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Today we needed to get an early start in order to get breakfast prior to volunteering at the panda health center. We woke up at 4:45 a.m., took nice showers, and got ready for the day. We were at breakfast right when it opened at 6 a.m. We had the contemporary stylish dining room to ourselves at first.
If yesterday's breakfast had been the best so far, this topped it! There were delicious home-made pastries, charcuterie, cheese, fresh juice, and even gelato! We enjoyed the following food while we watched the sun rise over the Chengdu skyline:
We met Keely in the lobby at 7:10. She talked excitedly about pandas on the ride. It is one of the highlights of her job to get to see pandas sometimes several times per week. Chengdu is known as the laid-back city, which is why it is said that the pandas "chose" the area for their homes. Pandas have been around for at least 8 million years. They have a lifespan of 20 years in the wild. In captivity, the oldest panda has lived to 38 years (equivalent to a 114-year-old human). In captivity, females reach 120 kg and males 130 kg. In the wild, adults reach a lesser 100 kg, but they are stronger than their captive counterparts. At 5 years old, female pandas can get pregnant, and at 7 years, males can father babies. Females can have babies every two years (their gestatation period is 150 days). However, they are very picky about their suitors. Keely mentioned that the male pandas are as "hen-pecked" as the men in Chengdu. The shape of a male's head and ears are very important when trying to impress a female. Females can have one or two babies at a time. For the first month after birth, the mother holds the baby, kissing and feeding it constantly. In the wild, the mother will usually choose the stronger of a set of twins and ensure only the survival of that one baby. In captivity, the panda keepers switch out the twins every 4 hours, so that the mother can nurture both of them, and this has skyrocketed the survival rate for twins born in captivity. Last year there were even triplets born in capticity in Guangzhou, and all three survived! Babies are born (usually around August) pink, furless, unable to open their eyes, and weighing a mere 150 grams. They can't poop on their own, and it is difficult for babies to survive in the wild. Sometimes new mothers inadvertently hurt their first baby in the wild, because they don't now how to properly care for it. They also don't always realize their own strength. In captivity, pandas learn how to care for their babies by watching videos! There are 1826 giant pandas left in the world, and 70% live in the wild. Breeding programs and panda sanctuaries have helped to increase the population of this endangered species which has suffered from poaching as well as habitat infringement and destruction. Far back in their history as a species, pandas used to eat a meat and plant-based diet. But around 2 million years ago, they switched to a bamboo-based diet. 20 of 100 species of bamboo are eaten by pandas, but these species only grow at altitudes of 1600 to 3600 meters. However, pandas' digestive system have not adapted to efficiently process bamboo. A single panda consumes nearly 30 pounds of bamboo per day, but digests less than 20% of it. A mother panda's milk is actually a light green color due to this bamboo diet. "Panda" is said to mean "eats bamboo". This explains why two completely different species are called by that name: the red panda and the giant panda. Once in a great while, wild pandas will regress toward meat-eating, especially soon after giving birth. Keely told us about an incident several years ago where a wild panda killed and ate a sheep on a farm. In the breeding centers, panda milk is augmented with bottle-fed formula. When multiple cubs are together at feeding time, they hug one another and often try to suck formula from each others' lips. Cubs are weaned at around one year of age. After 1.5 years, the keepers separate babies from parents. Sometimes mischeivous cubs climb trees to tease the keepers, and the keepers need to climb up and retrieve them for feeding time. Keely imparted this fascinating information on the drive to the Dujiangyan Giant Panda Rescue and Disease Control Center, run by the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda. It is a brand new facility, having been built after the Wolong Research Center was devastated by an earthquake in 2008. This new facility is not entirely open to the public yet, but it does take tour groups from certain agencies, and runs a volunteer program. We were very excited to be able to spend the day here volunteering. Still, we didn't quite know what to expect. Most tourists visit the Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding which is closer to Chengdu, where the smallest panda cubs are. Dujiangyan is more of a panda health and rehabilitation center, and its newness allowed for a more personal panda experience. We arrived at the center and