Purple Bamboo Gardens – Haidian District – Beijing – PRC – March 2013

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Bamboo Garden, beijing, Haidian District, prc

Bamboo Gardens in Beijing

The Purple Bamboo Gardens in Beijing covers a huge area of 117 acres and inside you will find three lakes and two small islands. The three lakes in the spring and summer are filled with lotus blossoms and occupy one-third of the whole area.  I can only imagine how beautiful these would be when the lotus is in full bloom.  However, I visited the gardens in March [just at the end of winter in Beijing] so none of the lotus were in blossom but it still was a very beautiful garden to visit.

The two small islands I mentioned are surrounded by the lakes and are connected by an arch bridge.

The park is all about the bamboo; hence its name however I must say whilst I saw lots and lots of green bamboo, which was just beautiful, I did not see any purple…so I am not really sure if there is purple bamboo or the park is just called ‘Purple Bamboo Park’ for some other reason.

There are about fifty different types of bamboo within the garden and a Bamboo Culture Festival is held every year between April and June where everything is about bamboo.  I am told there is also bamboo dancing but really not sure what that would be all about.

Whilst I didn’t see the lotus in bloom, I thought I would check out the internet for some photos…so this is what the lotus and trees looks like in bloom – beautiful.

(these three photos from http://www.phototc.com)

A side car tour of Beijing’s Hutongs and a visit to the Hutong Museum – Beijing – PRC – 2010 & January 2014

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beijing, hutong, Hutong Museum, prc, sidecar tour

Around Beijing on a sidecar and a visit to the Hutong Museum

A friend of mine bought an old bike and sidecar whilst living in Beijing and then had it refurbished to bring back to Australia.  But prior to it being refurbished, he was using it to take friends and colleagues around Beijing on private tours. So I decided to do just that…and we took a tour one afternoon around Beijing’s Hutongs (historic alleyway I think best describes a Hutong)

I have always been a fan of the doors to Beijing’s courtyard homes (siheyuan 四合院 in Chinese) and any chance I get I like to take their photos and this day was not any different…

The courtyard home is found all around China but is prolific in Beijing.  Families still reside inside courtyard homes and many still do not have modern facilities which means they share the communal toilets; and some of those still are not modernised, unlike the one below which is either new or has been refurbished.  Still not very glamorous though!!

The electricity lines around the Hutongs, like a lot of Asian countries leave a lot to be desired.  I don’t think they would pass our strict Aussie health & safety inspections!

We drove through many of the Hutongs and stopped for photo opportunities of grandmothers playing Mahjong and grandfathers playing cards or just enjoying a chat and cup of Chinese tea; all the men smoking like chimneys as usual.

We did see one fellow, on his daily delivery of what looked like computer paper…clearly saving petrol with an enormous amount of paper stacked in every conceivable area of the bike.

I love this part of Beijing as it allows you to mix with the locals, buy local food and see how the Chinese really live.

It is said that there are there are over 500 historic courtyards preserved as important cultural monuments. Many of these are public museums and in 2008 it was estimated that there are still about 400,000 residential courtyards remaining in Beijing…lets hope it remains this way – I love them.

My friend also showed me a refurbished courtyard home which is on the edge of Lake Houhai.  This is one of the most expensive in Beijing and looked absolutely gorgeous.

The sale of courtyard homes is increasing. There are usually between 7,000 to 9,000 residential homes that are on the market for sale at one time, and many are generally priced at 7,000 to 10,000 RMB per square metre. (approx $1500 – $2200 AUD).  You certainly can tell the expensive or refurbished courtyard home with their elaborate doorway or upscale entryway.

(both photos from http://www.flickr.com/photos)

For courtyard homes near the Houhai area, the prices can go up to between 100,000 to 150,000 RMB per square metre. In 2005 a 2,000 square metre courtyard home near Houhai Lake area was sold for 40 million yuan ($8.7 m AUD) – probably the one I saw!

Then just before I left to return to Australia, in 2014 I found the Hutong Museum and went there for a visit.  The museum is located in Shijia Hutong, a quiet, tree-lined neighbourhood where some of China’s most famous writers, artists and diplomats once lived.  It doesn’t take long to tour the museum; well under an hour but it’s definitely worth it.

Courtyard number 24 is where you will find the Hutong Museum – a beautiful museum that commemorates Hutong life and traditional architecture.

