Life in Nanning

It's Raining Again

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 09:34:00 +0000

It been raining off and on for the last week. We had very heavy rain yesterday afternoon and more rain today.

[Here's a report from the China Daily about the flooding]

Torrential rains have covering southern China affecting at least 2 million people. Worst hit have been Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Guangxi (of which Nanning is the capital).

In Zhejiang, the rain affected more than 930,000 people with more than 70,000 hectares of crops flooded. Water levels in at least five reservoirs in the province had risen above warning levels by Wednesday. Preliminary estimates put the losses at 860 million yuan (US$124 million). Meteorological authorities in Zhejiang said the region would face more heavy rains in two days and warned local government officials of possible flood dangers.

In Guangxi, where one person was killed and around 920,000 people were affected with 40,000 hectares of crops under water. Damage to power lines and irrigation facilities was also reported. Heavy rains were expected to begin on Friday, posing pressure to flood control in Wuzhou, a city near Guangxi's border with Guangdong Province. The city was ravaged by the worst flooding in 100 years in 2005.

The water level at the Wuzhou section of the Xijiang River was only 1.4m below the warning level of 18.5m as of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and was rising by 0.1m per hour, local officials said.

In the eastern Jiangxi Province, precipitation exceeded 300 mm in three counties and 200 mm in another 43 in just three days, and seven small reservoirs were at risk. The Raohe River, one the five major rivers in Jiangxi, saw the largest flood in a decade. Water levels at the Dufengkang and Hushan hydrometric stations on the river's tributaries were more than 3m above the warning levels. Some low-lying areas in Nanchang, the provincial capital, and Jingdezhen were flooded, with the maximum water depth reaching 5.4 m. More than 2,300 houses collapsed and 2.05 million people were affected, 47,000 of whom were evacuated.

The water level in the Anhui Province section of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, China's longest waterway, has continued to rise due to the heavy rain in the region, but authorities said the flood risk was low because the water level was one to two meters lower than the same period last year.

The National Meteorological Center is forecasting that the rain will sweep across provinces including Jiangsu, the quake-hit Sichuan, Hunan, Anhui, Zhejiang and Shanghai in the next few days.

The other day I was out and got caught in a downpour. While waiting I took some video of a busy intersection in the middle of Nanning.

And here's a slideshow of some of my photos taken when has been raining. Hope you enjoy it.

Rush Hour in Nanning - Time Lapse Video

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:21:00 +0000

Here's a two part time lapse video of Rush Hour in Nanning, China. The first part is about a one minute and the second part is 1:30 and features two passing trains as well. I am always amazed there aren't more accidents at these intersections. I've lived in China for six years and still haven't worked out the road rules. Mind you, I don't think most of the Chinese have either.

Nanning Intersection - Time Lapse Video

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:32:00 +0000

Here's a time lapse video of an intersection in Nanning. It is filmed at one frame per second which effectively speeds up the video by 15 times. It gives you an idea of what China's traffic is like and how difficult crossing the street can be especially during rush hour.

Olympic Torch in Nanning

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 09:10:00 +0000

China Girl

Today, 7 June, the Olympic Torch came to Nanning and Olympic fever was running hot. Thousands of people turned out to catch a glimpse of the torch. But many were disappointed including myself. Only those who came very early (maybe around 6-7am) got to the roadside. Later the roads were blocked off and many people were prevented from getting close enough to see the torch. However, it was still enjoyable walking the streets and seeing the Chinese celebrate the coming Olympic Games in Beijing. The Chinese are very proud of having the opportunity to host the games and I'm sure will do a great job.

Police and the army were out in full force to control the huge crowds and ensure the torch had a smooth journey as it traveled the streets of the city. There were over 200 torch bearers with each carrying the torch for around 50m. Many secondary and university students were banned from going to see the torch including overseas students studying at several universities in the city.

Following is a 1:30 video of people walking the streets of Nanning trying to find somewhere where they can see the torch and celebrating the Olympics.

Below is a slideshow of photo showing Olympic fever in Nanning.

China Mourns

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Fri, 23 May 2008 07:20:00 +0000

Here's some video I took on 19 May at Minzu (Nationality) Square in Nanning, China. It shows students singing as they mourn those who died in the 12 May earthquake. Thousands of people gathered in the public square and lit candles. Emotions were high and many shouted "Go China Go!" and "Rebuild Sichuan" showing their feelings towards those affected. More videos to come when I get the time.