parked in a very large and very empty parking lot. It was obvious that they expected many visitors when it fully opens to the public. We entered a traditional-style Chinese building through a set of doors marked "Panda Rescue." We were led upstairs by an employee named Jenny, who has worked as a guide at panda centers for two years. She handed us each a set of blue coveralls with a patch on them that said "Panda Husbandry Learner". She also gave us each a volunteer card on a lanyard to wear around our necks. The card was adorable and had an extremely stylized cartoon image of a very happy and excited panda. After we were suited up, Jenny returned and said that it was supposed to be very hot today, and she thought we would be more comfortable in short sleeves. We breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that we would roast in the coveralls. So instead she gave us lime green polo shirts with panda faces and the logo of the Center. She said that we would get to keep them. They were size 3X, the largest they had available. It was about equivalent to a large in U.S. sizing. One of the seams of my shirt was sewn incorrectly, and Jenny was kind enough to let me exchange the shirt for another of the same size. There was a pile of coveralls and shirts, so it looked like we weren't the only volunteers, but nobody else had shown up yet. We had to read and sign some paperwork which stipulated that we had to listen to the panda keepers, perform our assigned tasks to completion, and follow the rules. We should not take photos except when instructed that it is ok to do so, etc. We were given a pair of gloves to protect our hands from the sharp bamboo. I stuck my camera and a spare battery in my pocket, grabbed our water bottles, and handed my bag to Keely for safekeeping. She would be staying back at the welcome center while we volunteered out in the park.me while we volunteered. and we were ready to go. A few minutes later we got onto a golf cart and were taken to a small group of panda enclosures. The enclosures have indoor and outdoor areas. The indoor areas have bars to protect the keepers while feeding, and they stay cooler in temperature than the outdoors. They have cement floors and windows so that the pandas can see outside. There is a little gate which they can close when they want to keep the panda indoors or outdoors. We met Qu, who has been a panda keeper for the past 16 years. She handed us brooms and dust pans, and instructed us to clean the outdoor part of 2.5 year old male Ha Ha's enclosure. Ha Ha was indoors while we cleaned up his yard. Craig swept up bamboo detritus, leftover from prior feedings. I swept up the "poopoo", as Qu called it. Actually, it was not much more than bamboo detritus itself. It consisted of large chunks that were shaped like a seed pod. Some were wet but most were dry. They did not have an odor, and looked like punky wood. It really just seemed to be the ~80% of the bamboo that the panda couldn't digest. It was early in the morning, but the sun was quite hot and we were thankful that we weren't wearing the coveralls. We disposed of the bamboo and the poopoo in separate plastic buckets. The outdoor area was hilly and covered with grass, and had a little ditch around the perimeter for drainage. While we did this, Qu awas taking fresh long green stalks of bamboo and slamming them on the pavement to break them up and make them easier for the pandas to eat. When we were done cleaning, we carried armloads of bamboo into the outdoor enclosure for Ha Ha. Qu coaxed Ha Ha to go outside, and when he was safely out with the gate closed behind him, we entered the indoor enclosure to clean it out. We swept out the bamboo detritus and poopoo from indoors as well. Then Qu handed Craig a hose and he sprayed down the floor while I scrubbed it with my broom and pushed the excess water into the drainage trench. While we were doing this, Ha Ha was a bit curious, and sat on the other side of the gate watching us. Qu instructed us to keep a meter's distance between ourselves and the gate, in case he tried to reach in. Pandas are friendly by nature, but they are large bears with sharp claws, and sometimes they do not know their own strength. As cuddly as they look, you should never turn your back on one because they could hurt you without intending to. Qu squeegeed the floor to dry it, and then we went next door to a 20-year-old female panda's enclosure. She was smaller than Ha Ha even though she was much older, becaue she had been raised in the wild. We cleaned the inside of her enclosure while she waited outside. It was really hot, and sweat was dripping from our faces. But we felt strongly about doing the best job we could, and we were grateful for the opportunity to help this endangered species in our small way. When we finished sweeping, spraying, and wiping down the enclosure, we went outside and there were about a dozen Chinese teenagers dressed in our same polo shirts, gloves, and badges. They were sweeping bamboo leaves and