Photographs of Mt. Tai and Villages in Shandong: Taken from the Expensive Tourist hotel looking over to the one we stayed in that night! That speck on the step between the two buildings in the top of the photo - is Jerry! See how heavy the fog and cloud is? Literally between shots the clouds would roll in and obscure the view and sometimes you had to wait for quite a while before getting what you wanted. (Gee! Ain't that life!) In Chinese custom, the eldest son or nearest male relative/descendent, should carry a facial photo of the deceased and walk backward in front of the funeral procession. Jerry informed me recently (2009) that it was a couple of months before his mother got the photo to his 'grandfather'. That same night he passed away.
Part 2: Adventure on Mt. Tai Shandong Province : Additional Photographs
Different Photographs appear here and in the order in which they were taken.
At the beginning of July 2008, after my teaching duties for the semester had ended, I traveled to Shandong province with Jerry my Chinese friend. He had asked me if I would like to visit his home town and Mt. Tai. Since I was not returning to Australia until the end of the month I readily agreed. So Jerry took time off work and off we went.
The highest peak 1545metres from memory.
The view behind the cloud in the last photo on previous file.
The hotel in which we stayed.
The little tower to the left is a security office and the lookout to watch the sunrise is down to the left.
Jerry with highest peak behind him
Me at the same spot
But look back to the first photo. See how heavy the fog and cloud is? Literally between shots the clouds would roll in and obscure the view and sometimes you had to wait for quite a while before getting what you wanted. (Gee! Ain't that life!)
The hotel we stayed in!
Serene!
Taken from the Expensive Tourist hotel looking over to the one we stayed in that night! That speck on the step between the two buildings in the top of the photo - is Jerry!
Countryside of Youcheng - Farmers at work
Having left the taxi we walk down the lane to Jerry's Village
Another village - long distance shot from the main road.
Long Distance shot of two farmers.
A villager
Jerry and I were walking through the village when he thought he spotted his grandfather. In Chinese that means some male who is somehow related to one of his parents but in the previous generation. He could be his grandfathers 2nd cousin on his mothers side.
Anyway, we ended up talking to him and he said that many people have taken his photo but never given him a copy so I said that I would take his photo. As his friend was having his photo taken they both wanted to know if I was going to charge them for taking their photo. They said they didn't want to pay to have their photo taken. It was so hilarious!
Later in the week Jerry and I got a small print and a very large print for each of them and posted it back to the village. The reason why both men wanted a photo (although they did not mention it and Jerry was unaware) is that both are around the 90 year mark and so expect to die sometime in the very near future.
In Chinese custom, the eldest son or nearest male relative/descendent, should carry a facial photo of the deceased and walk backward in front of the funeral procession.
Jerry informed me recently (2009) that it was a couple of months before his mother got the photo to his 'grandfather'. That same night he passed away.
Jerry's Grandad.
The whole village is like this. It Rocks!
Picture Perfect.
But in this case the photo conceals the smell and the grunge!
Jerry's Village area.
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Mt. Tai is located in the center of Shandong Province, lying across the cities of Tai'an, Jinan and Zibo. Its main peak, Jade Emperor Summit, which is within Tai'an City, is about 1532.7 meters (5,029 feet) high. The mountain was once called Mt. Daishan, Mt. Daizong or Mt. Taiyue and was renamed Mt. Taishan in the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC). It epitomizes splendid Chinese culture and was listed in the World Natural and Cultural Heritage List of UNESCO in 1987
(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?
Xiangfan is a historical and cultural city in the southwest of Hubei Province. It has an area of 26.7 thousand square kilometers and a population of 6.75 million. The central part of Xiangfan is a plain. The rest are mountains and hills. Xiangfan has a subtropical monsoon climate with an annual average temperature of 15.8C, and has 240 frost-free days. Annual rainfall averages 878 millimeters.
You will arrive at Taipa House Museum Area with so much to see. If you want to go into the Museum you must pay. But there is also much to see outside. This is a museum beside the A-Ma Temple on Macao Island. This sits on the waterfront and you can see Zhuhai in China across the harbour.
