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Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Thirty Yangjiang Scenes

I arrived in Yangjiang (阳江), Guangdong province, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) westward from Zhuhai and Macau along Guandong's coast, with little knowledge about it (map). Some of the upcoming posts will focus on what I found and learned in a fascinating city.

This post includes a set of scenes from the most developed area of Jiangcheng District (江城区). If you take an intercity bus to "Yangjiang" this is likely where you'll end up. The photos were all taken within an approximately 10 square kilometer (4 square mile) area, and I walked to all of the locations. Along with showing some slivers of everyday life, they highlight the area's variety of environments and modes of transportation. It's not difficult to go from a wide road for new apartment complexes to a narrow alley winding by old traditional-style homes.

Many scenes would likely be labeled as mundane by Yangjiangers, and that's fine. The aim is not to provide material for a promotional video like Dongguan's but instead to provide a more down-to-earth look at Yangjiang and some context for later posts.

section of older traditional style homes with other newer apartment buildings in Yangjiang, China

woman and little girl looking at a motorbike in an alley in Yangjiang, China

three young men riding a motorbike in Yangjiang, China

man riding down a street with many plants in Yangjiang, China

woman driving a motorized tricycle cart in Yangjiang, China

buildings overhanging a sidewalk with motorbikes and bags for sale in Yangjiang, China

bridge over the Moyang River in Yangjiang, China

house boats on the Moyang River in in Yangjiang, China

dirty narrow river in Yangjiang, China

narrow paved road through a field in Yangjiang, China

elementary school girls walking down a narrow pedestrian alley in Yangjiang, China

two men on a motorbike in Yangjiang, China

woman carrying a tray on a street in Yangjiang, China

Yuanyang Lake West Road in Yangjiang, China

man on motorbike on bridge over Yuanyang Lake in Yangjiang, China

city scene in in Yangjiang, China

motorbikes at an intersection with a large yellow building in Yangjiang, China

motorbikes and cars crossing an intersection in Yangjiang, China

intersection with wide streets in Yangjiang, China

newer apartment complexes in Yangjiang, China

new apartment complexes being built behind an empty lot in Yangjiang, China

older traditional style homes in Yangjiang, China

woman pulling a wheel barrow in Yangjiang, China

boy playing with a badminton racket in Yangjiang, China

young woman on a motorbike riding by small stores in Yangjiang, China

older man riding a bicycle past a building with images of fashionably dressed young women in Yangjiang, China

street with adidas store in Yangjiang, China

riverside walkway in Yangjiang, China

man looking across the river in Yangjiang, China

motorbikes, a car, and pedestrians in an evening road scene in Yangjiang, China

Monday, March 3, 2014

A Brief Return To Zhuhai and a Longer Return to Mainland China

After arriving in Hong Kong over a month ago, I took advantage of an opportunity to learn more about the city and its people. More than two weeks ago, I departed, and after a hour-plus ferry ride I arrived in Zhuhai, Guangdong province. I continued to blog about Hong Kong since there was still much I wanted to share.

I noticed a few changes in Zhuhai since my previous visit last year, such as my favorite place for Wuhan-style noodles tripling in size ...

restaurant with "Sichuan" in its name
The restaurant's name includes "Sichuan" and the name of a another dish, but they still have a decent Wuhan regan mian.

... and the addition of countdown timers for pedestrian crossing signals at an intersection where I previously encountered much noise and dust.

people crossing an intersection with a timer in Zhuhai
No gravel blowers were in sight this time.

I also returned to one of my favorite places for a late night meal, where the owner continued to display his penchant for mumbling about my taste in beer. My stay in Zhuhai was brief, so I didn't have the opportunity to treat him to one of the craft beers for sale there.

But I didn't come to Zhuhai for beer, and the locally produced Haizhu beer I drank elsewhere was enjoyable in its own way.

an opened bottle of Haizhu beer sitting on an outdoor table in Zhuhai
The logo is based on a famous statue in Zhuhai.

While more about Hong Kong will likely appear, I don't expect to say much more about Zhuhai, featured in numerous past blog posts. I already left there to visit several Chinese cities which are new to me and unknown to most people outside of China. The journey provides an opportunity to return to several old themes and start some new ones.

Much more soon ...

