(Written by a student in Shanghai)

          I went on a trip to Jinshan last Thursday.  It was organized by a school where I used to teach.  There were forty-two of us, and because we hadn't met for three months, there was a lot of excitement as we offered greetings to each other and talked with our friends.  The two-hour trip from Shanghai went by very quickly.

          The village of Jinshan is famous for the painting that is done there by the peasants.  Many of the families have been painting since 1973.  One of the couples told us that they were the fourth generation to be involved in it.  They paint with watercolors on rice paper and their style is very colorful - very showy with interesting patterns.  I took some photos and have attached them for you.

          When we arrived at the village, we had been greeted with yellow flowers wagging lightly in the spring breeze.  They were from a plant called "rape", and it was  beautiful sight.  There are small bridges on their river, and on the outside wall of some of the farmhouses there are large paintings.  The people living there are painters; their homes are their workrooms.

          Upon going inside of one of the homes, we saw many paintings on the wall, and a woman was painting at a desk.  The people who lived there had created the designs and done all the paintings themselves.  All of them were for sale.

      After we had lunch, we visited the Donglin temple.  It was rebuilt in 2007 and is very grand.