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4 Things We Love About China...
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The Food
Forget sweet and sour pork and spring rolls, authentic Chinese cooking provides a culinary smorgasboard of tastes and flavours. Each region and town has its own special famous dish, and with a seasonal range of fresh produce, variety really is the spice of life.
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ContrastsWith the lightning-paced development that China has experienced, the old and the new, traditional and modern, meet each other in surprising ways. My neighbour recently bought a new car, a symbol of his step up to the middle classes, and set off firecrackers tocelebrate the auspicious event and provide protection. Wandering around a temple it is not uncommon to see monks yapping away on their mobile phones. And in talking to people and listening to their fascinating stories, I've also learned that some of the biggest contrasts are between people's lives now and those of their parents and grandparents generations.
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The People
With a population of 1.3 billion (and counting), the statistics can be overwhelming, and its easy to view the Chinese as one homogenous group. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Shanghai businessman has nothing in common with a farmer from one of the poorer provinces, and people living in villages just a few hundred metres apart will speak different dialects. Futher to this are the minority nationality groups, who each have a language and culture all their own, adding to the cultural melting pot.
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Landscapes
Yes, there are many places of outstanding natural beauty in China - grasslands, mountains, rivers, lakes, and so on. Just as interesting, though perhaps not as apparently beautiful, are the man-made landscapes - the glittering skylines of futuristic cities, the engineering projects undertaken on a massive scale, and the miles of industrial wasteland. All of this reminds me that China is a place impossible to generalise about, and is also one of the reasons that I find it so endlessly fascinating.
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The province of Fujian may not be well known in the West, but it is well worth discovering for the wealth of diversity evident in its history, landscape, and culture. With its strategic coastal position it served as an important centre for maritime trade, and the influences of this trade is reflected in the various religious and ethnic groups that can be found here. A land of mountains and water, granite formations mould the landscape into interesting patterns, and the rocky coastline abounds in bays, islets, and peninsulas.
One of the biggest draws for photographers is the fishing villages of Xiapu county. Here aquaculture continues in the time-honoured traditions of centuries past, and the changing light and tides of the day offer stunning opportunities for photographic subjects. Floating villages of fishing families, bamboo poles rising from the mudflats on which the days catch is dried, and the silhouettes of boats against the setting sun are all able to be experienced here.
In contrast are the round earthen buildings ("tulou") of the Hakka Chinese, a distinctive architectural style that has now been recognised as a World Heritage site, with some of them having a history of more than 800 years. Standing alone or in clusters, these houses are wonders of architecture, with the circular lines forming concentric rings around a central courtyard, offering fascinating perspectives for photographers with an eye for line and form.
This October you can join National Geographic photographer Michael Yamashita on our Fujian Architectural Traditions tour, where he can help you to capture this unique landscape for yourselves. To be part of the journey, click here.
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Focus on....language
Word of the day: 矛盾 (mao dun)
Meaning "contradiction" or "conflict", this word is composed of two characters - the first represents a spear, while the second is the character for shield, and there is an interesting story as to how the word came into being.
Long ago in ancient China lived a craftsman who made spears and shields, and he would travel from town to town hawking his wares. Arriving at a market one day, he set up his shop and began extolling the virtues of his wares. He cried to the crowd "My shields are the strongest that have ever been seen, nothing will be able to pierce them." Interested, the crowd gathered around as he continued, "And my spears, my spears are so sharp that they are able to penetrate anything you thrust it at."
The crowd cheered in amazement, until a little boy in the crowd asked "And what if I should stab your shield with your spear?"
The craftsman, baffled by the question, was unable to think of a fitting reply, which was met with much booing and mirth by the crowd.
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Photo by Nick Rains
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Seen around Tibet...
The sight of prayer flags fluttering in the wind brings a sense of the sacred to the Tibetan landscape, and they are an integral part of spiritual life here. They are thought to have originated in pre-Buddhist times where they were used by Shaman priests in healing rituals and to appease the spirits.
The five colours of the flags represent the five elements and the five aspects of the enlightened mind, and to balance these elements is to achieve harmony and health. Printed on the flags are mantras, sutras, and various other prayers and blessings. There are also auspicious animals and symbols, each laden with layers of meaning.
When the wind blows the prayer flags they are thougt to purify the wind and bring peace and compassion to the landscape, thereby blessing all living things. Prayer flags are considered holy objects and should be respected as such.
To give you the opportunity to explore this magical place for yourselves, we are currently putting the finishing touches on a photography tour to Tibet, scheduled for January 2014. We'll let you know once details are finalised.
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"Taking pictures is savouring life intensely, every hundredth of a second."
- Marc Riboud
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