Gerard in Wuhan

Cui Hao

2007-06-16T14:04:00.000+02:00

The yellow crane has long since gone away,
All that here remains is yellow crane tower.
The yellow crane once gone does not return,
White clouds drift slowly for a thousand years.
The river is clear in Hanyang by the trees,
And fragrant grass grows thick on parrot isle.
In this dusk, I don't know where my homeland lies,
The river's mist-covered waters bring me sorrow

Lanterns mark the way up Snake Hill to the tower...

2007-06-16T13:42:00.000+02:00

...passing by The Deferral Pavilion where the poet Li Bai is said to have had the urge to climb the hill to write but on reading the work of Cui Hao he found there, laid down his brush and said:
"I dare not write anything more facing this beautiful view, for Cui Hao has written the best poem for you."
After that Cui Hao became famous for his poetry and the pavilion was built by his descendants in honour of Li Bai's modesty.

Li Bai's work has been translated and can be found online like this one in two translations.

Moon over Mountain Pass

All the birds have flown up and gone;
A lonely cloud floats leisurely by.
We never tire of looking at each other -
Only the mountain and I.

or

The birds have vanished down the sky.
Now the last cloud drains away.
We sit together, the mountain and me,
until only the mountain remains.

Tr. Sam Hamill

Rose of the Moon Tower

2007-06-16T13:31:00.000+02:00

In ancient days learned men from all over China would come here to the Anyuan Tower to recite and write poetry. Did they climb the same steps we did on our way up, did they climb the steps millions and millions of people before us climbed?

The goose pond

2007-06-14T23:16:00.000+02:00

I swear I saw this dragon performing in Montreal's Jardin Botanique when I was in Canada last year.

Yellow Crane Tower

2007-06-14T23:10:00.001+02:00

Much of the grounds of Snake Hill upon which the Yellow Crane Tower is built is covered with red lanterns that lead the way to the sights and the pavilions, like here at the entrance.

Looking up at the White Cloud Pavilion.

Bright yellow tassles move in the breeze

Next stop....Yellow Crane Tower

2007-06-14T00:14:00.000+02:00

Lingering at the temple

2007-06-14T00:07:00.000+02:00

These are the last shots I took as we made our way out of the temple grounds.

Luo Han Tang

2007-06-13T23:12:00.000+02:00

Hall of Arhats.
This is is the building I came to see when I first read up on Wuhan and saw it marked on the map they gave us at the hotel. And I was quite excited to actually be there. It is quite overwhelming to see the arhats behind their glass display cases. Not one of them is the same, they each have their own individual characteristic poses, faces, expressions and appearance. I could have stopped at each one and taken pics but there are 500 and that's just too many, even for me.

Built in 1850, father and son Wang took 9years to make them. They are all about the same height and weigh the exact same (25 kgs).

Some of these photo's are a bit fuzzy due to light reflecting of the gold leaf and glass windows of the displays and my manky photo skills, I hope nobody minds.

The old and the new

2007-06-13T15:44:00.000+02:00

The size of the temple grounds is already a respectable one at more than 10 km2 and more buildings are being added to make it even bigger.

Shuangmian Guanshiyin Pusa

2007-06-13T15:25:00.000+02:00

The double-facing Avalokiteśvara stands at nearly 19 meters tall on a 3 meter high foundation facing east and west, symbolic of the sun and moon shining forever and holding a kundika praying for China's development in the 21st century. To me the one of the most revealing moments I had in Wuhan. As a symbol it says all I feel about being in China, this modern China that is facing both east and west, looking back into the past and facing the future.

Time to ask a blessing.

2007-06-13T15:04:00.000+02:00

Having mentioned the brazier outside the main Hall of the All-powerful Esteemed Buddhas we came across another one in front of the Shuangmian Guanshiyin Pusa. Luckily Martine had read up on what to do so we (Martine, Rachel, Karlijne and myself) each had a go. The trick is to throw a coin in the highest opening and ask a blessing. It's a bit like making a wish by throwing a coin in a fountain. Of course I threw a coin through the highest tear. Okay so I cheated a bit and it took me 5 minutes and three coins to get the blessing but does anybody really care? I got my blessing in the end, don't know about the girls though.