The interesting thing about the ride is that as the train leaves each station, a uniformed attendant salutes the departing train. At night, people dance, talk, roller scate etc. An Island blocks the view to the ocean. The sculpture of the boy is urinating
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
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.
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
Designed by Lu Yanzhi, a famous architect, the construction of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum began in March 1926 and ended in the spring of 1929. It is 700 meters from the Memorial Archway to the coffin chamber with 10 terraces and 392 steps between them, and the falling head reaches 70 meters. The main buildings of the mausoleum include the memorial archway, the mausoleum gate, the tablet pavilion, the sacrificial hall and the coffin chamber. On June 1, 1929, a grand burial ceremony was held at the mausoleum which is shaped like an alarm bell, symbolizing Dr. Sun Yat-sen's unyileding spirit in fighting to arouse people and salvage the nation. - In the center of this map with the blue roof is Sun Yatsen's Mausoleum. To the right is the Linggu Pagoda and to the left of the Sun Yatsen's Mausoleum is the Ming Tomb area. As you can see there are many other places to see. There is also Purple Mountain at the very top of the picture, access to which can be gained by a cable way
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.)
**********ACADEMIC ARTICLES**********
Josephus Unabridged: Ancient History and Biblical Contradictions By R.P. Bendedek
The acknowledged problem with Josephus is that his chronological details are flawed! They don't make sense! They are excessive! But the real problem is the mindsets of those studying Josephus. If one starts with an assumption that one's viewpoint is correct, then when 'impasses' are encountered, one has to rationalise them in order to get past them. Very few people seem to have the ability to study the material without preconception; without imposing on it their own prejudices. The fact is that Josephus has passed on to us a far superior chronological knowledge of the History of Ancient Israel than has previously been appreciated
Moses was Born 1523 BCE - Fled to Midian in 1486 BCE - Commenced the Exodus in 1449 BCE and died in 1413/1412 BCE: In 1514 BCE when Moses was around Nine years old, Hatshepsut and Tuthmosis II had a daughter...the future seemed secure to Hatshepsut when her Daughter Neferure was born, for through marriage to Moses she would have provided Egypt with a New King. Neferure died at the age of Eleven years in 1503 BCE. In 1487 BCE, around the time that Hatshepsutat died, 40 year old Moses fled Egypt. Forty years later he returned to confront Amenhotep II who was far worse by nature than the Biblical Pharaoh. The Exodus took place during Amenhotep II's co-regency during the last two years of the reign of Thothmes III. During this time, Amenhotep left Egypt to campaign in Asia. The administration of Egypt was left to Grandvisier Rekhmire, whose tomb reveals that he met his end with disgrace. The Book of Judges provides an incomplete chronology of the Judges of Ancient Israel, yet still records 450 years of consecutive data. Extra-Biblical records indicate a further 60 to 80 years for Joshua, Samuel and King Saul. Add 40 years for King David's reign and 4 years to the Commencement of the building of Solomon's remple, a total of between 554 and 574 years elapse between the Israelite entrance into Canaan and the 4th year of Solomon. The King's Calendar artificial construct reduces the overall value of the data, and demonstrates that the period of the Judges compactly fits into 480 artificial years, as indicated in the Masoretic version 1 Kings 6:1.
COMPLETE unabridged version of "The Law, Rules of Evidence & Archaeology": A Polemical rebuttal of Academic methodology in reconstructing the history of Ancient Israel. The Battle of Qarqar in 853 BCE is important in relation to the History of the Ancient Near East and The 'King's Calendar' indicates that King Ahab of Israel, died in 863 BCE. The Kurkh Stele of Shalmaneser III claims that King Ahab was present at the Battle of Qarqar in 853 BCE. The claims of the Kurkh Stele are promoted despite seven (7) justifiable academic objections to its content. The King's Calendar' is a computer generated mathematical synchronous chronological presentation of the history of Ancient Israel, as principally recorded in the Biblical books of Kings and Chronicles, and sets forth Apologetics for and the results of R.P.BenDedek's discovery of an "artificial chronological scheme" running through the Books of the Bible, Josephus,the Damascus Documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Seder Olam Rabbah.
