Sunday, July 24, 2011

June 12th: Day with Hu Jing!!! (Rachel's Reflections)


Today we had our first relaxing morning of the trip. We didn’t have to be anywhere until noon! It was a well needed rest.

We met up with Hu Jing at noon for a day packed with fun!! It was a free day for us, so Hu Jing offered to show us around the city.

She took us first to the dragon boat races. This only happens once a year, and it is a VERY big deal. The Dragon Boat Festival goes on for 20 days, and it is comprised of multiple different events including the dragon boat races. This is just a simple competition between very ornate boats, but it drew a huge crowd! We could barely get our faces in to see what was going on.

Next stop was the Guangdong Museum. This museum is brand new, it just opened last year. It was such a cool looking building and the architecture was exquisite!



We first got to see the Chaozhou Woodcarving Art Exhibition. This form of art is famous for its richness and subtlety of details, delicate and elaborate designs, exquisite craftsmanship, and grand look. Some of the pieces were so intricate, yet so extravagant. They carved elaborate structures for things as miniscule as food containers, incense burners, and pillows.



Next was the Exhibition of Duan Inkstone. This inkstone was made in ancient Guangzhou and is purple in color, and smooth and moist in texture. Water was mixed with the stone and then used as ink. It developed from a functional object to an object for practical use and appreciation. These stones were intricately carved to perfection.



We also saw the selection of pottery and porcelain. China is considered the “Country of Porcelain” and it was clear as to why after seeing the beautiful displays of colorful porcelain and pottery.


The last exhibition was the Exhibition of Natural Resources in Guangdong. It had seven themes: Topography, resources, precious jades and stones, medicinal plants, wild animals living on land or in the sea, and ancient creatures.

I am so glad that Hu Jing took us to the museum. I feel that it was very beneficial for us to learn about the history of the Guangdong province. It helped me to gain an even greater appreciation for Guangzhou.


After the museum we headed to dinner and the opera J. On the way there, we walked through an amazing park with hundreds of different plants and flowers. It was very strange, however, because it was in the middle of all of the tallest skyscrapers in Guangzhou. There was such a huge contrast between the industrialization of the tall buildings and the serenity of the park.



Opera in the park was next on the agenda. What an unbelievable experience to have!! We got to see an opera in Cantonese! And we sat in the front row. Hu Jing translated the main points of the opera so we knew what was going on. It was so intriguing!

No comments:

Post a Comment