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Guangzhou Travel Blogs

Background: For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight.

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By chinasojourn
January 7th 2009

Festive Season and Bing Bing's Tour

Asia » China » Guangdong » Guangzhou

Munch R Us
We need more bamboo forests!

Happy 2009! It's been odd to work through this season with only Dec. 25th off. Folks here have done their best to honour John and I by hosting a Christmas Eve Party where many students 'gifted' us with their amazing talents. We had Jan. 1st, 2nd and 3rd off, worked on Sunday, Jan. 4th, to allow for these days in a row. Bing Bing (aka Benny, my translator's boyfriend) organized a delightful tour for Emily and I including visits to a zoo, a farm, a picturesque lake, Guangzhou (older city and capital of Guangdong, this province) and a crocodile park. I'm [View Full Entry]

By Brooks Family
January 7th 2009

A few of my favorite things so far

Asia » China » Guangdong » Guangzhou

Lantau Island
One of the figures guarding the seated Buddha

Since we have been on the road for a month I thought I would list some of my favorite things When we flew on Southern China Airlines from Beijing to Hong Kong the flight attendants all lined up at the front of the plane and bowed to everyone to introduce themsleves. In Hong Kong I took the Star Ferry across to Kowloon and found a park where men and women were practicing Tai Chi. Next to them was a lake with flamingoes and other lovely birds. I really wanted to take a photo but it seemed like such an intimate setting [View Full Entry]

By midnighttan
December 29th 2008

Guanzhou Part 2

Asia » China » Guangdong » Guangzhou

Photo 1

28th of December 2008 5:00am: - I’m woken up by mum scrounging around in the dark because she can’t sleep, its fine as I have gotten eight hours and am pretty refreshed and raring to go. It’s raining outside. So should make for some interesting photographs when we go eventually outside, hopefully I should be able to get internet soon to upload all this, I’m anxious to show you what I have so far. 7:00am: - Bloody starving, apparently the ‘breakfast’ supplied by the hotel for overnight stayers are bread and soymilk. After deciding that, that didn&rsqu [View Full Entry]

By Guangzhou Teaching
December 19th 2008

This Chapter Comes to a Close

Asia » China » Guangdong » Guangzhou

IMGP1478 (Medium)
Ellen, with some assists from Eli, organized a trip of San Francisco area labor leaders to China. This day was a series of meeting at Sun Ya-sen University; here you see pictured Kent Wong (l) of the ... [more]

As we complete this chapter, Ellen and I are again overwhelmed with images of a country and a people exerting themselves to put the sordidness of the past behind and establish lives of security and happiness for themselves and those around them. This effort is handicapped by the paucity of good, participatory models in the Chinese tradition and a moment in history when the neo-liberal cant of the past thirty years is finally being discredited and the new models have yet to emerge. There is no doubting the enormity of the task in front of all of us, and for the [View Full Entry]

By jaspervv
December 14th 2008

jaarlijstje

Asia » China » Guangdong » Guangzhou

Dit jaar is het eerste jaar dat ik geen jaarlijstje in mocht leveren sinds ik over popmuziek schrijf. Het is altijd een enorm gepuzzel en gepeins, zo'n jaarlijstje. Alsof je aan tafel zit bij de G8, zoiets. Voor veel zogenaamde kenners is het een mooi moment om eens te laten zien hoe verantwoord en bijzonder hun muzieksmaak wel niet is. Eigenlijk doet alleen Willem Bemboom daar niet aan mee, door elk jaar de nieuwste plaat van Jannes in zijn jaarlijst te zetten (als dank krijgt Willem elk jaar een kerstkaart van Jannes. Echt!). En ja, dat geldt voor mij ook een [View Full Entry]

By jaspervv
December 13th 2008

zomaar een recensie

Asia » China » Guangdong » Guangzhou

J'acusse! Bij deze stel ik jou verantwoordelijk, W. Axl Rose, voor het om zeep helpen van mijn eerste (en enige echte) grote muzikale liefde. Lang heb ik op dit moment gewacht, Axl, en nu is het moment eindelijk daar: Chinese Democracy, het album waar je maar liefst vijftien jaar aan gewerkt hebt, is eindelijk verschenen. Ga er maar voor zitten, want ik heb je flink wat te melden. Ik had er eigenlijk al niet meer op gerekend. Voor het geval je wel met een collectie van, pakweg, tien nummers op de proppen zou komen, had ik me al meerdere keren aangeboden [View Full Entry]

By JoergandYuki
December 6th 2008

Impressions from Guangzhou in the Pearl River delta (21.-23.10.08)

Asia » China » Guangdong » Guangzhou

Apartment block of Klaus

The border crossing from Macau China to Mainland China was surprisingly smooth. The bus brought us directly into the customs building and an efficient system guided us to the many immigrations gates. Everything was modern and tidy. Most surprising was the feedback button at the desk of the immigration officer. While the officer was busy with it stamps, a sign asked in Chinese and English to rate the work of the customs officer. It was an electronic system displaying the employee number with rating options fast/efficient - good - moderate - poor. We both pressed the fast and efficient button. W [View Full Entry]

By dpelfrey
December 6th 2008

Jackie Chan!

Asia » China » Guangdong » Guangzhou

Opening Ceremonies
The Chinese sure know how to put on a show!

Guangdong International Tourism and Culture Festival I recently had the opportunity to go to the city of Guangzhou. Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong Province - and is bigger than Shenzhen....hard to imagine! Our program was invited as a guest of the Shenzhen tourism..something, something. Those of us who chose to go, went for free(about2 1/2hour bus), ate for free, and got free tickets to the opening ceremony of the Guangdong International Tourism and Culture Festival. This was quite a spectacle. Not the opening of the Beijing Olympics by any means, but entertaining nonethe [View Full Entry]

By Guangzhou Teaching
December 5th 2008

December 5, 2008

Asia » China » Guangdong » Guangzhou

ZhuJiang New Town
Construction is still underway in this new center of commercial and business activity.

The collapse of world markets has been a wake up call for the Chinese leadership, one they thought they would never have to hear. The pre-crisis narrative had been that with their “socialism with Chinese characteristics”, the boom and bust cycles characteristic of capitalism had been tamed once and for all. The experience here during the Asian economic crisis of 1997 only reinforced this belief; China not only weathered that storm well, but also provided a backstop to the imploding economies of the region. This notion has been quickly discarded as the factory closings and job lo [View Full Entry]

By soonkatin
December 3rd 2008

"Oh, My God, It's JACKIE CHAN!!"

Asia » China » Guangdong » Guangzhou

And unlike Homer Simpson, I'd be right! Last Friday, the Shenzhen Education Bureau loaded up 12 buses of foreign teachers (and a few Chinese people) and sent us on our way to Guangzhou for the "International Tourism and Culture Festival, PPRD Tourism Promotion Convention Eveming Party of Opening Ceremony." For 3 hours we rode on a bus with no bathroom, the AC blasting while the sun was too bright to keep the curtains open. As we were almost there, our lovely tour guide proceeded to tell us that Jackie would NOT be performing (he sings) but would be at an after [View Full Entry]

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