Saturday, September 12, 2009
twelfth September
the day started at 7.30am
we met at the admin block at that time
this time round is sightseeing in Wuhan
today is in Wuchang
our tour guide is xiao lei jie jie (:
this is her!
being a tour guide, must really know the places well such as the attractions, the food and the stories behind. Hence, it is amazing when they know their work well enough to tell and answer questions by tourists or visitors. In Wuhan, the tour guides speak in Chinese, it would be nice if speaking in our native language (English), thus the Malays also will be able to understand during sightseeing trips and events. However, they do speak well in their own national language, which we Chinese should learn from them.
First destination of the day is East Lake.
scenery seen from outside our bus' window, showing the East lake, which is much bigger than West Lake. However, the popularity among tourists or visitors of East Lake is much lower than West Lake.
The entrance of East Lake
The map of the lake, showing the BIG area, which cannot be covered by feet in a short time given. Hence, we just walked away, taking photos until the desired time to gather back at the entrance so to take the same bus to our next destination.
Lotus and the pond is green, with the growth of plants and weeds i guess. Do not think that the green part is solid, hence when a stone was thrown in, it just entered through, sank to the bottom i supposed.
There were people fishing there too, though I have no idea what they can catch there in that lake. Fishing is a leisure activity that people can do to enjoy and relax. Plus it will be very nice and satisfying when something is being caught.
small "buses" which are used to bring the visitors of East Lake around the lake. This is one way that the China locals can earn income through providing services to the visitors who came all the way to visit East Lake. Good service is the best as it will give good impression to the visitors and bring smiles on the faces of the people. (:
Such sign is placed to let the visitors and other people know to not spit anyhow, anywhere and anytime. They must have the appropriate behavior; not to do such action.
a bridge that brought further to other places in East Lake, resulting us to explore further and take more photos of whatever we saw and liked.
the kind of boat that is used to go around the East Lake.
another kind of boats I saw
Lotus; wuhan is famous for it i think. I do not remember trying a lotus seed before but I did try today. The taste of the lotus seed is quite sweet, to be able to taste that, first the outer skin is to remove, then the middle green thing also and in you put the seed bits into the mouth.
This uncle is using the acyclic to make into different animals, according to the chinese zodiac, which has the twelve animals.
me and a cute local child (: It is so nice of him to help his mother clean the tables and chairs of the shop opened in East Lake, next to the above uncle's 'store'. Filial peity is one of the values I believe China places importance in it.
Behind is the statue of Qu Yuan 屈原. He was a Chinese scholar and minister to the King of Chu during the Warring States Period and became a famous poet after that. His death is traditionally commemorated on Duanwu Festival (端午节/端午節), which is commonly known as the Dragon Boat Festival or Double Fifth (fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese Lunar Calender).
Soon the time was up to gather so that we all could take the bus to the museum. In the picture above, I was phototaken in the middle of the road, where along it are all maple leaves trees. It would be very nice if those leaves turned orangish-brown (like the picture below), signifying the change of seasons from Summer to Autumn.
we reached the Hubei Museum, which is near the East Lake, after going through some checks on our belongings and we ourselves like airport inspection but less stricter.
this is the entrance decoration when we first walked into the museum.
This is the sword of Gou Jian (越王勾践剑) (Gou Jian is the King of Yue), though this is not the original one, which is in some other museum instead. It is renowned for its sharpness and resilience to tarnish as after being in water for two thousand years, there is no sign of tarnish. These words "越王勾践 自作用劍" are carved onto the sword. It means "(Belonging to) King Gou Jian of Yue, made for (his) personal use".
Plus in the same museum, there is the spearhead of Gou Jian's arch rival the King of Wu.
This is the Spear of Fuchai (吳王夫差矛). It was unearthed in Jiangling, Hubei in November 1983. The inscription mirrors the text on Gou Jian's Sword, except the name of the owner and the type of weapon are different. In this case is "吴王夫差自作用矛", meaning "(Belonging to) King Fuchai of Wu made for (his) personal use"
these are other items to be seen in the museum exhibition halls.
next exhibition hall we went is the Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng 曾侯乙, as what is stated above, which contained the remains of him. Zeng was a minor state subordinate to its powerful neighbor, Chu during the Warring States Period.
One of the coffins found in the tomb.
some artifacts that were found in the tomb as well, all having such long history since the tomb was dated sometime after 433 BC.
this is one of the musical instruments played last time. Music had been present in the world since very long ago, however the genre of music is definitely different to liking between the past and the present.
