Shenzhen and Guangzhou, China

Shenzhen

We flew into Hong Kong and spent the night in Shenzhen, a “special economic zone” city only 30 years old—and already with a population of 10 million. The next morning, Li Dahua picked us up and drove us to Guangzhou, where Larissa’s many Cantonese friends (mainly top-ranking academics who at one point or another have been visiting scholars in Boston) feted us with a fabulous Cantonese banquet in a beautiful lakeside restaurant. I quickly learned to not drain the little bit of wine that is poured into one’s glass after each toast—for there will be many more toasts to follow, each requiring a refill.

That night we stayed at Li Dahua’s house on the outskirts of Guangzhou. It is located in a development with large single family houses, townhouses, and condos—all beautifully designed and landscaped. Li Dahua’s wife, Jin Yuanqiao, made us a most delicious meal in her tiny two-burner-stove kitchen (large kitchens are not a feature of these large houses), starring what she knew was Larissa’s favorite—scallion pancakes. I’ve never had scallion pancakes so tasty and light.

From Guangzhou, we went to the Guilin area and Shanxi Province – please see those blogs if you’re interested!

 Back in Guangzhou we were once again taken under the wings of Larissa’s vast network of friends. They arranged excellent private guided tours of two more fine museums: the Guangzhou History Museum in the Zhenhai Tower in lovely Yuexiu Park, and the Nanyue King’s Mausoleum Museum. The latter beautifully displays not only the lavish burial goods of a 2nd century B.C. king but his tomb as well. We drove around Guangzhou a bit, oohing and aahing at the all beautiful new buildings. Dinner was on a boat cruising the Pearl River, offering drop-dead gorgeous views of Guangzhou lit up at night.

Mimi Santini-Ritt 2011