Map of China
After
landing in Shanghai we took a domestic flight into Zhuhai, a small city of 1.4 million in the Guangdong Province, south of the port city Guangzhou (old Canton). Here, we taught English immersion for four weeks.
Map of Guangdong
Please note Zhuhai, a Special Economic Zone slightly West of Hong Kong.
--Exploring China--
Dim Sum in Zhuhai
One exciting part of teaching at DOP was meeting local teachers and university students. Here, Elisa takes us to a original Cantonese
Dim Sum restaurant
on the Pearl River in Zhuhai. I immediately fell in love with the family style intimacy of these meals. The delicious sesame seed and bean curd balls and dumplings didn't hurt either!
Stained glass in "old Canton"
Guangzhou (British: Canton) has been a thriving port city since the Qin Dynasty (200 CE). Consequently, foreign traders sought a stronger control over the city. Following the
Treaty of Nanjing after the First Opium War, Western nations had set up spheres of influence within the city, which is evident today particularly through architecture. Walking the streets of 'Old Canton', the traveler can see signs of such influence, shown here through stained glass residential buildings.
Incense outside of temple
Dragon's outside of Liwanhu Park temple, Guangzhou
Many temples throughout China have an interesting history to tell us. Our friend Lilian told us that the religious artifacts in this temple were carefully hidden during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960's-70's by resident Monks and religious students, at great personal risk. They were subsequently returned. Here you find two dragons, the simple of luck, guarding the entrance to the Temple.
Reading the paps, Guangzhou
The morning's daily news.
Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall
Communists and Nationalists alike recognize
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen as the founder of modern China who overthrew the Qing Dynasty in 1911. Sun Yat-Sen was born and raised in the Guangdong Province, thus there are statues and memorials erected here in his honor. Above is a statue in front of the
Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall, still in use today.
Portuguese egg tarts, Macau
Walk over the border from Zhuhai, and you will reach Macau, the first (1500's) and last (1999) European colony in China. While a special administrative region today, Portuguese influence is still evident in cuisine, architecture
, and magnificent churches still erect in the city. Macau is known worldwide for the plethora of casinos in the small region, however I most enjoyed the egg tarts and dried pork. Yum!
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
There are many other
attractions in Macau aside from casinos and egg tarts, however. The
Rue de Felicidade was the site of the chase scene in 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'.
View of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon from Victoria's Peak
A 70 minute turbo ferry ride from Macau will take you to Hong Kong, another of China's Special Administrative Regions. Take the
Peak tram all the way to the top, and you see this breathtaking view of the two most important urban centers in Hong Kong: Hong Kong Island (foreground) and Kowloon (background).
While once part of the
British Empire until 1997, Hong Kong has the feel of a truly international city, in architecture, cuisine, and culture.
Tan Tian Buddha,Territories Hong Kong
On the
island of Lantau in the New Territories of Hong Kong lies the giant Tan Tian Buddha statue. Please note myself in the picture for scale. Completed in 1993 over looking the Po Lin Monastery (1901), the Buddha is the largest outdoor seated bronze Buddha in the world. One of the noted tourist attractions in Hong Kong, the statue stands over 210 feet tall!
Lights in Hong Kong
