Taken in Jiansu and Shanghai these are two pictures by China Photo group member Richard Duarte.

Taken in Shanghai, China:

Beijing Bikes:

Travel China: Qi Xing Yan in Guangdong Province

We woke up at 6am, climbed on a bus packed with people, and traveled to the border of Guangdong province to find a place somewhere between the spectral karsts of Guangxi and the. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect: Ms. Yue and the interns eyes brightened every time they mentioned the place. I knew that Guangdong was located in the western part of the province and was famous for its beauty and for its supposed healing properties of the mind and soul. I had to check it out.

Located in the western area of Guangdong, Qi Xing Yan 七星岩 (known in English as the “Seven Star Peaks”), the park was only recently established, though the place has a history hundreds of years old. Despite its notoriety among the Chinese, there is relatively little literature about the place in English. However, it was enjoyable to just take in the beauty of the place. In fact, the lack of information made it more possible for me to feel the calming, reassuring presence here. Akin the sense of eerie mystery that I had felt in Guangxi, Qi Xing Yan seemed to have some kind of strange power.

As we continued on the trip, I could see Miss Yue’s attitude transform. In the morning, as we had first arrived and got lost making our way there–like any good journey in China, you have to get completely lost at least once–Ms. Yue was understandably upset. She hadn’t slept well the night before, and the taxi driver seemed to have difficulty understanding where we wanted to go, despite Ms. Yue’s explanations in both sharp Mandarin and cutting Cantonese. But as we walked around the bridges and trees, Ms. Yue’s manner changed. She shifted from grumpy to pleasantly amused by the young children to a sense of wonderment as we saw a duck on the lake startle and fly away.

I didn’t fully understand Qi Xing Yan until I met Buddha pictured here. Carved from three large pieces of limestone several hundred years ago, this Buddha may not be the biggest stone sitting Buddha in the world, but it is a happy Buddha, and seemed to have the power to share its mirth with anyone who took time to watch him for a moment.

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.

We are more than happy to announce to you the winners of last week’s China Photo Contest and would like to apologize for the delay. Ironically, the theme for the contest was what we had always been looking for but finally lost–Time.
“Qing Dynasty Clock”, photographed by Darryl Snow. Darryl is our winner from last week.

Luke Shi is our runner up. Here is his work: “Forbidden City”.

Our second runner up is Jacco Bax with his work: “Newspaper and Temple”.

We would like to thank everyone who participated in last week’s contest. Please contribute to our new round. To see your photos here, please send them to or or just post them at the China Photo Contest Group on Facebook.

Recently, I was able to complete an interview with Thomas Stader, founder of a Chinese charity organization that helps to build libraries. Here are his words about some of the latest work the Library Project has been working on.

Can you tell us a little bit about the Library Project?

The Library Project provides books and libraries to under-financed countryside elementary schools in China.

I founded The Library Project because I found that most countryside elementary schools in China were lacking books that the children could physically read. What I mean by that is, most books in a countryside elementary school were written for university and high school students. They also lack any kind of reading area for the children to curl up with a book. What we do is very simple, we donate colorful, relevant, hi-quallity books to countryside elementary schools, while also ensuring that they have a safe and fun area to read the books in.

I understand that often children’s libraries in China aren’t often stocked with good children’s books and are often cramped or uncomfortable. Can you tell us more about that?

In general, we have found a complete lack of children’s books with PinYin for young learners. A child absolutely needs PinYin to read during grades 1 – 3. So that is our first obstacle that we must overcome. Our second is a complete lack of a comfortable library for the children to gather as a class and read a book. Most schools have a room set aside for a library, but they don’t have the funding to fill the room with furniture.

What we have found is, once we bring books that the children can read, along with tables and chairs for a library, the children love it.

Cool. I understand you’ve made a lot of big developments in the past year, right?

Yes we have. We have provided our first ten libraries, with plans of reaching a goal of over 80 by the end of 2008.

That sounds like a big commitment. Isn’t it costly to build a library?

