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Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Elevating an Escalator at a Construction Site in Ganzhou

Two nights ago I posted a photo of one of the trucks delivering escalators to a shopping mall construction site in Ganzhou. I thought it would be interesting to see an escalator make the journey off the trucks. But nothing seemed about to soon happen, so I continued onward somewhat disappointed.

Unexpectedly late last night, though, I happened to pass at just the right time and struck gold.

escalator hovering above a truck which delivered it to a construction site


crane lowering an escalator at a shopping mall construction site in Ganzhou


Never got to see that before. Maybe someday I can get into a construction site to watch the rest.


Monday, September 3, 2018

Kindergarten in Shenzhen, China, Welcomes Students With a Pole Dancing Show

Advertisements for jobs and classes at a pole dancing school in Zhongshan
Advertisements for jobs and classes at a pole dancing school in Zhongshan, Guangdong (October 2017)


Six years ago I met a college student working part-time handing out printed advertisements for a pole dancing school in Changsha, China. Later, I met another student doing the same. After asking a few questions about the school, she invited me to take a look myself. Soon I was having an enlightening conversation with a manager during my first visit to a pole dancing school.

Since then, in a number of other cities in China I have come across signs of more pole dancing schools, and the activity's popularity has grown as a way to stay physically fit while enjoying oneself. Although pole dancing occurs in some locations, such as nightclubs, where it can more typically be found in the U.S., there are differences between the two countries in how it is perceived.

Still, when I first saw a remarkable tweet today from Michael Standaert, a freelance journalist based in Shenzhen, indicating his children's kindergarten had put on a pole dancing show for the young students on their first day of school, I wondered if it was some sort of joke.

He wasn't joking.

Below are most of Standaert's tweets on the topic, including videos of children watching pole dancing performances and some of his replies to others' comments. The tweets are from multiple threads and presented in the order they were tweeted. Read to the end to learn the school's decisive response.

It looks like opening day will be a bit different next year.














Late Night Escalator Delivery in Ganzhou

truck carrying an escalator in Ganzhou
At the Nanmenkou (南门口) Bubugao (步步高) shopping center construction site in Ganzhou

Friday, August 31, 2018

A Boat, a River, and a Mountain in Ganzhou

In an earlier post about a rainbow I saw in Ganzhou, I wrote that I had hoped to photograph the rainbow at a more picturesque location at a river with a mountain in the background. The rainbow dissipated too quickly for that to happen though. So below is a photo from the location I had in mind. I have shared other photos from the Zhang River (章江) before, but this is from the other side and a long walk upstream from the other locations.

When I first arrived at this area, I wondered why the river appeared to be much narrower than at other nearby locations. I soon discovered that I wasn't looking at the other side of the river but at a long island in the middle. None of the maps I have looked at, either online or posted by the riverside, indicate a name for the island. In any case, the scene was a change of pace from the rapidly developing new urban area in Ganzhou I had just been walking through.

small boat on the Zhang River (章江) in Ganzhou

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Burning Down The House: Scenes from the Hungry Ghost Festival in Ganzhou, China

Near Jianchun Gate (建春门) in Ganzhou


Last Thursday next to the ancient city wall alongside the Gong River (贡水) in Ganzhou, Jiangxi, I noticed a number of people burning ghost money — imitation paper currency.

people burning ghost money in Ganzhou

people burning ghost money near the Donghe Bridge in Ganzhou
Near Donghe Bridge (东河大桥)


Thursday was the first of three days in Ganzhou when people conducted rituals for Saturday's Hungry Ghost Festival (中元节), also known in English as the Ghost Festival, the Yulan Festival, and Zhongyuan Jie. The holiday is similar to the Qingming Festival in terms of burning paper replicas to send items to people in the afterlife. The National Library of Singapore has a useful overview of the holiday in general while also pointing out some details specific to Singapore and other countries while also covering some differences between Taoist and Buddhist beliefs regarding the holiday. Baidu Baike has an article (Chinese) detailing some of the specific practices in various parts of China.

On Saturday, while walking down Xijiao Road (西郊路) I noticed a lot of smoke in the distance. And that is how I stumbled upon one of the multiple sites the local government had established for the burning rituals.


city government approved site for burning offerings during the Hungry Ghost Festival in Ganzhou


people making offerings for the Hungry Ghost Festival in Ganzhou


The video below captures more of the living reaching out to spirits there.



