Photographs and Stories from China 2011-2011:Some Stories are in Italian. Some are about the reality of Chinese life and as such they are social commentaries... It had wave pools and other interesting things for people to enjoy, and even accommodated school tour groups with dormitory style accomodation. Opposite the breakfast room was a swimming complex, in the front of which was a very interesting sign. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to bring my .38 Smith and Wesson.
2011 to 2013 Photographs and Stories from China at Kingscalendar
On the 27th November 1962, a man named Arthur Swanton of Baton Rouge, LA; a crew member of the S/S Penn Transporter met his untimely death by falling-off the gangway headfirst on to the cement dock below, killing him instantly. This was in the Indian port of New Kandla on the west coast of India. The Captain of the Penn Transporter met with some members of my ship's crew and we discussed the funeral arrangements. Finally, since no one wanted to officiate at the funeral, I volunteered and offered to lead the service. After all, we were strangers in a strange land far from home.
When ever I hear the songs "When I grow too old to dream," "Somewhere in the West," "Now is the Hour," or "Auld Lang Syne", there comes a very great sadness over me, and my memories immediately rush back to a kinder simpler time when friends meant the world to me, a world of values the likes of which are not seen or heard of today.
(Originally a 4 part article) On January 14th 2010, I commenced my trip back to Australia. The temperature at that time was varying between minus 15 and minus 20 degrees. It was for this Aussie, despite living in China for 7 years, truly cold. I flew from Baotou in Inner Mongolia to Beijing and stayed one night in the Beijing Aulympic Airportel. The Hotel is located very close to the airport. The fees were very very very low and that suited me fine. I did not expect however, that the hotel would be as nice as it was. Next day I flew to Hong Kong where I connected with a Qantas flight travelling to Brisbane Australia.
When we arrived, we noted that this place really was a resort centre. It had wave pools and other interesting things for people to enjoy, and even accommodated school tour groups with dormitory style accomodation. Opposite the breakfast room was a swimming complex, in the front of which was a very interesting sign. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to bring my .38 Smith and Wesson. When we went in for breakfast, we saw that the next room was set up for a wedding, and discovered that it was 'our' wedding reception. Taking a 'sticky beak', I noted that there were no knives on any of the tables. 'Ahah! Thank God I brought that solid clear plastic knife with me!'.. The whole time before and after the actual church service, the local beggars were inside the church hitting everyone for money. Oh the guilt of refusing a pittance for the poor in the house of God, but I was advised to give no one anything, for that would be more effective than the 'last trump' for the dead. All the beggars would arrive. Not that this mattered at all. Who was carrying money?
By the time I got home and did the packing for the trip, the morning had long gone and it was around 2 pm when I head off to Wivenhoe dam with my camping and fishing gear, for some solitary piscatorial adventures. I arrived at Wivenhoe and began preparing my tent, air mattress, cooking gear etc etc, before heading off to a 'special' spot for some surface action. This area, for the first time in years, has trees semi-submerged by the recently rising water levels. The sun is already low in the sky as I get close, but before I get there, I notice the swallows circling and diving just above the water, near the bank. This is a sign that they are chasing insects. I also notice fish breaking the surface as they too attempt to catch whatever insects land on the surface. I turned off the sounder and moved silently to within casting distance and began flicking surface lures, but to no avail.
A Male Steward came off the plane and walked over to me and said: "It's alright! We aren't going to leave without you! Calm down! Catch your breath!" The 'So and So' was right. It was still another 30 minutes before we took off! I on the other hand was watching the driver through his rear view mirror. He seemed to be blinking an awful lot and his driving was a little erratic. Not that that is unusual in China, but when you are on the highway and you have 3 or 4 lanes to choose from and very little traffic, you would think that you could drive in at least one or two of those lanes for more than 500 meters at a time.
We left Queenstown for the Fox Glacier, arriving at Arrowtown in just 20 minutes. Arrowtown was born out of the 1862 gold rush on the Arrow River. This is an historic town so we visited the old Chinese gold mining section and the Lakes District Museum. Afterward we traveled via Wanaka where the international air show is held and where you also can visit the New Zealand Fighter Museum, on to the Hast Pass and the snow capped peaks of the southern alps. We also saw Thunder Creek Falls on the way to the Fox Glacier, and stayed the night at the Scenic Circle Glacier Hotel.
