So what are you doing in Guangzhou?
– I’m trading some things.
What things?
Things turns out to be inflatable bouncy castles. The guy from Kazakhstan tells me that you can make good money from buying here in Guangzhou and reselling in Kasachstan. He takes care of the logistics. If I would be interested in buying a jumping castle myself, he asks. He could arrange shipping to Europe as well.
I cannot help it: I have never been to Kazakhstan, but each time someone mentions it, I have to think about the wide steppe with bouncy castles.
Shamian Island – laundry and balconies
Shamian Island, Guangzhou. Former British and French territory, the architecture reflects on times long gone. Colorful houses merge with a lush green forest trying to overtake the landscape. Vines and lianas privide shade and a near mystical atmosphere in this biotope.
pipe lines
construction
urban jungle
Shamian Island – flora
White Clouds Mountain, Guangzhou. Another quiet retreat from the busy streets of everworking Guangzhou. The skyline retreats behind a curtan of mist (and smog), the city seems far away from the buddhist temples and wishing trees of the mountain.
Nine Dragons Spring in White Clouds Mountain – dragon’s head and body
Guangzhou skyline from White Clouds Mountain
Sculpture Park, Guangzhou. A park surrounded by maybe the shadier parts of town but loved by the elderly and the little ones, lots of space for running around, walking, jogging and other activities. The statues feel a lot more communistic and less innovative than the Sculpture Park in Anhui, but the flora is much wilder and diverse.
Sculpture Park – Guangzhou
Sculpture Park – nature and art
blending in
Liwan Park, Guangzhou. Mostly residential, a hotspot for peoplewatching and observing all sorts of activities and shenanigans. A bazaar provides items for the upcoming New Year and other stuff you might need (or not). An elderly couple, equipped with a pair of impressive speakers and microphones provide free entertainment and probably lots of nostalgia for their audience. Water calligraphy is popular with an interested croud watching the masters. Art not for the sake of producing but for the sake of the art itself. A fleeting moment of joy. Two little children running around destroy a masterpiece and hours of work, oblivious to the meaning of the words and water smeared under their sneakers. Life goes on, tomorrow, there will be new drops of wisdom coating the gray pavement of Liwan Park.
bazaar at Liwan Park
behind bars – actually she was watching a live karaoke performance
water calligraphy
yellow leaves on water calligraphy – a fleeting moment of art
January 15th – January 19th 2017