Looks like an oil-painting, right?

This artwork must have taken someone painstaking amounts of time to complete. Sure it looks like a painting (size was about 10-feet wide by 4-feet tall), at least that's what I thought at first when I spotted this piece in the lobby of a restaurant we stopped at for dinner. 

(Below) However, on closer inspection it is revealed not to be brush strokes, but stitches. Yep, the entire thing is embroidered! What a massive undertaking...and blades of grass and flowers....it's like doing a 100,000-piece jigsaw puzzle without the box-cover to look at. Awesome, just awesome.

(Below) Detail on another embroidery located in the same restaurant lobby. Magnificent work, exquisite craftsmanship. 

(Below) This picture was also of the 10x4-foot variety. Extraordinary stuff.

Victorian Architecture?

Gathered for a Brew - Nanjing Road, Shanghai

Several of us stopped for conversation and a frosty beverage at a local cafe/bar while visiting Nanjing Road. Of course street performers and peddlers of all sorts casually strolled by doing their thing. Spencer (on right) and my other buddy Mike each purchased a set of wheels that clip onto your regular shoes, transforming them into rollerskates. Rail-slides and skate-trickz abound..drinks, and a show!

The Crystal Entity

Couldn't even tell you what the name of this crazy sculpture is. Just out of the reach of Nanjing Road, this enormous park with walkways and a giant sculpture resembling the 'Crystal Entity' (any Star Trek fans in the house?). Anyhow, nifty...to say the least.

Electric bike parking, en masse.

Hello Kitty, Elaborate Trees, and Me.

My friend Scott ahead of me almost disappears into the crowd on Shanghai's shopping mecca Nanjing Road ( Wikipedia - Nanjing Road (Shanghai) ). Hilarious tales to be told of getting caught off-guard as westerners when children just squat down and urinate as required right in the middle of a very busy walk/roadway. Anyhow, the shopping experience was interesting and despite the facade of small doorways, many buildings held gigantic shopping mazes within. Some places were a labyrinthine mix off thin corridors and steep stairs with boutique-style shops crammed this way and that in seemingly haphazard fashion.

There was however an order to this chaos that the local people understand all too well and it is well known that following the wrong rabbit can get you stuck in a hole you can't pull yourself out of. Side-street merchants are always calling for you to follow them down some alley or another with promises of 'the best wares in all of China', for the cheapest. Buyer beware though, 

(Below) Yeah, I rocked the Hello Kitty prop, and still completely confident in my manhood. ;)

(Below) Are you kidding me?! Even the trees!?! Yes, even the trees have been grown together in  patterns to improve aesthetics . The trees shown below however marked the end of our   trip down Nanjing Road.  We couldn't decide whether to turn around here or proceed forward into unknown territory.

(Below) Nanjing Road gets a hearty thumbs-up from me and several of my companions as many of them acquire interesting trinkets and saw many interesting things in such  tightly-packed area. I mean some of these shopping mall areas behind little doors and entranceways were 10+ floors, criss-crossing escalators and store after store after store. Very good deals in a few places was the general consensus, but overall there was hardly room to bargain. My Sifu had previously recommended that the group reserve any shopping for further in the trip. Primarily because of expense in the area, but secondly we had an inside-flight to catch and needn't be paying extra for overweight baggage this early in the trip.   

Nights of the Round Table.

Well-deserved dinner. Not so much for the tofu or fish dishes but I tried a little of everything once out of a sense of adventure, and a little hunger. ;) Frequently throughout our journey were the round tables with spinning glass tops and plethora of tasty food.

Dinner at last.. and some crazy jade sculpture.

Even the lobby of restaurants bore resemblance to small palaces themselves. Large jade sculptures graced the foyer, greeting us as we came entered.

Below, a busy street marks the spot just before our restaurant. Not sure how anyone finds their way around in this scenario, all the street corners are so busy and coated with cables and wires and signs, oh my...

A Last look at the Garden...

Above, me and my kung-fu brother Scott chill for a photograph near the exit from the Master of Nets Garden. Not even sure how much time passed here but the scenery and history of the area shall not be forgotten.

