| Silk Factory | Canal Trip |
| Suzhou Bar | Humble Administrators' Garden |
Silk Factory
Suzhou is one of the biggest centres of silk exportation throughout China. This city produces over 15% of all the silk exported from the country as a whole. The silk factory is fascinating. The silk worm coccoons are first boiled in hot water and then the single thread that constitutes each one can be unravelled. Six coccoon threads are expertly spliced at high speed by the workers into a single continuous thread, that is as you would buy it in the shops. After the thread is made, it can be sold on, but there are other products too. The coccoons that are twinned (two worms join their coccoons naturally) can not be unravelled so those are boiled and then stretches out. During stretching, a single coccoon the size of a thumb will extend to the area of a double quilt, which is what they're used to make.
The Suzhou canal system is extensive and used to be linked as far a Beijing. Today the canal system is the hub of life for many families who make their living from it and live on it. The general form of trade is transportation of aggregates for construction purposes. The canal boats are loaded so heavily with aggregate that it seems impossible they don't sink, even small waves ripple up and over the sides of them as they drift passed. They are very hard to steer in the narrow, winding canals so one person is always standing on the bows with a huge bamboo stick ready to punt the boat in the right direction at a moments notice. If you didn't know that was what it was for you might think it could be used for fishing (big fish that is). Along the sides of the river, old fashioned houses, almost fall into the water, propped up by decaying masonary. Families continue their normal life as you float along staring into their backyards. Then with a jolt the boat hits the side of the canal again, and a another chunk of masonary breaks off and sinks into the inkey blackness.
As I write this, I am drinking a bottle of cold Budweiser. Why do I mention that ? Because that's what I was doing when this photo was taken too. If you ever go to Suzhou, go to this place, it was such a good night out I can't quite remember it's name but if I had to try I'd say it was called the Milan Bar. I'm sure you'll recognise the bar staff though - the best in the city. Of course I don't remember their names either (they weren't easy to say, in my defence), but what did matter was the beer, the singing, the video disco and the beer (did I say that twice ?).
The strangest song / video I think I've ever seen was played that night and I've tried for hours to find it on the ubiquitous web. Depite my efforts I've failed so if anyone can help I'd be very grateful.. The song contains the lyrics : 'Ay Ay Ay, where is my samurai ?' and the unforgettable 'I will be your butterfly, red green and blue like the colours in the sky.' . All wrapped up in a Japanese House beat and a tragic video. Maybe there's a reason why I can't find it..
This garden is the ultimate Feng Shui experience. It is both vast and intricate. Filled with landscaped ponds, laden with Koi, intricately shaped exhibition stones, verdant lawns and exotic fauna. The garden atmosphere is calm and relaxing, a place for whileing away hours doing absolutely nothing. A perfect break from the hectic world outside, the en-trance fee (a staggering 50 pence sterling) is worth every penny. Pictured is H, relaxing under a banana tree overlooking one of dozens of landscaped ponds filled with beautiful multi-coloured Koi. The water lillies growing here extend across other ponds entirely, packed so densley it appears you could actually cross, frog style - all in bloom, a breath-taking sight.
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