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Jane and I promised our friends and family that we would
make available some of the photos that I took during our holiday in the the south of China
during September 2008.
While I have learnt a little from Barnaby about patience
and the planning of photographs, there was so much packed into Wendy Wu Tours'
"Dreams of Nature" month-long holiday that I was very conscious that every opportunity
would have passed by in an instant, so I took a lot of photos very fast; I took around
7,000 and discarded 1000 while reviewing them each day. Now I have had time to
review them in detail I have removed those that are utterly boring (even to me),
technically unfit, and those that show Jane in a less than flattering light (if
there are family members who want to view this last category over Christmas, I
am open to bribes).
This leaves about 2,500 ! So that you can be
selective about which ones you look at, I
have organised these into 37 albums. These are arranged in chronological order
by location. Some (e.g. Shanghai) span two or three days and some only
half a day; some events span two or three albums in order to limit the number in each
album to a maximum of 100. In
the index below there is a very brief explanation of the content of each album and,
if you click on the link for that album a new window will pop up with the pics in
thumbnail form. You can choose to view just one, o r you can view a whole album at a
time up to full-screen size via a supplied media player (selectively, or as a
slideshow).
In maximum quality each photo is between 7 and 16 Mbytes,
but to make them readily viewable each has been reduced to between 1/10th or
1/20th of this! They are still large enough to display full-screen up to
1500x1000 pixels, although the software used for the display does degrade the
image slightly - especially skin-tones. If you want to see any photo at
its best, you can choose to download it and use your own preferred viewer.
You
can even email me at photos@lacitadelle.co.uk
to get a maximum quality version (up to 10Mbytes) of any photo.
We don't currently have enough web-space for so many
photos so they are stored on backup repository, which doesn't behave exactly
like normal web pages (for example double clicking or right clicking is needed
for some functions, so I recommend that you click here to pop up some technical
advice of how to use the folders.
Since setting this page up, the photo backup system used has reduced its functionality, so I am in the course of changing the links, starting with "Shanghai".
Eric and Jane
lacitadelle.co.uk
Photo Album Index:
01 Shanghai - 66 photos
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Many of the
pictures are of the spectacular architecture. I took pictures from
the coach, on the Bund, from a waterfront restaurant, from a building
overlooking the whole city, of the Yu Yuan gardens and market, of the
local and antique and street markets, and on a night cruise on the river.
On our final evening I photographed the crowds in the downtown area with
its fashionable and pricey stores.
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02 Huangshan in sunshine - 55 photos
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The first photos are of the sleeping countryside from our sleeper train to Huang Shan City before
dawn. Of all my pictures I was least satisfied by these of China's
Yellow Mountain; I had great hopes, but to
get the best of the peaks and the cloud sea would take a week, a month,
or
even ten years, to photograph them under all conditions of weather and
light. Still we had a couple of hours of sunshine on our first day here above the clouds.
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03 Huangshan in mist - 48 photos
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Our second day started at around 5 a.m. when we went out to watch for the sun rising above the cloudsea. Alas, it didn't, but the dawn seeped slowly through the mist that was to envelop us for the rest of the morning. Even through the thick mist the scenery was spectacular, but you have to look closely. At lunchtime we descend again through the clouds by cable-car for lunch and our return to our next hotel in Tunxi (Huang Shan City) where our main luggage is awaiting us.
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04 Tunxi - 20 photos
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We explored the ancient street of
the Tunxi district of Huang Shan City at dusk, before dinner. The ancient
shops and houses were beautifully and unobtrusively preserved.
The
shops were mostly high-priced antique outlets, and the people in the
streets Chinese tourists, but there were street vendors, and we wandered
out of the other end to where the real shops and canteens were.
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05 To Zhangjiajie by coach - 57 photos
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This long coach journey was our
first real view of the countryside of southern China. Taking photos
through coach windows isn't ideal, and the pictures are not perfect, but I
think that they are interesting.
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06 Zhangjiajie 1 - 91 photos
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Again mist-shrouded peaks recede
rapidly into the blue distance, and such photographs tend to all look the same.
Nevertheless these are the most distinctive ones - some even good, I hope.
