China – Page 8 – HurricaneMaine

Huangpu cycle tour

As luck would have it, my Google Pixel stopped functioning correctly during Chinese New Year. I was able to buy a Xiaomi phone that is actually quite wonderful but apps take their time to figure things out when you are in a foreign country. Even though I could upload to WordPress initially, the last week gave me problems. Needless to say this post should have been published well over a week ago.

I have been to some of the places I went to on this tour before but was not aware of the history. Cycle Canton had this tour during Chinese New Year that explored more than I have seen before.

We visited the Huangpu Ancient Port, which was the entry point to Imperial China for all foreign traders. Just five families controlled the movement of goods in and out. The Emperor was never involved directly and the families were much like a cartel. The wharf and village is 1000 years old. They exported tea, porcelain, and silk. Ships had to dock in Macao first then be granted privilege to come to this port. The trade was called the Canton system. While they were docked here they fixed boats and would go from here on the Pearl River further in to Guangzhou on bamboo boats to go to 13factories. The cartel of 5 families held merchandise in a series of buildings on Shamian Island much like a warehouse. They would bring the goods then from there in Xiguan to Huangpu port to load onto the ships.

The three pillars of Guangzhou are the pagodas that are scattered in the area. I have visited two of them and actually ran my marathon around the third. These acted as lighthouses and markers to travelers. Before the big buildings, they were the landmarks you could see.

We then crossed on the ferry to Changzhou island, and visited a few historic sights.

One site was a hidden fortress Bei hu gang. This fortress has positions to shoot cannons. This fortress was used during the Opium Wars. They had canons and places for infantry and storage.

We toured the Huangpu Military Academy, which has great architecture. In 1911, Sun Yat Sen with others overthrew the Qing Dynasty. The newly named PRC though was only formed in the south. In 1921 they built a military school to help overthrow warlords in the North and learn military techniques. Chiang Kai Shek was leader of the school. In 1926 there was no more coordination between the nationalists and communists in China which led to the cultural revolution later when the communists took control.

One of two guard houses on each side of the gate facing the river.

This is one of China’s navy ships in the river.

Military propaganda for sale outside the military museum. We were surprised that material referencing Taiwan was being sold. Other items were the Kuomintang found by Sun Yat Sen.

We tested our biking skills weaving through urban villages. The buildings are called handshake buildings as you can be at your front door and shake hands with the person across from you. They were built for migrant workers. The farmers were much richer and lived in larger houses.

We also biked along a canal some call the ‘Venice of Guangzhou’. I have never been to Venice but am sure it is more than this.

We stopped for a lunch at a local restaurant that was next to the farms and fields of the very rural part of the island. Unfortunately metro lines are being added here so hard to decide what will be the future. There will be green spaces to bring visitors but this will most certainly change.

This is a photo of someone’s home taken from the second floor of the restaurant.

Ling family ancestral hall

We continued cycling through fields, greenways and more urban villages to visit the first foreign graveyard of China.

Here is the final resting place of many foreign diplomats, traders and sailors, including the first US Minister to China, who has been buried here since the late 1700’s. Many took multiple voyages back and forth, and it was noted that some died on the passages.

We also climbed a very large number of steps up a big hill to get a good view of the river.

This historically pivotal location was instrumental in trade and during war. We ended the tour on the banks of the Pearl River, overlooking a view of central Guangzhou, and drinking a beer at the local village. An epic tour, exploring the rural fringes of the city that is still greatly rural, at least for now.

Yinde, Guangdong

For a day trip Jack and I went to Yinde to a little village that has a park nearby with a tea plantation. Of course I love to eat….so trying different foods was a highlight.

The first thing we did was go to lunch and this eggplant dish was amazing. It was slightly acidic and not sweet. So very yummy. We also had greens with bamboo!

After lunch we went to view the park. The first one was just a series of paths and was not very excited about it, except for the beautiful scenery. And then we saw….

