Still Walking in Jinan

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Still walking in Jinan

I have only a half day teaching on Thursday, quick canteen lunch and I got back to the campus around 2pm.



My little expat treat today was crackers with REAL cheese and tomatoes and plunger coffee.



More walking today, between the huge amounts of veges I am eating and all the walking I should be getting thin!!



Today I headed off to find Daming Lake. So turn left off Lishan Lu onto Huayuan Lu and the veer left onto Dongguan Lu.

This area is again middle of the road China, whole avenues of food stalls and pavement shops, pet vendors with squirrels, guinea pigs, rabbits, cats and dogs in cages and a huge cage of chirping crickets in one area.

There was also a massive indoors Paddy Market type of place selling what looked like everything and anything, bike shops, people out and about, busy busy life.



Daming Lake appeared in the distance with a canal the first sign of water.

Beautiful willow trees line the canal, the willow is the tree symbol of Jinan and the lotus is the flower symbol.



I only popped into the lake area for a quick look, you need a day to do this justice, there are numerous areas, pavilions, places to look at and activities to see.

I found men playing cards in one area, table tennis games in another (I may just join them), children playing with sand, families walking, exercising and enjoying.



Following the canal east for some time I really enjoyed the serenity of the pretty walk ways and the water views. Mobile hairdressers had set up their trade along the banks, fishermen were trying their luck, people were swimming in one area, more cards, board games, tai chi, one lady washing her hair, other households drawing water, beautifully laid out, so well maintained and presented. It was not busy or crowded in any way.



Quite a few of the older people are so willing to try out their English and give me a smile as I walk by and a quick hello. I’ve seen so few expat females, some in Carrefour, a very ginger haired girl in McD speaking great Mandarin with some locals, and a couple in the expat shops.

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Photos

Autumn is just about here
Yellow leaves all about to fall

Rabbits and guinea pigs
Really hope these are pets!

Crickets
Crickets as big as your thumb were in this display, chirping away. These are pets

Caged squirrel
Pets! I hope!

Are these squirrels?
About the size of a very small guinea pig.

Food on the streets
The Shandong province has a love of bread, steamed bread bun with meals, cake and bread products baked in mobile ovens and these displays. Wonder if this is the German influence in this region?

The canal near Daming Lake
Lined with Willows which are the national tree of the Shandong province

Daming Lake
Just a peek from near the entrance near the canal

Sand play
This area had a simulated beach area, enjoyed by families in the warm afternoon

Table tennis area
Wonder how you join them, i have brought my bat over

The edge
Gardens are lush and well looked after

Hair cut anyone
Set up against the side of the canal, most people seem to dye their hair, men and women, you see a definite grey regrowth happening with a lot of them

Gatherings
The apartments people live in are crowded so to meet friends you gather in the outdoors. Card games eagerly contested, board games are all held in the open, everyone brings their little stool along.

Trees in Jinan look like this.
Many trees large and small have these elaborate props to keep them upright?

Swimming area
Some hardy souls were swimming in this deeper calm area, male and female, with clothed guards at the ready? Ready for a rescue? Think not as they were fully clothed.

Comments

[KM]

German influences? of course!
\" The Shandong province has a love of bread, steamed bread bun with meals, cake and bread products baked in mobile ovens and these displays. Wonder if this is the German influence in this region?\" --- Shangdong province, actually the entire Northern China, grows wheat, for errrr… 2,500 years to be conservative, being one of the earliest people growing wheat on the planet earth for that matter. And it happens that there are only 1 or 2 ways to make food out of wheat, namely baked or steamed bread, unless you reckon that the Chinese, being unoriginal as they are, must have “deep fired” wheat of course. Yes? If I may stretch your imagination, or common sense, a little bit further with permission, dare I say that it is logical and fair to conclude that when Confucius (a Shangdong native as you might not be aware) and his pals had dinners in somewhere 300 B.C., they ate wheat-based food (aka, baked and/or steam bread), since it was/is the only stable food that the region’s climate allows them to produce, which were mainly baked or steamed, am I correct? Now, unless you have sufficient evidences or some über 6th sense to indicate that Rudolfs and Hermans have been hanging out with and thereby profoundly influenced Wangs and Kongs somehow 2,500 years ago in pre-dynastic China, dare I reckon that narcissistic sense of humour of yours is perhaps not the best you are trying to offer? Oh wait a minute, you just said eels, snakes while insinuating caged squirrels for lunch? To avoid obvious and dispicable double-standard, those MUST be the French influence in the region, let's be honest once shall we?

[rosy59]

Interesting comment, thank you for the history lesson.Was not aware bread was such an important product in Chinese history.

[Linese]

Jinan
No, we haven't visited Jinan. Maybe next year - the parks do look very pretty. Take care...