Chendu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

Because we didn’t arrive back at the St. Regis Chengdu until after 10 pm, we were tired when we went to bed. We slept well until a little after 4 am then showered before going to the hotel breakfast buffet at 6:30. We loved the Chinese Opera last night but we turned in later than we were used to going to bed since we are still not fully adjusted to the 12 hour time difference here in China.  

Since we had packed the afternoon before so our bags could be transported to Xian, we didn’t need much time to prepare. We hoped that we would beat the breakfast crowd by showing up at 6:30 when the dining room opened. However, it looked like everyone had the same idea because the dining room was very busy. We had our usual breakfast of Chinese dumplings, steamed rice cakes and hot cereals. The servers were so busy that we didn’t get tea until we were nearly ready to leave. We didn’t stay long at breakfast since we needed to be on the bus to the panda preserve by 7:30 am.

Our local guide, Annie, gave us information on pandas telling us that the population had been rapidly declining because of habitat loss and diminishing food supplies. It turns out that pandas only feed on a few varieties of bamboo that grown in a small area of China. At one time pandas were widely distributed around much of the country but are now confined to Sichuan and portions of two other bordering Chinese provinces. The panda preserve promotes breeding of pandas as well as education on the importance of protecting these endangered species. China is very protective of the remaining pandas in captivity as well as those in the wild. A foreign zoo wishing to have a panda cannot purchase one. They can only rent an animal for one million dollars per year for a five year term. This all assumes that the zoo can provide adequate facilities and care to satisfy the Chinese panda team. In addition to the million dollar annual rental, the cost of feeding and caring for the panda far exceeds the rental. The types of bamboo required to feed the panda must be imported the regions of China where the bamboo grows.

At the Chendu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding we probably saw 60 pandas. The adult giant pandas need to be housed separately so they do not fight and injure each other. Since they are bred by artificial insemination, they are not even housed together for breeding. The younger pandas can be kept together to romp and play until they are about 4 years old. In captivity, the pandas often live over 30 years.

We started our tour of the adult pandas since they are usually more lethargic and are only active at meal time. Locals say that the giant pandas only eat and sleep. Because we were at the panda preserve early in the day at meal time we were able to see the adults moving some.

From there we went to the teenage pandas. These rowdy youngsters were full of energy and loved to romp and play with each other. They playfully bit and climbed on each other and tussled on the wooden structures provided.

The baby pandas in the nursery stole everyone’s heart of course. Some of the babies were tiny with eyes just starting to open. One newborn had a worker come in to wrap it in a towel to assure that it was staying the proper temperature. Each of the wooden cribs held up to eight baby giant pandas.

We were disappointed to learn that our visit to the panda preserve would not include the lesser red panda. However, during one stop we saw a sign pointing to one of the red panda areas so we opted to split from the group to see if any were out. We were pleased to find four red pandas chasing each other through a bamboo forest. They were running so fast that we were scarcely able to get a snapshot of them. These appeared to be adult red pandas who didn’t seem to have a problem with being in the same area. We walked on and caught two more red pandas feeding up in the bamboo. They were practically over our heads in the tall bamboo stalks. We quickly snapped a few photos then rejoined the group before were missed.

After spending about three hours at the panda preserve, we met for lunch at the café on the grounds of the preserve. We had a nice Sichuan meal with the usual lazy Susan and choices of beef, pork, chicken, vegetables, bamboo, lotus root, rice and noodles. Several choices were very spicy and included lots of hot Sichuan peppers. We all had our fill and walked toward our bus for the short ride to the train station.

We had about an hour to wait for our train so we walked around the Chengdu train station to look around as we waited. The train arrived at the station on time, and the Viking groups took most of the seats in our train car. The seats of the train were roomy and we were able to move around as we wished. We read, napped and played card games as we traveled the nearly three hour train ride between Chengdu and Xian. The ride took us through some beautiful country. We transitioned quickly from farm land to cities with skyscrapers and the ubiquitous cranes building more skyscrapers. We counted about 60 separate railroad tunnels on the rail line between Chengdu and Xian. There are times that we exited one tunnel then immediately entered another tunnel. The train ride was very smooth even though it went over 100 miles per hour at times. The train is not a mag-lev train like we saw in Shanghai but is a standard rail electric train.

We got to the Wyndham Grand Xian South Hotel around 6:30 and checked in quickly. Like all of our other hotels on the trip, our rooms were very nice. We have a large king sized bed and a roomy full featured bathroom and a complete business center in the room. The free Internet was fast and reliable.

We didn’t get to dinner until nearly 8 pm. The Wyndham had a nice buffet of Chinese and Western menu choices. We are eating Chinese at most of our meals. Our feeling is that we can eat Western foods when we get back but the authentic Chinese dishes will probably never be as available to us again. We have also noticed the differences in the food as we traveled across the country from east to west and now back toward the north and east.

Xian, along with Athens, Cairo and Rome, is one of the ancient capital cities of the world. Xian is one of the smaller mega-cities in China at 10 million residents. Although still a very large city, Xian seemed to have a very friendly atmosphere.