The 'elites' of the south can keep their big metropolitan lifestyles. The people from my part of Australia love the peace and serenity to which we have grown accustomed. And if the heart of Brisbane does not offer enough to see within walking, biking or river ferry distance, we only have to jump in the car and drive for an hour in any direction, to visit some of the best scenery in the world, in Queensland, The Sunshine State.
If you take a drive north of Brisbane, depending on your route you can pass through Montville, Maleny, Lake Baroon, and all the other attractionsin this area of the Sunshine State of Queensland. All the towns and villages are quite close together. For instance, Steve Irwin Way is the road you need to travel to Austalia Zoo. Noosa, Tin Can Bay, Rainbow Beach and Caloundra, are on the coast and from there you can travel to Fraser, Bribie and Moreton Islands. Actually, to get to Bribie Island you don't need to take a boat. You can just cross the bridge.
The exact distance from the heart of Brisbane to Lake Baroon is unknown to me, but I can estimate that it is around 90 kilometers. It's a small manmade lake which in parts is at least 34 meters deep. This I know for a fact, because my brother, the penultimate sportsman who never likes to leave anything to chance, has a sonar device installed in the Kayak (our mode of transport for the occasion) that lets him know not just the depth of the water, but where the fish are, and whether or not it is worth the effort to circle the area in an effort to catch something.
Anyway, I was not the kind of child that hung around and did nothing. I had to have my own adventures and make discoveries of this new place we were to call our home away from home. There was a huge Combined British Military Hospital and a Family Hospital attached to it. At first I avoided the Military Hospital, because the nurses and the orderlies who saw me loitering around might question me and then report this to my father who was the officer in charge.
On arrival Haneda International Airport (Tokyo), I was met by our local Japanese shipping agent, who took me by cab to Yokohama. At Yokohama, I was taken to the Flying Angel Mission to Seamen where I was to stay for the next few days. At Haneda International Airport (Tokyo) I was handed a scroll with my name in it, stating that I had now become a Member of the Top of the World Order as of June 8, 1966.
The evening went well for the guests, and the foreigners were as pleased to have been invited, as were the guests to gawk at them. The whole thing must have cost a pretty penny, some or most of which would have been recouped through the Chinese custom of given 'Red Bags' of money. The trick for the Bridal couple is to get more than they paid out. Under normal circumstances they would end up in the black, but on this occasion one could only wonder. As for the foreigners, they all enjoyed themselves immensely. Whilst some caught up with friends and others of us made new acquaintances, all of us had a wonderful time
The Scene is made up of stones weighing 5,000 tons and the water inside comes from purified lake water with 8 meter falling. The stones, water and wave plowing create a mountainous atmosphere as described by Wang Wei and Meng Haoran "Clear water runs on stones" and "Adventures in the stone gate". When Chen Yu and I finally arrived back at the North Entrance, a group of young people spotted me and began calling out. It turned out that two of them were Chen Yu's students. The following photo is one that Chen Yu took using my camera, as the boys (none of whom were known to Chen Yu) posed with me while their friends took photos using their cameras
Once we were in the studio, and without receiving any advice, instruction or prompting whatsoever, I, as the 'first monkey up', or 'first cab off the rank' (whichever expression you like), found myself walking onto the set to be greeted by the presenter. I bowed, greeted her in Chinese, turned to the audience and greeted them, and then, with 'deliberate nonchalance', sat down on the sofa provided. Thank heaven that it was a pre-recorded show and was not 'live to air'. And thankfully when they aired the program they didn't show what happened when I sat down
With the official greetings over, we were presented with a variety of performances from local artists and international guests, including an American man and his family. This family presented a narrative from a Gospel about the birth of Jesus, and then went on to present some musical renditions of Christmas Carols. Another foreigner, who performed a Chinese fan dance, was Helen, a Ukrainian with an American Accent. She is also an English teacher in Dong He District Baotou. We chatted for a little while at the end of the night. The other performances included an Arabian - Chinese dance performed by a group of girls balancing rice bowls while they gyrated around the place. They were all young and beautiful and adept in their craft
My 'less than trusting' Chinese friends (currently scattered far and wide throughout China), are not so excited. They tell me that not only are private schools well known for their abuse of and cheating both foreign and National teachers, but one should not trust a Chinese boss to keep his word. While in fact no one has actually informed me that I will be paid overtime, the provision is in my contract and I don't see how it can be 'forgotten'. I doubt that the franchisee could ever have become such an illustrious business woman (She has businesses in China and in Canada) had she not been an ethical manager
It turns out that Yang Bin attended some special 'Arts' High school where the subjects were song and dance routines, and didn't these guys belt out some fantastic songs. Skinny little dweebie boys with deep, rich voices that would hold their own against any professional out there on the circuit. And then there was the girl. Whew! No point even trying to tell you what she was like. If you are not familiar with Chinese singing stars, then you wouldn't understand how fantastic she was. Even Yang Bin sang a song and later danced the 'Jive' with his 13 year old cousin. He also did a quick Jive with Wu Peipei
Mingxing's company had booked him into the upmarket Kempinski Hotel in Wuxi and he organized and paid for one extra day so that we could go sightseeing. There are two photos in Part one that relate to the Kempinski Hotel Room, but this photo is of the lavish foyer of the Hotel as taken from the first floor landing above the coffee shop. Whilst the Big Buddha is the 'centerpiece' so to speak, the real spectacular is to be found in the Cultural Museum. This place is one helluva spectacular place inside. It sits directly opposite the replica of the Potala Palace, and when you enter you are required to put coverings over your shoes. I suspect that the real reason is to cut down on the cleaning bill. This place was crowded and all those people shuffling along wearing shoe protectors gave the marble floor a really high sheen.
