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.

Travel in China: Shenyang

This photo of the Lily Tower in the World Horticultural Expo is from Catty Lee.

Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning Province, is one of the largest cities in Northeast China and one of the most important cities in the nation. Historically, this is where the Manchu people built their capital before assuming political control of China and forming the Qing Dynasty in 1644. Since then, the city has retained its heritage as the center of Manchurian culture.

Even with its considerable historical legacy, Shenyang today is a bustling city. A massive city of over seven million, Shenyang has visible ethnic communities of Manchu, Mongol, and Hui peoples operating business and restaurants throughout the city, including a Korean influence. Modern, wide boulevards and international shopping centers only form a small part of picture: old hutong districts also cohabit the main downtown districts. These areas, filled with merchants and street vendors, give the city a festive atmosphere, while ancient trees provide shade for many of these places of ancient brick and lantern.

This photo of the Expo Garden in Shenyang is from Donicia Habiling.

The Horticulture Exposition Garden in Shenyang was recently chosen by the China National Tourism Administration as one of 66 high-profile scenic spots in China out of over 3,000 potential candidates.

This photo of one of the exhibits in Ocean World is from Donicia Habiling.

Shenyang’s Ocean World, actually located a little outside of Shenyang, opened in 2006–around the same time as the World Horticultural Exhibition. Ocean World features a large “walk-through” aquarium with a variety of fish, sharks, turtles, and rays, among other attractions of the sea. The aquarium includes a sea lion show, a small reptile garden, a beluga whale, and what it claims as its most amazing attraction…a “mermaid show.” Tickets cost around 80 Yuan/person.

China Travel: Jiangsu Province

This photo of a Jiangsu city skyline was taken by Daryl Snow.

Jiangsu Province runs along the eastern edge of China, just north of Shanghai. The province is bordered on the north by Shandong, on the west by Anhui, and on the east by the Yellow Sea. Additionally, Jiangsu’s proximity to the Yellow Sea means the province is home to many waterways and lakes. Major cities in the Jiangsu province (or “Shu” for short) include Xuzhou, Zenjiang, Changzhou, and Yancheng.

Despite its relatively small size (Jiangsu represents less than two percent of China’s total land mass), the province is home to over 70 million people (a little over five percent of the population), many of whom live in sizable cities. The vast majority of the population is of the Han ethnic majority, with ethnic minorities representing less than one half of one percent of the population. The level of education is generally fairly high: over 99 percent of school-aged children have easy access to primary schooling. Additionally, the province is home to 94 colleges and universities.

This photo of a farmer in Jiangsu was taken by Tom Carter.

Because Jiangsu is home to the fertile Yangtze River delta as well as the Taihu and Hongze lakes (two of China’s largest freshwater lakes), Jiangsu’s land is also extremely fertile and is sometimes called “the land of rivers and lakes.” Like its neighboring provinces, much of Jiangsu Province lies within a monsoon climate zone that results in heavy summer rains. In the southern areas of the province, temperatures tend to be quite high, while the northern areas enjoy more temperate conditions. Jiangsu’s terrain is quite flat, owing to its proximity to the ocean, and because of its geography, much of the province’s land is developed for agriculture and industry. Major agricultural products include rice, cotton, and pigs, though freshwater fishing is also a major player in the area’s economy. Major industries include machinery, textiles, paper-making, and cement due to available deposits of coal, phosphorus, and pottery-quality clay.The densely populated Jiangsu Province is easy to navigate due to its well developed railway and highway systems and access to convenient water transport. The Asia-Europe Continental Bridge railway network, for example, begins in Lianyung and stretches all the way to Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and the city of Nanjing serves as an important highway hub that helps to connect over 100 towns and cities.

This development means travelers have convenient access to the region’s many sites of cultural and historical interest. In Nanjing, for example, visitors are drawn to Dr. Yat-Sun’s tomb, while Lianyungang draws fans of Xuanwu Lake and Yuntai Mountain. Other major points of interest include the Suzhou Garden (recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Yixing’s Three Caves, Wuxi’s Tai Lake, and Yangzhou’s West Lake. Specialty products of the area include Taihu Biluochun tea, Wuxi clay figurines, Yixing pottery, Yangzhou lacquer-ware, and pressed salted duck from Nanjing. All told, the Jiansu Province is home to 416 sites that have been designated as historically and culturally significant by either the national or local government, making this province a top destination for history-seeking tourists of all types.

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.

