day 5!

Perhaps due to the reason that we were heading to the city of Shanghai later~

The mood was just damn excited!! =)

Finally got the chance to visit one of those big cities in China or even the world!!

But first, back to Wuxi(无锡) first~

Hmm, if Nanjing was famous for the production of jade, then Wuxi was famous for their pearl!

Due to the lake of Taihu which was a fresh water lake，

it was an ideal place for all the growth of oyster~

And from there, the citizens here managed to get the shining pearl!

Seems interesting huh?

Yeapp, definitely so!

If U think that jade was a bit old-fashioned even though it was a precious one,

then try put on a pearl instead~

Pearl may not had that much of history as jade possessed,

but still, a pearl did managed to bring out a gorgeous you! =)

And, here did offer you many types of pearl accessories such as pearl bracelet, necklace, ring, ear ring, and even some handphone decorations too!

Plus, it was more cheaper than the cost of the jade!

*If you managed to see your own image on the surface of the pearl, that the pearl was a real and precious one!* =)

*Some pins with pearls! Nice?*

Due to the lower cost, all the ladies in the trip began the tug of war with the pearl sellers!

They decided to gathered around and bought together the same item~

After that they will started to bargain with the pearl sellers about the prices~

And thankfully, they got it!

The pearl seller did lower the price and all of them were just so happy with what they got in the end!

HAHAHA! {We did spent around 500 RMB （人民币） there with some items in the end}！

So, as usual after that visit we went to take our lunch~

And after bidding farewell to the local guide there, we were officially on our way to Shanghai!! =)

And after two hours of bus ride, we are here!

It was really buidlings and skyscrappers everywhere in this 20 million populated city!!

 *On my left*

*On my right*

*Spotted!A temple in the middle of the city!*

So, our first stop at Shanghai would be a shopping street there~

And it was a place where we can get some cheap buyings especially after spending so much days earlier!

Woohoo, thanks to our considering tour guide! =)

 *En route to the shopping street*

*Bamboo! But no sign of a panda ='(* 

So, after 5 minutes of walking, we reach the shopping street~

And once again, I or we was completely amazed by the surrounding there!

It was just so China style!

And some shops were just completely the same as those thousand years ago?

Here's the proof:-

*Before entering the street*

*Haha, after editing*

So, ladies and gentlemen, fasten on all your seat belts, we are travelling back to time! =p

*The building behind was famous due to the visit of America's ex-president, Bush before!*

*The view there was just simply fantabulous! =)*

Okay, time to back to the real world now! =p

We did some shopping there, before that~

It was really a nice feeling of shuttling between all those old streets~

Highly recommended here! 

Well, after a trip to the past, there was more adventure installed for all of us~

Earlier, we had paid 320 RMB (人民币） to watch two shows~

And one of the shows actually took place here! =)

But, before, of course we were taken to heal our hungry tummy first~

*Our first meal in Shanghai!*

Next, we continued our journey~

Our next stop would be a famous acrobatic group known as "Shanghai ERA acrobatic group“~

And the theme of the show would be:-

*ERA Intersection of Time with the slogan "MISS IT ,U MISS SHANGHAI!*

And the show will take place here:-

*Some said it looks like a durian, some said it looks like it a pineapple?(Malaysian tropical fruits) How about you?*

Well, it turned out that we were not allowed to do some photographing or recording inside the place there~

This was again due to the fact of copyright well reserved there~

What to do, again had to let all of you dissapointed again dear readers~

However, you all can still look out for more about the show here:-

http://www.era-shanghai.com/era/en/ (English version)

http://www.era-shanghai.com/era/cn/ (Chinese version)

But, seriously guys, dont ever miss it if U're in Shanghai next time!

You will for sure regret for not coming!

All those amazing stuffs, I let you all to rate it by yourself next time~

So, after the show, it's time to check into our hotel~

And it is time to call it a day too!

However, there will be more to come from Shanghai tomorrow! 

Do stay tuned for:- 

*A Date With Shanghai / Wuzhen (我与上海、乌镇有约)*

A Date With Nanjing / Wuxi (我与南京、无锡有约)

Time flies~
My journey was 8 days, and I found my trip was already half way there in China when I woke up today~
So, really need to appreciate more on the moments in China~~

Well, to kickstart our schedule today was a visit to the "Longest Railway Bridge" in the world!!
Wow, according to the tour guide, on top of the bridge was road for cars, while below was the railway tracks! Hundred thousands of cars passing by the bridge every day!
And it was something like:-

*A bit blur~Well, it was raining when we were at there*

Oops, not forgetting the name of the bridge was "长江大桥”~ (The Bridge of Chang Jiang)
And the name of the river was "长江河"~
With an approximate length of 1900++km~
And can go as far as Shanghai~

*An overview of the Chang Jiang river*

Well, this visit only made me more impressed on this country~

Additional info, the bridge was being designed by the people of the Republic of China only!

Without any helps from other countries!! Big big clap!!

Afterwards, we was on our way to one of the free duty shopping centre there~

But, there was something special about the shopping centre~

It sold only one thing~

And the thing was----------> "Jade"!