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07 Baofeng Lake - 25 photos
08 Zhangjiajie 2 -- 88 photos
09 Zhangjiajie 3 - 26 photos
10 Zhangjiajie City - 72 photos
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Zhangjiajie City is in two parts, separated by a 50-minute drive. This,
the commercial half, was far nicer
than the tourist outpost at the national park gates. While
many of the other
members of our party went off on an optional excursion to yet another
mountain, we enjoyed ourselves enormously exploring the streets and
markets of a real Chinese town on our own, as we had in Shanghai.
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11 Changsha - 11 photos
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Changsha was the most
architecturally uninspiring of the provincial capitals that we stayed in
. Nevertheless I had a chance to go out early in the morning to
explore the roads and back-alleys around our hotel.
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12 Train to Zhengyuan 1 - 61 photos
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Billed as a "scenic train journey", this five-hour train
journey across Hunan Province from Changsha
was outstanding from a scenic point of view. It went through cities,
towns, villages, farming areas, and areas of wild country and peaks.
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13 Train to Zhenyuan 2 - 79 photos
14 Train to Zhenyuan 3 - 63
photos
15 Zhenyuan 1 - 89 photos
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Zhenyuan is an ancient Han garrison town. Located in a stunning position on a small river, it is teaming with the
children of the local ethnic groups - the Miao and Dong people.
Many of
the early photos are of and from the Green Dragon Cave - not a cave at all
but "the doyenne of Taoist temples" built into the hillside
overlooking the river with its fishermen, boatmen, and swimming children.
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16 Tiexi - 84 photos
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This "scenic spot" is an
ancient walk way up a mountain stream, leading to an extraordinary bright
blue pool - the source of the stream, coloured by copper salts.
More than
one of our party succumbed to the dangers of the slippery walkway, the
stepping stones, or the precarious bamboo-pole bridges! I know
that Neville and Moira have a similar picture of me leading Jane across
this bridge.
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17 Zhenyuan 2 - 73 photos
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After lunch we rushed back to
Zhenyuan to visit the ancient Fu family home overlooking the rooftops of
the town, and to wander along the river watching the dragon boat races.
In
the evening we went out walking to enjoy the lights along the river and
the views of the people still going about their lives.
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18 Wuyang cruise - 100 photos
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A peaceful
cruise on the Wuyang river between steep hills and cliffs. The boat
was chartered just for our small party, and there was nothing to do but
watch (and photograph) the scenery, the fishing boats, and the houseboats
and villages. At the start there are locals selling spicy seafood
brochettes made to order from their own freshly caught fish.
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19 Zhenyuan waiting room - 28 photos
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The railway
waiting room at Zhenyuan was an experience in itself. At least
there were seats for hundreds, and shops and refreshments. I whiled
away the wait for the train back to Guiyang by photographing the other
passengers (and Lily, our national guide).
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20 Train to Guiyang - 85 photos
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This shows the scenery on the way
back to Guiyang, only from the other side of the train and in the late
afternoon rather than the morning. The last photo is very fuzzy - it was
taken in a dim and vibrating railway carriage - but it is magic: it is of
all the Chinese travelers in the carriage rising to cheer on Peter in his
brave attempt to eat the reconstituted noodles in his packed meal bag!
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21 Huangguoshu Falls - 80 photos
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These are
claimed to be China's (or Asia's?) highest falls - but only by virtue of
the fact that they drop in many stages over a distance of two or three
miles. Still they are very impressive, and trying to take photos under the
waterfall is a bit like working in a shower cubicle with the shower on
full - only worse!
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22 Li River 1 - 64 photos
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The Li River
hosts 11 million visitors a year, so it is not surprising to see a few
westerners amongst them. Still we were still a tiny
minority. It was exactly as expected - the broad river meandering
between misty peaks, with fishermen with cormorants, and peddlers on
bamboo rafts.
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23 Li River 2 - 64 photos
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The cruise boats all start out stem
to stern, like a train, but soon space out until, if anything, they enhance
the scenery as you can seldom see more that one ahead. The men and
women making their livelihood on fragile rafts on the water are
fascinating.
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24 Yangshuo - 76 photos
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Yangshuo is the
destination for those 11 million, and is mainly a huge bazaar. Bargaining
is a great art that the local traders seem to relish even though the
buyers always seem to get the better side of the bargain. The morning
after the river cruise we went out into farming country to see the people
and visit a farmer and his family.
