Reading 5: Reading Between the Lines

This sign was carefully posted beside a path on Le Shan.  I can read every English word, but without the Chinese, I would have no idea what it means.  The Chinese sentence starts politely with “qing,” or “please.”  I see the character for “xia,” which means “below.”  Based on these two characters and the context, my guess would be that the sign is asking us not to throw things down the side of the mountain.  What’s your guess?

Healthy Snack: Corn

As the weather has turned colder, the street kitchens are now serving hot, healthy snacks, including corn on the cob.  I love the way this mobile kitchen is using an outdated phone booth to block the wind.

 

Dujiangyan: Scenery

Before visiting Dujiangyan irrigation system, I expected there to be extensive explanations about the science of controlling water.  I never expected it to be as beautiful as walking into a watercolor painting.

Irony

Was placing this quotation beside topiary animals intentionally ironic?

“Modern man does not experience himself as part of nature, but as an outside force destined to dominate and conquer it.  He even talks of a battle with nature, forgetting that, if he won the battle, he would find himself on the losing side.”  E. F. Shumacher

Panda Joy

Pandas symbolize Chengdu.  Researchers breed and nurture this endangered species, whose bamboo forests are now shared with countless people.  In spite of this, pandas appear relaxed, almost joyful.  Long may they thrive.

Writing on Bamboo

It seems that one way to declare love for a sweetheart is to carve it into a bamboo trunk.  Graffiti or calligraphy?  The answer probably depends on whom you ask.

So big

One of my favorite characters is “da.”  With arms outstretched, it indicates that something is large.

Written in Stone

Even small green verges seem to be decorated with inscribed stone tablets.  I assume their sophisticated script is intended to help the community remember events or to remind them of important ideas.  They are not ancient, though.  I can tell the larger one is commemorating something that happened on September 1, 2000 and April 6, 2001.  I see characters that symbolize people, work and forest, but that doesn’t help me understand what they mean.  Oh, how I long to.

Room for More

We love to ride the metro on off-peak hours.  Riding during rush hour is more challenging.  On my first weekday morning in the subway, I let the first train pass, not understanding how I would fit in to a vehicle that was already full beyond its intended capacity.  I watched as the locals slowly entered the train, and the passengers silently adjusted their stances to make precisely enough space.  When the next train arrived, I had the courage to imitate their strategy.  Thankfully there was room for me, too.  (In the photographs below, keep your eyes on the guy with the green shirt.)

The Outer Fringe

Late in the afternoon, people paused, almost in unison, taking photographs of the rare, blue sky, festooned with cloud garlands.  Absence does make the heart grow fonder.