Two More Drained Lakes in Hengyang, Hunan

Within walking distance of the drained lake in Hengyang which once had several sunken pedal boats (and may again in the near future) are two other lakes, both artificial, which were also missing much of their water when I recently passed by.

One day at Yueping Park, workers weren't hard to spot at partially-drained Yunshui Lake.

I also saw Lotus Lake at Lianhu Square had been drained.

Once again, people were at work.

And there was even a stranded pedal boat.

I don't know the boat's condition before the lake was drained, but its location is curious.

Together, the three lakes represent some of the infrastructure work ongoing in Hengyang. More of that work, but not involving any lakes, later . . .

Rest in Guangzhou

Liwan Lake Park (荔湾湖公园)

More Rest in Foshan

Lianhua Square

Reflection, Sweetness, and Rest in Foshan

Charming Bridge (韵桥) at Liang Garden (梁园)

Durian and black glutinous rice with frozen coconut milk (榴莲忘返)

Zhongshan Park

And to those who will be celebrating a new year, Shanah Tovah.

Children Out to Dance in the Bengbu Night

I have been thinking a lot about Liu Xiaobo, the possibility VPNs will soon become much more difficult to use in China, and China's expanding censorship. For now, something on a lighter and cheerier note . . .

People dancing in groups at parks is a common sight in much of China. Most of the time it doesn't involve children dancing in the dark though. So below are a few photos taken after 9 p.m. this past Wednesday and Thursday at Datang Park (大塘公园) in Bengbu. During my brief time watching, the children appeared to be dutifully following the dancing program, though at least once a few separated out to do their own thing.

Diecai Hill in Guilin: Signs, Sliding, Critters, Caves, Refreshments, and Views

One of the popular locations for enjoying the view and taking some photos at Diecai Hill

For some tourists, Guilin is just a city to fly into so they can reach less developed regions nearby with incredible natural scenery. However, urban scenes surrounding karst topography make central Guilin very special in its own way and are a reason not to skip out on spending some time there. Solitary Beauty Peak is often claimed to be the #1 peak for a great view. The ranking presumably plays a roll in its high ticket price of 120 yuan (about U.S. $17.70), which also includes the adjacent Jingjiang Prince City. But nearby Diecai Hill (叠彩山) is one of my personal top choices. Not only does it have more to explore and offer a greater variety of views, but at 32 yuan (about U.S. $4.70) it costs quite a bit less.

Before sharing some of the excellent views available from the tallest two peaks at Diecai Hill, I will highlight a few other aspects of the park I noticed during a late afternoon visit not long ago.


Signs

One sign at an entrance reminds people, if they bother to read it, that drunk visitors are not welcome. So save indulging in the local sweet osmanthus wine and Sanhua baijiu for another time.

Of course, all of the signs in the park use Chinese. English typically appears as well. Indicative of Guilin's status as a tourist destination, other languages sometime appear as well. Some of the directional signs went with an impressive five languages — Chinese, English, Korean, Japanese, and German.

Falling rocks are apparently a problem in the park. In some sections, signs point towards an area of safety.

In other places, there is no haven nearby, so instead the recommendation is to keep on moving.

Heeding this advice, some people may be tempted to stride. They will be discouraged from that too.

Although this translation is somewhat common in China, the message is probably lost on many who can only read the English. Basically, this is a "don't cross over" sign, which makes sense giving the steep drop on the other side.

Sometimes there aren't even rails blocking one from a disastrous fall. In this case, there may be a sign with a message clear in both Chinese and English, though the potential danger is hard to miss regardless.

Those thinking about a touhua or two on the hill will be disappointed. There is a sign warning against it.

For those thinking "what is touhua?", this is another sign with translation issues. Presumably "touhua" is the result of a translator giving up and going with the pinyin version of the Chinese — not particularly useful for English readers. In this case the sign discourages people from trying to ride a slide for free, presumably by climbing up from the bottom. "The consequence of the consequences“ sounds deep, but I would probably go with something in the spirit of "break the rule at your own risk".