The Fairy Island on the Lake Taihu. which used to be called the Three-Mount Island, is a group of well-known islands and islets in the famou s scenic spot of Lake Taihu.it lies in the lake, and is 2. 0 kilometers away from the Turtle Head Peninsual, which is in the northeast shore. The entire islands are made up of the islets such as Daji, Xiaoji, Dongya, Xiya, with a total area of 12 hectares. (From a Sign at Taihu.)
When excavating workers discovered the original Royal road and archaeological viewing platforms have been set up from both above and beside the original road. No charge! You can go down the ramp and clearly see the road and the accompanying signs/ The Chaotian Gate - During the Zhizheng Reign of Yuan Dynasty it was renamed to Gongbei Tower. It was destroyed in the 10th year (1474) of Chenghua Reign Ming Dynasty and rebuilt in the next year. The building was destroyed again in early Qing Dynasty and rebuilt in the 25th year (1686) of the Kangxi Reign Qing Dynasty. It is known as Drum Tower.
We spent quite a bit of time in Leifeng Pagoda before leaving to take a cab back to our hotel. On the way out we read all the signs about the Pagoda's history and the Story of Lady White Snake. We also stopped so that Mingxing could duck into a little temple beside the Pagoda. I took the opportunity to sit on a fence and have a cigarette. While doing so I notice 2 young couples at the entrance and one of the boys looked at me, smiled, said something to his girlfriend who then produced a camera and then made a beeline for me so he could have his photo taken with a 'real live foreigner'. We foreigners probably have our photos taken more often than movie stars.
After years of living in China, I finally got around to organizing a trip to Tibet. I was due to pay for the trip at the End of June and I was to go in October during the Chinese National Holiday. If you have been wondering why the Chinese Government put a ban on foreigners going to Tibet, then now you know the reason. It was to stop me! Alleyways and Streets are more narrow than the canals in Xitang Town ZheJiang. Once we cleared the bars it quieted down. Now this is where I point out why the title of this article has 'Clown' in it.
Located at the south foot of Qixia Ridge, Yue Fei's Tomb (and Temple) is one of representative historic sites of Confucian culture in West Lake Cultural Landscape as well as the place for the famous national hero Yue Fei. As a model of Chinese cultural tradition of loyalty and filial piety known to every household, Yue Fei has been respected and cherished by people with their sacrifices for centuries in this sacred site.
I can say that the new computer cost me half of what I had expected to pay, and the money saved will almost pay for a special trip I'm planning to the other side of the country in October. We had our conversation on a Tuesday at about 11.45am at the end of March, and two days later on the Thursday, I picked up my brand new computer already loaded with all my programs. It also came with a gift of some high definition movies (Mr. Kang is able to provide 1500 HD Movies on an external hard drive.) If you are coming to Suzhou and you really NEED to buy a new computer, go talk to him. Maybe you just need some repairs - he'll fix you up. Maybe you want some High Definition Movies - he's the one to talk to.
According to the manager, the original restaurant opened right before the start of the Japanese-Chinese War of 1937. Since Jiangsu was a constant battlefield between Chinese Communist forces and the Japanese Army, the steady supply of foodstuffs to the restaurant was uncertain. - Once in a while Chinese films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon are great hits around the world. Every year in Chinese theaters Hollywood movies come through and make money to repeat the process the next year. Xu knows that China is falling behind the rest of the world in creativity. - The February 2011 issue of China Today concentrated on a concept called "Creative Capital." The article outlined China's past decade long growth in its creative industries. The heads of these companies want to add to the "Made in China" exports with a new line of "Created-in-China."