sticks from the pavement walkway in a very half-hearted fashion. Most of the girls just huddled in the shade. The boys used one hand to sweep, very slowly. Craig swept circles around the kids, and I came through with my dustpan and disposed of everything as fast as the kids would sweep it. Despite the heat and danger of dehydration, we had a real work ethic today and wanted to actually make Qu's job easier rather than complicating it. She was very grateful to us and kept thanking us for our hard work. Once the walkway was clear of leaves, we were given a few moments to observe Yi Chang outside. She is about to turn 3 years old in July. Yi Chang was obviously hot outside in the sun. She was panting. There was a little water feature in her enclosure, and she lay down in it, trying to get cool. She was adorable and fluffy, with bright eyes and a pink tongue that she occasionally stuck out. By this time, a small group of Chinese tourists had arrived. Though there was plenty of signage asking people to please be quiet and respectful around the pandas, these people were so loud! They were making all kinds of loud Noise (including barking like a dog) to get her to look at their cameras. It was very frustrating for us, who had been silently watching or talking very quietly to the pandas in a voice we usually reserve for babies or cats. Jenny called all of us volunteers together and took us for a walk. We saw a red panda (who promptly went right back inside of his enclosure upon seeing us). Most of the other giant pandas seemed to be inside keeping cool, so we walked past their empty outdoor enclosures. The grounds were beautiful, with lots of flowers in bloom (some of the biggest clovers I have ever seen). Workers were laying concrete for new footpaths. We saw a sign for Yun Zi, a panda who was born in the San Diego Zoo in 2009, and was returned to China at age 3 or 4 and was now living here. The sign said "He is the achievement of the scientific and research cooperation between China and America." Pandas from the program are currently in zoos in San Diego and Washington D.C. We got to the panda kindergarten, where we could observe two 1.5 year old pandas eating bamboo from a distance. We could only see one at first, but when we looked closer, we saw the other reflected in the window. It was sitting on steps which were out of view, but we could see it perfectly in the reflection. A man was recording the sound of them eating, which carried a long distance - we could hear them chomping from the hill above. The teenagers acted disinterested, and preferred sitting in the shade checking their phones. They really seemed to take this opportunity for granted, viewing it as that same old local fieldtrip that we all endured in school. They have no idea how many people would do anything to get an opportunity to take care of pandas for the day. It was disappointing that they did not appreciate this rare opportunity. We were brought back to the center for a few minutes. We watched an employee preparing "panda cakes", a nutritious staple of the pandas' diets in captivity. Once she mixed all of the ingredients by hand in a bowl, she pressed them into wooden moulds which created medallion-shaped servings embossed with a bamboo design. They were adorable. We were then picked up again by golf cart and delivered to Ha Ha and Yi Chang's enclosures. The very photogenic Yi Chang was still sitting on top of her water feature. More noisy tourists arrived, and Yi Chang abandoned her cool spot to go to the other side of the enclosure, ostensibly to get away from them. We were frustrated with their behavior and walked over to where she went. We were quiet and she stood right on the other side of the glass, looking at us contentedly. She seemed to appreciate our company and the fact that we treated her with respect. Now it was time to feed the pandas! Qu invited us and three other women into Ha Ha's indoor enclosure. This panda was trained to sit with one paw grasping a stainless steel handle, to immobilize that paw for safety as the keepers feed him. As we all entered, Ha Ha sat right down and expectantly grabbed the handle with his right paw. Qu demonstrated putting a piece of food (bamboo shoot, carrot, bread) up to Ha Ha's mouth. He gently opened his mouth and took the food with his left paw. We then each got the chance to feed him several items. He was very calm and looked us right in the eyes before we handed him the food. He took it from us very gently, and at one point I could feel his lips gently grazing my fingers. I was actually putting food into a bear's mouth! It was surreal! Qu stepped outside for a moment, and as soon as she left, one of the women woman tried to feed Ha Ha a carrot without permission. We were dumbstruck. The two other volunteer girls told her not to, and thankfully she put the carrot back on the tray. Then we went next door to feed the 20-year-old female panda. Qu explained that she was rescued from the wild, so she doesn't like the taste of the nutritious