At a location next to the old city wall bordering the Zhang River (章水), I came across another sanctioned site — this one more scenic.

people making offerings for the Hungry Ghost Festival near Xijin gate in Ganzhou
Near Xijin Gate (西津门)


While there, I saw some people preparing to send a house, car, and other items to the spirit world.

paper house and car replicas for burning


Soon flames began engulfing the house.

paper house burning for the Hungry Ghost Festival


The video below captures later stages of the house's journey and also some of the other offerings occurring in the near vicinity.



One advantage Saturday provided was a rare break from the recent hot weather. One disadvantage Saturday provided was occasional strong winds. The video below was taken later at the same area and captures how ghost money was flying about, sometimes while burning, at times. I didn't see anybody get hurt, but it was definitely worth staying alert.



During the earlier evening I came across another approved site, this one at an area where buildings had been demolished between Xijin Road (西津路) and Xingan South Road (新赣南路).

vacant lot where buildings had been demolished being used for religious offerings


I also saw offerings being made or signs of recent offerings on a smaller scale at a number of locations which didn't appear to have been designated by the city. All of the government approved sites I came across had government employees, easily identifiable with their red hats, keeping an eye on things. The site near Xijin Gate also had a few chengguan, urban management officers, around. There were frequent sounds of firecrackers around the city, but I only heard a single one go off at the approved sites. Apparently since it was isolated explosion — unusual —a chengguan who clearly wasn't happy about it didn't intervene beyond sharing a stern word.

In my personal experience, I have never before seen so many people observing the holiday elsewhere in China. I'm not sure whether that speaks more to luck or regional variations in the holiday's observance, though I suspect the latter has a significant role. In any case, there was a lot of fire in Ganzhou during the holiday and possibly many pleased ghosts as well.

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

An Unexpected Ganzhou Rainbow

While walking outside bit after 6 p.m. today in Ganzhou, I saw in the distance a woman appearing to take photos with her mobile phone. I paid particular attention since she was photographing in my direction, and I couldn't think of anything especially remarkable in the scene behind me. As I got closer, I could tell her phone was aimed slightly upwards, seemingly towards the sky. My first guess was there might be a beautiful cloud in the sky. Now I couldn't resist, and I turned around.

I'm glad I did. I took a photo of the big rainbow in the sky myself. The woman then approached and asked if I could take a photo of her and the rainbow with her phone. She expressed surprise when I counted down to taking the photo using Chinese numbers. After that was finished, I quickly headed to another location. A nearby river with a mountain in the distance would be a great setting to capture the rainbow. Unfortunately, the rainbow was already quickly fading. So I took a photo halfway to my intended destination. The rainbow was gone shortly thereafter.

I haven't seen many rainbows in China, though I did catch one several months ago in Qingyuan. In that case, a recent rainstorm and the sunlight afterwards caused me to look for one. Today, there was nothing I noticed which would have made me think a rainbow could be around. A big thanks to the woman. I probably would have missed the rainbow if not for her.

Some regular readers might now be wondering if me sharing this story indicates more delay for a post I mentioned yesterday.

Well . . .

Um . . .

Look! Rainbow!





Monday, August 27, 2018

A Riverside Can in Ganzhou

I'm not yet finished with what I had originally hoped to post today. Uploading three large video files through a VPN across the Great Firewall added to the challenge, but I'm happy to say at least that part has been successfully completed. For now, below is a related photo taken next to the Gong River which serves as a bit of a teaser.

two traditional Chinese red candles burning in a can next to the river


Much more burning is on the way — most of it somewhat controlled.

Friday, August 24, 2018

Seated Poses in Ganzhou

two pieces of Western art and man using a mobile phone while sitting


A number of places sell art or antiques towards the southern end of Bajing Road (八境路) in Ganzhou. The two paintings sitting outside an art studio in the above photo stood out from many of the Chinese-style pieces nearby, and they captured scenes foreign in location and time.

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Boys With Big Branches in Ganzhou

Similar to a confrontation with four boys in Maoming four years ago, the other day in a park alongside the Zhang River in Ganzhou I met two boys with weapons.

two boys holding large tree branches in Ganzhou


Once again I was spared, and they allowed me to pass.

I didn't try taking a seat though.