Chengdu on the move
Oct 13 2001

Chengdu, the largest and most modern city in the Sichuan province has benefited by being the hometown of the late Deng Xiaoping. He chose the city for early experimentation in capitalism. What initially caught my eye were all the neon Pepsi signs on the lamp posts. The exposure blurred them but made a picture that conveys the energy of the modern capital of Sichuan anyway.

Cages
Oct 14 2001

One can tell that when they meet in the park like this, they forget their cramped living conditions and lack of freedom and simply enjoy the nice weather. From the chirping, I assumed the birds were enjoying it too.

Round Temple
Oct 15 2001

Just one of the many buildings that make up Quingwang temple - the most important Taoist site in the region.

The Green Ram
Oct 14 2001

The Green Ram is the reason pilgrims visit Quingwang temple. Made up of all the parts of the Zodiac animals (beard of a goat, neck of a horse, back of a dog and so on) it is thought that if you rub the ram and them touch that part of your body that bothers you, your ailment will be cured. Julie watched in fascination as one woman rubbed every inch of both her body and the rams. No word yet on what sticking incense in its nose will do.

Golden Figure
Oct 14 2001

Inside the Taoist Temple of the Green Ram

Fresh food
Oct 15 2001

You know your eels are fresh when you have to club them to get them in the cooking pot.

An apple a day
Oct 15 2001

Pandas like apples more than bamboo leaves?. Who knew? This one savored his allotted half apple for a good twenty minutes, after which he spent another ten licking his pads in fond reverie.

Panda enclosure
Oct 15 2001

This attendant did not seem as amused by the young Panda antics as we onlookers were. Trying to clean the enclosure he was constantly having his boots attacked by one or more of the rambunctious teenage ruffians.

Panda incubator
Oct 15 2001

It seems that captive Pandas are not the greatest parents. There were at least two babies in incubators and further on we saw a mother suckling another. All the while under the watchful eye of a human guard with a big stick to step in if something went wrong

Lesser Panda
Oct 15 2001

The Lesser Panda (or Red Panda as they prefer to be called) bears closer resemblance to what all Pandas are - types of raccoon.

Black swan
Oct 15 2001

Sometimes an animal just seems to know it's beautiful. This swan allowed me to get quite close and snap a couple of pictures while she posed picture perfect.

Teahouse
Oct 14 2001

The teahouse is to Chengdu what the cafe is to Paris and the Pub is to London. A place to relax after a day of sightseeing, alone or with friends, to read the paper, talk politics and gossip. The teahouses are often venues for Sichuan Opera.
The open backed bamboo chairs are ideal for the hot climate and light enough to move around to join friends at other tables.