Time again to fall back

My bloodsucking daughter takes stock of her haul from this year's Halloween

Daylight Savings Time has officially ended for 2015, meaning autumn is in full swing. The shorts and sandals have reluctantly been put away, though daytime temperatures are still warm enough that I can get away with wearing short-sleeved shirts, when combined with a light sweater and a windbreaker (at least while the sun is shining). Perhaps it was the lack of fall colors in Shanghai, but it feels like the foliage in the Falls Church area is a lot more colorful compared to the last time we were here. Yesterday morning was sunny and warm enough for me to take my bike out for an hour-long spin on some of the many cycling trails near our home:

There are numerous markers chronicling local history, many of them related to events that took place during the Civil War. Even information of a less-gripping nature doesn't get overlooked for those who stop to read and learn:

That's my bike parked in front of the trees. I actually have a nice Trek that I picked up in Shanghai, but it's currently in storage in Europe. The bicycle pictured above is a used one that I bought in an effort to try and get into something resembling a state of physical fitness:

It may be autumn and football season, but baseball is still being played by some. As I write this, Game 5 of the World Series will be played this evening at Citi Field in New York. Though I've always been a National League fan, I also like to root for small market, low payroll teams, so this year I'm pulling for the Kansas City Royals:

It's hard to cover a lot of distance with so much color to distract the earnest cyclist. The red caboose is a reminder that the W&OD Trail was once a railroad line:

Miles covered on Saturday: I don't know. Calories burned off: I have no idea. Elevation: They make a pretty good hamburger. Protein intake: Really? Who cares? My extremely modest goal at this point is to complete the 17-mile loop detailed on the sign below. Being so out-of-shape and having knees that complain loudly when asked to do more than they're accustomed to, I still have trouble making it up modest hills. One step at a time...:

The view over northern Virginia from the parking lot of the Tysons Corner Center shopping mall. For Halloween, I took Amber to see Goosebumps:

Sunday morning foliage on a Falls Church street:

I drove into the District of Columbia this afternoon to visit Politics and Prose, an independent bookstore that came highly recommended. Truth be told, I was a little disappointed with the store, as our local Barnes & Noble has a much greater selection of titles. There was a pitifully small number of books related to Japanese history (especially in comparison to the number of China-themed volumes on the shelves), and most of those had titles with words such as "samurai" 侍 and "ninja" 忍者, which gave me a pretty good indication of what most hipsters think of when it comes to Japan. Also, the store isn't easy to get to (it's a good mile on foot from the nearest subway station), and parking is hard to find.

On the other hand, Politics and Prose does have an extensive selection of books for younger people. And it is the first bookstore I've seen that puts guidebooks on Taiwan between Myanmar and Thailand, instead of lumping them in with the China guides. So it may rate another visit, the next time with my daughter in tow:

Being a cool hipster independent bookstore/cafe, it came as no surprise that it's located in an upscale neighborhood, with more fall colors to enjoy:

This church wasn't particularly noteworthy.  I was actually trying to catch the sky behind it:

A Sunday dinner of shepherd's pie, bread pudding and Amber ale at an Irish-themed restaurant:

It's all part of my autumn almanac...

Albion, China

The period running from the conclusion of the First Opium War in 1842 up to the end of the Second World War in 1945 is considered in China to be a century of national humiliation, and the population is constantly reminded of this by their unelected representatives (while the government conveniently ignores the many other centuries where neighboring countries and peoples were brought to heel in the name of Chinese cultural superiority). It was a time when European imperial powers such as Britain, France, Germany and Russia, not to mention the United States and, later, Japan, established settlements in many Chinese cities and administered them under the principle of "extraterritoriality", the idea that foreigners were not subject to local laws, only to those of their home countries. It was during this period that Shànghǎi 上海, with its International Settlement and French Concession, prospered and the legacy of that time lives on in the city's architectural heritage.

The section of the city where we live, Hóngqiáo 红桥, is considered to be in the suburbs, and is noted for its large expat population (like us). Prior to World War II, many wealthy Westerners maintained villas in this area. Although this Saturday was yet another wet and overcast weekend day, I was determined to get out on my new Trek mountain bike and do some exploring. After riding around some back streets for a while (and coming across a small area that surprisingly evoked the swamps of the American South), I found myself on Hongqiao Road 红桥路. Passing by the Cypress Hotel 龙柏饭店, I recalled that this place had a connection to Victor Sassoon, the hotelier and tycoon whose architectural legacy lives on in today's Shanghai (as this CNN article illustrates). Sassoon had a mansion here that he used as a weekend retreat, a building that supposedly looked like this:

http://shanghai.cultural-china.com/html/Travel/Former-Residences-of-Celebrities/200811/15-1587.html

I say "supposedly", because I didn't exactly see any buildings that looked like the one in the above photo. What I did find, however, was this small cottage-like structure standing in what looked like an English garden (albeit an English garden with a pond stocked full of hungry Asian carp):

