Christmas in China

Christmas in China is a breath of fresh air compared to the over commercialised western business. It goes off much more quietly, but not silently. They have all the usual Christams trees, lights and tinsel. However, where as in the west, these items start appearing in October, in China, it is constrained to just the week or two before the big day. The picture above shows how Chinese tradition has merged with western. Wooden wish tokens from traditional Chinese religions are used to decorate a western style Christmas tree.

Climbing to the top of Hong Kong (and an interview on NPR) by Stuck in Customs via Flickr and Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike License.

This has to be one of my favourite locations on earth. It is certainly my favourite view in my favourite city. This is Hong Kong in the late afternoon viewed form The Peak on Victoria Mountain. I've been there four times and I always long to go back again and again. (If anyone can get me a job in Hong Kong, would be most appreciated.)

The Wormhole in Shanghai

The Wormhole by Stuck in Customs via Flickr and Creative Commons Atribution, Non Commercial, Share Alike Liciense

The Tourist Tunnel is part of Shanghai's subway network which links the old west side with the new east side of the city. Running under the Huangpu River between Pudong and Puxi districts, the Tourist Tunnel is a unique experience. The line uses specially modified trains with bubble windows allowing travelers to see the varied illuminations on the tunnel walls as they pass though.

Shanghai Urban Urban Urban

Shanghai Rollercoaster by Jakob Montrasio via Flickr and Creative Commons Attribution License.

The new Lupu bridge in Shanghai is the worlds longest arched bridged. While most traffic travels along the bottom, level, part of the bridge, there is a walk way that goes over the top of the arch and is open to tourists. This affords some excellent views of the Shanghai city, the Huang Pu river and the myriad of skyscrapers surround this location. The soon to close Shanghai Expo site can be seen from here, though not in this shot. To make this image, Jakob Montrasio has used a HDR technique. While many people over do HDR and create photo disasters, on this shot is has worked perfectly. The HDR has emphasized the texture of the city creating the perfect urban jungle look.

Amur Leopard

Amur Leopard by By Durotriges sourced via Flickr under CC-BY-NC license.
The Amur Leopard or Manchurian Leopard is one of the rarest large wide cats on earth. It is reckoned that less than 30 of these big cats remain in the wild and as such are in extremely high risk of extinction. About 200 of these leopard exist in zoos around the world. The cats are native of Northeast China, Korea and the Russian Far East.

Hong Kong Streets

Almost certainly my favourite city, Hong Kong's streets are alive with people day and night. The whole city seems to buzz with activity. The above shot captures this sense of biz as cars and people rush by.

Longshen rice terraces in Guilin

The image I always had of China, as a child, was of paddy fields and terraces growing rice in the mountains. However, most of China isn't like that. Longshen, in Guilin, in the South of China is. This is one of the most spectacular areas of rice terracing in China. The area is now a national park and popular tourist destination.

Shanghai Moon

As soon as I saw this picture, I know I had to include it in my blog. I've seen so many night pics of Shanghai's Bund and Huang Pu river. I've even taken a fair few of them myself. However, it is rare to see one that includes the moon as the focus of the photo.

IFC2 in Hong Kong

The International Finance Centre 2 building in the centre of Hong Kong's business district is a key landmark. Almost every picture of Hong Kong's sky line includes this building from one angle or anther. Being on of the tallest buildings in the city and at 88 stories high, towering over all the neighbouring skyscrapers, the IFC2 building is a obvious focal point when composing your pictures.

Yellow leaves and bamboo

Much of Southern China is covered in forests of tall bamboo. This plant is a type of grass and can grow at astonishing speeds. The stems are very strong and are used for a variety of purposes throughout the country. In many places, the bamboo replaces steel as a scaffolding material in the construction industry. I have personally seen bamboo scaffolds over 30 stories tall in some cities.

Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China must be one of the most photographed locations in the country if not the world. It has captured the imaginations of generations with the shear enormity of the project. Given the number of photographs of this sight, it is refreshing to come across one that is a little different form the others. This photo has been treated in photoshop to give it a texture reminiscent of an oil painting. I'm not usually a fan of such effects as they either make are done to improve a mediocre shot or else spoil an otherwise excellent shot. However it does seem to have worked here.

Across the Chinese Countryside

An unusual shot of China, not the usual cities of famous cultural landmarks. Instead some unnamed hills and a fantastic sky.