Courtyard number 24 once belonged to a Chinese painter and writer who was the daughter of a former Beijing mayor.  The courtyard was then renovated and made into a museum at a cost of 5.3 million RMB ($1.65 m AUD) and was a joint project between the local municipal government and the Prince’s Charities Foundation China, a charitable trust owned by Britain’s Prince Charles.  It’s beautifully renovated and really does pay tribute to Beijing’s courtyard homes.

In the first display area there are scale models of Shijia Hutong in 1949, and of number 24.  Near the back of the museum there is a feature called  ‘sounds of the Hutong’ with what looks like a small recording studio where there are sounds of a past age, from birds tweeting, calls of various street pedlars selling traditional snacks, vendors offering work or the sharpening of knives or scissors.  It really does take you back to the old days especially looking out of the beautiful windows into the actual courtyard.  There are also many items on display as reminders of people who used to live in the courtyard home.

(photo from http://www.redwallgardenhotel.com)

(photo from http://www.am774.com)

(photo from http://www.english.visitbeijing.com.cn)

 I do love touring the Hutongs and any opportunity to do so I would, either walking, side car or rickshaw….wonderful!!

Chairman Mao Memorial Hall – Beijing – PRC – March 2013

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beijing, Chairman, Mao, Mausoleum, prc

So is the body real or not – that is the question – a visit to Mao’s Mausoleum!!

(photo from http://www.gmw.cn)

The Chairman Mao Memorial Hall or the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong is the resting place of Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Communist Party of China and the founding father of the People’s Republic of China from its establishment in 1949 until his death in 1976. 700,000 from all different provinces around China built the mausoleum and materials from all around China were used.

Located to the east of Tiananmen Square, north of the Monument to the People’s Heroes, the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall rests on the site of former Gate of China (Zhonghuamen).

A few friends and I had wanted to visit the mausoleum since arriving in Beijing but it was never high on our list of ‘things to do’, so finally we decided to go, early one morning after two years in Beijing, and we arrived only to find that the mausoleum was closed for renovations.  So we planned another visit…this time the mausoleum was open.

The line up for entry is long even at 7.30am.  It seems it is a place that people want to come and want to pay their respects to the Chairman.

Upon entry you are searched and have walk through a metal detector.  No bags are allowed inside the mausoleum and neither are cameras, video recorders or food and drink.  The guards are ‘very’ strict at the entry and during your walk through.  So my photos of inside the mausoleum are obtained from the internet.

The mausoleum stands alone in Tian’anmen, surrounded by 44 granite posts; with three halls inside. The first hall contains a large marble statue of Mao.  Prior to entering this hall, you are able to buy flowers to place at the base of the marble statue; when we walked past there were thousands of flowers (all artificial; so someone is making a pile of money re-selling these flowers every day).  We saw people placing the flowers, bowing in silence and returning to the line. Some of the older Chinese had tears. For a country that is never quiet, the silence in the hall was deafening.

(photo from http://www.parislike.com)

The backdrop of the hall is a mural painting “the vast homeland”, 23.74m wide and 6.6m tall.  Passing into the next hall, we got to view the uniformed body of Mao who is lying in a crystal coffin. He is wearing his grey button up jacket and grey trousers and is covered with the party flag of Communist Party of China.  He looks waxy and orange.  We had discussions (in the car of course) as to whether it is the ‘real’ Mao! We are still unconvinced.

You can walk past slowly but you cannot stop.  The security guards will poke you with their batons if you take your time…well they don’t do it to the foreigners but definitely did do it to the Chinese – it happened during our visit.  I saw the Chinese bowing and paying their respects to Mao and moving on.

So after viewing the body, you enter the South Great Hall which is the exit of the Memorial Hall. The marble wall on the north was engraved with the gilded scripture “Manjianghong” [the whole river red] which is a set of Chinese lyrical poems written by Mao Zedong, although Mao was not the author of the poems.

Outside there are two huge sculptures; one is the sculpture for revolutionary struggle and the other is workers, peasants and soldiers.