According to the tour guide, the history of jade dated back to thousand years ago~

Where it was being used dowry for the bride that time~

It was being considered as something very precious and gorgeous to be put on it~

Every woman in China loves it, besides it will also not harm the prestige of some reknowned family 

for giving someone a jade as a gift~

Here's a question for you, guess how much did this costs?

*Well, the prices were actually a staggering 6 figure amount! Gosh, i can bought cars and houses with that amount! *

Hmm, anyway, my dad did bought my mom a jade necklace~
It costs us 180 RMB which would be RM90 in Malaysia~
And afterwards we did took our dinner there too~
Managed to have a taste of a local cuisine's here-----> 南京盐水鸭！ (Nanjing Salted Duck)!
Here's how it looks like:-

*Just like the name, a bit salty, but still, YUMMY!* =)

So, after the lunch at the restaurants there~

We bid farewell to Nanjing and say hi to-------> Wuxi (无锡）！！

Hmm, actually this city was not that small at all~

Having a population of about 4 million, it was famous for:-

1. The Third Largest FreshWater Lake In China, "The Lake of Taihu" （太湖）！
2. The Production of the 3 Whites Of Wuxi (无锡三白）--->White fish, white prawn and the silver anchovies~

*The lake of “Taihu” (太湖）*

 *From Taihu, The White Prawn!*

*Again, from Taihu, the white fish* (Caution: Please be careful when u r eating this, there was many tiny little bones inside it)

Ehh, not forgotting about the tourist attraction that we were going to later~

That was the "Mountain Vatican Palace" --->灵山梵宫~

This was a sacred place for all the Buddhist devotees for your info~

And the compound there was just so big that we need to take a car ride to get to one place to another~

But, you still can choose to walk and explore around, but that will take you at least 2 and a half hour!! 

So, will let the photos do the talking about the place:-

*佛祖-释迦摩尼佛* U need to climb around 278 flight of stairs to reach there for your info~

*Amitabha*

*Another antique furnace being spotted! Love the design!*

 *And there was more Buddha statue to be spotted!*

 *天下第一掌 (The World's First Palm) Cool to Max!*  (A touch on it grant u luck in your life)

And next, here comes the big one!

Our bus arrived at the “Mountain Vatican Palace) “灵山梵宫”~ 

*Hmm, still look normal at outside*

But, wait till you see the inside~

 *Tadaa, amazing right?!*

 *If that wasnt enough, how about this?*

 *Or this?*

*Or the young guy here promoting how good it was?* =p

Well, I hope those photos did convince u~

As the whole palace were being decorated or designed with the best quality wood in town!

Had you heard of Sandalwood? （檀香木）

If yes then you can found this type of wood in the palace almost everywhere!

And there were more photos to come in this classy palace! =)

 *Rabbit daddy* =)

 *Chicken Mummy* ^^

 *Monkey Brother* ><"

&

*Goat Me* =p

So, after capturing with our own zodiac~
It's time to move on!
After all were on the bus already, we were brought to watch a static show~
And here's how the show:-

It was actually about a lotus blossoming with the god of Guanyin sitting inside it~
And this of course with water with a few storeys high being sprayed across the god of Guanyin~
And for your info Guanyin again gave protection and love to all those who needed~
She was just fair and equal, get what I meant?

So, basically that's all our visit at that marvellous place~

Even I'm not a sacred Buddhist devotees will fall for it~

That place was just awesome!! =)

Then, headed to had our dinner at the nearby restaurants~

And at night, we were allowed to do some window shoppings before heading back to the hotel~

So, I called it a day with that!

And dude, do stay tuned for Day 5！

It's time to chant “夜上海，夜上海，你是一个无夜城”  =)

Bye folks, thanks for viewing and remember to click my ad's before leaving ya! 

*A Date With Wuxi / Shanghai (我与无锡、上海有约)*

A Date With Suzhou / Nanjing (我与苏州、南京有约)

Okay, here we go again~
Without me realizing it, now it is already my third day in China~
Everything went well, and seems like I had adapted to the surroundings here~
But, deeply miss my friends back in Malaysia and my dear dar of course~~

Well, enough of the craps~
Today we started off with a visit to a silk factory in Suzhou~
The name of the factory was "The First Factory In The World" (天下第一厂）
And I was like "WOW" after hearing it!
Wondered how it looks like~ XDDD

*There was flags of countries all over the world hanging outside the factory~Hmm, quite grand huh?*

*Before entering the factory~*

Hmm, looks like I had really underestimated the factory~

All the flags outside the factory means that that the people from that country had been here before~

And not onli that, kings and queens from some countries too had used the products of the factory too~

Wow, Impressive!!

