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12-23-2019, 06:56 PM
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#201
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Guru
City: NARBONNE
Vessel Name: 'Snow Mouse.'
Vessel Model: BROOM FLYBRIDGE 42.
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,733
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China's trade with the West began with three main exports, pottery from the Ming dynasty, silk and later, tea.
First the tea.
During the 1800's tea was imported to Britain from China and the first cargo's commanded a premium, that in turn prompted the design of fast clipper ships and none more famous than the 'Cutty Sark'.
Cutty is old Scots for short, and Sark was a short skirt.
(In parts of Ireland 'Cutty' means a young girl and 'Cub' is a young boy).
The story goes that Tam O 'Shanter came across some beautiful witches dancing round a fire and disturbed them, so they gave chase. Tam jumped on his horse and fled and just as his horse jumped a small stream a witch reached out and caught his horses tail and pulled it off (witches can't cross water) and so he escaped.
The clipper ship 'Cutty Sark' was built in 1869 in Dumbarton, Scotland under the watchful eye of Captain Moodie who went on to later command her and her figurehead was a witch reaching out over the water, in her hand was a fistful of hair denoting the horses tail (in fact some hemp rope teased out to make a horses tail).
She was built to the latest design with a sharp prow and a square stern to give buoyancy in a following sea, she was relatively slim in beam and carried a lot of sail for a ship of her size with a draft of 26 feet for stability.
As the first cargo's of the season commanded a premium so the first ships to land the cargo got the highest price, of course this led to the famous 'Tea Races' in which the two most famous clipper ships, the 'Cutty Sark' and her great rival the 'Thermopylae' competed for first prize.
The advent of steam and the opening of the Suez canal by Ferdinand De Lesseps brought that era to a close.
Should you ever visit London, the 'Cutty Sark' is now preserved as a tourist attraction in drydock in Greenwich.
There's also a Scotch Whisky 'Cutty Sark' named after her, before being taken over by a European drinks group Diageo, the Scottish distillery used to sponsor transatlantic ship races.
The British government seeing the popularity of tea decided (as all governments do when something becomes popular) to tax it, this in turn led to the Americans refusing to pay the 'tea tax' so they boarded a tea carrying ship in Boston harbour and threw the tea overboard which became forever known as 'The Boston Tea Party'.
The American people then adopted that godawful drink coffee.
During the civil wars in China the British began (and still do) to import tea from India and Ceylon.
As for the Ming dynasty pottery, we mentioned earlier the civil wars in China, the cobalt blue decorated pottery was very popular in Holland and because of these wars the pottery became unavailable so the canny Dutch copied it.
You can see details of the visit to the Royal Delft Pottery,Holland in my book 'Windmills and Wine' available on Amazon as paperback or e-book (I have to pay for all these travels somehow) a 5* review would be appreciated and most welcome.
Next the silk.
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12-27-2019, 06:31 AM
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#202
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Guru
City: NARBONNE
Vessel Name: 'Snow Mouse.'
Vessel Model: BROOM FLYBRIDGE 42.
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,733
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A belated Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New year to everyone and your family. May you have fair winds and safe harbours.
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12-29-2019, 05:17 AM
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#203
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Guru
City: NARBONNE
Vessel Name: 'Snow Mouse.'
Vessel Model: BROOM FLYBRIDGE 42.
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,733
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Phew ! That's Christmas over, I hope you all had as wonderful and busy time as we did. Remember all diets start tomorrow !
China has for centuries exported silk and many of the trading routes were called 'Silk Roads. They're trying to resurrect those routes now by using trains from China, via Russia and Europe as far England to much initial fanfare, how sustainable the system will be remains to be seen. With China's current aggressive state I can see people already starving them of hard currency by restricting some imports. But China has a large market and money talks.
Silk.
Silk is made from the cocoon containing the larvae of the Bombyx Mori moth, these moths traditionally fed on Mulberry leaves and were hand picked, nowadays the moths are farmed and fed various compounds to keep them healthy.
The farmers kill the larvae before they emerge from the cocoon as they would make holes in the thread.
The thread comes out of the moths mouth unlike a spider which is spun from the rear end. On an average the moth spins approximately one mile of thread to make a cocoon. It takes silk from five cocoons to make one thread of silk and between 17-2000 to make a silk dress.
When you go on organised tours as we did the guide (all guides are government approved) not show you around the also try to impress on you the governments thinking and try to make you see their point of view i.e brainwashing.
Photo's. Apologies for turned photo's but we had to use the phone.
1, 2,3 Maps showing the 'Silk Road'.
4, an early weaving machine.
5,6, self explanatory.
7, here you see the cocoon opened and stretched over a frame.
8, open cocoon with dead larvae.
9, opened cocoon.
10, comparison chart.
