Joe's Cafe, 24/7 pit stop for ESL learners and teachers | June 2009
Egg's off, bacon's off, bread's off, tea's off. English is on though.
China Day 1: Maglev to Pagoda
A train without wheels - 21st century
The Maglev Train runs between Pudong International Airport and central Shanghai. MagLev is short for Magnetic Levitation, and this train that has no wheels literally “flies” along its 30 kilometre track in just 8 minutes, with a maximum speed of 431 kilometres per hour (see speed indicator above). We took the Maglev from the airport and were impressed by how quietly and smoothly it runs. In fact there was little sensation of speed, but we certainly arrived in downtown Shanghai very quickly indeed. As my first introduction to China, I was impressed!
A leaning pagoda - 10th century
In Shanghai proper we boarded our coach for a visit to an ancient building that reminds you of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. This was the Yunyansi Pagoda outside Shanghai City at Suzhou. It was started in 959 AD and completed in 961 AD - just two years. This brick pagoda has seven floors and eight sides, with a height of nearly 50 metres. With a total weight of 6,000 tons the building has started subsiding unevenly, causing it to lean nearly 4 degrees to the north-east, as you may see in the picture on the right.
The Yunyansi Pagoda is built on top of a steep hill. Some of our party preferred to take the more traditional sedan chair approach to the top (see below)!
On the first day of our arrival in China we had travelled back 11 centuries from a flying train to a leaning pagoda!
Wordchecker
magnet (noun): piece of metal that attracts other metallic objects
magnetic (adjective): behaving like a magnet
levitate (verb): to rise and hover in the air
levitation (noun): the act of levitating
pagoda (noun): a Buddhist or Hindu temple or holy building, often built as a tower with many floors
lean (verb): to not stand up straight
sedan (noun): an enclosed chair with poles for carrying one person (also called sedan chair)
Joe | Friday, June 19th, 2009 | Filed under Travel
19th June 2009 at 6:48 am
A train without wheels , I assumed there have the same sky train or subway in Thailand ,but I don’t know how speed in here and I think it’s less slowly than there ,sure . Because you said “flies” and also told about the speed of. Wow !, it’s amazing that human created such a thing , high- tech…..
Well, I felt love a sedan chair, yes I agreed with you. It sounds like coming back to 11 centuries. How did you feel when you sat on the sedan chair? I have imagined about Chinese series such as Paovunjin( very good mind ,but dark face)ect.. That I had ever watched, well done. Anyway, the men who carried with it were so tired, it sounds like very heavily, my opinion. Finally, thank a lot for sharing the interesting trip to us and I am looking forward to next day of the trip.
All the best ,
Nucha
23rd June 2009 at 7:46 am
Every stories and everywhere in china is very
interesting.The china is very prosperity in shanghai.
It was the best thing you could have done for
traveling to sent the picture and the stories for
everyone learn and know the culture in china.
The shanghai Maglev train or shanghai Transrapid’ is the first commercial high speed maglev line in the world. The system and train
the technology is more expensive per mile then
convention train system,but uses less energy
once installed. And the sedan chair used by
the transport vehicle for carrying a person once
popular across china.And I think that includes the
chair a bride in transports on,the authentic music of shanghai and protection of Chinese heritage.
Absolutely very gorgeous.
Thank for you give everyone to writing and sharing the idea for you trip in china.I would like
to say your trip in china is very completely.
Good night
Linda K (Hollywood USA)
23rd June 2009 at 11:39 am
431KMS/Hr Its amazing,in India we have a world’s biggest railway transport system but speed of the train is not like magnetic levitation train above mentioned.
7th July 2009 at 8:27 am
China is very interesting country. i would like to share my experience with you. I visited China in year 1996 and 2000. Chinese people are very interesting and intellectual people. One more important thing that they are keeping their religion in their homes and never come on the road with devastating purpose for religion like it happens in India or any other countries. The Chinese education system is very nice and due to that China is leading towards Hardware and Electronic King status.
I would like to visit China once again.
2nd December 2009 at 11:03 am
Dear English Club Team:
Please consider this message as a warning that computer hackers are messing up with the English Club website, particularly the ESL Forums, in the following ways:
1. They log in to different forum accounts and send e-mails using that account. For example, I received a private message from Dixie, although Dixie never really did in fact send me such e-mail saying Dixie was “Merce Carceller” on Facebook.
2. They post replies and new topics on the forums by logging in to different user accounts. (”identity theft”)
These hackers mess up the way registered users communicate in the ESL Forums. They hack into the private messages and the control panels of user accounts and send false messages meant to discredit everyone here in English Club.
Your immediate attention is required.
Sincerely,
Chaiz