October 18th, 2011 | by admin | published in featured, places
Hailing from Southern Vietnam with saints that include Victor Hugo, the ‘father of modern China’, Sun Yat-sen and Vietnamese Poet, Nguyen Binh Khiem, the colourful Cao Dai have a set of beliefs and teachings that seem to be a bit of a mish-mash of all the major religions.
Founded less than 100 years ago on the [...]
August 25th, 2011 | by admin | published in places
Surrounded by river on 3 sides this seemingly lost ancient hamlet ensconced amongst lush fields of sugar cane and banana plantations just 30 kilometres from Nanning is packed with mementos of a colourful past.
Founded in the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279 AD) Yangmei slowly developed over hundreds of years finally transitioning into a prosperous river [...]
June 28th, 2011 | by admin | published in latest posts, things to do & see
A lion appeared at the opposite end of the courtyard. Standing for a few moments then dramatically jumping up onto the first set of poles which looked to be around a metre high. Within moments he had bounded a further two or three times in perfect unison to the beating drum. This initial burst of [...]
November 28th, 2010 | by admin | published in featured, latest posts, things to do & see
A Qing dynasty relic of Lingnan culture which seems to have survived the cultural revolution relatively unscathed now houses the Guangdong Museum of Folk Art in a few of its many halls.
Elaborately carved Chaozhou styled wooden doors depict classic Chinese scenes while mythological characters feature in the colourful, intricate lime sculptures that grace the eaves [...]
August 5th, 2010 | by admin | published in latest posts, things to do & see
How times change! A few years ago you would not have been able to drag me near this place. For me traveling was about chasing the so-called truly authentic experience where these types of tourism sights just don’t feature.
Nowadays though it is a different story. I haven’t totally lost my traveling roots and I still [...]
July 28th, 2010 | by admin | published in latest posts, other stuff
Being absolutely fascinated with the elongated earlobes of the Kelabit people meant I had a very difficult time drawing my gaze away from the real thing! Sitting around the fireplace, enjoying a cup of tea while sucking on one of the famous super juicy and sweet Bario pineapples was an amazing opportunity to ask all [...]
December 9th, 2009 | by admin | published in latest posts, places, things to do & see
Another new project that caught my attention in Beijing was the redevelopment and refurbishment of the ancient Qianmen street. Located at the southern end of Tiananmen Square the street even boasts a tram car which occasionally whizzes past.
Now this refurbishment actually caused me to sit back and ponder a question which disturbs me a little [...]
December 4th, 2009 | by admin | published in latest posts, things to do & see
Jingshan Park located across from the North Gate of the Forbidden City is somewhere which should be included on your “things to do in Beijing” list.
The Wan Chunting pagoda offers 360 degree panoramic views of Beijing including amazing vistas back across the Forbidden City which help to put in perspective the size, scope and former grandeur of [...]
November 26th, 2009 | by admin | published in latest posts, places, things to do & see
Most of the guidebooks don’t have so much to say for Nanning however I found it to be one of China’s more likeable cities. Green spaces and a population that is incredibly relaxed and happy.
Dancing is a past time that you can see happening most early mornings and evenings all around China however in [...]
November 20th, 2009 | by admin | published in latest posts, other stuff
2010 “China in B&W” Calendar – Images by Jillian Mitchell
China offers an extremely diverse range of beautiful scenery and traditional culture that make for a truly exotic destination.
These are the images I have selected for my 2010 Calendar – China in Black & White.
A3 in size and printed on 200gsm high quality satin art paper [...]
