A row of apartment buildings along a narrow 'backstreet' on the edge of the city in the Qiaodong district - This style of building - Built after the Communist Revolution of 1949 probably during the Cultural Revolution (When beauty was considered to be Anti - Communist") in the '70's, is a typical apartment "block" replicated millions of times across most of China with very little difference from City to City or Province to Province
photo:mhobbs
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
dwelling
motorbike guy - square # 131
Motorbike "taxi" guy at the gate to "Hanshan University" in the Qiaodong district - I sat on the back of this guys bike for about 30 minutes, travelling from one side of the city (railway station) to the other (University) - No helmet - total cost 15 Yuan
photo:mhobbs
Hanjiang market # 2 - game
A group of men at the Hanjiang market by the Hanjiang (Han River) pass a lazy afternoon by playing a game of Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) - This game is thought to have originated in the 4th century, during the warring states period for the state of Qi
photo:mhobbs
Hanjiang market # 1 - cooked meat man
A "cooked meat" vendor at the Hanjiang Market - This man has an interesting way of dealing money he doesn't actually "touch it", he uses chop-sticks (as you can see from the image)
photo:mhobbs
picker
A woman sorts through garbage on a vacant site that is used for a 'garbage dump', near Hanshan University in the Qiaodong district - The word "picker" is not my own invention it is what I have been lead to believe to be a direct translation of the Chinese equivalent of "Garbage Picker". In every city that I have either visited or lived in over the past three and a half years people like this woman, both young and old search through scraps of refuse for either recyclables or food and in some cases both. This tragedy is in the country with the fastest growing economy in the world
photo:mhobbs
site # 2
Pink wall at a construction site in the Qiaodong district - A storm is approaching
photo:mhobbs
forward
A very personal image - (for a change) My beautiful 'partner and daughter' walking together in an "underpass" close to Hanshan University in the Qiaodong district - Note: no post production on this image - The blue light is caused by the roof of the entrance to the underpass
photo:mhobbs
curve
A "curved" apartment building at an intersection in the Xiangqiao district in the center of the city
photo:mhobbs
absence of laughter - square # 130
An old man sits against a wall in the Xiangqiao district in the center of the city
photo:mhobbs
fly - orange frame # 4
A man on a motorbike speeds along one of the few multi-lane highways on the outskirts of the city
photo:mhobbs
noodles fast - wide # 8
A man on his bicycle stops at a roadside vendors stall for a quick bowl of noodles in the Xiangqiao district in the center of the city - These noodle dishes can be eaten either cold or hot - Chaozhou cooking style is very similar to Cantonese cuisine. However, Chaoshan cuisine does have some unique dishes that are not in Cantonese cuisine, it is particularly well known for its seafood and its vegetarian dishes. is also known for a late night dinner called "Da Leng" (打冷). Chaoshan people like to eat out in restaurants or at roadside food stalls close to midnight before they go to bed. Some restaurants stay open till dawn
photo:mhobbs
when she walks she walks alone
A young woman carrying a baby crosses at a quiet intersection in the Qiaodong district
photo:mhobbs
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
angle - square # 129
Bicycles parked between two buildings (hutong) in a narrow "nong tang" (alley) in the center of the city
In a middle sized city like Chaozhou (populatin over 3 million) the bicycle is still the major form of transport, not only for the young but for the majority of the population, the car although as common now in the city is still a major expense and as in many countries is a status symbol
photo:mhobbs
rickshas - afternoon heat # 1 - square # 128
Two "ricksha" (rickshaw) operators in a small "backstreet" in the center of the city - Rickshaws were first imported from Japan to Hong Kong in 1874 and from there were imported into "mainland China" . These are also known as Pedal Cabs or Bicycle taxi's.
photo:mhobbs
hook
A double sided "hook" at a vendors meat stall in a small market in the Qiaodong district of Chaozhou
photo:mhobbs
split
A broken and abandoned "door god" - near the center of the city
A door god is a Chinese decoration placed on each side of an entry to a temple, home, business, etc., believed to keep evil spirits from entering.
The custom dates back to the Tang Dynasty - (618 AD – 907 AD)
photo:mhobbs
nong tang - afternoon
A narrow "弄堂" "nong tang" (alley) that leads to a residential niegborhood in the Qiaodong district
photo:mhobbs
baskets
A woman sits in the shade of a "market stall canopy", at a small street market on the eastern bank of the Han River "韩 江", in the Qiaodong district
photo:mhobbs
steps
In Chaozhou, a small city in the south east of Guangdong Province, steps leading up to a teaching building at the 100 year old 'Hanshan University', Chaozhou
photo:mhobbs
china air
30000 feet above central China - heading south toward Shantou, Guangdong province
photo:mhobbs
chaos - beijing airport
Passengers at Beijing International Airport - Beijing, China - Caution to all travellers - the signage at the airport is not only confusing but also "wrong"
photo:mhobbs
Monday, October 08, 2007
preparation
Two men and a woman prepare for the "lunch rush" outside a small restaurant in a "nong tang" (alley) in the Laishan district
photo:mhobbs
back # 2
A street vendor sits by his cart on the corner of a small "backstreet" in the Zhifu district, near the center of the city
photo:mhobbs
taking the bicycle for a walk - square # 127
Two women and a man cross a usually busy "shopping street", in the Zhifu district
photo:mhobbs
"baby - I love you"
A "photographic" billboard on the wall of a small store that sells "sex aids" and other services 'for a price'....
photo:mhobbs
lunch is over # 2 - square # 126
A store owner and his wife sit outside their "hole in the wall" mixed business shop in the Zhifu district having just finished lunch
photo:mhobbs
Monday, October 01, 2007
card game on "brown street"
Mid afternoon 'card game' on an old commercial street in the Zhifu district
photo:mhobbs
woman by a red scooter at # 21 Xin Chun Xiang - wide # 12
A woman stands outside an apartment "block" in the Zhifu district on Xin Chun Xiang - As I walked along the street this woman came down the stairs I couldn't resist taking a shot of her as she stopped and watched me walk by - She actually watched me walk away
photo:mhobbs
searching through the past - looking for a future
An old man searches through garbage at the rear of a restaurant in the Zhifu district in the center of the city - This image speaks for itself no other comment is needed.
photo:mhobbs
between two storms
A rain drenched "nong tang", between two storms in the Laishan district of Yantai
photo:mhobbs
whilst smoking two men consider the news - square # 125
In a small 'backstreet' in the Zhifu district two older men sit by a "news" vendors stand and consider the news.
photo:mhobbs
between the walls # 2
Looking into a residential neighborhood with a small street stall, from the entrance to a "nong tang" (alley) in the Zhifu district in the center of the city
photo:mhobbs
red and yellow with bike
Chinese bicycle leans against a wall under a patched (graffiti) sign in the center of the city
photo:mhobbs
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