Tuesday, November 30, 2010

UZBEKISTAN


10:43 Am - Checking in at the same time with us is a team of sport men from Uzbekistan who are returning after competing in the 2010 Asian Games.

In the background the two young girl athletics in yellow are Rhythmic Gymnastics one holding hula hula rings used in Gymnastics competition. One of them could be a medalist from a bunch of flower she is holding. When presenting medal to winner, a bunch of flower is given to each of the medalist alone with the medal.

Uzbekistan sent 220 competitors to 2010 Asian Games and ranked 8 in the Games with total 56 medals including 11 Gold.

Malaysia ranked 10 with total 41 medals inclusding 9 gold.

2010 Asian Games was held in Guangzhou from 12 November to 27 November 2010




More about 2010 Asian Games : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Asian_Games
More about Uzbekistan at 2010 Asian Games : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan_at_the_2010_Asian_Games

Buji Town - The town where our family history began



Buji Town (photo above) as we see it today - A city in the making. High rising residential flats (background), newly completed fly over yet to be opened (right), expansion of existing old road (left), huge fleet of public transport to serve the continuous floor of migrant workers and travelers.

Buji Town is 1 hour to Bao'an International Airport.

More about Buji Town

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Wu Zhou City Square 梧州市政广场


27-11-2010 3:13PM Wu Zhou City Government Square (on the right hand side) as view from our hotel room.

Mei Yin said her most happiest moment in this China trip was riding a mini motorcycle in this town square. RMB3.00 for 10 minutes (Photo below)


Wu Zhou City Government Square is one of the most beautiful public square I ever been.


Saturday, November 27, 2010

Temple of Dragon Mother

Temple of Dragon Mother





West Street




26-11-2010 Friday 5:12PM West Street of Yang Suo. Holding yellow flag in the middle is our tour guide followed by our group.

More about our stroll in West Street of Yang Shuo

YangShuo陽朔




2:09PM Cruise boats line up along the Li River at Yang Suo

2:09PM Boarding the tour boat for a 2 hours river cruise of Li River in Yang Suo.










3:51PM The boat stopped in the middle of Li River where there is an island of rock beach for 15 minutes for the passengers to roem around. There are a few fisher men with their fishing duck ready to post as your photo model in return for RMB2.00.


rrrr
4:21PM We just finished our boat ride and walk the way to our tour bus while the school children also just finished school and returning home.

More about Yang Shuo Town


Friday, November 26, 2010

正陽步行街 Pedestrian Street


More about our visit to 正陽步行街 Guilin Pedestrian Street


Lu Mountain Garden


25-11-2010 THURSDAY 3:30PM We arrived at Lu Mountain Garden





More about Yushan Park

Silk


25-11-2010 Thursday 10:00AM - The tour guide brought us to a silk products shop - DI BAO SILK THE PRODUCTS CO., LTD OF GUILIN.

Photo above : workers making silk blanket by hand.

Photo below : a replica of silk robe worn by the royal family in ancient China


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Old Folk's Home for the National Heros


This is a special old folk home for the retired old age high ranking military official. No an ordinary old folk home. Those old folks are considered as national hero who fought during the WWII in defending China.





More about our 2nd Day in Guilin City

Morning stroll in Rong Lake 榕湖景區


8:27 AM A group photo over the Rong Lake
8:33AM Passing the Muzium, an open public dance performance is going on infront the Muzium building.

Morning stroll at the Rong Lake of Guilin after breakfast.

8:44 AM we arrived at the Ancient South Gate a place full of life and energy. Photo above : Infront the Ancient South Gate are old folk doing Tai Chi Art (at the right side), while our group and other tourist watch by (at the left)


9:07AM Beside Rong Lake is another younger group dancing in tune to the music from a tape recorder.





9:12AM Over the Jiuqu Bridge (9 turn Bridge)



More about our first day in Guilin City




Thursday, November 25, 2010

On the road of Hezhou


24-11-2010 Wednesday 8:13AM - We are already on the road from Hezhou to Lipu. On the road are also employee on their way to work.




Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Hezhou City

23-11-2010 Tuesday 5:06PM - We are already settled down in He Zhou International Hotel and went for a shot roaming the small lane and street around the hotel.

We entered the hotel with red carpet, but the red carpet was not laid for us but for the government official who are having a National level of 'District Assets Tax Discussion Forum" held also in this hotel.



