Visit on Memory Lane — Some old pictures from HuangShan - 1989

Just this past weekend I decided to go through some old photos (from the days when digital cameras were not yet the norm ) and - Oh, gasp - use my scanner to convert some of those to a digital format.  Long story short, I came some photos from 1989 and a trip I took with friends to Huang Shan.  Huang Shan being one of the most famous spots in China of course gets lots of tourists - there were plenty of people even back in 1989.  At any rate, here are some beautiful shots from the mountain peaks and the sunrise on one of the mornings.

Looking at these photos, you can understand why this mountain is one of the frequent topics of many Chinese paintings…It is a beautiful place - enough said.  So if you have a chance plan for a trip there.  For those of you not familiar with its location - you will need to travel to Anhui province in Eastern China.  I personally got to the mountain via bus (a long bus ride) from Hangzhou.

Places to See in China / Beijing — Beijing DongYue Temple Visit

One of the less visited temples in Beijing is the DongYue (East-Mount) Temple.  This Taoist temple is located at 141 DongYueMiao ,ChaowaiDaJie in ChaoYang district of Beijing (interestingly enough it is right across the street from busy shopping malls), but often overlooked.

If you want to visit you can take a cab to the address above or use the subway.  The temple is located near by the Chaoyangmen station.

The temple has been rebuilt in multiple dynasties since its establishment in the 14th century    The stone tablets in the temple represent apparently one of the largest collection of those in China.  Some of the 90+ tablets are inscribed by famous caligraphers and date back to the centuries of the temple’s first operation.

Today the temple is a nice place to visit and both experience some very interesting architecture and get a glimpse of Taoism, as well as just to enjoy the piece and quiet of its many courtyards.   Here an older Chinese gentleman is enjoying an exercise….

Watch Out for a New Scam — this one organized by “clever” taxi driver

Well, when you thought you have finally mastered the various forms in which you might be taken to the cleaners by a clever taxi driver, here is a new one I had not thought is possible — China Daily reported on a weird way to steal — by having an accomplice (to the cab driver) hidden in the trunk of the cab.

According to the report, the cab driver took the unsuspecting passenger on board and only a few minutes after taking off from the airport, informed the passenger that he got an urgent call and needs to head back…. The “helpful” driver found another cab and transfered the passenger’s luggage….It all seemed good until that passenger found out (later on while at home) that her laptop computer was gone — per the report, the police investigation determined that the rogue cab driver had an accomplice hidden in the trunk of the car.  While the vehicle was on its way, that person searched through the luggage and removed valuables…

So on your next taxi ride, pay attention and watch carefully what the driver is doing.

What a way to end 2007… New York Times Article on Beijing’s Air Quality and Impact on the Upcoming 2008 Olympics

Over the last couple of years I have posted several times on the issues related to air quality in Beijing.  Overall, and as usual, images say a lot about the situation, but now New York Times has published another article (part of a series)  discussing the issues with the current state of air pollution in the city.  Here is a link to the article (you will need to create yourself a login/a free account to be able to see the complete articles) -

Beijing’s Olympic Quest: Turn Smoggy Sky Blue

The article is weird in some ways — it is trying to show the issues facing Beijing people as well as the Olympics, but it also big time misses on some facts:  For example, the article claims that large (diesel) trucks are forbidden from entering the city before midnight… Yes, this might be true as a policy, but anyone who has driven along JinShunLu (from the 3rd loop road towards ShunYi or in the opposite direction) knows and has seen the endless procession of huge trucks spewing smoke….Yes, sometimes the police stops the trucks, but from what I understand that happens when these trucks are very dangerously overloaded (not just overloaded mind you)

I am not going to debate if the air quality has improved or not over the last several years…but I am very curious as to where New York Times gets their facts and how they verify their articles…

Having said that, the other aspects that the article shows are pointing some of the disconnects —  eventhough the number of blue sky days has increased particulate matter is still way high.  One clue — the trucks that keep coming into Beijing — not all the way to TianAnMen but even if they go only to the 3rd loop road the impact on the city air is done…

At any rate, take a look at the article and/or just look outside of your window (if you live in Beijing).  The local government is pusing in the right direction — more green buildings, more effort on renewable energy (after all one of the fastest growing Solar Panel companies in the world is in China), and now is the time to further strengthen enforcement of good rules.

