Day 3 in Shanghai, we decided to employ a guide to take us outside the city to some of the famous private gardens.
Our guide and driver picked us up at our hotel and we set out for the 1 1/2 hour drive to Suzhou.
We got to experience Shanghai traffic like natives when a car accident ahead of us stopped traffic for half an hour. Men from cars all around us bounded from their vehicles and gathered together to smoke and discuss whether and how they could escape the traffic jam. To no avail. We were hemmed in and just had to wait it out.
Soon though, we made it to Suzhou and the Lion Grove Garden. Rocks are the main feature of this particular garden, one of the classical elements of Chinese gardens along with water and vegetation.
All of the gardens we saw had separate areas for men and women - the men's area was sunnier and had more ornate furnishings. The women's area was darker and the furnishings were functional.
Before the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese culture was extremely misogynistic. After they became the People's republic, roles were more equal, but we still experienced a lot of sex-based cultural expectations. For example, on our last day, we went for foot massages at the Chinese Medicine clinic. The doctor checked my pulse and kept asking me when I was going to have a baby. They talked about the husband being the stronger yin, and the wife being the weaker yang, and that our connection wouldn't be complete unless I had a kid. Some things don't change no matter how far you travel from home.
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