We are still in the middle of moving, renovations etc so painting has taken a backseat to other things lately. Very much looking forward to being settled and in a space where I can get back at it!
Here is a pig to welcome the Chinese New Year – health, wealth and happiness to all! I was inspired by the traditional Chinese paper cut art which often includes flowers…
Tom wrote a poem to honour this pig …and this year!
Glitter glowing over mud
a touch of sunlight dapples
a brow enjoying springlike floods
of sunlight. Soon the apples
will be afruiting in the trees
abuzz with busy worker bees
while below the pigs will root
and wallow with great ease. Bring boots
if you’d cavort with happy swine
for they’ve been known to splash and spatter
anyone they want to flatter
with the last and best of wine!
The good brown earth makes hearth and floor
for the happy sow and boar!
Well, here is the final version with colour added! The choice of mostly shades of blue is to give the flavour of Chinese pottery. The yellow accents came about because yellow represented the emperor in ancient Chinese society. For example, only the emperor could have yellow roof tiles or wear yellow robes. So it is used sparingly in this mandala for the centre, the lanterns drifting away in the sky and the mostly hidden dragons…
Here is one quadrant to make it easier to see the details.
Middle Kingdom mandala – detail
Happily, Tom was moved to write another poem for this final version of the mandala!
Beneath a layer of protective blossoms
the Earth abides in softly glowing shades
of summer fading toward a rainy autumn:
evening drawing nigh as August fades
toward a long September ocean blue
swept by early storms and errant waves
crashing up against the harbour’s thews
protecting ships at anchor from the staves
of floating logs and wayward whales withal
as beacons glow through scudding rain and wrack
calling home the wanderers and all
who’ve lost their way and yearn to find a track through storms and seasons ‘cross the empty sea
riding down the gales into the lee.
Time to think about a new painting for my class – even though I won’t have time to complete it before the end of the course next week.
This idea came to me when a friend was describing a painting she had seen. The strong image in my head turned out to be very different from the actual painting and I decided that it would be an interesting project to try to make my image into reality.
This one is called “the poet” but is meant to be an imaginary portrait of Li Bai, one of the most – if not the most – famous Chinese poet. Perhaps he is looking too studious… Anyway, it is not an exercise in historical accuracy!
UPDATE: New poem from Tom perfectly captures the mood of the scene and even a bit of the flavour of Li Bai’s poetry!!
Walnut writing desk
rice-wine close at hand
I look down… wondering.
What name evokes “immortal”
yet completes the poet’s rhyme:
“moon’s reflection cold and white”?
Our intention was to head back to Tunxi and then catch a bus to some interesting villages slightly to the east. However, we just missed a bus and would have had to wait 3 hours for the next one so… quick change of plans and we were off (without delay) to Nanping instead. Far fewer tourists and generally more rustic, the village has been the backdrop for many a Chinese period film.
alley of Nanping
Even narrow alleys had interesting patterns in the stone.
elaborate roof lines
There were three main family names in this village and each had a large ancestral hall for – family reunions?
mossy formal ancestral hall courtyard
These ancestral halls were quite elaborate and the courtyards and interior halls were grand and spacious.
tiny alley with signs of modern life
Fire hydrants and electrical cables are fairly well tucked out or sight. Like the other villages, Nanping seemed to have most modern conveniences.
hall used for the filming of the Zhang Yimou directed “Ju Dou”
The colourful fabric still left from the filming of Ju Dou animates the courtyard and gives a small glimpse into the imagined past.
feng shui rules applied…
The doorways are deliberately staggered so that bad energy can’t rush into the house.
Ming dynasty kitchen!
Now this kitchen that is really out of date! The house actually had four different eras of kitchens intact – above just the Ming dynasty part. Nanping was the only village we had a guide for and this was one of the interesting tidbits gleaned from her commentary .
winding alley in Nanping
Another alley curves off to somewhere…
looking back at Nanping
Time to go. While heading out to the main road to catch the bus back to Tunxi, the view back shows Nanping’s beautiful setting with rice paddies and mountains.
water buffalo
Further along the road towards the slightly larger road… a water buffalo and her calf watch somewhat warily from the rice paddy as we pass by.
After lunch we hopped on a bus and went to another world heritage site village called Hongcun. The first view of the village across the small lake was stunning even in the rain!
view from home-stay
We had booked a home stay for the night so first thing to do was find it and stow our packs. Much more enjoyable visiting the town with less on our backs. The room was simple but the setting just amazing.
in the alleys of Hongcun – the water flows towards the village centre
At first the village seemed a confusing maze but it was true that the flow of the water was a constant reference to find the way.
entry court
This extensive house had a series of courtyards and interesting interiors.
larger courtyard
What a pleasure to step from a small dark interior into a large courtyard… bright and open while still feeling private and intimate.
courtyard with elaborate carving
The intricate carving in the structural members would have been indicative that the family was particularly wealthy at the time the home was built.
romantic bridge
This bridge was the backdrop for the opening scene of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon… so beautiful.
about to cross the bridge
So I had to cross it too!
from the top of the bridge
And over the top of the tiny bridge… lotus blossoms ahead!
lovely lotus
The lotus is not just a beautiful flower but also a cultural and Buddhist symbol – while it grows out of the mud, it floats above it untouched and undisturbed…
The ancient villages of Southern Anhui province are considered a world heritage site. Among them, Xidi’s Ming dynasty charms along with the stunning setting were enough to make me promise myself another visit one day. These villages are living museums (you pay a fee to enter) with on the one hand ancient infrastructure and architecture and on the other, people going on about their daily lives in a perfectly modern way (in amongst all the tourists).
