Vacation/Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节

Some really good food

     Over the past week, my friend Melissa and I ventured out of Nanjing to Suzhou and Shanghai for our week long break. Overall, it was a very pleasant experience and would strongly encourage those who are planning to participate in the Flagship Capstone Program to travel whenever possible; The train from Nanjing to Suzhou takes only an hour or so. In Suzhou, Melissa and I toured many beautiful parks and gardens, and were even able to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with her family.

Humble Administrator's Garden

     One of the first attractions Melissa and I encountered in Suzhou was the Humble Administrator's Garden. This specific garden is perhaps the biggest and most well known out of all of the gardens in Suzhou. Even though the garden was definitely worth seeing with all of it's well-kept, unique architecture and it's abundance of greenery, there were so many people, it was almost impossible to wade through the crowds at times. This was undoubtably due to the fact that many people had time off because of the mid-autumn festival and wanted to get out with their families. Regardless, we were still able to see all around the gardens and take many beautiful pictures. 

Tongli Old Town

I think I've heard somebody call Suzhou 
"The Venice of the East"

     Our second most memorable excursion was to Tongli Old Town. It's a little ways out of the heart of Suzhou, but it is 
definitely worth the trip. The 
old architecture surrounded by canals of water was an amazing sight to see. There were many little gardens to tour, and many shops lined the streets, selling knick-knacks and the like.

    

Chinese Medicine that I'm not

sure is still legal to consume in

China anymore

     Although I had a lot of fun in Suzhou touring the Humble Administrator's Garden, Tongli Town, and trying different foods, I fell violently ill with a case of food poisoning on our third night there. However, I took this opportunity to try out some Chinese medicine pictured below. Because of the food poisoning, I wasn't able to eat that much of the Mid-Autumn Festival dinner, but since I'm not the biggest fan of Cantonese style food (Melissa's family took us to a Cantonese restaurant), maybe it all worked out in the end. 

The Bund!

     At our next stop in Shanghai, we were able to meet up with an old friend and explore the city. In the span of three or so days we explored so many places: The Bund, Lu Xun Park, the Marriage Market, The People's Square etc.

Melissa emerging from the mist in Lu Xun Park

     In my opinion, the Bund is super overrated, too many people (人山人海). In addition, the water is gross, and the area around it is too commercial for my taste.

     

     
     As for Lu Xun Park, we spent a lot of time around there since our friend Mace, who we stayed with, lived near there. It was a decent park with a decent amount of foliage, great for taking walks.

    
     For those who have never visited Shanghai before, the People's Square (人民广场) is a must, namely because the world famous marriage market is there! The marriage market consists of many older parents looking to find their children a life partner. Some say that this phenomenon 
emerged because many young Chinese people do not have time to date due to 
their busy work lives, so they have to rely on their parents to do the dating for them! On a 

Parents advertising their children at
the Marriage Market

side note, it is important to be careful in the marriage market; my friend Melissa was chased by man looking to pair her up with a suitor!

A more scenic shot of the Marriage Market

     All in all, this week was pretty action packed, and I had a ton of fun exploring both Suzhou and Shanghai for the first time, and I hope to return to both cities, maybe for a weekend trip. I am very happy I made the most of my weeklong vacation since I won't get any long breaks until the end of January!