Guangzhou...

After a week with no facebook, twitter and youtube, I'm back on the free intertubes in Hong Kong. I will be home very soon and I can't wait to be back. (Taiwanfest! Buskerfest! Sandwiches with proper bread!) Anyways, I think you should all be very very proud of the fact that I survived without the sites mentioned above. Then again, there was so much to do each day and I came back home so exhausted that there was no time for the internets anyways. How to start...? Hmmm...

Well, let's just say that I went to Guangzhou knowing absolutely NOTHING of the place except that apparently there were a lot of pickpockets and robbers who would rob you in broad daylight. I could start telling you of all the horror stories that I was told, but in the end, I didn't think Guangzhou was that bad. (There was only one incident where one of the students got pickpocketed, though he seems to have a history of getting his money stolen...) In fact, I'd love to go back one day. A famous Chinese saying claims that, "To eat good food, go to Guangzhou. To settle down, go to Hangzhou. To die, go to Liuzhou." In other words, Guangzhou is reputed to have awesome food and I won't argue with that. I've taken pictures of almost every single thing I've eaten in Guangzhou, so stay tuned on facebook for the food pr0n. But for now, here's a preview:



I think the first thing I noticed in Guangzhou was I couldn't see the sky. It was the first time I've ever seen that much pollution in one place but the smog started to clear off once the rain started coming in. Then again, the air seemed to be a lot better there than in Taipei... The second thing I noticed? These goats:



They're the mascots for the 16th Asian Games and I've decided that they're too cute to be legal. I've already gotten a few pieces of goat merchandise to lug back to Canada, and I admit I was sorely tempted to buy the entire set of plushies and figurines as well... They're definitely more adorable than the Beijing mascots and they're giving Miga, Sumi, Quatchi and Mukmuk a run for their money, although the Vancouver 2010 mascots are special to me for other reasons. Why goats do you ask? Well, the head teacher will be proud at the fact that I'm transmitting my knowledge of Guangzhou to my friends... (Even though this is in English and not Chinese.)



Once upon a time in Guangzhou, there was a devastating drought. People were dying because the grain harvest was poor, so they prayed to the heavens. One day, five immortals came down to Guangzhou riding five goats. Each goat had rice ears in its mouth and the immortals offered this to the people. The immortals then flew off and the goats stayed behind in Guangzhou and since then, the people of Guangzhou got rain and beneficial winds every year. Wheee~ Yay~ In 1903, a sculptor made a sculpture as a tribute to this myth. (Picture above.) It sits in Yuexiu Park and is a symbol of Guangzhou. As a result, the mascots of the 16th Asian games, which will be held in Guangzhou in November, are goats~! Cute ones~!

Anyways... other things I noticed when I first arrived in Guangzhou... The campus was pretty! And it wasn't on a hill! There was a pretty park smack dab in the middle of campus and although civilization was somewhat further away, we could walk to the supermarket rather than take a bus! We also got single rooms with private bathrooms. Apparently they treat you better if you're an international student.

The local teachers in Guangzhou were super nice and super fun. I think that they might've thought I was a bit weird 'cause Suki and I were giggling randomly all the time. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised at this at all...

Hmmm... things I did. Well, other than going to that park, there were tons of museums and old residences, and old residences/forts/buildings turned into museums. It was pretty cool to see all the things I learned translated into actual artifacts and physical objects. The shopping wasn't too bad but there weren't too many chances to go shopping. There was a pedestrian street with cheap clothes (as in less than $10 Canadian/American per piece) but I was exhausted that day and going into shutdown mode so I didn't buy anything. Not to mention, our local teacher who took us around was a guy, so Suki and I would feel bad if we dragged him into women's clothing stores. In any case, there is too much to say and yet so little energy left in my battery. (Travelling is fun but exhausting. Even a two hour train ride can suck all the energy out of you in one go...) I will leave you with some picat00rs and a caption or two.


A street in Lingnan Impression, a historic tourist site in Guangzhou.


Doesn't this look as if it belongs in Europe? This is Sha Mian, a section in Guangzhou that used to be inhabited by foreigners. Many of the buildings looked European, including this Starbucks. It reminded me of home...


What's China without Chairman Mao?


An ivory sculpture with two multi-layered balls. This was probably one piece of ivory and each ball had about a gazillion other balls inside, each with a geometric design. Talk about patience and workmanship.


Jade suit worn by the Nanyue King from the Western Han dynasty in his death. There are bits of jade suits at the ROM, but not an entire suit like this one.


Sun Yat-sen memorial hall.

So tired... will upload more pictures either tomorrow or on facebook... stay tuned.