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    Photos from China

    There are [230] photos from China

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    The Bund. That guy to the bottom right of the photo followed me around for AGES trying to get my to pose for and buy a sketch. I took this photo SECONDS before he bounded over to me. Hahaha. Views[1803] Two art students that I met while walking around The Bund. They took me to their art gallery and showed me around. I love the painting in the back ground of the terracotta warrior on holiday in New York. hehe. Views[322] The Palace Hotel, just of Nanjing Road. You can see the Victorian influenced architecture. Views[262] The amazing Dr. Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall in Guangzhou. The hall was constructed between 1929 and 1931 and is a monument to Dr Sun Yat Sen (1866-1925), a Chinese revolutionary and political leader who co-founded the Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party). Views[485] Such a magnificent building. Views[389]
     
    Views[351] Beijing Lu, the main shopping strip in Guangzhou. Views[468] Outside the Irish pub 'The Paddy Feilds' in Guangzhou with Leith and Mark. Views[941] Views[295] Sunset over Guangzhou. Views[363]
     
    Yuexiu Park, Guangzhou. Views[338] Clambering carp at the Dongshanhu Park, Guangzhou city. Views[3767] A wishing pond inside the temple grounds. People have thrown in a lot of money and apparently, every now and again the monks jump in the ponds with a net and get all the notes and coins out. Views[368] Visitors praying outside one of the temple buildings. I read this on a plaque by one of the temple buildings and I found it interesting: I've reworded it slightly because it wasn't written in very understandable English.) To pray, light an incense stick and offer it to Buddah, Dharma, Sangah and to all living beings. You're not suppose to blow the incense out, as that's a sign of irreverence. You have to wave the stick around until it goes out. Then you imagine Buddha and Bodhisattva appear in front of you to accept the offering. Then you worship Buddha in front of a statue of him. You bow three times and every time you rise up, recite Lily plant and a fishy. :D Views[339]
     
    Entrance of Nanputuo. Views[417] The main temple building that houses many huge statues. Views[312] Views[350] Views[259] The small mountain range behind the temple is known as the Wulao Peaks. Views[393]
     
    Views[341] On the ferry on the way back from Gulangyu. Views[400] These signs are all over Gulangyu. Views[365] Tea anyone? Views[318] Views[393]
     
    Oops. Someone lit too much incense. Views[308] The Gulangyu bay. Views[284] Some of the little souvenir shops on Gulangyu. Views[526] Gylangyu Island. Views[430] A junk boat on the shore of Gulangyu Island. Views[383]
     
    Some more Victorian architecture on Gulangyu. Views[454] HUGE lily pads in the Nanputuo Temple gardens. They were seriously massive. This water was teaming with fish and turtles. Views[463] In Xiamen city we went to the Nanputuo Temple, which dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907). It's a huge tourist attraction, but also a fully working temple. Views[420] There were lots of circles of lily plants with baby fish swimming around them. Views[348] These army guys were matching down the street in Xiamen city while I was trying to take a photo of a beautiful archway. I was trying to include them in the photo and when my camera followed them, they got very upset and motioned for me to stop. Fascist bastards! Army and police in China get very angry if you try to take photos of them. I suppose you'd find the same problem in many countries; perhaps even America. Views[440]
     
    One end of Xiamen Island, taken from Gulangyu Island. It's all part of Xiamen county though (which is in Fujian province of course). Views[336] Gulangyu Island beach with Xiamen city in the background. Views[396] One of the old Victorian style houses on Gulangyu Island. Not much to look at, but imagine what it must have looked like in the mid 19th century. Views[969] This is a statue of Koxinga (or Zheng Chenggong, which he is mostly called in China or Tei Seikō, which is his Japanese name) who was a Ming loyal military leader of the anti-Qing movement, and a general who defeated the Dutch to claim Taiwan in 1662. He is remembered and revered as a brilliant leader, not only in China, but also in Taiwan and Japan. (He was Japanese born.) This huge granite statue of Zheng Chenggong towers 41.2 meters above the sea from its lofty perch upon Fuding Rock (Sunlight rock) on Gulangyu Island. Views[474] View of Gulangyu Island to the left and Xiamen Island to the right, taken from Sunlight rock. It's a shame there was no sunlight! Views[461]
     
    Gulangyu Island beach. Views[387] Live seafood for sale on Gulangyu Island. Including turtles, pipis and mussels. They will actually rap them up in a plastic bag for you, when they are still alive. You can't get more fresh than that. I could eat most things there, but never little turtles. Views[1154] A legless busker on Gulangyu Island playing a Chinese four string lute called a 'pipa'. His playing wasn't great, but I think he deserves every mao he gets for sitting out there all day! Views[738] GUESS what this is? Its actually sweet potato with food coloring and icing on top. I thought it would be horrible, but it wasn't bad. It didn't taste like sweet potato at all. Views[402] One of the shopping streets on Gulangyu Island. Its really just an island full of shops, hotels and tourists, but it was interesting to visit nonetheless. I wasn't interested in the souvenir shops and was much more keen on learning about the history of the island. Views[615]
     
    We spent the day (and night) on Gulangyu Island, which is a small (one squared km) tourist island just off the coast of Xiamen Island. The island became a foreign enclave in 1842 after the signing of The Treaty of Nanking (which marked the end of the first Opium War between Britain and China) and remained so until 1949 when the Chinese Communist party took power. The island was abandoned and thus left to it's original inhabitants, buildings intact. Most of the buildings are in a state of disrepair, but some are in the process of being restored. Its home to a lot of very unique architecture (a mixture of Victorian and Qing Dynasty Chinese) and welcomes many thousands of tourists every year. Views[584] Views[257] Views[896] Lucy, at the little tea place we visited. Views[1934] Hosting a Q&A at the language center. Views[1719]
     
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