Dr. Sun Yat Sen Memorial in NanJing

We visited the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Memorial today. That translates to
climbing 392 steps. Mandy is in the picture with our guide George. Dr.
Sun Yat Sen was educated in Japan as a Western Medical Doctor. He
believed in making China for the people and where there would no
longer be an Imperial Society. Dr. Sun Yat Sen ended the cultural
preference to bind women's feet which was usually started on a 6 or 7
year old daughter and made the feet look like lotus blossoms. This
was an uncomfortable procedure and it often left women crippled. It is
estimated that about 10% of the girls died from infection if the feet.
Dr. Sun Yat Sen was married to a woman with little bound feet. But
after his proclamation it was accepted that women should no longer
bind their feet. Dr. Sun Yat Sen believed as long as a reason obeyed
the law that the government would not harm them. Chinese believe he
was the man that brought them into their modern way of living. He
died in 1925 in Beijing but was brought to rest in this Memorial in
NanJing in 1929. The Japanese occupied NanJing in 1937 but since Dr.
Sun Yat Sen was respected world-wide, they did not destroy the
Memorial.

We visited the Mako Pottery Studio today. Barb and I especially
enjoyed seeing a fellow potter create his pots in the other side if
the world. Ma Zhen is the artist at the 3 year old studio and he has
40 students. He had attended Jiang Xi Tao Ci Xue Yuan in Jiang Xi
Province. We had a lovely visit with him.

We ate lunch Chairman Mao style. It was a table for 8 (2 on each side
seated on a bench) and we ate very spicy food community style. Fish,
chicken, beef, green beans, soft rolls, rice and crunchy little fish
and shrimp, with tea, beer, and Pepsi were enjoyed by all including
our guide and driver. We're napping on the way to Suzhou.