Northeastern Guangdong - Meizhou (梅州) And 潮州 (Teozhou)
Posted On Thursday, December 9, 2010 at at 6:01 PM by Alvin
Having left the unforgettable Tulou (土樓) behind, we headed into the back countries of Fujian (福建) where buses were infrequent and packed with farmers and villagers; so we connected three mini buses during the best part of a day, over the townships of Hu Keng (湖坑), Yun Ding (永定) and Tai Pu (大埔), before we arrived to our intended destination of Meizhou (梅州). We passed through scenic farmlands as well as villages and quirky bus stops on our way to Meizhou. Meizhou, tucked away at the Northeastern corner of Guangdong Province, turned out to be pleasant and warranted a longer stay after the hectic schedule amongst the Tulou in the past few days. We visited The Thousand Buddhas Pagoda (千佛塔) about 5 km outside the centre of Meizhou and for our dinner, we sampled the famed original and the best, Hakka dishes - Braised pork in dried vegetables (梅菜扣肉) as well as Hakka Tofu - best dinners so far on this trip. We moved on reluctantly from this restful sojourn and headed for Teozhou (潮州) - a famous Guangdong (廣東) city known for its distinct culture. We found Teozhou a real old-timer; the cityscape was a leaf-out of the 1970s, seemingly bypassed by the present Chinese modernisation juggernaut - we found Teozhou to be full of old buildings (full of character but in need for renovation). Teozhou's star attraction was the riverside promenade which did not disappoint. We walked by the river (韓江) for over an hour passing kite-flyers, camera-clicking tourists like us and swimmers, for the weather was un-seasonally warm (26C!) and we took time to savour the gorgeous sights of the famous Teozhou monument (廣濟門) and the photogenic Xiang Tze Bridge (湘子橋).
Hakka Tulou (客家土樓) - Stunning And Overwhelming !
Posted On Sunday, December 5, 2010 at at 5:59 PM by Alvin
I have read a lot about the ancient and giant Hakka living quarters called Tulou (客家土樓) in Fujian (福建) province for a long while, but I was still not prepared for the stunning vista of first coming face to face as well as entering these huge structures. More interestingly, these fabulous looking "houses" were not built for tourists nor had their occupants moved out and been replaced by souvenir shops - these Hakka buildings are still being "lived-in" ! So we saw clothes hanging out to dry, residents cooking and paid absolutely no attention to strange camera-clicking tourists fussing over their open kitchens and so on, water-drinking wells being used for daily use as well as residents going about their card-playing and mahjong-gambling as they had for hundreds of years ! These clusters of Hakka structures were designed and built to ward off bandits and such that a whole family and extended members could live under "one roof". The clusters of Tulou we visited were 田螺坑, 洪坑土樓群 (=客家土樓民俗文化村) and 高北土樓群 where we admired such classical Tulou as 承啟樓 (圓樓之王), 振成樓 (土樓王子), 奎聚樓 (宮殿式土樓), 福裕樓 (府第式土樓) and 如升樓 (袖珍土樓); representing the biggest, smallest and the most spectacular Tulou in this region. We stayed two nights in the picturesque tiny villages of Ta Sha (塔下) and Hung Keng (洪坑) where numerous Tulou abound, and took some superb photos in the atmospheric morning mists when tourists had not arrived en mass. Also, interestingly, the whole population of Ta Sha Village were surnamed Zhang (張) ! We absolutely enjoyed our stay in these quaint villages !
Maritime Cities Of Fujian (福建) - Fuzhou (福州), Chuanzhou (泉州) And Xiamen (廈門)
Posted On Saturday, November 27, 2010 at at 1:12 AM by Alvin
The coastal province of Fujian (福建) had always been known for its sea-faring peoples who had emigrated to all parts of the world; we spent a week visiting the three best known maritime cities Of Fujian - Fuzhou (福州), Chuanzhou (泉州) And Xiamen (廈門) before we headed inland to the Hakka (客家) villages (more on that later). We arrived late in the evening at the Fuzhou Airport and spent a comfortable night at the spacious airport hotel grounds before setting off to visit Fuzhou's scenic Drum Mountain (鼓山) and the city's old quarters centred around the alleyways of (三坊七巷). We then took the high speed train (CRH) to Chuanzhou (泉州) which was the starting point of the ancient maritime silk route (海上絲綢之路) as Chuanzhou was known around the Fifteenth Century as a major sea port rivalling Alexandria of Egypt. 