Following is a Youtube video showing the terrible loss and destruction caused by the earthquake. It was shot straight after the earthquake hit Beichuan city, one of the worst affected towns where more than 10,000 people died. Warning: some of the scenes in the video are very distrubing.

China Remembers Earthquake Victims

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Thu, 22 May 2008 11:57:00 +0000

China yesterday completed three days of mourning for the victims of the May 12 earthquake in Wenchuan, Sichuan province. The confirmed death toll has risen 51,151, a jump of almost 10,000 from the day before. Another 29,328 people remain missing and nearly 300,000 were injured. The disaster has left 5 million people homeless and leveled more than 80 percent of the buildings in some remote towns and village areas near the epicenter. The quake has also resulted in over 4,000 children becoming orphans.

The earthquake caused 175 schools, with a total of 8,365 classrooms and dormitories, to collapse. This has raised questions about the poor quality of construction in these buildings. The government has responded by promising to punish any state-owned companies found to have built schools that collapsed. Angry parents are also beginning to protest and demand compensation. Near one secondary school, where some 400 students were crushed in the collapse of a building, the only building to crumble in the vicinity, angry parents are gathering signatures on a petition and contemplating filing a lawsuit.

Rescues are still occurring but are becomes fewer and fewer. A woman was rescued 9 days after being trapped in a tunnel in a hydropower plant. Zeng Changhui, suffered multiple fractures to her right arm, ribs and lower back. Her injuries were not life-threatening according to a doctor. Also a 60-year-old woman was pulled from the rubble of a collapsed temple 195 hours after the quake. Wang Youqun suffered only a hip fracture and bruises on her face during her eight days in the rubble.

As the rescue effort continues, concerns also turn to helping the 5 million people left homeless by the earthquake. The government was setting up temporary housing for victims unable to find shelter with relatives. Nearly 280,000 tents had been shipped to the area and 700,000 more ordered with factories ramping up production to meet demand. Sichuan's governor said 3 million tents were needed.

Authorities also announced their intention to rebuild the county seat of Beichuan on an entirely new site. Beichuan, one of the worst-hit areas in the 8.0-magnitude quake, which is surrounded by hills soaring to altitudes of 500 to 1,000 meters, saw more than 8,600 of its 13,000 residents killed by the quake.

Premier Wen Jiabao announced on Wednesday the central government will establish a 70 billion yuan (US$10 billion) reconstruction fund for the quake-hit regions. He said the devastating earthquake had caused huge losses and said reconstruction would be an arduous task. The central government's spending will be slashed by 5 percent this year to fund quake relief efforts. Government organizations and public institutions at all levels were ordered to decrease their spending on meetings and business travel and freeze the approval of any new office buildings for government bodies. He also called the public to practice a frugal lifestyle to support the reconstruction of quake-stricken areas.

One of the most destructive moments in Chinese history is bringing together this vast nation of more than 1.3 billion people, made up of 56 different ethnic groups stretching across five time zones. When millions of Chinese paused for three minutes of silence Monday, they personified the surge in patriotism and charity that has swept this country since the massive earthquake leveled large sections of Sichuan province. During the 3 days of mourning which finished on Wednesday, Chinese gathered in public squares across the country to light candles, sing the national anthem and raise chants of "Go, China, Go!" and “Rebuild Sichuan!”. As Chinese we must be united," said a student. "We Chinese can do it!" Following is a video of students chanting "Go, China, Go!" and “Rebuild Sichuan!” taken in Nanning, Guangxi province, China.

China Mourns Earthquake Victims

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Tue, 20 May 2008 13:04:00 +0000

Exactly one week after a powerful earthquake struck Sichuan Province, China began a three-day national mourning for the tens of thousands of people killed on May 12. The national flag was flown at half mast across the country including Tian'anmen Square in downtown Beijing. All public amusements including movie theatres, nightclubs, and other such activities were suspended for three days from Monday. The Government ordered a nationwide display of respect for the dead.