We weren't the only ones giving it a try, so we had a look at how the Chinese couple there did it first. They were just as good as we were ;). Here's Martine on one of her many, many, many attempts with Karlijne giving her moral support.

My spying eye.......brings the images to me.

2007-06-13T14:38:00.000+02:00

Bodhisattvas and Avalokiteśvara

2007-06-13T13:52:00.000+02:00

Avalokiteśvara

Avalokiteśvara is Sanskrit for "Lord who looks down" or "He who has sound perceived", i.e. perceiver of the suffering sound of the worlds. He is the bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas and is the most widely revered bodhisattva in Buddhism. The story goes that he made a great vow to listen to the prayers of all sentient beings in times of difficulty, and to postpone his own Buddhahood until he has assisted every being on earth in achieving nirvana.

Bodhisattvas

Depending on the school of Buddhist thought Bodhisattvas have the compassionate determination to aid all beings on their quest for the highest state of development, full enlightenment of a Buddha. Remaining in this world of uncontrolled rebirth known as Samsara, the Bodhisattva has taken the Bodhisattva vow to achieve Buddhahood as quickly as possible and thereby be most able to teach Dharma until all beings have likewise achieved enlightenment.

And according to other schools of Buddhist thought a Bodhisattva is one who delays his own final and complete enlightenment in order to save all sentient beings out of his enormous compassion. He is on a mission to liberate all sentient beings, and only then will he rest and complete his own enlightenment.

Cui Wei Gu Jing

2007-06-12T23:47:00.000+02:00

The ancient well of Cui Wei. The plaque on the wall says it has quality water and was built in the former sunflower garden.

Red

2007-06-12T23:37:00.000+02:00

Everywhere I look Red is the occurring colour. Infinite shades in different light.

Tranquility

2007-06-12T23:26:00.000+02:00

It's funny how the scenes around me evoke a feeling of tranquility. Even the chattering of the groups of school teens or the noisy and disrespectful German tourists that arrived shortly after I sat down cannot disrupt the peace I feel.

Only the occassional sound of this bell ringing has that effect.

Zahg Jing Ge II

2007-06-12T23:15:00.000+02:00

Enjoying the beauty of the courtyard I notice these blossoming trees that can be seen all over Wuhan and are were in bloom at the time. Their size adds grandure to the pavilion. I wish I knew what they are, I'd like to have one.

Zahg Jing Ge

2007-06-12T22:09:00.000+02:00

The Sutra Collection Pavilion. Constructed in the 8th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty or as we know it 1669, 11 years after the building of the monastery was started. Even now they are still adding to and building on the temple grounds.

I didn't spend much time inside the pavilion but sat outside and listened to the song of the birds on a bench while enjoying the sights and a quiet cigarette. After which I took some pictures of the sights around me.

Lotus leaves

2007-06-12T21:54:00.000+02:00

I didn't see any snakes but in Chinese mythology the tortoise and the snake combined are symbols of longevity.

Once more outside the main hall

2007-06-12T00:41:00.000+02:00

I notice a group of children rubbing coins all over this bautiful cast-iron brazier. I later find out this is a form of asking for a blessing, I will post pics of another way later on. You can actually see one of the children crouched behind the brazier and some coins left in the dragon's mouth.

Da Xiong Ba Dian

2007-06-12T00:19:00.000+02:00

Or Main Hall of the All-powerfull Esteemed Buddha's. Suddenly I turn a corner and there I am. At first I see the ceiling that has been so beautifully decorated before my eyes see the Buddha's: Sakyamuni, the Buddha of the present day; Mañjuśrī, the bodhisattva of keen awareness and Samantabhadra, the lord of Truth. Together they form a Holy Trinity in Buddhism.

I love the mops

2007-06-12T00:09:00.000+02:00

Everywhere in Wuhan where people were cleaning they had them. Made up of strips of textile, material or items of clothing people would use them to clean their floors.

Enticing...

2007-06-11T20:00:00.000+02:00

The way alleys and rooftops and sudden vista's entice the visitor to turn a corner just to see what else beckons and the things that can be seen there.

On Buddhist Saints...

