Hong Kong

When I was deciding where to travel, during my holiday break, I asked people what I could do in Hong Kong. Everyone excitedly replied shopping. Shopping did not get me too excited; one because I am not independently wealthy and two because I don't need a lot of "stuff" cluttering up my life. Not to mention I can always go shopping in Nanjing, Shanghai or St Louis. So I almost did not go to Hong Kong.

But I knew there had to be more to this city; especially considering it modern history as a link to Mainland China. So I asked two people who had lived there and they told me about other things to do in Hong Kong besides shopping. Hong Kong (HK) sounded more interesting then. so off I went to see if it had more to offer than stores offering high priced goods.

The main thing I enjoyed was how easy it was to get around the city. Both of my friends had suggested that I purchase an Octopus card (HK's metro transportation card). That was a great suggestion because HK has a great mass transit system. It has 7 to 10 train lines, I have no idea how many buses and an outdoor escalator for pedestrians to take up a very steep hillside.

Beside the mechanized transportation system HK is also a very pedestrian friendly city. When I first ventured into the downtown part of the city, I couldn't figure out where all the people were. Which was strange in one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Then I found the elevated walkways. It was great! It keeps pedestrians and automobiles out each other paths and gives people a nice view of the city.

The other thing that made HK so people friendly, was the parks. There seemed to be scores of little green spaces everywhere and unlike Mainland China they were free and had lots of places to sit. Which was good because before I discovered the hillside escalator I had walked all way up to a zoo on top of one of the hills. It was a pretty good climb.

The other thing I liked about HK was the architecture and public art. It has some pretty cool big tall building; which light up at night. Yes I know those lights waste electricity; but I am a sucker for flashing colored lights. Also unlike mainland China, cement is not the most prevalent building material. So buildings don't seem to deteriorate as fast and there is not a haze of cement dust in the air and covering every surface.

Some other things that I liked about HK was how international it was and the variety of restaurants to be found. English and Chinese are the most prevalent languages but I must have heard a half dozen languages being spoken the day I walked through HK proper; not to mention the number of accents I heard.

Eating is another global experience. The street were I had dinner at; hosted a United Nations of small restaurants. An "Italian" restaurant I eat at, Solemio, was was staffed by people from Nepal (yes, I asked where they were from). The people eating there were also from all parts of the globe(no I did not ask where they were from). At $HK300 ($US42), which includes wine and tip, the meal was a little pricey. But I had a great seabass dish.

The overall thing I liked about HK was that they seem to have actually planed things in the city and then actually followed the plans. It was nice being in a well planned city. My main regret now is that I only spent one full day and two half days in Hong Kong.

Here are a "few" photos from my brief stay.

Nanfeng Kiln in Foshan

The Ancient Nanfeng Kiln was an unexpected treat on my trip. One of my hobbies is ceramics and glass making. So I decided to check out this old kiln site. I did not realize this was much more than a historical interest spot.

Nanfeng should be on anyone's list who is interested in the arts. Historically, visually and experientially Nanfeng offer’s a lot. It has two ancient kilns; the dragon Nanfeng (meaning south wind) Kiln (built in the 1500’s) and the phoenix Gao Kiln (built a little after the dragon). These two kilns are still very functional. There are also three museum galleries; one historical, one contemporary and one for special exhibits.

Along with these things to see; there is also several very large clay studios for those who would like to experience the kilns. From the looks of the artwork around the park (maybe I should say institute) there have been quite a few talented artist who have worked here. There is also a sculpture park of over 250 MU (about 6000 acres). Unfortunately I did not have time to see the park and I think the studios were closed for the Spring Festival.

The two kilns, which are the main draw here, are huge. They are over 30 meters long and go up a hill in a series of large chambers. The chambers are large enough to walk in. See these two kilns would have been enough to satisfy me all by themselves. But now I want to go back and experience this "Holy Land" of ceramic culture as one of their signs says. Anybody want to join me?