After dinner we went to our rooms and prepared for our early departure to the terra-cotta warriors exhibit on Thursday morning.

Chinese Opera

We slept well last night not waking until 6 am. I love the shower at the St. Regis Chengdu. There is a shower wand, a rainfall head and a series of body sprayers that can be selected. I normally take a quick shower but this is exceptional. We went to breakfast with Mark and Cindy at 6:30 then prepared to board the bus for our 8 am departure for the Sanxingdui Museum.

Jade Bi

This museum is a group of building displaying artifacts from a people in the area from the stone and early bronze ages. The first building had a lot of jade artifacts and stones used and food preparation, as weapons and for ornamentation. We saw a lot of the circular disks or bi that we saw at the museum in Wuhan. There were also a number of artifacts that they called tablets but looked more like giant jade swords to us. I found the partially finished items of most interest since they showed more about the process of making the item. There were also some raw stones that

Bronze age sculpture

showed where jade was being cut.

From this museum we walked the short distance to the bronze museum. The first thing we noticed was the size and number of bronze masks. Most of the masks had exaggerated features like huge mouths, bulging eyes and sharp noses. There were also bronze trees were believed to be ceremonial in nature. The museum was very large and we did not have time to see all of the exhibits.

We were appreciative of the handheld voice guides to the museum. We could enter a number for a labeled exhibit item and the device would give a succinct but informative description of the items. Since the archaeological site was used for several years the time span of the artifacts was quite large. It is believed that the stone and Bronze Age populations lived in the area from 7000 to 711 BC.

From the museum we went to a nearby Sichuan restaurant. As the capital of Sichuan, Chengdu is known for spicy Sichuan cuisine. We had a seemingly endless array of chicken, beef, pork and vegetables with sticky rice and noodles. Mark and I had a local beer which was surprisingly light and similar to light beers in the US. Like many other meals we have had in the area, it was served family style with a circular lazy Susan in the center of the table.

We were back at the St. Regis Chengdu by 2 pm and had time to take a walk around the city near the hotel. There were a number of street vendors pushing cell phones, phone plans, foods and other small electronics. It was apparent that the vendors were marketing to locals since we found no one who could speak English. We attempted to negotiate on a couple of things but were unable to communicate well enough to come to an agreement.   We found it interesting that everyone in China pays for things on their phones.  On several occasions we found that even street vendors have QR codes so buyers can easily pay for purchases on their telephones.  Chinese people seldom pay for anything with traditional credit cards or with cash in favor of scanning their phones.

Street vendor selling roasted potatoes and corn

The stands that I found most interesting were selling roasted potatoes and corn from a makeshift wood stove on the back of a three wheel bicycle. It just struck me as odd to have these merchants using technology and tools that could have come from the 1600s.

Walking around Chengdu was a lot more pleasant that our walk around Chongquing on Sunday night. It could be because Sunday was a national holiday weekend. Another related reason could be that there was a concert not far from our hotel. The most probable reason is that Chengdu has about 10 million few people than Chongquing. We also understand from our guides David (Chongqing), Annie (Chengdu) and Patrick that the attitudes of people in Chengdu are a lot more laid back than in other areas. Annie attributes this to the spicy Sichuan food. In any case, our walk was short but pleasant. We went up to our room on the 24th floor of the St. Regis Chengdu to change and get ready for the Chinese opera.

Chinese Opera

We had a short time to get our bags out in the hall outside our sleeping rooms by 4 pm. The checked bags were going to have a 12 hour drive by truck to our Wednesday evening destination in Xian. We laid out clothes for the Tuesday night dinner and opera outing as well as for our Wednesday morning trip to the panda preserve then train ride to Xian.

For dinner we went to the restaurant that is most popular with local Chengdu residents for Sichuan food. There was plenty of the spicy Sichuan food with less highly seasoned options available as well. Like all of our other meals in the area, it was family style with a lazy Susan in the table center. We all enjoyed our meals although we believe that some in our group are beginning to tire of Chinese food and meal procedures.

Chinese Opera

After dinner we had a short bus ride to the Shu Feng Ya Yun Sichuan Opera and Tea Room in Chengdu. The venue was a covered courtyard surrounded by local shops. We were seated around tables of five with tea cups and snack bowls at each place at the tables. The porcelain tea cups had loose green tea in the bottom with a lid that could be tilted to strain the leaves from the tea. As preparations for the show were being made, we were invited to watch the cast prepare their makeup and costumes. There were vendors selling snacks and food. We were especially interested in the practice of offering massage and ear cleaning off stage before the performance. We did not take advantage of any of the goods or services being offered. Throughout the performance there were servers circulating with pots of hot water to refill our tea cups. These pots had spouts up to three feet long so the servers could reach the cups of guests sitting back from the aisles. It was amazing that they were able to fill each patron’s cup multiple times throughout the play without spilling hot water on the guests.

