Beijing Soldiers

These Chinese soldiers were put through some minor military exercises in full view of the tourists at the Forbidden Palace in Beijing. On reflection, you wonder if this was some kind of authoritarian message, but then, you see similar pomp and circumstance outside of Buckingham Palace. This was in China, 2008.

Timeless Rooftops

I loved, as most people do, the intricate details of the Forbidden Palace. I loved the the layers of the detail in the roofs; which were just made for the compression of a zoom lens. This is Beijing, China, 2008.

Tiananmen Square Monument

This is a monument to Chairman Mao, outside of his mausoleum in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. We did not go into the mausoleum, but it was clear that this was a site that was of huge interest to the Chinese, with huge lines at the entrance; I assume full of out of town tourists being ushered in by their government guides. 2008.

Mao's Lines

This is the line of Chinese tourists, waiting patiently to pay their respects to Mao in his mausoleum in Tiananmen Square. It certainly seems like this visit was somewhat compulsory for visiting tourists here, but that they were willing. My interpretation only, but interesting all the same. Beijing, China, 2008.

Artisanal

A Chinese villager isn Shigu, which is the remote village situated close to the the first bend of the Yangzi River. So many timeless scenes in this little part of Yunnan Province, north of Lijiang - but there were still lots of such little towns to see in this part of China. 2008

Beijing Forbidden Palace

Some of the outlying buildings near the Forbidden Palace in Beijing. I love the sparse, minimalist nature of this place. 2008.

Beijing Olympic Stadium

It was a real treat to get a look inside the Bird's Nest; which was the Beijing Olympic Stadium. This was just two months after the games in 2008, when the place was still very fresh. I wonder what it looks like now.

Chinese Tourist

I often wondered if the masses of Chinese tourists, often seeming to have something of a dutiful and orderly demeanor, were willing visitors.. Perhaps it's just the difference between the cultures, but it was something I took notice of at the Forbidden Palace in Beijing. China 2008.

Shigu Village

This was an interesting arrangement of traditional and more contemporary rooftops, spread out in the remote Yunnan Province village of Shigu. This little town's claim to fame is that it sits on the first major bend of the Yangzi River, thereby attracting people like myself to come and visit. China, 2008.

Glazed Hong Kong

Glazed skyscrapers are all the rage these days, and they certainly have a striking appearance; almost suggesting an air of importance for the enterprises within. The reality is often sometimes quite different, with many hundreds of tenants and also lots of empty spaces. Still, they look nice. This was the Citi Bank tower in Hong Kong (2008).

AIG Tower

AIG was a firm that was firmly in the spotlight when we visited Hong Kong in 2008, during the financial crisis of the era. This is a shot of their tower, looking over Kowloon from the Bank of China tower.

Hong Kong Facade

The diagonal shapes in this facade were said to be bad luck in China and an architectural affront to their culture. But it's a dominating tower in Hong Kong, as seen from the based in 2008.

Funicular

I like this image because of the perspective offered by the long sense; the funicular railway lines are really accentuated in this image, taken during the ride up to Victoria Peak. Really emphasizes the "vertical city" nature of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Floating Restaurant

This was a strange place to visit, and we did so by boat in the choppy waters of this harbor in Hong Kong. This apparently an important restaurant, and an intricately decorated one at that. China, 2008.

Yangzi River

Ever seen something that takes your breath away,, but takes an understanding of what has happened to do so? This is one such place for me. Sure, it's a large river with a coal barge, but this is the Yangzi River, with cities built higher up on the banks to make room for the famous Three Gorges Reservoir, 2008.

Yangzi Explorer Aft

Berthed at Wanzhou, 2008.

Chinese Schoolchildren

Wenzhou, central China, 2008.

Wanzhou School Kids

Central China, 2008.

Decrepit Wanzhou

A soon to be flooded city, central China, 2008.

Farmland Kitchen

Rural Wanzhou, China, 2008.

Wanzhou City

Central China, 2008.

Chinese Farming

Rural Wanzhou, China, 2008.

Working Sampan

Yangzi River at Wanzhou, China, 2008.

Working River

These vertical cities are appearing all along the Yangzi within the Three Gorges reservoir, as entire swathes of the region are moved up and out of the rising water footprint. This is Wanzhou on the Yanzgi River, China, 2008.

