We had a great time with Rob’s daughter Tegan, making our Chinese meal of Pot Stickers, Shrimp Fried Rice, Orange Chicken and Matcha and Strawberry Bubble (Boba) Teas. A couple months ago Tegan showed us how to make Pot Stickers. She can make them a lot quicker than Rob and I can! Everything was delicious. The bubble tea was challenging since we did not buy the right straws! The straws were large enough, but they were rubber so collapsed when we tried to suck the tapioca peals through the straw! Made it hard to drink but also made us laugh.
We watched Raise the Red Lantern directed by Zhang Yimou. It is a very sad story filmed in the Qiao Family Compound during the Warlord Era (1916 to 1928). It is about a 19 year old girl who is forced by her stepmother to marry into the wealthy Chen family, becoming the fourth concubine.
China is the most populous country in the world, with a population of more than 1.4 billion people.
The Serpentine Road is a 47 mile road in Xinjiang that has over 600 hairpin turns! Here is a video of how crazy this road is: https://www.scmp.com/video/china/3036852/xinjiangs-long-and-winding-road-more-600-hairpin-bends
Included are some pictures of the wonders of China, including the Terracotta Army – part of a 38 square mile cemetery with over 8000 life-sized warriors, 520 horses and 100 chariots which was uncovered by farmers digging wells on the outskirts of Xi’an in the 1970s.
Raise the Red Lantern 
Qiao Family Compound 
Serpentine Road 
Serpentine Road 
Leshan Buddha Statue 
Great Wall of China 
Terracotta Army 
Terracotta Army 