Yong He Gong Lama Temple – Dongcheng District – Beijing – PRC – 2010-2013

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beijing, Dongcheng District, Lama Temple, prc, Yong He Gong

One of Beijing’s most beautiful temples…Yong He Gong (Lama Temple)

For some reason I have always loved Yong He Gong in Beijing.  The first time I went there in 2010, I arrived at 10am and sat on a bench to relax and watch the non-tourist visitors light incense to pray – it was quiet (surprising for anywhere in Beijing) and calming.  I sat on a bench to take in the surroundings and opposite me sat a monk – I snuck a photo.  I just felt so very relaxed and peaceful – and by the way Yong He Gong translates to Palace of Peace and Harmony so it’s no wonder I felt this way…

However, it is like any other main attraction in Beijing, there are thousands of Chinese who visit, so you really do have to get there early.

Yong He Gong is both a temple and monastery of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism.  Gelug is one of the newest schools of Tibetan Buddhism.  And whilst I say it’s one of the ‘newest’ schools, it’s definitely not a new building as it was built in 1744 during the Qing Dynasty.

The artwork of the temple is a combination of Han Chinese and Tibetan styles and really is quite beautiful.

I entered from the north so immediately after paying the small entry fee, I am  confronted by a wide straight road which was used for the carriages of the emperors and their wives during the Qing Dynasty.

At the northern end of this road is Zhaotaimen (Gate of Peace Declaration), which comprises three large archways, the central one of which was for the exclusive use of the emperors.

Passing through Zhaotai Gate you will enter a second yard which contains a Drum Tower and a Bell tower, and in front of these towers are two octagonal Pavilions. Words by Emperor Qianlong were carved explaining the traditional and historical reasons that dwellings formerly used by Imperial Family must later be changed to temples.

A short distance away and opposite the temple is the Wudaoying Hutong.  So when you are finished walking around the temple, cross the road and you will walk down this delightful Hutong. Lots of great restaurants including the Vineyard Cafe which serves lots of veggie meals and seems to be a bit of a hippy restaurant; nothing wrong with that but it’s one of those restaurants where nothing matches i.e. tables and chairs and crockery, but the food is great.  It has all western food and you can buy wine and beer to wash down your meal.  Excellent!!

There is also a beautiful Chinese restaurant across the road from the temple called ‘King’s Joy’ where everything is ordered on iPad and hardly anyone speaks English but it’s so beautiful inside.  It’s an expensive restaurant but I think worth the money as service and food is fabulous.  There is also a a live harp performance during the evening.

Love Lama Temple…

Floriade (the tulip festival) – Canberra – ACT – Australia – October 2015

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ACT, Australia, canberra, Floriade, Tulips

A visit to Canberra’s annual tulip festival

Floriade is the name of Canberra’s annual tulip and spring flower festival which attracts hundreds of thousands of people over a four-week period (September to October).  My friend from Sydney came to Canberra for the weekend and on the Sunday morning before she returned home, we went down to Floriade and walked around checking out the flowers for about an hour or so.  I forgot to take my camera to take some photos of the lovely tulips but my friend helped me out…so thanks Tracey!!

Floriade started in 1988 to celebrate Canberra’s 75th birthday and has continued annually since then.  Each year the tulips are planted to a theme.  For example this year was ‘Reflection’ with flower displays depicting Australian war images.  Last year the theme was ‘Embracing Passion’.  It’s a little difficult to see the theme when you are walking past but once you see the diagram and information on little posts you take a step back and can see exactly what is depicted on the post.  There is also the option of going up in the ferris wheel to see all the displays from above – but being scared of heights it was not an option for me.

This year there was also a gnome painting competition.  Visitors are encouraged to visit Gnome Knoll during Floriade, purchase a gnome and enter the competition in one of the age or group categories. A special category and prizes for gnomes painted to highlight Floriade’s theme of ‘Reflection’ will be offered this year. And all proceeds are used for community projects.

As you would find at any festival or any place where there are hundreds of thousands of visitors, there are stalls and shops set up selling everything from food and drinks to jewellery/clothing/soaps/candles/gardening tools and many [many] other things.  Tracey and I couldn’t resist walking through the shops and came away with three hats between us and two skirts.  I did buy something else but have completely forgotten what it was [clearly it was something I ‘really’ needed].

As Floriade is situated on the shore of Lake Burley Griffin, there are also an array of birds, black swans and ducks waddling about…and as it’s spring here in Australia, the babies are out and about..nothing more cuter than a signet or duckling waddling along with mum and dad.

I think the last time I visited Floriade was in 2010 and really whilst the theme changes every year the flowers are still pretty much the same.  It’s definitely worth a visit but for me not every year.  No charge for entry which is wonderful especially for families.