panda cakes that the staff prepares for the captive pandas. She will only eat raw food. So they need to feed her extra bamboo shoots and veggies to make sure that she stays healthy. This afternoon they will prepare corn for her. Even though she is a senior citizen by panda standards, wild pandas are smaller than those bred in captivity, and she was no exception. She was standing up on her hind legs, holding on to the bars like she was being searched by the police. She did not follow the protocol of holding onto the handle (also probably because she was not raised in captivity). She held on to one of the bars most of the time, but sometimes she got excited and grabbed for the food with both paws. When given a nice plump bamboo shoot, she sprawled out on her back and ate it, and all kinds of bamboo debris accumulated on her tummy. She looked like she was smiling. We noticed that the fur on her underbelly was not as white as the rest of her fur, and had more of a brownish tone. Her toes were sticking through the bars, and we could notice the length of her claws. She would do a sit-up when she needed to replenish her food supply, wiping the crumbs from her belly. It was adorable! We were enthralled, and felt so lucky to be able to witness this. After feeding the pandas their lunch, it was time for our lunch. We all took the golf cart back to the staff cafeteria, where we ate the same lunch that is provided to the panda keepers and other employees. We were each handed a metal segmented cafeteria tray loaded up with stewed carrots, stinky tofu, and a cold dish which seemed to include cucumber and bacon. We served ourselves a helping of rice, and I bought a water for Craig and a Sprite for myself. They also sold cigarettes called Pride which had cartoon pandas on the packaging. What's cuter than a Camel? Panda Pride! It seemed wrong to be using an endangered species as marketing for cigarettes, but maybe it's a subliminal attempt at truth in advertising... Keely and Mr. Liang were also eating here, and we told Keely what an amazing time we were having. We ate our lunches, and we usually like to eat what is presented to us. But we just didn't like the stinky tofu. We had heard about it before, and had even eaten it in small amounts. But this big pile of tofu in its pungent-smelling broth was just unappetizing. I spilled a drop onto my jeans, and deemed that between that and the panda poopoo, these jeans were probably ready to be retired until I got home to my washing machine. The rest of the food was tasty and enjoyable, but we think stinky tofu must be an acquired taste. After lunch, we had about an hour to relax. We had been so hot and sweaty this morning that we just sat in the cool stairwell relaxing, getting ready for our afternoon shift. At 1 o'clock, we and the teenagers reconvened for a film that explained a lot about the panda program. It was an early cut of the National Geographic movie Pandas: The Journey Home (at the end it didn't even have credits, it just said "Credits" ad "End Card"). We learned a lot more about pandas and the programs to protect them through viewing this documentary, which features Dr. Zhang, an innovator in the breeding program. He explained that panda breeding was no longer as difficult as it once was. They finally determined that females are only fertile two days per year. They can now pinpoint these fertility windows via blood tests, and provide the picky females with a variety of suitors during that time period, increasing the chances of mating. After successful mating, they also artificially inseminate to up the odds of a resulting pregnancy. Pandas are very intelligent. Sometimes females in captivity will feign pregnancy by becoming less active and sleeping more, in hopes of getting more food and some of the special treatment lavished on expectant mothers. Following successful births, infants used to have a high mortality rate in captivity, and researchers weren't sure why. They observed the mothers patting the cubs' tummies, and following that ritual, the babies would poop. They realized that the babies don't have the muscle strength to poop on their own. So researchers started patting the tummies as well, and then the babies started to thrive. Both of these discoveries have increased panda numbers. But the panda programs have suffered some setbacks. Wolong Panda Center was destroyed during the 2008 earthquake that devastated the region. Several captive pandas escaped during the earthquake and the researchers could not find them. They worried about their ability to survive in the wild. But the pandas eventually returned of their own accord. The pandas have since been relocated to other facilities, including this one. Every year, the strongest teenaged panda is released into the wild. The Wolong area is now perfect for this. The movie followed Tao Tao as he was released. In preparation, they started to try to decrease his habituation toward humans, so his behavior would be more like a wild panda. So the humans who