Accommodation Dublin - Article Two shanghai Travel - Rotary Group Study Exchange Brings Trip to Shanghai,

After a five week Rotary Group Study Exchange Trip to Japan -- it was a pleasure to meet my Japanese friends -- and go off with them for three days in Shanghai and into the surrounding Countryside.

The following travels were an invitation from Japanese friends to go with them to China, after being the GSE team leader to Japan for our Rotary District. To find out more about the program go to the international Rotary website and search for GSE - Group Study Exchange - and contact your local Rotary Club for more information. If you are this age group - you could enjoy the kind of experience that is described in my notes in this article. And of all backgrounds - should know about - because it is a Rotary-funded six week study aboard and anyone can apply to be a part of this significant life experience, male and female, the international organization known as Rotary promotes yearly travel that all people between the ages of 26 and 40.

And more adventures come from Rotary GSE.

November 12th - Monday in Shanghai:

Jeans are everywhere - with "bling" - and the dress on women here looks like American women in designed jeans. Today her husband works for the water company - which was half acquired by the French several years ago. Lilly's parents were penalized twenty years ago for having two children - instead of the "one child restriction imposed by the government" - and lost half of their salary for several years. And Volkswagen has a join project with a Chinese venture here, a Buick, a Toyota product - and we commented on others, we drove in the company van - the Jin Bei. This time in history marks a major change for the City as many new buildings and public projects were completed - and we noticed that construction activity seems to never stop here. There is much labor in China - and we headed out this morning early over one of the six suspension bridges connecting the older west side of the city to the newer east side of the City - and all have been built since 1990 -- thanks to the Chinese labor force. No matter what job that they did, until only fifteen years ago all were paid the same wages. Lilly explained that many industries in China are still government owned and people are used to working for the government.

Shanghai is located at the eastern end of the Yangtze River (the "long river"). Emptying in the East China Sea - connecting five major rivers - and many many cities, we were surprised by the large sky-rising frames for the bridge that spanned the mile of the Yangtze River (the Chang Chang Jing River) - and as we looked down we witnessed the highly trafficked commercial river that runs west to east. We enjoyed the countryside along the way - the houses that surprised us with their grandeur and spaciousness - the neatly tended farms and water ponds and carefully trimmed bushes framing the highway. These are called the "national flag" - but the government has since said that in the City people can not hang their underwear out in this fashion, lilly told us that washing machines are popular in China but not dryers - so people hang their clothes out to try - and thus. In a town of about 130 million people - and it's a three hour drive from Shanghai through the countryside, today we are going to Tia Xing - where Kobayashi San's Knitting Factory is located.

Wrapped in a foggy hue, also, this setting on the Slim Lake would also be very beautiful in the springtime when the peach blossoms and other color enhanced the scenic picture - and we enjoyed today. I really liked the sesame candy and soon Xia brought back six packages to take home. And the 24-step bridge, and the bridge with five pavilions, we made our way under the arched bridges. And the classic beauty of this very Chinese setting, the willow trees gently descending to the water, enjoying tea and sesame candy - and beginning our float down the scenic beauty of the lake - past the pagoda style structures, sitting with the long table, we boarded the dragon boats, pulling up to the water. The former President of China and the home of the Shou Xi Hu (Slim West Lake), which is the home of Jiang Ze Min, about an hour away, kobayashi San and I returned to the van - to go to Yang Zchou, dennis, lilly, after coffee in the sitting room - Shidan Xia. Lunch was a grand feast in the company management dining room - so many foods - and we ate heartily. By the staff outside - and Tanaka San and Shidan Xia, chinese style, we arrived at the factory and were greeted.

We waved at the monks who now live in this Temple - and learned that monks have good wealth in China, on our way out. We entered the first structure and saw a big statue of Jian in gold with his disciples who were also gold statues on either side. Where the Buddhist monk Jian Chen (who went seven times to Japan to take Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty) - became a monk, we stopped at the Da Ming Temple, leaving the Lake.

We ducked in for one more -- yes -- Chinese foot massage to send us off into dreamland -- Chinese foot massages are the best, on the way home, and. It was fun to see and marvel at the beautiful finished product and talented production. Fukuoka Knitting Company also employs a large labor force to individually hand knit items, this factory uses knitting machines and hand labor - and in the regions of Korea and China. And gloves that are manufactured for the Japanese and other markets here - and sold for $400 and high prices, hats, dresses, adorning and finishing the high quality sweaters, intricate and calculated - and the next steps of measuring, it seemed that nearly a hundred young woman were in various phases of production - as we marveled at the exquisite patterns that were forming on the knitting machines. - and the diligent craftsmanship that has provided so many goods for us at home. This was a great opportunity to see the Chinese labor that we've heard so much about in the U.S. Were there well into the evening as the workday concludes at 6PM, all in yellow dress, which was located in the building - and the workers, kobaysahi San gave us a tour of his factory after dinner. We were limited to English understanding and marveled at the quick translations that could be made for everyone's enjoyment, several people could speak two languages - and no one spoke all three - and of course. We enjoyed laughter - and the round robin of language being translated from Chinese to Japanese to English and back again - more complex than my translation experience in Japan. Dinner back at Kobayashi San's Knitting Factory was again a sumptuous feast prepared by Tanaka San - including Japanese "hot pot soup" (with Kobe beef from Japan and good fresh vegetables of cabbage and spinach) and river crabs - and more than Dennis and I could begin to eat - the food was enormously abundant in both Japanese and Chinese offerings.

November 12th - Monday in Tia Xing:

Took me where I would probably not have gone without Rotary's international opportunity, of generous spirit, this connection, and today. Rotary is known for it's worldwide connections -- that foster understanding and opportunity for people to know people around the globe. Japan to reunite with Japanese Rotary friends, we were headed back in the van to Shanghai today and later to the airport to Fukuoka. Was much like our homes, and in space and size, her glow radiated a pleasure of the Chinese gaining economic ability with the fruits of their labors - and included a big screen TV in every room. We drove through the town to Xia's house - that she proudly showed to us. Xia gave us each lovely silk pajamas to remind us of this time together. Tanaka San cooked abundantly for us. Japanese soup and more again than is imaginable for us Americans, porridge, this was all before breakfast - and the dumplings of the market were steaming fresh on the center round of the breakfast table - with pickled foods. Seasonings and more, veggies, meats, dennis asked about the vegetable varieties which were enormous - and this morning we cruised the local market - to see the varieties that we'd seen on the table tops in the early stages of preparation - including all manner of fishes.

This article concludes the series -- Rotary travels to Shanghai