The Amazing Terracotta Warriors – Xi’an – Shaanxi Province – PRC – 1989 and 2010

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blue Mosque, prc, terracotta Warriors, Xi'an

Xi’an – a must see city in China

Another amazing place to visit in China is Xi’an; the home to the Terracotta Warriors.  I first went to see the warriors in 1989 on my first visit to China and my second time was in 2010 with a friend whilst she was visiting me whilst I was studying Mandarin in Beijing.  I do think two days is plenty of time sightseeing (the main sights in Xi’an) but am sure if you wanted to see areas that are not ‘touristy’ then a few more days would be good.  I have friends who have caught a plane from Beijing to Xi’an at 6am and returned to Beijing on a 6pm flight from Xi’an…only really just to see the warriors.

On my second visit in 2010, my friend and I caught the plane from Beijing and had organised a driver and tour guide for the two days we were there.  Since that time there is also a fast train which takes about five hours from Beijing; another friend did this and enjoyed it immensely.  We stayed at the Bell Tower Hotel which, unsurprisingly, overlooks the Bell Tower and was a short walk under the road to the Drum Tower and Muslim Quarter.  The Muslim Quarter is definitely worth walking through to see and smell the food and just to see different ethnicities in China.  The hotel is reasonable but staff don’t speak English so if you don’t speak Chinese, you might need some phrases to help you find restaurants etc; there are better hotels in Xi’an (Novotel etc) but this hotel is so perfectly placed that I encouraged all my visitors to book and stay there.  It’s reasonably priced and if you arrange, on-line, a room overlooking the Bell Tower – it just adds to the ambience.

Of course, it’s highly likely, the main reason you are in Xi’an is to see the warriors but there is much more to the city.  Xi’an is one of the oldest cities in China and starting point of the Silk Road.  But lets talk a little about the famous warriors first.  They are spectacular.  I think it is well-known that they were first found by a local farmer (who by the way works at the site signing tourist books) in 1974 as he was digging a well.  So the army lay undisturbed for over 2000 years.  Every warrior figure is different in facial feature  and expression; how amazing is that!

Between 246-206 BC, First Emperor Qin ordered the creation of the terracotta army to be buried with him when he died.  It is said he did so because he believed that the statues would become animated in the afterlife and it would be a show of his glory during his reign.

A place I really loved in Xi’an was the Great Mosque which is said to be one of the oldest, largest and best-preserved Islamic mosques in China.  It’s only a short distance from the Drum Tower but my friend and I walked around for ages and could not find it.  We did find what looked like a little Mosque with a blue roof so went inside and took photos of that, but we really did know that could not be the famous Mosque…Luckily we discussed wanting to visit the Great Mosque with our tour guide the next day and she made some enquiries and found it, after a bit of driving around.  But looking at the next three photos perhaps you can see why we thought the first building was a Mosque and it was blue as well!!

 

When we arrived at the ‘real’ Great Mosque or colloquially called the ‘Blue Mosque’, it made us very happy that we had pursued finding it.  Its architecture is a mixture of Islam and Chinese and according to historical records engraved on a stone tablet inside, it was built in 742 during the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

The mosque was a result of Islam being introduced into Northwest China by Arab merchants and travellers from Persia and Afghanistan during the mid-7th century when some of them settled down in China and married women of Han Nationality. Their descendants became the Muslims of today. Muslims played an important role in the unification of China during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. Hence, other mosques were also built to honour them.

Another place we visited was the Wild Goose Pagoda which is across the road from a lovely park. The pagoda is a holy place for Buddhists and also built in the Tang Dynasty.

On the walls are engraved fine statues of Buddha by a renowned artist of the Tang Dynasty. The park surrounding the pagoda has huge bronze statues and the biggest musical fountain in Asia. The T-shape musical fountain and waterscape area covers an area of 15,000 sq metres and when the music starts, the central area of the square is full of different shapes of fountain sprays.

The bronze  statues depict the Tang emperors, famous historical figures and historical heroes and are there to show the dominant achievements of the Tang Dynasty in religion, literature, art and technology.

The statues are set in what is called the Shaanxi Opera Garden. There we found huge coloured painted statues of famous Shaanxi opera writers and actors.