888 by Denis Collett

It's now a bit over two years since the Beijing Olympics. The above shot of the Olympic rings in fireworks above the birds nest stadium. The Olympics opened on August 8th 2008, or 2008-08-08 or 888. This is an auspicious date in Chinese custom.

Lamma Island in Hong Kong

Hong Kong isn't all city and skyscrapers you know. A large part of the area is mountains and forests. Especially when you go out to some of the islands. This is on Lamma island, the third largest in Hong Kong. The island has a population of just 6,000 people who live a more relaxed lifestyle. This makes the island popular with expats and artist communities.

Glass and Metal and Steel and China

Glass and Metal and Steel and China, originally uploaded by Stuck in Customs.

The International Finance Centre 2 in Hong Kong, was until recently, the tallest building in the city. This shot shows the typical pedestrian view of Hong Kong. A series of modern walk ways suspended above the roads and intermeshed with various buildings. Stairs and junctions in these walkways creates a maze of modernity that takes some getting used to for the newbie.

Longshen is a county in Guilin prefecture of Guanxi, China. It is an area renouned for it's tradition rice cultivation using terraces built onto the hill side. The pattern of the rice terraces has made Longshen a popular tourist destination. The area is also home to several ethnic minorities of China who build the special wooden houses seen pictured above.

The Bund, Shanghai

The Bund was the original heart of Shanghai. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, Shanghai was a major international city in China. Each of the major trading powers of that time had 'concessions' - areas under foreign control - within Shanghai. The Bund was the main river side road that connected all these areas together. Along the waterfront, they built banks and hotels in the western, colonial, styles. Many of these old buildings can still be seen on the Bund today, however, they are now set amongst an array of modern skyscrapers and neon lights.

Hong Kong Central District, China

Finance Central by HKmPUA

Hong Kong is skyscrapers. Nowhere else on earth are they so densely packed into such a small space. Also, Hong Kong's skyscrapers are particularly narrow, as are the streets that squeeze between them. So these towers have an unusual elongated look. Standing at the bottom and looking up can give you vertigo without even beginning to ascend. At night, the towers are all illuminated by a spectacular light show.

Mount Everest in Tibet

Everest amb Iac by Oriol Gascón

The far western edge of China is a remote and wild place. Populated by few, this mountainous and harsh landscape is also one of extreme beauty. This is one of the main draws to the many tourists that brave the altitude sickness to visit the ancient kingdom in the clouds. Tibet contains much of the mountains of the Himalayas. The highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest (photo above) is on the border between China and Nepal. Tourists can travel from Lhasa to the base camp of Everest where they can get a rarely seen and unique view of the mountain.

浦西 Puxi (上海 Shanghai) by Jakob Montrasio

The centre of Shanghai has changed radically since the opening up of China. It has now become the centre of Chinese development. Down town Shanghai was originally developed by foreign traders who set up in the city during the 19th Century. Today Shanghai remains a major key in China's economy. The centre of the city has filled up with new sky scrapers. This picture shows the Puxi area of Shanghai. This is the old down town area.

CCTV Building in Beijing, China

Cranes In The Sky by Jakob Montrasio.

The year 2008 saw the completion of many large building projects in Beijing, China. There was of course, the Olympics and the stadiums related to that. But also other buildings such as this one, the CCTV tower. The building is in the east end of Beijing. It has become one of the modern icons for the development of China. The building is now the home of of China Central Television.

The View from Victoria Peak in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Skyline  by Sprengben

Last week I posted a shot of the Hong Kong Sky line looking up from the Kowloon side of the harbour. This week we are on the peak of Victoria Mountain on Hong Kong Island looking down. The mass of skyscrapers along the north shore of Hong Kong island is breathtaking. Every time I go up that mountain I have shivers from the thrill. No other city on earth compares with this one for it's urban splendour.

The Symphony of Lights in Hong Kong, China

Every evening, Hong Kong comes alive with lights. However, being Hong Kong, it wasn't enough for them to put on the basic city lights. No, they had to put on the world biggest light show. It runs every evening throughout the year. The best places to view the show are either from the Avenue or the Stars on the Kowloon side or the harbour. Or else from the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on the north east side of Hong Kong island.

I've been to Hong Kong three times now, and I never fail to check out this view. No matter how often I see it, I never tire. It is a unique experience that you can't get anywhere other than in Hong Kong. The Symphony of Lights must be seen to be believed.