Winter in the Tropics

Before classes started we took a trip to Kunming, Yunnan, which lived up to its reputation as China's "eternal spring city."Surrounded on three sides by mountain ranges, Kunming has embraced the spirit of modernization and is beginning to look like many of China's other mega cities.

One remaining gem is Yuantong Si, a large Buddhist complex from the Qing dynasty. The dragon sculptures are a gift from the king of Thailand ...

and are a big attraction for pilgrims.

A group of women from one of the minority groups; their dress is less colorful since they're married.



The premier natural wonder is Shilin, the Stone Forest, an exposed bed of limestone spires.

We, like these girls, wonder what the future holds for China.

A change in the weather caused us to shorten our holiday. But it all worked out in the end.

Back in China

Well, we're back in China. While we're in the tropical south, the winter is cool and damp although with no central heat it feels more like cold and wet. 

 We live on campus, and we're in the top right apartment.

 We arrived during the Chinese New Year, so our apartment door is colorfully decorated for this year of the dragon.

 We wake up to the sound of roosters. Chickens are everywhere, from this one in the courtyard to the ones who live on our roof.

Food vendors are busy outside the campus gate but always have time to visit with an old friend. 

 And we're back in the classroom. 

Time Flies

We leave for China tomorrow, following a semester at home. It doesn't seem like we've been back in Houston for five months, but then as our five year pictures remind us, it doesn't seem like we've been married for 35 years either. 

We started our family photo tradition in 1981 when Nils was 5 and Britta was 3.  

 And we've expanded from 4 to 10.

These figurines our Chinese students gave us are a reminder it's time to get up and move on.

January Road Trip

The blogger has resumed after a semester break, hitting the road to Arkansas and North Carolina.

Bentonville, AR, corporate headquarters of Walmart.

And the newly opened Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art http://crystalbridges.org/. This tree sculpture is the entry to the museum.

The architecture is worth the visit; this is the "11" cafeteria as it opened 11/11/11.

And we were on the first guided tour of the museum ... 

where the collection ranges from Colonial to Contemporary.

We stayed until dark in America's newest art museum.

And then to Fayetteville, NC to visit our Chinese students who are now studying in the US. We return to China in a couple of weeks for another year of teaching.

China Farewell

Our 7 week summer vacation is drawing to an end, as is our year of living in China. And we bloggers will be taking a rest.

Shanghai was a great epilogue to our China experience. As this city model indicates, it's a unique combination of river (the Huangpu), gleaming skyscrapers, and the grand buildings along the Bund.On one side of the river is the modern China ...

...

... and on the other side is the Bund, representing old Shanghai and its development by the British, French, and other foreign Concessions. Our teaching colleague, Alison, found the site where her grandmother was born in 1904. 

We experienced Shanghai's nightlife with a view from the world's highest lounge, in keeping with China's fondness of being the biggest, fastest, and highest.

But somehow this picture best symbolizes the paradoxical China we've come to know over the past year.

Sayonara

Japan has left quite an impression on us and we've thoroughly enjoyed our two and a half weeks here.

Hiroshima. Just over 66 years ago the world's first atomic bomb was dropped on this city. The Peace Memorial Park is a somber reminder, as the A-Bomb Domb testifies.

The museum has a powerful display of the city before and after the blast; this model shows the fireball and its devastating results. Given the March 2011 tsunami and subsequent nuclear reactor problems, nuclear energy is a hot topic in Japan. 

Back in Tokyo at the Contemporary Arts Museum we attempted an artful self portrait.

And met up with Kyoko, our Japanese exchange student from 21 years ago.

Our final day we walked in another one of Japan's incredible gardens, and here enjoyed the teahouse, site of a former shogun's estate in downtown Tokyo, and ...

... watched butterflies at work.

Daniel ponders as we get ready to leave. Sayonara! 

Love Japan

Our holiday in Japan is absolutely wonderful; it's so different from China.

There's nothing like a stroll through Tokyo's Ginza, one of the most luxurious shopping districts in the world. The department stores have basement food emporiums like nothing we've seen, with all the bowing staff dressed in black uniforms.

Even the sake barrels look appealing, although we haven't quite acquired the taste.

We heard the sound down the street, followed the crowd, and ended up at a traditional drumming festival  ... 

... eventually joined by dancers of all ages.

Then to Kyoto, a city renowned for its temples; this is the Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji), a Zen Buddhist temple founded in the late 1300's. That's real gold leaf.

And we marveled at beautiful dancers, the tea ceremony, and Ikebana (traditional flower arranging).

The phrase 'City of the Dead' came to mind when we saw this hillside Buddhist cemetary, where each headstone comes with containers for flowers and incense.

And you know you're in a great place when you discover long-hair dachsunds are one of the most popular breeds; one day we counted 8 of our furry friends and had our picture taken with Andy and Jiang.

A day in the coastal resort of Kinosakionsen soaking in the hot spring baths was a real treat, where we joined the tourists wearing yukatas (cotton kimonos)  and went spa-hopping.

We stayed in a traditional inn and enjoyed a full course dinner in our room on tatami mats, although getting up after dining was a bit of a struggle. 

Even the manhole covers are works of art!

Beijing to Tokyo

Continuing our summer travels, we completed the most essential goal of Beijing tourism and arrived in Tokyo.

We made the trip from Shanghai to Beijing on the high-speed train in less than 5 hours, zipping along at over 300 km/h. The day before we took this trip the Wenzhou high-speed train crash occurred, spurring strong public discussion of official mismanagement that seems on the right track.  

Built for the 2008 Olympics, the Beijing National Stadium is a marvel -- even the light fixtures match the Bird's Nest. 

And having visited the Great Wall, the essential Beijing pilgrimage, we can finally leave China.

Which we did, and arrived at the Lutheran Itchigaya Center guesthouse in Tokyo.

We joined throngs at the Sensoji Temple incense burner and 'bathed' in the smoke, thereby ensuring a year of good luck.

The center of Tokyo is the Imperial Palace where examples of classic Japanese architecture -- gates, bridges, and watchtowers -- have survived since the 17th century.

We came across a group practicing Kendo, a Japanese martial art based on traditional samauri swordsmanship. 

From the 52nd floor of the Mori Art Museum and Observatory we enjoyed a bird's eye view, looking down on an older landmark, the Tokyo Tower. And 3 weeks from today we return home -- finally!