If you have time, it’s also worthwhile walking around the Drum Tower and the Bell Tower.  The drums inside the Drum Tower were used to signal the running of time and on occasion were used as an alarm in emergency situations.  The Bell Tower is wooden and stands on a brick base.  It was built in 1384 by Emperor Zhu as a way to dominate the surrounding countryside and provide early warning of attack by rival rulers.

Then on our way to the airport we stopped at the Xi’an City Wall which was built to fortify the city.  We only had time to hop out of the car and take some photos, but I have friends who have hired bicycles and ridden around the Wall…something I now wish I had done.

I think that ended my time in Xi’an and after a couple of days sightseeing, my friend and I returned to Beijing.  But I do remember a story about my friend who is very pale skinned and makes a concerted effort to not go out into the sun so that she does not burn so in Xi’an she became a ‘rock star’ with tens of Chinese wanting to take a photograph with her; [the Chinese love pale skinned foreigners] some asking but others surreptitiously just sneaking a photo.  We could only walk a few metres before she was photographed.  It was very funny and she was very gracious to all those who asked for a photo.

A weekend away to Nagoya – Chubu Region – Japan – 2010

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cherry blossom festival, Chubu Region, Japan, Nagoya

A visit to Nagoya for the cherry blossom festival

Whilst I was working in Hong Kong in 2010, I decided I needed to travel on some of the weekends, out of HK, and in particular to Cambodia, Singapore and Japan.  I wanted to see the cherry blossoms in Japan but did not really know where to go having not been to Japan before.  I did a search of the internet and found that the cherry blossoms were in blossom in Nagoya at the time I wanted to visit.

So I booked my ticket and off I went one Friday afternoon.  I caught the train into HK Airport from the city and hopped on my plane.  I had pre-arranged a driver at Nagoya to pick me up front the airport to take me to my hotel.  The taxis in Nagoya (and other cities in Japan now that I have also been to Kyoto and Tokyo) are the most delightful I have ever seen as are the drivers.  The black taxi cabs are incredibly clean, all with lovely seat covers and white doilies on the head rests and the drivers are in black suits with ties and white gloves.  I loved it.  No-body out of the hotel in Nagoya spoke English but I seemed to manage as the Japanese were so helpful and friendly.

The hotel was lovely and also clean but very small.  It did however have a wonderful restaurant overlooking a small waterfall so I spent some of the afternoon there reading a book and just enjoying the ambience.  But in the main I had a day and a half to do some sightseeing so on Saturday morning I took a taxi to Nagoya Castle where I had read had the most cherry blossom trees.  It was spectacular!  I could not believe how gorgeous the blossoms were and how fortunate I was that all the blossoms were in flower. Having since been to Kyoto and thought I had arranged my timing well to see the blossoms, that year they were delayed so I only got to see buds about to bloom on most of the trees.

Nagoya Castle, I must say remains as one of the most special places I have been to in the world…a big call perhaps but the cherry blossoms were magnificent; I went just at the right time of the year for the blossoms; people were incredibly friendly and I just had a wonderful time.

During my walk of the grounds of the Castle I saw hundreds of Japanese enjoying their Saturday; picnicking, walking around; spending time with family or their pets.  It was lovely to see.

My next stop was to the Noritake Factory/Museum where Noritake china is made.  I had a tour of the factory and of course bought a couple of items in the shop.  The grounds were beautiful with cherry blossom trees all around and gorgeous gardens.

My last stop in Nagoya during my stay, was on Sunday morning when I went to the Atsuta Jingu Shrine which like other places in Nagoya had beautiful gardens with gorgeous blossoming cherry blossom trees.

Tian’anmen Square – Beijing – PRC – 2010 – 2013

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beijing, prc, Tian'anmen Square

A must see in Beijing… ‘Tian’anmen Square’

So…every visitor to Beijing really must visit Tian’anmen Square.  It’s definitely up there as the top five ‘must see’ with the Great Wall of China and The Forbidden City.  I think from a history point of view, the square is probably best known for the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, which was a pro-democracy movement by Chinese students which ended on 4 June 1989 with the declaration of martial law by the government and the shooting of, it is said, several thousands, of civilians by soldiers.  These numbers are, of course, unconfirmed by the Chinese who have said that there were only a few hundred deaths.  There are many really interesting books to read on the square and the massacre of 1989 and I have read many which have been incredibly sad and I still find it amazing to read that the student demonstration was peaceful and they were demonstrating about freedom of speech and press and I think from memory the demonstrations [and hunger strikes] started from the death of a particularly loved senior Communist Party member and some incorrect reporting in the Chinese newspapers.

