At the prospect of a long weekend I typically do things last minute. I build up this idea in my head of Netflix binging and socializing mostly over WhatsApp and WeChat. On this particular occasion I was invited to go cycling in Kaiping (a small town in Guangdong Province.) Kaiping is known as the ancestral homeland of many overseas Chinese. It is well known for the multi-story fortified stone towers or the Daiolu (碉樓) built in the Quing Dynasty. The town hit their peak in the 1920's-1930's. If you are an architecture nerd like me you will notice instantly. Much of the town seemed frozen in time architecturally juxtaposed by the modernity of scattered convenience stores, restaurants, and a supermarket. Like anywhere you go in China it was crowded, had questionable sanitary practices, and people who acted like they had never seen a foreigner before.
These first three shots are from right when we got off the bus.
I particularly liked all of the stone balconies now covered in foliage. They has a certain glamour to them. I tried to imagine this town during its boom. Did people entertain on the balconies? Or did they just throw rubbish over it and never sit in the sun?
This was down a little alleyway. To the left was the most darling coffee shop facade I have ever seen. The inside was basic and lacking cuteness.
The main strip of town was filled with street vendors selling fruit and dried sea creatures. I am not sure in what way these dried muscles,shrimp, and little fish are good for me. I think eating them comes with the assurance that I will not be kissed for at least 24 hours after consumption. With this I could dodge any chances of getting mono or the common cold. Crisis averted?
This bridge was near the main strip. So crowded we could hardly take pictures.
This restaurant had a "pet" pig. I won't even allow my mouth or mind to run wild with this one.
Then we ran into this curious building. Since all of the signs were in Chinglish we are not sure if this is an actual movie set for "The Grandmaster" or a recreation of a movie set. Either way the architecture and history nerd in me loved this place. Down to the fake parquet floors and imitation Tiffany glass it was a marvel in and of itself.
This was a view from the balcony.
All the windows had this intricate wrought iron. Once again, I stepped into another time and I was in awe.
The following are from the cycling portion of the trip. Renting the bikes was easy and absurdly cheap. We set off on a six hour adventure. Below are the rice paddys.
If there was one picture I hoped to take in China these are it. The two below are people working in the rice paddys. These pictures are by no means in chronological order. People did not begin work in the paddys until about 4:00. It was too hot during the day, but the heat did not stop us from cycling.
These are the Daiolu (碉樓). They are mansions in comparison to what city-dwelling Chinese live in. They are indeed mansions by any standards. In their heyday they were single family homes. Now they are unoccupied and somewhat difficult to get to. In proper laowai (老外, foreigner) fashion we did not stay on the path. If something twisted off the main road we had to answer the question, "Where does this go?" This is obviously where you encounter the best stuff and the least number of people.
This was tomb-sweeping day. Equivalent to the American Memorial Day holiday. Chinese visit the tombs of their ancestors and offer prayers, incense, and fruit. We got to see some of the tombs. The tombs were on the family's land. Also interesting. As far as I know this practice was done in colonial America and the old South.
Duck farm!
This place was too picturesque to not snap a few.
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