We begin climbing stairs almost immediately to reach the Jade Screen Cableway building.  As we climb the long flights of stairs I am greeted by signs overhead stating that the wait from this point is two hours, one hour, and then 30 minutes.  Fortunately for us we move as swiftly as my legs can carry me up the long stairs.  In my heart I am grateful for the tram as it will carry us up the mountain.  The wait to board the cable way is just a few moments as we have not come at a busy time.

The Jade Screen Cableway was established in 1996 carries tourists from the Merciful Light Pavilion (Ci Guang Ge) to Jade Screen Pavilion (Yu Ping Lou) near the top of the mountain. One cable car accommodates six persons at one time. The car slows as the previous guests exit the car and we climb aboard car #13.  I wonder, if the number has any significance and then discount it as a superstitious thought. Our car glides swiftly up a distance that would otherwise require 3 hours on foot. I see the stairs descending below and silently thank the people who constructed this cableway.

This version of the previous image has been zoomed in hopes of showing you the number of stairways on the path to Turtle Cave. You can see the white railings along some of the stairways as they zigzag across the mountain before turning to pass through the cave. After clearing this narrow passageway through the cave, you must make a final assault straight up to the top of this ridge. (The trail to Angel's Landing in Zion National Park is a "walk in the park" in comparison to this trail.) The stairs are unrelenting.  My calves are screaming from the steps.  I try to place my full foot on the steps before pulling up, but sometimes the steps are too narrow for my big feet.  The railing is so low at this point that I feel I might fall backward as I feel gravity pushing me down as I struggle to pull myself up this mountain.  I ask Cristine if I can steady myself with a hand on her shoulder.  Although I do not lean heavily, it seems to help keep me climbing upward at a steady pace. As we turn toward the base of the Turtle Cave I realize there is no railing in this passage and I pause to steady my nerves and catch my breath. I pause and sit in the shade of the mountain before turning to make my assault on the final third of the climb. Just a brief note . . . It is during the brief rest before Turtle Cave that an Asian man politely asks my age.  I am somewhat surprised as most Chinese would never ask such a personal question, but I tell him through my translator.  He beams with a large smile, gives me the thumbs up, and commends me for making the climb at my age! (Or at least my translator is censoring the remark in an effort to protect what little pride might be left in my struggle to achieve the summit.)  Someone please tell me that this is the last climb of the day! I might be able to walk 4 miles in one hour, but those are relatively level hikes in comparison to this day. 

This morning I pack my carry-on suitcase with the few items I am taking with me to Huangshan later today. Then I prepare to meet Xu Xin who graduated from the University of Utah last spring.  I await her arrival in the Guest House lobby.  She arrives with a bright smile.  It is great to see her and enjoy a lunch of Japanese food.  We walk 15 minutes back to campus and chat non-stop.  I enjoy learning about her activities and aspirations.  Unfortunately, our time together is too short.  We return to my room and gather my items to await Wang Yu’s father who will drive me to Huangshan. 

Mr. Wang Qinzhang arrives with Mingli (Cristine, my English translator) and his brother-in-law, Zhang Xi.  Mr. Wang is gracious and friendly.  We greet and instantly communicate without formal introductions. I can see Wang Yu in her father’s eyes.  Dean Li and Xu Xin see us off in the sleek black Toyota. I slip into the backseat next to Cristine.  The car has a built in GPS system that has guided them to the campus. Although I cannot understand the voice prompts from the GPSystem, I can follow the indication of time and kilometers to go. Our journey to Huangshan begins smoothly.  The first hour disappears slowly as we maneuver through Shanghai traffic.  Cristine and I become acquainted in the back seat of the car.  As we pass the suburbs of Shanghai the factories and small businesses give way to rice fields.  I wonder at the 3 story houses that dot the landscape.  It appears that the effort is to save as much land as possible for agricultural use. It is further interesting to see the metal structures that appear on the top of these houses.  I begin to wonder if these are Chinese lightening rods but I am informed that they have been put there by the residents to have the tallest home.  It is the Chinese version of keeping up with the Jonese!

After 3 hours of driving on expressways, the road begins to curve around mountains and through long tunnels.  In the late afternoon light I point out the tea trees growing above on the mountain sides as we smoothly sweep around the mountains. We are approaching Huangshan and I begin to pay close attention to the roadside although it is difficult to see much as it is now dark outside. As we arrive in Huangshan we are greeted by bright lights of multiple colors and shapes.  Along the river there are lights not just outlining buildings, but along the walls of the river.  It is somewhat like the decorations we might see at Christmas time in the Kansas City Plaza Shopping District.  The city is dressed in lights to welcome tourists and to create a fairy-tale vision of a city of lights.

