Post #104 9 June 2016

Gentlefolk,

This post describes our visit to Hangzhou, 3 - 6 June 2016.

We were lucky: our flights were on time, and it stopped raining shortly after our arrival.

Where is Hangzhou?

Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang Province, about 800 km due south of Qingdao.  It is not far from Shanghai. Hangzhou has a population of about 10 million.

This map of China shows Zhejiang province, and the capital Hangzhou.

A map of Zhejiang Province, showing the capital Hangzhou and neighbouring provinces. Shanghai is only an hour by high-speed train.

Hangzhou flourished as the southern terminus of The Grand Canal (approx 1,700 km) which linked Beijing and Hangzhou in 610AD. It got another shot in the arm when, in 1126, the capital of the Song Dynasty moved from Kaifeng to Hangzhou.

What's special about Hangzhou?

Hangzhou's most famous natural feature is West Lake.  There is a saying which goes something like "You haven't lived until you've seen beautiful West Lake".  It certainly is attractive; we were very taken by its tree lined streets and waterways, with lush hills and temples and pagodas in the distance.

We stayed in a small hotel about 2 blocks from West Lake.  Many modern shopping malls and restaurants.  The big Qiantang River runs through Hangzhou, but we spent all our time in the "scenic area" around West Lake.

Very unusual 4 storey houses on the drive into the city from the airport. We haven't seen this kind of architecture elsewhere in China.

Who is Hangzhou's favorite son?

The answer is Jack Ma (aka Ma Yun, DOB 10 September 1964), the founder and Chairman of Alibaba Group, which has its headquarters in Hangzhou.

Jack Ma grew up in Hangzhou. He sat the National College Entrance Exam twice, and still only got into the Hangzhou Teachers College (now called Hangzhou Normal University).  He majored in English and became an English teacher after graduating.

In 1994 Ma visited the US and 'discovered' computers and the internet. The following year, in the living room of his small one-bedroom apartment, he started "China Yellow Pages", reputedly China's first internet-based company. Then in 1999 he founded Alibaba which focused on e-commerce.

From such humble beginnings, a mighty conglomerate was born: last month Alibaba passed Wal-Mart to become the world's largest retailer!!!

Jack Ma went from zero to $25 billion in just 15 years. Amazing. His story has inspired millions, and he is known all over China ... a legend in his own lifetime!

Jack Ma with his brother and sister, on the banks of West Lake. 

Jack Ma with class mates at Hangzhou Teachers College.

Jack Ma and his wife Zhang Ying. She was a fellow student at Hangzhou Teachers College. They have a son and a daughter.

Jack Ma and Bill Clinton. Jack Ma is short and slight, but tough and full of determination and perseverance.

Arnold Schwartznegger and Jack Ma in 2010.

Jack Ma is a keen practitioner of Tai Chi; famous Tai Chi instructors give (compulsory) lessons to Alibaba staff.

Winners are grinners. Alibaba's IPO in September 2014 on the New York Stock Exchange raised $25 billion, a record, making Jack Ma one of the richest men in China (and the world). 

Some of Ma Yun's sayings

Many people said he was crazy when he started Alibaba: "Shopping online? Never happen!".

Here are some of our photos of Hangzhou

Walking along the shore of West Lake.

Attractive surrounds of West Lake, even a 'golden buffalo'.

Lots of people around the shores of West Lake; many little  jam sessions by mainly-older musicians and groups of people singing and  dancing.  Good to see people enjoying themselves.

Vera and Li Zhi Wei (Lena), a friend from Qingdao (ex-student) who was in Hangzhou at the same time. It was fun exploring the city with her.

I was fascinated by these row-boats operated with only one oar. Very skillful 

Lots of beautiful big trees lined the roads around West Lake.

We don't have trees this size in Qingdao! The buses were all battery-powered electric buses made by BYD.

The Bao Chu Pagoda, ancient but often re-built, most recently in 1933.

Quite a hike up the hill to the pagoda, 230 steps, but we made it!

Lots of young people climbed the hill near the pagoda to watch the sunset (even a couple taking wedding pictures).

Good sunset views of West Lake and Hangzhou from the hill behind the Bao Chu pagoda.

We visited the Ling Yin Buddhist Temple. These figures are carved into the hillside leading up to the main temple. 

Lots of people were making offerings in the main courtyard of the Ling Yin Buddhist temple.

Some Buddhist nuns praying at the statue of Siddhartha Gautama.

A giant statue of Guanyin (Goddess of Compassion) surrounded by 150 small figures.

The temple dedicated to General Yue Fei, a hero of the Southern Song Dynasty

The tomb of General Yue Fei (1103 - 1142), in grounds adjacent to the temple. At the age of 39 he was accused of treason by Prime Minister Qin Hui, and executed.  But later investigations found the accusations to be false (fuelled by jealousy); his name was cleared and he was give a hero's re-burial.

Attractive Inlake Youth Hostel

A view of the interior courtyard of Inlake Youth Hostel.

Some of the delicious food we ate in Hangzhou, including West Lake fish and Beggars chicken.

Back in Qingdao, the bus from Liu Ting Airport to Huangdao took the Jiao Zhou Bay Bridge - 40 km over water - always impressive (can you imagine a bridge linking Sydney CBD with Parramatta or Manly - crazy!).

And so ended a most enjoyable, albeit short, trip to Hangzhou.

Lots of people everywhere we went, but that's China. Mostly young people, well dressed and healthy looking. The restaurants were packed.

Hangzhou will host the G20 meeting in early-September 2016 - it will be in the world spotlight then.

...

Doubt we'll have time for any more tripping around before we leave in 4 weeks.  One more week of teaching, then exams and grading.  Our six years of teaching in China are rapidly coming to an end.  

Vera has already started packing - she is so well organised - and I'm sure our departure will go smoothly.

...


Best wishes, keep well and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn
Thursday, 9 June 2016

To watch YouTube video of Qingdao TV program featuring Alex Olah and Laxmisha Rai click HERE.  It's about 25 minutes, mainly in Chinese but enough English to get the gist.