The following are a few of the over 200 photos I took. By the way I left some of the photos sideways because they load faster and look better in that layout; so you will have to turn you computer sideways to see them, sorry.

Chen Clan Academy in Guangzhou

On my first trip to Guangzhou I thought it was such an interesting place, I just keep going back. Along with feeling like I am in Florida, due to the warm weather and vegetation; there are many historical and cultural venues that one can’t take them in, in one visit.

It has a tropical feel like Georgia and Florida in the United States. With many flowers and trees that are similar to those found in the South East portion of the US.

The first time I visited Guangzhou, I spent the whole morning at the Chen Clan Academy; a restored family compound from the Ming dynasty. The detailed craftsmanship of the buildings and artwork inside them was incredible. To find out more about the Chen family visit; http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/guangdong/guangzhou/chen_family.htm

Here are just a few of the photos I took.

Spring Fest

Spring Festival is over I think. It is hard to tell for sure because they are still setting fireworks off in the morning and evening. Fireworks seem to be an integral part of life in China. You hear them at all times of the day to celebrate anything from marriages, births, store openings, some restaurants seem to set them off every night. So I am not sure but I think the main celebration is for just one week though.

Now the moon is waxing its way into the new year and I am still not sure what to make of the holiday. The New Years celebration starts the beginning of the lunar calendar, which is only used to mark traditional holidays. What I was expecting to see was a lot of organized events, but if there were any parades or shows, other than CCTV's New Years Eve Gala, than I didn't know about it.

Actually what I was looking forward to was the city to put on some big fireworks display. What happened instead; was just before midnight, everybody put on their own fireworks display. Instead of popping open a bottle of campaign; people set off fireworks then go back and eat jiaozi(dumplings) and drink jiu(alcohol) or juice. At least that is what the family I spent New Years Eve with, did. But they were from Northern China. In Southern China which starts below the Chang Jiang (Yangze) River and is where Nanjing is located, they eat something else. But I don't know what.

The one thing I do know is, after spending Spring Festival in China, the holiday seems to be a family affair and the best way to spend it is with a family. I am glad I got a chance to spent it with a family. Mainly because everything shuts down for for a week and traveling is very difficult and crowded the week before and I imagine the week after; especially the trains. It all seems a little chaotic.

Personally I think it is nice, though, for a whole nation to take a week off to be with family. Even if it is a little difficult for us ex-patriots to get along.

Though I was disappointed about not be able to see an organized fireworks show, the fireworks I did see was spectacular. Unlike in the USA where people go to a park and the fire department sets off the fireworks in a nice orchestrated fashion, in China is seem every family sets off fireworks before they eat at midnight. The fireworks they use are not small firecrackers and rocket that individuals buy in the US, these range from packs 500 to 1000 firecrackers all the way up to sophisticated multistage rockets that the fire department set off back at home.

Now you may think that this seems a little dangerous. You are right. It is like being in the middle of a colorful Hollywood battle scene. There are colorful explosions everywhere, in all directions and it goes on for hours. Now you may also be saying to yourself; that sounds a little frightening. It is, but it is also very exciting,. . . and disconcerting,. . . and loud,. . . and fun.

The air is also full of smoke. So much so that in the morning when you look out the window you think it is foggy, but it is smoke from the night before. There is also bits of paper debris everywhere. The smoke takes while to dissipate but the debris is cleaned up surprisingly quickly by the street sweepers. These are people with brooms made out of bamboo tied together; who are on every street you see in China.

So in a country that is around the same width as the United States you have tens maybe hundreds of million of household celebrating at the same time. Remember the whole country of China only has one time zone, so when it is midnight in Beijing it is midnight in Xinjiang. Also less you think that the fireworks end after one night; they are also used before breakfast and dinner, for the whole week I think.

Now I have some idea what Chinese New Year is like in China. Here is a slide show.