Our car arrives at a local restaurant known for its organic food, Hai cuisine. A young woman springs from the door of the restaurant and I am introduced to Wang Yu’s mother. She is energetic and welcomes me with a bright smile. I immediately feel comfortable in her company.  We enter through what appears to be the kitchen with several woks filled with bubbling stews and meats.  Live fish, turtles, and birds seem ready to prepare for the pot. We climb the wooden stairs to a private dining room in this small quaint and homey building. I learn quickly that Huangshan cuisine is simple, clean, and flavored with herbs and salt.  A few appetizers are brought in to our table almost immediately.  One server pours a cup of hot tea.  I savor the fragrance of the green tea before sipping from my cup.  It is warm and refreshing.  My cup is refilled several times before the meal really begins.  A large pot is brought in with a soup.  My hosts inform me that you can only get this dish in Huangshan as the small creature used in the soup is found in the crevices of the rocks of the mountains here. From the white and black skin and the small bones, I gather that this is stone frog soup.  Not one to refuse without tasting, I begin by blowing on the bowl to cool the liquid.  The first taste reveals a soothing flavor that is light on my palate. I have not perfected my ability to remove bones delicately so I fear I look a bit silly to them at times. My hosts inform me that this dish is good for your bones, vision, and general health.  I serve up another bowl of the soup. Another dish features tender bamboo that is grown on the mountain.  It has been flavored with mushrooms and a type of sausage.  Delicious.  A tofu dish is served that has a strong aroma which at first makes me hesitate to taste the dish. As the dish makes a second round on the spinning “lazy Suzanne” I take one slice of tofu . . . I hesitate for a moment and then steel myself for the taste.  The tofu is surprisingly light and delicate in flavor. A large crock of a barbeque type flavored meat is served.  This tastes much like Kansas City barbeque and quickly becomes one of my favorite dishes in Huangshan. There are several other dishes but I fear that I was quickly becoming lulled into a food stupor.  I graciously extend my appreciation and attempt to wean away from the table.  The server replaces my plate and refills my tea several times before the plate of watermelon is brought in to signal the end of the feast. I am ready to slip into a deep sleep after a long day.  My hosts take me to my hotel room that has already been readied for me at the Huangshan International Hotel.  Without any hesitation, I am quickly fast asleep.   

 

Today I have been invited to a wedding here in Shanghai.  This will be my first time at a wedding in China.  A member of the faculty in the College of Finance at Shanghai Normal University is getting married so there is an entire bus load of people traveling together to the wedding.  The bus is loaded by 10 am to begin our journey to the wedding.  It requires an hour to drive to the hotel where the wedding is taking place.  We arrive and proceed up the grand staircase to the restaurant banquet room . . . we are greeted by the groom and bride at the door.  She is stunning in a white wedding gown that has delicate beadwork and detailed stitching.  There are photos with the guests and I am made to feel most welcome.  Peter escorts me to my table . . . it is not long before the program begins.  I will prepare a slide show for the photos and video that I took.  Let me say that the bride was beautiful but had little time to sit down for the meal.  After she was brought into the room by her father, she is given to the groom.  There is a ceremony and speeches exchanged before the bride and groom exchange vows and rings. The bride changes clothes into a beautiful blue dress and then again into a magnificient red dress.  The meal was unbelievable! The table was overflowing with food and still more food arrived.  I tried everything . . . even turtle, sea cucumber, and several dishes that I did not know their names. I will try to prepare a lesson on the Chinese wedding traditions.  All in all the food was outstanding . . . I will not need to eat for the rest of the day.  I loved the lobster, shrimp, fish, numerous vegetables, and even the liver.  The seafood soup was delicious. One of my favorites was the steamed buns . . . I love the broth inside.  By the time they served the last two main courses, I was so full.  No one touched the whole chicken or duck.  Later I learned that this was tradition.  When they served the fresh fruit and wedding cake I was not really tempted by the cake at all.  I tasted it using my chopsticks . . . chopsticks really make it hard to eat cake.  So maybe in the future I should take chopsticks to all family birthdays and then I will not eat any cake or ice cream.  After the meal the bride and groom visited each table to thank their guests for coming.  It soon became a fun series of challenges for the bride and groom.  I held a small fruit on a string from a single chopstick.  The bride and groom had to catch it between them and share the fruit.  It was so much fun.  Time flew by and soon it was 2 pm and time to return to campus.  Now I am so weary, I must struggle to stay awake a little longer.  May the bride and groom enjoy many happy years together and be blessed with a happy and healthy child.