A trip to China - Day 7 - To the train, and heading to the next city

A convoluted explanation on the reasons for this memorial came down to it being about the deaths of those involved in the 1923 Erqi strike, though we're not really sure what the strike was about.

So, after a little research, this is what I found:

The current Erqi Tower was built in 1971 and was, historically, the tallest building in the city.  It is a memorial to the Erqi strike and in memory of Lin Xiangqian and other railway workers who went on strike for their rights, which happened on February 7, 1923. 

It has 14 floors and is 63 meters high.  One of the features of this building is the view from the top, accessed by a spiral staircase, or an elevator, when it's working (it was not at the time of our visit).

There seems to be an affinity with the number 27 with this building, in that

- It's the 27th memorial to be built
- to commemorate the 27th workers' strike
- located in the 27th plaza of Zhengzhou City.

We drive to the middle of the city where we once again find traveling in kamikaze traffic more entertaining than the tourist points

                          

When we get to the drop-off spot, it's a 10-minute walk to the center square where the tower is located on one side.  Getting there we had to pass a choke point of blaring music and people hawking goods, each echoing off the opposite wall to the point where it was deafening.  Too much of it would be torture.


 
But, back to the tower...

It has 14 levels, but no one seemed interested in climbing the 14 or 16 levels to get to the top.  The elevator was broken, and after the great wall episode, most of us are heartily sick of stairs.

The centre square was quite large but paved in places with white tiles that oddly reflected the heat rather than absorb it.  In the sun it was very warm.



Around the outside of two-thirds of the square, and crossing the roads, was an elevated walkway, which if you go from the first shops and around to the other end, you finish up, on the ground level, at Starbucks.

This is the Chinese version and once you get past the language barrier, the mixology range of cold fruity drinks are to die for, especially after all that walking.  Mine was a predominantly peach flavour, with some jelly and apricot at the bottom.  I was expecting sliced peaches but I prefer and liked the apricot half.

A drink and fruit together was a surprise.

Then it was the walk back to the meeting point and then into the hotel to use the happy house before rejoining the kamikaze traffic.

We are taken then to the train station for the 2:29 to our next destination, Suzhou, the Venice of the East.

A trip to China - Day 7 - The Erqi Memorial tower, and shopping complex

Erqi Memorial tower

A convoluted explanation on the reasons for this memorial came down to it being about the deaths of those involved in the 1923 Erqi strike, though we're not really sure what the strike was about.
We drive to the middle of the city where we once again find travelling in kamikaze traffic more entertaining than the tourist points

                          

When we get to the drop-off spot, it's a 10-minute walk to the centre square where the tower is located on one side.  Getting there we had to pass a choke point of blaring music and people hawking goods, each echoing off the opposite wall to the point where it was deafening.  Too much of it would be torture.


 
But, back to the tower...

It has 14 levels, but no one seemed interested in climbing the 14 or 16 levels to get to the top.  The elevator was broken, and after the great wall episode, most of us are heartily sick of stairs.

The centre square was quite large but paved in places with white tiles that oddly reflected the heat rather than absorb it.  In the sun it was very warm.



Around the outside of two-thirds of the square, and crossing the roads, was an elevated walkway, which if you go from the first shops and around to the other end, you finish up, on the ground level, at Starbucks.

This is the Chinese version and once you get past the language barrier, the mixology range of cold fruity drinks are to die for, especially after all that walking.  Mine was a predominantly peach flavour, with some jelly and apricot at the bottom.  I was expecting sliced peaches but I prefer and liked the apricot half.

A drink and fruit together was a surprise.

Then it was the walk back to the meeting point and then into the hotel to use the happy house before rejoining the kamakazi traffic.

We are taken then to the train station for the 2:29 to our next destination, Suzhou, the Venice of the East.

A tri[p to China - Day 7 - The Hunan Museum

Day 7 - Hunan museum

The brochure says: This morning visit the Henan or Zhengzhou Museum (dependent on day of the week and closure periods), which are both major museums in China and were created for the collection, protection, study and display of cultural relics in the hinterland of the Central Plain. Then visit Erqi Memorial Tower. Erqi Memorial Tower is the memorial of the Erqi Strike, which occurred on February 7, 1923. The Erqi Memorial Tower has altogether 14 storeys, totalling 63m in height. A winding staircase inside the tower brings you to the top floor, where you can get a bird’s-eye view of the whole city of Zhengzhou.

Peak hour traffic, and the Scooters

A leisurely morning at last with an 8:30 call, but we don't get underway until about 15 minutes later.
Then we got caught up in peak hour traffic, but any time of the day in peak hour traffic in these large cities though this was one of the smaller with a population of only 7 million.

Perhaps the most interesting part of driving on the bus from one place to another is watching the local people driving, which is very kamikaze-like, and then the scooters, of which there literally thousands.

In China, you do not need a licence to drive a scooter, and as they cost less than a car, considerably less in fact, everyone wants one.  But these people who now have their own lane in various parts of the city, don't stop for anything, turn into traffic even when the lights are against them, and worse of all see a gap and slip into it, even when it's a bus bearing down on them.

Scooter drivers in China drive without fear.

But there's an even greater folly these people commit, putting more than two people, even three people, including very young children, even babies, either in front of or behind them hanging on, or sometimes, not.

It is amazing in all the time so far we have not seen an accident, only smashed cars on the side of the road.

The Hunan Museum

Eventually, we arrive at the museum and get off the bus adjacent to a scooter track and despite the efforts of the guide, there's no stopping them from nearly running us over.

We arrive to find the museum has been moved to a different building as the existing, and rather distinctively designed, the building is being renovated.

That provides us with another view of industrial life in that there is nothing like health and safety in this country, and the workers are basically standing on what looks to be a flimsy bamboo ladder with nothing to stop them from falling off.

That is a form of entertainment in itself and keeps us occupied while the guide gets the tickets.

The museum itself has exhibits dating back a few thousand years and consist of bronze and ceramic items.  One of the highlights was a tortoiseshell with reportedly the oldest know writing ever found.

Other than that it was a series of pots, cooking utensils, a table, and ceramic pots, some in very good condition considering their age.


 
There were also small sculptures



an array of small figures



and a model of a settlement



20 minutes was long enough.