Xidi’s beautiful gate is the first monument you see when you enter the village and the last when you leave…
Courtyard, water vessel and view to lake through entry
Courtyards…
View through village wall to water garden
A charming gate leads back out of the village to a water garden and, across a narrow neck of land, vegetable plots.
Water garden and view back to village
Classic Ming dynasty roof top profiles… and communications towers.
Alley of Xidi
Narrow curving lanes wander between the ancient buildings – there’s just enough space for scooters!
Typical residential entry courtyard – looking up
The residences still have traditional woodwork at the front courtyard. Often, the family still lives in the building. Tourists come and go freely but respecting that access is only if the gate is open and only to the front courtyard unless invited further.
Beautiful residential entry court – mossy garden
Love these mossy gardens!
enjoying another lush entry garden
Caught on camera by my friend as I soaked up the ambience.
Roof top view
Many of the people living in the village clearly make their living in one way or another from the tourists. There are small shops selling handicrafts and local tea etc. Others will prepare a home cooked meal for your lunch at a reasonable price. The view above is from the roof top of such a home. After selecting what we wanted from the fresh local produce in her kitchen, our hostess encouraged us to enjoy the view from the roof while we waited for lunch to be ready.
Art students everywhere!
These villages are great beauty spots in China and as such attract art students from all over the country. School was just over for the year so there were many taking advantage of the break or on group trips.
Southern Anhui province was love at almost first sight… it took a couple of tries to find this alley in Tunxi (also know as Huangshan Shi or Yellow Mountain City) where the hotel was located… The pedicab driver from the train station got lost!
garden with puppy!
The hotel was converted from two old homes so entering meant going through a series of courtyards complete with beautiful mossy planting, cat and puppy. Sorry, cat not caught on camera.
beautiful reception area
The hotel reception was all traditional wood detailing and art work… a pleasant place to wait in the rain…
another courtyard
Across from the reception another courtyard…
courtyard and stairs
…and then stairs led to the room. I would have stayed here longer if I could have – it was lovely!
Laojie “Old Street”
Caught here slightly off hours, Laojie was usually crowded with shoppers and shopkeepers. The most charming part of Tunxi.
view from second floor teashop window
Found a lovely two storey teashop the last day in Tunxi. Drank delicious green tea and nibbled on cookies prepared on site. An interesting confection filled with dried fruit and so strangely reminiscent of my mother’s mincemeat tarts.
mmmmmm… so good!
And other fabulous food in Tunxi… we managed to order up some vegetarian feasts!
I just got back from my vacation last week. It’s the first time in quite a while that I have gone very far afield so I decided to share a few photos here.
I arrived in Beijing but just stayed long enough to enjoy one evening in a busy hutong and then meet some friends the next morning as they were finishing their China trip before I headed off by train to Zhengzhou.
Zhengzhou – park with haze
Zhengzhou is not my favourite place in China. It is a useful travel hub with lot of high speed trains coming and going to various destinations. However even this less than lovely city manages to have a large and leafy park serving as much needed lungs for the populace. It was very well used anytime I visited it from very early morning to late evening.
Shaolin Temple view
From Zhengzhou it is a short bus ride to Shaolin Temple – famous both for kung fu and for being the site where Buddhism entered China. Although crawling with tourists even more than when I was there 15 years ago, one can still get glimpses back in time… blinkers required!
Shaolin Temple detail
If you’re in the mood, you can try out some exercises as illustrated right on the architecture!
Xi’an – terracotta warriors and horses
After doubling back to that hub Zhengzhou, we went to Xi’an. Last time I was in China it seemed too far but now the high speed train takes you there in just 3 hours – 300 km per hour!! The terracotta warriors were fascinating, impressive and also appalling when you consider the megalomaniacal mind behind the whole thing.
Xi’an – beautifully sculpted terracotta horses
And for the end of this segment one of my favourite shots… perfect horses ready for parade in any era – very life-like!
I will continue with the next leg of the trip soon!
I tweeted this image recently and Tom sent me a haiku. I thought it was so perfect for the image that I have incorporated it right onto the picture. So this was partly created with Zen Brush – original drawing – and partly with Gimp – the text and signature part.
Anyway, a wonderful and inspiring 2013 to all who drop by!
Aren’t they the cutest yin yang fish ever?! There is a significant tradition of using fish shapes to represent the yin yang symbol. Mine is a cute cartoon style version – so happy and cuddly!
I was just doodling and this is what happened – hope you enjoy 🙂
UPDATE: Cute and cuddly poem to match these fish – thanks Tom!!
When two fishies fall in love
they sometimes snuggle up
fin to fin and head to tail
like wine within a cup:
each touching all, conforming close
to contour and to form
smiling all the while: they know
they’ll never be forlorn!
In complementary shapes they make
a perfect pair ideal
their yin and yang in balanced smiles
revealing how they feel.
Green Tea Doodles 