Zhujiajiao Thursday April 12

Try as we might, we cannot manage to pronounce the name of this little "water-town" correctly! Bus out from Shanghai to this traditional water canal town dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties - more than 1,000 years old. The buildings are very very old, and many dangerously in need of maintenance or restructure. The canal runs through the town, with 36 arched stone bridges crossing it. There are oar-driven boats manned along the canal, one of which we took for a short distance. The water was foul - falling in would most likely result in death from a cause other than drowning! Like in other areas of China, many houses and small shops have a singing bird in a cage hanging outside - they call to each other and create a delightful happy background music for those strolling along the canal.
Our guide arranged lunch for us at a small restaurant, with local favourite dishes prepared for our group - lotus root, roasted bamboo shoots, slow-cooked beef in a wonderful sauce, cucumber salad, bok choy, rice, and a delicious pork dish which seemed to be the flesh from the knuckle of pork, flavoured, wrapped in lotus leaves, and simmered for a long time in a liquid. Absolutely mouth-watering and unlike anything ever tasted before. Chinese tea washed down the gourmet feast.
We then visited something which has only been open for about 8 months, and the first time IndoChina tours included the stop in their itinerary. It is the "Propoganda Poster Art Centre" - a private collection of posters made during Mao's regime between 1949 and 1975. The posters, arranged in historical order, portray vividly the tumultuous period of the cultural Revolution, with a high proportion showing Mao and his "army" gallantly defeating the US "imperialist army" (the American figures were very small, usually in the lower right-hand corner of the poster, with $ signs on their hats or clothing and "US" obviously emblazened). The US figures were shown in pain, with ugly faces, and one even showed the US figure dangling from ropes tied around his limbs and body. A whole generation of people were obviously subjected to this propoganda on buildings and walls around China. There were also examples of large pieces of paper covered with Chinese writing, and alterations/comments overwritten which were located on walls and public places. These were examples of the common practice of "dobbing" friends, relatives and neighbours, as being against Mao's "visionary" views.
I'm unsure if this is accurate (told by our guide, E & OE!!), but during the "Great Leap Forward" last 10 years of Mao's influence, no schools operated, no-one worked, books were burnt, scholars and literaries were pursued, and the whole country came to a miserable standstill in fear and hatred of each other.
Some of the signs in English we have seen throughout China are a little humorous because of the translation, even though the message is clear. eg "Relic Protected, No Scratch".