Friday 31 August 2012

You can Canton me



After the economic tedium of Shenzhen forced me to seek solace in model villages, I was happy that Guangzhou had a lot more going for it. Alright, so it's pretty much the same stuff I saw in Taipei when I first came to Asia almost two years ago, but at least that gives my time in this continent some kind of circular narrative. Like those circular doorways I'd been missing too.


Guangzhou
(广州)



Canton Tower (600 metres). I mentioned this in Tokyo a couple of months ago, but didn't expect to see it so soon, if ever. My life isn't that well planned, but it's nice when I accidentally tick off these goals - another big building in the can



Nearby Chigang Pagoda can't help feeling a little overshadowed. Aww, I still like you, Chiggy!



I take that back, you're a 壞蛋



Pearl River. I was going to cross that bridge to get some blurry night shots, but it proved impossible to get to. Chinese cities aren't built for pedestrians



Point Zero in Guangzhou People's Park, the dead centre of the city. I thought this might help to orient me, but no such luck. Back on the overcrowded metro it is



Chen Clan Academy, which you had to pay to get into so here's the outside



Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall. Taipei has one of these too, so by my reckoning I've seen two more Sun Yat Sen Memorial Halls than you


Guangxiao Temple
(光孝寺)



Another city, another temple



The hair of the famous Zen Buddhist master Huineng is supposedly buried under that. I guess other temples baggsied the more interesting bits of his cadaver



These gambling babies don't even have hair, they must get jealous every time they look at it


Temple of the Six Banyan Trees
(六榕寺)



Look, it's got some of those doors I like. Lovely impractical geometry



Another big pagoda that didn't let me into. What are they hiding?



Some old bronze guys. I always include excessive description in the image file name that I think I might find useful when I write the blog, but what's the point? Who cares? Two years. I'm getting tired.