Chen Clan Temple - Guangzhou China

On our first full day in Guangzhou, one of my former students and her husband took us to one of my favorite spots in the city - Chen Jia Ci, or the Chen Clan Temple. It is also known as the Chen Family Academy....I don't really know why it has a couple of different English names, but "Academy" is a far more appropriate term to use that "Temple."

The place was originally built as a family temple and a sanctuary for family members to study, but is now used as a traditional/folk art academy and is considered one of Guangzhou's top tourist attractions.

According to one of the official tourism sites, here's some history about the academy. "In the late of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), a man named Chen got the third place in the highest imperial examination and had conferred upon him a distinguished office title which made the Family Chen well-known. Later someone suggested that all the Chen's families raise money to build a temple to sacrifice to the ancestors and encourage their offspring likewise to study hard. Therefore, the temple was finished in 1894 with the money donated by Chen's families in 72 counties of Guangdong Province as well as some overseas members of Family Chen.

"The temple is a compound complex consisting of nine halls, six courtyards and nineteen buildings connected by corridors, all separated by walls from the outside world. A pair of stone drums in front of the entrance door, measuring 2.55 meters (about 8.36 feet) in height and two colored drawing pictures of door-god of four meters (about 13 feet) height are said to be the best in Guangdong.

"The compound was constructed in the traditional Chinese symmetrical style and the main hall, the Juxian Hall is in the center of the temple. Juxian Hall was once a place for clansmen to assemble before the establishment of the temple and now it is used as an ancestral hall. In front of the hall is a stone gazebo surrounded by stone balustrades. In the hall there is an exquisitely carved folding screen which is an excellent example of woodcarving."

The top photo is one of the many corridors in the complex that connects the different buildings. The bottom photo is one of the stone lions at the entry. The lions signify power and are there to keep evil and misfortune away.

The temple was somewhat pillaged during the Cultural Revolution. Most of the contents were burned, but the structure itself miraculously escaped demolition. If my memory serves me correctly, the building were used as either a factory or a slaughterhouse during the cultural revolution and it fell into considerable disrepair. Since then, the all levels of government in China have been spending a lot to restore the place to its former glory. There is currently a very large construction project going on in front of the Academy that will give the place a massive courtyard-styled entry way. Both Wendy and I are looking forward to a return trip to Guangzhou to see the changes. We suspect that most of the construction should be finished by November when Guangzhou hosts the 2010 Asian Games.

For Wendy's take on the Chen Clan Temple, check out her blog.

Riding High in Hong Kong

If you're ever in Hong Kong, try to make your way to Ngong Ping, which is on Lantau Island, away from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong proper. And if you go to Ngong Ping and take the cable car, make sure to spring the extra cash for the "Crystal Car" which has a glass-bottom floor that gives you a gut-dropping view of the ground below you - about 200 feet below you in some places. In the above photo, my wife Wendy looks like she's sitting on a floating bench as our cable car approaches the landing dock near the Hong Kong airport.


The cable car ride from Ngong Ping to the landing dock is about half an hour long and the views are spectacular in any direction. For those who don't like heights, you can also get to Ngong Ping by taking a ferry and bus or hike up the mountain following the cable car lines. You can see a bit of the path in the photo above.

Once at Ngong Ping, the main attraction is a giant Buddha and a Buddhist monastery. You will also find some hiking trails that will take you up and around the many mountains in the area. We didn't do any of the hiking, however, as we were still suffering from the jet lag.

Soon....back in Asia

We'll soon be seeing this view from the Star Ferry in Hong Kong!

We're down to our last few days in Nanaimo before Wendy and I fly to Toronto on to visit her family for a while before heading to the wonderful city of Hong Kong.

I really look forward to being back in Asia. That's where I first became interested in photography, and when I look at my photos from China, Hong Kong and Malaysia, I'm quite disappointed in them. It will be nice to have a chance to get some better shots of places now that I know what I'm doing with a camera.

This photo of the Hong Kong Convention Centre is among the first digital photographs I ever shot. It was back during the 2002 Chinese New Year celebrations and I had just bought a digital camera in Kowloon. Straight out of the electronics shop, I walked down Nathan Road and hopped onto a Star Ferry to Hong Konk Island.

Coming through!

This photo was shot at a place called Da He Ma (trans. Big Hippo) Water Park in Guangzhou, China, which was just across the street from the school where I taught. These women usually did their early-morning tai chi in the parking lot at about 6:30 or 7 a.m. - long before the place opened for the day. I was at the bus stop on this particular morning and decided to take a few shots of the ladies. Just as I snapped, one of the many motorcycle taxi dudes came ripping through the lot - and the ladies didn't even blink. If any of you know what the traffic is like in Guangzho (or any city in China for that matter), you'll understand why I think this shot exemplifies the city. Tranquility and cacophony often collide head-on in Guangzhou.

A city-wide motorcycle ban came into effect last year, so I don't know if the same mayhem exists in the city. Knowing that old habits die hard, I'd be willing to be little has changed despite the ban.