[BradJudy]

These are all from a trip we took to China in May of last year.  Most are mine, some are my father.  It's a mixture of trying to cover the locations, notable aspects and decent shots.  None are earth-shattering compositions, but some are half-decent.  In chronological order of the trip.

Shanghai Pudong airport - the first moments on Chinese ground - cool architecture



Tiananmen Square - Monument to the People's Heros



Forbidden City - rooftops



The Great Wall - Mutianyu section



Peking Opera



Chess in the park



Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests - Temple of Heaven



The Long Corridor - Summer Palace



Terra Cotta Warriors - interesting combination of headless men in a cross-shaped pit.



Xi'an city wall - fading off into the haze



Fishing on the banks in Chongqing



Lighting incense at Fengdu



Another scene in Fengdu



Walls of the three gorges (note that it was once much more spectacular and this is near the post-dam high water level)



Homes and a sign marking the final water level



Local fishing boat



Temple near the Three Gorges Dam



The dam itself



Farmer takes a break during the rape harvest while her water buffalo grazes



Musical performance in the Hubei provincial museum



Blending traditional and modern tourism



One of the many trikes serving as a tow truck



Jade in the Shanghai art museum (took several tries to get a good one hand-held)



The famous and bustling Nanjing road



One of many rows of bikes

[Wind Chaser]

Excellent!  And thanks for sharing.  That must have felt like you were on another planet? 

[Russell Dawkins]

Beautiful photos, good compositions - a pleasure to scan through. Some unique perspectives.

I was looking at all those bikes in the last picture and wondering if any of them were locked. I wouldn't be surprised to hear none were.

I am still amazed at the scale of the great wall - more than I am at the pyramids.

I enjoy those little architectural details like those fussy little wooden bridge assemblies that ultimately support the eaves of the temple roofs - you can see some in the Temple of Heaven picture (dark blue with light blue trim lines).

[Woodsea]

Very nice photos.  You were able to see quite a bit.  I had tried to book a cruise to see the hanging coffins and the damn, but the Mrs. never could get the time away.
What were your impressions of China?  Our visit to the Summer Palace, was fun.  I think my 3 Caucasian kids were the most photographed things and not by me but the Chinese.

[BradJudy]

Excellent!  And thanks for sharing.  That must have felt like you were on another planet? 

Thanks.  The level of difference depends on your point of view.  The country has an interesting history and the present day isn't that different than the US, although it's a combination of the US at different stages in time.  The large cities are much like modern US, but the farms are closer to US farming around 1900 (we saw almost no mechanization, mainly work by hand and water buffalo).  Here's an interesting fact to visualize the rural/urban divide: There are 1.3 billion people in China - 1 billion of them live on farms. 

[BradJudy]

I was looking at all those bikes in the last picture and wondering if any of them were locked. I wouldn't be surprised to hear none were.

A large number are locked.  I didn't realize it at first because they use different brakes and locks on their bikes.  The brakes are hub brakes and what looked like the rim brakes we use here were actually collar locks that rotated through the rear wheel.  I don't know if I have a good picture of that, I'll have to look.

I enjoy those little architectural details like those fussy little wooden bridge assemblies that ultimately support the eaves of the temple roofs - you can see some in the Temple of Heaven picture (dark blue with light blue trim lines).

I have some pictures of this, I'll dig one up this evening.

[mcgsxr]

I spent 2 years in Taiwan back in the mid 1990's, and it is always cool to see how China has progressed.  I never did make it to the mainland, but did see Hong Kong before it reverted to China (AND the old school airport, where you flew in quite close to the apartment buildings etc).

I miss good Hunan beef, and proper Shui Jiaw (water dumplings).

Great pics, nicely done!

[BradJudy]

Very nice photos.  You were able to see quite a bit.  I had tried to book a cruise to see the hanging coffins and the damn, but the Mrs. never could get the time away.
What were your impressions of China?  Our visit to the Summer Palace, was fun.  I think my 3 Caucasian kids were the most photographed things and not by me but the Chinese.

