Tuesday, June 29,

It was a pleasure to have to dig out the sun glasses this morning. In fact, we didn't spend a lot of time out of doors, but we will make up for that tomorrow at the site of the terra cotta warriors, and the next day driving through the countryside to the Tang tombs.

This morning we went to Northwestern university where we had a lecture on law with an emphasis on business law. I would have preferred a different emphasis, but it is all pretty interesting. We all remarked at how forthright our speaker was -- only the second woman professor we have met -- she talked about the problems of shoddy workmanship and the difficulty under present laws of getting any recompense. She also said that current laws which differentiate between the local businesses, technology business and foreign business are going to be merged into one set of laws this fall. She also promised a new set of laws to deal with the sale of securities, and acknowledged that corruption of officials was one of the largest problems currently hampering business, both domestic and international.

Xian is a city with twenty institutions of higher learning, and a nice place to live. The climate might be preferable, but for the moment I would still choose Nanjing as a place to come back to and stay a while. This evening I met a man from "global volunteers" -- an organization which places Americans in volunteer jobs in many countries. Here in China it means volunteering to teach English for three weeks. The volunteer pays his/her own expenses, but of course it's one way to get out of the tour buses and away from those gaudy tourist restaurants.

Tonight we were in dumpling heaven. I had not realized that dumplings could be as varied as this -- even colorful. We had green ones with vegetables, pink ones with cabbage, little white ones in the shape of chicks -- with little orange beaks -- and some brown ones stuffed with sweet walnuts that had the flavor of baklava and the consistency of marzipan. I think such dumplings could be a hit in New York, but people might think they were not Chinese...

This morning after the lecture we went to a jade showroom. They call it a factory, but we typically see only a handful of workers at these places, and then multiple floors of items for sale. Nevertheless, it was an interesting lecture on jade with lots of good examples where you could practice what you learned. I didn't end up buying anything -- jade is heavy and I already have a mah jong set to contend with -- but I enjoyed the display -- and in these shops you can pick up the works, something which is definitely frowned upon in the museums...

I did see a painting by a contemporary artist which I liked a great deal, and I was told that if I bought it, the museum would guarantee its authenticity. This is no small matter because reproductions abound, and it is difficult to determine what is what. The watercolor was not too heavy, but alas too large, so I decided to wait and head back into the Muslim night market where I had found some interesting things last night.

Taking the video into the night market is fun because it is so light sensitive I can shoot in light when most people wouldn't imagine I could see anything. Thus, they are more relaxed. Of course there are always those who want you to take their picture.

Balloons are my great entrČe to talking with small children -- I am almost out and will ask Elene to bring some more when she joins me in July. I have big, bold balloons designed for helium, so they are sturdy and don't feel as if they are about to pop when I hand them to a child.

Last night in the market I was lured into the "shops" of two art schools. In each case young aspiring artists who speak some English come out and invite you in. I am pretty adamant about using my Chinese as far as it will take me, but certainly grateful when the going gets tough (which doesn't take too long) if someone else is able to help me out. Upon reflection the paintings I saw last night did not look as compelling, so I walked back to the hotel and bought a small watercolor of bamboo from a man who is clearly selling his own personal work and has a very endearing hand-painted sign in English saying what an honorable man and fine artist he is. Given his age, I can only wonder what he was asked to do in the cultural revolution and then cringe.

Last night in the market I did buy a piece of antique embroidery. I am not sure how old it was, but I liked the folk art designs. It might be from 1900 or so, probably no older, and the backing was pretty worn, but on top were twenty star shaped medallions and twelve smaller circular ones making up the patches. Each could stand alone, but they had been assembled on the backing as sort of a patchwork quit. I bought it partly in memory of my mother who loved to bargain for interesting antiques, and always thought it was worth more if it came with a good story attached, so I try to get a good story each time.

There is a line forming for this e-mail, so I will turn it over. Tomorrow I get to see the terra cotta warriors which was one of the reasons I originally (1975) decided I just HAD to come to China. After I have seen so much, the prospect does not seem so compelling, but tomorrow will tell.