Monday, March 20th

For the videos from Sunday... (If you did not read Sunday's post – please refer back to it)

Sense I wanted to post these videos on youtube anyways I can share them with you that way. This first video is music being played by the students in the "post-performance" show. After they performed, a few of us were brought up to how to play traditional Chinese instruments. We learned simple tunes like "Twinkle, Twinkle Litter Star".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5cJ5ZOJA0s

This second video will remain very special to us. In about the middle of the show they brought out a table... and there was no program for this presentation of theirs so we had no idea what was going on. "Perhaps you should all take a step closer for this one" Justin (Kris's friend) suggested to us. So we all crowded around this small table as a girl began to write.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=260hkBE4JAo

Anyways, the next morning we all hopped on the bus for a three hour ride to Shanghai!

Shanghai is one of, if the not the, largest city in the world. It holds roughly 1/5 of all construction cranes in the world. In 2007 there were over 2,000 buildings in Shanghai that were over 40 floors. Obviously it is a much higher number now....

For lunch we stopped at a place where they served a "Mongolian BBQ". Pretty much you go through a line and choose which meats, greens, and sauces you want..... then these dudes cook it on a big round table with huge chopsticks. It tasted fantastic.

Once we got to Shanghai we visited a silk factory/museum. Silk is a huge trade in China. Just google image "chinese dress" and those are all made from silk.

It all starts with the cocoon, and they slowly take the threads off by soaking them in water and then raveling it up on a wheel. Seen here:

Once they have a ball of silk, they stretch it as far as they need it to go. Here they are making a silk comforter.

After applying layers and layers of silk, you finally have a very very soft comforter. Aaron is very happy with its softness.

After that they brought us to a small store in the next room where we were able to buy various products made from silk. After visiting the silk factory we went to the center of Shanghai. What I immediately found very interesting was the architecture of all the buildings. No one here just "builds something". Everything has to look interesting, and unique! Here are some pictures I got of many interesting looking buildings.

By this time it was getting close to dinner and Natasha's mom had invited us over to her very nice house near the middle of Shanghai.

This house had a lot of history too it, and for that reason she had a museum next to the house to present this amazing history. Here, I am looking at the house from their lawn. Their lawn. In Shanghai land goes for several thousands of dollars per square meter, so having a lawn in the middle of Shanghai is not exactly common. But with a beautiful house like this, you need a lawn.

In the museum there was a picture of her family in front of the house 70 or 80 some-odd years ago.

This is a beautiful family tree she had made. Natasha is at the veeery bottom.

Here is a view of the driveway, looking out from the second floor of the museum.

After dinner we went to see the famous Shanghai acrobats. There were many acts, including the well known contortionists.

Please take notice of the women on the right. I didn't capture it on camera but she was holding herself up with her mouth. And then of course there are the girls in the middle who........ yeah.

These girls put on an impressive performance as they balanced spinning plates on sticks while at the same time performing acrobatic stunts. For this particular picture a girl is walking from head to head. While spinning plates.

These two guys showed off their amazing strength as they held each other up in almost impossible positions. Almost.

These impressive fellows jumped through hoops, flew over each other, and various other acrobatic stunts.

This game is called "fit everyone on the bike". They succeed.

This video I recommend you watch at your own risk. They impressed us as a motorcyclist did flips and loops inside a big cage. They made us cringe when they brought a second motorcyclist into the cage. By the time they brought out the third guy, I had to record it....

IF YOU ARE GOING TO LOOK AT ANY PART OF THIS BLOG, WATCH THIS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtPJ4qMvsIQ

It was a long day of touring, walking, and watching. Now we rested in our hotel rooms with a bright view of Shanghai night life. I remember sitting onmy bed that night wondering what was in store for us tomorrow, in one of the biggest cities in the world.