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01-03-2020, 10:21 AM
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#204
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Guru
City: NARBONNE
Vessel Name: 'Snow Mouse.'
Vessel Model: BROOM FLYBRIDGE 42.
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,733
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Following on from the previous post we complete our tour of the silk factory.
Photo's,
1,2 Self explanatory.
3, Silk fans.
4, This is an old silk thread making machine, it takes 5 stands of silk from a cocoon and makes them into 1 thread.
5, a rapt audience getting the history of silk.
6, Silk bed quilts packed and ready for despatch, and yes the admiral bought one !
7, explanation of how a silk quilt is made, different grades for different seasons. The admiral bought one suitable for North European temperatures at about half the price we could buy one in France.
8, a modern factory of silk thread machines.
9,10, we then were shown various products which were available for purchase. Be careful though apart from the quilts most silk scarves etc can be bought much cheaper in different outlets.
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01-04-2020, 01:37 AM
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#205
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Guru
City: NARBONNE
Vessel Name: 'Snow Mouse.'
Vessel Model: BROOM FLYBRIDGE 42.
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,733
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On a group tour they always try to push in as much as possible so you get more bang for your buck.
One of the trips we did was to a mountain walk of rock pinnacles called Huang Shen which the Chinese seem to love. Fortunately it was one of the rare clear days.
It entailed a bus ride, a transfer to a 5 mile mini bus ride up a series of chicanes (the drivers love showing off to tourists) so there was a few OMG's from the ladies.
After that we took a cable car followed by a 5 kilometre walk up and down zillions of steps for lunch and return complete with wobbly legs from tired muscles.
Here's a few photos.
1,this is the ornate entrance arch.
2,look at the photo closely and the small bushes growing on the hillside are tea bushes. When they pick the tea they pinch the end of each small branch and take 2 leaves and a bud.
Green tea is the national drink and is offered everywhere.
3,The road passes through a bamboo forest
We use machines for spraying lines on road surfaces, on the way up we saw 2 guys with a brushes and paint pots and a piece of wood for a straight edge, I wonder how long it would take them to do 5 miles on both sides with suicidal mini bus drivers whizzing past inches from them ?
4,cable car, don't forget what I said earlier, full electronic body search, passports and handbag search before boarding, and yes, a fully manned cop shop at the top of the hill and one at the bottom.
5,6, rock pinnacles.
7,This is the latest rage around, a couple buy a lock to signify their undying love and lock it in a 'special' place.
Just beside this 'Love Bridge' is a large pine tree which is supposed to give a couple and long and happy life together. Yes we did, and there's a locksmith beside who will engrave both your names on the lock.
8,these porters (26 of them) transport everything from the cable car station to the restaurant, including the building material to build the restaurant itself. I call it cruel manual labour when they could've built a road if they wanted to.
9, beautiful tile work.
10,inside the restaurant the porters transported up the hill, and all the food etc for everyday operations.
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01-10-2020, 06:27 PM
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#206
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Guru
City: NARBONNE
Vessel Name: 'Snow Mouse.'
Vessel Model: BROOM FLYBRIDGE 42.
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,733
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Apologies for slow uploads but I was 'indisposed', no jump leads, just a re-bore.
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01-25-2020, 11:24 PM
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#207
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Guru
City: NARBONNE
Vessel Name: 'Snow Mouse.'
Vessel Model: BROOM FLYBRIDGE 42.
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,733
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I apologize again for the delay in uploads but I was in hospital, then stuck in bed for 2 weeks. Everything's grand now, no ongoing problems and its time to catch up.
As you will know from this post we were in Wuhan which is locked down and heavily in the news for the coronavirus, thankfully we left before the outbreak. the cause is apparently caused by what is termed 'bushmeat', in layman's terms wild animals.
During our 3 weeks in China we saw 6 dogs and 1 cat. One evening we went to KFC and the chicken portions are tiny, burgers are popular but the meat content is questionable so we gave it a miss.
Because of the heavy police presence it was easy to close down.
1, these police vans are parked in most squares, bus and railway stations complete with camera's.
2,steamed dumplings look like ducks but its difficult to determine the origins of the content.
3,4,5,6, Surveillance everywhere.
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01-26-2020, 10:08 PM
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#208
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Guru
City: NARBONNE
Vessel Name: 'Snow Mouse.'
Vessel Model: BROOM FLYBRIDGE 42.
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,733
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Chinese carry out/take away.
The outbreak of Coronovirus is very much in the news at the moment and I mentioned that it came from eating bushmeat, wild animals.
These photo's are a just a sample, pigs ears, noses(snouts), feet and tails are all cooked and sold over the counter as street food.
1,Inderterminate origin kebab style.
2, Corn on the cob is very popular as a 'fill belly' hunger killer.
3, Fresh water squid.
