Thursday, July 20, 2006

Streets, rivers, and all the people

Guilin, China, river ferry/houseboat


River houseboat.





Street scenes.

Beijing, ricksha


Here is a pedicab, or ricksha. Here is how to hire one: go to www.ehow.com/how_112081_hire-ricksha-yangon. The site shows Yangon.










Beijing, nap
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This operator is engaging in a period of nap. Look closely. Well deserved.



China, family

















And children.


Thank you all so much.



More blogs about China Road Ways.

The Group of 8: Toppled Statue, and the Group


This is the taekwondo class, with instructor. If you are counting, J is the #8, taking the picture.

















The large statue is not part of the class. J is.

Jon Widing and Friends, China

T'ai Chi - in the countryside

Group, T'ai Chi, China. Adults.

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T'ai Chi is a combination of meditation and moving postures that began in the 1300's. See T'ai Chi description at www.chebucto.ns.ca/Philosophy/Taichi/what. It has many forms and enhances flexibility and peace of mind. See history at www.chebucto.ns.ca/Philosophy/Taichi/history.



T'ai chi, group exercise, China. Children.


Here is a musical demonstration, on a short film site, on Tai Chi.

Go to www.thebeijingguide.com/taichi/taichiman.

You may want to lower the volume a little.

The Great Wall

Great Wall, China, tower view
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The Great Wall is a World Heritage Site. See whc.unesco.org/en/list/438.


Great Wall, parapet view, China

For a panoramic view, see this musical short film site: www.thebeijingguide.com/great_wall_of_china/

The Chinese web-makers are excellent at musical enhancements.

There is also a large cultural and photographic site at www.historylink101.net/china/index.

Guilin - Lava-shaped Mountains

Guilin, China; family












Guilin, China: elders, farmers
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 Peaked lava mountains. There are other parts of the world with formations similar, such as Meteora, in Greece, with the monasteries on top.
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But these at Guilin are a larger area, and combined with waterways and am an ongoing traditional agricultural lifestyle. See www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/guilin, and www.chinatour.com/attraction/guilin.
Guilin and Li River area.

This would be an excellent geo-tourism site because of the geological sites and attractions. See book "Geotourism" by Ross Dowling at this site: elsevier.com/wps/find/bookdescription.cws_home/706060/description#description.

Shaolin Temple, Kung Fu and Other Martial Arts

The Shaolin Ch'an Order was founded in 520 AD (CE). The founder was from India, and the group followed Zen Buddhism.  Study the world of creation, and man's place in it. Study the martial arts physically, and extinguish the ego. Study nature and find unity in all life. Meditate, and maximize human potential. See http://www.shaolintemple.org/

Shaolin Temple, China

The Shaolin Temple is the center for Kung Fu. See www.chinatour.com/attraction/shaolintemple/, for the Shaolin Temple history. Translations produce different spellings - how to get the best information. It may depend on the creativity in phonetics.  Here, our Kung Fu is Gung Fu, at ://www.shaolin.com/, Shaolin Gung Fu Institute.

David Carradine, the late actor, represented a character in the 1870's on TV, who was a Shaolin monk. See ://documentaryvideos.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/shaolin-kung-fu-documentary/



Kung Fu, streetside, China People do Kung Fu exercises in public, and as part of overall health and conditioning for all ages.

Xi'an - Buried Terra Cotta Army

Xi'an, Warriors, terra cotta, army, China
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There is a full museum for these warriors buried at Xi'an, in Central China, now excavated and a wonder. See www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi/xian/terra_cotta_army/index, for the Museum of Qin Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses.
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Those in the museum are only some of the 8000 originally buried in about 200 BC, before the tomb of Emperor Qinshihuang, to protect him after death.
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His story is told at www.imperialtours.net/terracotta_warriors, "Sentinels of a Death-Defying Emperor."

Xi'an is a major city, and a cultural center. See www.romartraveler.com/RomarPages/XIAN.