Lake Kanas lies near the Altai mountains,in Xinjiang,China. It is China’s deepest freshwater lake. About 117 different kinds of birds live along it.

There is a large population of  Tuvans in the area.

There have been sightings of large lake creatures in the waters. A video was taken and shown in the local Chinese media where numerous unidentifiable creatures can be seen. And the water’s colour of the Kanas lake changes incredibly oftentimes.

Tom Carter, an internationally acclaimed photographer currently based in Beijing, will be releasing his series of portraits from people all around China titled “China: Portrait of a People.” His photographs, there of which are featured here, provide a sense of depth and perspective on China, as does Tom’s career and body of work concerning China.

I wanted to feature Tom on the Blog of Dreams because of the intense passion and deep commitment his photos and writing seem to commit to understanding China. He does not seem to be content with the metropolises of Beijing or Shanghai, but has a deep interest in looking at parts of China that are often forgotten about or little-known to foreigners who have spent a short amount of time here. Most of us know that we need to go to Sichuan to see pandas, but how many of us are familiar with the Yao Minority people or Guizhou’s minority village of Zengchong? Tom’s articlulate stories and photos on both of these places are worth a thoughtful read.

More of Tom’s photos and articles can be seen on his China photo website, http://tomcarter.org.

Travel in China: Gansu PartII

Gansu’s ethnic and geographical diversity is extraordinary. From Northwestern University for Nationalities, where 48 of China’s 56 ethnic groups are in attendance, to the Bing Ling Buddha, I have been nowhere else on earth so vastly varied. It is a cultural feast of sights, sounds, and culinary delights.

My first day in Lanzhou, a modern city near the head of the Yellow River, followed a 90-minute plane tip from Beijing. We flew almost even with the tops of several distant peaks and chased west after the Great Wall which long ago took a bit more time to make the trek.

The picture above was taken from a boat while riding to the Bing Ling Temple at the Maijishan Grotto. The Grotto, known as an ancient Oriental sculpture gallery, among the 48 tentative sites along China’s section of the Silk Road selected for inclusion as a World Heritage Site . About a mile to the right of this scene are remnants of the Great Wall standing watch over the lake created by the Yellow River dammed for an enormous hydroelectric project above Lanzhou.

Around Gansu are relics of times past, but not so easily forgotten. This picture is of a shelter built to escape the Japanese during their incursions into China. This bunker was 100-meters below one of the area’s first Qing-era Taoist temples and next to a modern Villa built for a visit by Jiang Jieshi (known to many westerners as Chang Kai Chek) and left untouched as a monument despite less than two weeks of use by the the general and his wife.

It is not unusual to at once see a Lama playing with a pup and living near Sui, Qing or Ming dynasty dwellings or relics being tended to or re-constructed by ethnic Muslim workers.

China was once known for incredible dialectical theological and religious traditions and a capacity to comfortably subsume them into a worship style that was uniquely Chinese. It was not uncommon to see, as in the picture below, a monk reading the Sutras and wearing both Buddhist and Taoist garb. The sign below him solicits donations for animal protection.

My hosts, during my four day stay, were professors of history and Archaeology from the Nationalities University. With the mountains as a backdrop both the old and ultra-modern new campuses are magnificent. The new school, with enviable modern facilities, encompasses an incredible 20,000 mu (48,000 acres), but I preferred the traditional architecture of the older, smaller campus within the city limits of Lanzhou:

A few of my gracious guides in front of the 27 Meter Buddha near the Bing Ling Temple:

Part III Tomorrow…..

中文

Today’s picture comes from Cyphen, a member of the Photography Association of Sun Yat-Sen University. It was taken at West Street in Yangshuo, Guilin. By showing wooden dolls in kimonos instead of a traditional Chinese folk costume, the photographer wanted to gives us a picture of how commercialization and internationalization have changed this hot tourist spot known for its natural beauty.

West Street is one of the oldest districts in Yangshuo and hosts over 100,000 visitors from abroad annually, and its well-traveled cafes can deliver foods and flavors from around the world. Yangshuo has become a hospot for intercultural interaction.

To see your photos here, send them to or .
Read on »

Chinese Tibet Yak: A Daily China Photo

中文

This week’s photos come from Guangzhou native Lydia Kong, who is now studying in the US. Her recent trip to Tibet was full of wonderful and interesting photos, including these yaks.

While the Yak isn’t the most noble or graceful looking creature, they are intergral part of the Tibetan experience for travelrs, and yak butter tea (as well as yak meat) is a delicacy everyone should try at least once.

To see your photos here, send them to or .

Read on »

China Tibet Monks: A Daily China Photo

中文

This week’s photos come to us from Guangzhou native Lydia Kong, who is now a student at William and Mary in the United States.  Her photos cover a range of experiences she had in Tibet, including a chance to meet with these monks from the Sera  Temple near Lhasa, debating and dicussing the great books and stories of Buddhism.

To see more of Lydia’s photos, head to her site.  To see your photos here, send them to or .

Read on »

China Tibet Masks: A Daily China Photo

中文

This week’s photos come from Lydia Kong and her trip to Tibet.  To see more of her photos, head to her site.  To see your photos here, send them to or .

Read on »

Buddhist Temple: Daily China Photo

中文

This week’s photos come to us from Lydia Kong, a student in the US, and her trip to Tibet. First here is her picture of a temple at Baijusi in Tibet.

Check here this week to see more photos from Lydia and her trip to Tibet!  And to see your photos here, send them to or .

Read on »

Chinese Yunnan Alleyway 丽江 云南 aily China Photo

Today’s photo comes from Daz and features a small alleyway in Yunnan Province, a province known for its scenery, unique ethnic minorities, curious food, and its mountains.  While this photo does not feature any of these remarkable parts, it captures something essential about China and its many small, curious alleyways:

To see your photos on the blog, send them to or .  Keep dreaming!