4, Scorpions barbequed.
Believe it or not these are popular street foods and we saw several people buy them to eat as a snack.
Our trip was 'all inclusive' so during our visit we only bought 1 KFC meal out.
KFC quality in UK, Ireland, Europe and the far East has gone badly downhill, they've cut back on the herbs and spices and it's now hard to find chicken 'on the bone', only in America do they seem to stick to Col Sanders recipe. Sorry for the rant but if you work for Pepsi you need to get your act together or go bust.
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01-26-2020, 10:50 PM
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#209
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Guru
City: NARBONNE
Vessel Name: 'Snow Mouse.'
Vessel Model: BROOM FLYBRIDGE 42.
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,733
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The 3 things I wanted to see on our visit to China were the ship lift, the great wall and the Terracotta army.
The first examples of the Terracotta army were found in an underground cave and these soldiers still had remnants of silk clothes hanging from their bodies.
The clay soldiers were built as an army to protect the emperor in his next life and are painstaking made in great detail.
In the 1970's two farmer brothers were digging a well and came across the remnants of clay soldier and reported it to the authorities, no one said what happened to the farmers but the following photo's show how their discovery has been painstakingly researched and rebuilt, its very very impressionable.
Now of course its one of China's top tourist destinations, there are 4 halls housing various artefacts and the 5th hall covers the army.
Come with me and lets have a look together. Please bear in mind the subdued lighting/spotlighting and very heavy crowds make taking photo's a challenge (the Chinese don't queue they just push in front).
Photo 1, Intricate jade sculpture near the entrance to one of the halls.
2, Self explanatory (click for larger size).
3,4, War chariot.
5,6 Emperors chariot.
7, Chariot layout.
8, Just look at the intricate work even on the roof tiling.
9, Self explanatory.
10, Newly excavated.
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01-27-2020, 07:27 PM
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#210
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Enigma
City: Slicker?
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 16,565
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Greetings,
Mr. IR. It seems a lot has changed since we were there in 2011. Nice pictures.
__________________
RTF
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01-28-2020, 12:14 AM
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#211
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Guru
City: NARBONNE
Vessel Name: 'Snow Mouse.'
Vessel Model: BROOM FLYBRIDGE 42.
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,733
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Thank you RT. everywhere you look in the town they are building as if on steroids, I'm sure the Romans would be delighted to see their Putalaneum being used so prolifically.
More self explanatory photo's of the Terracotta Army.
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01-28-2020, 12:22 AM
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#212
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Guru
City: NARBONNE
Vessel Name: 'Snow Mouse.'
Vessel Model: BROOM FLYBRIDGE 42.
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,733
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Apologies for 'turned' photo's but snap shots were necessary due to crowds.
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01-28-2020, 12:29 AM
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#213
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Guru
City: NARBONNE
Vessel Name: 'Snow Mouse.'
Vessel Model: BROOM FLYBRIDGE 42.
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,733
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And a few more to do it justice.
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01-28-2020, 12:38 AM
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#214
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Guru
City: NARBONNE
Vessel Name: 'Snow Mouse.'
Vessel Model: BROOM FLYBRIDGE 42.
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,733
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I hope you enjoy more of these photo's of in and around the Terracotta Army.
1,2,3,4 Self explanatory.
5, Police van with riot shields at the ready, in a museum ? The aluminium pole is an electric taser
6, Cops walking around with riot shields make you feel safe ?
7, McDonalds everywhere in the world.
8, Low tech carbon free transport.
9,Entrance to the great hall housing the terracotta army.
10, Not sure why the traditional silk dress but nice anyway.
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01-30-2020, 10:28 PM
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#215
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Guru
City: NARBONNE
Vessel Name: 'Snow Mouse.'
Vessel Model: BROOM FLYBRIDGE 42.
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,733
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Another part of our bucket list of things to see were the giant Chinese Panda's having read so much about them.
Here's the photo's of our visit to Beijing Zoo.
1,Entrance and yes we had to have the full electronic body search to go in.
2, Everywhere you look manual labour's cheap here, 1 man and a rotovator would be easier.
3,4,5, This little guy is a red Panda.
6,7,8 Is the giant Panda were more used to seeing on TV.
9,Baby Panda's are really tiny in relation to the adult, more so than similarly sized animals.
10, The real deal.
Visitors are kept well away from the animals so photo opportunities vary, plus of course as part of a group if you stop to get a good photo your left trotting behind trying to keep up as the guides don't really give you enough time.
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01-30-2020, 10:41 PM
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#216
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Guru
City: NARBONNE
Vessel Name: 'Snow Mouse.'
Vessel Model: BROOM FLYBRIDGE 42.
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,733
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A few more from the Zoo.
1, Looking for a way out.
2,Little bit of exercise.
3,No shortage of bamboo to eat.