2007-06-11T19:38:00.000+02:00

The many Buddhas and sutras come in a wide variety of expressions and guises. Some of them in the shape of the friendly benign looking saint of rounder proportions and a gentler appearance while others have a more menacing demeanour. The feeling I get from them is that there are many ways of reaching "Awakening" or Enlightenment. And there are. Like most Christian religions there are a wide variety of schools teaching the Buddhist truth.

Guiyuan Temple II

2007-06-11T18:56:00.000+02:00

Guiyuan Temple is according to the description and plaque's on the walls the most famous monastery in Hubei province. It is also one of the 5 most regarded Buddhist monasteries in China and houses a collection of Buddhist art that is so beautiful I cannot describe it.
Even if that art and the different Buddha's look a bit gaudy at times, it did take my breath away. Unfortunately it is not permitted to take pictures inside the pavillions that the Buddha's are housed in, as it is also a place of daily worship for many people, otherwise I would have taken a pic of everything.
I did however manage to take a few photo's before the caretakers started telling me not to and I admit to taking a few on the sly when nobody was looking. This was not done out of disrespect but out of curiosity and awe at the many wonders I saw there.

The courtyard of the Palace of Skanda.

Hundred's? Thousands? Turtles resting on the giant lotus blossom petals in the pond in front of the palace while others lurk beneath the waters in the pool.

Colourful banners are draped from the eaves of the temple to the carved lions(?) that decorate the walls of the pond.

The glass protecting the Buddha inside the casing also prevented me getting a better picture of it, but the lavish decorations make up for it in some small part.

Guiyuan Temple

2007-06-11T18:40:00.000+02:00

This will be the first post of the many pics I took here. I'll let the photo's talk for themself for a while and add information as I progress. So let's start at the entrance...

Mandarin Fish

2007-06-09T00:10:00.000+02:00

More of the wonderful Mandarin Fish. Not very easy to eat when you have to tear off a strip of meat with your chopsticks! But once you've go the hang of it: fun to do.

I do wonder...

2007-06-08T23:30:00.001+02:00

I have applied a filter on the same pics and this is what the view of the city might look like without the smog.

Day three

2007-06-08T23:10:00.001+02:00

And here's the view from my window once more.

This is what Wuhan looked like every day we were there. The smog that covers the city is like a blanket of clouds, and the smell of the pollution is tremendous. One of the nice things about being home was breathing (relatively) fresh air.

With all the measure the Municipality of Wuhan has taken I hope they're on the right path to solving it. The city is green and has lots of trees and parks along the Yangtse River. Motorbikes run on silent motors, electric? But the steelworks and other industries do cause problems and on some days it's so bad people wear masks over their noses. I guess we were lucky and it wasn't that bad.

Food

2007-06-08T22:58:00.000+02:00

Day three already and I'll spare you the pics of the press conference or the pics taken after the show. I spent my time backstage and had plenty to do and loved doing it, so I have no idea what the show in the Shangri-La Hotel looked like. Let's have a look at some of the food we had afterward at the 778 Club instead.

I loved eating in Wuhan, I loved sitting at that big round table while waitresses filled the revolving plateau with dishes I have never seen nor tasted before. Most of it I like, some of it I didn't and I only took pics of it once.

These dishes and the way it was served are the reason I could stay in China another two weeks just for the food. I loved that plateau that you could turn to the dish you wanted to try or liked and the fact that you could pick off what you wanted with your chopsticks and then move on to the next dish.

A dish known as Deep Fried Mandarin Fish and this is a work of culinary art. Apparantly it is cleaned and gutted and incisions are made into the skin and flesh that stand up once it is deep fried.

Finely sliced carrots in a sweetened sauce of their own juices with strips of the Bai Ku Gua (balsampeer) I showed in a previous post. The Bitter gourd wasn't as bitter as I thought it would be but it does have a texture that is interesting to say the least.

Probably my favourite dish. It's a (meat?) paste that is jam packed with ginger, rolled in rice and deep fried. It's delicious! I tried it earlier in the week when Jaq's other assistant July bought some.

A bean dish made with spring beans and I think seaweed. Next to that you can see tomatoes beautifully arranged on a plate, served with Pringles. Strange combination.

