Blogs from Guangdong, China, Asia

My friend loves exploring as much as I do. So on a perfectly beautiful Saturday, she and I took the bus into the city and hit the streets with our cameras and senses of adventure. We took side streets, narrow alleys, the road less taken (at least, for foreigners). Whenever I do this, I find a side of China that I don't often see: quiet, peace, curiosity, genuine kindness. There's no rush of the big city, no desire to charge me three times more, just a simple life waiting to be shared. And now I'm sharing the photos. Enjoy.... read more

Saturday, 30th March 2013 to Sunday, 31st March 2013 Another round of dim sum affair greeted us at Jade Garden this morning. Located within Taikoo Hui Mall, the decor of Jade Garden followed a modern-fusion theme. It was weird that western teapots and cutlery could co-exist together with Chinese chopsticks and spoons. The attractive dim sum menu was colourful and the pictures were certainly useful for non-Chinese speakers. Food was ok at Jade even though our votes would certainly go to Guangzhou Restaurant anytime. After breakfast, it was time for some grocery shopping at Jusco Tianhe branch before heading back to our apartment. When it was time for us to say goodbye to Ascott at 1pm, we parked our luggages at the reception before continuing with the rest of our itinerary. Depsite the heavy rains in ... read more

Thursday, 28th March 2013 I was awakened by the sound of rain this morning as we welcomed the first rays of daylight over Guangzhou city. From the 22nd floor of our apartment, the views of Tianhe District were clearly represented. The morning started with our breakfast encounter in url=http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/ShowUserReviews-g298555-d1026981-r156144254-Ascott_Guangzhou-Guangzhou_Guangdong.htmlAscott. It was filling even though there were certainly better selections around. Armed with a metro map, we ventured straight to the city of Foshan to pay a tribute to Ip Man and Huang Fei-hung, two of the finest pugilists who lived in recent times. With the opening of the Guangfo Line, getting to our destination was a breeze. From the MRT station, the Zumiao Temple was another 5 minutes walk. For us, we were lucky in that the rain managed to pause... read more

As my students say, "Long, long ago, there was a man." Depending on who you talk to, the next part will either be that he liked pineapples, brought pineapples, planted pineapples, or was from the Kingdom of Pineapples (Magadha). No matter, he was a foreigner who came to China during the Tang dynasty and he landed ashore in Guangzhou. Then he left. And somehow, chickens are involved. There's a delightful gem of a write-up explaining this with more detail, though it is a bit Chinglishy. http://www.hewiki.com/view/574831.htm Every year the temple still holds a Pineapple Festival (with chickens) and this year a friend and I decided to check it out. It's one of the biggest festivals in Guangzhou--we mustn't miss out! We took the metro to the far eastern edge of the city (well, as far as ... read more

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the weather so far this month. I’d been expecting rainy, overcast skies, but the first week of March was absolutely beautiful: sunny, warm, and with surprisingly low humidity. To take advantage of this weather, I spent last Saturday afternoon walking around the old part of Tangjia (pronounced “tonn-jah”), the district where I live. As in other parts of Zhuhai, most of Tangjia is relatively new, and the broad main street is lined with shops, restaurants, apartment blocks, and hotels, all with large, colorful signs out front. But behind all of this development you’ll find the narrow alleyways and stone houses of Old Tangjia. Walking through this area is—to use a highly unoriginal phrase—almost like entering another world, when Tangjia was just a small fishing village in the Pearl River delta. My ... read more