Nanchang meets the West

Back in the saddle after a two-week blogging hiatus caused by a frantic trip through China (Beijing, Ningbo, Shanghai, Wuxi, Changshu, Nanchang, Guangzhou and Hong Kong in eight days). The country's pace of development continues to amaze, its pollution to apall (if you ever go to Changshu don't expect to see the other bank of the Yangtze).
The most interesting place on the itinerary (because the most provincial) was Nanchang, a small city (1.5 million-2 million people) that is the capital of Jiangxi province.
Nanchang is famous for the Tengwang Pavilion, one of the top three pagodas in the country, and the Bayi suspension bridge (over the Gan River) with its statues of a black and a white cat (erected in honour of Deng Xiaoping's famous statement that "it doesn't matter if it is a black cat or a white cat: if it catches mice it is a good cat.")
Today, Nanchang is also known for its baby trade. Our hotel was full of American couples and their adopted offspring. Although a little disconcerting to see at first, at least this baby trade is being properly monitored today: the adoptive parents are required to go through a number of bureaucratic hurdles. They also return to China to meet with other parents of Chinese babies and to ensure that their kids do not lose touch with their roots.
Another memorable feature of Nanchang is a full-size replica of the Arc de Triomphe at the Cinquantenaire in Brussels. This seems to be part of a new high-end housing estate called the European Resort. Whether it features any other notable European monuments, I cannot say.