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See China For Yourself
-- by Dr. Pat Jordan and Dr. Inbar Israeli

on the top of the Yellow Mountain	The Chinese veterinary medical conference offered a great opportunity to learn about the integration of TCVM in modern day veterinary medicine in China. But, more importantly it brought our small group together with our Chinese colleagues and gave us a chance to share our world with theirs. At the end of the 6th Advanced TCVM Conference we all left the Grand Palace Hotel of Guang-zhou and after a 3-4 hour flight we arrived An-Hui Province. Excited, and a bit tired, we met our tour guide and bus driver, who had our next few days planned from morning till night.
Our first adventure began at Yellow Mountain. This mountain is revered as one of the most sacred Taoist sites in China. In fact, these mountains were featured in the movie ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'. From the bottom it appears to be the Pagoda Steps to Heaven, thus the name “Yellow Mountain”. The Mountain gets over 250 days of rain per year, but we arrived on a rare brisk and sunny day, perfect for hikes. The fall leaves' colors made an already breathtaking place seem surreal. Our trek up the endless series of steps carved into the mountain endured until darkness. At the very top we found ourselves checking into a three star hotel. Wakeup call was at 5:30am for the chance to see the sunrise. Our bodies were stiff and it was chilly, but that morning was worth all the effort. Afterwards, we made it down the mountain and spent a night at a comfortable hotel in the town of Huang Shan. In the morning we continued our trek to Hang-zhou, home to West Lake. We were met by Dr. Songhua Hu, a TCVM professor and Chairman of the Zhe Jiang Veterinary School. We toured the veterinary university and a human TCM hospital. Our adventures continued with a visit to the Hu Qing Yu Tang Museum of Traditional Chinese Medicine. This museum was home to one of the oldest herbal pharmacies in China. The pharmacy had rooms set aside for herbal consults with their own doctors. The main floor of the pharmacy was devoted to the display cases that housed hundreds of individual herbs and formulas. Hangzhou is reputed to be the home of the finest tea in China. In fact, a proportion of taxes owed to Beijing is paid in tea! We visited a state-run Tea House and were hosted by a Master of Tea, who described the history, agriculture, production, and the differences amongst the variety of green teas. Later that evening we had a special treat. The opening of the West Lake convention was celebrated with a magnificent fireworks display. Over 10 countries participated and $500,000 was spent on the hour-long spectacle. The long walk to the viewing area, amidst the 800,000 ticket holders, was a close second to climbing Yellow Mountain. The following day included a bicycle tour around West Lake and an hour of row boating on the lake. That same afternoon 1000 couple were married in a joint municipal ceremony. Bearing witness to that kind of event was really something special.
Skyscrapers in Shanghai	Shanghai was a fitting end to our trip. This city exemplifies the meeting of East and West. Skyscrapers are everywhere; meanwhile down in the streets you can find unbelievable old time markets. Haggling is the rule, if you don't, you lose. Most of the time actual sale prices are about 1/3 of what is asked. Many bought extra luggage to take home their prizes from the markets. Dr. Xie, the Earth personality that he is, cared for us all. He is a true ambassador of TCVM. His efforts to make each and
every one of our experiences the best they could be, was not unlike his instruction at the Chi Institute. Come to see China for yourself! The Chi Institute will be doing another trip to China in 2006.