I, like many millions of people around the world will always remember the lone protestor in front of a line of tanks along Chang An Jie (Chang An Street).  However the square does have many other memorable events and one is the day in 1949 when Mao Zedong announced the founding of the People’s Republic of China.  Reproductions of the photograph of Mao announcing the republic is still sold around China.

(photo from http://www.huckmagazine.com)

(photo from http://www.wikispaces.com)

It’s an easy place to get to; it’s by subway [or taxi] and you have to go through security checks to get onto the square and taxi cabs cannot stop along Chang An Jie so you must stop a little further away and walk.  There are always Chinese plain clothes officers walking around the square and I have been told many times ‘when you are on the square, don’t talk about 1989 or mention anything to defame the Chinese Government’ or you will be arrested.  I mean I think the bit about defaming the Chinese Government might be true for anywhere in China but in relation to the square, I have seen some of the plain clothes officers but was not sure if it was true about being arrested until I read in 2014 about a UK BBC journalist arrested after attempting to broadcast on 4 July, the anniversary of  4 July 1989.  Off into a police van he went and the entire process was filmed and of course put onto the net.

But all those things aside it really is an amazing place to step foot on.  The huge square is flanked to the east by the National Museum of China…which is truly beautiful inside with sensational exhibitions…photo identification is required to enter (get there early the lines are long in the summer heat) and …

the Great Hall of the People to the west.

I was fortunate enough whilst working in Beijing to visit the Great Hall of the People during a visit by the Australian Governor General who was met at the Hall by Chinese President XI Jinping.  This for me was a truly memorable afternoon and whilst I did not personally meet the Chinese president (I have been fortunate to meet and share a glass of champagne with the Aussie GG), I was very close to him and snuck a few photos.

Chinese children were lined up outside the Great Hall and were shouting and waving flags for both the GG and President.

I was also fortunate enough to go into the Great Hall on two occasions, once whilst the Australian Prime Minister was visiting (and had lunch there).

So my second time to see the inside of the Great Hall was during the visit by the Australian GG – it is a beautiful building and I also got to see the Chinese President’s wife – also beautiful.

But back to the square, there is also Qianmen (Front Gate) to the south…

and Tiananmen Gate (Gate of Heavenly Peace) located to its North, separating it from the Forbidden City.

The square also contains the monument to the people’s heroes of the revolution

and the Chairman Mao Zedong Memorial Hall (with Mao’s embalmed body..well I am still a little unsure of this as I have been there after lining up for over forty-minutes at 7.30 in the morning…the body is ‘very’ wax like, but who knows!!!

The square is especially wonderful to visit at sunset for the lowering of the flag and after that access is forbidden; with police guarding to ensure no access.

I recall taking some visitors to the square in 2011 which was the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party where there were temporary monuments marking the occasion and of course thousands and thousands of people.

It’s an amazing experience stepping foot on Tian’anmen Square and in particular on 1 November which is the Chinese National Day where you will bump into literally hundreds of thousands of Chinese and foreigners [but mainly Chinese] all there to celebrate National Day…on this day, I will only ever go there once – way too many people!!  But wonderful to see people out celebrating their national day!

A day trip to Tianjin – Hebei District – PRC – 2012

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beijing, fast train, Hebei District, PRC China, Tianjin

One Day in Tianjin

Tianjin is the largest coastal city in northern China and is a thirty minute ride on the high speed bullet train from Beijing South Railway Station which is completely modern having only opened in 2008.

The train travels at speeds of just over 300 kms/hr and departs and arrives precisely on time.  It’s always interesting to see how fast the train is actually travelling with a digital reading in each carriage.

Once we arrived, we went straight to the Italian Concession area which is not far from the Tianjin Railway Station, for a bite to eat.  The center of the main street, Xin Yi Street is the Macro Polo Square.  Both sides of Xi Yi street are decorated with the usual Chinese lamps and trees and the buildings are so completely different from those in Beijing or other parts of China.  The architecture is beautiful and probably the best preserved concession-era districts (European style buildings) that you will see in China of course along with Shanghai and Guangzhou.

In the Italian Concession are you can buy gelato, pizza, pasta and all things Italian.  Most of the buildings in the area are restaurants and bars and they attract expats and the younger Chinese 24 hours a day.