(Above) Carvings in everything! Some of the best rock-carvings I've ever seen. This would make one kick-a** tombstone for a kung-fu warrior. That dragon clearly will not let anyone bad disturb the peace of anyone lain below.

And will a last look back into the garden, our swarthy band of heroes forages to the next destination.. Dinner! =D

Master of Nets Garden - Continued

I mean seriously, look at the detail in this carved furniture...crazy stuff. These artisans definitely knew what they were doing.

Room Interiors just as Extraordinary. - Suzhou Master of Nets Garden

R2-D2?! ...Nope, Guy with a Whistle.

I was aghast (is that the right word? lol), at how much this whistle sounded like R2-D2. Now we all know how George Lucas got the idea, hahaha. After a long walk around to the poignant side of the lake where the boats were docked our team gets ready for a trip on Tai Hu lake (or Lake Tai).

Here's a link to some additional information about Lake Tai:

Lake Tai - Wikipedia

Cotton Weaving - Yes, people still do this by hand!

Our tour-guide Tony describes cotton weaving in the traditional style. The craft is of course passed down generation to generation. I was in awe at the fact that that across several moats, down through narrow passageways in rooms that have withstood the test of time...people are actually weaving cotton by hand.

Entrance to the Master of Nets Garden

An ornate incense pyre and throngs of tourists (including myself) outside of the Master of Nets Garden in Suzhou, China.

Rollin' into Suzhou

A brief glimpse into life aboard the tour coach, more to follow later i'm sure.

Details within the Garden...

Our journey through the maze-like causeways, arches and rocky paths seemed eternal, but the staggering beauty of our surroundings kept us ever-curious of what lay around the next corner. It was though the placement of every tree and boulder had been pre-planned with surgical precision, anticipating the growth of flora years in advance to culminate in such incredible displays.

Even the windows between areas (show below) were rife with carved deco of superb quality. 

Guardians in many shapes and sizes stood watch over not only rooftops but nearly every arch and doorway as well. Seen lining the roof edges are a line of bats, considered to be very lucky.

More of the Master of Nets Garden, Suzhou, China

Enter the Master of Nets Garden - Suzhou, China

Some of the most visually stunning scenery I have ever laid eyes on. I captured a ton of photos and shall be posting them momentarily. So beautiful, so imaginative in it's design and construction. From wood carvings and stone sculpture to the very numerous statuettes that line the tops of nearly every roof in the area. Various creatures and heroes of legend stand watch over all below, warding away evil spirits and guarding those who dwelt here...and perhaps those who walk there today.

 For more information on this incredible historical monument, please refer to the following links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_the_Nets_Garden

And the front of our hotel in Wuxi looked like...

A short clip showing the brightly lit water fountain deco in the parking lot of our hotel in Wuxi. After an incredibly long day on the bus we we're relieved to be getting some quality 'off-bus' time. Our arrival however was late in the evening, but that still didn't stop some of my kung-fu brothers and sisters from tracking down a good time. It was off to the waterfront for drinks and such. Incredible weather; light breeze, warm but not too warm. I think for most of us the thrill of being there was still at it's peak with no signs of abating.

Oh the Artwork, the Magnificent Artwork.

As mentioned, the sculptures, the paintings...nearly everything was so intricately detailed and priceless in it's construction that mere photos do not do the pieces justice. Here's some photos anyways (see below) :) and now it's off to the Gardens....

Bird-on-a-Stick, it's what's for dinner.

Grilled bird-on-a-stick. Looking at them now the do seem appealing but at the time, we were 50/50 on whether or not to try anything out of a roadside stand. Still interesting cuisine was always on the menu regardless as most of us had never been in China, so all was new and exciting...perhaps 

A Busy Marketplace, but What a View.

The busiest of marketplaces in Shanghai. Many of us had to restrain ourselves from buying too much so early in the trip as we were all reminded of the weight restrictions when flying. The sounds of haggling everywhere as shopkeeps vyed for attention but the architecture and landscaping was way more distracting. Several people acquired nice art and gifts for our coming meeting with the Shaolin Monks.

Juxtapositioning.

Me chillin' in front of one of the many statues that stood on almost every corner in older parts of China. Everywhere a person went were signs of old-world craftsmanship juxtapositioned against the background static of technological advancement.