Raphael Kessler

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China

 

My first stop in China was to Xinjiang province in the Northwest. Northwest China is not really Chinese, it is another recent addition to the country, having been invaded and annexed fifty years ago, it was previously an independent sovereign state called East Terkestan. This part of the country is populated mostly by Kazakhs, Uigers and Turkic people. The Han Chinese are much more recent additions. The people look very different to the Chinese and they are mostly Muslim. 

This part of the country sees fewer tourists and it parts the people seemed quite interested and surprised to see white folk. The people themselves have an interesting look and the scenery in the area is often quite dramatic, from the Karakoram mountains to the Taklaman desert.

  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Good looking Uigur woman
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Worzel Gummage look-a-like
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - The wild east - a kid looks better in John's hat than he ever did.
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - The Uigur men
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - The lads
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - The Uigur lads

The Taklaman desert has some dramatic sand dunes, at one point is what is apparently the second lowest point on the planet after the Dead Sea. 

  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - The Minshan massive sand dunes
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - The Taklaman desert lot of big sand dunes

Tian Chi (Heavenly Lake) is in an Alpine setting where the Kazakh people live in yurts.

(c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Tian Shi (Heavenly Lake) Yurts

The area around Songpan has some nice scenery including lakes and waterfalls (photo 1). I went on a horse trek there with my American friend John and a guide who we called nutter because he was a bit mental.

  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Waterfall cascades near Songpan
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Mist on the hills near Songpan

In Chengdu, the capital of Szechuan province one can see giant pandas in a sanctuary (photos 1 & 2). There are also lesser (red) pandas  (photos 3 & 4). I managed to bribe someone there so I could go in and meet the cute little things face to face.

  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Giant panda
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Baby giant pandas playing
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Red panda gives me a high five
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Red panda - very cute

Leshan is home to the worlds biggest Buddha, he is seventy-five metres tall when he is sitting down (it makes one wonder how tall he would be standing up).

(c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Leshan - The world's biggest Buddha and he's sitting down.

Xi 'An is home to the famous Terracotta Warriors  (photos 1 - 3), thousands of them were buried to guard the Qin emperor in his final resting place. The entire army was represented from generals through to cavalrymen, archers, porters and infantrymen. Also in Xi 'An are some multi-tiered temples like the Big Goose Pagoda  (photo 4). The Bell tower in the centre of town looks particularly impressive at night (photo 5).

  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Terracotta warrior
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Terracotta vanguard - the warriors lined up
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Terracotta warriors and one's lost his head
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Xi An - Big Goose Pagoda
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Xi An - Bell Tower

Lijiang is one of the few bits of China that looks like the China of the brochures and stories, it's preservation was in part due to an earthquake that destroyed much of the modern part of the town but left the old part largely unaffected. This made the government think about leaving the old part intact and capitalising on it for the tourist business. Whilst there I saw a traditional style orchestra that looked like it was made up of Confucius's contemporaries (photo 4).

  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Lijiang rooves - traditional Chinese looking town
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Lijiang - traditional Chinese looking street
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Lijiang - traditional Chinese looking town
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Lijiang - Traditional Chinese orchestra - A room fool of Confucious look-a-likes

The area around Yangshuo has the scenery that is represented frequently in the traditional Chinese paintings.

  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - The train to Guilin, amongst the pretty Chinese karst scenery
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Yangshuo - pretty Chinese karst scenery

Shanghai is a modern city that bears similarities to many other cities in the world. The Bund (photo 2) was built by Europeans along the riverfront and was a very trendy place in the thirties. The Art Deco interiors in some of the buildings are really nice. The Pearl Tower (photo 3) is an extremely tall radio mast and is supposed to represent two dragons holding a pearl, but to me looks more like a syringe from a 1970s science fiction film.

  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Shanghai - The view down Nanjing Lu
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Shanghai - The Bund - Art Deco buildings
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Shanghai - The view of the skyline and Pearl Tower

Beijing, the capital of China is not only famous for its duck, but is also home to the Imperial Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and Tianneman Square. After an intense night of bowling and drinking with some guys I met in the hotel where I was staying we went to watch the dawn flag raising ceremony in Tianneman Square (photo 1). We didn't get to see any tanks in the square but the army did some exercises around the area which I joined in with, much to their chagrin. The Imperial Forbidden City  (photos 2 - 4) is a massive complex and it is not surprising the people thought their Emperor was removed from them, he was in every regard. This is also reflected in the opulence of the Summer Palace  (photos 5 - 9).

  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Beijing - The flag raising ceremony in Tianeman square
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Beijing - Entrance to the forbidden city
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Beijing - Forbidden city - The Gate of Heavenly Harmony
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Beijing - Forbidden City - Roof detail terracotta animals queue up to commit suicide
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Beijing - Summer Palace
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Beijing - A pagoda on a hill across a lake
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Beijing - Summer Palace
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Beijing - The Imperial Throne

Probably the thing China is most famous for (apart from the food) is its Great Wall. I first saw it at its far western end in Jiayeguan in the desert  (photo 1). A year later I saw the eastern end thousands of miles at Huang Gwa where it still stretches for miles in both directions (photos 2 & 3). 

  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Jiayuguan - Western end of the Great Wall of China
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Huang Hua - Eastern end of the Great Wall of China
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Huang Hua - Eastern end of the Great Wall of China running over the mountains

The Chinese seem to be born performers, whether it be ballroom dancing in the parks and open spaces  (photo 1), balancing glasses and spinning tea towels on show  (photos 2 & 3) or clowning around on stilts (photo 4). For those occasions when the performance is lacking though the Chinese provide as I found on a train  (photo 5).

  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Beijing - The Chinese national sport of ballroom dance
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - A Chinese bar maid - there must be easier ways to serve a drink
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Chinese pizza throwers
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - Clowning around at the Summer Palace
  • (c) Copyright - Raphael Kessler 2011 - China - An Emergency Cock handle as found on a train. No idea what the pressure gauge is about
 

 

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