The background is the set of 65 bronze bells, which are ritual musical instruments found in the tomb. There is a non-matching bell too, which was a memorial from King Hui of Chu to Marquis Yi.
More were found in the tomb.
After this hall, we went exploring ourselves. Up we went to the fourth level where there is a bookstore, which Dr Tan wanted to go with Yee Tat and Tony. Then we took the below picture together at the roof.
Our reflections ((:
Finish with the exploring of the museum, it was time to go to the Xiao Chi Street for lunch. The bus ride took a while to get there that we fell asleep in the bus. Finally we reached the destination and there is a whole street of food. (",)
This was my lunch, tang bao with meats. They were delicious! a satisfying nice meal (:
Gathered again after lunch to take a walk to the Yellow Crane Tower, another attraction to be seen in Hubei today.
On the way to the tower, there are series of shops selling souvenirs and gifts.
Yellow Crane Tower 黄鹤楼 is finally in sight, with 5 levels to it. Each level with its own display and at the top of the tower, visitors can have a good view of the Yangtze river.
This large temple bell is on east of the hill, which maybe stuck by visitors for a small fee.
The Yellow Crane Tower drawing/painting on the wall, signifying the legend behind it.
This is the view of the bell from the Tower.
Me and Jarold
Me and Roy with the view of the surroundings from the Yellow Crane Tower. It is amazing how such tower is being built in the past though this current Tower is actually a rebuilt attraction, which is built of modern materials plus an elevator is added.
Nice views, scenery from the Tower
more paintings on the titled walls
After visiting 3 different places in Hubei, we are dead tired i guess. hahas.
Anyway, today is a day of being a tourist since we visited places of attraction in Hubei. It is also a day of experiences as I did not visit such places before, hence they are first time experiences to capture such memories and scenery into my eyes and mind.
Plus today is a day of learning since we get to learn the stories behind some of the items that we saw and the different attractions that we been to. Knowing the history of China famous people can be boring, however with interesting stories that they were created in, boring is never the word to describe the learning process. (:
It is nice knowing more about another country besides my home country. To be exact, today we only know more about Hubei, only a small part of China. Hence, there is so much more to know about China and hopefully throughout my trip here I will be able to learn more.
Shall go off to rest as tomorrow is another day of sightseeing but this time round is the shops at Hankou. Therefore lots of shopping can be done!
JEHANNE :))
the day started at 7.30am
we met at the admin block at that time
this time round is sightseeing in Wuhan
today is in Wuchang
our tour guide is xiao lei jie jie (:
this is her!being a tour guide, must really know the places well such as the attractions, the food and the stories behind. Hence, it is amazing when they know their work well enough to tell and answer questions by tourists or visitors. In Wuhan, the tour guides speak in Chinese, it would be nice if speaking in our native language (English), thus the Malays also will be able to understand during sightseeing trips and events. However, they do speak well in their own national language, which we Chinese should learn from them.
First destination of the day is East Lake.
scenery seen from outside our bus' window, showing the East lake, which is much bigger than West Lake. However, the popularity among tourists or visitors of East Lake is much lower than West Lake. The entrance of East Lake The map of the lake, showing the BIG area, which cannot be covered by feet in a short time given. Hence, we just walked away, taking photos until the desired time to gather back at the entrance so to take the same bus to our next destination. Lotus and the pond is green, with the growth of plants and weeds i guess. Do not think that the green part is solid, hence when a stone was thrown in, it just entered through, sank to the bottom i supposed. There were people fishing there too, though I have no idea what they can catch there in that lake. Fishing is a leisure activity that people can do to enjoy and relax. Plus it will be very nice and satisfying when something is being caught. small "buses" which are used to bring the visitors of East Lake around the lake. This is one way that the China locals can earn income through providing services to the visitors who came all the way to visit East Lake. Good service is the best as it will give good impression to the visitors and bring smiles on the faces of the people. (: Such sign is placed to let the visitors and other people know to not spit anyhow, anywhere and anytime. They must have the appropriate behavior; not to do such action. a bridge that brought further to other places in East Lake, resulting us to explore further and take more photos of whatever we saw and liked. the kind of boat that is used to go around the East Lake. another kind of boats I saw Lotus; wuhan is famous for it i think. I do not remember trying a lotus seed before but I did try today. The taste of the lotus seed is quite sweet, to be able to taste that, first the outer skin is to remove, then the middle green thing also and in you put the seed bits into the mouth. This uncle is using the acyclic to make into different animals, according to the chinese zodiac, which has the twelve animals. me and a cute local child (: It is so nice of him to help his mother clean the tables and chairs of the shop opened in East Lake, next to the above uncle's 'store'. Filial peity is one of the values I believe China places importance in it. Behind is the statue of Qu Yuan 屈原. He was a Chinese scholar and minister to the King of Chu during the Warring States Period and became a famous poet after that. His death is traditionally commemorated on Duanwu Festival (端午节/端午節), which is commonly known as the Dragon Boat Festival or Double Fifth (fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese Lunar Calender).Soon the time was up to gather so that we all could take the bus to the museum. In the picture above, I was phototaken in the middle of the road, where along it are all maple leaves trees. It would be very nice if those leaves turned orangish-brown (like the picture below), signifying the change of seasons from Summer to Autumn. we reached the Hubei Museum, which is near the East Lake, after going through some checks on our belongings and we ourselves like airport inspection but less stricter. this is the entrance decoration when we first walked into the museum. This is the sword of Gou Jian (越王勾践剑) (Gou Jian is the King of Yue), though this is not the original one, which is in some other museum instead. It is renowned for its sharpness and resilience to tarnish as after being in water for two thousand years, there is no sign of tarnish. These words "越王勾践 自作用劍" are carved onto the sword. It means "(Belonging to) King Gou Jian of Yue, made for (his) personal use".Plus in the same museum, there is the spearhead of Gou Jian's arch rival the King of Wu.
