Yangmei Ancient Town. Nanning

I have just spent a night in Yangmei, and "ancient" town about 90 minutes west of Nanning. As a tourist destination it is definitely in that category of "as long as you're here," but it is still well worth the trip out if you are here.

The bus can be caught at the Nanning tourism centre just past the main gate and Luban Lu subway station on the south side of the street. An 8:30 bus gets you there around 10-10:15 depending on traffic.

The town itself is small, and a day trip is certainly enough to see it. That being said, there is a hotel right on the waterfront charging 100Yuan for a night (about $14USD) with nice views of the river, especially from the 3rd floor.

view from the hotel

The city is on the Zhuo river, a tributary of the Yong river which flows through Nanning. The term ancient is a bit misleading, as the oldest building in the city are closer to 100 years old than the 1000 advertised. Still, it is a neat old town.

Before the republican period, the city was a centre for shipping local produce to the bigger cities and even for export. A few merchants grew rich and the city prospered. As the republicans replaced river transport with roads and rail, the city lost its importance and became a backwater, and to this day very little has changed. Unfortunately, any history on the place is written more to glorify than inform (in this spot some hero of some revolution did something), so actual history of the village is hard to come by beyond what is here.

There is a fair bit of walking/light hiking, and some old ruins. The trail runs along the river for almost 15kms before looping back in to the city. Along the trail are old barge wrecks, farmers still using ox carts to get around. The Confucius temple, destroyed in Mao's Cultural Revolution, was partially rebuilt and now sits quietly by the river, which is where I wound up having a few Yanjing beers after the sun went down. The city itself has some old Qing era buildings, and is a great place for a stroll in itself, though the waterfront was the highlight for me.There are boat cruises that last about 45 minutes for 30rmb that are well worth the expense as well, as the river has some great scenery just outside the town. The locals are also wonderful. The restaurant attached to our hotel was family owned, and they insisted their 12 year old daughter take our orders - in English - for practice. But it wasn't in that 20 questions way that makes me leery of being approached in that way (where are you from? Do you like Chinese food? Do you know ......?). Her English was actually quite good and she was fun. 

Beyond that there is not much to actually DO, but I could easily spend 3-4 days there just relaxing and experiencing it. It is a part of China that is disappearing quickly, replaced by neon lights and smokey restaurants full of adults shouting at each other or playing card games. Brick houses replaced by concrete boxes and river cruises replaced by phone games. I guess that in progress in the PRC..... I suppose I just don't understand what the Chinese see as progress.

In any event, it is a cool place to visit if you happen to be in Nanning for a few days, or want out of this grey concrete jungle.

New Contract and New Job

Two weeks ago I interviewed at Beijing Normal University's campus in Zhuhai (next to Macau). I never expected to get it. I got it.

I've talked to Yen about it and she agrees I should take it, so we will be heading there this summer. It has thrown our travel plans in to disarray, and while I was really hoping to head back to Vancouver this summer, we may not have the cash necessary for 2 tickets, three weeks and all the costs associated with that with the move. Still working it all out.

However, the job itself seems better academically, and the location is ideal. Next to the ocean and a national park, 40 minutes from Macau and Guangzhou, and 90 minutes from Hong Kong on the ferry. Pay is also substantially better. I took this job in Nanning to get university experience, and while I've had a good run here at SCIC, it is entry level uni work, and that is reflected in the pay.

A final issue associated with the move is the new visa regulations for China. While they are actually very sensible (Korea has had the same system in place for a decade) they are time consuming and expensive. I'll end up spending close to $600 USD to get it all done, as I'll need to head to Guangzhou in a couple weeks to get my ID notarised. Though any excuse to go to Guangzhou.......

Anyway, it is exciting as I really didn't think I'd get this job, and the location means that I should hopefully be happy there.

Nanning's Nanhu Park

Another large park in Nanning is Nanhu Park. It is a very large lake park in central Nanning. The park itself is new, only being built in 1972 when the government decided to dam a river that flowed in to the Yong river, the river had been continuously dredged since the Tang dynasty. Creating the lake cut down on flooding and created a beautiful green area in the city.

There are a few sights in the park, though most are man made and of minimal interest, with the exception of the gardens. The orchid and bonsai gardens are both very impressive and well worth a visit if you enjoy plants.

The path around the lake is a good 10km and in the hottest months that means litres of water, but for most of the year it is a great walk.

To get there, get off at Nanhu Park subway station and use exit B1. The park is right there.

Nanning's Renmin Park

This park, located in the west of Nanning, is one of the few landmarks in Nanning. Built in 1951 on the remains of an old Song dynasty temple and later a republican era fortification. The park provides a rare green space in Nanning's concrete jungle.

The park has a few sights. A small fort with some republican era antiques. It was built very shortly after the 1912 revolution, and was used primarily against bandits and others in the province. It was built by a local mayor (warlord) and was later used by the actual republican government against the Japanese during the Second World War. There is lots more information at the fort itself, but all in Chinese.

The large lake at the bottom of the hill the fort is built on is called White Dragon Lake. According to legend (the plaque near the lake), during the Song dynasty a Daoist rolled down the hill and found immortality. I guess you really should do a barrel roll. The temple is long gone, but the lake and hill still exist.

