11/26/06 ~ Shu Jin & Remnin Park

On the Rio: Aretha Franklin ~ Without the One You Love

I went to the Shu Brocade Institute. Silk originated in China. In ancient times, Sichuan was called "Shu" which according to some documents, pictographically describes the silkworms in the mulberry trees.

Around 300 AD, Shu Kingdom, with Chengdu as its capital, had already established its name for silk weaving and its products were regarded as Shu Brocade for the delicate design and bright colors.

This is the traditional weaving machine.


I decided to purchase a hand-made silk item from here. This is a rendition of the Chinese painting "Six Horses" by Xu Bei Hong, one of the most famous painters in China, skilled in drawing horses.

After the silk museum we went to Remin (People's Park). There was a chrysanthemum flower exhibit. I do not know the woman in the picture.

This is a monument built to citizens who lost their lives building the railway.

Many families come to the park to take boat rides.

There is also a large tea house where families and friends come to drink tea, play cards, and socialize in general. My guide and I stopped for afternoon tea at the lakeside. I drank chrysanthemum tea. And my guide, the one in the chair, got his ears cleaned in the traditional way. (I opted out of this experience.) The "cleaner" has several metal utensils and cleans the wax from your ear. This happens all over the city, even at a play we went to the next night (but more on that later...)