Food vendor resting in Zhuhai near an advertisement for McDonald's
Food vendor taking a rest in Zhuhai

A Hong Kong Sunset at the Cyberport Waterfront Park

people looking at the sea and a biker riding by as the sun sets at the Cyberport Waterfront Park in Hong Kong

Different Styles in Hong Kong

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Zhuhai Gets a Little Crafty

Hong Kong was not the only place I have had a positive beer-related experience in Southeast China. One day late last year in in nearby Zhuhai, Guangdong province, I went to a Carrefour, a French hypermarket chain, and saw this in the imported foods section:

wide variety of foreign beers at a Carrefour in Zhuhai, China

Although Zhuhai has an October Beer Street Festival, finding American craft beers from brewers such as North Coast Brewing, Rogue Ales, and Saranac was shocking and a stark difference from anything else I had seen in Zhuhai or any other comparable Chinese city.

I wasn't planning to remain in Zhuhai much longer, so I didn't want to buy too much from the imported foods section. But that didn't stop me from leaving Carrefour with a few select difficult-to-find-in-Zhuhai essentials.

Red Seal Ale, Saranac White IPA, Nature Valley granola bars, 80% dark chocolate, and a bottle of carbonated San Benedetto water in a basket


The beer was room temperature, but the staff at my hotel agreed to chill the bottles after they took photos of them. Later that night, I enjoyed a cold Saranac White IPA at a favorite late-night outdoor eating establishment.

a bottle of Saranac White IPA next to a plate with grilled fish and vegetables on an outdoor table

It proved to be an excellent mix. Saranac, a beer friends tell me is difficult to find in parts of the U.S., never tasted so good. One side effect, though, was that it left an unintended impression on the owner/cook. To this day he disapprovingly mutters to himself about me thinking American beers are better than Chinese beers if I don't order a Tsingtao beer from him, even though I never again brought my own beer.

Maybe next time I will treat him to a Saranac so he can decide for himself. It might even inspire him to start selling it and save me from making a trip to Carrefour*.



*It would be another surprise, but one can dream.

Friday, February 28, 2014

They Can't Kill Us All: An Attack on an Editor in Hong Kong

In an earlier post about people voicing their desire for democracy at a Hong Kong Lunar New Year fair I wrote "But many Hongkongers are not content with the additional freedoms they enjoy, some of which are deteriorating or are threatened." The last part of the sentence linked to an article about journalists marching "through Hong Kong to oppose to what they say is the 'rapid deterioration' of freedom of speech."

Around the same time I was writing the post, there was darker news:
The former chief editor of a Hong Kong newspaper whose dismissal in January stirred protests about press freedom in the Chinese territory was slashed Wednesday morning, the police said.

Kevin Lau Chun-to, the former chief editor of Ming Pao, was slashed three times by an attacker who fled with an accomplice on a motorbike, said Simon Kwan King-pan, the chief inspector of the Hong Kong police. The attack happened shortly after 10 a.m. as Mr. Lau was walking from his car in the Sai Wan Ho neighborhood. Mr. Lau was listed in critical condition at a local hospital with a wound in his back and two in his legs, and doctors said he faced a long recovery.
Although the attackers remain unidentified, many in Hong Kong believe the target of the attack was not a coincidence. Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reported:
Two police sources said the nature of the attack on Lau left little doubt that it was designed as a warning.

One said: "If they had wanted to kill him, they would have." The other added: "It was a classic triad hit. They went for the back and legs to warn him."
Despite concerns the attackers will not be brought to justice, "Hong Kong journalists have vowed not to be intimidated". Journalism educator Yuen Chan documented some of the response from students at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Chinese University of Hong Kong students holding sign reading "They cant kill us all"



The attack has received attention in Hong Kong, abroad, and to a degree in parts of mainland China, but it's a different story in Hong Kong's neighbor, Guangdong province:
News of the violent attack on former Ming Pao chief editor Kevin Lau Chun-to was conspicuously absent from Guangdong media yesterday because of a gagging order from the party censor, according to several editors.
Lau's condition has stabilized, and hopefully he makes a full recovery. But whether or not police identify the attackers and determine their motive, the vicious assault on Kevin Lau Chun-to has brought yet more uncertainty to Hong Kong.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Hong Kong Gets Crafty

After reaching the bottom of Hong Kong's convenient Central–Mid-Levels escalator and walkway system one day, I saw a man holding a sign.

man wearing HK Brewcraft shirt holding sign reading "Home Brew Supplies"

I froze. Although Shanghai and Beijing have seen their craft beer scenes notably improve in recent years with places such as the Boxing Cat Brewery, Hong Kong had seemingly been left behind. This man gave me hope things had changed.