John received the inspiration from his time working in Shanghai as a bartender in the early 90's and watching old-Western movies, in particular those starring Clint Eastwood in his youth. He learned English by serving foreigners and conversing with them. Foreign patrons told him about the bars in Europe and the United States.
Any teacher who is legitimately employed, and properly registered, is able to pack up and leave if the going gets tough, but any teacher whose 'bona fides' (as a foreigner living and working in Baotou) are not legitimately established, could find themselves being deported from China. I would hope that all the problematical behavior of management at EET has long since changed, and that they are currently fulfilling their legal obligations. I would hope that anyone who goes to work there would be well treated or at least not abused, cheated or lied to. But foreigners who to write to me to ask my advice are either 'plants' working for EET or just plain foolish.
Today, I am using a recent letter from Jerry, to tell a story – a sad story. It is a story rooted in Ancient and Modern Chinese Culture. It is a story of an impossible love. It is a story I have heard so many times before, of families who refuse to allow their children to love whom they will. It is a story about how in the 21st century, Chinese children must still obey their parents and marry the one of whom the parents approve.
One would think that based on those two great truths that the Commonwealth Bank would have the organizational and managerial flexibility to deal with any situation to arise, but apparently they do not - OR - they don't wish to! But you just have to wonder if at the end of the day, the whole issue is not just about "a shortage of competent staff" and a lack of good old fashioned customer service.
Photographs of the Paris Gardens and Rome Metropolis in Jiaxing City Zhejiang Province: Arc de Triomphe in Jiaxing: Avenue des Champs-Élysées: The Vatican: Egyptian Obelisks at the Rome Metropolis
I once had someone write me to say that there was no such thing as Murphy's Law but that my personal 'negativity', my belief - if you will, was drawing all the negative energy of the universe into my life and thus I was creating all my own bad luck. Wow! Who knew I could have such power! - Two weeks later I decided to return to Jiaxing to take some photos. At the North Bus Station in Suzhou I bought my ticket and while waiting for the bus, noticed that my destination in Jiaxing was the 'Central' bus station. When I arrived, I was totally lost and had to call my friends and ask them how to get to their place.
Since that article was not about the Computer Repairs, I did not go into detail about what had happened. What happened in fact, was that there was so much wrong with my computer, that Mr. Kang used a spare casing and wot-not to 'recondition' my computer. I walked in with a thin silver 'no name' computer (it was a prototype), and walked out with a black IBM computer. Total cost was 400 rmb! The reason it was so cheap of course was that I really do not wish to buy a computer in China. A Chinese friend in Baotou got a Chinese Computer with a legitimate English program, but it still threw up Chinese pop-up messages. Mr. Kang told me that as long as I promised to return the computer once I went home next year and bought a new computer, then he was happy to do this for me.
Parks and Gardens in Inner Mongolia: Expats Watering Hole: International Visitors to Baotou have a lot to see within the city. Ba Yi Park is Located in Kunqu District Baotou City Inner Mongolia which is in the west of the City. It occupies a block in the middle of Minzu Xi Lu (East), Gangtie Dajie (North), Linyin Lu (West), and Qingnian Lu (South). In the West it is located on the last intersection (Gangtie Dajie and Linyin Lu - Northwest Entry) before the Underground Mall, the Walking Street and the Baobai and Victory Hall Shopping Plazas.
Expats in Baotou City: Where to Eat in Baotou: The Seven Pizza bar is located on the 1st floor (western description). It is located just one block from the Main Road Gangtie Dajie and LinYin Road. That intersection also forms the North West Gate to Ba Yi Park. It's not an Up market Joint, and nor is it one of those places where the Chinese stare at the foreigner like he is a monkey in a zoo. It's a 'home away from home' place for foreigners.
Nanhai Park is in Dong He in Baotou. Dong He is just one part of Baotou and lies to the east. It can be reached from Qingshan and Kunqu Districts by cathing the No. 10 or No. 5 bus. It's about a 30 minute fast trip from Qingshan and a little longer from Kunqu.Now although we don't know and don't care why this dragon was in the water, we were interested to travel over to this little island you see in the next photo. We were only interested until we saw the boat ride prices! We live here and earn Chinese rmb. We are too poor to spend that sort of money. As I am often heard to say to Chinese who want me to spend up big' 'Hey! I am a foreigner. I am not Chinese! I am not rich!'