There is also a large memorial to Mao and the communists who died in Guangxi during the various revolutions in the early 20th century. Next to it is a small museum to commemorate Mao's 1958 visit to the city. That much of the Great Leap Backward's policy was implemented in Nanning at that time goes unrecognized, but the people lining the river to see him and paintings to show his greatness abound. It is really a microcosm of how Mao is viewed in China. A great leader who liberated the people and was adored for it.... but don't look in to anything he actually did.

The park itself is much smaller than other parks in Nanning, but the history there makes it worth a visit..... since you're in Nanning anyway.

Guangzhou (again)

Last week Yen and I went to Guangzhou, for what is her second trip there and my third. We were going to take her to the airport, so thought we'd spend a couple of days there. Because of the New Year festivals, Guangzhou was near empty, and subsequently we managed to stay at the Garden Hotel - a place where diplomatic license plates were pulling in - for relatively little. It was a treat for sure, but well worth it.

The first evening we headed to the Paddy Field, and Irish bar. After finding that gem in Guilin I was in the mood for an Irish pub. They also had San Miguel there, so I was happy. After that we headed back for an early night.

The next day we headed to Yuexiu Park, to see another of the sights of Guangzhou. It was walking distance from the hotel and was well worth the trek. The park was previously part of the old city wall and parts of the wall can still be seen. The area itself has been an important area in Guangzhou for centuries, though most of it was flattened in the Second World War. However, the park still contains several important relics and sights, some of which have been rebuilt and some of which are modern. The most important being the 5 ram statue, built in 1960 to commemorate the restoration of the park. In ancient times, people believed that five immortals riding rams came to Guangzhou and taught the people to farm rice. Today it is seen as a good luck symbol and Guangzhou is known in Chinese as the city of rams. There is also the Zhenhai Tower, a replica of a watch tower originally built in 1380 and destroyed and rebuilt several times since in a part of the park that was originally a fort. Other sights include the city's soccer stadium, lakes, and a replica of the original gate to the park.

After a long walk we decided to head back to the hotel, shower, and get dinner at the Brazilian BBQ place we went to the first night we were in Guangzhou when I went to pick Yen up.

The next day it was off to the airport. Yen will go home to visit her sister and get her new visa, and I will be in Nanning for the next couple of weeks before the semester starts. I plan to do a couple of write ups about areas in Nanning, and otherwise enjoy a couple of weeks off.

Lunar N.Y decorations

5 Ram Statue

Zhenhai Tower

Guilin

With winter vacation here, you'd think I'd be on the road for as long as possible.

Alas, I am not 26 anymore, and the need to save money for visas and a return to Canada tops any need to get on a plane or a train, especially in winter.

However, with 7 weeks off of work, and Yen gone from mid Feb-mid April, we did want to do something in China. We opted for Guilin, a scenic and VERY touristed city in northern Guangxi. It is also the coolest thing I have done so far in the PRC, though when you consider that the only other places I have been are Guangzhou, which is big city China at its finest, and Nanning, a city that is so bland and unremarkable that it could advertise that as a reason to visit, it isn't as though there is a lot of competition. Still, the fact that Guilin is on the 20rmb bill and is a top 10 destination in any Chinese travel guide, I think my opinion that it is spectacular holds some merit.

We left Nanning on the bullet train to Guilin station. There were three classes of trains heading north. Cheap and 16 hours, less cheap and 6 hours, cheap by Canadian standards and 2.5 hours. We opted for number 3. In fact, this whole trip was done first class. We spent around 4500rmb, which is 900Cad or 730USD/3700PHP/780000krw, on a trip that others have done for $250, but we didn't care. It is the only thing we are doing this winter. Anyway, the train ride is fairly bland until about Luizhou, a city that seems to be nothing but smoke stacks, but then the ride gets good. The views from the train, even at 200kph, are spectacular. Then we arrived at Guilin. Leaving the train station it looks like any other Chinese city. Grey. But of course train stations are always located in the best parts of town aren't they? A quick cab ride and we were at Lijiang Lakeview Hotel. I'd paid the extra $15 for a lake view, which was well worth it when you realize that the hotel is basically a hollow 20 story square, with the other rooms face toward the interior, which means you are left with a view of a 20 story echo chamber.

The hotel was okay but this is not the first time I've been burned by Chinese 4 and 5 star. It happened in Guangzhou as well last January. The only other expensive hotel I have stayed in in China was a Crowne Plaza, also in Guangzhou, which WAS 4 star. Rooms were great, but non-smoking was clearly seen as a suggestion, and the walls were paper thin, which is a problem in a land of people who think nothing of shouting at each other and in to their phones at 1am. It also boasted a "western buffet breakfast" - always a danger in the PRC. However, the staff could not have been more friendly, and they helped us to organize a Li river tour, and pointed out where the local Starbucks was if we wanted a real western breakfast. And so a Pesto panini and venti coffee it was.