More detail about our visit in Hezhou City

賀州紫雲洞(紫雲仙境)


23-11-2010 Tuesday 2:00 - 3:00 PM we spend one hour in this "Ferry Land in Purple Cloud" 紫雲仙境

More detail about our visit to Ferry Land in Purple Cloud





Kangzhou-Wuzhou Express Highway

From Bao'an International Airport, the tour bus head toward Zhaoqing using the newly completed Highway - the Kangzhou-Wuzhou Express Highway.
An impressive highway with Service Areas along the way. Each Service Area consists of Toilet, Petrol Station, Restaurant and Convenient Shop.



Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Early morning in Zhao Qing 肇慶


23-11-2010 Tuesday 7:22Am - Our first morning in China. Behind the hotel are a small group doing their routine morning exercise - the fan dance. Dancing is a form of exercise for body in China for both young and old.


Dance, Dance, Dancing in China

November 2010 Guiling Tour, China


Dancing and Dancing every here and there.
Dance in the morning, Dance in the evening.
Dance the old men dance, Dance the old ladies dance.
Dancing in the city square, dancing in the parks and dancing beside the lakes.
Dancing in any open space, dancing under the street light
Dancing under the rising morning sun, dancing under the moon and stars sheltered by thick mist.

Malaysian Dance, Indian Dance and Indonesian Dance! Yes, believe it or not! They dance my country dance - Malaysia.

This is what surprised and amazed me during this 8Days 7 Nights tour of Guiling in China. I completely did not expected to see such activities before I came. Now I saw them and I believe these Chinese ( a third of world population) will eventually pick up all form of dances.

Chinese fitness dancing : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_fitness_dancing




I didn’t realize that could see this myself during this trip to Guilin. And so many of them. Mostly elderly people over 50.

In another park they were in learning dance routines. And group of elderly men and women doing Tai-chi in front an ancient gate. Many of these dancers consider these daily activities in the park as a longstanding hobby and doing it with passion.

They are a group of people whose passion lies in dancing: ranging from the elders to youth. Dancing makes their lives rich and colorful and fills their world with spirit and energy. In China today, dancing can be used to express one's own story as well as bring out life's joy.
The average age of the members of this dance troupe is 53, and none of them are professional dancers. The dance they are rehearsing is Italian so they had ethnic Italian costumes custom made.
The members of the dance troupe all consider dance to be a longstanding hobby and thus throw them into it with great passion.
In the cities of China today, dance has already become a type of exercise. People take advantage of any and every usable space, practicing their favorite kind of dance.

Morning dancing in Beijing parks



23-10-2013 Tuesday : From Zhaoqing City to Hezhou City

Morning 

This is my first morning in China, I got up early then the 2 children and went out the hotel for a walk around.

Behind the hotel down the slop an empty concrete space were few people attracted me to go for a look. I saw a small group of elderly men and women doing fan dance very graceful and elegant. (photo above)

I remember reading about early morning activities in parks of Beijing and Shanghai. About Chinese people doing Tai-chi, dancing, and "Practicing English" in groups.

This trip, for the first time I saw such social culture my self in China. Back home in my town Chinese do have small and insignificant activities in such dancing exercises too. For example one of the local church used to have group aerobat exercise dance at car park late afternoon. Another group of grandmothers have weekly dancing exercises using the Chinese Middle School compound.

Evening

In the evening the tour guide brought our group to see "crystal tree" in the city park. I am in no interest in jewelry though the ladies member in the group are. I skip the group and wonder around the park and excited to see two separate lady groups in line dance.
Black cloths are common among the dancers. Why Black I sill unable to understand.  Both groups wear clothing similar in style of loose robes and T-shirts.

Two different groups
Each group consist large number of women, dancing in synchronicity to music from CD players.

They do for fitness. I hardly see any fat female during my trip but my town is full of fat ladies my wife is one. Hope they also have such fitness dancing back home too. This is a very appropriate activities for community spirit.

This fitness dances have multi purposes. Other then fitness is also done for community spirit and fun . Most of them I saw are middle age women ranging to seniors.

The groups congregate in the early morning and evening, at parks or public squares. The dancers organize themselves into lines. The front lines are the most proficient dancers, the best being in the center. All the dancers face forward. This allows dancers to learn from those in the rows ahead. The back rank are beginners just learning the moves, while the front rows are well-coordinated.

The music came from CD players.


24th November 2010  Wednesday  3rd Day in China From Hezhou City to Guilin City

夢幻漓江 Dreamlike Lijiang Show


This is a tight scheduled day by tour bus  from Heshou City to Guilin City. We ended our day with a night shown 《夢幻漓江》 in Guilin City before retire to the hotel for a good sleep.