Travel in China: Guangxi SAR

This is a photo taken by Jacco Bax, who is also this week’s China Photo Contest winner.

Guangxi SAR is an autonomous region located in the southern region of China, populated and administered predominantly by the Zhuang ethnic group. In Guangxi, “xi” is the character for West, linking this province to to nearby Guangdong province (”dong” means “east”). Other nearby provinces include Yunnan, its neighbor to the west; Guizhou, which lies to the north; and Hunan in the northeast. Guangdong borders its southeast region.

Vietnam is southwest and the Gulf of Tonkin is south of Guangxi. The largest city in the Guangxi SAR is also its capital, Nanning, located near the Yong River. Nanning is referred to as the “Green City” due to the vast tropical foliage there, with more than 3,000 plants finding a home in Nanning. Nanning is also key to China’s involvement in ASEAN, and the city recently hosted the China-ASEAN Expo. Nanning continues to be a key city for directing China’s involvement and commitment to ASEAN and its member nations.

The subtropical climate found in Guangxi, with its hot summers, rainy weather and pleasant autumns, is excellent for growing rice, sugar cane, tobacco, maize, sweet potatoes, peanuts and wheat, as well as many types of tropical fruit. Guangxi is China’s top producer of tin, manganese and indium, and has large stores of lime. The area, most notably near the seaport of Beihai, also produces some of the most beautiful pearls found.

This autonomous region is heavily populated by the Zhuang, the largest minority ethnicity in China with approximately 15 million individuals (roughly the population of Australia). Other ethnic groups that live in Guangxi include the Dong, Miao, Yao, Hui, Yi, Shui, and Gin people groups. As you might expect, there is also a great deal of linguistic diversity. You will hear languages such as Zhuang, Pinghua, and Cantonese spoken in addition to the standard Mandarin taught in schools. Because of the diversity of cultures living in Guangxi SAR, there is also a rich cultural heritage among the people groups. The Dong people hold a yearly firecracker festival, while the Miao celebrate with a reed flute festival.

Zhuang people have three red-letter days: a Devil Festival, a Cattle Soul Festival and a Feasting Festival. The Devil Festival, which falls on 14 July on the lunar calendar and usually in August on the Western calendar, is second only to Spring Festival in importance. In celebration, families prepare chicken, duck and five-colored glutinous as sacrifices to ancestors and ghosts.

Usually following the spring ploughing, The Cattle Soul Festival is a time that every family carries a basketful of glutinous rice and a bundle of fresh grass to the cattle pen. After a short ceremony, the cattle are fed the grass and half the rice. They traditional explanation holds that the cattle have lost their souls because of the whipping during the spring ploughing and this process calls back the lost souls.

The Feasting Festival, celebrated only by people who live near the Sino-Vietnamese border, carries a legend: a group of Zhuang soldiers, having repulsed the French invaders in the late 19th century, returned in late January and missed the Spring Festival. To pay tribute and celebrate the victory, their neighbors prepared a sumptuous feast that is celebrated on this day.

Mountains will play an important part in your itinerary schedule when you visit Guangxi SAR. Here you will see stunning karst landforms, which are made from water moving against limestone over time. Made famous by early writings of Chinese poets and featured in early Chinese paintings and landscapes, these soft waves of rock make up the mountains that surround Guilin, a beautiful city in Guangxi located on the west side of the Li River. Local guides in Guilin and Yangshuo are quick to point out that the back of the 20 yuan bill features the river and karst peaks of the region.

(photo courtesy of Sophie Nye)

Guilin is also home to the historic Jingjiang Princes City. Featuring beautiful walls, its construction began in 1372 AD, and twelve generations of Jingjiang princes lived within its inner city. Along the Li River you will also find the Reed-Flute Rock, a cave with stalactites, stalagmites, and cave corals; the oldest existing canal in the world, the Lingqu Canal; as well as Elephant-Trunk Hill, which resembles a giant elephant drinking water and is the symbol of Guilin. Yangshuo, another fabulous mountain city, is a favorite hiking and backpacking destination and home to Chun Li and her Yangshuo Mountain Retreat. Yangshuo is also home to the Yangshuo Volunteer English Program, a team of teachers dedicated to empowering underprivileged students learn English and improve their standing in life.

(photo from jackfrench)

Other historic cultural destinations include the Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces in Longsheng, reputed to be some of the steepest rice terraces to be found anywhere in the world; and the Chengyang Wind and Rain Bridge, located in Sangiang. A close examination of the trees and forests surrounding the trails in Longsheng will reveal old love charms carved into the trees and stone shrines decorated with red ribbons and built to honor ancestors.