The public stood in silence for three minutes at 2:28 pm on Monday 19 May, a week after the time the deadly quake hit, while air-raid sirens were sounded. And on Sunday, China Seismological Bureau Sunday revised the magnitude of the earthquake from 7.8 to 8.0 on the Richter scale.

The confirmed death toll from the disaster has risen to 40,075 and the toll would possibly rise to more than 50,000 as many, still buried in rubble, are feared dead. A further 247,645 were injured. A total of 60,026 have been rescued from earthquake debris and close to 4.85 million people relocated. During the days of mourning, the torch relay for the Beijing Olympic Games will be suspended to mourn the quake victims.

In Sichuan, the death toll in Deyang and Mianyang cities of Sichuan province hit 10,341 and 11,874 respectively. A further 4,156 in Chengdu, 2,586 in Guangyuan, 2,871 in Aba and 23 in Ya'an died. Outside Sichuan, the death toll was 364 in Gansu Province, 113 in Shaanxi Province, 16 in Chongqing Municipality, two in Henan Province, one in Yunnan Province, one in Hubei Province, and one in Hunan Province.

So far, 13.9 billion yuan (US$2.0 billion) has been received from donors at home and abroad for those affected by the earthquake. These include 12.5 billion yuan in cash and 1.4 billion yuan worth of relief materials. The Ministry of Civil Affairs, armed forces and Red Cross China had dispatched 278,462 tents, 783,984 quilts and 1.78 million cotton-padded clothes as well as food and drinking water. Those interested in donating money can check out the Red Cross Society of China.

In Nanning city, where I live, thousands of people gathered on Monday evening to light candles in Minzu (Nationality) Square. People also waved flags, sang the national anthem and chanted, “Go China Go!” and “Rebuild Sichuan!” as an encouragement to those affected by the earthquake. Here's some photos from the night.

Chinese Blues Musicians

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 09:33:00 +0000

Some local folk musicians playing in Chao Yang Park in Nanning. They were fun to watch as you will see from the following video. The younger man playing the Erhu (Chinese violin) is blind. Length: 39 seconds.

Traffic Policeman

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:30:00 +0000

Traffic Policeman, originally uploaded by Life in Nanning.

A Traffic Policeman directing traffic during the rush hour in Nanning, China. Car ownership is rising rapidly in China and although rush hour traffic is not like most large cities, is slowly getting worse.

China-ASEAN Expo 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 03:09:00 +0000

China-ASEAN Expo Centre

To boost bilateral economic and trade cooperation, China and ASEAN countries have held the annual China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning, capital of the southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region since 2004. The fourth The 4th China-ASEAN Expo was held from 28 to 31 October 2007 with a total of 3,400 booths. ASEAN companies used 1,128 booths (33%) and Chinese enterprises used 2,215 booths (65%.) We attended one day and managed to take a few photos.

Zhuang Minority Costume

The Expo closed with a total trade transaction of US$1.42 billion, up 12% compared with the previous year. Trade in mechanical equipment stood at US$650m, accounting for 45% of the total transaction volume, followed by trade in agricultural products of US$150m, building materials of US$140m, and electronic products of US$100m.

Exhibits from ASEAN countries focused on metals and minerals, motor vehicles and accessories, handicrafts, agricultural products and food, while Chinese exhibits center on construction machinery, food processing and package machinery, electric power equipment, spare parts and construction materials. It was estimated that 20,000 professional buyers attended the Expo.

Vietnamese company booth

The Expo and business summit, was also attended by Chinese Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Crown Prince of Brunei Al-Muhtadee Bolkiah, Prim Minister of Laos Bouasone Bouphavanh, and Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Tan Dung.

China and the 10 ASEAN countries are now each other's fourth largest trading partners. Trade volume is expected to reach US$190 billion in 2007 up from US$161 billion last year. China and ASEAN are speeding up the tariff reduction to facilitate the establishment of China-ASEAN free trade zone. China's average tariff on ASEAN countries' goods has fallen from 9.9% to 5.8% and will continue to drop to 2.4% by 2009. In 2010, which is the scheduled time for the establishment of the free trade zone, 93% of products from ASEAN countries will be tariff-free.

By 2010, China will establish free trade zone with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, while Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar will take another five more years to transition.