The performance started with a skit involving actors in elaborate traditional Chinese costumes. Acrobats did flips across the stage and the characters sang and danced. A scrolling LED sign told the story as the actors sang but it was all in Chinese so it really didn’t help. The skit, like most of the ones to follow, lasted only about 10 minutes. Other skits were much easier to understand and were more enjoyable to us. A musician played a Chinese style violin which has only two strings. He was very talented and played beautifully. We kidded that he is China’s answer to Charlie Daniels.

Shadow puppets at the Chinese Opera

The next act was a skit with a hand puppet that moved realistically. A musician played a small brass instrument that seemed to be a little like a bugle but was the size of a recorder. We all loved the lady doing shadow puppets. Using only her hands, she made birds, rabbits, wolves, dogs, owls, cats and other animals. There was a costume skit about two wise men who used their wisdom to trick an evil warlord and one about a henpecked man that included some balance and acrobatics stunts.

The final act was costume changing with is very popular in China. Singers came out in traditional robes of warriors with masks. They would change the color of their robes in the flash of an eye, too quick to discern how they removed their robes to reveal another color beneath. They then came into the audience and changed masks in similar fashion. We were amazed with the skill and precision of the actors and had a great evening. In addition, the skits changed frequently enough that it kept us engaged.

This performance was nothing of what we expected from a Chinese opera but we certainly enjoyed it.

Dazu Grotto

Entrance to Dazu Grotto

We woke at 5 am and put our bags out for the porter to load into the truck for our trip to Chengdu. We went to breakfast with Mark and Cindy around 6:15 and had a very good meal of mostly local breakfast items. Bacon, eggs, toast and cereal as well as other Western breakfast choices were available but we usually ate Chinese as much as possible.  Mary has really come to enjoy the bao which are dumplings filled with meats or bean paste.  I look forward to the steamed black rice and the Chinese yams and sweet potatoes.  Although the terms yam and sweet potato are used interchangeably in the US, they are very different foods from different types of plants from different parts of the world.  Fortunately, we had access to both at most breakfasts here in China.

The light rain had gotten heavier and we knew that our rain gear was in our checked bags, but Cindy and I were able to catch the porters before our bags were loaded onto the truck and retrieved our jackets. Patrick wanted to get an early start because holiday traffic was expected to be heavy, and we wanted to be at the Dazu Grotto in time to see the carvings.

After about a two hour drive in the rain we arrived at the Dazu Grotto. We walked a short distance then boarded golf carts to go to what would be called a hollow or canyon in the US. We were treated to hundreds of elaborate carvings in the limestone. The carvings were started over 1400 years ago but have continued by faithful Buddhists over the centuries. Detailed panels depict Buddhist gods, prophets and disciples. Interpretations of Heaven and Hell teach the consequences of good and bad behavior. Carvings illustrate how good Buddhists should live.  There are also depictions from Confucian and Taoist teaching. This illustrates the blending of these belief systems that is so common throughout much of China.

The beauty and craftsmanship of the panels were amazing enough but considering that the panels have been in place for over a millennium is even more impressive. During the Cultural Revolution Communist Chinese soldiers destroyed religious artifacts and locations on orders from Chairman Mao. However, farmers in the area who realized the importance of Dazu Grotto did not tell the soldiers about it. The remote location of the carvings in the hollow did not let the soldiers have a clue that they were there.

We were amazed with the detail and size of the carvings.  We thought there would be a few old statues, but we were treated to over 50,000 statues in the rock walls of Dazu Grotto.  Although the carvings started around 650 AD during the Tang Dynasty the work there continued until 1911 in the Qing Dynasty.

The Dazu Grotto was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999. Until then the site was closed to all foreigners. Only Chinese Buddhists could come here to worship before 1999. Even when we were there most of the visitors were Chinese. Many visitors kneeled down to pray before the carvings. It was quite impressive and was one of the highlights of the trip. Even though we had to walk around the grotto in a steady rain, it was still a memorable visit.

We walked back to the bus in the rain then rode for three hours to get to Chengdu. This city of over 16 million is probably best known to westerners because of the Szechwan or Sichuan style of Chinese food from this area. Although there are several things that we want to learn about Chengdu, we certainly want to try the local Sichuan cooking.

We arrived at the St. Regis Chengdu at 5:30. Patrick needed our passports to check us in and he had our room keys ready for us when we arrived. When we got to the rooms our bags were already in the rooms which were spectacular. We have a huge bedroom with a king size bed, two desks, a multidirectional shower, a fully automated bidet, a television with Bose sound that sinks into the desk and automated lights and curtains. Our corner room looks out on a beautiful view of the city.

We dressed for dinner but decided to step over to the McDonald's across the street. They had a number of local Chinese and Sichuan choices available. Mark and Cindy tried some popcorn chicken and fries to see how they are different from McDonalds in the US.

We went to dinner at the St. Regis a little after 7 pm and had a large array of Chinese and specifically Sichuan choices. We had several meat and vegetable choices as well as fruits and cheeses. Mary and Cindy finished with a coconut crème brule. We all enjoyed our meals. We went up to get some sleep since we leave for a visit to the museum in Chengdu at 8 am.