(Note: This picture may be enlarged by clicking on it using Control-click or right-click.)
I captured this image as a slide when I visited the Great Wall for the first time in 1987. I had climbed along the wall above the gate at Badaling (near Beijing), and was rewarded with the sight of the wall winding along the ridges and mountain tops. It was truly an amazing sight!
(Note: All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them.)
This is my post for the Our World meme. This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies. To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.
I found many things to be fascinating on my first visit to Hong Kong way back in 1987. One of the things that surprised me was learning that there is an area of Hong Kong known as Aberdeen.
Aberdeen is on the southern tip of Hong Kong Island. At one time in was a pirates’ den, but later became a simple fishing village. In spite of modernization, there were still hundreds of junks and sampans that serve as floating homes for some of the people.
Aberdeen is the home to a couple of large floating seafood restaurants, which we unfortunately did not get to sample during our visit.
The collage contains images scanned from slides I took during my 1987 visit. At the top left are some of the sampans used as homes by the fisherman. On the right is a photo of one of the floating restaurants. The middle photo is of a boatyard in Aberdeen. The two photos on the bottom are from Repulse Bay, a beautiful part of Hong Kong Island not far from Aberdeen.
To see larger versions of these pictures and others, click HERE.
Scenes from a visit to the Great Wall of China in 1987.
I first saw the Great Wall of China in 1987. I was in China with a group of other professors from our college on an exchange program. In some ways it’s hard to believe that so many years have passed since then, but the memories are still fresh. These are just some of the pictures I took on that memorable day.
To see other pictures from the Great Wall, click HERE.
One of the places I visited on my first trip to China in 1987 was the Ming Tombs, which are about 30 miles northwest of Beijing. The Ming Tombs refer to the mausoleums of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty, which ruled China from 1368 to 1644.
The first two Ming emperors ruled from Nanjing in the south of China, but the third emperor, Zhu Di, moved the capital to Beijing. It was Zhu Di who began building the Forbidden City and who built the first of the Ming Tombs.
One of the most unusual of the thirteen tombs is Dingling, the tomb of Zhu Yijun. This tomb in an underground palace complete with a throne room for the spirit of the emperor. I was fortunate enough to be able to tour Dingling.
The tombs are approached along a Spirit Way, also known as the Avenue of the Animals because of the large stone animals and officials who stand guard along the road.
The Ming Tombs are truly fascinating both for the architecture of the structures and for the glimpse they provide of Chinese culture and history. If you are ever in Beijing, the tombs are well worth a visit.
To see larger versions of these pictures and others, click HERE.
Repulse Bay, Hong Kong. June, 1987
This is my post for Skywatch Friday, a meme for sharing views of the sky from all over the world. To see more, or to join and share your own photos of the sky, click HERE.
I went to my archives for this picture of a cloudy sky. The picture was taken in Hong Kong at Repulse Bay. Before I went there the first time, I thought Hong Kong was nothing but crowded streets and high-rise apartments — this scenic spot was a pleasant surprise. The pretty sky was a nice bonus.
The picture above was scanned from a slide.
I went to China for the second time in 1990. Our hosts took us to some of the places I had seen in 1987, including the Great Wall at Badaling near Beijing.
I don’t think it is possible to visit the Great Wall too many times and I found it to be as inspiring the second time as it was the first. But this time, instead of following the tour groups, I headed in the opposite direction and climbed a part of the wall that I had not been been on before.
I did notice some differences in the three years since I had been there before. There were more Chinese families visiting the Wall, and they were younger than the visitors I had seen before. They were also more colorfully dressed than previously.
After getting over the ridge I came to a portion of the Wall that was out of sight for most tourists. This part of the Wall had not been reconstructed; watchtowers were in ruins and parts of the wall had disappeared. In many ways, this part of the Great Wall was even more impressive than the restored parts. The great age of the wall was obvious among the ruins, as was all the effort and suffering that went into its building.
I would definitely go back to visit the Great Wall again!
To see these pictures and others, click HERE.
The Great Wall at Ba Da Ling, China. July, 1987.
This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world. To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.
The Great Wall is one of the wonders of the world, but the mountains north of Beijing through which the wall passes are very scenic in their own right. The picture above, scanned from a slide taken in 1987, shows a part of the wall and the mountains.
Back in 1987 foreign visitors to the wall were still relatively rare. Almost all of the people shown are Chinese, most of whom were on group tours. The umbrellas were set up by vendors selling snacks or souvenirs.
The Great Wall at Badaling near Beijing. June, 1987.
This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world. To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.
Among the high points in my life have been my times teaching in China. I taught in China on four different occasions. I was over there for the first time in 1987 and first climbed the Great Wall in June of that year.
The picture above was taken at Badaling, the pass nearest Beijing with a gate in the wall. You can see the gate in the center left of the picture (which can enlarged). I climbed up to the third watch tower on one side of the pass, which is where I took the picture. At that time there were many Chinese visiting the Wall, but very few foreigners.
Our guide said that anyone making it to that third tower would become a “Hero of the People’s Republic”. I was the only member of our group that became a “Hero” that day. My legs felt rubbery by the time I got back down, but the climb was definitely worth it.
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Today I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to visit some of the far corners of our world.
Floating restaurants in Aberdeen village, Hong Kong. June, 1987.
I have been tagged by Kirigalpotha from Sri Lanka. I tend to shy away from tags, but I got curious about where this one would lead, so I followed the rules (up to a point).
The rules for this tag are as follows:
1. Open your 1st Photo folder.
2. Scroll to the 10th photo.
3. Post the photo and the story behind it.
4. Tag 5 or more people.
The first folder in my Pictures folder is 1987 Aberdeen. The tenth picture (scanned from a slide) is shown above.
I should hasten to explain that Aberdeen is a village on the south shore of Hong Kong Island. In 1987 I traveled to China for the first time with a party from the college at which I was teaching. Our first stop along the way was Hong Kong. We spent three or four days there and one day we took a tour of Hong Kong Island. Aberdeen was one of the stops on the tour.
Aberdeen was (and as far as I can tell still is) known for its floating village and floating restaurants. Fishing is an important part of industry in Aberdeen and many residents live on boats anchored in the harbor. The floating restaurants, such as the ones in the picture, are quite large and seem to do a good business. Our group visited Aberdeen in the morning, so we missed the opportunity to eat at one of these restaurants.
Now I’m going to break the rules. Instead of tagging anyone I’m going to invite anyone who is interested to check their computer. If an interesting picture and story pops up, please share it with us.
Chinese family at the Great Wall. July, 1987.
This is my post for the My World meme. It is hosted by Klaus, Ivar, Sandy, Wren, Louise and Fishing Guy. To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.
I went to China for the first time in 1987, and our hosts took us to the Great Wall near Beijing. Back then there weren’t a great many foreigners visiting the wall, and there were relatively few of what I would call ordinary Chinese there.
But then I saw the young family in the picture above. They were very simply dressed, but they took in the Great Wall with the same mixture of awe and amazement that we foreigners did. They were obviously proud of China, its history, and its accomplishments. On that day I was happy to be a part of their world.
Senior Moments 