4,There are various effigy's of animals around the zoo.
5,Hey man, this beats a McDonalds for this guy.
6,Antelope.
7. Rhino's, they are hunted for their tusks which ground down are considered an aphrodisiac in Chinese medicine.
8, Somebody has to do it.
9, Hippopotamus relaxing.
Of the Zoo's we've visited in various place in our humble opinion the best of them all is Steve Irwin's Zoo in Australia for sympathetic animal welfare, well laid out for visitors without being to oppressive and restrictive for the various occupants.
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01-31-2020, 04:25 AM
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#217
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Enigma
City: Slicker?
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 16,565
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Greetings,
Mr. IR. Just a quick comment about post #215. "1 man and a rotovator would be easier." Yes but then those people wouldn't have jobs. We saw that type of thing a lot. Didn't seem to bother the workers.
We didn't see the Beijing zoo but we did see Giant and Red Pandas in Sichuan. Good pictures. Thanks.
__________________
RTF
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02-02-2020, 02:02 AM
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#218
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Guru
City: NARBONNE
Vessel Name: 'Snow Mouse.'
Vessel Model: BROOM FLYBRIDGE 42.
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,733
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Thank you for your kind comments RT.
Its a problem when you have so many people in a country, you have to keep them employed or they get restless, religion helps to a certain extent.
You either eventually face civil uprising (as Chairman Mao and Mao Tse Tung did)or you become expansionist and start to employ them militarily. Just read the news.
There are 31 million single men in China, due to its attempt to reduce the population, the problem was that families only allowed the male child to survive. If a girl was born she would grow up and get married, the parents would have to give a brides troth and the female would be subjugate to the husbands family and unable to support her own parents in old age. To put it bluntly many baby girls were killed at birth.
Now the authorities have relaxed the one child rule the parents are at a stage that they can't afford to raise any more than one.
Photo.
1, The 5* room service menu in China,
I digress a little here with a true story.
In Northern Ireland condoms were sold discreetly at the barbers where the barber would ask 'Would sir like something for the weekend'.
Southern Ireland was strictly Catholic at the time and condoms were banned by the chapel.
My business traded from Northern Ireland and our truck drivers would regularly be asked 'Hev you any of the ould lads wit ya ?' Of course that prompted a brisk trade in smuggling and I had to go to our local chemist and explain in private that we weren't running a brothel to serve gargantuan appetites in the industrial estate, we were supplying customers in the South.
Being an entrepreneurial chap he gave us a healthy discount for bulk buying and everyone was happy. We agreed he would never tell his lady assistants in case word got out and we got into trouble with the customs at the border.
We got many discreet smiles and and the odd discreet offer from his assistants though.
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02-05-2020, 07:20 AM
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#219
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Guru
City: NARBONNE
Vessel Name: 'Snow Mouse.'
Vessel Model: BROOM FLYBRIDGE 42.
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,733
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As you are aware by now of Chinese military expansionism and Tibet is a case in point. Largely kept quiet from the world news China claimed 'Tibet was a part of ancient China' and moved in with its military to take over the country. The religious leader of Tibet, the Dali Llama, managed to get spirited away and now lives in exile whilst his people are now subjugated under Chinese rule.
We took the opportunity to visit a Tibetan restaurant whilst in Beijing. The food was virtually the same as supplies dictated.
Photo's, apologies again for the 'turned' photo's.
1, Ornate entrance.
2,3, Beautifully decorated dining room.
4, Intricate inlay work on the table top.
5,6, Murals around the wall tell the tale of Tibet and its customs and heritage. No mention is allowed about the takeover by the Chinese military.
7, Beautiful traditional dress.
8. Apparently this signifies Tibetan fires.
The Tibetan people who worked in the restaurant were very pleasant and great hosts.
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02-07-2020, 11:32 AM
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#220
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Guru
City: NARBONNE
Vessel Name: 'Snow Mouse.'
Vessel Model: BROOM FLYBRIDGE 42.
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,733
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Naturally any country wishes to show its artistic side and China is no different in that respect.
We were invited to two evening shows.
The first one we saw we saw was a story in dance and costume from the Tang dynasty, I know diddly squat about Chinese dynasty's other than the Ming dynasty pottery and its connection with the Dutch Delft pottery industry (You can read all about that and see the photo's in my post 'Windmills And Wine, or buy the book of Amazon).
Some beautiful photo's from the Tang dynasty show, the music was a bit 'twangy' for my taste though.
1, Entrance.
2,3,4, introduction scenes.
5, Very colourful.
6,7,8, Wonderful dance routines.
9, The musicians, the mature lady with the overgrown ukulele is an excellently dextrous and very impressive artist.
10,How could you not enjoy this.
All in all a very impressive show, highly recommended for its scenery and costumes.
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