Monday, November 20, 2017
Sunday, November 19, 2017
Perspective on a Old Tower in Wuhan
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
10:43 PM
In 1291 somebody climbed many steep, narrow, and irregular stone steps to reach the highest level of the Hongshan Pagoda in Wuhan, China. More than 700 years later somebody else did the same.
But only one of us is still alive today.
* * *
Now that I've confirmed my continued existence, at least up until the time I post this, I will add that, yes, I am now in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province. There is an immense backlog of posts I have been wanting to write, but I have been heavily preoccupied with the exploration / collection side of things lately. Also, the amount of change I have seen in Wuhan, Changsha, and elsewhere has left me wanting to digest things more fully.
So on that note, here is a photo of the Hongshan Pagoda taken by Frederick G. Clapp sometime between 1913-1915:
And here is a recent view from the tower including the Baotong Temple:
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Sunday, November 12, 2017
Thursday, November 9, 2017
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
Still There in Changsha: Yanjiatang Lane
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
11:59 PM
Shortly after I took the above photo, a man approached me and asked what I was photographing. I answered, "This road!"
Feeling he might still have concerns about my intentions, I added "It feels comfortable."
He smiled, and that was that.
Yanjiatang Lane (晏家塘巷) was one of the areas that I wouldn't have been surprised to have found greatly transformed during this most recent return to Changsha, but most seemed basically the same as I remembered. However, there were signs, specifically the red circled "征" character I have seen previously in other soon-to-be-demolished neighborhoods in Changsha, that this will be the last time I see the lane as I did today.
Another time, I will share scenes from the street with the same name from which this lane directly extends and other nearby streets where the demolishing is already far more advanced. For today, below are some more scenes from comfortable Yanjiatang Lane.
Monday, November 6, 2017
Friday, November 3, 2017
Looking Down at an Intersection Near the Changsha Railway Station
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
11:00 PM
Today I spent some time observing street traffic in Changsha. So instead of anything Halloween-related below are some photos taken from a pedestrian bridge spanning an intersection just north of the Changsha Railway Station.
In addition to roads, I also observed some of the traffic on sidewalks.
That's all the traffic here for today.*
*Hmm, this could be an unintended pun.
Chezhan North Road (车站北路) |
Bayi Road (八一路) |
Facing Chezhan North Road |
Vehicles entering Yuanda 1st Road (远大一路), most from Chezhan Middle Road (车站中路) |
Vehicles and a pedestrian headed toward Yuanda 1st Road |
In addition to roads, I also observed some of the traffic on sidewalks.
Along Chezhan Middle Road. |
That's all the traffic here for today.*
*Hmm, this could be an unintended pun.
Thursday, November 2, 2017
Another View of the Juzizhou Bridge in Changsha
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
11:58 PM
A followup to yesterday's Halloween-themed post is taking longer than expected and won't be finished today. So I will do a different (and simpler) followup.
Recently I shared photos of Changsha's Juzizhou Bridge viewed from the east side of the Xiang River north of the bridge as the sun lowered in the sky. For a variation, here is a photo taken from the west side of the Xiang River south of the bridge as the sun was close to going behind Yuelu Mountain, which is out of view.
Of note are the two men fishing on the left side of the photo, the numerous buses on the bridge, and the taller buildings on the right side, three of which stand out more flashily in a photo I took at night four years ago from the same side of the river north of the bridge. Similar to the previous photo, the trees in the far distance are all on Tangerine Island in the middle of the river. The scene is less orangish than the previous photo probably due to facing away from the sun and a clearer sky, though the air quality was still bad — hovering around the border between the Unhealthy and Very Unhealthy categories for just a 24-hour exposure. The full size of the uploaded photo is slightly larger than usual and should be viewable by clicking (or whatever it is you do) on the photo above.
Recently I shared photos of Changsha's Juzizhou Bridge viewed from the east side of the Xiang River north of the bridge as the sun lowered in the sky. For a variation, here is a photo taken from the west side of the Xiang River south of the bridge as the sun was close to going behind Yuelu Mountain, which is out of view.
Of note are the two men fishing on the left side of the photo, the numerous buses on the bridge, and the taller buildings on the right side, three of which stand out more flashily in a photo I took at night four years ago from the same side of the river north of the bridge. Similar to the previous photo, the trees in the far distance are all on Tangerine Island in the middle of the river. The scene is less orangish than the previous photo probably due to facing away from the sun and a clearer sky, though the air quality was still bad — hovering around the border between the Unhealthy and Very Unhealthy categories for just a 24-hour exposure. The full size of the uploaded photo is slightly larger than usual and should be viewable by clicking (or whatever it is you do) on the photo above.
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Halloween Night in Changsha, China
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
10:08 PM
Five years ago I shared photos from Changsha, Hunan, indicating Halloween's growing popularity in China, and two years ago I shared a similar set of photos from Shaoguan in Guangdong province.
This year I was in Changsha yet again for the holiday. Later I will post more about the business/marketing side of Halloween. But first, below are some Halloween night photos from an area covering Hualongchi to Taiping Street which has several pedestrian streets and many shopping centers, restaurants, and bars. The photos range from children in costumes to people selling Halloween-related items to a dance club's spruced-up entrance. The last photo reflects that most people who were out weren't dressed up for Halloween. It didn't necessarily stop them from having a good time though.
This year I was in Changsha yet again for the holiday. Later I will post more about the business/marketing side of Halloween. But first, below are some Halloween night photos from an area covering Hualongchi to Taiping Street which has several pedestrian streets and many shopping centers, restaurants, and bars. The photos range from children in costumes to people selling Halloween-related items to a dance club's spruced-up entrance. The last photo reflects that most people who were out weren't dressed up for Halloween. It didn't necessarily stop them from having a good time though.
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Two More Drained Lakes in Hengyang, Hunan
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
9:09 PM
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 . . .
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 . . .
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