Barbie's Souvenir from China

 China is a wonderful place to visit.  The crowds at the most popular tourist sites defied comprehension.  I don't think there were as many people in the city where I grew up as there was in the line to view Mao's tomb and the Forbidden City.

The Great Wall was a revelation.  There were few people in the section we visited but the views were breathtaking and the climb strenuous. 

The whole country was extraordinary.  The fabulous aquarium in the shopping center, the people meeting friends in parks to dance to the music on the boom box, to sing difficult choral music, to play traditional instruments in small ensembles, the pandas, the efficient and pristine transit systems, the occasionally weird food, the death-defying hot pot, it was all wonderful.

The tourist markets were just what one would expect, full of cheaply made goods in noisy, crowded spaces.  Barbie did barter for and buy this umbrella.  I'm not sure why.  It won't protect her from the sun or the rain but it is pretty.