Immediately after check in we went around the corner to the pedestrian street. Every city in China seems to have one of these. An old street with shops and restaurants. Nanning does, and it is actually kinda cool, though by ancient I think they mean 1987. This one actually, at least feels, as though it is older, and it does date from the Qing, so it is a couple hundred years anyway. We found a noodle bar with craft beer. It was then off to the pagodas and lake across from our hotel. It was actually a great place to hang out. We walked most of it, taking a lot of pictures and enjoying the views.

The next day we had an early start. We were heading to the Li river to take a boat cruise to view the karst mountains and a hike through caves formed in said mountains. We booked the hotels bus, which was more expensive than the tourist buses, but when you saw the hordes piling in to them, and realize that with the other couple cancelling we had this van to ourselves, I was okay with spending the extra couple hundred rmb ($40 Cad). The river cruise was simply amazing. Yen kept on comparing it to our trip to Halong Bay, in Vietnam, where we took a boat ride through a bay full of karst mountains and hiked through caves in said mountains. In both cases it was winter. She enjoyed the Li river but preferred Halong bay. I'm not sure I agree. Halong Bay was spectacular, but the Li river has created a canyon that reminded me more of Taroko Gorge in Taiwan. When the winter turned them all in to mist covered mountains it became fairly spectacular. In fact, I am surprised that I had never heard of Guilin before I came to China, it could compete with Halong Bay or Taroko Gorge. We spent a few hours on the river before getting back to the "meeting area" and hopping back in the van to the caves.

The caves were decidedly touristy (so was the Li river if I'm being honest, but it was so beautiful it didn't matter). The caves had been opened up and a very safe walking path had been put in for us. It was cool, but after the Li river it was the silver medal of the trip. I love mountains, I love climbing them, looking at them, even living on them. But I like them more from the outside. I am sure a geologist would have had a field day in these caves, but to me one stalagmite looks much like another. It is neat to see, but a four km cave is overkill. However, it was well worth it as part of a Li river trip, and I would recommend it to anyone lucky enough to be in Guangxi's north.

We got back around 6 (only 10 hours after we left). We opted for a Chinese dinner and, when the neighbours finally allowed, bed.

The next day we opted to sleep in a bit and head to Starbucks for breakfast. It was then off to the Qixing scenic area. We had looked at doing the Longsheng rice terraces, but that was another day in a van, and after Banaue I feel like am spoiled on mountain rice terraces, so we opted for a day in the city's scenic area. It was alright, though not as exciting as the day before. Firstly because it had dropped from 14 degrees to 6 and was raining on and off. Also, well it just wasn't that amazing. It was a nice park area that I'd be happy to visit if I lived there. It has trees, monkeys, a waterfall, and several monuments......but it certainly wasn't the Li river. However, it did give us a chance to walk and see a bit of Guilin, so worth it in that respect.

We ended the night at an Irish bar. Yen's steak was by far the best steak I have had in China. Low bar I admit, but if 'd bought that steak at a Denny's I'd be very happy with it. My chicken club sandwich was good too. Plus San Miguel and Tiger on tap, and Tsingtao under the import section. Much though I do like Guilin, the ONLY beer for sale is Li Quan, the local formaldehyde and barley brew. Even Tsingtao is an import and not available anywhere except bars. But it was here, in an Irish pub, on tap. Nanning manages the Queen's Head, Guilin gets Green Garden Irish Pub.

In fact I start comparing Nanning to Guilin in any way and I start to see why Nanning has the stronger alcohol. Guilin was, and is, a reason to visit China. It is an amazing place, and well worth the trip. There is so much to do in China, and it is so big, bureaucratic, and expensive that it isn't possible to do it all. I've accepted that with our savings goals I won't get to see as much of China as I could otherwise do, but I am grateful to be able to see at least a bit of it. Guilin has been the singular highlight of my, admittedly limited, experience in the PRC.

view from our room

the two pagodas

pics from the Li River

Guilin's Pedestrian Street

Monkey

view on the last morning. 2 degrees out there.

3rd Semester Done

My third of four semesters at SCIC is done. It has been a long haul, though with a lot of positives.

It started off being moved from freshman classes to sophomore. Something I was not happy about. However, with all the changes affecting the freshman classes it was really a blessing in disguise, and my classes were good.

The issues came with all the changes at SCIC. The College is merging with two others and next year (2018-2019) teachers at the Sino-Canadian International College at Guangxi University will essentially be designing 2-4 new courses each.... from scratch. It is a monumental undertaking, which will require at least 40 hours a week outside of class time, and of course no extra pay is forthcoming. I also wonder, with enrolment down to about 30% of what it was last year, how many of these classes will be taught beyond next year anyway. It isn't like I would be building a programme that would last ten years, which I might enjoy.

This means that, despite being qualified and in a position to teach sophomore classes again, I will pass and move on. It has been a great run at SCIC and I do wish them the best, but I am sure that the spring semester will be my last at SCIC, and probably Nanning.

Outside of the office, we have had great professors come in and a few that have stayed on, which has made for, I think, a much more professional group than was here last year. We've also made a few new friends here, which is great. In fact, outside of It has been the best semester yet in some ways. Overall it has been a great 3 semesters, and I am sure the fourth will be good as well, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit excited for July.