My Adventures Across China

[Keel]

It's more of a joy than adventure to travel in a classy and romantic city like Hangzhou - one of the crown jewels of our great cities

I was there several times

Some famous Hangzhou dishes are 西湖醋鱼, 东波肉, 糖醋排骨 and my favourite the sumptuous龙井虾仁

Good work @AndrewJin
For all travellers who have visited Hangzhou, please share with us your experience

 

[AndrewJin]

@AndrewJin where do you find the time to travel? How many vacation days does a Chinese worker have per year on average? In Canada, most companies are still offering two weeks. More are offering three weeks but most will not let you take three weeks in a row. That defeat the purpose.

In fact all these Hangzhou trips ( several times last year) were at weekends or spring festival. Normally, working for a private company is the same case as in Canada. But working for a state-owned one or a public sector is different. One of my relatives is a doctor so he doesn't have a full 7-day spring festival holiday or 7-day national holiday but he has traveled a lot last year including a Kenya trip. He can move his weekends if he is on duty.

 

[AndrewJin]

It's more of a joy than adventure to travel in a classy and romantic city like Hangzhou - one of the crown jewels of our great cities

I was there several times

Some famous Hangzhou dishes are 西湖醋鱼, 东波肉, 糖醋排骨 and my favourite the sumptuous龙井虾仁

Good work @AndrewJin
For all travellers who have visited Hangzhou, please share with us your experience

I have been there more than ten times. Sometimes I just sit by the lake and read a book for a whole day then have some local cuisine for dinner and take a train back home.

 

[AndrewJin]

@AndrewJin where do you find the time to travel? How many vacation days does a Chinese worker have per year on average? In Canada, most companies are still offering two weeks. More are offering three weeks but most will not let you take three weeks in a row. That defeat the purpose.

Sorry, forget to tell you that an unmarried doctor in his hospital has extra two weeks for home every year if not from the city of his hospital. The same case as in a school where my dad teaches. After marriage, it will be every three years. A lot of this kind of hidden benefits if working for the state. If one is an immigrant worker from the countryside, the spring festival holidays will be more than 7 days, that's why the spring festival immigration season normally lasts more than one month.

 

[Jlaw]

Sorry, forget to tell you that an unmarried doctor in his hospital has extra two weeks for home every year if not from the city of his hospital. The same case as in a school where my dad teaches. After marriage, it will be every three years. A lot of this kind of hidden benefits if working for the state. If one is an immigrant worker from the countryside, the spring festival holidays will be more than 7 days, that's why the spring festival immigration season normally lasts more than one month.

Same here. Working for the government has the most benefits. You can take leave of absence if you want.

 

[AndrewJin]

Same here. Working for the government has the most benefits. You can take leave of absence if you want.

That's why we call civil servant and state-own companies in Chinese Iron Bowl. One will never get fired even these jobs are not so well paid as in private companies. Holidays outweigh money for me.

 

[AndrewJin]

Part 2 A Journey Along Costal HSR of Southeastern China
I have been to a lot of places in western China whose images dominate every issue of Chinese National Geography, which I sometimes get bored, Tibet, Tibet, Tibet. It seems that all those photographers could find charming places only in Tibet. We have been neglecting southwestern China for a quite a long time.

After my blood donation, I was given a 2-week rest so I designed a route along the costal semi-HSR from Shanghai in the east all the way to Shenzhen in the south, stopping in Xiapu County, Putian City, Xiamen City(Amoi) and finally take MTR from Shenzhen to HK and Macao.

Here is my route.

It took about 5.5 hours for 750km from Shanghai to Xiapu County, 6 trains a day. (Second/First Class 218/282 RMB). Then we took a local bus to a village called Xiaohao. (Small white and bright, literally).

Xiapu County Railway Station

 

[AndrewJin]

The bay of Xiaohao Village

A symphony of light and human wisdom
(these sort of shoals in southeastern China are used for mariculture)

My works by mobile phone which couldn't completely convey the beauty

More than a hundred photographers and travelers were photographing the intertidal beach whilst I was photographing them.

 

[AndrewJin]

After spending a night in Xiaohao, take a bus to Sansha Town

Village road linking a expressway ramp to Sansha Town( Xiaohao Village belongs to Sansha Town)

A simple lunch(15RMB) in Sansha Town
（@nihonjin1051 that's what locals have for every meal, envy?LOL)

Take a ferry from Sansha to Dayushan Island

Guzhen Village of Sansha Town.

 

[AndrewJin]

I was excited to see tons of travelers waiting at the ferry terminal when i reached Dayushan Island, which meant they had finished their weekend excursion and we would have a tranquil island with a paucity of travelers. I didn't have too much time for a walk around the entire island and visiting every fishing villages. A mere overnight at the campsite and a feast of sunrise were already too overwhelmingly attractive.

Big Heaven Lake, the campsite is by this lake.

Small Heaven Lake.
Notwithstanding I was impusled to rush towards the lakeside, hiking in summerly grassland and steep slopes were not a sensible idea.

Walking higher to attain a better panorama

Another trail to the sea

One can spend a whole week in this island, endless beauty and I'm sure fishing villages on this island provide a feast of seafood. @Nihonjin1051

 

[cirr]

Great pics。

Pls keep up the nice work。

 

[AndrewJin]

Great pics。

Pls keep up the nice work。

Thanks Cirr. Too many pics await publish

The second day, walking for half an hour to the best spot for sunrise.
No good camera, sorry

Only this lady, a couple and us yesterday at the campsite.
If felt like the whole island was my oyster.

Very foggy morning

Seafood in the downtown of Xiapu County @Nihonjin1051

 

[Aepsilons]

Wonderful!!

 

[AndrewJin]

Wonderful!!

Thanks Nihonjin. But I think it's time for you to sleep, isn't it?

 

[AndrewJin]

Keep on my costal journey of 2014
From Xiapu County to Putian City is 233km around 1.5 hour by semi-HSR (9 trains per day, 67.5/82.5 RMB for 2nd/1st class)

Railway Station of Putian City

The map of Meizhou Island, the birthplace of Mazu, Oriental Mecca for her followers
Mazu (goddess) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ferry Terminal of Meizhou Island
Passenger yacht from mainland to Meizhou is every 15 minutes.
Slow ferry for passengers and vehicles is hourly.

Three lines of shuttle bus around the island (2 or 3RMB)