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.

Here are three more photos from our friends at the China Photo Contest:

This photo from Ricardo Duarte comes from Xian in Shaanxi Province.

This photo from Robert DaBoss was taken in Guangzhou.

And this photo from Joew Huang was taken in Guangdong Province.

We’ll announce more photos and contest winners in the next couple of days.

One of my favorite spots in Guangzhou (and a place that’s unusually quiet in a city known for its loud, delicious restaurants) is The Temple of the Six Banyan Trees.

An ancient Buddhist holy site built in 537 AD, during the Liang Dynasty in Guangzhou, the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees (六榕寺) was originally called the Baozhuangyan Temple, which probably means means something like . During the Northern Song Dynasty, a writer called Su Shi wrote the inscription Liu Rong (Six Banyan Trees) because of the six banyan trees he saw there. (The Chinese for “Captain Obvious” has escaped me). Ever since, the place has since been called the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees.

Just as dynasties in China rise and fall, so did the Temple. One of the dynasties burned the temple down, and it was rebuilt in the Northern Song Dynasty (989 AD). The Flower Pagoda, the main structure of the temple, was built in 1097, and was named for its colorful exterior. Though its original base was square, it was given an octagonal base during the rebuild in 1097. It was rebuilt again in 1373 AD after another fire in the early Ming Dynasty period, and finally restored in 1900. In all, this temple has over 1,400 years of history.

After entering the main gate, Tianwang Hall is the first major area, and The Laughing Buddha is there to welcome visitors. Next comes Weituo Hall. An old Chinese legends tells of a general Weituo who recaptured the Buddhist relics which had been stolen. In contrast to the laughing Buddha, Weituo keeps a straight face–apparently getting the relics back didn’t do all that much for his mood.
The piece of architecture that most often catches a visitor’s eyes is the Six Banyan Pagoda, where the Buddhist relics are placed. Its roofs curve upward and appear to be dark red flower petals, while the tip of the pagoda is like stamens. The whole construction looks like a huge stigma high in the air. Therefore, people like to call it the Flower Pagoda. The pagoda not only is architecturally elegant, but also provides visitors a good place to overlook enchanting scenery around.

To the west of the Six Banyan Pagoda is Daxiong Baodian Hall - the main hall of the temple. The three biggest copper Buddhist statues placed there are among the biggest and most ancient Buddhist statues in Guangdong. In the center is Sakyamuni; to the left, the Amitabha; and to the right, the Apothecary. Together, they represent for present, past, and future.

Burning incense sticks is a major part of visiting the temple and paying respect. Thus, every year on the night before the Chinese traditional Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, the temple swarms with people. Masses queue to light and burn the first joss sticks so that they are blessed with good fortune in the coming year.

Nowadays, the temple’s proximity to foreign consulates in Guangzou has made it a regular destination for families participating in the international adoption of children from China. Typically families receive blessings for their newly adopted children at this temple in front of the statue of Kuan Yin.

Cal Poly, home of one of the best international MBA programs, and a great China MBA blog, has arrived. On youtube, at least. The video offers a peak at the ten-day trip the 40 intrepid MBA students and professors took across China and into Beijing, Macau, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou and features such places as the forbidden city in Beijing, the Sands Casino in Macau, and Shenzhen and Shanghai factory visits.

Thanks to Steve Rodger and Kooltree productions for putting this together.

China Travel: Guangdong Province

Andy Lai is the photographer behind this photo. This is a mosaic photo from a Cantonese Opera.

Guangdong Province lies in the southernmost part of China. With its location on the South China Sea, the province is a natural entry point to south China and has long served as a gateway for Westerners interested in China. Bordered by Jiangxi and Hunan provinces to the north, Fujian province to the east, and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region to the west, Guangdong has easy access to many other key parts of south China. Guangdong province also claims 651 islands, many of which are located in the Pearl River Delta, which has recently become a center of great economic development in the region. It is estimated that Guangdong Province generates as much as a quarter of the GDP in China.

