One particular piece was most fascinating. The face of a young girl, done in the finest of stitches was suspended in a frame behind glass so that I could walk around and see both sides. The shape of the girl's head was the same of course, but the actual faces were different. So fine was the workmanship that at the distance of a foot or so, the stitches were all but invisible leaving the impression of a painting yet oddly translucent. I decided to find a knot or string or something in it, and began a systematic search inch by inch. Within 15 minutes I gave up with nothing found. Such a piece of work takes years to complete and can cost the artisan her eyes from the concentration. My love of the sea was re-kindled as I found models of ancient instruments of navigation and old ships in another section of the museum. The Armilla sphere appeared in China in the second century BC and was used to measure the positions of astronomical objects. It is based on the "torquetum" developed by the Arabs. The original was cast in bronze and erected in Shanxi Province. The equatorial mounting on a later date simplified armilla has four coordinates, centigrade markings and an equatorial circle, and is similar to the basic structure of the equatorial mounting of the modern telescope. Not far from there was a delightful model of a 180 ton merchant ship pulled up off the bottom of Quanzhou Bay, Fujian Province in 1973. It sank in the 13th century AD at a time when Chinese ships made long-distance voyages between China, Southeast Asia and India. The model was constructed using details found during the excavation. As I wandered around I found all kinds of other things that are credited to Chinese inventiveness. The first odometer was fascinating. It was invented by an engineer named Ma Jun. It was a horse drawn cart with a drum mounted on it. A wooden figure stood with mallet in hand ready to strike the drum. His arm was activated by a set of reduction gears driven by the axle. He beat the drum every "li" or about 500 yards. It was not all serious study. There were a myriad of things for kids to do. A set of cast iron bells carrying perfect pitch were on display along with a mallet for striking. And then, there was a most curious cast iron bowl containing water. Laura went up to it and following the children's instruction, wet her hands and then vigorously began rubbing them back and forth on the side handles. Suddenly a tiny array of bubbles formed along the edge of the water, and as they rose and broke, an eerie high pitched hum was emitted. It was most peculiar. There were some dozen artisans working at various projects all along the back wall of the museum. some were painting, some were demonstrating the paper making machines, and one was carving a Chinese stone, similar to soapstone. For a few dollars he would carve the Chinese symbols for your name into the base of a pre-cut stone and make a stamp out of it. All in all it was quite a full day, and one that was very much enjoyed. The exhibit is on tour throughout the US for the remainder of the year before returning to China. Should it pass your way, it is definitely worth the trip.