But then we saw the pond with the bamboo boats. I have been on a bamboo boat raft but never had the chance to pilot my own. It was actually very difficult and took a lot of arm strength until you realized you could lean into the pole and use your body weight which was still quite the workout. I also tried not to knock Jack off the boat swinging the pole around. I must say it was a great arm workout.

We walked the rest of the park and saw a settlement who on land next to the park. (The entrance fee to the park does help the village as it is community owned). Here is the persons dwelling.

We followed the cows as they walked adjacent to the paths.

Just the man and his dog…

The village temple….

The little temple that pays homage to the mountain

We then headed to the Tea plantation park. Walking through it was very beautiful. We also tasted the red tea which was very good. i bought some of the red tea. I also wanted to buy a tea plant but was very sure I would kill it (actually my cat as he loves to tear plants apart and drag them through the apartment.)

The tea plantation plants their tea plants on terraces along the mountainsides.

We stopped at another spot to look at the scenery. There was another temple erected by the village.

The formations are many of the same as seen in other areas.

This cave had bats which were fun to watch darting in and out of the stalactites.

Dinner was at a different restaurant with steamed eggs, tofu skins, and greens. The drink is apple vinegar. It is a fermented apple juice drink that is vinegar tasting but still slightly sweet from the apple juice.

It was nice to get away for a day close to the city but be able to walk in some wilderness and see new sights and eat different food. On the way back to Guangzhou we see many crazy things, including a Pikachu car!

Chinese new year

Warning. A bit of rambling about the last two weeks leading up to Chinese new Year!

This year for Chinese New Year we were advised not to go anywhere. We can’t leave China and there are a few imported cases and always a concern that all it takes is one to start another outbreak (though China’s policy about testing and quarantining to be sure means that areas are downgraded quickly in 3 to 4 weeks.) I am glad I went to Harbin at Christmas as it was shut down due to a few cases.

Last Chinese New Year I went to New Zealand and did not come back for 9 weeks. It was epic in terms of seeing sights but a bit nerve wracking not being sure where the world is headed. Fast forward to this year and I am glad to have been able to travel China last year, but not going anywhere right now was a bit unsettling. I looked at it as a time to spend with friends and relax a bit (except for chiropractor appointments).

Chinese New Year is hallmarked with families deep cleaning their houses and removing excess. This allows for the old to leave and allow the new in. I used some of the time to clean and organize my belongings as well. The cats did not like their deep clean, but that was necessary too! I came across a 2020 ornament I was given on the 1st of last year when I entered Greece. I thought maybe it should be destroyed given the year that we had, but would make a good ornament to remember that year.

This year is the year of the OX: The Ox is the second of all zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party. The Ox was about to be the first to arrive, but Rat tricked Ox into giving him a ride. Then, just as they arrived, Rat jumped down and landed ahead of Ox. Thus, Ox became the second animal. (The pig is the last animal as it had to stop and eat along the way!) Ox are know to be hardworking and honest.

In the weeks before Chinese New Year, many decorations could be seen going up around the city.

Okay, not a decoration, but where else do you see a chicken in a box sitting at a bus stop? I am certain it was someones dinner that night!

Chinese lanterns in the tree near the train station.

Over Chinese New Year, my Google phone stopped working correctly. That made it impossible to do anything as getting rides, ordering food, paying for groceries use the phone. Compounded to that is the code used to track whether you have been to a place with covid cases. Without the phone it is inaccessible. During Chinese New Year, many places close as it is like our Christmas to new Years. Jack was able to take me to a Xiaomi store to get a Mi 10. It has taken awhile to get my apps loaded and things working (let alone recovering everything from my old phone (without a Google phone and all the great apps and backups that would be impossible).

In the mall, a Tim Horton’s opened up, so we stopped for some coffee.

Over Chinese New Year was Valentine’s Day. Jack gave me some Moutai, which is a kind of baijiu (a grain alcohol that is pretty strong). Each type os different and Moutai is aged longer and the most expensive that you can buy here.