(This photo of Guangzhou’s skyline and all the photos below were taken by Shenxy.)

The provincial capital of Guangzhou has a long history of international trade and cooperated. Originally transcribed by Portugese traders as “Canton,” who took the name of the region for the name of the city, the name Guangzhou literally means “wide state.” The name Canton is still used informally for events such as the Canton Trade Fair, the world’s largest trade and outsourcing fair. Guangdong was named during the Ming Dynasty, and it was at this time that it began to serve as a major trade hub for China and Europe, with Portugal and England contributing much to the region’s multiculturalism and international fame (see our posts on Macau and Hong Kong for more information). Guangdong was famous for its hongs (trading houses) and its traders known compradors, (which comes from the Portugese word for “to purchase,” comprar). Perhaps because of the powerful international influence and centuries of contact with foreigners, Guangdong people have a long history of immigration and worldwide travel, with large groups of them moving to the US and Canada in the 1800s. To this day, Cantonese is the dominant language in many Chinatowns and Chinese communities across North America (as well as other parts of the world).

(This is a photo of Hua Nan Xin Cheng 华南新城, one of the areas of Guangzhou in Panyu District)

Though Guangzhou has a complex and interesting relationship with the outside world that has lasted for centuries, it also has a fascinating internal history of diversity. Many people who live in Guangdong are of the Han Chinese nationality, which comprises the largest single ethnic group worldwide. Still, Guangdong has a diverse, multi-cultural population, with members of forty-two different ethnic groups making their home here. In addition to Mandarin, Cantonese, the local dialect, is the most common tongue and one of the most important dialects of Chinese spoken inside and outside of the PRC. Other languages spoken include Hakka, Kejiahua, Min Nan, Xiang, Dzao Min, Zhuang, and many others.

In addition to rich environment of culture and language, Guangdong’s physical environment features a subtropical climate, with high humidity and hot weather in the summer and brisk and humid winters. Be careful about visiting during the rainy season in March and April! Due to its favorable geography and mild weather, Guangdong is the area’s major producer of rice, tea and tropical crops. Less than a quarter of all the land in Guangdong is used to produce food, so the areas that are set aside for agricultural purposes are farmed intensively.

(This is a photo of Shenzhen’s Dapeng Bay, 深圳大鹏湾).

In terms of its economy, light industry has brought an economic boom to Guangdong, and Guangzhou, not Beijing or Shanghai, boasts the highest GDP per capita in mainland China. Food processing, including sugar refining, as well as textile manufacturing and weaving are major industries here, as well as heavy industrial pursuits such as shipbuilding and repair and machine manufacturing, among others.

(This is a photo taken near Hailing Island in Guangdong Province.)

Perhaps more than anything, Guangdong is famous for its Cantonese cuisine. Because Guangzhou was a major trading port, its access to trade from all over the planet brought a wide variety of foods to the city, creating a huge amount of diversity within the cuisine. Someone once said, “the Cantonese eat every thing that flies except planes, every thing on the ground except cars, and every thing that is in water except boats,” and the saying has stuck. Fresh ingredients, mildly spiced, are favored, and the flavors are brought out with steaming, stir and deep frying. Because Guangdong is on a sea coast, seafood is often featured. Choice dishes include dim sum, hot pot, steamed eggplant, wonton noodles, fish balls, and beef brisket.

Visitors to the Guangdong province enjoy the scenic beauty of the Danxia, Zijiao, Luofu, and Dinghu mountains. In Guangzhou you will also want to visit Yuexiu Hill and Park, as well as the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees, an ancient Buddhist temple. There are many beautiful temples to see in Guangdong, including the Nanhua Temple located in Shaoguan. You will also find the informative Guangdong Provincial Museum in Guangzhou. Offering examples of Chaozhou wood carving, ceramic figures, old Chinese pottery and traditional Chinese calligraphy posters, you can enjoy the best of Guangdong’s culture, past and present.

Guangdong is also the home of Coffee, Yue Ying, and the League of Extraordinary Chinese Women.