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25 Guilin - 83 photos
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Guilin is a
tourist focus as well. As well as glimpses of the city, we see the
Reed Flute Caves, Mount Diecal overlooking the city centre, Guilin's night
market, and gardens in the city centre.
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26 Juizhaigou 1 - 94 photos
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Juizhaigou is in
the Aba Autonomous Tibetan and Chiang Prefecture, up on the edge of
the Tibetan plateau. We flew into its (military) airport which, at 4,500
metres is China's second highest. This first album is of the Nine Villages
Valley itself - although nearly all the villages appeared to have been
cleared recently of their (Tibetan) inhabitants; newspapers reported
disturbances here two weeks before we visited and there was a strong but
polite military presence. The valley contains a chain of
extraordinary lakes with green and blue water, linked by waterfalls.
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27 Juizhaigou 2 - 94 photos
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This album was
taken at the end of the afternoon, after we had walked and bussed down
from 4,500 metres, and shows the trappings of Tibetan Buddhism hopelessly
entangled with the earlier Bo or Benbo religion, and a large Tibetan
tourist bazaar.
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28 Tibetan concert - 89 photos
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Within walking
distance of our hotel we attended a Tibetan and Chiang concert - dancers,
singers and comedy entertainment. It was absolutely excellent. As Jane and
I were sitting in a very exposed position within inches of the low stage,
I had an excellent opportunity to take these photographs, which have come
out very well despite the generally low light level.
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29 Huanglong - 43 photos
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Huanglong - the
Yellow Dragon - is at the head of the adjacent valley. Again starting at
about 4,500 metres it is an area of white, yellow and purple calcite
deposited as the mineral laden waters flow down the head of the valley via
calcite-rimmed pools and waterfalls.
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30 Minshan - 35 photos
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Our return to
Juizhaigou-Huanglong Airport took us through a high mountain pass in the
Min Shan range with close views of Mount Xuebaoding, the highest mountain
in what the Chinese refer to coyly as "China proper". Most of
the photos were taken through the coach windows: I got out at one point
and it was absolutely freezing!
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31 Leshan 1 - 99 photos
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Leshan is
rapidly becoming a major tourist destination because of its 73 metre high Buddha
carved into a cliff. The real high-spot of this visit was a walk along the
waterfront with its cafes, and being let loose in a real market!
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32 Leshan 2 - 46 photos
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A ferry trip to view the Sleeping Buddha
(the first photo in the album) and the giant red carved Buddha itself. After that more wandering through the streets by ourselves
until time to get back in the coach,
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33 Chengdu - 44 photos
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We were fortunate to stay overnight
in the very centre of Chengdu at the start of Golden Week - China's major
national holiday ( a whole week instead of just one day like Chinese New
Year). These pictures are mostly of the city centre, around Tianfu Square,
at night with all the lights and decorations for the holiday.
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34 Pandas - 49 photos
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Despite the damage done by the May
2008 Sichuan earthquake, Chengdu is still one of the major world centres for
panda
breeding research. We were able to view and photograph many giant pandas
and the less well-known red pandas at close quarters, and see (but not
photograph) baby pandas in their incubators.
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35 Sanxingdui Museum - 42 photos
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Despite being little-known outside
China, the Sanxingdui archæological site outside Chengdu has yielded an
extraordinary treasure of jade, bronze and gold artifacts. Most of them
can be seen in a new museum, rather than at the dig as in the past. I
photographed much of this Bronze-Age art and include a few of
the pictures in this album.
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36 Chinese Opera - 30 photos
37 Goodbye Chengdu - 16 photos
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After the concert, approaching
midnight, we ventured out through the back streets of Chengdu to find an
internet cafe and check-in online for our flight back to London via Hong
Kong. The next morning we set out amongst the extraordinary crowds of
National Day, October the first. Chengdu Airport's International
terminal was the best I have ever encountered: it was the least stressful
airport experience we have ever had, due to the consideration and helpfulness
of the staff - and the fact that we were almost the only people there (Jane's
wondering where everyone else is in the picture opposite!).
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Eric Finlayson
www.lacitadelle.co.uk
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