Introduction ---

East China, including Shanghai, Suzhou, and Hangzhou, has been one of the first areas in China we want to visit. And this summer our dream came true. The major motivation came from our wish to visit Shanghai World Expo 2010. We knew from media that in addition to the exhibited contents, the architectures of the pavilions of more than 100 countries were worth visit owing to their abundance in designs.

We were lucky to be able to visit about 10 major pavilions without having to wait in line for entrances. But the weather was so hot and wet that I felt that was the most unendurable trip in all our trips in the world. Fortunately, what we saw gave us some compensation; the exhibited contents of the pavilions are all typical of the countries. I even hoped I could become a Shanghai civilian so that I could visit all the pavilions!

We have also visited Zhouzhengyuan, one of the three most scenic Chinese gardens; and Hanshan Temple that is famous due to an old well-known poem created in Tang Dynasty. This was really a trip of technological and cultural experiences!

(Banner above: the Bund in Shanghai; picture above: West Lake in Hangzhou)