Follow me to a trip to China

RoyalChick · Jun 26, 2023

lightm said:
Thanks for checking @Ponypoor

The trip is fine. I haven't been in the mood of updating since Tina got really poor and she died about 24 hours ago.

Tina was 2 year and 3 month old. A RIR. My husband was taking really good care of her during her last days. Therefore he got even more attached to her. So I'm also worried about him.

In China nobody will understand that I'm saddened by a chickens death, which makes it even worse.

At least I have BYC to rant.

lightm · Jun 27, 2023

June 24th, taking the train to Xiamen, a beautiful coastal city in Fujian province.

Fujian is directly south of Zhejiang. But I'm in the northern part of Zhejiang and Xiamen is southern fujian so it is still 840km (525miles) away.

This is my first time here.

Southern Fujian has a very different culture than anywhere else. It's more like Taiwan. It produces lots of tropical fruits.

Fujian has lots of mountains and hills. It was a more scenic ride than going to Beijing.

On the road

Tea often grows like stairs on a hillside

Destination

Ponypoor · Jun 27, 2023

lightm said:
June 24th, taking the train to Xiamen, a beautiful coastal city in Fujian province.

Fujian is directly south of Zhejiang. But I'm in the northern part of Zhejiang and Xiamen is southern fujian so it is still 840km (525miles) away.

This is my first time here.

Southern Fujian has a very different culture than anywhere else. It's more like Taiwan. It produces lots of tropical fruits.

Fujian has lots of mountains and hills. It was a more scenic ride than going to Beijing.

On the road
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Tea often grows like stairs on a hillside
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Destination
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Wow just lovely! And the beach also

lightm · Jun 28, 2023

June 25th.

The core of Xiamen is an island. There are about 2.2 million people on this island. It is a 2nd tier city, which means it is big, modern, and important.

It feels more tropical than other cities I've been to that are south of it. It's a lovely city,......, with lots of traffic too.

Lots of greens, especially populated with a tree apparently called Chinese banyan. They grow to be big trees who can have roots dropping down from stems (almost looking like Spanish moss)

A bit of night time stroll.

Ponypoor · Jun 28, 2023

lightm said:
June 25th.

The core of Xiamen is an island. There are about 2.2 million people on this island. It is a 2nd tier city, which means it is big, modern, and important.

It feels more tropical than other cities I've been to that are south of it. It's a lovely city,......, with lots of traffic too.

Lots of greens, especially populated with a tree apparently called Chinese banyan. They grow to be big trees who can have roots dropping down from stems (almost looking like Spanish moss)
View attachment 3558391

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A bit of night time stroll.
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Amazing trees! And as always amazing photographs

lightm · Jun 29, 2023

June 26th. Not much going on.

This is near my hotel. LOTS OF restaurants and street food.

A gigantic chinese banyan tree

A super big balloon near city center

A bird flying

A corner of Xiamen University

Random street

Perris · Jun 29, 2023

the ornamental (shrine? temple?) roof is astonishing, exquisite. The bird is a bit of a blur; do you know what it was?

RoyalChick · Jun 29, 2023

lightm said:
June 26th. Not much going on.

This is near my hotel. LOTS OF restaurants and street food.
View attachment 3559919

A gigantic chinese banyan tree
View attachment 3559918 View attachment 3559920

A super big balloon near city center
View attachment 3559917

A bird flying View attachment 3559921

A corner of Xiamen University
View attachment 3559922

Random street
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Love the trees!

lightm · Jun 29, 2023

Perris said:
the ornamental (shrine? temple?) roof is astonishing, exquisite. The bird is a bit of a blur; do you know what it was?

It is a shrine. I thought it is very astonishing too when I first saw this type of roof on my train ride as it entered Fujian province. Then this kind of roof is everywhere here. Lots of temples/shrines in Xiamen.

No idea about the bird...

lightm · Jun 30, 2023

June 27th. I took a 3 hour bus ride to see this very impressive building/tribe structure unique to the Hakka culture.

First a picture I found online. This is the one I visited.

It's called tulou in Chinese, literally means earth building. I'm quoting Wikipedia, who does a better job describing it
"A tulou is usually a large, enclosed and fortified earth building, most commonly rectangular or circular in configuration, with very thick load-bearing rammed earth walls between three and five stories high and housing up to 800 people. Smaller interior buildings are often enclosed by these huge peripheral walls which can contain halls, storehouses, wells and living areas, the whole structure resembling a small fortified city."

So massive dwellings to house 4 or more generations of people!

***********my visit************
There are 4 buildings in that location, one is under repair, so I visited 3.

First one was young, built 1957