The man confirmed that HK Brewcraft sold craft beer in additional to brewing supplies and said the store was nearby. Having walked around the area on a number of occasions, I was surprised I could have missed it before. It turns out it is not so easy to notice--one of the reasons he was standing there with a sign. So he kindly escorted me to the street underneath the lowest level of the escalators.

lowest level of the Central--Mid-Levels escalators


And we entered a building.

entrance to the building housing HK Brewcraft


After walking up one floor of stairs to an elevator (the elevator does not reach the ground floor) and taking it to the fourth floor, I met his son and store founder Christopher Wong.

owner of HK Brewcraft


His Washington Huskies shirt gave me hope our tastes would share some common ground. I took a look at their area for classes.

class area at HK Brewcraft


I also perused their selection of craft beers from around the world.

beers for sale at HK Brewcraft


After enjoying a couple of tasty, hoppy beers I had never tried before, they recommended I visit a not-so-far-away bar to try a locally brewed beer. So I headed back up the escalators and found The Roundhouse - Taproom. Once there, I basked in the sight of their 25 craft beers on tap.

taps at The Roundhouse - Taproom


But I had come there for something specific, a beer from a new brewer in Hong Kong--Young Master Ales.

taps for Young Master beer at The Roundhouse -Taproom

I chose their Island 1842 Imperial IPA and was not disappointed. Good hoppy stuff.

HK Brewcraft, The Roundhouse - Taproom, and Young Master Ales are all relatively new to the Hong Kong scene, and together with some others they mark a significant change that will make my stays in Hong Kong all the more pleasurable. I could opine further, but for more see a recent article on Time Out Hong Kong about "The Rise of Hong Kong's Brewing Scene". Apparently I'm not the only one enjoying the change.

I'm glad I saw Mr. Wong holding that sign.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Voices for Change and Democracy at a Hong Kong Fair

Booths selling flowers, food, stuffed toys, creatively designed bags, spices, and other items filled Hong Kong's Lunar New Year Fairs last month. The fairs I visited shared some similarities with one I visited 3 years ago in nearby Guangzhou. But one category of booths at Hong Kong's Victoria Park left no doubt that I could not be in mainland China.

At many of these booths, people used microphones to loudly express themselves and attract attention.

woman speaking into microphone

young woman speaking into two microphones


And volunteers handed out informational literature.

older man handing out flyers


The booths' messages varied in some respects and the people running them ranged from student groups to political parties, but they held in common a belief that a select few unfairly controlled too much power and money in Hong Kong and that democracy could greatly benefit the Hong Kong people. With details for planned elections in 2017 soon to be announced, several weeks earlier people marched in support of full democracy for selecting Hong Kong's leader.

The booths sold items expressing messages in different manners and with varying degrees of explicitness. One notable item was toilet paper with current Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's face printed on it.

Woman displaying toilet paper with Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's face


The alpaca-like grass-mud horse--a symbol of protest against censorship in mainland China--was a popular offering, even at booths which overall did not appear political in nature.

stuffed toy alpacas (grass-mud horse)


Shirts with a variety of designs were also available.

college students hold shirts with a variety of messages including "From the Masses" and "Drive HIm Away Reclaim Our Gov"

shirt with words "People Power" and image of a raised fist

people in front of hanging shirts

shirts with "Democracy" and "We Cant Lose Hope For Democracy"


For example, a large "Z" in one design represented the idea that people needed to "wake up" if they wanted democracy to take hold in Hong Kong.

three college students holding bags with a large letter "Z"


One university student explained that the less explicit designs took into consideration the discomfort some in Hong Kong feel expressing themselves directly on such issues. On a related note, as I stood talking to one group of students, I observed a number of older passersby discreetly slipping money into donation boxes without saying a word, stopping, or making direct eye contact. The students made no effort to interact with these people, and there was no sign any acknowledgement was expected.

clear donation box with money inside and labels reading "We Are All Equal"


All of the organizations lead broader efforts, and they don't expect it will be easy. A few people told me they expect a substantial struggle will be required.

shirt with faces of famous global activists and the words "Civil Disobedience"



Much of what was occurring at these booths would not have been allowed at the Lunar New Year fair I saw in Guangzhou due to greater restrictions on expression, especially when organized, in mainland China. For me, the contrast was unmistakable. But many Hongkongers are not content with the additional freedoms they enjoy, some of which are deteriorating or are threatened. The 2017 election presents a dilemma for China's Communist Party: "shackling the territory’s democracy could pose as much risk to Beijing as agreeing to a truly free vote". It's not just about Hong Kong. People elsewhere are watching as well.

The people I met at Victoria Park face imposing obstacles. It's not clear whether they'll be able to rally the type of support and action that may be required to achieve their goals, if possible at all. It would be easy to bet against them.

But even though they may be unsure of what the future holds, they aren't saying, "I don't know a way to make it happen." They have hope, and they are trying.