A una di queste chiamate, ci fermiamo a fianco a una coppia di giovani. Non solo i due incauti avevano diversi sacchetti, ma portavano con s?anche una torta. Dopo varie discussioni con la bigliettaia perch?la torta nel pulmino proprio non ci stava, provano ad aprire il finestrino e a passarla alla ragazza seduta di fronte a Justine. Visto che non riuscivano a spostare il vetro, sporgendomi, faccio alla bigliettaia: "Lo faccia passare da qui" (okkei, va bene, ho detto solo "da qui", il resto della frase era sottinteso!). Io, anima ingenua, credevo che una volta saliti i due giovani avrebbero trovato il modo di riprendersi la torta. E invece no! Mi sono fatta una decina di chilometri di strada sterrata con una torta gelato sulle ginocchia! E giusto per renderla ancora pi?precaria, era una torta a due piani con complesse decorazioni, tra cui un drago giallo con occhi e baffi di cioccolata. Avevo il terrore di spetasciarla. A questo punto, per? ridevamo da non riuscire pi?a respirare.
The Chinese Educational system, at least so far as learning English is concerned, has completely failed to provide what the students need, and whilst that on its own is bad enough, the international language testing services offered by various organizations around the world, "must be", as far as I can see, 'CORRUPT'. How is it that students who cannot hear or hold the simplest conversation in English, can pass these international language tests, whilst many of those who fail, can freely talk with any foreigner on any topic? The answer to that is 'Grammar'. Some idiot somewhere has decided that passing grammar test is synonymous with an ability to hear and speak normative English.
Storie dalla Cina in italiano: Dal momento che Shijiazhuang non ?proprio il paradiso del turista, una volta cambiato il biglietto e anticipata la partenza (per andare sul sicuro avevo comprato un biglietto sul tardino, non si sa mai di aspettare un bus una vita e mezza, perdersi nella campagna e rimanere bloccati a Shijiazhuang!), l'unica attivit?a mia disposizione era il sopralluogo a uno dei centri commerciali della piazza della stazione (unico negozio degno di nota il supermercato, ho preso certe cialde al sesamo buonissime da sgranocchiare al rientro)
I have spent most Chinese New Years in the villages of Heng Ji and Fengkou in Hong Hu city in Hubei. Last New Year I was in Australia and now I am in Baotou. I have to admit that I prefer to watch the fireworks in the dark countryside, but it has nevertheless been an interesting experience tonight.
Definition: King's Calendar Chronological Research
The Premise: Between the 5th and 3rd centuries BCE (but continuing down to at least 104 BCE), Sectarian redactors transcribed the legitimate 'solar year' chronological records of Israel and Judah, into an artificial form, with listed years as each comprised of 12 months of 4 weeks of 7 days, or 336 days per year, thus creating a 13th artificial year where 12 solar years existed.
When the Synchronous Chronological Data provided in the Books of Kings and Chronicles for the Divided Kingdom Period are measured in years of 336 days, the synchronisms actually align. [Refer to Appendix 5. to see how it synchronises the Divided Kingdom Period]
About the KingsCalendar Publisher
R.P.BenDedek is the owner and Editor of KingsCalendar.com which was originally set up to publicize his research results into the Chronology of Ancient Israel. Those results were published under the title: 'The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran'.
Whilst there have been many attempts to solve the chronological riddle of the Bible's synchronisms of reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah and their synchronism with other Ancient Near Eastern Nations, no other research is based on a simple mathematical formula which could, if it is incorrect, be disproved easily. To date, no one has been able to dismiss the mathematical results of this research.
Free to air Academic articles set forth Apologetics for and results of his discovery of an "artificial chronological scheme" running through the Bible, Josephus, the Damascus Documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Seder Olam Rabbah.
During the current economic downturn, this book has been drastically reduced in price but will eventually rise as the economy improves.
Check the Chapter Precis Page to see details of each chapter and to gain access to the Four Free to Air Chapters
R.P. BenDedek writes social commentaries and photographic 'Stories from China' both at KingsCalendar, and as a contributing columnist at Magic City Morning Star News in Maine USA.
(He has been teaching Conversational English in China since 2003 and currently (2013) is teaching in Suzhou City Jiangsu Province.)