Well, due to the reasons that all the products from the factory are well copyright reserved~

So, we were not allowed to take all the photos regarding the process of making the silks there~

But still managed to snap this photo~

*The leaf were being named as 桑叶~  Silkworm(蚕蛹）only feed on these type of leaves for your info*

Next, we were being guided to see the process of extracting the silk being spit by the baby silkworm~

To our amazement, the silk was so tough that we cant even tore the whole silk apart by punching it~

And the hand of the lady that help to extract the silk before putting it in warm water and putting it back to the machines after that, is as smooth as a 5 year old kid's hand (P/S: The lady was 40+ ady for your info)

So, after that was a tour around the shops there~

There were many kind of sleeping amenities that includes blanket, pillows, etc~

And amongst all, the best seller there was a blanket named as "蚕丝被" (The silk blanket)~

Which would cost u around 1400RMB (人民币）with two of those silk blanket and one cushion~

It is a bit expensive but u will really feel comfortable and cold being covered by the blanket~

& that is without the service of the air-conditioner at home every night when you are sleeping~

Thumbs up for the silk blanket!! =)

Hmm, because of the limited budget~

Just went for some window-shopping with my family there~

So, soon after we found ourselves on the bus leaving the factory already~

But still, this factory is a must when you visit Suzhou! Remember ya =)

Back to the bus~

We went to the no.1 village in China~天下第一村-HuaXi Village (华西村）！

Wait, before leaving, there's another sentence that sounds like "上有天堂，下有苏杭”

"There is heaven, and there is Suzhou and Hangzhou!"

Really in love with those breathtaking sceneries in these two cities~

Hope can back to here in the future!

So, back to where I left out just now~

Well, I dont remember exactly how long did it took to reach there~

But, all I know was that we were supposed to visit a pagoda and to have our lunch there! =)

And our lunch was not a common one~

It was being called as "The First Bowl of The World"~~"天下第一碗"!!

Slurrp~Saliva's everywhere~ =p

*Hi, Hua Xi* =)

But, First~

Here's the pagoda we will visit first~

*The Golden Pagoda, here I come!* =)

Hmm, there's another thing to take note here too~

The leader of the village was someone named 吴仁宝~

And thanks to him that the village was able to achieve what it had today~

Not only that they manage to build this gorgeous tower, but they were on their way of building the world's 7 tallest building!!

Wow, really, never ever underestimate the lower ranked people! 

 *The houses there..Captured from the top of the pagoda~*

*The builiding with the shape of a globe on its tops was said to be the world's 7th tallest building! Awesome!* =)

Hmm, didnt heard much from the local guide on top of the tower~

After staying there for half an hour, it's lunch time!

And here's the big one!

*Tadaa, "天下第一碗！I bet that U havent' seen such big bowl before?!*

It consists of pork's, some veggies inside for your info, but still, it tastes good! =)

And after the lunch there, sad to said~

It was time to bid farewell to this lovely village~

So, managed to snap these few photos as memories~

*Managed to spot these two quotes...Meaningful，right?* =)

Before leaving, once again, paid a big salute & bow to this village & the leader!! 

So, we headed to our next stop then~

And after 2 hours and a half sitting in the bus, we finally reach the city of Nanjing (南京）！=)

And the first place of attraction that we gone to would be the Nanjing Memorial Hall~

In chinese the name was 侵华日军南京大屠杀遇难同胞纪念馆~

The place was built in memory of those who got killed in the 1937 incident, where the Japanese had intruded the city and killed those innocent citizens around~

It was one of the black incidents in the history of China's~

And so, the tour guide advised us not to smile or joke around in the area and tried not to snatch photos everywhere~

This was as a sign of respect to all those deceased~ 

 *Some statues outside the memorial park~No mood to celebrate my arrival at Nanjing*

*See those figures? Well, it was estimated that around 300.000 people were killed by the Japanese~Mourn for them, may them rest in peace* ='(

Well, according to our tour guide which was a local citizen~

There will be a bell ringing on the 13th of December every year~

Purpose of doing so was to act as a reminder for every citizens of Nanjing about the incident that took place here the same day in 1937~

Next, this was another photo around the memorial park~

*The building symbolizes how it looks like before the war, the piece of land symbolizes the aftermath of the war, with the woman in statue looking at her loved one's at nowhere, while the green grass nearby symbolizes hope* Pathetic scene~ ='(

It really feel bad to witness by your own eyes on all the skulls of the deceased~

Some of them died horribly~

Being slashed for 40++ in the bodies~

And the place was just so creepy sometimes~

Yet it was just so touching as well, as when we finished taking a tour from the memorial hall, we found the "Statue Liberty of Peace"!!

 *The Statue Liberty of Peace*

*Peace in my hands, Said No To WARS! *

May all the people can lead a harmony and peaceful life ever after~~

Right next, we went to have a walk at the parks nearby~

Let's the picha's do the talking this time =)

 *Checked in at "The Stone City", hilarious name* =p

*Ghost Face Valley (鬼脸谷)* =p

 *The Four Of Us* 

*It seems like a perfect place to hang around for family in the evening*

 *A moment of brilliance from my lil bro~Love this photo! 8 <3

So, a trip to the "Stone City" was soon followed by a dinner at the restaurant nearby~

And soon, we were on our way back to our hotel~

That concludes day 3 generally~

A day of mixed feelings I would said~

Time to off folks~

Good Night and do stay tuned for the next posts~ =)

Till then, bye！

*A Date With Nanjing / Wuxi (我与南京、无锡有约)