Amber's Journal: Day 9

Today we started things off with some fan dancing and sword tai chi at a local park.  While I don't agree with the mandatory retirement thing in China (jobs are needed for the young) I do appreciate what people do afterwards.  They basically begin to study cultural things like opera, tai chi, traditional instruments, or other artistic things.  You become a means of preserving and transmitting culture!  Instead of working you teach stuff, study advanced skills and become an artist!  I thought that was a healthier concept for retirement than "sit down, get fat, and lazy yourself to death."

David and I attracted one retiree gentleman who was kind enough to share pictures with us--it was nice to see how the Chinese Paparazzi saw us!

Lunch was soup dumplings which is a concept we need more of in the US.  Fat, tasty little bundles of broth that you puncture then slurp up.  Even the mascot, a dumpling headed thingy was cute--"Big Mama Dumpling" and Steven looked cute as could be posing with it!

We then went to experience Yunnan Gardens.  This is a large complex which our guides called "The Chinatown of China".  I agree--this is a gorgeous, concentrated, traditional-looking, hyper-decorated place and I loved it.  (How I wish LA's Chinatown looked like this!) There's tea houses, a koi pond, statuary, restaurants and plenty of shopping--my neck got cricked from all the swivelling it was doing to see everything. I wanted to go in every building, look at every statue, peep at every bit of everything on sale...I'm sure it'd take only a month or so!  Steven and our local guide were kind enough to join us for a little shopping--and somehow the prices which we were told couldn't be haggled down in government stores dropped a bit! (Steven's dang good!)

I think we also attracted some of our largest crowds ever when we came out of one government store and stood near the Fu Dogs--at one point I think we totally filled the courtyard in front of the store we'd just been shopping in!