Next door was a fine example of period architecture, the Times' Villa. It was built in "Spanish style" (according to the plaque on the outside wall) sometime in the 1930's for the American-Oriental Banking Corporation:

My trusty new steed, parked in a garden in Shanghai, or possibly Colchester...:

Further along Hongqiao Road is another former home of Victor Sassoon's. This house is currently owned by the local government, which appears to have not yet made up its mind about what to do with the property:

Sassoon wasn't the only man of means to enjoy life in relatively tranquil Hongqiao before the war. H. H. Kung 孔祥熙, a wealthy banker and Kuomintang 中国国民党 politician, also maintained a pair of residences that are still in use today. The first is now a teppanyaki restaurant:

...while the other (built in 1934) has been converted into a medical clinic:

It's easy to understand why many Chinese are resentful of the way Westerners and wealthy Chinese cavorted in Shanghai during the prewar period. But despite the perceived humiliation, credit is due those who have had the foresight to maintain so much of the architectural heritage left behind by the "barbarians" who came to Shanghai through the "open door" to make (and lose) fortunes here. It's what makes exploring this city so enjoyable, and why I'm looking forward to longer and more interesting bike rides as the weather warms up.

Guilin and Yangshuo: Day 6

When on the Banana Pancake Trail, do as the Banana Pancake Trail..um, blazers. Breakfast in Yángshuò 阳朔 at a place called Kelly’s Café, where the sound system that morning took us back to 1980, with “Public Image”, “Rapper’s Delight” and “Rapture” in rapid succession:

Back at the Yangshuo C.Source West Street Residence. The proprietors of this establishment had done a fine job melding the Ming-era building with 21^st-century conveniences and comforts: 

The courtyard, with an appropriate nostalgic tinge: 

For the first time in our weeklong trip, the sun paid us a visit, which made it an ideal day to rent a couple of bicycles and explore the some of the surrounding countryside. Provided we could get out of the town’s insanely clogged streets first. Even in smaller burgs, Chinese drivers converge upon each other in a cacophonous din of blaring horns and refusals to give way or show the least bit of courtesy to other drivers, not to mention pedestrians…and, of course, cyclists. But we eventually maneuvered our way through the throng, and before long found our onto a much quieter back road: 

This old house once belonged to a general: 

My wife has her tires replenished with air, courtesy of a local who has tried to capitalize on the popularity of biking in this area among Chinese and non-Chinese visitors alike:

The sight of a water buffalo was a source of great excitement for my daughter. She wasn’t the only one, however. Pamela overheard a young Chinese woman tell her friend it was the first time for her to see a real live cow, a sign perhaps of how rapidly the society has urbanized in the past few decades: 

Some of the farmers living along the bicycle route have converted their homes into diners, serving meals to the visitors. We stopped for lunch at a rustic farmhouse in a village called Jiùxiàn 旧县, where my wife ordered yet another local favorite, beer duck 啤酒鸭:

The walls of the house appeared frozen in time, as with this poster depicted People’s Liberation Army generals depicted on horseback North Korean-style:

After lunch it was back on the bikes to continue riding. Today it was Pamela’s turn to go with Amber on a tandem, while I got to ride solo:

 

The scenery evoked that rural idyll, but many of the houses were still of the mud and brick variety. Income inequality is certainly not unique to China, but the gulf between the countryside and the major urban centers can still be shocking to see at times:

We were planning on riding out to the same Dragon Bridge 遇龙桥 that we had been bussed out to see on our first day in Yangshuo. However, the quiet road we’d been riding on for several kilometers came to a halt at a busy highway. Rather than do battle with the large trucks and tourist buses whizzing by, we decided to turn around and head back the same way we’d come:

The girls ride by a large tree which had refused to make way for the road:

Feeling thirsty, we stopped at an old farmhouse to have a couple of Cokes. The toilet in the back was very “rustic”:

Here in the countryside, images of Máo Zédōng 毛泽东 are still revered:

Another house belonging to a military family, with the last a general who fought against the Japanese during World War II:

Next door, inspirational words from Chairman Mao were holding up slightly better than the fading slogans from the Cultural Revolution 文化大革命:

A comparatively rare site in China, at least in comparison to Taiwan, is that of roadside temples. This one was built on the side on the hill, providing some views of the surrounding countryside. This spot was located along the Yùlóng River 遇龙河, and was another popular starting point for rides on bamboo rafts:

Back in town, Pamela went off to a hair salon to get her washed, so Amber and I took a stroll around Yangshuo Park 阳朔公园, where in another throwback to the past, heroic Socialist Realism statues were ignored by virtually everyone present:

Reunited with Mom, we walked down to the Lí River 漓江 for a look at the boats and the peaks before dinner:

Dinner was on the second floor of a café overlooking Xījīe 西街:

When in Yangshuo, do as everyone else, which hear means checking out the action on Yixie and buying gifts and souvenirs:

The evening ended at Le Vôtre 乐得法式餐厅, a French restaurant sharing the same building as the Yangshuo C.Source. They brew their own beer, a practice I’m always willing to encourage through my patronage:

Next up: Our last full day