The Good Luck Slide

The touhua sign is near the bottom of the the Good Luck Slide (also called the Good Luck Chute depending on the sign), which offers a quick way to descend Bright Moon Peak, one of the two highest points in the park.

The view from slide is blocked, which would seem to take away much of the enjoyment of sliding down a hill with much greenery and other sights.

Near the top of Bright Moon Peak is the entrance to the Good Luck Slide.

I didn't take it for three reasons. One, as mentioned before, the side views are blocked. Two, there are two routes to walk down. I had walked up one of them and wanted to try the other going down. Three, the slide costs 20 yuan per person, which seemed a bit overpriced. But there's a possible away around that. On this day as the slide was being closed around 6 p.m., several people were able to score rides for just 10 yuan each. After tying on a sliding apron and putting on some slide gloves, they headed down. I never saw them again.


Critters

I don't have any photos of mosquitos, but I left with plenty of signs of their presence. They were most a problem when I stopped at the edge of a wooded area. And really, I shouldn't have stopped there because of the whole falling rocks thing. Anyway, some mosquito repellent worked well at stopping the onslaught.

The one insect I photographed doesn't suck people's blood as far as I know, which is a good thing — although I am biased in this regard.

Cool bug.


Two Caves

Windy Cave (风洞) offers a path to reach the top of Bright Moon Peak.

Inside the entrance of the cave on the other side, one can pay their respects to Budai.

Crane Cave (仙鹤洞) fittingly cuts through Crane Peak — the other high point in the park. Although it is not possible to exit the one side (at least I wouldn't advise it), the view is worth a look.

Refreshments

After reaching the top of Bright Moon Peak one can take a break at a refreshment stand with seating options nearby.

Very exciting.

OK, more than signs, slides, bugs, caves, and refreshments, the main draw to Diecai Hill are the views so . . .


View from Bright Moon Peak

Bright Moon Peak doesn't disappoint and offers a view of Crane Peak — the closest peak in the next photo, just left of center.

Crane Peak is on the far left side of the next photo. The arching bridge and pagoda at ground level are attractions at Mulong Lake. That will set you back 70 yuan to visit. Or you can just enjoy the view of them from here.

The next few photos capture the view moving further around in a clockwise direction.

Hills at Seven Stars Park in the background and Fubo Hill closer on the right ride

Fubo Hill on the far left and Solitary Beauty Peak on the right

The view from Crane Peak

Crane Peak is worth a hike as well. From there you can look back at Bright Moon Peak.

There is also much else to point out.

Below are a set of three photos capturing views moving around in a clockwise direction.

And finally, Crane Peak has only one path and no slide. But the way down offers a view perfect for ending a visit to the park.

Dancing at Hebin Park in Guiyang

This afternoon at Hebin Park in Guiyang, Guizhou, I recorded a man expressively dancing to music. A small crowd had gathered and several others captured the performance as well. After the music ended, the man approached me and initiated a conversation in English. He told me he hoped I could share the video with my friends. He has traveled to Europe before but never the U.S. He was curious to know whether Americans would appreciate him dancing in a park there.

The video not only captured the dancing but some of the audience — including one small child who briefly tried dancing too — and passersby. As an added bonus, it concludes with a child eating an ice cream bar.

Xiangqi at the Lin Zexu Memorial Park in Guangzhou

A game of xiangqi almost over . . .

A new game of xiangqi just begun . . .

Not-So-Hidden Dragon

At Zhongshan Park in Shenyang, Liaoning Province

No Facekinis on a Cloudy Day at a Zhuhai Beach

Most of the time I see photos of China's beaches in the news, they either feature incredibly dense crowds or people wearing facekinis. So here are two photos from a small beach across the road from Haibin Park in Zhuhai which show an everyday side which may look a bit more familiar to people outside of China.

The beach's location makes it convenient for a quick stop between other popular activities. The beach affords views of Zhuhai's iconic Fisher Girl Statue (in the background of the first photo) and an urban area of the Xiangzhou district (in the background of the second photo). And Jingshan Park, previously featured here, is an easy walk away.

On this day some people likely welcomed the overcast sky since they would not need to worry about getting a tan. No facekinis, which raise more questions about burkini bans in France, were needed.