Deep River

This was the view we had looking back towards Wanzhou after departing further down the Three Gorges reservoir. A working Sampan on the Yangzi showed that this was still very much a working river. China, 2008.

Lonely Sampan

A working Sampan, silhouetted against the industrial city of Wanzhou, slowly engulfed by the rising waters of the Three Gorges reservoir on the Yanzgi, China. 2008.

Cruising in the Deep Canyon

Sailing through the Three Gorges Reservoir was one of the greatest experience of my life. We weren't along on the Yangzi, though, not by far, and it made for some fantastic sights such as this. China, 2008.

Explorer at Wanzhou

She doesn't look like much, but our cruise ship 'Yangzi Explorer' was a real marvel and we enjoyed a luxurious few days sailing down the Yangzi on her. This is a shot of her docked on the Yanzgi River at Wanzhou, 2008.

Shennong Xi Boatman

I know virtually nothing about this fellow, except that he earns a living on the waters of the Shennong Xi, a tributary of the Yangzi River. He and his colleagues were part of a team taking us on a tour of the gorges. China, 2008.

Boatmen at Work

These are the Shennong Xi boat people, working hard to take us on a fabulous tour of the gorges that surround this tributary of the Yangzi River. These guys were strong and worked so hard throughout, almost made me feel uncomfortable, China. 2008

Shennong Xi People

This is another view of the steep sided gorges of the Shennong Xi, an amazingly untouched landscape leading towards the Yangzi River. The boatmen here are locals who, i presume, made their living doing such work. China, 2008.

Boatmen

The boat people of the Shennong Xi make a hasty exit after delivering us boat to the quayside at the entrance to the Shennong Xi tributary. I can barely imaging earning a living in this way, but we were in central China, which truly did seem like another world at times. Amazing to experience it. 2008.

Shennong Xi Barge

This barge was spotted docked along the nearshore of the Shennong Xi, a largish tributary of the Yanzgi River during a day trip excursion from out tour of the Three Gorges. China, 2008.

Sometime in the Shennong Xi

Possibly my favourite view of the Shennong Xi boatmen, heading home after a grueling shift navigating the gorges on our day excursion from out Yangzi River cruise ship. This right in the heart of China, 2008.

Industrial Yanzgi

China has a reputation for scenes like this: industrial installations spewing pollution into the atmosphere. I did wonder how new this site was , though, given its convenient position just above the new water line in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China, 2008.

Upstream of the Dam

This is the upstream face of the Three Gorges Dam. Even from this side of the structure, you do get a sense of just how massive it is. Theres probably 150 meters of water at this point, which is actually mind-boggling. China, 2008.

Three Gorges Village

No idea who he is, or what his story is. But, it/he was interesting enough for this shot in the downstream grounds of the park at the Three Gorges Dam. Central China. 2008.

Deep Canyon in the Shennong Xi

Such were the steep side of these gorges, they made for some awesome photography ops. This is the Shennong Xu, at tributary of the Yangzi River that we had the pleasure of cruising during out tour of China in 2008.

Three Gorges Village

This is the Three Gorges Village, just downstream of the famous dam on the Yangzi River. We didn't venture far onshore, but we did get far enough to see some relatively interesting sights. Central China, 2008.

Yangzi Ferry

It's as rudimentary a ferry as you might find - a pontoon pushed across the water by a tug. Seems to work. This is a crossing of the Yangzi River in the Three Gorges Reservoir. China, 2008

Terracotta Warriors

These are the Terracotta Warriors, an army of Chinese protectors designed to aid n Shi Huang in the post-life, centuries ago. Uncovered in the 1970's in Xian, 2008.

Xian Market Trader

This is a street trader, plying her trade near the Terracotta Warriors, in Xian, 2008.

Xian Muslim Market

There is a strong Muslim community in Xian - this lady was seen in a street market in a bustling part of the city. China, 2008.

Xian City Centre

This is Xian City Center, a bustling hive of activity with plenty of sights that you'd more associated with western countries. China, 2008.

Xian Crossing

Another view of the city center area in Xian - a real mix of old and new, including people plying their trade with these old carts. China, 2008.