This is the Spear of Fuchai (吳王夫差矛). It was unearthed in Jiangling, Hubei in November 1983. The inscription mirrors the text on Gou Jian's Sword, except the name of the owner and the type of weapon are different. In this case is "吴王夫差自作用矛", meaning "(Belonging to) King Fuchai of Wu made for (his) personal use" these are other items to be seen in the museum exhibition halls. next exhibition hall we went is the Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng 曾侯乙, as what is stated above, which contained the remains of him. Zeng was a minor state subordinate to its powerful neighbor, Chu during the Warring States Period.
One of the coffins found in the tomb. some artifacts that were found in the tomb as well, all having such long history since the tomb was dated sometime after 433 BC. this is one of the musical instruments played last time. Music had been present in the world since very long ago, however the genre of music is definitely different to liking between the past and the present. The background is the set of 65 bronze bells, which are ritual musical instruments found in the tomb. There is a non-matching bell too, which was a memorial from King Hui of Chu to Marquis Yi. More were found in the tomb.After this hall, we went exploring ourselves. Up we went to the fourth level where there is a bookstore, which Dr Tan wanted to go with Yee Tat and Tony. Then we took the below picture together at the roof.
Our reflections ((:Finish with the exploring of the museum, it was time to go to the Xiao Chi Street for lunch. The bus ride took a while to get there that we fell asleep in the bus. Finally we reached the destination and there is a whole street of food. (",)
This was my lunch, tang bao with meats. They were delicious! a satisfying nice meal (:Gathered again after lunch to take a walk to the Yellow Crane Tower, another attraction to be seen in Hubei today.
On the way to the tower, there are series of shops selling souvenirs and gifts.Yellow Crane Tower 黄鹤楼 is finally in sight, with 5 levels to it. Each level with its own display and at the top of the tower, visitors can have a good view of the Yangtze river.This large temple bell is on east of the hill, which maybe stuck by visitors for a small fee.The Yellow Crane Tower drawing/painting on the wall, signifying the legend behind it.This is the view of the bell from the Tower.Me and JaroldMe and Roy with the view of the surroundings from the Yellow Crane Tower. It is amazing how such tower is being built in the past though this current Tower is actually a rebuilt attraction, which is built of modern materials plus an elevator is added.Nice views, scenery from the Towermore paintings on the titled wallsAfter visiting 3 different places in Hubei, we are dead tired i guess. hahas.
Anyway, today is a day of being a tourist since we visited places of attraction in Hubei. It is also a day of experiences as I did not visit such places before, hence they are first time experiences to capture such memories and scenery into my eyes and mind.
Plus today is a day of learning since we get to learn the stories behind some of the items that we saw and the different attractions that we been to. Knowing the history of China famous people can be boring, however with interesting stories that they were created in, boring is never the word to describe the learning process. (:
It is nice knowing more about another country besides my home country. To be exact, today we only know more about Hubei, only a small part of China. Hence, there is so much more to know about China and hopefully throughout my trip here I will be able to learn more.
Shall go off to rest as tomorrow is another day of sightseeing but this time round is the shops at Hankou. Therefore lots of shopping can be done!
JEHANNE :))
forever cherished at 8:23 PM.