I have traveled to Guangxi several times and will post some of my photos and adventures on the blog in a follow-up soon.

Travel in China: Zhejiang Province

This is a photo of the West Lake, taken by Catty Lee.

Zhejiang Province is located along China’s central coast on the South China Sea and boasts more than two hundred islands along its coastal waters, more than any other province. The climate is sub-tropical, with distinct seasons. The rainy season strikes in early summer, making spring and fall the most pleasant times to visit. The province is often regarded as the cradle of Chinese civilization, with signs of human habitation dating back to the Neolithic period.

The provincial capitol of Hangzhou is one of the six ancient capital cities of China, with the beautiful and scenic West Lake situated in the heart of the 2,000 year old city. In the 11th century, it may have been the largest city in the world. Traditionally it was said that “Above there is heaven, below there is Suzhou… and Hangzhou.”

While the northern part of the province has historically been prosperous, the southern part is mountainous and unsuited to intensive cultivation. Generally the countryside is hilly and scenic, with most flat land along the coast and river valleys. There are many canals and waterways in use, beginning with the Grand Canal of China, which linked the provincial capitol to central China in the 5th Century.

Traditionally known as the “Land of Fish and Rice”, Zhejiang was also a center for the manufacture of silk and exquisite celadon porcelain, which has been manufactured there since the 11th century. Rice is still the main agricultural crop. A major industrial fishery is said to be the largest in the world. Other cash crops include wheat, jute, cotton and tea. Longjiang tea or “Dragon Well Tea” is one of the most prestigious varieties grown in this area. Industries are well developed, principally textile production and the manufacture of paper, viticulture and packaging of food products. Variants of Zehejiang’s regional cuisine emphasize poultry and freshwater fish, seafood, and make use of bamboo sprouts, among other vegetables.

Due to Zhejiang’s rich collection of historical and religious sites, and scenic mountains and rivers, tourism is well developed. Major attractions in Hangzhou include the Lingyin Temple, one of the ten most famous ancient Buddhist temples in China. The Lan Ting, or Orchid Pavilion, is famous among poets and practitioners of the art of classical Chinese calligraphy. Other tourist attractions include the mountains: Putuo Mountain is known for its three famous Buddhist temples and surrounding national park, Yandang Mountain, which features a rich variety of plant and animal life, and Mount Tiantai. All three peaks have long been revered by Chinese artists. The city of Ningbo boasts the oldest private library in Asia, the Tianyo Pavilion, with over 300,000 volumes. Another famous natural attraction is the Qiantang River Bore. Due to the peculiar shape of the Hangzhou Bay near Ningbo, the tide rushes up into the Qiantang River with tremendous force, rising to a height of more than 30 feet at times. A custom of watching the tide come in has been observed since the 1st Century, and elaborate local tide-watching festivals take place in mid-August at various locations near the river mouth.

This week’s photos come from Ken Yip, a blogger and photographer based in Shanghai.

This is a photo of South Station Shanghai, one of the two train stations in the city. Though the station was originally constructed in 1908, it was recently closed for rennovations and reopened in 2006 as the world’s first circular train station. The station now services all passengers heading to locations south of Shanghai, including the increasing popular Hangzhou, though Nanjing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong are always popular destinations.

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

Shanghai Signal House: A Daily China Photo

This week’s photos come from Ken Leaf, an amateur photographer and architect-to-be living in Shanghai.

This is a photo of the old signal house in Shanghai. Originally constructed in 1865, the signal house is a symbol of Shanghai’s vitality in the earlier part of the century. Moved in 1993 and restored in 1998, there is now a museum at the bottom of the tower’s spiral staircase that provides pictures of the Bund and other key documents and memorabilia that display Shanghai’s rich and complex history.

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

Shanghai Neighberhoods: A Daily China Photo

中文

Today’s photo from Ken Leaf was taken in the Jewish Quarter of Shanghai, an often-forgotten portion of Shanghai that once was a booming portion of the city. Jewish migrants originally came to Shanghai in 1942, creating a small and vibrant community,only to leave a few years later before the massive changes that would take place in China.

A Canadian artist and group of investors have taken on the preservation of the neighborhood and are continuing to develop and add the neighbor with respect to its local culture.

To see more Shanghai photos from Ken Leaf, continue checking back here. To see your photos here, send them to [*photo@blogofdreams.com *] and [*dawei@blogofdreams.com *].

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