The cost is quite low. Most libraries will cost between 4,000 and 8,000 RMB. This includes hi-quality Chinese language children’s books, colorful chairs, sturdy tables, globes, plants, posters, and all logistic costs such as trucks.

What all goes into the building of a library? What kind of cost is there in terms of money, time, and other resources?

From beginning to end, it takes about one month. That includes our Pre-Assessment, purchasing of books and furniture, and final delivery of the library. We usually have a group of about 5 – 15 volunteers helping with the final delivery. Once we set up the library, we introduce the children to their new library and play games. It’s a lot of fun for both the children and the volunteers.

I also understand that you cooperate with local charities to create community support and interest for your project. Have you found that local communities and organizations are helpful and willing to be involved?

That is true. We have partnered with the Xi’an Charity Association to provide libraries to the regions of the ShaanXi Province that they are working in. They are a huge help. We also run community based book collections through Aston English of China. They are one of the largest private English language schools in China, with schools in over 40 cities. We hope to hold book drives in each of those cities annually, and then take those Chinese language children’s books and get them into countryside elementary schools. Aston English has made a major commitment to giving back in China.

I understand you recently made a trip to Shanghai and had some exciting opportunities crop up for you there. How exactly did all of that come about?

That is true. The University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business in Shanghai has been absolutely amazing. On November 24th, the Smith School of Business hosted a charity fundraiser in Shanghai that raised enough funds to provide twelve schools with full libraries. They got Black and Decker, Microsoft, Storm Case, Grainger, Grace, Under Armour, The Children’s Place, Jaguar, Avon, and Land Rover, among many others, involved.

The University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business in Shanghai and their China EMBA program have really made a difference in the lives of thousands of children living in the countryside of China.

Where will the funds you raised in Shanghai go and how will they be used?

The funds raised in Shanghai will go toward providing libraries to the Ba Qiao School District in the ShaanXi Province. Each school will receive 500 Chinese language children’s books, and a comfortable child-safe library for the children to use.

To date, what do you think has been your biggest success?

That’s a tough question to answer. There have been so many successes to date. But if I were to pick on success, it would be the creation of our School District Program. This program makes the kind of impact that we all like to see. True impact is hard to make, and I’m confident that providing every countryside elementary school in a single school districts improves the level of education that each and every child receives.

What are the next big plans for the Library Project? How do you see the project growing? How can people in China and abroad help you and support you?

The Library Project has a very clear plan for our future. We will have over 80 libraries provided to countryside elementary schools by the end of 2008. We’ll have over 200 by the end of 2009. We’ll continue that aggressive growth plan until every elementary school in China has children’s books for every child to read.

We have a ton of volunteer opportunities, both in China and abroad. The best place to begin is to check out our website at The Library Project.

All donations are greatly appreciated. Small and large donations really do make a difference. Each book that we provide to schools only cost $1 USD, or 8 Yuan. Adopting a school costs only $1,000 USD. Both of these really do make a huge impact on the lives of literally thousands of children.

We are happy to announce this week’s winner. It is…Derrick Chang, with his photo Tibetan Girl. Congratulations.

The runner up is…Joel Johnstone. Joel’s picture was taken at Lijiang, Yunnan. Good work!

Our second runner up is… Darryl Snow, with his phicture of Shanghai Jinmao Tower. Very interesting.

We want to thank all the participants of this week’s contest especilly those took part in for the first time. You all did a great job! So please give yourselves a plause, and get ready for a new round of competition.
To see your photos here, please send them to or or just post them on Facebook.

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 or .

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 or

The Library Project is the easiest charity on the planet to support: They have a clear purpose, a verifiable track-record, a vision for the future and they ask so little with which they accomplish so much.

Make some space on your blog or website and show that you care by placing a visual link to our friends by going here: LIBRARY PROJECT

Their mission is clear, their dedication extraordinary and their cause a most important one. To support the Library Project is one of the most cost-effective ways you will ever have to make a real difference in a lot of young lives….

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