(I apologize for the second post in a day - the post before this one was supposed to go up yesterday, but through a combination of internet issues and my own stupidity, I lot it and had to reconstruct it...)
We woke up this morning and had a tour of Lanzhou planned before we left for the airport to fly to Chengdu. We were met by Fiona once again, who took us to the Gansu Province Museum. On the way there we passed the largest mosque in the city and around the area were a lot of Muslim men and women. Women covered their heads, but not their faces. We had seen a scattering of Muslims throughout the city during our day - they fit in, interacted with everyone else, and were accepted. This is an example of Lanzhou's long history of minorities.
Gansu (which is where Lanzhou is located) has an almost 8,000 year history. It sits on the Yellow River - the "Mother of China" - and vied with the Tigris & Euphrates for the start of civilization. We were supposed to have an English guide, but something happened, so the Assistant Director of the Museum, and Head Curator, came down to give us the tour. I should say here, this is nothing out of the ordinary in China. Everywhere we have gone everyone is so willing to drop everything and help us - it doesn't matter who they are or what they are doing. Needless to say, the tour was fantastic.
Gansu was the home of the Silk Road and there was an extensive exhibit of its history and artifacts (but very little to no silk...) We saw the famous bronze "Flying Horse" - the modern symbol of Chinese tourism. (I promise, once I get home, I will add pictures. Some of them are just outstanding and breathtaking...) We saw pottery, bronze, jade, and porcelain - some of it almost 7,000 years old!! We then saw an exhibit on the minority antiquities, with an emphasis on Buddhist art and statues. They were phenomenal.
The local dish is Beef Noodles and Fiona took us to a beef noodle shop where they showed you how the 4 different kind of noodles were made and made them in front of you. (Round, flat, wide, and triangular.) We then went to the Waterwheel Park. As recently as 1952 Lanzhou had 250+ waterwheels on the river. The park itself was beautiful - with antique waterwheels and a long, tree lined path along the banks of the Yellow River. There were families out playing badminton and taking pictures. We saw a bride and groom - many couples come to this park to take pictures. There was a traditional style Chinese bridge and an amphitheater where the Chinese Opera does summer concerts.
Then, it was off to the airport, with Dr. Tang joining us. He will be staying in Chengdu for a week to observe and learn with his colleagues in what, we hope, will be the start of a wonderful relationship between the two hospitals. It was a quick trip - 1.5 hours - from Lanzhou to Chengdu, which is located in the Szechuan province and is known for its spicy food.
We landed and immediately you could feel the difference in the cities. Chengdu is calm, stable, not in a hurry. The traffic was manageable - almost sane. There were not flashing neon lights all over. Event the architecture was more subdued. It is a modern looking city, but not flashy and vying for your attention every second, it seems to be calm, confident - aware of itself and saying, "Here's who we are. We hope you like it. If not, that's okay." And in the few hours we've been here, the people are the same. Shanghai seems like and exciting and wonderful place to visit. Changchun was trying so hard to prove it belonged. Lanzhou was a bustling, lived in city trying to stave off windstorms and poverty. Chengdu is a place you could live.
At least, that's my impression after 5 hours...
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