Kangxi Grasslands Story - PART II

Well, this is the Kangxi Grasslands PART II! I know, I know - you've all been waiting with bated breath to hear how this story ends. Well, you're in for a ride! Haha. That.. That's a joke. I realize it was entirely wasted on you because, most likely, you haven't read the story yet but, trust me, in hindsight, that will be funny.

*Ahem* So, back to the point. This picks up directly where Part I left off. If you need a refresher.. I'm not giving you one. Go read the end of Part I. :D Enjoy!

After that, it was still very early (only about 10:30 or 11 a.m.) so Alex and I decided not to waste the entire day. 

We rented a dune buggy for a little over an hour.  That was awesome and almost made up for that awful horse experience.  We raced over hills, rocks, trees, flowers, brush, everything!  The air was clear and the sky was a gorgeous blue, and we were completely surrounded by mountains.  I took the chance to snag a few nice pictures.

<-- That's Alex driving the dune buggy.

Then it happened - Alex, who happened to be driving at the time, flew over an embankment ... ... and we landed in about seven inches of mud and water.  We were stuck in a marsh.  The tires did nothing but spin, digging us deeper and deeper into the mud.  So, we got out in our tennis shoes and jeans, standing in this tadpole-filled water and mud, and proceeded to drag the dune buggy (which must have weighed a hundred pounds, maybe 2) out of the mud.  We were absolutely disgustingly dirty.

And it was awesome.

This is the marsh in which we got stuck.  ---->

So we continued on our way.  About a half hour later, Alex was taking out some trees and we were riding through some thick brush when we heard an awful sound and the dune buggy sputtered to a stop.

We cut the engine to discover that the chain that connected the drive shaft to the rear wheels had come off.  So out we got, and laid under the buggy for about fifteen minutes until we discovered how to fix the chain.

Again, off we went!

... And not ten minutes later, the chain came off again.

<---This is Alex. Fixing the chain.

Seeing that this was going to happen until we got back to the dirt road, I told Alex we just had to push it the 75 feet (or so) back to the road.  So, with Alex in front pulling and steering, and me behind pushing with all of my might (and us switching and taking turns), we moved it back to the dirt road. 

After that, we steered clear of any thick underbrush and finished our time in the dune buggy.  Then, we caught a bus back to Beijing, and had dinner at 5 p.m. after having nothing to eat since 7 a.m.

In that regard, it was a fun day.  The dune buggy was definitely the best experience I've had so far in Beijing, even with the dragging and pushing.  Which, in truth, added to the experience.  My shoes are still muddy.

Ah, memory building.  At least I have a great story to tell now! 

Well, that's it. The almost-famous story of the Kangxi Grasslands. Hope you enjoyed this issue! Actually, what I really hope is that someone, somewhere is actually reading this blog. But, in the mean time, it gives me something to do and a place to record my memories and stories.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR OF THE RABBIT, BY THE WAY!!!

- Liz

Inside-Snuff-Bottle Painting - A Chinese World Heritage Icon

In the Chinese class that I took last semester, we had to give short (3-5 minute) presentations in Chinese on a topic of our choice. I chose to argue that inside-bottle-painting is China's most iconic and important traditional art form, because it incorporates many of other traditional art forms, and for other reasons. If you have never been introduced to it, this is an inside-painted snuff bottle. Yes, the image is painted on the inside of the bottle:

Historians believe that inside-snuff-bottle painting began in the early 1800s. While I didn't delve much into the ancient history of this intriguing art, I did find out some other interesting facts. The snuff bottle was originally used for storing tobacco or snuff (which had particular medicinal properties in Chinese medicine). Some other traditional or ancient forms of Chinese arts include poetry, calligraphy, ceramics and pottery (think Ming dynasty china, with its distinctive blue and white lacquers), engraving or carving (carved jade), glassware, and others. Many snuff bottles incorporate these arts in forms of using poetry in the bottles, the artful painting of characters inside the bottle, porcelain bottles that have been carved, glass bottles, and even bottles made from jade, quartz, agate, and other materials.

At some point, I had a wonderful, glorious vision of how this post was going to turn into a glowing shrine dedicated to the singular and exquisite art of snuff bottle painting. Since then, I feel I've given all of the information you might ever need on snuff bottle painting and feel it adequate to move in for the sake of actually posting this post.

While in China, I found a painting that I bought specifically for .. Well, he-who-shall-not-be-named. After buying this painting for HWSNBN, I was incredibly reluctant to give it away. Bad-news bears, Liz. I had already told this person all about this painting in my unbridled reign of excitement. So, I took the painting to an inside-bottle-painter in Beijing and asked him if he could reproduce it on the inside of a bottle. This was the painting:

 

And this was the bottle...

I know.. Right?!?!?

He put this painting on the back, designed specifically for me..

Well, that's about it. I had some sort of dream about making this like, the best post ever, and now I just want to post something for fear that I might never post again if I don't.

I'm off on vacation to Puerto Rico with the Boy and won't be back (posting) until the first week of February.

Until then..

Happy trails!

- Liz