Day 7 -- Huangshan Mountain, Saturday, December 13, 2008. We woke up early Saturday morning and took a 3-hour bus trip to Huangshan Mountain, also known as Yellow Mountain.
We took a cable car to the top of the mountain and spent the rest of the morning hiking the trails around peak. The air was thin, so we got pretty winded, but it was the first fresh (non-smoggy) air we'd had in days, so we happily gulped in the clean air while we could.
It was extraordinarily foggy, so our views were somewhat limited, but gorgeous nonetheless.
After hiking the trails we were excited to receive VIP treatment before heading back down the mountain.
We were greeted with a warm reception area and hot tea to warm us up on a cold, foggy day.
Back at the bottom of the mountain we toured the museum and were treated to another 3D movie. Actually this one was a 4D movie because the theater spit smelly water on us and the seats jerked around.
They showed two of the most disturbing cartoons I have ever seen. The first film followed cartoon animals through a history of prehistoric China. As viewers we were introduced to lovable 3D characters, only to see them fall to their deaths and be devoured by bugs and rats. The second film showed a cartoon grandfather explaining to his cute granddaughter the complete and total devastation that will occur in the event of an earthquake or tidal wave in China. It was packed with death and destruction. I'm not really sure what the take away was, other than don't take your kids to the 4D theater at the base of Huangshan mountain.
We rested on the long bus ride back to the hotel. After a nice dinner with local officials, we took an hour or so to do some shopping in Huangshan city.
Day 8 -- Hong Cun Village to Wuhu, Sunday, December 14, 2008. Sunday was another early start with a bus trip to Hong Cun Village, which was added to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site list in 2000.
The village was a wonderful glimpse into China's history. Notable for the preservation of its original architecture, it is also famous because Ang Lee's movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was filmed there.
After lunch in the village we boarded the bus and started the long drive to Wuhu. On the way we stopped and toured a school.
Although it was Sunday, school was in session and we were able to visit with some teachers and students.
The students live in dorms at the school and keep a schedule of 3 weeks at school, 1 week at home. Before we left we joined recess in progress, where some of our delegation shot hoops, jumped rope and got dominated at ping pong.
We finished the day at dinner with local officials from Wuhu city. They started the meal with goosefoot. It was amazing how many people wanted to join me as the lone vegetarian when the goosefoot was delivered to the table.
Day 12 -- Last Day in China, Thursday, December 18, 2008. We spent our last day in and around the city of Shanghai. We started the morning in Zhujiajiao, a suburb of Shanghai also known as water town.
We wandered through the small streets for some great sightseeing and shopping. We also took a fun boat ride through the narrow canals.
We made it back to Shanghai late Thursday afternoon and spent the rest of the day in a famous shopping district.
There was something for everyone -- even the Chinese version of a dollar store.
After a long afternoon/evening of shopping, we headed back to the hotel to pack for the journey home and for a final dinner. It was a nice end to a great trip.
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