As a result, there had then been a huge Muslim community which thrived in this city and the many artifacts could be viewed at the city's very informative Maritime Museum and Islamic Museum (泉州海外交通歷史博物館 , 泉州伊斯蘭教博物館). As a side information, Chuanzhou was known as Xi Tong in the old days (刺桐城) after the city's unique Xi Tong Trees; that's why one would find the name Xi Tong in ancient maritime literature. We also spent a day out on the Qing Yuan Mountain (清源山) about 10km from the city centre, where we visited the well-known sculpture of 宋代老君造像 which was built in the Sung Dynasty (circa 1,500 AD) as well as the Tibetan-inspired Three Buddha Cave (三世佛). Next came the gem of an island of Xiamen (廈門) where the skies were blue and the harbour port was buzzing. We spent a relaxing afternoon climbing Xiamen's famed Buddhist Temple of 廈門南普陀寺 and 五老峰 and the Overseas Chinese Museum (廈門華僑博物館) which had interesting details of the history, hardships and achievements of Chinese which had emigrated abroad since hundreds of years. The next day we visited the Island Of Island (鼓浪嶼) where we took time strolling around the western styled villas (Xiamen was home to numerous foreign embassies during the initial trade opening-up of China) and we had a relaxing lunch at a sea side cafe before we began our hectic journey into the hinterlands of Fujian where we would be visiting the famed Hakka Tulou (客家土樓) in the next few days.
Sis' Visit
Posted On Thursday, September 30, 2010 at at 3:33 AM by AlvinMy sister, Paulette who has been based in San Francisco as a psychiatrist for the last 15 years, came back to HK for a bit of "relaxation" - plenty of HK style milk tea (港式奶茶), visiting the local tea houses (茶餐廳), catch up with old friends and of course a trip up the Big Buddha in Lantau Island. Here are a few cool pictures.
Having Fun On The Lakes Of Jiangsu - 太湖 And 瘦西湖
Posted On Thursday, September 9, 2010 at at 1:46 AM by Alvin
During our time spent in the province of Jiangsu (江蘇), we ventured out to the contrasting lakes of Tai Wu (太湖) and Slender West Lake (瘦西湖) in Yangzhou (揚州). Tai Wu was huge and round while Slender West Lake was slim and long. Tai Wu was out in the country side and took us 2 hours to get to the different shores around the cities of Wuxi (無錫) and Suzhou (蘇州), while Slender West Lake sat prettily in the centre of the tidy city of Yangzhou. Yangzhou had been lauded for over a thousand years as THE place to relax and enjoy life's many finer aspects and famous poems had been written that are recited in the classrooms of present day China - 故人西辭黃鶴樓，煙花三月下揚州 ... 十年一覺揚州夢，贏得青樓薄倖名 etc. and the city had in recent years (2006) been awarded by the UN as "The Most Livable City In The World" (聯合國人居獎城市). 
The Slender West Lake located on the northern edge of Yangzhou was a masterpiece of "lake-scape" gardening. We took our time relaxing in the many beautiful scenic spots around this lake before boarding the high speed rail back to Suzhou. Tai Wu was altogether on a different scale, we visited the Tai Wu lake shores by the cities of Wuxi (無錫) and Suzhou (蘇州) on two separate days. We spent an enjoyable day walking by the lake park lands of Wuxi where we visited the scenic areas of 黿頭渚, 蠡湖公園, 渤公島 and the modern architectures of 蠡湖之光. The second day, we set off to the other lake shores of Tai Wu near Suzhou and visited the fishing village of 西山 and 石公山 via the graceful Tai Wu Bridges (太湖大橋) which were made up of 3 bridge heads; these bridges reminded us of Key West but on a smaller scale. To our surprise, we found on the way numerous up-market holiday resorts and posh villas as well as lake view restaurants. It was such a memorable day-out as we took a "local" bus back to town where we experienced the excitement of seeing fishermen, local punk rockers, farmers, builders, office ladies boarding and disembarking the bus over almost the entire length of 53 bus stops !! At the end, we were mighty glad to be getting off !!