Look for posts here soon about Yanzhi and Dawei’s adventures in Baiyun Mountain and Qi Xin Yan, two of the most scenic areas in Guangdong Province.

This is our last post of “Billy Elliot in China” series. Ivanzhong is the photographer behind these pictures and we would like to thank him again for his talent and acuity of discovering the beauty in ordinary lives. Ivanzhong is also a member of Photography Association of Sun Yat-Sen University.

The early morning after the show, they are ready for another one. Trained only for original ballet though, they won’t turn down requests of other type of dancing from clients, and that’s for living.

“Mom, why don’t they have to go to school?”

Getting prepared.

Yes, they are still girls.

Sorry, I have to take a nap….

Rehearsal on the stage.

This little “box” of their everyday practice, is wall-papered with pictures of the glorious past.

Everybody, one, two, three, Cheese!

This is the end of our Billy Elliot(s) in China series. From Ivan we know that the Chenyu Jia has already recovered from her leg injury and is doing better than ever before. The Modern Ballet Crops of Shenzhen is still striving to thrive and at the same time has our best wishes and hearty blessing. We would love to hear from you and share your stories with our viewers. Please send your photos and letters to[*dawei@blogofdreams.com*] or [*photos@blogofdreams.com*].

This is the second post of the “Billy Elliot(s) In China”. Thank Ivanzhong for his contribution. Ivan is also a member of Photography Association of Sun Yat-Sen University.

Chenyu Jia is excited again after the doctor gave her a pain-alleviating shot, which works only temparily.

The group manager is giving an address. She wants to thank every member of the group but stammered by tears.

It is about to start.

Chenyu Jia is doing her “breath-taking moves”. Other members are watching her through tv backstage.

The performance is over, but her work is not.

They were “angel’s wings”.

It is time for supper, but hardly anyone takes any food in the evening. They have to “watch their weight”.

To be continued…

Our last post of this series will be posted later this week, please check it out on Dream Blog. To see your photos here, send them to [*dawei@blogofdreams.com*] or [*photos@blogofdreams.com*]

One of our purposes of building up Dream Blog is to present you the extraordinary dreams of ordinary people from all walks of life. We are gald to see that more and more people are joining us, and one of them is Ivanzhong, who is also a member of Photography Association of Sun Yat-Sen University. On his recent trip to Shenzhen, Ivan had a chance to get in touch with Shenzhen Modern Ballet, the only ballet group funded and organized by individuals in China. Instantly, he was moved by this group of people, for their diligence and optimism. Ivan wants their spirit to touch more and more people like him. For that, we made you this one-week series.

The girls are taking a rest during the interval of their perfomance, but their feet are not.

This is their “box” for practice.

Their dancing shoes are worn out every couple of days.

There is always someone “sneaking” to practise during the breaks.

The leader Wangxi yue is trying on the ballet dress for the next day’s performance.

Chenyu jia got hurt during the practice. That’s a bad news in more than one way, because she is the leading dancer.

Chenyu jia has to leave the rehearsal for treatment, otherwise she would end up in severe injury.

To be continued…

Please check on Dream Blog later this week, we still have two more posts. To see your photos here, send them to [*dawei@blogofdreams.com*] or [*photos@blogofdreams.com*]

中文

“I always wanted to capture the peacefulness of Jiu Zhaigou. Then I saw Mirror Lake,” said Jacky Chan, the photographer of this picture and a member of Photography Association of Sun Yat-Sen University. Jiu Zhaigou and Mirror Lake are both located in Si Chuan province, a little west of the center of China. The Jiu Zhaigou valley in Sichuan province is famous for its multi-level waterfalls and stunning scenery. In 1992, the area was a declared a UNESCO world heritage site. In 1997, it beacme a World Biosphere Reserve because of the extensive biodiversity in the region. The valley is also home to about 130 ethnically Tibetan and Qiang minority families.

To see your photos here, send them to [*dawei@blogofdreams.com *] or [*photos@blogofdreams.com *] .
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