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15 April SanQingShan Mountain, JiangXi
The cable car took us 48 minutes. I was terrified when it was shaking from left to right.
Walking through a typical Chinese landscape painting
see the road sticking out at the bottom left? it is built along the cliff, and we are walking on that, WOW!
we waited for three hours in these lines for the inefficient cable cars to take us down the mountain.
I would not advise you to visit there before the cable is improved, or you are very likely to relive the nightmare.
8 February St.John Church when it was built
St.John Church , or the Stone Church（石厝教堂) is located at the top of the CangQian Hill. Sponsored by the Anglican Church, the construction of the church began at the year of 1865 and finished five years later.This Gothic building was designed by an engineer from HongKong , and it covers an area of six hunderd square meters. This church was originally built for the British people who at that time was staying in Fuzhou, but it was also called the International Church, since a lot more foreigners from other countries came here to worship.
when it was in 1880 This picture was taken by an American named Ted Francis Jones, who came to Fuzhou in 1860. He brought the industrial products and exchanged them for the local WuYi tea and Jasmine tea, and made his fortune by selling these tea to the U.S.He later bought a house in CangShan (a district of Fuzhou city ) and got married there. In 1880, 40 years after it was broutht to commercial use, photographing became popular to the foreigners living in Fuzhou. Mr.Jones hired a professional photographer, took all the trouble, and made 48 pictures before he left for home. A hundred and six years later, his grandson visited Fuzhou and donated the digital copy of all these 48 pictures to the city .
when it is at Feb,08,2006 No one can explain how the church fell into the hands of the Army. It was turned into a military printing plant,but it regained its quietness since 1992 when it was declared as a cultural relic and thus is protected by the city.
Disclaimer: the first two pictures are collected from the Internet.the copyright belongs to the owner of the pictures. 25 December Hallelujah!This lady , now in her late eighties, lost her eyesight when she was born. She, all by herself, managed to learn how to play piano. For the past decades, she makes it to the Tian'an church every sunday , accompanying the choir.
Hallelujah! 16 October Trip to Zhouzhuangwe had a second thought about going to Zhouzhuang, because we heard different stories about being greatly disappointed since the old town has lost its charm of peace and quietness. we went anyway, and the trip turned out to be a wonderful one.
we booked a room for the night from www.ctrip.com while we were in Hangzhou, and it would be cancelled if we could not make it there before six o'clock. The shuttle bus took us two hours to get to Suzhou, and it was already four pm when we got there. we were told that there was no more bus to Zhouzhuang, but there was a last one going to a place called Jiangze(江泽）, and that is the rear gate to the village of Zhouzhuang. we reached Jiangze at around five fifteen, paid ￥60 for the entrance fee. while we were hurrying to find the hotel , we unexpectedly saw a family inn. the owner invited us to take a look. The room is large and clean, with private bathroom and air conditioning, and the price is reasonable(￥110). we decided to stay there, and we enjoyed it. the owner let us use his refrigerator and
washing machine, and he would turn on the air conditioning for us before we got back. very nice.
we saw a different Zhouzhuang because most of the tourists have left when we got there. the next morning, we got up very early. we saw a peaceful,beautiful and quiet Zhouzhuang as it has alway been for hundreds of years.
TIPS:
1. You will certainly be disappointed when you arrive at Zhouzhuang bus station and see the modern village. take the bus from Suzhou Southern Bus Station(苏州汽车南站）to Jiangze(江泽). The old Zhouzhuang village is right there. 2. The entrance fee is not a must. You can walk in and out of the old village freely before 7am and after 5.30pm. 3. spend the night in the old village. there are many family inns. 4. get up early and leave the village at around 9.30 when the tourists start to pour in. this is my favorite part of Zhouzhuang
window view from the room where we stayed
a typical Zhouzhuang : peaceful and quiet
when the famous Double Bridges get crowded, it is time to hit the road 18 September Min Custom Knocked DownThis building used to be the Min (Fujian) Custom,
and it is now being torn down to give way to a new road.
According to the Treaty of Nanking,
signed in 1842 following the first Opium War,
the Qing Dynasty agreed to pay an indemnity of $21 million
and cede Hongkong to Britain.
Fuzhou, along with four other ports, were declared open for trade.
In 1861, The English put up this Min Custom,
which was in charge of domestic and international trade in Fuzhou area.
It has been a tough problem for the government to develop the city and,
at the same time, preserve these historical buildings.
Luckily, the city government listenes to the historians this time.
It will be rebuilt in its original structure and style, and made into a museum.
The board at the back writes "Development is the main principle",
which was put forward by Mr Deng Xiaoping.
It explains the building's destiny.
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