Hotel Reviews: Hong Kong Island Le Meridien, Kowloon Sheraton, Shenzhen: Venetian Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Shangri-La (LuoHu)

I have been asked on a number of occasions for recommendations on good / convenient hotels in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. There are many travelers (both business and tourist alike) who need to spend time in both cities and/or stay in one and have to do business in the neighboring one as well…long story short, here is a brief set of views of hotels in Shenzhen and Hong Kong:

• Hong Kong Island: Le Meridien Hotel
• This hotel is located on the South side of Hong Kong island, in the area called Cyberport, located near by Stanley.
• The hotel is relatively new — my first stay there was in the Fall of 2004. It is a modern hotel with very good amenities, attentive staff, and excellent rooms. At the time (2004) it was one of the hotels I knew about that had flat panel TVs (plasma TVs) in each room
• Here is a link to some photos from the hotel:

Hotel_Reviews_SouthernChina_HongKong

• Kowloon: Sheraton - this hotel is located on Nathan Road very near by MTR station and near by plenty of pubs, restaurants, and shops.  If you are craving for some British pub atmosphere (if you have spend a tad too long in Asia) you can visit a great pub in a basement near by the Sheraton and have some good beer and pot pie.   The hotel itself is very comfortable.  Great rooms, the rate is bit on the expensive side, but given the location that can be expected.  You can get to the hotel with a shuttle bus from the airport (same for going to the airport).

• Shenzhen:  Venetian Crowne Plaza.  If you are going to do most of your business in Shezhen you might as well stay in Shenzhen (rather than Hong Kong).  The hotels are definitely cheaper on the Shenzhen side of the border.  The Venetian is an excellent hotels.  It is part of the chain that includes the Holiday Inn, but believe me there is nothing in common between the two.  Actually, in Shenzhen, there is also a Holiday Inn hotel, which I DO NOT recommend.  The Holiday Inn (based on one stay there) is not a hotel that warrants the amount of money you need to spend.  If the Venetian is booked then you should opt for the Shangri-La (located near the Shenzhen railway station).
  The Venetian is an excellent hotel for both business and tourist travelers.  It is located near by the Windows of the World park, and about RMB70 from the Shenzhen airport, or about RMB80 from the Ferry dock (for the ferry from Hong Kong Int’l airport).
• The Shangri-La is located in the area called LuoHu.  This hotel is conveniently located if you need to make day trips into Hong Kong.  You can walk to the border (about 5 minutes from the hotel), cross on foot through immigration, and on the other side get on the MTR (the Hong Kong mass transit railway), and head for TaiPo or Kowloon areas among others.

Beijing Botanical Gardens and WoFu Temple

In the cold winter days of Beijing it is good to remember the nice sunny weather of the summer — that is when I remembered about our visits to the Beijing Botanical Garden.  The Garden is located near the West Hills in a nice wooded part of the city outskirts.  It is a nice place to escape in the summer as the garden itself has plenty of greenery, nice walk through fountains and plenty of interesting plants to see.  The complete Garden is comprised of:

• The Ornamental Plant Section
• Rose Garden
• Ornamental Peach Garden
• Tree Peony Garden
• Herbaceous Peony Garden
• Lilac Garden
• Crabapple and Cotoneaster Garden
• Magnolia Garden
• Bamboo Garden
• Perennial Garden
• Aquatic Garden
• Mume Flower Garden
• Arboretum
• Acer-Rosa Section + Coniferous Section + Tilia-Populus Section + Magnolia-Berberis Section + some other ones we did not see
• and Glasshouses
• Tropical and Subtropical conservatories
• Here you can find also examples of Chinese Penjing — which includes Tree Penjing (also known in the west as bonsai), Water & Land penjing and Landscape penjing.  Essentially all these forms of art are focused on recreating parts of a landscape in a very scaled down format.  Some of the trees grown in those landscapes are over 100 years old — quite an accomplishment indeed!   I must point out also that the art of penjing also has geographical / regional aspects.   I did not quite see all different types but from what I understood from some exhibits, there are essentially Penjing styles in pretty much most provinces of China - e.g. Jiangsu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Beijing, Fujian, Yangzhou, Anhui, Zhonzhou, and EVEN a Taiwan style.
• Another interesting part of the Botanical Garden is the WoFu Temple - also known as the Temple of the Sleeping Buddha.

At any rate, you should plan a visit to the Gardens, and spend a day among beautiful trees as well as surrounded by colorful Chinese Halls in the WoFu temple.

You can see some images from both the Garden and WoFu temple in the Photo Album area of the blog.  (Scroll to the area labeled Beijing Botanical Garden and WoFu Temple)

Traveling from Shenzhen to Taipei — avoid travel via Macao

If you need to travel from Shenzhen to Taipei, you may want to avoid air travel via Macao.  During a recent trip I discovered the inconveniences of traveling via Macao (on Macao Airlines).  First of all, when you leave Shenzhen you are departing on an international flight.  So once you pass the passport control you are in this small departure hall which has no services to speak of.  Just a small restaurant with limited selection for food and a vending machine.  Second of all, you wait for one hour to get on a plane for a flight that takes about 15-20 minutes….and then you need to change planes for the flight from Macao to Taipei.  A major hassle…..!

