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