China Mobile Booth

Mid Autumn Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 12:10:00 +0000

When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon in July 1969, many Chinese had one question in their mind. Would the Americans see the lady living on the moon called Chang'e?

On the 15th day of the 8th lunar month each year, when the moon is at its fullest, the Chinese celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. Zhong Qiu Jie （中秋节）is the second biggest festival in China with only Chinese New Year more important. This year it falls on 25 September.

The Legend of Hou Yi and Chang'e

The festival centre's around the story of Hou Yi and his beautiful wife Chang'er. Legend has it took place over 3,000 years ago. There are many variations of the story but the generally goes something like this.

Hou Yi was a famous archer. Now at this time, there were 10 suns that took turns to circle the earth — one every 10 days. One day, all 10 of the suns circled together, causing the earth to begin to burn up. The Emperor of China, commanded Hou Yi to shoot down all but one of the suns. Upon the completion of his task, the Emperor rewarded Hou Yi with a pill that granted him immortality, and advised him: "Make no haste to swallow this pill; first prepare yourself with prayer and fasting for a year".

Hou Yi took the pill home and hid it under a rafter, while he began preparing his spirit. One day while Hou Yi was away, Chang'e, noticed a white beam of light beckoning from the rafters. On closer inspection she discovered the pill, which she then swallowed. Immediately, she found that she could fly. At that moment, Hou Yi returned home, and, realizing what had happened, began to reprimand her. Chang'e flew out the window and into the sky.

With bow in hand, Hou Yi sped after her, and the pursuit continued halfway across the heavens. Finally, Hou Yi had to return to the Earth because of the force of the wind. Chang'e reached the moon, and breathless, she coughed. Part of the pill fell out from her mouth. Chang'e now lives on the moon and she can be seen at her most beautiful, on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. So on the night of the festival, the Chinese like to go outside and look up at the moon to see if they can see Chang'e.

Mooncakes

During the Mid-Autumn festival the Chinese like to eat Mooncakes (yue bing 月饼) which are round like the moon. Typical mooncakes measure about 10 cm in diameter and are 4-5 cm thick. Traditionally the filling is made from lotus paste and is surrounded by a relatively thin (2-3 mm) crust and contains yolks from salted duck eggs. Nowadays, there are also many other varieties including meat, fruit and nuts. Mooncakes are rich, heavy, and dense compared with most Western cakes and pastries. They are usually eaten in small wedges accompanied by Chinese tea. Before the festival, there are many mooncakes for sale and they are often beautifully packaged.

Mooncake
Originally uploaded by Wang HL

Another story relating to the Mid-Autumn Festival commemorates an uprising in China against Mongol rulers of the Yuan Dynasty (1280 - 1368). As group gatherings were banned, it was impossible for the Chinese to make plans for a rebellion. Noting that the Mongols did not eat mooncakes, Liu Bowen, advisor to the Chinese rebel leader Zhu Yuanzhang, came up with the idea of timing the rebellion to coincide with the Mid-Autumn Festival.

He sought permission to distribute thousands of moon cakes to the Chinese residents in the city to bless the longevity of the Mongol emperor. Inside each cake, however, was inserted a piece of paper with the message regarding the timing of the rebellion on the 15th day of the Eighth Moon. On the night of the Festival, the rebels successfully attacked and overthrew the government. What followed was the establishment of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), under Zhu. Henceforth, the Mid-Autumn Festival was celebrated with moon cakes on a national level.

On the day of the Mid-Autumn Fetival we'll be flying to the UK for my brother's wedding. So where-ever you are, Happy Mid-Autumn Festival - 中秋快乐！

Nanning to Kuala Lumpur via Hanoi

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 05:58:00 +0000

Here’s some details of our trip from Nanning to Hanoi and then onto Kuala Lumpur (KL). We caught the bus from the bus station (jiu ke yun zhan) at 8:10am. The bus ticket was RMB135 each (US$18). The bus then proceeded to the Lang dong bus station where it picked up some more passengers before leaving there at 9:00am.

Guangxi village

We then travelled on the very nice new two lane expressway for a little over 3 hours to Yong guan on the Vietnam border. There was some very nice karst scenery along the way and some of the rice crops were being harvested while some the second planting of rice was also underway. We arrived at the border at 12:10pm and then hopped on a free electric cart which took us the short distance to the Chinese immigration building. This is a new and spacious building and the efficient Chinese immigration took us only 10 minutes.

It was then a 5 minute walk to the Vietnamese side of the border. Make sure you have a Vietnam Visa before heading to the border. Last year we met some English tourists who went all the way to the border without a visa only to be turned back to Nanning and wait the three days for their visa to be processed before returning to cross the border. The Vietnamese immigration building was old, small and packed with people. Outside, several Chinese tour groups were waiting for their passports to be processed. It seems Chinese tourism to Vietnam is growing rapidly but the Vietnamese haven’t managed to upgrade their immigration facilities yet to cope with the growing demand.

North Vietnam Countryside

After wading through all the people with our suitcases and filling out the forms, we had to join the crush at the immigration window. No queues here, just a mad free-for-all. After a wait, finally our passports were returned, and after paying a mysterious RMB1 (US$0.13) fee, we were able to head outside and hop onto our bus. It took us about 50 minutes to get through the Vietnamese immigration. Then we waited for all the others on our bus to make it through. This took ages and we had to wait another 30 minutes before the last people finally boarded our bus. The bus then drove about 100 meters where an immigration official hopped on the bus and rechecked all our passports. Vietnam is 1 hour behind China, so it wasn’t until 12:40pm (Vietnam time) that we finally started to make our way towards Hanoi.

We enjoyed more of the beautiful scenery along the way and there was also plenty of rice harvesting happening and also the planting of new crops. The road was initially a lane each way but was smooth and made for good travelling. Some differences we noticed were the large Catholic cathedrals in some small towns which you wouldn’t see in China. This dates back to the time of French influence in Vietnam. Another difference was seeing several cemeteries whereas in China cremation is now the norm.

Crossing the Red River, Hanoi, Vietnam

As we got closer to Hanoi, we left the mountains behind and moved onto plains. Vietnam seems a few years behind China in its level of development. After crossing the Red River, we arrived in Hanoi at the Red River Hotel at 4:00pm. We arranged for a taxi to the airport (call the Airport taxi on Ph: ) for VND140,000 (US$9) which took around 45 minutes. If you don’t use the Airport taxi, you will pay a lot more for the taxi to the airport. The meters in Hanoi taxis can’t be trusted as some have been altered and can go up at a rapid speed. However, the Airport taxi company charge a flat rate to the airport so you don’t have that problem.

We arrived at the airport with an hour to spare to check-in for our Airasia flight to KL (cost US$87 per person). We probably wouldn’t try doing the same thing again as if there were any delays along the way, it would be easy to miss your flight. Thankfully we made it. We discovered there is free Wi-fi internet access at the Lucky café on the fourth floor. Out flight departed at 8:00pm and arrived at KL airport after 12:00am so the flight took about 3 hours. Malaysia is one hour ahead of Vietnam (i.e. the same China) despite being further to the west of Vietnam (work that one out!?). After clearing immigration we caught a taxi to our Hotel in the city. The taxi cost MYR106 (US$31) as it is more expensive after midnight and took around an hour. Check-in and finally to bed at around 2:00am, only 18 hours after leaving Nanning. So that’s how we (2 people) travelled from Nanning all the way to KL for a total cost of US$250 (or US$125 per person).

Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Our Hotel in KL gave us nice views of the Petronas Twin Towers, one of the world's tallest buildings. This photo was taken from our Hotel window one day a sunset. The towers are 452m (1,483ft) tall with 88 stories and were built at a cost of US$1.2bn. It was in fact the tallest building in the world from April 1996 until October 2003 when the Taipei 101 building (508m) surpassed it. Several other buildings currently under construction are vying for the title of the world’s tallest building.

Thermometer & Hygrometer

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 01:00:00 +0000

We bought one of these yesterday at Wal-mart (yes, Nanning has a Wal-mart). The two meters show the temperature (larger) and humidity (smaller). So when this photo was taken it was 30C and about 72% humidity. It cost was 20.90 Chinese Yuan (RMB) which is equal to US$2.80. It has a diameter of 12.7 cm (5 in) and thickness of 2.9 cm (1.15 in) and is accurate to + or - 1 degree celcius between 5 and 35C.

So what do you use it for?