So, what can you do instead?  Easy — just take a ferry from Shenzhen to Hong Kong International airport.  The ferry leaves from Shekou, the ticket price is about 240RMB and the ferry takes about 30 minutes to reach the airport, then a 10 minute bus ride to the airport terminal / gate.

China Polution takes center stage in various news/media publications

All of a sudden articles about China’s pollution problem are sprouting in multiple publications.  Here is the latest one — this time in Wired magazine (although they are also quoting Los Angeles Times)  …

Interesting to watch how all this is bubbling to the surface now — when China is starting to gather more noticeable economic strength.  Those who have lived in China over the past 10 years know that China’s environmental problem is no news — on the contrary — it has been a big issue for residents of that country.  (See also earlier postings in this blog)
However we also recognize that the issue is very closely linked with the rapid pace of modernization and manufacturing — at the end of the day it is all about the $$$ — or how to make those.  Usage of low capital investment - i.e. read not advanced and environmentally clean technologies has generated huge profits but also strained the environment in China.

The question now is “What will the Chinese Government do about it”??????

Do you want to go on a Safari in Beijing ? — a Trip to the Beijing Wildlife Park

Just recently someone asked me — “Is there a place to see wild animals in Beijing?”  Of course most people’s natural reaction is — “Go to the Beijing Zoo…!”

Well, I have something else for you — you may want to go to a place a bit off the beaten track (for China / Beijing) — the Beijing Wildlife Park (also referred to as the Beijing Safari Park).  The park is located on the Badaling Expressway — the same road that you may take to go to the Badaling section of the Great Wall.   If you are driving yourself — look for big signs to exit from the highway and follow signs to the place.

My family and friends of ours actually visited the park in the winter — it was a sunny, but cold day (you can see the snow patches on the ground — on the photos below) — but being relatively cold had its advantages — there were hardly any people in the park.

Once you get to the park you will have to stop your car and go and purchase entrance tickets (about RMB70 per adult and 50 for students, kids below 120cm as usual gain free admission).  Near the entrance you will also see a sign advertising the purchase of various small animals to “yes, you guessed it” feed the tigers and lions….

The park has a wide array of animals including some very rare White Siberian Tigers (see the photos above).

While in the park you can also have a glimpse of a section of the Great Wall — added bonus

And the final piece of information — you will be glad to know that you can drive your own car through the park — it is quite unnerving to slowly inch your way among several lions or tigers but it is also pretty exciting.  We felt relatively safe as we were one of the few people in the park and there were guards / park employees (you can see their jeep in at least one of the photos) near some of the electric gates.

At any rate, if you want to experience the thrill of having a lion, tiger, or a bear within an arm reach, this is the park to visit.  Happy travels!

Polution in Beijing and the approaching 2008 Olympics

For those of you who have spent any considerable amount of time in Beijing, it is probably very apparent the issue that is facing the upcoming Olympics — the issue of air pollution. It used to be that the air was filled with smoke in the winter as the farmers around Beijing would burn the fields in preparation for the planting season.

I remember vividly the day my family and I arrived in Beijing (a couple of years back) on my third stint in China. It was a dark winter evening and the Beijing airport was covered in slightly blue smoke — there was so much of it that it even permeated the plane as we were waiting to disembark from it…..Then as we entered the airport terminal it was felt as well….At the time we thought “No big deal, this is a temporary issue…” And it was (sort of) — in the Spring things improved. Then last year the weather and pollution were quite a bit heavier — there were days when the sun was just a silver disk in the sky (behind the haze)….

And now that the Olympics are approaching the local government is concerned and acting. I am sure there will be a drastic reduction in manufacturing and construction activity several months prior to the August 2008 date. This should allow the construction dust to settle. Factories are being relocated (this has been going on for a couple of years now), and car traffic will be heavily restricted…..

I have no doubt that all these measures will help and make the Olympics successful. But there is a need (a drastic one) to make changes. One example of that is the adoption of alternative energy sources and engines…. Here is an example of some really new and interesting one and I also try to cover developments in new / hybrid vehicles in my automotive related blog.

Living and driving in China you get to see how congested roads are and you start to appreciate how important impact hybrids and alternative fuel could have on China….both on emissions, greenhouse gases, and also on cost of driving (alternative fuels could reduce the strain on resources and the resulting run up on prices)….

For those of you who are not sure if you have seen the Beijing haze, here is a look…: