Packed for Hong Kong and Foshan City this morning...leftovers for lunch..hopped on Metro with Roy (Martine is writing a paper at home today) to go to the former residance of the Emperor in Guangzhou. This is a city of 15 million so we have alot to cover just in the city itself. 2 Metro exchanges later we've there. Ancient trees are being held up with bamboo poles...the outside of the Academy is ornately carved and rich with figurative clay mythical and iconic characters and animals. Every doorway in China has a ridge we have to step over as evil spirits glide along the floor and can't enter when they hit these beams of wood. It's Sunday and very crowded both her as well as on our Metro ride.We have a plan in case we get separated. There are 4 display rooms, 4 gift shops and 4 diaramas and wonderful gardens with Bonzais, sculptures and flowering bushes. Again, the inside is as beautifully ornate as the outside of the building. We saw a married and single woman's bedroom, a scholar's desk and den and an entertainment space. Museums displayed wonderful folk art pieces: olive, bone, brick, ivory and plaster carvings, beautiful porcelain, vases, figures, tea sets and animals, mosaic paintings and unbelievable silk embroidery.Each gift shop specialized in a particular art form with the artist demonstrating their techniques. A landscape artist produced traditional Chinese landscapes in ink using only his palm and fingernails for his drawing medium...actually pretty impressive...but touristy. another hand painted rice and inside of glass beads and balls...quite beautiful. a third artisan carved both Mary and I each our own stone stamp with our names in Chinese characters. I plan to use my on the 'buttons' I use as decorative additions to my clay vessels for texture. The last shop specialized in Jade jewellery...too expensive for my budget but very beautiful. Mary bought bone carved earrings (spirals...a classic form! :)) We were the only Cuacasians in the whole place...we're not being stared at or touched the way that we had been told. Most people are quite westernized and very very friendly. On the way home we met some English speaking High school students who were fun to yak to. We take pictures of everyone we meet. They were going to the cinema to watch english movies (Mission Impossible) to practice their English. Came home and met Lucia, David and their son Leo ( 2 years, 7 months old). . We are taking them out to dinner tonight to thank them (Lucia) for calling the airport and finding my Kobo...wouldn't have been able to do that without her. The style of this Chinese dinner is called Hotpot!. Think of a Fondue. A metal wok was placed in the middle of the table on an electric heater. Two different liquids (one spicy, one tomato) were placed into the divided wok. Once the liquids were heated we started to cook...omg..long bean sprout-like mushrooms, beef meatballs with cheese inside, 3 different kind of shrimp balls, pork and shrimp balls, noodles, watercress, potatoes, sheets of tofu and fish dumplings. Every meal is the best I've ever had. I will not be able to eat Chinese food at home. Lucia mentioned a place in Toronto called Mongolian Hotpot in China town that would have similar food. It was another beautiful hot and dry day.
No comments:
Post a Comment