The Waterways and Gardens Of Jiangsu - 江南水鄉、園林
Posted On Monday, September 6, 2010 at at 11:26 PM by Alvin
The waterways and gardens in the province of Jiangsu (江蘇) had been known as the most serene, picturesque and inspiring in China for over a thousand years. Artists, scholars, musicians and avid travellers from all over, flog to this area of China to experience the finesse, subtlety and beauty of the famous gardens of 拙政園 and 獅子林 in the tidy city of Suzhou (蘇州); as well as the "most beautiful village built around canals in China" - Zhou Zhang (周莊). Firstly the famous gardens in Suzhou differed from those in Beijing in that the Suzhou gardens had always been owned and cared for by private owners (私家園林) and those in Beijing were known as "Royal Gardens" (皇家園林) which had been the back gardens and playgrounds for past Chinese emperors and royalties. We spent a good three to four hours in 拙政園 (known peculiarly as The Humble Administrator's Gardens...) and strolling along narrow alleyways and admiring the lotus, waterlilies and pines. Although as usual, the Gardens were swamped with fellow countrymen, we managed to find a few scenic corners and enjoyed a bit of refreshment amongst the serenity and peacefulness these Gardens offered. 
On the other hand, Zhou Zhang (周莊) was the gem that we had hoped for and the ancient village did not disappoint; its extremely beautiful waterways, bridges and non-intrusive stall owners really made this a must-see destination for everyone. Very different from the majestic and grandeur nature of Venice, Zhou Zhang typified the petite bridges, waterways and villagers (小橋、流水、人家) that made this part of China famous around the world. Every corner we turned, we were met with a soothing and pleasant new angle of this village. We were particularly impressed with the ancient village being "lived-in" by local villagers and commercialism was not as rampant as we had feared. The old part of the village was thankfully tucked away far from the bus station and no kidding, on our way in, we observed parking spaces enough for over 150 coaches; surely over the weekend this place would be crowded. Sit back and enjoy the photos of these Gardens and waterways.
One side note of interest, there was once a famously rich merchant called 沈萬三, during the early Ming Dynasty (元末明初), who lived in Zhou Zhang and the dish he prepared for the Emperor was even more famous - pig trot dipped in glassy soy sauce (萬三蹄) and this dish was sold all over this ancient village - tasty !!
Nanjing (南京) And Its Mountains (中山 And 茅山)
Posted On Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at at 1:54 AM by Alvin
The royal city of Nanjing (南京) had always held a special place in China's history; not only was Nanjing an ancient capital with the beautiful surrounding mountains of Chung Shan and Mau Shan (中山 and 茅山) but the city also suffered horrific war time losses in recent memory and these horrendous human atrocities are solemnly commemorated at the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall (南京大屠殺紀念館); we spent over 3 hours pouring over the millions of photographs, records and files on display inside this hall and we were extremely moved by the resilience of the peoples of this great city. But first things first - we arrived in Nanjing just as a rare occurrence of a tri-typhoon system was on its way out of the province of Jiangsu (江蘇). The Xuan Mu Lake (玄武湖) located opposite to where we stayed was moody but at least the colorful music fountain by the lake lightened up our spirit. We spent the good part of a day visiting the mountain of 中山 where our national Father Sun Yat Sen (孫中山) was buried at the 中山陵 Mausoleum. We also spent around 2 hours exploring the nearby area of 靈谷寺 which was located inside welcoming and shady lush green forests - made even more lush by a huge rain storm that lasted half an hour, luckily we took shelter inside the 9 -storey tall 靈谷塔. Of course, during our stay in Nanjing, we also visited the famous area of 秦淮河 and 夫子庙.
The following day we travelled about 60 km East and visited the Taoist holy mountain of Mau Shan (茅山). Since ancient times, Mau Shan had been famous for the Taoist priests (茅山道士) who had attained magical powers to ward off harmful spirits; the priests would normally point a closed first and middle fingers towards the attacking spirits and believe it or not, the spirits would then just subside in a puff of smoke. Yeh, just like that !
Goldcoast - Sold !
