A Day at the Museum and a Little More

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I was now indirectly living in Shenzhen by now but I would return often to Guangzhou trying to complete the last major item there: The Guangdong Museum. It would be about a week after my official departure from Guangzhou that I finally was able to visit this last place and at the same time see the Hanxinsha Asian Games Park near by. But it was also a moment of minor inconvenience for me as my ever present courier bag ended up being locked in the museum after closing time due to my absentmindedness and need for a coffee.



The Guangdong Museum host not only their own exhibits but also many travelling exhibits from around Guangdong and all of China. During my visit, they showed you the history of the navel trade routes created from China to the world including the effect this had on China. They had a giant sized floor map that you could walk along the seafaring routes of the traders from and to China. The display of ceramics was exquisite focusing on the urns, plates, and bowls before moving to the other forms of ceramic found all over China and the seafaring routes. It also included an ancient compass and a display showing the condition some of these ceramic pieces were found in at the bottom of sunken ships.



Another exhibit took you for a walk through 500 years of clay, wood, and metal usage in China’s history. It dealt with tools, jewelry, and even coinage as it progress toward what it has become now. Exhibitions of ancient ink paintings, and ink-stones were found as I walked around this place. I was a walk through history that was in part only small pieces that did not always connect but still painted a truly majestic flow of time for the people of China. Like with most of the pieces of art I photograph, I did add in the description attached to each if it existed. But I must add as a final note that even the coffee shop of the Guangdong Museum is filled with artworks as are the grounds near the museum but many of those are more modern in origin.



After leaving from the side door of the cafe, I tried to retrieve my bag to find that it had already been transferred to the “lost and found” safe. It would take until the next day when it opened to be able to get my courier bag back. I was a little annoyed by this but wasn’t truly angry since my passport and phone were still on me allowing to still travel between cities if I decided (or needed) to do so. But I knew there was a very well lit building nearby that I had not visit. It was spotted during my ride on the Pearl River but I had not spotted it during my visit to the Guangzhou Library earlier. The advantage I received from leaving by the side door was to spot the HanXinSha Asian Games Park.



I was a little shocked that it appeared only half completed even if it already sported shifting rainbow lights toward the river. The seating area was built but the grounds appeared to be metal sheets laying properly next to each other. This unfinished look could simply be the protect layer hiding the actual field beneath but it was hard for me to believe this fact. I did tour most of the open area taking a few photos to show what was the second set of seats that would be pulled into place from the towers sitting opposite the permanent seats. Boredom took me at this point and I went to find a hotel for the night and be ready for a morning departure after retrieving my possession from the museum at opening time.

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Comments

[Aaqil Mahmood]

China seems interesting
Nice article. I wish to visit China someday and i will meet you there ?