Ground or 1st floor

2007-06-07T23:52:00.000+02:00

Nothing really interesting there unless you want to see pics of the different shoe shops. There were at least 10 of those at the Fu mart Shopping Centre alone. However what was really interesting was the fact that most shoes were made of plastic except this big brown one that is on display. That was the only leather shoe in the shop!

2nd Floor II

2007-06-07T23:43:00.000+02:00

Some of the other produce.

Live eels were squirming in this tub.

And I loved seeing these large barrels of rice. Imagine actually feeling the rice to see if it was the right quality instead of buying it in small boxes or bag ranging from 1 to 10 kilos!

2nd Floor Shopping

2007-06-07T23:21:00.000+02:00

The food section houses the most exotic types of fruit and vegtables, seafood and other types of fish dried, dead or alive, poultry, meats and sausages in all shapes and sizes and smells. The range of produce is wonderful.

The smell of the durian fruit is the first thing that hit my senses. I didn't try it but tried some sweets made with it instead. How shall I describe the taste of them? It's like tasting something that has salt, sugar and garlic im it and it's not a bad taste but just very different to what I was expecting. I decided to forgo tasting the fruit when we came across them at the night market, the smell is off-putting.

I love how the cabbages and other leaves are sprayed by a fine mist, keeping them fresh and crispy.

These rough looking 'cucumbers' are bitter melon, a type of fruiting squash with a very bitter taste full of alkaloids. To ameliorate the bitterness, the dish requires something salty, and savoury usually helps too. In the past the bitter melon was cooked until soft, reducing the alkaloid bitterness by cooking, but in recent years there is the trend of having it just about crunch after boiling.

It's called Bai Ku Gua in Chinese. In English it's known as Balsam pear, Leprosy pear, Leprosy gourd, Bitter gourd, Bitter cucumber and in Dutch it's known as Balsampeer.

Shopping

2007-06-07T21:40:00.000+02:00

One of the things I love doing is shopping in different countries. Shoes, clothes, basically any type of shopping. I love seeing and experiencing the differences between the different countries. Go shopping for clothes in Ireland and be amazed at how the customers leave a mess behind them hunting for that bargain. The amount of choice in Canada is astounding and that's just in products like milk.

Shopping in China is interesting to say the least. The products in food stores are some of the strangest I have ever seen but it becomes a challenge when you want to buy milk. Customer service is excellent! The attendants in the shop are more than willing to help, in fact let's call them almost over-zealous. Try browsing in the shops and you'll have a hard time stopping them from showing what they have on offer. Want to buy white sneakers and they'll offer you black ones. But once you've found your hearts desire the friendly assistant will walk you over to the counter and explain to her colleague what you have purchased and how much you have to pay and then escort you back to that very purchase that has been wrapped and bagged in the meantime by yet another colleague whom she hands the slip that is proof of purchase. A very roundabout way of doing some shopping.
But let's face it, at the prices it's offered, not buying anything becomes even harder. 100 Rbm or yuan is about € 10,- so your money goes a long way indeed.

Stores are interesting. Usually multi-story with escalators that take you all the way up to the top floor first like at the Fu Mart and the Carrefour Shopping Centre. Then you make your way down to the food section on the 2nd floor and on the first for some reason you're most likely to find a generous helping of shoe shops.

Let's start up top and make our way down. On the top floor you will find household goods, electronics, clothing and shoes made of plastic.

Men's underwear that caught my attention. No matter where you look for underwear in Wuhan the models on the labels are all white. For some reason the Chinese believe that adds a touch of class. The text on the packaging is in Chinese and in English, the English being particularly funny to read at times.

I couldn't resist buying some bright red briefs to add to my collection of underwear from different countries of the world.

Please pay particular attention to the fine print on the box. Finally underwear that will give you comfort and seduction or easiness and softness while feeling pretty or let's you be simple and enjoyable even if it calls you fatty.

More of the new...

2007-06-05T21:58:00.000+02:00

The New...

2007-06-05T21:35:00.000+02:00

Wuhan is a city of approx. 9.1 million people, whis is more than half the amount of people living in The Netherlands, a fact that is mind boggling in itself. Wuhan is also a city made up of three cities: Wuchang, Hankou, and Hanyang, commonly known as the three cities of Wuhan and hence the name. It is also where the Yangtse and Han river meet. The tree cities face each other across the rivers and are linked by bridges. Our group stayed in Hankou, more commonly known as the business district of Wuhan.

