Wu Xi

In Mandarin, Wu Xi, means "no tin". In the olden days, people used to mine for tin. It was one of the sources of livelihood then. Because of the good money that tin brought to the town people, wars and disputes often occured and caused much disharmony among the people.

Thus, a monk who had travelled all over China, when he came to a land who was relatively calm and quiet, he was naturally curious. "Why is it that this place has no fights and petty crimes?" he wondered. As he began to investigate, he found out that this town was barren. It was void of any minerals, which meant there was no need for the people to fight over who gained more money, or who was richer than the other. No greed existed among the people here. As such, he decided to name it "Wu Xi" to signify peace to the world.

This is the most famous Buddha statue in Wu Xi. It is 30 metres tall. Yet, lightning will never strike it. According to local beliefs, this statue prevented SARS from affecting the people of
Wu Xi Province

Touching the Giant Buddha Hand for Good luck from here on! How? Walk clockwise around the hand as you place both of your palms on Buddha's palms and rotate your palms anti clockwise! Interesting, isn't it?

In Wu Xi, we visited the movie studio, sat on ancient war ships, watched fighting on horses, and tasted the best McDonalds Ice cream!


I also visited one of the biggest lakes in China! Tai Hu! It was sooo big and wide that you would have thought you were by the seaside, staring far out towards the ocean!


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The highlight of this trip was learning all about pearls. I learnt how to distinguish between real pearls and fake pearls. Real pearls are made up of minute grains of sand. Thus, the only way to know is to gnaw your teeth against the pearl grains. If it's a real pearl, you will find that its surface is rough, and not smooth.

Myth: In cartoons and comics, it has always been portrayed that an oyster produces only 1 pearl. But in reality, an oyster produces more than 1 pearl! On Average, an oyster can make about 30 pearls throughout within 6 months! The longer the rearing period, the more pearls will be produced. If its left long enough, the pearls will become bigger, rounder and darker!

Counting Pearls in an Oyster!

I also learnt to value pearls! There are several grades of pearls. The lowest quality of pearls would be white. Next in line would be pink. Better quality pearls will be of darker colour as it takes a longer time to be produced and it is quite a rare find. This includes pearls of the purple genre. The best pearl is the black pearl! If you ever see one, let me know!