SOMETIMES the less-traveled path is the most interesting. We go off the beaten tourist track this month to visit two very interesting but little-known sites in Minhang.

First stop: Memorial hall of Zhang Chongren

an inconspicuous two-story brick and wood structure in the style of the Ming and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, hidden away in a cluster of similar buildings on Qibao Old Street.

Here is the memorial hall of the painter and sculptor Zhang Chongren, who was a close friend of the Belgian writer Herge, creator of the beloved Tintin comic book character.

Zhang, who died in 1998, influenced Herge in the creation of the story into "Blue Lotus" - the tale of a young Chinese orphan who befriends the famous ginger-tufted fictional reporter.

The Tintin comic books, written by Georges Remi under the pen name Herge, have been translated in 50 languages. Tintin's adventures are well known in China, where the Spielberg film "The Adventures of Tintin - The Secret of the Unicorn" was a big hit.

Qibao was Zhang's hometown and his life there is the stuff of legends. He grew up in an orphanage after he lost both his parents at an early age. The young Zhang entered the Tushanwan Art School, a French religious establishment, where he learned French, drawing and Western art.

After finishing his studies in 1928, Zhang worked in design for the film industry and at a local newspaper. In 1931, he left China for the Academie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, where he met Herge in 1934.

The two young artists quickly became close friends, and Zhang introduced Herge to Chinese history, culture, and the techniques of Chinese art. As a token of his appreciation, the Belgian added the character "Chong-chen Chang" (T'chang in original French-language version) in the "Blue Lotus" tale. Zhang was the prototype for the boy.

Another result of their friendship was Herge's awareness of the problems of colonialism, particularly the Japanese invasion of China. The "Blue Lotus" carries a bold anti-imperialist message that ran against the prevailing view in the West. As a result, the story drew sharp criticism from some quarters, including a protest lodged by Japanese diplomats to the Belgian Foreign Ministry.

Zhang returned to Shanghai in 1936, where he held a number of shows exhibiting his drawings and sculptures. He also established the Chongren Studio to further his art and teach more than 300 students.

Herge lost contact with Zhang during the Japanese invasion and subsequent civil war in China. More than four decades would pass before the two friends would meet again.

Zhang returned to Europe for a reunion with Herge in 1981, at the invitation of the French government. In 1985, he was accorded French citizenship and settled down to teach in Paris, where he died in 1998.

Zhang's name is perhaps better known in Europe, particularly in France, than in China.

Zhang created sculptures of the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, former French President Francois Mitterrand, Chinese artist Qi Baishi and literary giant Mao Dun, among others. He specialized in oil paintings, watercolors and sketches, incorporating elements of both East and West.

His memorial hall is divided into three sections, where visitors can retrace his life and view his works as well as the history of his friendship with Herge.

Hundreds of Zhang's works, both paintings and sculptures, and photos from his time spent in Europe with Herge are exhibited here.

The hall contains a bust of Herge done by Zhang and Zhang's paintings of Tintin and Tintin's faithful fox terrier Snowy, which he used to teach Herge Chinese-style line drawing.

A sculpture of Tintin by Zhang, recently donated to the hall by his daughter, will be on view next year to mark the 105th anniversary of artist's birth.

The exhibits also include "Wife of a Fisherman," Zhang's first sculpture, done when he was an art student in Brussels, and "The Return," his last work, which he created to mark the return of Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland in 1997.

The tools Zhang used in his artworks are also on display. There is a room decorated in the style of his Chongren Studio, with paintings on the walls and chairs around a fireplace.

In the visitors' book, a James Taris wrote: "It's a pleasure to see such an excellent exhibition worthy of this great artist." A student of the Huishi Primary School wrote: "We respect you and your art life is worth learning." A visitor from Tibet wrote that loves Tintin and was pleased to discover Zhang's relationship with Tintin's creator. Second stop: Chinese Rice Culture Pavilion

a pavilion in Guangji Village in Pujiang Town is dedicated to the history and culture of rice planting.

The newly-opened Chinese Rice Culture Pavilion is a breath of fresh country air.

Everyone knows that rice is an important food in China, but few know how that came to be. And urban dwellers who eat rice almost every day are often unaware how the crop is cultivated and turned into a wide variety of products.

It all starts with a scythe, a straw rain cape, stone mortar and a waterwheel, according to the exhibition's carefully laid-out displays.

Guo Lingli, who lives in the Xinzhuang area of Minhang, visited the pavilion since it opened in October and said she was pleased to learn so much about such a basic foodstuff.

"It was both fun and educational," she said.

The pavilion is in the style of a typical thatched-roof farmhouse. Paper cuts are pasted on the window and traditional chunlian (Spring Festival couplets) are hung on either side of the doorway.

Inside, one can view the processes for making rice wine and rice cakes. Four giant vats used to make jiuniang (rice wine) have one-meter diameter covers made of straw.

Stepping outside the pavilion, one sees wooden waterwheels, which are important irrigation tools. Further back, there are rice paddies at different stages of growth.

The rice growing there are all high-yield varieties developed by agricultural experts in Minhang.

Here, one also learns about the origins of row agriculture in China and the history of paddy rice plantation and its classifications.

The China culture was built on agriculture, and rice played a central role in that development.

The commonly accepted view is that the rice cereal grain was first domesticated in the region of the Yangtze River Delta region, but rice remains dating back to 8,000 years ago have also been found further north of Henan Province. One of the oldest rice paddy sites, found in Zhejiang Province, goes back some 7,000 years ago.

In Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to the south, some rice processing tools, such as a grindstone, have been excavated. They date back about 10,000 years.

In an ancient encyclopedia of China, there are records of planting five cereals as early as the era of the Chinese Emperor Shennong in about 2700 BC.

During China's Warring States Period (476-221 BC), the use of iron farm tools and the advent of the plow improved rice cultivation. Large water conservancy projects provided favorable conditions for rice plantations.

The book "Qimin Yaoshu," written in the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 386-534), included the cultivation techniques of rice.

An interactive area is being constructed in the pavilion that will allow visitors to experience the handling of rice farming tools and the making of rice wine and rice cakes.