Chinese Pavilions

A Pavilion at the Curve CNY 08

Pavilions are common in huge parks, on mountain tops as well as on large campuses throughout China. In the old days, when traveling was done on feet or horseback, these little places serve as resting places from the heat or rain. In fact, the name for it in Mandarin - Xiu(1)xi(4)chu (4) , means exactly that.

I remember my student taking me up the hill in Xuzhou to show me the city. There, on one of the pavilions we had instant Nescafe, an expensive commodity, in those days on a teacher's pay. I had brought with me a hot water bottle for that purpose. In fact, I brought, too, a pack of digestive biscuits. It was a very memorable experience for both of us from different cultures, as we shared our lifes. Thank you for the experience, Cai Xu !