Beijing: Run-ze Jade Garden

Exploring Asia Overview
Cathay Pacific B777-300ER Business Class San Francisco to Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific Lounge Review: The Cabin at HKG
Cathay Dragon A330-300 Business Class Hong Kong to Beijing
Lodging Review: Regent Beijing Hotel
Beijing: Dongcheng District
Beijing: The Great Wall
Beijing: Run-ze Jade Garden
Beijing: The Sacred Way of the Ming Tombs
Beijing: The Legend of Kung Fu
Beijing: Tiananmen Square
Beijing: The Forbidden City
Beijing: Hutong Tour via Rickshaw, Tea Tasting, Flying to Xi’an
Lodging Review: Hotel Shangri-La Xi’an
Xi’an: Qing Dynasty Terra Cotta Warriors
Xi’an: Tang Dynasty Dinner and Show
Xi’an Wrap-Up, Flying to Lhasa, Lhasa Home Visit
Lodging Review: Shangri-La Hotel Lhasa
Lhasa: Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Market
Lhasa: Canggu Nunnery and Sera Monastery
Lhasa: Potala Palace
Leaving Lhasa and Flying to Chongqing
Viking Emerald
Shibaozhai Temple
Cruising the Three Gorges
Three Gorges Dam
Jingzhou City Walls Tour
Wuhan: Hubei Bells Performance and Provincial Museum
Shanghai: Shanghai Museum
Lodging Review: Fairmont Peace Hotel, Shanghai
Shanghai: Old Shanghai and Yuyan Gardens
Lodging Review: The New Otani Tokyo Hotel
Tokyo: City Tour
Mt. Fuji and Hakone Tour Returning by Shinkansen
ANA Suites Lounge Review, Tokyo Narita
All Nippon Airways B777-300ER First Class Tokyo Narita to Houston

For our lunch stop on the way back from the Wall, it was not really a surprise that the restaurant was also a jade showroom. Hey, we knew we’d have at least a couple of these type of stops so I guess it was just as well that we got one of them out of the way on the first day.

Our guide from the shop spoke great English (as did many of the salespeople) and we first walked past a couple of workers who were polishing and shaping the jade, which was actually pretty cool to see.

Then we were led past several amazing pieces. I don’t know how much they cost and they wouldn’t fit with my decor at home but I still found the intricate carvings quite spectacular.

A red jade dragon

The background is so busy it’s a little hard to see all the detail on this bird but it’s incredible.

A horse in white jade

I believe this is a dog in yellow jade

This green jade ship was absolutely massive

One of several Buddhas on display

I hadn’t realized there were so many different shades of jade until I got to China. The pieces above were all in a hallway around the outside of the main showroom. Before they let us loose to start buying we were led upstairs for our first authentic Chinese meal of the trip. As you can see from the menu while it’s a little different from what you might find at a Chinese restaurant at home, there was nothing terribly exotic. The meals were served family style on a lazy susan – a setup we would encounter a number of times over the next couple of weeks. The menu:

Soft drinks, water and beer were included with our meal though we were limited to two bottles each. I got reacquainted with the use of chopsticks, though forks were available as well.

After lunch we went back downstairs to the showroom. I got this one photo taken and then was told they didn’t want folks taking pictures of the merchandise. I wonder if that’s because the pricing is (or isn’t) competitive? Makes you wonder…

The showroom was VERY large

It was nice to be warm and dry for awhile before we boarded the bus again (in the rain) and drove to our next site (in the rain).