House Hunting

While exploring the French Concession on Sunday, the four of us stopped by the former homes of Sun Yat-sen and Zhou Enlai. Sun Yat-sen's house (pictured) was a beautiful, multi-story estate, where he and his wife lived for many years. He is revered as the "Father of Modern China" by many Chinese, as he was instrumental in overthrowing the Qing Dynasty and acted as the first provisional president of the Republic of China in 1912. Just down the street was Zhou Enlai's house, which we toured, but neglected to take pictures of. Enlai was a major player in the Communist Party's rise to power as was sometimes seen as Mao's right-hand man. His house had a very functional feel, as it operated as housing and a base of operations for many Communist organizing activities in Shanghai. Pretty interesting to stand inside of it!

Meanwhile, an update on my parents' trip: they checked in from Beijing tonight, after an incredibly busy day. Today alone, they were able to visit Tienanmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Hutongs, and take in an acrobatics performance! On the schedule tomorrow: The Great Wall and Ming Tombs. They sounded very happy and have lucked out with weather so far. Though the ground is covered in snow (and they report having yet to see a single snow plow - all of the clearing is being done by hand), they've had bright blue, sunny skies!