On July 22, there was a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_July_22,_2009"><b>Total Solar Eclipse</b></a> that cut across India, China, and the Central Pacific. At 6 minutes and 39 seconds, it was the longest eclipse of the century, not to be exceeded until 2132. We chose to watch it from <a href="http://english.ctrip.com/destinations/DistrictIntroduction.asp?District=16"><b>Putuoshan</b></a>, an island in the Zhoushan archipelago, southeast of Shanghai. It is home to Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Mercy, and to one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains of China.