Images of China

Chinese People Are Tough

2011-07-12T02:40:00.000-07:00

Here's a collection of photos friends have sent me over the past year. As you can see Chinese people are tough and resourceful!

Full stretch kung fu

Perfect balance

Brick delivery man

Rack 'um up

Perfect spot for a nap

Portable seating

Migraine cure

Some people take ride sharing very seriously

Chinese people are know to have a head for heights

I'll post some more amazing feats in the next week or so.

Western China from the air

2009-12-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

You never know when a photo opportunity will pop up, which is why we should always bring a camera with us wherever we go. I took these while flying back to Europe from Hong Kong. I was really lucky in that there were no clouds and we were flying over Tibet and Xinjiang at the beginning of winter; clean air and contrast. What amazed me more than scenary was the other passengers. Nobody looked out of the window: the scenary couldn't compete pleasures of inflight entertainment .

Fans

2009-11-03T13:58:00.000-08:00

When we think of fans we think of China. Traditionally fans served as more than just a device for keeping us cool; they were high art. Many fans were painted by famous painters or the calligraphy of great poets. These days fans are an obligatory souvenir from a trip to China. Here are just a few shots I took a a typical souvenir stand.

Ngong Ping 360 and the Giant Buddha

2009-08-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

The Ngong Ping 360 cable car is a great day out in Hong Kong, although you'll have to have a head for heights. The cable car leaves from near Tung Chung station on Lantau Island and takes you up to Po Lin Monastary and the Giant Buddha. It's on the pricy side but well worth the money for details check out the Ngong Ping 360 website.

I did say a head for heights was necessary didn't I?

There are loads of cable cars going so you won't have to wait very long before you are up and away.

The main reason for out visit it is the Giant Buddha at the top.

I was lucky on this day - a blue sky with a few wispy clouds created a perfecr background for my photos.

And this is what he looks like in colour.

Until the next post.

Palace and Temple Roof Ornamentation

2009-07-19T12:23:00.000-07:00

Just a few simple shots this week on the theme of temple ceilings and gables.

Temples and palaces throughout China are a richly decorated. These are a wonderful for photographer who like to explore color and design.

The picture above was taken shortly after restoration work at the Gu Gong (Palace Museum) in Beijing.

Details of covered walkway in the Summer Palace.

Looking up a domed ceiling in the grounds of the Summer Palace

Typical design of roof decoration where pillars meet the ceiling.

Xinjiang- The beautiful wild west of China

2009-07-06T09:59:00.001-07:00

Xinjiang in China's far west is a wild a beautiful place full of contrasts and surprises. The best time to go surprisingly is in summer. Sure it's incredibly hot, but winter is cold and other times of the year visibility is poor or you have to contend with very strong winds.

The Flaming Mountains. Named for their shape and colour or the heat of the desert?

One of the most amazing things about Xinjiang is seeing green ribbons in the desert where the rivers cut through. The contrast of green against the reddish brown sandstone is close to being surreal.

Rivers both above ground and underground support a remarkable amount of agriculture in the area.

Farmhouses like this can be found in the valleys where the rivers flow.

In China Xinjiang is famous for its fruit. Especially the hami melon.

Much of the farm production is dried. The raisins and other dried friut of the area are unbelievable. Why can't we get this stuff in Europe and North America?

The water for all this agriculture comes from far away, although still in Xinjiang. The contrast between the Taklamakan Desert (塔克拉玛干沙漠, Tǎkèlāmǎgān Shāmò; Uyghur: تەكلىماكان قۇملۇقى) and Tianchi ( 天池, tiānchí) could hardly be greater.

That's it for this post. More photos of Xinjiang coming soon.

M

Zhouzhuang 周庄 Water Town

2009-03-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

Zhouzhuang is a must see for anyone who visits the Shanghai area. It takes a couple of hours to get their by bus, but it is well worth the trip. Known as "The Venice of the Orient" Zhouzhuang is about 900 years old and probably the most well known of the Chinese water towns.

I visited the city in November, which was probably not the best for photographic light, but on the other hand there were fewer tourists. I hope the pictures give you a taste of Zhouzhuang and inspire you to make a visit.

Even though November wasn't the height of the tourist season there were plenty of people in Zhouzhuang. Far from being bothersome the crowds give the place an atmosphere. An empty museum town is as bad as an overcrowded tourist trap.

I've heard it said that there are no traffic jams in Zhouzhuang. That depends what you mean by traffic.

Boats are still powered using the traditional Chinese scull or "yao lu" 摇橹. The yao lu is a very efficient device so smuch so that the Chinese have a saying "a scull equals three oars".

Gondalier working his way along one of the many canals that run through the town.

Tourists aren't the only cargo.

A well deserved rest.

Tourism is a mainstay of the town. Here is a vendor making candy.

It's not all canals and boats. People come for the architecture as well.

Bamboo growing in a courtyard garden.

Doorways lead to other doorways.

Courtyards are often beautiful in their simplicity.

The town is popular with painters as well as photographers.

Some more grandiose architecture can also be found. I used "posterized edges " in Photoshop on this shot. I am not normally a fan of software filters but posterized edges works well on Chinese architecture so long as it's not over done.

There's not actually a great deal of good information on Zhou Zhuang on the web. Here are some resources you might try.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhouzhuang

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/english/200004/26/eng20000426_39741.html

http://wikitravel.org/en/Zhouzhuang

http://www.mychinatour.com/chinaplanner/sha/sha-sights-zhouzhuang.htm

For some information and further links to the yao lu try:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sculling

Hangzhou and the West Lake 西湖

2009-02-13T09:57:00.000-08:00

One of the must sees in China is Hangzhou and the beautiful Xihu 西湖 (West Lake). Only a couple of hours train ride from Shanghai it is easily accesible and convienent for short breaks. I've been there a couple of times already, once in summer and once in autumn. The next trip will be in spring for the flowers.

Xihu is a photographers paradise for it is one of the few tourist centres in China that hs enough space to accomodate plenty of tourists yet still allow you room to get the pictures you are after. As the number of tourists boats are restricted the boatmen don't have to constantly hassle you for trade. The boats aren't motorised either so the lake retains its tranquility and romance.

Legend has it that under Jin Shan Si 金山寺lies a snake fairy. In the classic Chinese romantic tradegy , the White Snake Legend 白蛇传, the fairy seduced a scholar and had a child by him which was against nature. As a punished she was imprisoned under Jin Shan Si.

Ancient and modern: A little bit of contrast here, traditional boat taking tourists on a trip around West Lake with modern Hangzhou in the background.

Typical Xihu tourist boat.

Sunset is the most romantic time for a trip on the lake.

Boats gather to pick up toursit for the evening cruise.

Sunset through the bamboo. Cliché I know but sometimes it is appropriate.

Hong Kong Skyscapes

2009-02-04T00:48:00.000-08:00

I love the architecture of Hong Kong. Here are a couple of photos I took at the end of 2008. They aren't the usual views you see on postcards, which is why I took them.

I took this shot from Pok Fu Lam Road on the western side of Hong Kong island.

Most photographs of Hong Kong building tend to be of commercial buildings. This is a pity as residential structures are also quite interesting.