A Local Festival

The marching ‘girls’ had hit the streets the day before, but it was the people carrying complicated paper constructions that lured me to the local temple.

The scene at the temple was overwhelming.

There were 12 large tables covered with food, paper decorations and flowers, and beside each table stood a dead pig, and in many cases a dead goat too!

I was told it was in honour of their ancestors and only occurs once every 6 years. There were people everywhere; people decorating tables, people preparing the temple, people applying makeup on the opera stage, people applying makeup to the pigs and goats, people gossiping, gawping and comparing the offerings.

It was spectacular.

Xiamen

Xiamen is the major city about an hour's drive from Zhang Zhou.
It sometimes appears as Amoy on older maps.


We visited the temple one weekend, and were taken aback by the number of visitors, most of who seemed to be there to worship rather than just sight see like us. It is set on the side of a hill looking towards the sea (good Feng Shui).




A five minute ferry ride takes you to Gulang Yu, which, in the 1800s, was a foreign enclave. It has no cars or bikes, and the colonial architecture and beaches makes it a great day trip.

Changsha, Hunan Province

A couple of weekends ago we made it to the capital of Hunan Province (2 provinces west from Fujian).


Here is Roger outside the Hunan Provincial Museum. Its section on the wonderfully preserved contents of a 3000 year old tomb was compelling.

We undertook a favourite Chinese pastime; 'climbing a mountain' at Yuelu Park.
The red pavilion, overlooking a lovely still pond (with gold fish), is said a place the young Mao Zedong discussed politics with his friends. The circular gate way is part of the monastery in the park,and the tile detail from Yuelu Academy.

Changsha, food and street life

Hunan is know for it's spicy food, but we found lots of fabulous fruit too.

We joined the locals (and their dogs) chatting and drinking tea in a little park. Street sellers wandered between the tables offering savoury snacks, a semi-set tofu drink, as well as seated massages.




While exploring the little lanes around our hotel, we heard a loud bang.

No, not fireworks, though we saw lots being sold,

but a man 'popping' corn and rice in a medieval, and ingenuous, looking contraption.

Early in the morning the public spaces fill with Tai Chi and Gongfu proponents.
But we also saw people dancing and writing calligraphy, in water, on the ground.

First haircut

It has taken a while (3 months), and an emergency dash to Hong Kong in the interim,

but I now am the proud possessor of my first Chinese haircut!

Climbing a mountain

A while ago, while Roger was travelling for work, I climbed Yun Dong Yan, or 'Mist Cave Rock', with some of his colleagues. It is on the edge of Zhang Zhou, has many caves and quite a few visitors!

Boating off the Xiamen coast

On the May Day holiday a motley group of local Westerners hired 2 boats to cruise the coast. We passed oyster farms on the way north, anchored in a lovely inlet and had an on-board BBQ.

Architectural influences

The old Christian church shows Western influences, while the form of the new church has more than a passing reference to European architecture.

Zhang Zhou's church and Sacré Coeur, Montmartre.

But the Parisian version doesn't have a pool hall directly underneath!

Work

Roger's office is walking distance from our apartment.
But he spends a lot of time in the field; apparently this tree is 'OK'.

He claims it is all work; lots of people to see and rivers to cross!


This is one of the kindergartens I teach at,

and the view from the company's office into the courtyard and onto one of the main shopping street in town.