Day Four - Changsha

Okay everyone, this is my
second attempt tonight to update the site. I lost my first message trying to incorporate additional pictures into the mix. Silly, silly me! So, from the top, here we go again. The first two photos are from the HunanEmbroidery Institute from yesterday. As you can hopefully see this is some pretty amazing and wonderful work. I will again try and describe what you are seeing. It is two pieces of cloth, so thin you can not distinguish one from the other, sewn together in mirror images. On one side is the tiger and on the other is the panda. The base fabric is so thin you can see through it! It is impossible to see where one stitch from one end and where the other begins. Picture 3 is Deena, Gracie and I sitting outside the Institute where it is much cooler enjoying the Koi Pond. Picture 4 depicts one of the highlights of our day yesterday and today as we passed school kids getting out for their 2 hour break at 12:00. They were all so happy and friendly each laughing and saying hi! We saw a smaller number of them today as we made it a point to be on the street when they were out. In the last frame is the Little Princess doing her best impression of shooing away the paparazzi! Can't you just hear her saying "Not today, really, I mean it!" You will notice she is flanked by her bodyguards (the rabbit that Matt made for her and the panda mom & dad sent her in her care package to the orphanage). Today was a pretty relaxed day for us in the we had only scheduled event. This afternoon we visited the Yue Lu Ancient Academy Center. This was an institute of higher learning originally attended only by men. This facility dates back to the time of the building of the Great Wall. One thing I have learned is that stuff here is really old! (Looking around, I think that some of these people have underwear as old as the US.) I would encourage anyone to look the facility up on the web as it is most interesting. Upon conclusion of our visit our Helping Hand friend, Susan arranged for us to hear two musical pieces in a small theater on the Ancient Campus. The instruments were a flute and horn, a horizontal harp (much like a dobro) steel bells and slate plates. The tunes were remarkably beautiful. We were told that most Chinese music is for meditation. Obviously they have never listened to Chinese Rap. Yomorrow evening we leave for the final stage of our trip, Guangzhou. Here we will be staying at the famed White Swan and it must really be something if it is going to top the Dolton here in Changsha. More tomorrow. It's late.

Rick