I also was able to get together with my friend Lily and her son Edward. (and Killian). I haven’t seen her in 6 months as our schedule always conflicted. It was great to meet for Dim Sum and share some banana bread I made for a party a few days before.

This is a new statue from a famous sculptor in Guangzhou of robust ladies in a variety of athletic pursuits. It shows beauty in everyday life and freedom and enchantment in their figures. It flies in the face of portrayal of chubby women and that is the purpose.

A sculpture of an ox.

At the start of Chinese New Year, I went to Haizhu park to meet people for some live music. It was part of a cultural event where they carved olive pits, learned other crafts, then stayed overnight in a hostel that focused on books and coming together. i did not get to participate in the other events due to an appointment and work the next day. It was good to visit this amazing place and hear music with friends. The rooms are tucked in among the books.

The decorations in Haizhu park where beautiful. I had been there during the day, but not at night.

I also was able to visit the pig cafe. A cafe full of potbelly pigs! What heaven. Instead of buying a drink and food for me to enter, your purchase food for the pigs. Each bowl of food after is much cheaper and it was fun to feed all the piggies!

At school we usually have a lion dance and other festivities, but many of these have been cancelled to stop large public gatherings. Our Chinese department worked with students to put on a fascinating show for the school. All students wore masks during the assembly and it was great to see the singing and dancing. The students who performed the fan dance were wonderful as well as those who were acting out scenes from Mulan.

At the end of the last day before vacation, our school held a get together on the rooftop of the new building. Wine, beer, snacks, subs, smores, and karaoke made for a very fun night! I work at an unbelievable and supportive school!

Dongshankou art cycling tour

Cycle Canton also had another tour last weekend. Fei Gallery was created when a land developer had to put in a parking space but resented it. So he used half of the space for an art gallery and also a permanent installation. Outside the building a three sided surround was built with windows taken from old Hutong houses torn down from up north. He also collected artifacts to put in the windows. The locals pointed out that in the South they use different household items so he asked them to donate representative items.

I made a quick video walking around. I thought you could see through to the other side but there is indeed a mirror inside the windows.

Looking down from the second floor you can see PVC tubes that allowed you to see to the other side of the window wall where a wet market used to be.

Inside the building is art displays and a cafe.

A diorama made inside of an old TV.

We then cycled through the streets of Dongshankou. This is a very old part of the city with many beautiful buildings of mostly colonial style as foreigners chose to live here and build missionaries and schools.

The Triple Rooster is an art gallery and a cafe. I chose to drink coconut coffee which had large blocks and shavings of fresh coconut in the coffee.

Mao Tse-tung lived up here in the second floor of this building.

The Baptist church is also found here and which is unchanged from when it was built. It also has a balcony inside facing the pulpit for members or a choir. It is still currently in use today.

More images of riding around Dongshankou.

We ended at Kui Yuan gallery that is next door to where the Communist party headquarters was founded. There was some great art by Guangzhou artists. The floors are original and show the tile work of the day.

Cycling around Xigua in old Canton

I took a tour with Cycle Canton on Saturday. This area used to be called Canton before it was named Guangzhou. The old part of the city was enclosed in an ancient wall and the area to the west was called Xigua. Xi means west in Mandarin. The city wall is in blue around the Canton area in yellow. The red area to the left is Xigua.

It was noted that affluent families in the enclosed city would want their young men to marry a woman from Xigua for the best match possible. Xigua was where the merchants lived and where trading would happen. It was one of the first ports that allowed international trading in Guangzhou.

Xigua is also where Bruce Lee’s family ancestral home is located. Though he was born elsewhere and lived elsewhere, his father is from here and therefore where the family is officially registered.

A main street in Xiguan area.

There is also a Lion Dance museum. The Lion dance is traditional during the Chinese New Year. I have posted it before and will most likely post another next week as well!

