Blogs from China, Asia - page 12

http://www.heygo.com 12th March - A night stroll along the Bund Alice was our guide again, I joined her a couple of days ago for a walk during the day along the Bund. It was midday in U.K. and 8pm in Shanghai. Alice made us all laugh when instead of pointing out the skyline buildings with her finger she produced a chopstick from her pocket. The clock tower building is The Shanghai National Post Office, built in 1924 with an interesting mix of European styles of architecture. It is now a historical landmark under protection as the Shanghai Postal Museum. Inside the museum, there is a statue of Mr. Zhu Xuefan who was the first minister of the postal department. There is also a display of oracle bones that records military correspondence. There is also a stamp ... read more

http://www.heygo.com 2nd March - Yuyuan Bazaar Shanghai I visited this area back in 2010, & whilst the lovely old traditional building haven’t changed, the area around the Tea House resembled a theme park. A lot of the displays were still there following the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations but some I think are now permanent ! I remember better visiting the Yuyuan Gardens which is next to the bazaar so fingers crossed our new virtual guide will take more tours in a less commercial area. I guess some of the virtual guests had not visited Shanghai before were interested to see the local arts and different foods on offer. Yuyuan Bazaar location - Originally there was just a temple that was built in the 15th Century. Over 100 years ago there was an increase in pilgrims ... read more

Cancel a trip yet? My cousins cancelled their trip to Japan this month. But I am boarding a plane tomorrow for a short flight to Vegas. What should you do? What is corona virus? Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that spreads from person to person. Around 80% of people recover without requiring special treatment. The virus, which first appeared in Wuhan, China, has since spread to 53 countries. Of the roughly 84,000 reported cases, China accounts for over 78,800. Older people and those with preexisting conditions – including high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes – are the most likely to develop a severe illness as a result of COVID-19. Well, I definitely would stay out of Asia. And not just because of the Corona virus, but because much of the region is ... read more

In all my travel experiences, China was the most challenging country. I've experienced difficulties during my visit to Beijing, from entering the country, leaving the airport, staying and exiting Beijing. Not only the immigration regulations were strict, but the language barrier was a massive issue too. The scrutiny of the city is exceptionally high. The Chinese public security team and the military ensured the city was guarded. Surveillance cameras were also installed in busy streets and little blocks, which was uncomfortable at some point. Beijing got me frustrated at times however, sweet Beijingers made that drama disappear. I spent four days in Beijing under the Beijing 144 hours visa-free program. My travel point began in Beijing, where I took half the day to recover from long-haul flights. I felt the damn jetlag linger the next day. ... read more

Contemporary China has a fascinating relationship with spirituality: as a country with historically deeply rooted traditions and practices which spread throughout the region, it is also accelerating in modernity at lightning speed. When you are here, it is hard to reconcile China’s historical traditions with its current society. I think the Jing’an Temple (photographed below) is a perfect example of the dichotomy between rich cultural practices and modernization. Though there are a number of religions in China, including Taoism, Confucianism, and Islam consisting about 10% of the population, this blog post will be focusing on Buddhism, which is the country’s most practiced religion (15% of the population). However, it must be prefaced that the vast majority (over 70%) of mainland Chinese are non-religious, which makes it the world’s largest non-religious population. That is a mind-... read more