Wednesday, 30 November 2011

Danxiashan/Guangdong---Nov 19-25, 2011

8th Visit to China




广东省---华侨之乡




 Guangzhou (广州)




Guangzhou (广州)



珠江---广东的母亲河




Pearl River (珠江) at night, in Guangzhou



The three major rivers of the Pearl River system are the Xijiang ( 西江), Beijiang (北 江) and Dongjiang (东江) Rivers.

The three rivers converge in Pearl River Delta and flow into South China Sea. The lower course of the Xijiang beyond the confluence is called Pearl River, famed as the river that flows through Guangzhou.




Cruise Ship


The Pearl River is the third largest river in China. It drains majority of South Central Guangdong and Guangxi as well as parts of Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces in China.

The Pearl River Delta is one of the economic hubs of China.




on board a cruise ride on Pearl River at night




Shenzhen (深圳)---the Window of China's Reform and Opening Up to the World







Shenzhen lies along the coast of the South China Sea
and immediately north of Hong Kong.

Its rapid development could be traced back to 1978, when Deng Xiaoping (邓小平) selected this small fishing port as China's first Special Economic Zone (经济特区)

As China's first SEZ, Shenzhen has always been regarded as the window of China's Reform and Opening Up (改革开放) to the world.

The city itself is a concrete jungle. If you are looking for traditional China, you will certainly not find it here.




Overseas Chinese Town East (东部华侨城)

OCTE is a resort that integrates the cultures of both East and West.


 

Zhuhai (珠海)




Statue of Fishing Lady (珠海渔女)


Zhuhai is one of the Special Economic Zones (经济特区) established in the 1980s. Before that it was a group of fishing villages.

Zhuhai serves as the gateway to Macau just like Shenzhen to Hong Kong.

Zhuhai has over 100 of islands. The city is known for its beautiful coastline.









Kaiping (开平---碉楼之乡)

Kaiping City is famous for its diaolou built by overseas Chinese in a blend of Chinese and Western architectural styles.

Diaolou are multi-storey, defensive village houses built against the attacks of bandits.

Today there are still over a thousand of diaolou standing in Kaiping. Most of them were built between 1920s to 1930s.

Kaiping Diaolou and Villages (开平碉楼与村落) was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

 



Majianglong Diaolou Cluster (马降龙雕楼群)


Due to poverty and social unrest in Kaiping during the late 19th century---the same period as California gold rush. Many people emigrated to the US. They worked as labourers particularly in the California gold fields. Some also worked on the transcontinental railroads construction.

However, they had to live under unfair regulations in the US.

Some of them returned to their hometown after accumulating some savings. They used their hard-earned savings to build a house, buy fields and get married.


'金山伯' '金山伯', 没有一千也有八百

一个华侨的脚印就有三个土匪追踪

Meanwhile, it had become known in Kaiping that some of the returning overseas Chinese were wealthy. They had since become the targets of bandits in Kaiping. To defend themselves against the attacks of bandits, they built diaolou used as  house-cum-watchtower and also for flood protection. 



Li Garden (立园)

The statue of its master, Xie Weili (谢维立)---a Chinese emigrant to the US, in front of Li Garden
 

老华侨的传统思想--- 落叶归根, 衣锦还乡, 光宗耀祖


Old overseas Chinese were sentimentally attached to their motherland even though they had lived overseas for many years. They had the tradition of returning to their hometown with position and wealth. Some of them built mansions in their hometown to show off their wealth.



         

Li Garden (立园)


Li Garden is a private garden constructed in the early 20th century. The construction of Li Garden blended the Chinese and Western architectural style at the time, and traditional Chinese landscaping with the features of canals, fine bridges, pavillions and watchtowers.




Shaoguan (韶关)


Shaoguan City is located in the northern part of Guangdong province. Formerly, the city was an important trade route from Central China to Guangzhou.




Mt Danxia


Mount Danxia is a famous scenic area near Shaoguan city. The region is formed from reddish sandstone which has been eroded over time into spectacular steep cliffs and unusuall rock formations.








丹霞山阳元石




Nan Hua Temple (南化寺---南宗禅法发源地)



Nan Hua Temple (南华寺) is a Buddhist Monastry of the Zen, where Hui Neng (慧能) once lived and taught. The temple is located near Shaoguan City

Hui Neng (638-713), the sixth Patriarch of the Zen (禅宗六祖), is considered as the founder of the Southern Sect of Zen (禅宗南宗).

After Huineng had passed away, his body was mummified. His mummified body has since remained seated and open to public in Nan Hua Temple.






The temple has a history of more than 1500 years. It was founded in 502 by an Indian Monk named Zhiyao Sanzang (智药三藏) who originally named the site Baolin Temple (宝林寺).




南华寺菩提树



菩提本无树 明镜亦非台
本来无一物 何处惹尘埃
                                                                         ------摘自六祖坛经





Macau (澳门)---the Gambling Capital of Asia

Ruins of St. Paul's (大三巴牌坊)

The Ruins of St. Paul's is the most famous landmark of Macau. All that is left of the imposing 16th century cathedral is its front facade. The Ruins of St. Paul's is not the ruins of a St. Paul's church, but rather the Church of Mater Dei.




In the background, Grand Lisboa (新葡京酒店) dominates the skyline of Macau,



Macau is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two Special Administrative Regions (特别行政区) of the People's Republic of China.

It lies on the western side of the Pearl River Delta, bordering Guangdong province to the north.

The territory's economy is heavily dependent on gambling and tourism.




议事亭前地喷水池

Macau was settled by fishing people long before the arrival of foreign traders.

It was a Portuguese colony and both the first and last European colony in China.

Portuguese traders first settled in Macau in the 16th century and subsequently administered the region until the handover on 20 Dec 1999.

It is now administered under the policy of "one country, two systems".




Historic Centre of Macau (澳门历史城区)

Historic Centre of Macau was designated as a World Heritage Site.

It is a collection of over twenty locations that witnessed the unique assimilation and coexistence of Chinese and Portugeuse culture in Macau.




Matsu Temple

  Built in the 15th century, the temple was dedicated to Matsu---the goddess of seafarers and fishermen.




Guia Fort (松山炮台) on Guia Hill




Church of Our Lady of Guia and Lighthouse on Guia Hill

It was the oldest lighthouse in South China Sea.





天行健君子自强不息