Dynasty. It was the hometown of the prime minister of the Ming Dynasty, Wangao. There are over thirty well preserved buildings that serve as they did over seven hundred years ago. Shops, temples, homes and some are now converted over to displaying artifacts. The girls loved 
exploring the 
narrow alleyways and climbing the steep outdoor staircases that led to glorious rock gardens and meditation areas. Around each corner a new surprise awaited. Rosewood and mahagony carved furniture, stone-carved stovetops and 
ovens cramped in a kitchen area a third the size of my kitchen (and mine is pretty small). I passed one wooden-carved staircase that I'm sure was too narrow f0r me to ascend.It was as if we'd stepped back in time. The local villagers went about their daily business barely giving us a second glance. The only vendors here sold tea, fruit and fish. There was an eighty-nine year old man who was taken in by Katie. He was sitting just inside one of the sacred thresholds, (which we found out after the fact that one should step over and not on) and couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her.
Wangao's residence was impressive, there were more carvings and a large Nine Dragon screen
that was placed behind his chair. It is the most valued possession in the home.We only spent an hour and half there as lunch ran a little late. I could have spent much longer. The girls were as impressed by all of the statues as they were by the chickens running freely throughout the village. History of this magnitude just doesn't impress them. I guess when I was their age and we visited Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts or Williamsburg, Virginia I was more interested in all of the potentially cool hiding places, too.
By the time we headed back to SIP, everyone was tired. It felt like we'd been to a distant land when it was still basically the same city. Will we even see all that Suzhou has to offer while we're here? I doubt it, but we'll sure try.
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