interact with him don panda suits which are covered in panda scent. Pandas don't have fantastic eyesight, so these panda suits, which reminded me of the costumes that the mascots for my local rinky-dink amusement park wore in the '80's) will fool them. Before releasing a panda, they want to make sure that it will be able to protect itself from any predators it may encounter. So they expose the panda to a taxidermied wildcat. They play sound effects of a wildcat's call, and observe how the panda reacts. Tao Tao passed with flying colors, climbing up a tree immediately to escape the perceived threat. Tao Tao was successfully release din Wolong, wearing a GPS collar so that he could be monitored. We found the movie to be fascinating, but the Chinese teenagers were either once again distracted by their phones or, in at least one case, asleep. We heard snoring noises behind us, which abruptly stopped when the kid was nudged awake by his neighbor. The whole group erupted in giggles. At 2 o'clock, we headed back out to the enclosures for our afternoon shift. The first thing to do was to feed Ha Ha again. It was such a thrill to feed the pandas. Qu went into Ha Ha's enclosure. She called his name and he came right in from outside. He stood up and Qu made a gentle hand gesture. He immediately sat down and held on to his handle, ready to be fed. He seemed to nod his head "yes" as each of us approached him with food. He was so gentle and well-behaved. We didn't feed him as much food as we did earlier. The pandas needed to have blood drawn, and food keeps them calm during the process. They wanted the pandas to still be hungry when it was time for their blood test. When Qu stepped outside for a moment, we followed her out. The two other girls who were feeding Ha Ha stayed inside, and posed for a selfie in front of him. But they were too close to the bars and turned their back on him. When Qu saw them, she quickly asked them to step away for their own safety. As Qu put her gloves on and opened the enclosures for cleaning, Craig put his gloves on and followed her. She stopped him, and said that we had done enough hard work all morning, and that we should relax and enjoy observing Ha Ha. We started to protest, but she looked at us with a smirk: "We'll let them do their share!" She nodded toward the teenagers. Fair enough! I think that she was appreciative of how mindful we were of the rules, and that she didn't need to worry about us doing anything unsafe. We stood just outside of Ha Ha's door, where we were still very close to Ha Ha and could watch him, but were out of harm's way. She directed the teenagers to clean out Yi Chang's indoor enclosure, and sweep out Ha Ha's outdoor enclosure. Ha Ha obviously had not eaten his fill. He assumed the feeding position, holding on to his handle, and looking at us expectantly. He even stood on his hind legs, looking like a Grateful Dead dancing bear. He became very playful, tumbling and rolling around on the floor. Qu was outside smashing bamboo stalks on the ground. Like Pavlov's dog, Ha Ha's mouth started to visibly water as he thought about that delicious bamboo. He really seemed to enjoy our company as we spoke softly to him. He looked right at us and we felt a connection with this gentle creature. The door to the neighboring enclosure was open, and I walked over to get some photos of the 20 year old panda rescued from the wild. She was sitting up, eating bamboo with both hands. When I was out of Ha Ha's sight, Craig said that he stopped playing and went and sat in the corner, looking in the direction I had walked, as if waiting for me to come back. Craig called me back to explain, and Ha Ha immediately started playing again. To test Craig's theory, he asked me to walk away again. Same thing happened. I guess Ha Ha really likes me! Qu went into his cage and said "xiexie" (thank you) to him, and told him to go outside. He went right through his gate to his outdoor area, and started eating some of the fresh bamboo that the teenagers had placed there for him. The vet came to get blood from Yi Chang. She held on to the handle and they fed her while they took her blood. We watched until a golf cart came to get us at 3 o'clock. It was now time to leave, after a very enjoyable and rewarding day with the pandas. We took the golf cart back to the base, where we met up with Keely. She gave us our panda schwag for volunteering and making a donation to the panda center: T-shirts, volunteer certificates, donation certificates, buttons, and a newsletter in a nice cloth bag. On our way out, because we gave a donation to the center, we stopped in to get a short private viewing of Wu Wen. She was a 1.5 year old female who was much smaller than Ha Ha, even though he was only a year her senior. Wu Wen was very cute and laid back, enjoying her afternoon bamboo. This had been a once in a lifetime experience, and we know we will cherish the memories for the rest of our lives.
