Shaoxing: Dragon Boat Weekend

Olivier visited us last weekend during the Dragon Boat Festival.

Olivier and SB

We met him in Zhangpu and hadn't seen him since we left last July, and he is in Dalian for the next few weeks on an assignment.



His visit was a last minute surprise, as we he didn't know he had the weekend off until Thursday night.  He hopped a flight to Hangzhou Saturday morning and was here by the afternoon.  We were excited to see him!

Before his arrival, I hadn't had the opportunity to explore Shaoxing much more than I did with Marc. With a whole three-day weekend, however, we hit the major tourist spots.

The first night we meandered through the canals and residential streets, catching up on lost time as we strolled.  Olivier had been to other parts of the world, including a stint in Saudi Arabia.  He talked about his family back in France and life on the road.  Like most reacquaintances, we picked up where our relationship left off, and the months apart shrunk into obscurity.

The next day was cloudy, humid, and rainy, but that didn't stop us from adventuring.  The day before, we spotted an ancient district near our hotel with a hill-top pavilion.

The hill-top pavilion

Shaoxing is an ancient city, home to a number of historical figures, and there are numerous preserved districts for tourists to visit.  The district we visited that day was an ancient school.

As we climbed the hill, we passed temples and school buildings, restored to or preserved in their original state.

The first school house on our climb

The climb wasn't steep, but it was long and muggy.  We were drenched with sweat when we got to the top, and we had yet to climb the five stories to the pavilion's top.

When we got to the top, the view was spectacular!  Shaoxing, like Zhangpu, is a flat expanse of city between mountains.  We had a panoramic view of the area and could spot many of the city's landmarks, including our hotel.

View from the pavilion.  Our hotel is in the batch of buildings in the middle of the photo.

We descended the hill into a residential area and happened upon a park along the river.  Being a Sunday and holiday, there were families enjoying the time off.  As we strolled through the gardens, it started to rain.

The hotel was a mile away down along the river, so we trudged through the down pour.  I had an umbrella, but Olivier refused to share it.  He wasn't afraid of melting.

Big net fisherman near our hotel

Sara Beth had to work the next day, Monday, so Olivier and I went to Dong Hu (East Lake).

Waiting for the crowds at Dong Hu

Dong Hu is a man-made landmark from the late Qin Dynasty (remember that crazy guy?).  It was carved by miners who quarried rocks to create the canals around Shaoxing.

A series of canals wind through the park and bluffs.  Visitors can ride on gondola-like boats through the narrow waterways.  Unlike the gondolas of Venice, however, the gondolier rows with his arms and feet.  The upper body rows the left oar, and the lower body kicks the right oar into action.  It looks like a coordinated dance!

Row-Kick canoe paddling

The park was busy, as it was Dragon Boat Festival and Dong Hu a major tourist attraction.  People rode the boats, climbed the carved rock faces, and even practiced their archery.  Families picnicked, and kids ran wild, playing in the sunny weather.  One of the staples of Shaoxing is stinky tofu, and the vendors filled the park with its gag-inducing aroma.  It was a scene reminiscent of Un dimanche après-midi à l'Île de la Grande Jatte, but in China and with the odor of rotting corpses.

Picnickers in at the foot of the Dong Hu bluffs

After we passed the entrance, picnic area, and vendors, we took a path up the quarry bluff.  It was a steep climb, but there were stairs.  Like the hill-top pavilion the day before, we were tired when reaching the summit.  At the top of Dong Hu, however, there was a refreshing breeze unobstructed by the low tea plants covering its top.

Blue skies and tea fields at the top

We walked above the man-made waterways and encountered very view people.  The view wasn't as nice as the hill-top pavilion's, but the steep cliffs gave us a vertiginous sensation.

Don't look down

When we got to the trail's end, we had to take a ferry across the waterway.

Trail's end

After Dong Hu, we hailed a taxi back to the hotel so Olivier could head back to Dalian.

It was a short visit with Olivier, but very meaningful.  We've been in China seven of the last twelve months, and much of our survival and comfort can be attributed to the lessons he taught us while in Zhangpu.  Between Marc and he, I've been spoiled with visitors, but I hope they won't be the last for too long.

Now, it's time for life to normalize in time for the World Cup!

Hamming it up with a waitress dressed in Brazilian "Samba" hats