Living in China: Stories and Photographs: Hong Hu: 3 Gorges: Jing Zhou: Beijing: Puqi : Chibi.Life in China for most people is very poor. On an average of 400 yuan a month (US$50) they can't afford much. But home is always 'home'. This picture is taken just one block from the main road and parallel to it. It is halfway between the two ends of the modern Central Business District. This is both a home and a business and there are hundreds of them in the central business district.
(These are just a few shots I took today in Hong Hu. I was going to the supermarket to get some things, but deviated a little to get some photos of Lotus park. Then I decided to complete the circuit by coming down off the Levee road to walk the block down to the Long Ke Duo supermarket. I hope you like them.)
This is the town landmark. If you go straight ahead it will lead you to the bridge which will take you the four blocks up to the Long Ke Duo supermarket.
This was the view you got when you entered town from the direction of Wuhan. The Bus Station is up the street to the right of this building. The Cibiao is now apparently up on the Chang Jiang - Yangtse River Bank [Dec 2008]
Between the school and the roundabout there are a couple of houses. If you are unhappy with your life in the West, and things aren't going so well, Spare a thought for these poor people.
This photo is taken directly in front of the school. This lady is collecting water for the road gang, and it comes from the same pool as in the above photos.
It's hard work but there is still time for a smile.
So just how hard do women work in China? This next photo captures 'women' working. Shoveling rocks into a truck. No mechanisation here. Women in China.
Life in China for most people is very poor. On an average of 400 yuan a month (US$50) they can't afford much. But home is always 'home'. This picture is taken just one block from the main road and parallel to it. It is halfway between the two ends of the modern Central Business District. This is both a home and a business and there are hundreds of them in the central business district.
Do you like Chinese Takeaway? Well here is the real thing. Within two hours this lady will be inundated with customers.
Hong Hu is a developing city. Since my arrival in February of 2003, I have seen new streets created, and many many buildings pulled down and replaced with more modern varieties.
The work of demolishing these buildings by the way is done by hand (by men and women) and it is not until the whole thing has been leveled that the heavy equipment comes in.
The following shots are of Lotus Square. It sits ON the old river. There is a sluice gate at the other end to stop the river from being affected by the Chang Jiang (Yangtse). This is the view of Lotus Square taken from the Northern End and facing south toward the Chang Jiang river. You can see the levee road in the Background. In the foreground you can see steps that lead down to the river.
This next picture was taken from between the columns that can be seen in the photo above.
This shot is taken from up on the levee road and that is rice that you can see in the foreground. It has been laid out in the sun to dry. This is actually a special preparation of rice, for it is mixed with presumably peppers.
Long distance shot of the lotus.
From this vantage point I headed west on the levee road, walking one block before turning into town. The following photos are taken from the Levee road. This first photo gives you some indication of how high the levee is.
From the Levee road you have a good view of the Chang Jiang River (the Yangtze).
This is another shot with more scenery.
The Long Ke Duo supermarket is only a block away, but what a different picture of China it presents. This first shot is taken as I come 'down' the road.
This shot is taken back toward the levee.
This next shot is about halfway along and is on level ground. It always amazes me that these photos present the scenery is such a 'sanitary' way. It neither looks nor smells as pretty in real life.
Right in the middle of the street you can purchase fresh meat in the fresh air.
And don't let a little cigarette ash spoil anything.
At the end of the block you hit the beginning of the Central Business District. This next photo of Long Ke Duo supermarket is actually taken from down the block and looking back toward the levee. I have read on the internet about the 'political correctness' debates on the issue of Santa Claus and Reindeer, not to mention Jesus and Nativity Scenes. Well don't you good people in the West worry about Santa and his reindeer. They are alive and Well in China. If you want to know my impressions of this bowing and scraping to Islam, check out the Yahoo Religion Forum link in the Media Watch section of King's Calendar.
This photo was taken facing south toward the river.
If the politically correct idiots manage to kick Santa out, he will always be welcomed here, and a home will be provided him, Even if he speaks Russian.
Across from the Supermarket is the new department store. It used to be the 'small' supermarket, but that has quadrupled in size and has relocated four blocks away.
Who is that dummy on the footpath?
Looking back across the road to the Long Ke Duo, you can see the new park to its right. Nine months ago it was a cesspool.
China is certainly changing.
I've mentioned the river upon which Lotus Park sits. These next photos are taken from two of the bridges. The first and second look south toward Lotus park and the other to the north. The river is dry in winter and full in summer. There is a photo of it in an earlier section to this article, in which it is full of water. Rubbish can be found everywhere in China, and the river is no exception. This photo I've entitled: 'Junk in the river'. This is taken from the next bridge up river from the Pink Bridge at Lotus Park.