The Lion costume is worn by two people: one at the front and one in the back. They do some really incredible acrobatics sometimes running around like a lion or standing tall with one person on another’s shoulders in the costume.

We toured some back streets of Xiguan that is where merchants use to be. Now there are sections for every market you can find here: Dried goods market, fruit and vegetable market…..pretty much a market for anything that you need…..

This is an example of hair threading. They use criss crossed pieces of thread to take the fine hair and literally yank them out of the follicle.

From here we continued along the back streets to Shamian Island. After the British won the second opium war (fought over trade issues), they laid claim to this part as a port for trade. The British controlled 80% of the island while France controlled 20%. You can see the difference on the architecture here. This was the first International port.

Many of these buildings show colonial architecture.

This church is on the French side of the island.

From here we left to go to the riverside to take the ferry across to the other side in Haizhu. The side of the rivers is called the bund.

This is the British custom house and the first clock tower in the area.

In Haizhu we visited the Haizhuang Buddhist temple that i did not know existed. As with all temples it was very serene and beautiful. At the entrance of the temple, there is what looks like a swastika. It’s arms are pointed a different direction. The symbol in Buddhism denotes plurality, abundance, prosperity, and long life. The Nazi’s took the symbol and turned the arms clockwise as their national symbol.

In the old part of Haizhu we wandered the streets, weaving through the alleys. This building was a place built for a young man who was to marry someone chosen by his family, but he was in love with another. he took some of the family money with him and built a beautiful house with a courtyard where they married and lived.

The woodwork is amazing.

The top of the mansion from a distance. The building in front is the entrance to the courtyard.

In many of the old buildings, there are three layers of doors. The inner one is shown closed in this picture. The second door looks like a gate with bars. It is pulled across to let air flow in but keep people out (cats of course would love to sleep on the bars). Unfortunately, everyone could see in and what was going on in the house. The last set of doors was like saloon doors where people could not see what was going on inside but the second doors could still be used for ventilation.

Biking back along the south side of the river.

Cycling through the Nanhuaxi village where there are many former opium dens, outdoor markets, and ancient villas and ancestral halls..

Friends who joined on the tour stayed at my place at night to celebrate one of their birthday’s. We ate Indian and cupcakes in my apartment before going out to Hooley’s to watch some members of school who are in the band Gigantic.

Morgana, myself, Jack, and Amber in the background.

Jack and I at the celebration.

It was a glow party, so plenty of glow in the dark items.

I rarely go out like that and usually only one big night a year. It was fun to be with friends on a night out.

Japanese food

The last few weeks were spent going to various Japanese restaurants. Here are just a couple of places.

I went out with Jack and friends Elaine, Killian, and Maiko to a Japanese restaurant that specializes in eel. It was amazing.

Fried soba noodles were delicious.

I also noted a new restaurant near me that specializes in hot pot where you dip the cooked food in a raw egg. Jack and I managed to get a table one night. I was not sure of the raw egg in terms of safety but it was yummy. It turns out the eggs are from vaccinated chickens and flown in from Japan.

This week Bernie Sanders image at the inauguration resulted in many memes. I grabbed this one of Bernie at hot pot.

They also specialize in Omurice. It is a fried rice on a plate where an omelet is cooked with the inside still runny and then when it is cut it flows over the rice. A curry sauce is spooned over top. Here is a video: https://youtu.be/PyOsGWpGk2I

I also went bowling this week with Jack. It has been over a decade since I bowled and it was fun. I won once but at least scored a little more each game we played.

This week was also a surprise at the faculty meeting. Besides the usual snacks was cheese, crackers, and caviar with wine and beer. Not sure why, but nice to have something unexpected.

Running on Sunday morning at Favorview. I like to people watch so always fun somewhere new.

Photobombing in Xiang Xue Park

Not too far from my school in Science City is this beautiful park full of plum trees. They are blooming now with white or pink flowers. Because of the beautiful trees, so many people were there and Jack and I decided only to go if we could find a parking space. We both hate crowds.