We left at around 3:30 p.m. to drive back to Chengdu. We hit rush hour traffic so we didn't get back to the hotel until 5 o'clock. We had 45 minutes to shower and get ready for the Sichuan Opera. We met Keely at 5:45 and walked to another ancient street for dinner at Pan Sun Shi, established in 1925. I hung my purse on the back of my chair, against the wall. The waitress told me to put it on the eztra chair, and they covered it with a slipcover to protect it. For dinner we had chicken with chilies, a delicious local pork dumpling that tasted like a meat pie, black mushrooms and local veggies, and a sizzling cast iron skillet filled with delicious beef, onions, and peppers in oil, which was the highlight of the meal. CRaig had a Snow beer and they served it to him in a little Snow logo 2 ounce shot glass. Craig asked if we could buy it and they said no, that we would have to come back to visit it. Should have just stolen it! JUST KIDDING!! Keely brought us half a dragonfruit for dessert. What a sweetie! At 6:40, we met Mr. Liang and he drove us to the Shu Feng Ya Yun opera house. Sichuan Opera is very different from Beijing Opera, and we looked forward to observing the differences. We went to a museum across the street from the opera house, where an avid collector of opera memorabilia had costumes, props, instruments, and make-up boxes on display for the public. There was an opportunity to dress up in opera costumes and makeup at the theater, and seeing all of these beautiful costumes really convinced me that I wanted to do it! Then we walked across the street to the opera house. The seats were in a courtyard with a tent-like roof overhead. It was cabaret-style seating, and they gave you complimentary tea and snacks. We went straight to the make-up area on the far side of the courtyard. Actors and actresses were getting their makeup done for the performance. You could watch or participate. We had half an hour before the opera started, so that was plenty of time. I had fully anticipated doing it alone, but Craig said that since I seemed so excited about it, he would participate as well. I was delighted! We chose our costumes, and for $50 total, they did our makeup, hair, and costumes. A young woman did my makeup, first putting pale pancake makeup on my face, followed by a deep shade of pink eye shadow around my eyes. She then used black eye liner on my eyebrows and eyelids, and black eye shadow on my upper lids. Next she used a brush to apply bright red shiny lipstick. Meanwhile, a young man in similar eye makeup applied the same treatment to Craig (minus the lipstick). They dressed Craig up in an elaborate costume similar to what we had seen at the Beijing Opera. They padded his stomach (first time that has ever happened!) and then put on a blue and white embroidered gown, and attached four flags to his back. They finished him off with a silver headdress with pink pom poms, and handed him a sword. A young Chinese woman who had also dressed up wanted to get her photo taken with Craig. She asked Keely, who responded that Craig was very friendly and approachable. She coaxed the shy young woman to ask Craig herself. Craig happily agreed, and the two of them posed together for a photo. When my makeup was done, I came over to get my hair done. Craig looked at me and didn't recognize me at first! They clipped black extensions onto the front of my hair. Some Chinese women and their children watched with amusement as I was dressed. They padded my chest (first time that has ever happened!) and dressed me in a costume very similar to Craig's but with a red and blue color scheme. I had a silver headdress with pink and yellow pompoms and long feathers protruding from the sides. They handed me a spear and I was ready to go! They asked if we wanted their professional photographer to take photos. Now that I had my good camera back in working order, and we had the lovely miss Keely to take our photos, we decided to just do it ourselves. They walked us over to a stage area which had a nice backdrop. Craig's makeup artist came over and showed up how to pose with the weapons. It was a lot of fun. After our little photo shoot, we took off the costumes. They asked if we wanted them to remove the makeup or if we wanted to continue to wear it. We decided to leave it on, just for fun. Why not? We went to our seats and enjoyed the tea and complimentary snacks. We now knew the proper way to drink unstrained tea in a covered cup, thanks to our lesson in the park yesterday. When I took a sip, there was a full on bright red lipstick print on the rim of the white porcelain tea cup. Two young ladies dressed in yellow were on stage pouring tea from long, elegant teapots. They poured it in a very choreographed way. The show started shortly after 8 o'clock. The stage was well-lit, and photography was allowed. Once again, I was glad to have my good camera. Musicians came onstage, and then actors in elaborate costumes. While the show was going on, you could get chair massages or ear cleaning. It was a very casual atmosphere which befitted the laid-back