The packaging says its ideal for household decoration and to ensure the most desirable ambient temperature and humidity. Suitable for indoor use in the house, office, hotel, classroom or workshop etc. The green colour indicates the most comfortable temperature and humidity. One practical use is that if the humidity is over 90%, then its a good idea not to mop the floor. Otherwise it takes a long time to dry.

Makes China Make Sense - Video

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 01:50:00 +0000

Here's a hilarious video poking fun at George Bush while promoting the South China Morning Post - Hong Kong's most popular English newspaper. Length 1:56

I live in Nanning for 25 years - Video

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 22:34:00 +0000

This delightful old man came up to me keen to practice his English. Seems he used to be an English teacher which explains why he could speak some English when most people his age can't. The video is filmed in Chao Yang park, Nanning, capital of Guangxi province in southern China. Length 0:36

For Paul & Cathy

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 22:32:00 +0000

Love is ...
Originally uploaded by yerffej9

My brother, Paul, and his fiance, Cathy, will be having their civil ceremony today in the UK. They will be getting married in September. Paul & Cathy, here is a photo we found at flickr. We especially like the shadow cast by the ring. Very symbolic. We also like the verses in the background. Some of our favourites. We wish you both a long and happy marriage and best wishes for the ceremony today. We wish we could be there but are looking forward to seeing you in September. Love, M&B.

Vietnam Visa Details in Nanning

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 22:18:00 +0000

At the China-Vietnam Border

We went to the Vietnam Consulate this week to get a visa to travel to Vietnam. It is around 6 hours by bus from Nanning to Hanoi, Vietnam and from there we can use discount airlines to fly to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur (Aia Asia) or Singapore (Tiger Airways).

The address of the Vietnamese Consulate (越南领事馆 Yue nan ling shi guan) is 1F, 1st Floor, Investment Plaza (投资大厦), No. 109 Minzu Dadao (民族大道), Nanning, Guangxi, 530000 (Tel: +86-771-5510561 and Fax: +86-771-5534738). Office hours are 8:30am to 12:00pm and 2:30pm to 6:00pm, Monday to Friday. We applied on Tuesday morning and can pick up the visa on Friday afternoon so it takes 3 or 4 business days to process. Cost is RMB400 for a single entry visa and RMB600 for a double entry visa. I understand people from other ASEAN countries (e.g. Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand) don't need to get a visa first but simply get one at the border.

Here's some links for contact details for Foreign Consulates in Nanning:

Cambodia Consulate
Thailand Consulate
Vietnam Consulate

June Update

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 12:55:00 +0000

Painting from the Heart

We've just had a visit from Jeff and Lee Walker. Jeff's father, Graeme, taught M Maths at secondary school. M's mother also babysat Jeff in his younger days. Jeff and Lee are on a tour around Asia before heading to England to work for few years. We enjoyed their stay and were able to help them with a few things including teaching them a few basic Chinese phrases to help them get around a little easier. We put them on the train to Kunming last night with Dali, Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Chengdu, the Three Gorges, Terracotta Soldiers, the Great Wall and Beijing on their itinerary.

We've had a busy month with several visitors passing through our city. This has been good but, in the summer heat, it is also tiring. July will be quieter which is good as this is normally the hottest time of the year. We will have a break in Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand during August.

This week M had one of his end of semester tests for his Chinese class. He managed to scrape a pass even though many of the questions covered topics he hadn't even studied during the semester. He has another test next week and then his classes are finished for the semester.

Reflected Lines

What's Hot
China commemorates the 10th anniversary of the return of Hong Kong next week and replays of the handover and news about how Hong Kong is booming are popular themes on TV at present. Lychees are in season and we are enjoying lots of them at a cost of $1 a kilogram. In-line skating (or rollerblading) has become very popular among children here with evening classes popping up almost anywhere there is a large paved area. July is also hot - today's weather forecast - min 25C and max 31C with heavy rain. The average daily max in July is 33C.

