Back from China
It was nothing like i expected at all... i was hoping to see a more poverty stricken country and also a more rural setting but i think i just have to get out of my shell a little more....
Some parts of China are far more modern than Singapore... Take for example Shenzhen...The buildings were just trying to outdo each other.. So not impressed!.. The food was good though all of us were being extrememly cautious.. you could observe everyone at the table scrutinising what was on the plates before the devoured it... i was exactly the same.. if something tasted weird.. i immediately stopped eating it... i was highly paranoid... We decided to ask the waitress were unusual delicacies like dogs, cats and snakes served here.. the ans was yes but they dont put it on the menu.. it would be prepared upon request. One night at the dinner table i asked one of the directors of the hotel how did dog meat taste like... and he said it was not bad.. because where he came from, northen china.. they were big on dog meat! YUCKS.. i could never imagine eating a german shepherd or a golden retriever.. that is just so mean.. So anyway according to him it was a little chewy and not very fatty.. that was all he could say.. due to his lack of vocabulary i guess...
I would definitely visit Guangzhou again.. it had 2 parts the modern part and the olden part.. of course i appreciated the latter much more... we visited a moseluem.. where this king had buried himself with his 2 wives and servants and all his precious things.. a little morbid.. but very interesting... went to Shamian Island which for a moment felt like i was in Europe.. because the buildings all looked so colonial and very quaint...
In my younger days, i remember playing this game called chapteh (looks like a shuttle cock, just that the base was flat and made of rubber and it had some feathers sticking up from the base) we used to play this our feet and pass it to each other.. the rule was to never let it hit the ground... My goodness i've not seen such serious pros in my life as i have in china... we went to this park where there were groups and groups of people just sweating it out to this childhood game of mine.. each one concentrating so intently like their lives depended on this game... it was hilarious actually.. but so nice to see such community bonding..
The chinese people in china are so warm unlike here in SG.. they really welcome you with open arms.. its a nice feeling.. i got the chance to watch cantonese opera... speaking of which there is one going on now in the carpark below my flat.... for the hungry ghost festival.. i remember feeling very irritated in the past with all the noise.. but now i actually turned off the radio to just listen to it... so anyway.. the place where they hold operas is known as Bahe Hall... and all the people that perform were 70 or 80 years of age.. around there.. and they were so passionate about their artform.. it was truly a treat... they had such big smiles.. and it took most of them hours just to put on and take off their make up for just a half an hr or less performance... they continue to perform to preserve their artform... and no little ones are actually keen to take over.. except for 2 little children.. who were so adorable with thier make up on.. they were the grandchildren of one of the performers... and one of them had been performing as soon as she could speak at the age of 2! Just amazing...
I will be uploading some images... (will let you know Erika!)
I wish i could write more.. maybe will continue another day... becos there is so much more i want to write abt the people i met and also how i was so stirred by them.. and how i see my life right now.. and how i see my past now.. It was a quite an eye opener... all i can say now is... i am not going to waste a min of my life from now on... it's far too precious.. :)
To be continued....
Some parts of China are far more modern than Singapore... Take for example Shenzhen...The buildings were just trying to outdo each other.. So not impressed!.. The food was good though all of us were being extrememly cautious.. you could observe everyone at the table scrutinising what was on the plates before the devoured it... i was exactly the same.. if something tasted weird.. i immediately stopped eating it... i was highly paranoid... We decided to ask the waitress were unusual delicacies like dogs, cats and snakes served here.. the ans was yes but they dont put it on the menu.. it would be prepared upon request. One night at the dinner table i asked one of the directors of the hotel how did dog meat taste like... and he said it was not bad.. because where he came from, northen china.. they were big on dog meat! YUCKS.. i could never imagine eating a german shepherd or a golden retriever.. that is just so mean.. So anyway according to him it was a little chewy and not very fatty.. that was all he could say.. due to his lack of vocabulary i guess...
I would definitely visit Guangzhou again.. it had 2 parts the modern part and the olden part.. of course i appreciated the latter much more... we visited a moseluem.. where this king had buried himself with his 2 wives and servants and all his precious things.. a little morbid.. but very interesting... went to Shamian Island which for a moment felt like i was in Europe.. because the buildings all looked so colonial and very quaint...
In my younger days, i remember playing this game called chapteh (looks like a shuttle cock, just that the base was flat and made of rubber and it had some feathers sticking up from the base) we used to play this our feet and pass it to each other.. the rule was to never let it hit the ground... My goodness i've not seen such serious pros in my life as i have in china... we went to this park where there were groups and groups of people just sweating it out to this childhood game of mine.. each one concentrating so intently like their lives depended on this game... it was hilarious actually.. but so nice to see such community bonding..
The chinese people in china are so warm unlike here in SG.. they really welcome you with open arms.. its a nice feeling.. i got the chance to watch cantonese opera... speaking of which there is one going on now in the carpark below my flat.... for the hungry ghost festival.. i remember feeling very irritated in the past with all the noise.. but now i actually turned off the radio to just listen to it... so anyway.. the place where they hold operas is known as Bahe Hall... and all the people that perform were 70 or 80 years of age.. around there.. and they were so passionate about their artform.. it was truly a treat... they had such big smiles.. and it took most of them hours just to put on and take off their make up for just a half an hr or less performance... they continue to perform to preserve their artform... and no little ones are actually keen to take over.. except for 2 little children.. who were so adorable with thier make up on.. they were the grandchildren of one of the performers... and one of them had been performing as soon as she could speak at the age of 2! Just amazing...
I will be uploading some images... (will let you know Erika!)
I wish i could write more.. maybe will continue another day... becos there is so much more i want to write abt the people i met and also how i was so stirred by them.. and how i see my life right now.. and how i see my past now.. It was a quite an eye opener... all i can say now is... i am not going to waste a min of my life from now on... it's far too precious.. :)
To be continued....