mumbling about the southern city in China

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Friends asked me why I never write about those cities I'd come across while search for festival. well...Chinese city....what's the point to write about I would answer. in my mind-set...all the city and town in China are the same, same format and pattern! I always wondered it was for the benefit of the enterprise for building material, standard moulding, standard marble and tiles and standard everything! no wonder you would see the similar structure in similar shape and colour wherever in China! To added salt on wound...same merchants lined up in every city, for 1st rated city would be Nike beside Adidas, Macdonald next to Kentucky. And for 2nd rated town, there would be Anta beside 361 and Mackenji next to Kenteqi! Located at the edge of the city should be for auto spare parts and repairing, the main deal in town would be IT and cellphone business, spread and filled n every corner of town are hospitals and pharmacy. that pretty much making up of the economic in every city in China. Whatever....while rumbling within city from city, there still a little something could be pick out from town to town. In this Guangxi's trip I first came across Liuzhou, a city well branded in the old day is the best resting place in China for its out standing coffin production. well...it was a long gone history as you wouldn't find any tree to cut out the four and a half blocks nowaday! beside...burial not really encouraged in China as the land are the main prey for the Privilege! a side news from north China a month ago, an old woman killed herself just because she could get her body into the earth before the deadline of the new law that banned burial. Well...Liuzhou is an architecture freestyle city, not a sense of any uniformed city planning, a wild skyline, buildings in different shape and style stood side by side...interesting sight! Luosifen is the most popular noodle dish in Guangxi, and this snail-noodle said to be original from Liuzhou, no wonder you seen the name everywhere, shop after shop. but strange...I never find any trace of snail in the noodle though. so...what is Luosifen? well...white noodle with many different prickles, then top with peanut and crispy paper tofu.

Rongshui is a small town surrounded by karst hill like any other town in this region, an unique natural landscape in Guangxi. but as usual is under the standard and typical disaster created by us the human being, in front of the wall of karst hill was another layer of factory for cement, lime or whatever! Green hill turned into brown skeleton and there always a thick sheet of cloud blocked the sight, where beauty only exist in your imagination. The mountain in the outer area still preserved a little of its beauty and live some Miao and Dong people that could spicy up some favour, unfortunately the rainy weather stop me from explore more this time. Here in Rongshui they has its unique noodle call Lufen, a bucket of starch with many small holes at the bottom, when starch went down to boiling water then formed into noodle and that is Lufen. very chewy!

The last stop before back to Hongkong is Wuzhou, a very Guangdong city in Guangxi, but in fact...Wuzhou is situated right at the border between the two State. There are many old memories of Hongkong flashing back in my mind while walking in the old area in Wuzhou , not like others preserved old area in China, here they are functioning as what it was, not just a showcase! The high ceiling store front and wooden door. the street market, the herbal drinks....together with the Cantonese speaking here. the best is the many restaurant with dimsum that really filled my thirst.

That was all I could come up with about city in this part of China, Guangxi...beside less in minority favor(in comparing with Yunnan and Guizhou), the facility for budget tourist are far more better, well maintained public transport network, better value for your money in guesthouse standard and more choice for foods! if can only name one thing that would stood out from distinguishing Guangxi from Yunnan, guizhou or wherever. thing that only happened in Guangxi, I would say....that little paper that stick on the side of the aluminum bowl in restaurant, that strongly emphasized "STERILIZED"!

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Photos

my guesthouse in Sincity
everything could be find in one building

Luosifen
the white paper on the side of the bowl

The Miao area
outside Rongshui

street scene
remind me the 70's of Yaumati in Hongkong

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Guangxi
Enjoyed the blog. Great photo.

[curenyige]

thank

[Jerry]

wuzhou old town
We'll be going to the Wuzhou old town next month, hope it is still there, one never knows in China. I think you went in 2014, and two years is a long time. If you are in Hong Kong, I recommend Shantou, very interesting place.