Posted On Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at at 6:27 PM by Alvin
It was one day in April this year, that by some clash of chemistry or long-brewed desire to break out of the current confines when we decided to look for a new place to live - grow more plants, may be keep a few cats and rabbits and read under the shades of a palm tree... But we shall miss the fantastic views at Goldcoast - check out the rainbow on the left !So first things first, we thought we had better sell out on our current Goldcoast Residence before loading up with a new place. The following had been important dates during this very interesting period and just for our records, along the way, potential buyers included such interesting characters described below. The "viewers" were mostly impressed with our place with its airy tropical decorations, light colors and of course, the breezy feel when the sun was not fierce. If we had learnt anything from this exercise, it was that everyone had their own specific preferences which might sound peculiar at first.
- On 23 June 2010 - we put the house on the market through more than 10 estate agencies; and
- on 14 July 2010 - the initial contract signed and the place sold (to a young couple) !
The famous viewers:
- On 23 June 2010 - we put the house on the market through more than 10 estate agencies; and
- on 14 July 2010 - the initial contract signed and the place sold (to a young couple) !
The famous viewers:
- a single man (spent 5 minutes looking around, said the house was very clean and goodbye);
- a middle-aged lady with a grown son (buying a place for her darling son);
- a Beijing girl with Western BF (Western BF came in not shaking hands but did a Buddha praying clasped-hand sign to me...);
- an un-interested couple (probably on their countryside day-trip from the city);
- a few westerner neighbours (had seen this couple for years around Goldcoast, complained we had no air-con and contemplated where to put their 60" TV...);
- a Chinese old couple with daughter (on a shopping trip from Guangzhou ?);
- a single girl (she eventually missed the boat by 3 days);
- a young couple x 2 (one of the couples was the eventual buyer);
- a few Italians (great to speak Ital with the Milanese, unfortunately they came with a mad woman from the estate agency...);
- OL (Office Ladies) x 2 (took some time to un-tie her highly-strapped trendy boots with coils of laces, before entering the door);
- a snooty cow with BF (felt like punching the dizzy cow - spoke down her nose, like she owned the world);
- 2 middle-aged ladies with family (performed a very detailed check on all things minor - the flushing toilet, turned on and off the taps a couple of times, complained it was too hot in here when Hong Kong was 33 degrees Celsius outside, basically a fault-finding mission for them and they failed);
- 3 ancient ladies (very appreciative of our place but turned out to be a real hard bargainer);
- an old Chinese man (came in when the sunset was at its most mighty full blast, he almost melted...);
- a last couple (seemed stressed out with their compass).
Having A Tsing Tao Beer In Qing Dao (青島)
Posted On Tuesday, June 8, 2010 at at 2:25 AM by Alvin
Arguably the most popular city in China, we felt the special atmosphere of Qing Dao (青島) the moment we stepped off the long distance bus after the 6 hours' journey from Qu Fu (曲阜). It might be the sea, the clear blue sky, the refreshing salty air (distinct from the inland smog), the stunning vista of the skyscrapers along the many beaches or the colonial feel of past Western influences, Qing Dao just could not disappoint. We managed to stay right by the 6th Beach which was dominated by the landmark of Qing Dao - the Sea Bridge (棧橋). We spent time exploring the seafront of this city as well as visiting the European-styled villas in the beautiful district of 八大關 - a matrix of crossroads formed by 8 beautiful tree-lined avenues which reminded me of some faraway laid-back European suburbs. The city was justly famous for : the rose-colored roof tops, leafy trees, emerald seas and blue skies (紅瓦綠樹 碧海藍天) and we saw these vistas aplenty along the cool Qing Dao sea front as well as up the commanding hill of 小魚山. 
We also explored the more modern parts of Qing Dao where we saw some awesome art deco as well as the famed Qing Dao Beer Street and Museum. We also visited Lang Yai Tai (琅琊台) located some 100 km south of Qing Dao (well, that journey was another amazing story for another day... well, basically, a half-day trip turned into a 12 hours trip...), where the first Chinese Emperor (秦始皇) sent his troops (led by the navigator 徐福) to go find that elusive elixir of life 3,000 years ago. Go East young man ! Lang Yai Tai held a strategic position right on the sea front, with a commanding view to the East, facing nowadays, Korea and Japan (miles away of course) and yep, records showed that these were the same troops who helped the local Japanese farmers with advanced fishing and farming methods and I guess the troops had such a wonderful time that they decided to stay for ever...