Beautiful Guangxi - Video

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 16:32:00 +0000

Here's a great video showing the beauty of Guangxi province at its best. Length 17:00

Recent Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 12:53:00 +0000

Nanning News Links

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 12:52:00 +0000

Links for some recent news articles on Nanning:

European badminton players training in Nanning - 12 Jul 07
Disabled motivational speaker talks to 4,000 people in Nanning - 9 Jul 07
Philippines wins big at Nanning Dragon Boat Racing - 22 Jun 07
Nanning official says mayor of US sister city looks like Bill Clinton -21 Jun 07
Stuff the magic dragon – Traditional Chinese Food - Zong Zi – 15 Jun 07
China to build new high-speed railway between Guangzhou and Nanning – 14 Jun 07
The happiest cities to live in China - Nanning one of top three - 19 Mar 07
A tale of five cities – Beibu Gulf Economic Cooperation Zone – 5 Mar 07
International flights between Nanning and Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam begin – 3 Mar 07
Thailand opens consulate in Nanning – 8 Jan 07
Nanning turns to snake-based system to predict earthquakes - 28 Dec 06
Nanning has nothing but dining – 11 Dec 06
Girl amazes teachers with uncanny language ability – 7 Nov 06
China-ASEAN Expo opens in Nanning - 31 Oct 06

Funny Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 09:00:00 +0000

Guangxi News Links

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:50:00 +0000

Links for some recent news articles on Guangxi:

Drinking their fields dry – Problems with Tourism - 12 Jul 07
Farmers clash with police over dam project – 11 Jul 07
Bauxite reserves of 120m tons found in Guangxi - 9 Jul 07
'Wife shortage' to hit China by 2020 – 7 Jul 07
China Faces a New Worry: Heavy Metals in the Food – 2 Jul 07
Stuff the magic dragon – Traditional Chinese Food - Zong Zi – 15 Jun 07
China to build new high-speed railway between Guangzhou and Nanning – 14 Jun 07
Floods kill 13, affect 2m in SW China region - 11 Jun 07
Calm returns after protests in Guangxi - 31 May 07
Illegal gambling spot in Guangxi - 29 May 07
Trial of Longtan hydropower plant successful – China’s third largest - 28 May 07
Birth Control Crackdown Sparks Riots In Rural China – 23 May 07
Trail-blazing deal with Vietnam – China to help build highways - 7 Apr 07
A tale of five cities – Beibu Gulf Economic Cooperation Zone – 5 Mar 07
China-Vietnam border trade surges 45% - 28 Feb 07
Spring tea ready for harvest - 26 Feb 07
Oil-refining project approved for Guangxi - 16 Feb 07
Chinese religious believers 3 times previous estimate - 7 Feb 07
Guangxi hopes to become growth engine - 19 Jan 07
Production of Guangxi Yuchai diesel engines - world first – 9 Jan 07
China-Vietnam economic partnership boosted - 17 Nov 06
China-ASEAN Expo ends with US$1.3b trade volume – 3 Nov 06
China-ASEAN vow to expand links - 31 Oct 06
Guangxi posts double-digit economic growth - 31 Oct 06
China-ASEAN determined to establish FTA by 2010 - 31 Oct 06
China-ASEAN trade to reach US$200billion by 2008 - 30 Oct 06

Chinese Surnames

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 12:41:00 +0000

Wang (王) is China's most common surname with 92.9m people. The second most popular name is Li (李) with 92.1m followed by Zhang (张) with 87.5. Other names in the top 10 are Liu (刘), Chen (陈), Yang (杨), Huang (黄), Zhao (赵), Wu (吴) and Zhou (周). The 100 most common surnames account for 85% of all Chinese people. Maybe that's why in Chinese, the ordinary or common people are referred to as "old one hundred surnames" (老百姓).

Like Blind Men Feeling an Elephant

noreply@blogger.com (Life in Nanning) — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 12:39:00 +0000

When I grow up...
Originally uploaded by pradeep jeganathan

Chinese Idiom: 盲人摸象 (mang ren mo xiang)
Four blind men wanted to find out what an elephant was like. Being unable to see, they had to feel the elephant with their hands. The first blind man, after touching a tusk, said, "An elephant is like a long, thick carrot." The second man ran his hands over an ear and concluded, "it is like a dust pan." The third man, who felt one of the animal's legs exclaimed, "An elephant is like a column!" The last man, after feeling the elephant's tail, shouted, "It is just like a piece of rope." So the four men argued, but none of them could tell exactly what an elephant was like.

This idiom is used to describe people who take one part to be true for the whole.