But once there the photobombing opportunity made it worth it!

Photo bombing a live performance was not the original goal. You could hear singing everywhere and Jack explained that many of them were live streaming. They have some followers who will send them money but if they do something special they can sometimes get more. So I decided to photobomb them for those watching. I then took a picture of what I saw. Meanwhile Jack took pictures of me.

Then the one singer realized what I was doing! So funny!!!! They didn’t ask me to sing though which is a good thing…

This was my picture from behind the singers.

Beautiful flowers were everywhere. The plum trees were in full bloom and the bees were buzzing. It was so fragrant just walking through the park.

Lots of people everywhere, talking and enjoying the day. Many brought lunch, some played games….

It is a nice free place to enjoy nature and be outside.

I had wondered if there were bee hives here and there were at one end of the park. The darker honey is made from the summer pollen and the lighter from the winter pollen. I purchased some of the lighter honey as I had already purchased the darker from a farmers market a few months ago.

Bees busy making honey from the winter pollen (lighter in color and thicker honey)

This honey is the honey made from the summer pollen.

Across from the trees are a large space for food stalls. I was thirsty so we went in search of something to drink. In Chinese:

Wǒ kěle. Wǒ xiǎng hē guǒzhī. I am thirsty. I want to drink juice.

Sugar cane juice which was sweet but not as sweet as I thought it would be. It was delicious.

This bread was yummy. It is baked in a very hot oven that makes a well.

This dessert is frozen with liquid nitrogen making it very cold and you can blow clouds with your breath.

The food and fresh produce is amazing as it is everywhere here in China.

Running with visually impaired individuals

On Sunday four of us from school learned how to run as a running guide with visually impaired individuals. It was a great day and the gentleman Bin that I led spoke some English and I spoke some Chinese as well.

We held this rigid elastic band and used it to guide. Pulling up means to step up. Pulling down means to step down. Pulling left is to go left while pushing my right elbow against him means to go right. Pulling back means to stop or slow down. Communication is key to be at the right pace and it was a lot of fun.

Bin and I holding the band that we run with.

Late that day I went to Jack’s apartment in Favorview where we drank coffee at the clubhouse. There was a book club meeting there. People are the same all over. I loved how they brought snacks and drinks (they drank tea though in my book club it is often wine). They even had gifts for each other. But mostly they talked about the book while mostly just talking and learning about each other. We do the same as well. They were lovely to watch and notice the care of one another. I can’t wait for my book club meeting next week!

Food, running, and more food

You can find any kind of food here in Guangzhou including a Poutine place. This restaurant is not far from me and friends met to try different versions of toppings for french fries. There is the original Canadian poutine as well as others inspired by different countries. I tried the Lhaksa poutine with shrimp and crab meat. It had coconut and was spicy.

On the weekend, Jack took me to the Liwan district for authentic Cantonese food. It was off the beaten path. We had bamboo noodles. It is regular rice noodles but shaped using bamboo sticks. The soup had pork blood cubes in it. That is a standard Cantonese dish.

Afterwards we went for dessert. You know the place is good when there is a long line waiting for take out.

This dessert Bai xiang guo had papaya in it and a sweet juice. I’m not sure what else is in it. It looks like a rice noodle (chang fen) and the dish is good for those with a sore throat.

Rice triangles with a variety of fillings which could be pork, mushroom, bean, or plum. They are stranded in bamboo leaves.

This dish is made with almond paste and rice milk. It is not as thick as a pudding and it’s served warm. It reminds me of the filling of a bear claw but not as sweet.

The next morning we went running on the Guangzhou International Bio Island. It is a manmade island that houses international corporations many for pharmaceutical and other technology. Self driving cars are tested here and move people around on the island. There is a great running track around the perimeter and it is very beautiful to run with the view of the river.

Mangrove trees. Unfortunately many were taken down when guangzhou was developed and the islandsc were made.