Signs of the new...

2007-06-05T21:28:00.001+02:00

There's a duality going on in Wuhan that I found amazing. It's strange in the way it shows itself. It's like the view from my hotelroom. When you look down you see old, rundown flats but when you look up it's concrete and glass. Those two opposites seem to live next to each other. It's like the old is patiently awaiting it's turn to be transformed...

Surprise surprise...

2007-06-04T23:32:00.000+02:00

Just by chance I happen to notice something I had seen from the window of my hotel room on the 14th floor. Pity we couldn't get any closer. Without knowing it we had wandered on to the grounds of a military or police school. Still, it is nice to see some of the kind of buildings I had hoped to see when in Wuhan.

Under the watchful eye...

2007-06-04T22:36:00.000+02:00

Of the benign father figure of Chairman Máo Zédōng

Signs of the old...

2007-06-04T22:08:00.000+02:00

One of the things I was amazed by in Wuhan is that any pre-conceived ideas are best left at home where they belong. Wuhan, and I believe the rest of China is much the same in big cities, has an enormous potential. The vibe is it's on the brink of an enormous amount of possibilities.
The amount of building that goes on is astonishing. High rise office towers and flats are built next to old, run down communist flats and the signs of the old contrast the new is such surprising ways.

Let's start with the old...

In my mind

2007-06-04T21:47:00.000+02:00

That first stroll through the city in the rain is filled with images of the differences. The size of the shops, how clean the streets were, the ingnoring of no smoking signs, the craziness of the electrical system, the brash colours, the bright and cheery colour of the China Telecom phone boxes, people scraping their throat and spitting in the streets and the smell. The smell of Wuhan.

Food for thought

2007-06-04T21:25:00.000+02:00

One designer, 3 models, an intern, a webmaster and a personal assistant hit the streets of Wuhan not knowing where they were going but with the help of a map they made it through the streets of Wuhan under constant scrutiny of the local population. When you're tall and blond you are an imediate success on those very streets.
One of the funnier incidents was when we were standing across the street from the Bank of China while waiting to change money we were stared at by the hairdressers in one of the local hair salons. One of the assistants there came up to greet us, wanting us to come in and get a haircut, wanting to know what we were doing in Wuhan and where we were from. While we made polite and friendly conversation I couldn't keep my eye off the kitchen across the street.

Another open air kitchen and food stall we came across on the Jiangtse Dadou. At the end of the day evertything on the street is brushed away and kept tidy for the next day.

The next morning

2007-06-03T01:05:00.000+02:00

Looking out the window on the 14th floor.

First impressions

2007-06-03T00:22:00.000+02:00

Taken from the taxi, Wuhan flashed by as the taxi drove with suicidal speed to the hotel, trying to compete with all other traffic and especially the two other taxi's that took us to the Shangri-La.

Call it economic growth but the amout of building that is going on in Wuhan is impressive. This is the new airport that is being built at Wuhan.

Crazy lady in the next taxi ;)

Old buildings, new buildings, traffic in all shapes and sizes literally just centimetres away at times, Wuhan becomes a blurry kaleidoscope of images.

Getting there

2007-06-02T23:45:00.000+02:00

So the story goes from this...

...and this...

to this.

11 Hours later we make it to Beijing where...

...after a 4 hour stop over and a two hour flight we finally arrive at Wuhan

Where does one journey begin and the other end?

2007-06-01T23:02:00.000+02:00

I'll let mine start on day 1, the day after one weary designer, 3 models, one intern, one webmaster and one personal assistant set off on a journey that would take them to a city that is 7 hours away in time, more than 4000 miles away, is three part journey by train and two planes, that takes a day to get there, includes landing in Beijing, getting off the plane there, collecting suitcases and going back through customs to cehck in again.

But before I do all that just where exactly is Wuhan?

Wuhan - Arnhem Friendship Week I

2007-06-01T22:58:00.000+02:00

I was given a gift.
The gift of being allowed to take part in something special.
The gift of going to Wuhan, China to take part in the Wuhan - Arnhem Friendship Week.
A gift that has broadened my horizon.
A gift I would like to share.
A gift that has left me longing for more...