We did the cruise and saw the hanging coffins.  I have a couple of pictures, but the coffins are so far up that it's hard to get a good shot. 

We enjoyed China and learned a lot both before (I took a short Mandarin class before going), during and after the trip.  It's hard to summarize all of my impressions as we saw and learned so much.  The trip was a bit of a whirlwind, but we got to see a lot.  It would be nice to go back some day and see some other parts of the country, but our list of destinations is long and I don't know when we'll go back again. 

[Mike Dzurko]

Beautifully done Brad . . . . reminded me of how much I need to make time to travel (my wife's always saying that and, well she's right).

[goldlizsts]

Good pictures.  It's hard to justify China with 25.  More......

[BradJudy]

Good pictures.  It's hard to justify China with 25.  More......

Thanks.  Between my father and I, we have ~2,000.  Picking 25 was an exercise for me to try and be selective.  It's easy to take a lot of pics, it's hard to restrict yourself to a small subset to show. 

[BradJudy]

I was looking at all those bikes in the last picture and wondering if any of them were locked. I wouldn't be surprised to hear none were.

This is the best picture and crop I could do of the common bike lock.  It's a simple and interesting design.

I enjoy those little architectural details like those fussy little wooden bridge assemblies that ultimately support the eaves of the temple roofs - you can see some in the Temple of Heaven picture (dark blue with light blue trim lines).

Here's some detail of that in the Forbidden City

[csc]

Brad.....Thanks so much for sharing.

My brothers and Parents have been to China except for me.  My Parents several times now(they both, with their families, fled during the communist takeover).  I need and will visit someday.

[SET Man]

Good pictures.  It's hard to justify China with 25.  More......

Hey!
 
    I agreed. A big country with long history like China will likely need hundreds! Oh! Wait! Where is the pictures of food?

  Anyway, Thanks Brad for sharing your trip with us.

  BTW... did you try a cappuccino at the Starbucks there? Was it exactly the same as in the US?

Take care,
Buddy

[Zero]

Thanks for sharing!

[Russell Dawkins]

Here's some detail of that in the Forbidden City

You could get really lost in that detail. I was just looking at the quality of the painting on these various small pieces - can you imagine what it would cost to have your house re-painted if it was finished like this?

[goldlizsts]

Good pictures.  It's hard to justify China with 25.  More......

Hey!
..........................  BTW... did you try a cappuccino at the Starbucks there? Was it exactly the same as in the US?

Take care,
Buddy

Hey Buddy,

I had a coffee (adjusting to time change) at Starbucks near a HoJo Hotel while in Beijing 3 years ago, on my way to Mongolia.  It was OK.  Supposedly the ingredients were imported, so I thought it was similar.  Except, the water could have made it taste different.  Also, the milk was likely from NZ or AU, so another factor affecting the taste.

Shek

[goldlizsts]

Here's some detail of that in the Forbidden City

You could get really lost in that detail. I was just looking at the quality of the painting on these various small pieces - can you imagine what it would cost to have your house re-painted if it was finished like this?

Incidentally, these are fairly recent touchups that we see in the picture.  Labor is still dirt cheap in China, that's why they can afford to have workers take the time to slooooowly repaint, retouch over the original designs.  Here in the U.S., we have landmarks that require much work to bring them back to live again also.  We do not dare to spend money on such authentic original workmanship anymore.  Some can afford it, of course, but we just don't do it like that any longer.

Shek

[BradJudy]

Incidentally, these are fairly recent touchups that we see in the picture.  Labor is still dirt cheap in China, that's why they can afford to have workers take the time to slooooowly repaint, retouch over the original designs.  Here in the U.S., we have landmarks that require much work to bring them back to live again also.  We do not dare to spend money on such authentic original workmanship anymore.  Some can afford it, of course, but we just don't do it like that any longer.

And Beijing has really been hitting the restoration/touch-ups hard with the Olympics coming.  The hall of supreme harmony in the Forbidden City was completely surrounded by scaffolding while we were there. 

[jqp]

Thanks for the pictures - my trigger finger is itching and my passport is ready