Suzhou
We meet on the bus at 7:45. It was a 3 hour journey leaving Hangzhou to Suzhou. On the way we learnt about arranged marriages and the 1 child policy.
At our rest stop I got a coconut and mango bubble tea.
First stop-Master of the Nets garden. The gardens are 900 years old!
Throughout the gardens there is a large step before entering a room. This is to make you bow.
Fish in Chinese is the same word for saving. It is in their culture to save money.
In 1966 people who could read and write were killed and the language is changed.
Men would grow their hair out as a respect for their parents. People from the North invaded and said they had to shave the top of their hair off. Thousands of people were killed because they refused to do so.
When men are 20 they are considered a man and get a hat to put their hair under.
Traditional women have to cover their mouths when eating because if they show their teeth or tongue it means they have to marry the person who saw!
The gardens were beautiful and full of fascinating history.
Then we went for lunch, lazy Suzanne style.
After lunch we went to a famous Silk factory. Silk worms make one single strand that is 1800 meters long! 1 female moth can lay 3 thousand eggs.
To check if it is real silk, you can rub the fabric on your hair and see if there is static and this would mean it is fake.
We looked at all the silk bedding, clothes and scarfs. Mum and I bought some silk and cashmere scarfs :)
We arrived at our new hotel at about 4:30pm and had the rest of the night free. We went to the nearby shopping centre with our new friends Mark and Sarah. We shared dumplings and noodle soups for dinner.
We went to a busy supermarket to buy some snacks for tomorrow and everyone started at us because we look so different!
