Wednesday, January 14.
After breakfast I walked along the Riverine Walk near the White Swan Hotel. This embankment was begun in 1859 as part of the foreign cantonment. Lots of Guangzhou people use this walk for morning exercises. Many are practicing Tai Chi Chuan; other forms of exercises, or dance. Several men stepped down the steep stairs into the Pearl River to swim.
I noticed some grade school children in uniforms and backpacks. Most were accompanied by a Granny or Grandpa. The middle school is located on the park-like pedestrian mall. Each window had a window box with plants. I can see the school from my window. The roof has several greenhouses and many plants.
Many people on the mall were also exercising. Some joggers and more Tai Chi. This area contains the old buildings from Colonial times. One building had been Citi Bank. A display map of the historical area had a note “you are here” in four different spots.
Guangzhou is known as the garden city. It is a tropical city with so many palm trees. Yesterday we drove for miles along a highway to the nearby city that had a planted median strip of PERFECTLY matched sets of three palm trees and shrubs. Miles of sets of three identical palm trees. I noticed a tanker truck driving next to a median spraying water on the planter.
There are plants everywhere. Every small balcony, every median; under electric transmission towers. Every viaduct has planters on both sides. Every pedestrian walkway over busy streets is lined by plants in planters.
All the apartments have a small balcony full of drying clothes and lined with plants in pots. Most roofs are gardens full of plants. I can see one roof from my hotel window that is landscaped! There are no weeds in China.
I have to say a word about the great group of faculty on this trip. Everyone has gotten along very well and has been very flexible.
Chen Ji our leader has had such an interesting background growing up in China and becoming a Professor at the University of Denver.
Late breakfast was full of families with adopted children. One little girl announced in the elevator “We are here to adopt a little sister.”
5 comments:
Sounds like it's a beautiful city as you describe it (with the foliage, weather). Do you think the increase in plants is to counter any pollution? Do you feel any affects of pollution there?
"A display map of the historical area had a note “you are here” in four different spots."
So was it the Schroedinger historical area?
Caroline, Yes, it is a tropical city. It was hazy most days. It is hard to say that the pollution was worse than any city of that size... 15 million population.
Carlowen, All the buildings were former official buildings. the Polish embassy is currently there. I did not see any cats.
I like the way you have describe the towns and how things are working there like the shifts or workers and what the get paid.
So what was the weather like there if people were swimming? Was it that hot? You know we had snow here, what was the other side of the world experiencing?
Haha. No cats huh?
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