Our next stop was to Ancient Culture Street, which is a pedestrian business street on the western bank of the Hai River. The architecture there was constructed in Qing Dynasty-style and the street itself was opened to the public in 1986.  It was incredibly busy; not sure if that was because it was a Saturday but there are a lot of lovely shops to check out and lots of Chinese souvenirs to buy [which I did].

Our next stop was Jing Yuan (Jing Gardens) which were built in 1921 and were originally the private residence of a Chinese diplomat stationed in Japan.

Later the gardens were named by Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty in 1929 when he settled here with his wives.

We were trying to pack so much into one day as we were catching the train back to Beijing later in the same afternoon, so we continued with our sightseeing and the next stop was the very unusual ‘Porcelain House’.

Within a space of 3,000 square meters there are more than sixteen-thousand pieces of pottery, 300 white-marble carvings and 290 tons of natural crystals. All this is said to be shattered into 700 million pieces.

Porcelain House is now a museum.  The old French-style building which was previously a bank, was decorated and refurnished by antique collector Zhang Lianzhi who in 2002, bought the home for 1 million RMB [about $216,000 AUD).  Our guide informed us that the museum is regarded as one of the world’s fifteen most stunning museums which at the time I was not sure if true.. (it’s true – it’s located at http://www.huffingtonpost.com as one of the world’s most magnificent museums].

Our final stop was a walk along the Bohai Bay where we strolled through some old cobblestone streets and saw an opera in one of the homes.

Whilst I was walking around the old area, I was approached by a local Chinese reporter who wanted to interview me for a local Chinese news station.  I said yes and gave an interview on my visit to Tianjin and the Chinese opera…it was very amusing!!

After this [and my fifteen minutes of fame] we drove to the train station and took the train back to Beijing…another great day out in China.

Lunch at Marble & Grain Restaurant – Canberra – ACT – Australia – October 2015

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Australia, canberra, lunch, Marble and Grain, restaurant

A long lunch with fabulous cocktails in Canberra

My dear friend from Sydney, Tracey wanted to come to Canberra for a visit so I planned with another friend to go out to lunch at a local restaurant; one I hadn’t been to before – Marble & Grain near the centre of Canberra city.

I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into the restaurant as it was very modern but I should have realised this as it’s actually located in the new ‘Avenue Hotel’ which other friends had told me was very lovely and a good place to recommend for visitors to Canberra.  The kitchen is open plan and we sat nearby and could see the chef cooking our meals.

The restaurant also has a huge glass fridge which contained the cold meats (not for me of course being a vegetarian but I am sure meat eaters might find it appealing)

The menu had good variety and I ordered the haloumi cheese salad (which was very nice) but a lot of cheese so I shared with my friends.  Both my friends ordered four oysters kilpatrick each and scallops for entree which came served with cauliflower, watercress and smoked chorizo oil.  We all agreed the entrees were delicious.

We also started with some NZ white wine and both my friends had a cocktail each; one of about three or four I think they had [each].  The cocktail menu is rather extensive with some very interesting cocktails and cocktail names.  I had a taste of each but as cocktails are not my thing, I only had one sip.  Both of my friends enjoyed every one they ordered which included names such as ‘The Italian Job’, ‘Pablo Escabar’, ‘Xpresso Ice Cream Martini’, ‘Chilli Chilli Bang Bang’ and ‘The Kardashian’.

For our main course I ordered the honey roasted pumpkin salad which came served over winter leaves with honey roasted seeds and lemon dressing; but too much mayonnaise over the whole dish [which was not on the menu] for my liking and unfortunately only two pieces of pumpkin.  My friend Tracey had the goats cheese soufflé with wild fig and roasted hazelnuts whilst my other friend, Jon ordered the seafood bouillabaisse with tomato, saffron and fennel broth.  He enjoyed this enormously and used the sourdough bread which came with our entrees to dip into the broth which he said was absolutely delicious.

Service was excellent.  Our waiter was a young boy who told us he was leaving Australia to move to Canada as he has a job as a waiter ready for him.  The wine menu was reasonable with plenty of wines to choose from.  The restaurant also had a beautiful wine fridge which really suited the ambience of the place; all wood and glass.

There is also a great bar menu for those who just want to hang around the bar and eat some snacks.  They serve arancini balls, thick cut chips, cheese platters and soft corn tacos and other more substantial meals.

A place definitely worth going for lunch or for dinner.