Gift giving

Everyone in our group was impressed with how thoughtful our Chinese hosts were. We received gifts from so many of the people we met. Mr. Huo, the talented bronze artist, whose factory we visited in Xi'an, gave all of us a replica of "Galloping Horse," a sculpture from the East Han Dynasty (about 25-100 A.D.). He urged us even to take anything we liked from his display room, which we declined, although there were many lovely options. In talking with me individually Mr. Huo offered to donate a sculpture to my childrens' schools, which, while tempting, I did not feel I could accept.

The Confucius Institute in Beijing, which was responsible for our trip, gave each member of our group a different Chinese paper cutting as a memento. Paper cutting is an absolute artform in China and involves the skill of just one person, a pair of scissors, and a piece of paper. The creations that emerge are amazing. Here are some of the images: https://www.google.com/search?q=chinese+paper+cutting&hl=en&rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS438US438&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=3RTFT76TCqbc2AWCk8lj&ved=0CHkQsAQ&biw=1600&bih=747

As an aside, I should mention that in the not too distant past, a Chinese woman was not considered good wife material unless she could produce beautiful paper cuttings.

At each of the universities we visited the faculty and administration had gift bags for us and at Soochow University many of the art faculty gave us some of their art work.

Our very knowledgeable and patient tour guide in Beijing, Michael, even gave us all a small gift on our last day together, and you've already read earlier in the blog about how Alice's husband, Mr. Foo presented us all with strands of pearls.

This generosity of spirit and hospitality is a touching aspect of Chinese culture.