style of Chengdu. A man played a stringed instrument with a bow, making it sound like a horse galloping and whinnying. This was followed by a woman with a stick puppet. The puppet had an elaborate costume, and its movements were so life-like that sometimes we forgot it was a puppet. When I think of stick puppets, I think of Muppets, which have a limited range of motion. This puppeteer could make the fairy puppet do very elaborate gestures. It spun a silk kerchief and moved it from hand to hand, and even picked a flower. The puppeteer made it look effortless. Then there was another opera scene, with colorful costumes, facial makeup, and long beards. Next, a woman performed hand shadow puppets. It was amazing. I think the most impressive was a rabbit, which she made run and blink its little eye. A man played a simple horn, and made it sound like two people having a conversation. Then there was a comedic skit called "Rolling Light". A hen-pecked husband (a common theme in Chengdu) was yelled at by his wife, and placed a burning oil lamp on his head. He went through a variety of contortions with the lamp still balanced and lit on his head to try to impress his wife. This skit dates back to the Han dynasty, yet it is timeless and still gets laughs from modern audiences. The grand finale of the show was the face changing (bian lian) performance, which dates back to approximately the 17th century. It is a form of quick-change magic. Actors came out onstage with colorful masks covering their faces. They waved a flag in front of them, and suddenly their costume was a different color. He did this several times and it was an amazing illusion. Another actor breathed fire. Then, all of the actors wearing masks (there were around 6 of them) paraded around the stage. They would wave their sleeve, a fan, or a flag in front of their faces, and immediately the mask would be a totally different color and pattern. It was amazing. They were so skilled! At the end, an actor in a elaborate black costume merely kicked his leg up in the air, and when he came down he had a different face. He then rapidly passed a fan in front of his face, changing into two masks in quick succession and finally revealing his face. It was amazing! Keely came to collect us, and we walked out to the car Mr. Liang opened the door for me and when he saw my face in the makeup he did a double-take. He gave me a big smile and told Keely that I looked very beautiful. On the ride, we passed a park and could see a larger than life statue of Chairman Mao lit up by spotlights. When we got back to the hotel, two employees said that although the majority of their guests attend the Sichuan opera, they have never seen them return in full makeup. We showed them our photos and they were quite amused. Our room had been turned down, and we found yet another porcelain bell decorated with a different opera mask than last night's had been. We embarked on the laborious process of scrubbing the makeup off of our faces. It was very difficult and took 15-20 minutes (about double the time it had taken to apply it). I used the complimentary loofah, and had loofah burns on my cheeks for the next few days. The black eyeliner was very difficult to remove, but it was a small price to pay for the experience! I had felt like a movie star (though I looked more like a German cabaret performer once I took off the costume). In retrospect, I'm sure I could have just asked the hotel for some cold cream, but I hadn't thought of it at the time. Oh well, I needed a good exfoliation anyway, I suppose. We went to bed at 11:30 p.m., a bit later than we had hoped since we had an early flight in the morning. We enjoyed our final night at the luxurious St. Regis Hotel. Tomorrow we would be reuniting with our dear friend Wang Jun, and getting to meet his family! |
 Ready to volunteer at the Dujiangyan Panda Base  Yi Chang: 2.5 year old female giant panda  Yi Chang cools down in her water feature  Two 1.5 year old pandas eating bamboo at the panda kindergarten  Yi Chang sticks out her tongue  Yi Chang  Steph feeding Ha Ha, 2.5 year old male giant panda  Craig feeding Ha Ha, 2.5 year old male giant panda  Qu, who has loved being a panda keeper for 16 years  Feeding a 20-year-old female panda rescued from the wild  Lunch in the staff cafeteria  Ha Ha is ready to be fed!  Ha Ha stands up  Wu Wen, 1.5 year old female giant panda  Shu Feng Ya Yun Opera House, Chengdu  Steph gets Sichuan opera makeup applied  Craig gets Sichuan opera makeup applied  Craig and a young lady who also got an opera makeover  Steph dressed up for the Sichuan Opera  Sichuan Opera selfie  Craig and Steph dressed up for the Sichuan Opera  We left our makeup on while watching the performance, just for fun  We left our makeup on while watching the performance, just for fun  Choreographed tea pouring, Sichuan Opera  Sichuan opera performer  Puppeteer and fairy stick puppet  Rolling light hen-pecked husband  Face changing show 
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