A Day in Suzhou

During the week of mid-term exams when we did not have classes, we were fortunate to be able to travel to Suzhou for the day with Jane Pan and Sun Ying. Though the sky was gray when we started out, the rain held off for most of the day.

On arriving, we went to the Suzhou Silk Museum. We are always fascinated with the clever arrangement in Shanghai museums for reducing light exposure to their collections by having display lights triggered on by the proximity of the visitors. One enters a gallery thinking that the electricity has failed, but slowly a dim light goes on and brightens until you can see clearly the treasure you are standing before. Then the illumination fades as you walk on.

There were several baskets of mulberry leaves covered with fake worms in the center of one room, demonstrating the progression of worm development. We posed for pictures next to the display, when Sun Ying suddenly squealed and jumped back, realizing the worms on the leaves were alive and squirming.

Our next stop was the Suzhou Art Museum, designed by the world-famous architect I.M. Pei. Sun Ying had been to this museum, which opened in 2006, several times, and it was obvious why she enjoyed repeated visits. There was a good deal of art to see in the various wings, but the most lovely section was the outdoor bridges and gazebos over a large pool of water that was swarming with huge carp in all colors. In the States, we call them goldfish, but only one there was truly golden in color; the rest were orange and gray and white and black. They gathered in several spots, both underwater and on the surface, making beautiful patterns of swirling color.

After visiting the Lion’s Grove Garden and wandering the mazes that wound over and under and through the peculiar formations, we had a lunch of local specialties, foods in sweeter sauces than we have found in Shanghai. Amazingly, it rained every time we went into a museum or restaurant but then stopped when we were outside, walking in a park or garden. The day was full of interesting sights, and we were happy to have had the opportunity to visit that very popular city.

苏州一日游

期中考试期间，我们没有课，能和潘宏燕、孙瑛一起去苏州旅行。尽管天色阴霾，细雨不停，能一同出行，我们仍感幸运。    

我们知道上海的各家博物馆为了减少展品暴露在光线下，游客们靠近某个展品时才会触发展品周围的灯光亮起。这样精明的安排让我们着迷，也让我们在走进苏州丝绸博物馆的时候，做好了准备。别人走进博物馆的画廊还会以为停电了，其实一束微弱的光慢慢点亮，直到你看清面前的展品，随着你继续前行，灯光又逐渐暗去。

有个展厅中央，放着几篮桑叶，被一些模型蚕宝宝覆盖着，展示了蚕一生的发展过程。我们在展示边上摆pose拍照片，突然孙瑛尖叫着朝后退去，原来叶子上的蚕宝宝是活的，还在蠕动呢。

    我们的下一站是苏州艺术博物馆，它是由世界著名的建筑师I.M. Pei设计的。自从206年开馆至今，孙瑛已经去过那里好几次，她多次造访当然自有她的理由。众多艺术品应接不暇，然而最精致的是室外挤满各色鲤鱼的池塘，池塘上有小桥跨越，池塘边有凉亭点缀。在美国，我们把这种鱼称作金鱼，其实这里只有一条鱼真正是金色的，其余的有橘色、灰色、白色、黑色。它们各自成群聚集在一起，有的在水下，有的在水面，旋转的色彩在水池中化开。

随后我们去拜访狮子林，在高低迂回的迷宫之间穿行。午餐我们享用了一顿当地的特色菜，比我们在上海吃的食物要略甜些。神奇的是，每当我们走就博物馆或是饭店就开始下雨，但是当我们走到户外，在园林里散步的时候，雨就停了。整个一天到处都能看到有意思的景点，能有机会游览这座闻名古城真是令人愉快。

                                                                           ---Written by Mrs. Brown and translated by Iris Yao