Gardenia

Along side one of the pathways between the college and the foreign teachers apartment block is a hedge of Gardenias. I remember the first flower just on two weeks ago, and since then they other flowers have opened up.


Apart from the pretty wonderful sight, the fragrance that fills the air, makes a most pleasant change as the hedge is situated near a sewer, which has a not so pleasant odour most of the time.

The Gardenia flower itself is short lived - but it makes a pretty picture!

(Apparently many people pick the flowers and last year there was a sign in Chinese that may have said 'don't pick the flowers' but the English speaking teachers continued to do so on the grounds that they couldn't understand the sign!)

Sleeping

I've mentioned before about people sleeping in the oddest places and at the oddest times - according to the culture that we know.

I took this photo right in the middle of the city - just metres from the main road. It is strange how easily that the Chinese people fall asleep. No doubt this man has worked very hard pulling his tricycle with its loads. You'd think he'd chosen an unsafe place to take his ZZZZZZZZ's, but everyone would respect his need for sleep and avoid him.

Technology

Here I am miles away from home and yet in regular easy contact with the folks there. I have my mobile phone (my Aussie one is set that I don't receive calls - as it would cost ME if anyone phoned me from Australia) and I can get text messages. I also have a Chinese phone that I can send and receive messages here in China, and speak with anyone.

(When the Chinese people answer the phone they say Wei Ni Haio, which when roughly translated means What do you want? Hello. So we do too when we answer our Chinese phones!)

I can use SKYPE and see and speak with family members and friends. And it is amazing to see and speak with the grandchildren as I miss them and though I can't touch them I can see them growing up before my eyes.

Family and friends regularly email me, and I know many read this blog to see what I am up to - so the communication is amazing. They can see some of the many photos I have taken - and if I wanted to show them all of them, I could easily do that too.

I also "read" the daily papers - it is easy to go online and read at least the headlines and major events happening at home. As well, I have ABC radio on all the time I am in my apartment. My favourite stations are the Jazz and Classical music - but I can listen to News updates from time to time.

So with this technology we can keep pretty well up to date with what is happening at home, or anywhere in the world. Amazing when you think about it.

The little boy pees

There is a wonderful shopping complex with mostly empty shops near the railway station at Shaoxing. I love the architecture of the complex. Clean and modern with an ancient feel. I don't know why it is not popular but it appears that many of the traders have deserted the complex as perhaps the customers deserted before hand, but there is a Carrefours supermarket there, and we often visit as that has been the best place to get imported food - some of the things we like, but are not available anywhere else.

Near the entrance to the shopping centre is the little boy above. He seems quite lonely - as there is little activity going on around him. In a way it is surprising to see it (is this the reason that customers and traders deserted???) as this hardly fits in with the Chinese high public moral standard.
(I doubt it - it is common to see men peeing in the streets!!!)

A Funny Thing Happened

Yesterday there was a big meeting in the administration building next to the foreign teachers' apartments. As some of the last folk were leaving late in the afternoon, we heard a big bang, and most of us rushed to our balcony to see what had happened. We looked on with an element of amusement. The driver stood in wonderment at what he had done, and shortly afterwards negotiated his car through the damaged pots and plants. It appears that the driver ofthe small car in the car park, must have "thought" his car was in reverse, but instead, when his foot landed on the accelerator, it rushed forward into the garden, demolishing some of the wonderful plants and pots between the two buildings. Within an hour three garden workers arrived and removed all the damage. This morning when I looked out the window, the damaged plants had all been replaced and there was little evidence of the event late yesterday.

Flowers

gh
I am (pleasantly) surprised to see how flowers are so popular here in China. There are many florist shops and they all seem to do a roaring trade. Certainly the corporate flower work is vry obvious, and occasionally I see other flower arrangements being carried around.

When a new business opens there is always a myriad of free standing bamboo framed flower arrangements. Apparently friends and business acquaintances purchase these and the more one receives the more success the business is likely to have. Gerberas are a popular flower in these.

When there is a special event there are amazing quantity of flowers - and this week when our college celebrated its upgrade to a university there were many many flowers. After the event the flowers were distributed to various offices, and I managed to score a rose and a stem of orchids that fell while being transported.

The photo above is of a display in the Hyatt in Shanghai when we visited a couple of weeks ago.

Children's Day

Isn't it Children's Day every day? Oh, I jest! Saturday was Children's Day and there were many celebrations. As most families in China only have one child, so I tend to think they are somewhat indulged all the time. If mother and father work, the children are likely to be cared for by their grandparents, and it is no surprise to see so many elderly people carrying their children around.

Children are well loved here - because they are for the most part the only child in the family as there is a strict one child policy here, especially in the city areas.

On this day children would have received gifts and probably attended a party. In Beijing there were several ceremonies, one of which had in attendance children from the earthquake area in Sichuan. There were special efforts to ensure the children of Sichuan had a happy day too.

(Sadly I saw little celebration as I was confined to my apartment with a "tummy wog" that seems to have done the rounds of the teaching staff.)