Play Hard on Weekend - Feel the Prosperity in Guangzhou

Work Hard Play Hard is my survival principle. This time, a friend who is familiar with Guangzhou City showed me its latest development.

A farm in the Mainland China area on the way from Hong Kong to Guanzhou East Station. Hope the crops grow healthily and naturally.


















Traditional Chinese paintings at Guangdong Museum of Art. I like the bright-color goldfishes swimming freely in the water. My friend prefers the shan shui picture because it is peaceful.


Western art is also available in the museum. Awaiting for something? Good news I hope.












Daily life can be part of arts or arts is part of life? These Tibetan people looked almost 20 years older than their actual age because of the harsh climate in their living area.



Busy traffic on weekend along the Pearl River. Busy is probably a synonym of prosperity.


Residential area in Tianhe District is for those rather well-off and expatriates. Both the cake and coffee were excellent in a cafe there. The price was far beyond national average, a bit higher than that in Hong Kong.


A poster in a bookstore @ Taikoo Hui. The books reminded me university life. Besides of selling books, the bookstore also serves as a cultural hub by organising cultural events from time to time, like Eslite in Taiwan. The guest of the day was a Hong Kong intellect who attracted numbers of people filled up the entire shop.


Yummy Korean dinner at reasonable price in Taikoo Hui. It is a cousin of multiple-use complexes in Hong Kong developed by the major shareholder, Swire Property. In Hong Kong, you can see many people queue up outside brands but this phenomenon did not happen in mainland. Weird.



The lighting on the podium level recalled me the night view at Roppongi, Tokyo.


This poster is fun. But the reason of its birth is not.


Famous night view with Canton Tower in the background.


My friend recommended Leeden Hotel Guangzhou which is really a good choice for the room is spacious, clean and comfortable.

Tai O, a Fishing Village on an Outlying Island

Tai O is a fishing village on the Lantau Island. Its unique old-world and rather laid-back style is the best refreshment to busy city people. It is better to visit Tao O on weekends for more shops open at the time.

















Stilt house (棚屋) is a signature in Tai O. Back to 200 years ago, fishermen built stilt houses over the water as safe accommodation from terrible weather.

















Small area of mangrove proves the water quality in Tai O is pretty good.

















Famous shrimp paste in production. The fresh savory shrimp flavor may disappear soon for the Hong Kong government plan to ban nest fishing to protect the environment. Then, the owner said he may replace the main ingredients by mainland shrimps which are in lower quality and hurt the taste. Wonder how a small business can hurt the environment and why transfer a natural coastal area into an artificial beach cannot.





The small market provides convenience to the aged population in the small village.

















Cats assembly at the door of a post office under a rainy day. What a funny scene.

Tai O Heritage Hotel Hong Kong

Tai O Heritage Hotel was the old Tai O Police Station which built to prevent pirates attacks. Under a historical building revitalisation project, the official Grade II historic building has become a 9-room boutique hotel.

















The hotel organised a number of tours to introduce its history to the public before grand opening. My friend and me attended one on weekday. We this jetboat shuttle to the hotel from Tai O bus station. HK$10 for a 2-min ride. An alternative is 20-min walk for free. Time is valuable, right?

















A guy was for defensive use but now is for decoration.






















From an abandon building to a beautiful colonial style hotel. Examine the building carefully to find out bullet marks.
 

















































One of modern and cozy rooms. I would spend a night here.


















A small room for temporary detention of suspects.
 





















This water lily pound was built by a naughty policeman as  a punishment of offensive behavior against superior.

















A hotel restaurant provides dishes with Tao O specialists. 






















A drawing about traditional festival and customs from a Tao O artist.

















This revitalisation project was not limited to building renovation. It linked up the history and local community closely for the local people involved deeply during the revitalisation, say some people provided photos of the past and some recorded interesting stories in video.  Moreover, it provides job opportunities to local Tai O people. The project has demonstrated a warm and humanistic interaction between human and environment. Hope there are more successful revitalisation projects in the near future.

Hong Kong Snap Shots @ 2011

Sunset in HK (Dec 2011)

















Surprised to see a fishing boat in Wanchai. (Aug 2011)

















View of Wanchai in a Super Sunny Day (Aug 2011)

















View of Hong Kong Heritage Museum and Shatin (June 2011)

Happy Weekend Escape - Welcome to Chimelong

Chimelong is a famous resort in Guangzhou. Besides of hotels, Chimelong group also has established 5 attractions. I picked the 2 with highest reputation , Safari Park and International Circus.

If you wanna see the animals in open area, the self-drive scenic spot is certainly your choice. You can drive around if you have mainland China driving licence or simply jump onto a train to explore around.


These Australian immigrants couldn't forget their laid-back living style.

















Even jumpy deers were affected.


















Giraffes in zoo may eat something other than leaves. 






















The big one worked for a living of the little

































Hairy stuffed?






















Parrot in bright colour outfit.






















A friendly white big cat.

















Authentic king of the animals.

















International Circus was a fantastic entertainment. Don't miss it when you go Chimelong.

















My friend and me stayed at a new hotel, Chateau Star River instead of Chimelong Hotels as the former one was much cheaper. Chateau provided free shuttle services to Chimelong which was pretty convenience.  The in-room facilities were pretty good. I love the TV set next to the bath tub. The only drawback was the breakfast area was so small that failed to cater for all customers. And some people cut in the line reflected the staff were not properly trained. Anyway, I still recommend the hotel if location is not a concern.