Photo-Essay: Two Parks, a Flower Festival and a River
Photo-Essay: Two Parks, a Flower Festival and a River
In and around Luoyang, in Henan Province, one of China's ancient Dynasty Capitals, there has been much to see besides the White Horse Temple and the Longmen Grottoes, and I have been lucky enough to experience some of it. The first time I was there, I was walking out of the hotel and just outside a wedding party was being photographed. The bride and groom spotted me, and asked me to pose with them. That was no surprise, many Chinese people having seen me, a foreigner, have asked for that as well - although these days it no longer happens. I think the people here have become more sophisticated during the past decade, and there are more foreigners around.
First of all, the Geological Park . I was there twice, once when I first visited Luoyang about 11 years ago, and then again on a school class trip about 7 years ago when a sudden rainstorm soaked us to the skin. As usual with me, a relevant movie quote: "A River Runs Through It".
1. My school class on the bus to the park. This was my second trip there.
2. Across from the park entrance.
3. People walking into the chasm.
4. Following on a rickety staircase hugging the rock face. There are signs that say "Beware of falling rocks." No kidding.
The Yellow River - thought of as the cradle of China. We ate a lunch, on a boat, of fresh home-grown veggies and fish just caught that morning.
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6. It was somewhat misty.
King Park , in Luoyang. They had a zoo that would turn anyone off of zoos - for example a huge beautiful tiger, having to pace around and around in his cage that was about 20 feet wide by 30 feet deep, with a hut at the back. There was an elephant tied to a post by a chain around its foot. I was used to the kind of Zoo they have both in Toronto and Chongqing - natural habitats of huge areas surrounded by moats and walls we could see over.
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8. This lake was part of the park.
The annual Peony Festival , held in a Luoyang park dedicated to it. This from Wikipedia:
Peony Festival is an important flower festival, which is held in Luoyang every year on April 10–25 and which attracts large crowds to the city and the White Horse Temple. The legend linked to this festival is that peony flower did not follow the orders of the queen Empress Wu of the Tang Dynasty to bloom during winter and she became enraged that it did not obey her command. As a result, she ordered that peony flowers be banished from Xi'an to Luoyang. It is this banishment which is celebrated as the Peony Festival in Luoyang.
My friend Ed who I met on NT, where he is known as USA1, had a car, and with his Chinese wife drove from where he was living and teaching in Kaifeng, picked up me and my wife, and we drove to Luoyang for the flower festival and my second visit to the White Horse Temple.
9. When I was a young kid, and my grandmother retired and bought a bungalow with a back yard full of peonies, besides LOVING the cookies she baked for me, I was fascinated by watching the ants climbing up and down the peony stalks.
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13. A portrait artist was busy.
14. There were other flowers besides peonies - lilacs.
15. ...and roses.
16. Buy some fake peonies to take home - they do last longer.
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18. A bonus photo - we climbed a mountain, and this was at the top.
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More to come - next I think I'll post a photo essay of a very colourful traditional Chinese wedding, between an Australian colleague from the school where I taught English, and his Chinese bride.
Great photos. I especially like photo number 10. It's quite striking.
You keep on showing us beauty every day it seems. There's something to be said in marrying a younger partner. Keeps you in shape and entertained.
I'm getting discouraged, Six. It takes a while to put these together, for the benefit of the three members who have indicated that they bothered to look at it. Mention the word "Trump" in an article and at least 100 comments are posted. I'm looking for a site where members have more than a one-track brain and are more cultured. This has been up for almost 24 hours, all through Sunday in America - I'll try one more time, with the Chinese Traditional Wedding photo-essay I referred to above.
Let's see what I can do to get more viewers here, TRUMP. Think that will work?
LOL, These are really great, your kids look happy to be out of class and, I was wondering, in the misty one, is that a fishing boat?
LOL, One thing about Buzz, he brings beauty to an otherwise ugly day and, he does it everyday.
couldn't agree more Kathleen.
I don't think it's a fishing boat - it's possibly a houseboat.
Thank you - you're much too kind.
I always wondered about that style of boat, I've seen them in many movies but, I never knew exactly how they were used, thanx.
I look at all the pictures people post, sometimes I don't comment
Yeah, but you thumb-up me so often I figure you're almost always there. I consider it a compliment.
Here you are Buzz. Put this under the title of all the photo essays and it should attract attention.
TRUMP* WAS HERE AND YOU MISSED GIVING HIM A PIECE OF YOUR MIND
^ That would be Bill Trump, my son's doctor. No relation to the other guy.
That should do the job. Of course, people who can think of nothing other than political victory don't deserve to look at such beauty anyway. It's their loss if they can't appreciate it.
Galen,
I've seen that kind of boat before. It's basically a sampan that has been modified for a family to live aboard. When I saw them was in the early 70's in Hong Kong harbor. Living space there was very expensive since the land area was restricted. They did build some tall buildings but not nearly enough, so a floating city developed in part of the harbor. Many of the families had been living on those boats for generations. Maybe once in his or her lifetime, one of the residents might actually set foot on the shore. Mostly, they lived by catching fish or making handcrafts that could be made on a boat.
Makes sense, thanx again.
Your single-flower images are exceptional, Buzz!
Thank you. When the master gives his compliment, it is highly regarded and appreciated. As for single-flower presentation, I learned it all from you.