A group from LDS Travel left Salt Lake City, Utah on March 26, 2009 on a grand, two week, adventure to China. Our first stop, Guilin.
Guilin
This is the view out our Hotel window. Guilin (guayleen) is The Riviera of China located in southeast China. The park nestles against a beautiful river.
This is the same Guilin park we see from our hotel window. The Chinese are very health conscious and all along the river in the park you’ll see people exercising individually or with groups. This is a group doing Tai Chi.
A government organic tea farm. This one bush produces several kinds of tea depending on the kind of leaves you pick. For example the tiny leaf that has just sprouted is picked for a white tea which is very expensive. These bushes produce white tea, green tea and oolong tea (good for loosing wieght if you drink it 20 minutes after a meal).
At the art museum we had a demonstration of Chinese art, how they use the different bruses and mix thier colors. This young man is one of their up and coming artists they expect to become famous.
River
We took took this boat down the Li River from Guilin to Yangshou. While traveling down the Li River to Yangshou we encountered other smaller tourist boats on the river
Yangshou
Some things in China haven’t changed much. This little lady is selling tiny oranges you pop into your mouth without peeling them – very nutritious. Beautiful fresh vegetables dot every market in China. Again we see good health is a big issues. Vegetables are the main dish flavored with some meat and spices. Every available piece of land that is not lived on or not made into a park is cultivated for agriculture to feed their 1 billion three hundred million Chinese.
Condor fishing shows the amazing ingenuity of the Chinese people. These condors are released into the water to dive for fish. With the strap around their necks that allows them to swallow only the small fish, the big fish get trapped above the strap. The fisherman watches his condors closely and seeing a big catch, quickly pulls them back to the boat and squeezes the big fish from the throat into his basket.
Dian with condor on her shoulder. Notice the strap around the neck
Country
This young man harrowing his rice fields with his water buffalo is in bare feet in cold rainy weather. When noticing we were taking his picture he ran up to us asking to be paid for his picture. We were happy to pay him and the look of delight on his face as he looked at the money did our hearts good knowing he needed the money much worse than we did.
This country village outside Yangshou shows us its premier vehicle. Other vehicles were modified versions of a motor bike often equipped with a truck bed for hauling people or produce.
These three happy young boys were anxious to have their picture taken each vying for the prime position on front of the camera. Love that peace sign!
Terracota Warriers
In 1974 a farmer is digging a well and discovers what has come to be known as the eighth wonder of the world. – Terracota warriors that have been buried for 2,200 years. During he Ching dynasty the emperor began has burial spot at age 14,and at 49 years old when when he died, it had not been completed. Part of his burial spot included all the things he needed in the afterlife. Being a great conqueror in this life he wanted to do the same in the afterlife and needed his warriors. This find includes over 6,000 warriors in one pit. There are Xiover 49 pits and only a handful have been excavated. Excavators said the warriors were so lifelike they could almost feel them breath.
Xi’an
This city which sits in the belly of the rooster (The continent of China looks like a rooster) features this water and light show featured in their park every evening. The water dances to a symphony of both Chinese and American music.
