FUZHOU - South East China - Day at the Zoo

                                 Which way?                           There's a tiger lazing inside!         

Through the looking glass...

Friendship Well

Hope they are kept well.

Me and My Bike

Thank god there's bike lanes

Anne-Sophie

798 Art District in Beijing - Sept

Oooh... He's Big!

Come on Klelia we can do it!

Megatron was in China

Well done Suzen!

Who thinks we should let Kevin out?

'oods for sale'

Pollution of Beijing

Here are a couple of pictures taken from the sixth floor my hotel room. It shows how bad the pollution can be in Beijing, so you can decide for yourself if you want to enter the darkness of smog. I would say the sky is clear less than half the time in Beijing. All the time I was there I just kept thinking I need to escape to the seaside for abreak in order to breath some fresh air!

A clear sky in Beijing Sept 2010 with full view of the buildings in the distance.

Pollution Smog in Beijing Sept 2010 affecting the view of the buildings in the distance.

With people smoking cigerettes all over the show as well as the pollution, I think if I stayed on my lungs would only last another half year before I die. I have to give thumbs up for the people who are non smokers and who live in Beijing. Come on China... you make nearly everything, where are the eletronic or solar powered cars and vehicles?

Beijing BLCU Mandarin Language Course Conclusion

After some other experience in other provinces of China and school in Beijing, I have come to the conclusion although the administration and staff are hopeless in BLCU. They have an effective language program. Although it may seem boring and I keep falling asleep in class, somehow I learnt the language.

                     Wong Lao Shi                                                Statue of Education

The homework structure is useful and made me focus. We bargained for less characters to remember but Liu Lao Shi was strict. Funny as well but always enthusiastic to mark homework! At times I wanted to go out and take a break but I am glad I stuck to studying and stayed in my room, speaking to myself practicing those tones.

Building which I studied

Conclusion, I would go back if the Beijing air was less polluted. But after venturing south to Fuzhou and GuangZhou I realised I could pay 1/3 the price and get one semester of education rather than what I paid at blcu 8300rmb for 10 weeks of tuition. 

I bought the sets of book and I am continuing my Mandarin studies still. A tip is have language partners and friends who are Mandarin university students or graduates.

The Forbidden City Memories

This was the first place I visited before starting class at BLCU. Why has it taken me so long to write about it? I don't know, maybe because my dream came true at last. A dream since I was 16 years old, to see the palace and to imagine how it would have been like to live in there in the dynasties.

The Forbidden City lies in the centre of the city, gradually being surrounded by the modern buildings. It is still nice to see the old streets called Hutongs by the palace although they have mostly been demolished to build more modern developments.

The Palace is massive so if you wish to see the lot and understand the recorded stereo tour, allow at least 3 hours. It's magnificant history just blows me away.

The movie 'Last Emperor' of the Ting dynasty depicts the city perfectly.

Climb the highest point and you can overlook the forbidden city and the backdrop of the modern city.

The Three Muskerteers!

Cutes dogs and a friendly owner! I couldn't resist!

I do wonder why the doors were so tall. My conclusion is not that the people were tall but the soldiers held tall long flags when leaving for battle or returning on their horses.

FUZHOU - South East China - NIGHT LIFE

I have been in Fu Zhou which is located in Fujian province of China since 30^th Dec 2010. On arrival I felt the air was much cleaner than Beijing, the pace seems relaxed and the city seemed developed.

After being here for two weeks I realised the city has much to develop and bus routes yet to be connected. The taxi is cheaper starting at 8 kuai.

‘China Town’ 中国城

Nightlife is similar price as Beijing but without the ladies nights and open bars. Here you get a table standing or seating and most of the minimum spending is 500rmb per table. Each table has a fruit platter and about 20 bottles of beer and some soft drinks etc. The music is not as up to date as the capital; the scene is mixed with western and Chinese tunes. Dance floors are limited and you kind of dance around you table or sofa area, the other option is to dance on the podium or stage. Of course I was on stage and the podiums for every venue, this way you enjoy dancing and you get a good view of the crowd as well. However if you are planning a night out in FuZhou, it is different to the west or even Beijing and the bigger cities. The night starts at 9pm or so and the clubs gets quiet after 1230pm, by 2am everyone has gone home or the club is closed. If you and your friends are paying a minimum of 500rmb-1000rmb, I guess you’ll want to make the most of the drinks.

Places to go at night for a boogie: So far I have only been to four places which are pretty good.

‘TKLK’（托克拉克）‘TorKeLaKe’ has a good vibe. I liked the music most here with a good selection of RnB and dance tunes. Spacious, clean toilets and the air doesn't feel as smoky as the other places. The club attracts a mix of Western and Chinese crowd. 

‘China Town’ （中国城）’Zhong Guo Cheng KTV’ attracts the Chinese upmarket crowd. Something I am not used to is the big comfy horseshoe shaped sofas where the group sits, dance, eat and drink. I mean it was plush and comfortable for socialising but not so good to meet new people in a crowd as you tend to stay with the group that invited you. Expect to pay at least 1000-2000rmb for a table of 10 people. I heard the friend that invited us to join them is a businessman and he enjoys a good night out, his bill is usually 10.000rmb per night (£1000 a night). Expect to cheers with your glass many times a night and you must have at least one small alcohol beverage to be polite.

‘Prada’ a great place which plays RnB music with a mixed foreign and Chinese crowd.

‘Club 66’ a few door away from ‘Prada’ is a definite young Chinese crowd. A very smoky place with little place to dance. There were many drunken girls there, one fell from a banister and landed on her head Ouch! I even heard the fall. Music wise – lets say you have to be drunk or a Chinese with not much exposure to the Western music scene to really enjoy the place. However I enjoyed my friends company, so the saying is right for 'it's who your with that makes a good time!'