Do not know for what reason, or perhaps this member knew something special about this theater's toilet, one of our group member asked the Chinese tour guide on the way to the theatre "Is there any toilet in the theatre?".   The guide was amused by this sudden question but seem ready with an answer to give. She told every one tried to visit the toilet to  be surprised with their special facility in the toilet.  She told us an incident that a year ago a elderly tourist went to the show. In the mid of the show he needed to visit the toilet but determined not to go because the show was so capturing he did not want to miss any part of it.   By the end of the show he had by then over constrain his urinating system that he had to see a doctor.   This news reached the theater management and the managers made an extraordinary creative changed in toilet facilities.  The theater toilet was then renovated that each and every bowl unit has a small TV screen simultaneous showing what is going on the stage so that no visitor would miss any part of the show even in the toilet.

I did not find a chance to see the special toilet during or after the show.

This nightly theatrical spectacle present on stage the rich natural and cultural heritage of Guilin.

A show of Ballet, Acrobatics and Circus
"Dreamlike Lijiang Show "《夢幻漓江》pushing the boundaries of dance form with its wildly inventive acrobatics, creative scenery setups, blending the highest artistic concentration and local legends into a stage show. 
The show present an irreplaceable theatrical experience. The incredible evening show acrobatics, modern circus and ballet dances. The many performers in the show ranging from children, teenagers and adults.
Produced by  China Heaven Creation 天創國際演藝製作交流有限公司, Dreamlike Lijiang (Li River) premiered in Guilin in April, 2002 and continued its daily run since. By 2010, over million people have seen the show. Its success has made it one of the most influential shows, a brand show,  in Guilin tourist performing arts.

No photography is allowed inside the theatre. I managed to snap a couple images at the ending part when the group say  farewell (above image) . The official website is here for images of the show.
Below are few images from Google Images:




25th November 2010  Thursday  4th Day in China
Today a full day in Guilin City


After a rich breakfast in the hotel, our first destination is Rong Lake. 8:00am in the morning and a working day but the lake park is not short of people. 


Attracted by music a few including us detour from the group to the other end of the street where a big group of ladies rehearsal their dances in front the Library main entrance ground.  

A Guilin Amateur Dancing Group 裊裊舞群(圖書館晨練隊) are having their rehearsal in front the Guilin Yong Lake Branch Library. These are adult amateur dancers practicing 9 different set of dances for performance scheduled on 27 November Saturday (3 days later) at a theater.

On their item number 2 is a "Asian Parade" which compose of 3 dances Malaysian+India+Indonesia. Amazing!

Our tour guide and rest of the group are waiting impatiently at the other end of the street. We got to catch up with them, other wise I like to spend more time in watching the Chinese people.  Tourist are "strictly" guided to their tour destinations, but the real every day life in China is more interesting then the assigned tourist spots.




8:33 AM The Amateur Dancing Group 裊裊舞群(圖書館晨練隊)
8:42 AM Elderly practicing Tai-Chi
9:07 AM Young group of women and some man doing aerobic dance










27th November 2010  Saturday  6th Day in China
from YangShuo Town to WuZhou City


The Happy Big Square

After returning from Guilin Tour, one day I asked Yin, the daughter, which was you most happiest event in China, she pause for a moment and answered "The big square". 

That was Wozhou City Square. We being to only one square and this is the one. The answer was a bit surprised to me because I also felt the same... I was most happy and free when I visit Woshou City Square.

Why this ordinary big square and is merely an empty space turn out to be a happiest place for us? This trip was not short of beautiful location and eventful functions? I couldn't explain, but one thing I can tell is "Freedom".

As tourist from Malaysia joining a guided tour, our whole group were closely "guarded" by the Chinese Tour Guide. Out Malaysian tour leader also closely cooperate with them in keeping supervision on us such as scolding the local souvenir sellers away when these old women approached me to sell some local handicraft. (So that we could keep our money to buy from their "tourist trap" shops which they brought us to without warning.)

Another reason is every where we went were crowd, crowd and crowded and crowded.

Now suddenly we unintentionally ventured on our own to discovered a huge empty space all to our own free will to room around, we felt a different excitement, a happy feeling. "Freedom" is the most happy moment a person can experience.





Wuzhou City Square 梧州市政廣場

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Wuzhou City Square at night 梧州市政廣場


















Monday, November 22, 2010

From green jungle to concrete forest in 3 hours





From Kota Kinabalu to Shenzhen takes only 3 hours. Yet the landscape is so contrast between green and brown.

Shenzen Bao’an International Airport



More detail about our arrival at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport