{Part XII of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - By Train from Guangzhou to Hong Kong}

From the subtropical southern city of Guangzhou, where husband Pieter also stayed for 3 nights, the team went by train to Hong Kong in about 3-½ hours time. 

As Pieter wrote in his letter to me, that train trip was the best way of traveling of the entire trip so far. 
Passing through the beautiful countryside of the Pearl River Delta near Baiyun Mountain. Also being able to observe far better than from a bus, or let alone, from a rattling Russian Ilyushin Il-62 

Just to give you an idea about the distances traveled so far...
From Tokyo they flew in to Shanghai and on to Beijing.
By plane to Fuzhou, which is some 2,000 kilometers south of Beijing.
Again by plane to Guangzhou and now by train to Hong Kong, visible south of the mainland of China.
From there they will fly to Taiwan...
Find more info here: Guangzhou Explained

The weather looked rather cloudy on April 2 in 1987, but they did enjoy passing through areas with wet rice cultivation.
We both know this too well from Indonesia and it does look more tropical.

Such a train trip indeed gives one a good view of the country with all its bridges, homes and fields.

Wet rice wherever you look and very fertile grounds with palm trees.
The train at that time in 1987 did not go that fast, so you really could observe the countryside!

A chimney, for maybe brick making?

Flooded rice fields...

Guess here they produce big part of the nation's consumption of rice.
People working the rice paddy...

Always a muddy job to work in the rice paddy!

Everywhere you see people!

What job for the people working the wet rice fields...

Beautiful vista with the mountains in the back and some trees behind the rice paddy.

Quite impressive to see that many people out on the fields!
A kind of kolkhoz (Russian abbreviation for Kollektivnoye Khosyaistvo - collective economy) that was also quite common in communist Russia.

Nearing Hong Kong...

As husband Pieter wrote: Arriving in Hong Kong, the vertical build city...!

Very cloudy looking... the sky pregnant with rain!

Rolling into Hong Kong's railroad station.
Husband Pieter took this photo from the train's balcony...

Postcard from the Kowloon - Canton Railway Terminal with the grand view.
Canton is the former name for Guangzhou

See you next in Hong Kong!

Related links:
{Part XI of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Impressions of Fuzhou, China} | previous post by me
{Part X of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Ming Tombs near Beijing, China} | previous post by me
{Part IX of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Jinshanling Great Wall of China} | previous post by me
{Part VIII of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Countryside North of Beijing, China} | previous post by me
{Part VII of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Lama Temple in Beijing, China} | previous post by me

{Part VI of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China} | previous post by me 

{Part V of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Forbidden City in Beijing, China} | previous post by me

{Part IV of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - City Views of Beijing, China} | previous post by me

{Part III of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Arrival in Beijing, China} | previous post by me
{Part II of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Tokyo, Japan to Beijing, China} | previous post by me

{Part I of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia} | previous post by me

{People to People Citizen Ambassador Program - Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia} | previous post by me

{Part XI of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Impressions of Fuzhou, China}

It sure was early rising for the team members as the bus picked them up at 6:15 AM for going to the airport and fly to Fuzhou, some 2,000 km to the south.

China is a VAST country!

Again flying on such a rattling Russian Ilyushin Il-62 ...

This is husband Pieter at a Shii-take farm...
After lunch, Pieter did lecture for the Fuzhou Academy on March 27, 1987.
 His translator already got better acquainted with the topic, after his first time in Beijing...
There were several meetings with the Center of Trade etc.

Walking around the city, it again was quite obvious that most people used their bikes!
One can tell it is 2,000 kilometer to the south, more green and people are not that bundled up as in Beijing.

Laundry is hanging outside almost everywhere.

Most are in their shirt, without a coat or jacket...

City life...

In East Asia it always looks like one half of the population is selling something to the other half...

Guess they had not often seen tourists...

Police is watching out...

 Balconies seem to be loaded with plants...

Again laundry hanging to dry from the balconies and windows.

Plants and laundry and one can see the construction with some bamboo poles for hanging things...

Very narrow alleys!

Bikes and laundry hanging from the balcony.

More laundry...

Even hanging from the tree!

Going home with a life chicken...

Just interesting to walk a bit around...

More green trees here.

No markings on the road...

Like mentioned before, everybody seems to be selling something...

Looks like this kid had more often an ice cream...

Did you notice his 'sleeves'?
Guess that is for protection or what... Does anyone know about this?
Is that where the saying 'Having something up your sleeve' comes from?

Everything is being done at street-side...

Nice, road repair or whatever, in front of this shop...

Some goat meat for sale...
No, thanks!

Any chicken?

That was Fuzhou, People Republic of China for a 3-night stay.
Next we will go from Guangzhou, which is even more south from Fuzhou, to Hong Kong by train...

Related links:
{Part X of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Ming Tombs near Beijing, China} | previous post by me
{Part IX of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Jinshanling Great Wall of China} | previous post by me
{Part VIII of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Countryside North of Beijing, China} | previous post by me
{Part VII of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Lama Temple in Beijing, China} | previous post by me

{Part VI of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China} | previous post by me 

{Part V of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Forbidden City in Beijing, China} | previous post by me

{Part IV of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - City Views of Beijing, China} | previous post by me

{Part III of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Arrival in Beijing, China} | previous post by me
{Part II of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Tokyo, Japan to Beijing, China} | previous post by me

{Part I of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia} | previous post by me

{People to People Citizen Ambassador Program - Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia} | previous post by me

{Part X of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Ming Tombs near Beijing, China}

On the way back from Jinshanling Great Wall of China, the bus with the ten delegates and their guide, did visit the Ming Tombs near Beijing.
They got to descend into the 27 m deep Dingling Tomb

Husband Pieter looking very happy, after having climbed the Great Wall and now ending the day with a visit to the Ming Tombs, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Front Gate of Dingling, with Pieter squatted down with a cute Chinese toddler...
 They will descend to the Tomb of Emperor Zhu Yijun (1563-1620) of Ming Dynasty, which is 27 meters below.

Here you see the Five Sacrificial Utensils in front of The Soul Tower
For a very interesting 2-½ minute video check here: Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties(UNESCO/NHK) 
Also the video is showing you the beautiful surroundings, aerial views, located south of the Tianshou Mountain

They are looking at a board with the entire region where the tombs are, the final resting place for 13 of the 16 Ming emperors.

Images are from: Zhu Yizhun - the Wanli Emperor click and scroll down.

Being 27 meters below, you will find the marble door with self locking mechanism.

Pieter and the team were told by their guide that the last person had to lock the door and that meant he himself got locked in as well!

Immolation (to offer in sacrifice...)

The less glamorous and cruel part was the offering of human lives.

In the early days, human slaves were a mere personal property that was sacrificed to serve the deceased in the afterlife. This custom died out in China already a couple of millenniums ago; not so much for humane reasons but simply because slaves were too expensive. Qin Shi Huang's terra cotta figures were excellent examples of a substitute for human sacrifice.

Some Ming emperors however still insisted on taking their favorite concubines with them. Human offerings have been found at Xianling, Changling and Jingling of the Ming tombs.

The concubines were normally not buried in the main vault but in separate "wells" nearby. Adding to the cruelty, they were buried alive in a standing position awaiting their emperor in the netherworld. (See photo to the right showing such Concubine tombs, Qingxilling).

click and scroll down for the above info: Ming tombs -General information.

Pieter also did get to see some of the Terra cotta Warriors while at the Ming Tombs.

They were probably brought there, as they also traveled to several big Museums.

These slides got lost too...

~ 

It was again unimaginably, Pieter wrote in his diary...

They treated their Beijing hosts for dinner and had to pack because next day everyone had to rise very early for a flight to Fuzhou, more to the south east.

Thanks for visiting and till next part...

Related links:
{Part IX of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Jinshanling Great Wall of China} | previous post by me
{Part VIII of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Countryside North of Beijing, China} | previous post by me
{Part VII of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Lama Temple in Beijing, China} | previous post by me

{Part VI of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China} | previous post by me 

{Part V of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Forbidden City in Beijing, China} | previous post by me

{Part IV of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - City Views of Beijing, China} | previous post by me

{Part III of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Arrival in Beijing, China} | previous post by me
{Part II of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Tokyo, Japan to Beijing, China} | previous post by me

{Part I of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia} | previous post by me

{People to People Citizen Ambassador Program - Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia} | previous post by me