These next two photos are taken from the main road leading into town, but in opposite directions. The first is looking south towards Lotus park and the Chang Jiang.
Opposite direction.
Having commenced this tale with the beginning of my journey to town, it is fitting that I end it with the END OF THE ROAD. I have mentioned that Hong Hu is rapidly changing and modernising. In June they commenced a widening of the road that ends at the school. Since then they have installed street lights, some form of sewage works (?) and begun to extend the road. At the moment it appears to go nowhere.
China for me, was intended to be just a temporary distraction from the nothingness of my life. But as things have transpired, it has given me a new lease on life. Despite all the set backs and frustrations of life here, I can say without qualification, that I have not been this happy since I was 18 years old. We had had no idea in which direction our plane had flown, and had no idea if we were in the north, south, east, west or centre of China. If you draw a line from Beijing to Hong Kong and another west from Shanghai, just about at the intersection point you should see 'Wuhan', the capital of Hubei Province.
Hong Hu like any Chinese city, contains areas in which the tourist might feel a little 'insecure'. It is not necessary. They are normal places, just tucked away out of sight, and which can be bypassed without realizing that they are there. It took me quite a while to notice the main entrance to one such place, and to my surprise it was like a rabbit’s warren of every imaginable piece of clothing you could buy.
I decided to climb the brick wall beside my house to see were the sewage went. Yes! I know! Why would someone want to check out something like that? But you know, sometimes in China you just have to find your amusements where you can. You see as I may or may not have already mentioned, one needs to frequently flush the toilet with detergent, hot water and bleach, if one does not wish to be knocked over by the smell when returning home on a hot day. But in doing this very thing I had been concerned 'for the environment', for, to the best of my knowledge, the run off went directly into the rice paddy next door. But I am digressing!
One motivating factor was that Chinese Custom during the Entrance Examination period, is for parents to come to the school and 'hang about', bringing special foods and encouragement for their children. I have no idea why they feel this need to 'take care of' their children, but as the mothers of my two boys needed to be in town, I decided to turn over my apartment to both families, and just disappear.
Being an organisation relying of public support, you can well imagine their financial difficulties, but as they point out, "Surgical costs in China are so much lower than in other parts of the world", that "no gift is too small when it involves the health of a child". They are currently attempting to raise funds to build an extension to the 'Hope Foster Home' in Beijing, in order to care for critically ill and disabled children - you know! - the ones that absolutely nobody wants
Hong Hu is about 3 hours (165 Kms) South of Wuhan, (the Capital of Hubei), and is located on the Chang Jiang (Yangtsze) River. Did you expect some wonderful description to follow? Apart from, 'It is in the middle of nowhere, and is an old and dirty town (their words) although fast transforming into a modern city' there is really not much to say. It does have Lotus park and a lake which are very famous (in Hong Hu) but then again so am I. Have you ever heard of me? There you go then! (Actually the Lake is famous for a battle during the Liberation War - Communist vs. Guomingdang - KMT)
Life in China for most people is very poor. On an average of 400 yuan a month (US$50) they can't afford much. But home is always 'home'. This picture is taken just one block from the main road and parallel to it. It is halfway between the two ends of the modern Central Business District. This is both a home and a business and there are hundreds of them in the central business district.
From my bedroom and bathroom windows I have magnificent views (when the fog lifts) of the fields, and have managed to gain a reasonably firsthand understanding of how rice grows. When I read in the papers that Australian women are 'bitching' about the Government's calls to have more kids, and the 'glass ceilings' that they face I find it hard to be sympathetic. Woman nowadays in China can only have 'one child', and their lives are anything but easy. They build and demolish buildings by hand and dig roadways side by side with their husbands, grandparents and babies. All just to earn a meagre living
Hong Hu is nestled up against the huge levee that protects it from the Chang Jiang River. That is the Yangtse River to you 'Foreigners'. This life giving river is as capable of giving life as it is of taking it, and a few years ago it did just that, when several hundred civilians and soldiers died, trying to restrain her destructive inundation of the town
Another dislocated himself in order to fit into a little hoop. He provided various demonstrations of this. Another one stuck a metal rod in his throat, positioning the other end of the rod on a long board, which was being held by volunteers from the audience. He actually managed to knock them off their feet. Then they called for extra volunteers and they were determined not to let him do a repeat. They succeeded. He applied so much pressure, that he actually bent the rod into a 'U' shape. Another couple of gentlemen were lain on swords, one monk on top of the other, with the topmost one holding a huge slab of rock which was pounded with a sledgehammer until the rock split. This was accomplished without injury.
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?
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.
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.
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.
Nice to hear from you Gary. Yes I love China and intend spending the rest of my life here. I hope you enjoy the next few years in Australia. Maybe you won't want to come back to China, like I don't want to go back to Australia?