Burning Rick works with individual genetic testing of cancer patients for individualized treatments.

Astra Zeneca China. This company is one of the covid-19 vaccine developers.

Then later we went for sauerkraut fish. It is a sour soup that is quite hot. There are many different peppers and the little round ones that look like peppercorns makes your mouth completely numb of you accidentally eat them.

Later in the week we went to another fish place where you add in other items to the fish and sauce you choose. This was Mekong fish with a spicy garlic sauce. There is so much incredible food here.

We passed by a place where young children get their hair cut. They sit in cats and watch cartoons to keep them still for their haircut. Clever.

Winning stay at the Garden Hotel

The Garden Hotel is the oldest luxury hotel in Guangzhou. I have been there this year at the TedX conference, the AmCham ball, and the 90’s Christmas party. At that party, I won a free night stay. As I had only a few weeks to do so, I decided to do it the last weekend of vacation.

After a run to and back from my covid-19 test required to return to work, I packed up and left for Dim Sum with colleagues.

Then I left to pick up Jack by Didi and headed for the Garden Hotel.

We didn’t get settled in when they sent up a snack. Phyllis dough with filling was just yummy.

We were given a pass to the executive lounge for high tea. Great snacks and tea or juice to drink.

We were delivered another snack to the room.

We walked around the neighborhood as it is one of the oldest in Guangzhou. There are middle eastern and african restaurants. Unfortunately as we found many of them closed due to covid-19. We had been looking for the Ethiopian restaurant, but it was closed. Instead we found a Syrian restaurant. I had Foul which is a slightly sour bean dish. Along with the hummus was a flat bread.

After dinner we went back to the executive lounge for drinks (included in the free pass). They also had Dim sum snacks.

The live entertainment was great. I requested a few songs which they knew and sang quite well like Adele’s “Rolling in the deep” and Alannis Morrisette’s “You outta know”.

Breakfast the next morning was great followers by sauna and outdoor hot tub.

I had never won anything before so a stay in a great hotel was amazing. A relaxing start to the New Year.

Celebrating New years

After arriving back from Shanghai I spent more time with Jack. He had been so sweet and lovely. He gave me a great silk floral arrangement and organic perfume oil for my birthday.

I went to lunches with my friend Elaine. She always finds great food to try. This was a black tea with whipped cream and pecans. It was delicious.

Jack surprised me with plans to go to a village north of the city called Xitou. We had already made plans to go to my friends Tricia and Dan’s for new years eve get together in Huadu so went on a road trip a night early.

Ww ate at a place in Xitou village. They had rice wine that has bees soaking in it. It is to help with certain medical conditions. I didn’t try it but very curious….

The food was amazing. The soup (tang) was made with many different kinds of mushrooms. It was very tasty soup. The sweet potatoes had the best sauce ever.

The mountains in Xitou were beautiful.

The village was also beautiful. Some old buildings are original. Many new places have been erected for others to come from the city to stay and is growing as a tourist destination.

We also had congee and rice roll with egg the next morning in the village.

Then we took a hike to the next village.

We took a wrong road and saw this bird. It is a wild bird that stays there and is hand fed. He was fascinating. The owner of the property brought it a cooked potato to feed the bird.

There is actually a place to charge your phone and make a call in the middle of the bamboo forest. This is solar powered.

In the other village they grow Camellia flowers for tea. It is also being developed for tourism.

After the hike we walked in the village to look at what they are selling.

Tofu dessert and sesame seed dessert. Warm and delicious.

Lunch was amazing at another village. The sour cabbage dish was delightful.

We arrived at my friend’s. There we played games, ate pizza and dips, and watched movies and shows until the new year. With the pandemic, there are no formal ball drop celebrations and in China there are some parties. Getting together as a small group was still better.

I’m the morning, Jack and I ran 5k, had breakfast with everyone and took a stroll around their area. It was a great end of one year and start of the next.