While visiting Hunan Province last fall, I did a series of street portraits for my Faces of China project. I met this man in a pedestrian tunnel under a very busy and wide street in Changsha. He was selling fruit at the bottom of the stairs.
What this photo tells me is that a smile is the universal language of all humanity. I connected with him by smiling and pointing to my camera and then to my face. He nodded and smiled, and then we had a lovely exchange while I made this photo. He was amused by the image I showed him on the camera LCD, too.
Via Flickr:
While visiting Hunan Province last fall, I did a series of street portraits. I met this man in a tunnel running under a main street. He was selling fruit at the bottom of the stairs.
Showing posts with label China. Show all posts
Showing posts with label China. Show all posts
Friday, February 14, 2014
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Dintong Lake is a busy place
Late afternoon sun in Changsha, China, along the shores of Dintong Lake. This place is very busy with boat and barge traffic. The view here is from Yueyang Tower.
The smog in China is pretty severe, and it was hard to see the landscape. In this case, the smog worked to the photographer's advantage in giving this peach glow to the late afternoon sky.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Yuelu Academy
This architectural gem is well worth visiting if you are in Changsha, China. The university has been in operation since before 1000 CE. There are lovely courtyard gardens, walkways, stairways, and other visual feasts...
Friday, January 24, 2014
Yueyang Tower
Yueyan Tower (Changsha, China) sits atop a slope leading down to the shore of Dintong Lake. There are massive walls and stairs lining the edge of the site. It's easy going down, but some people need a bit of an assist to climb back up to the tower.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Yueyang Tower
This is an interesting site on Dintong Lake in Changsha, China. The tower has been rebuilt many times. It is prone to fire, being made of wood and all. The tower was used in ancient times as an observation point for naval exercises on the lake.
I was particularly interested in some of the architectural details and the use of color. Red and yellow are the dominant color schemes - red for the upright components, and yellow ceramic tiles on the roof.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
China - transportation is interesting there
I was at the Forestry Institute near Cypress City when this interesting farm rig rolled by on the road where we were parked. What struck me, aside from the contraption, was how comfortable the driver appear there on that box...
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Dintong Lake is a busy place
There is a lot of barge and commerce traffice on Dintong Lake. We were visiting Yueyang Tower during the late afternoon. With all the smog in the sky, the lake was a rather mystical place.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Yuelu Academy
A visit to Yuelu Academy October 24, 2013: This is a beautiful place to visit. The site has been an academic institution for more than 1000 years. The architecture is stunning, and the courtyards are charming.
My group from the International Wood Culture Society symposium on Taxodiaceae was primarily interested in the use of wood at this site.
I enjoyed exploring the architectural details, and it was nice to see Ginkgo trees in their native land.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Foresty Institute - Hunan Province, China
During a visit to the Forestry Institute near Cypress City, China, we walked through one of their forest plots. This abandoned house was a long a stream.
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Street scenes in China
Cypress City, China. This mountain town in Hunan Province is a bustling place. After touring the nearby Forestry Institute, we had lunch at a restaurant adjacent to many shops along the main street.
In China, one can always see people using storefronts and sidewalks as extensions of their living space. I was impressed by the social cohesion present in every community I visited, even if it was just a brief stop. I also got a kick out of the motorcycles that were topped with an elongated umbrella - not very aerodynamic, but it seems to do the trick to keep the rain at bay, or, more likely, the sun.
In China, one can always see people using storefronts and sidewalks as extensions of their living space. I was impressed by the social cohesion present in every community I visited, even if it was just a brief stop. I also got a kick out of the motorcycles that were topped with an elongated umbrella - not very aerodynamic, but it seems to do the trick to keep the rain at bay, or, more likely, the sun.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Yueyang tourist market
Every tourist site in China has a market for trinkets and souvenirs. This one was adjacent to Yueyang Tower (Changhsha, Hunan Province).
Thursday, January 09, 2014
Chinese swap meet
One of the sites I visited in Changsha, China, was the Bamboo Scripts Museum. An antiquities market was going on, in the form of a swap meet, in the plaza adjacent to the museum. The artifacts for sale were intriguing. If I had had any cash, I would have been purchasing some of these items. I was restricted to feasting on the visual splendors of jewelry, ceramics, wood carvings, etc. People watching was also a good option here.
Monday, January 06, 2014
Architectural detail
One of the doors at a building at the Yueyang Tower site in Hunan Province, China. I loved the play of light and shadow on this carved panel.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Yueyang Tower
One of the pre-conference trips for the International Wood Culture Society Symposium on Taxodiaceae was a tour of Yueyang Tower. This is an ancient structure that has been rebuilt over the course of several dynasties. It's made entirely of wood, most likely from genera in Cuppressaceae (to which Taxodiaceae has been subsumed), and the site is very interesting from a cultural and architectural viewpoint.
While we were there a group of school kids was on a field trip. The place was overrun, in fact, with children in identical uniforms. Many of them wanted to practice their English skills on me. I was an easy target, being such a tall Caucasian woman. I enjoyed these brief interactions, and I'm sure I gave the kids something to talk about amongst themselves....
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Phoenix City
One of the attractions of this ancient town is a boat trip to see the sights along the river. I suspect the boats are made from Cunninghamia (Cuppressaceae) - one of the abundant timber trees in China. The majority of structures in the old town are made from this timber, which is why our group from the International Wood Culture Society was visiting the site. We had just completed a symposium focused on the genera in Cuppressaceae (formerly from the family Taxodiaceae).
Click on the photo to see a larger version....
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Phoenix City
The old part of Phoenix City has many museums consisting of residences of famous people. There are some lovely courtyard gardens on display. The heavy rains of the day (October 29, 2013) gave such a dramatic mood to these sites.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Phoenix City
I visited Phoenix City, China after the International Wood Culture Society symposium on Taxodiaceae. This is an ancient city, which was built from wood. Today, it is the "old town" section of a large city, and it is a huge tourist attraction in Hunan Province. It rained the day I was there.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Chinese cat
Cypress City, Hunan Province. We stopped for lunch in this town after visiting a forestry institute. This cat was on patrol through an open air shop.
Tuesday, November 05, 2013
Phoenix City
Hunan Province, China - this is an ancient city built largely from wood. It was on the post-conference tour for the International Wood Culture Society for obvious reasons - to take a look at the use of wood in an old town. It rained so hard the day we visited that it made it a bit of a challenge to navigate the streets with the crowd of people maneuvering umbrellas. On the other hand, it was very photogenic.
Monday, November 04, 2013
Phoenix Town
Hunan Province, China - visited this ancient city on October 30, 2013. It was a very rainy day, which made the visit a bit of a challenge. I enjoyed the colorful umbrellas and rain ponchos, though.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
