Author Archives: Ray

About Ray

email: rmahoney58@yahoo.com , new Guiyang tel: 187 9860 2861, also: 86-152 5582 4713, 86-136 7173 7017 . In China 18 years, Ray (55 years old) has also taught in Shanghai, Beijing, Shiyan (Hubei), Kuitun (Xinjiang), Lanzhou, Changchun and elsewhere. Was in China-related business in the 1980s and 90s, and in the NGO sector both as a volunteer and in full-time positions. Has also been to India and Pakistan. As of August 2013, Ray is in Guiyang, Guizhou province, to work in a private middle school there, the Guiyang American-Canadian International School 贵阳美加国际学校. A newly created Flickr site, "GoGuiyang," has photos and articles to help people new to Guiyang, like myself, settle in quickly. See the photos arranged into sets: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/sets/ Also active on Siwawa58 (where I dump my ESL materials), see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98498293@N05/page1/?details=1, and I re-post material from Youtube (blocked in China) to Tudou and Youku, see: Youku "gelatiao58" http://www.soku.com/search_video/q_gelatiao58?f=1&kb=0412000000000__gelatiao58) and Tudou "gelatiao" http://www.soku.com/t/nisearch/gay%20men%20s%20chorus).

Our Place 幸福学堂, Tucker English School 英语学校, Guiyang International Businesses Meetup Club

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Our Place, Tucker English School 英语学校,
 
 student trip to US, Feb 2014 by Guiyang Xingfuxuetang 幸福学堂

In February 2014 we plan to take up to 20 students to Denver for about 2 weeks exchange, then some winter sports in Winter Park area in Colorado, finally touring DC and New York. The whole trip will be 3 weeks. Students will stay with their host families for two weeks and attend school activities. We have three private schools to work with: Colorado School of English (focusing on teaching
international students), Colorado International School, and Regis Jesuit School. see www.xingfuxuetang.com/   Also see photos of a student, Diego, from last year’s trip: photo.163.com/bonijiang@gmail.com/train/9000007   Contact: Boni Jiang,135 9519 2840, xuehaiwuya.guiyang@gmail.com ; Katie Scott, katiescott@naturewize.org ;

Guiyang student “Diego” (in light blue hat, 4th from left) with classmates on a trip to the United States in the summer of 2013, organized by Xingfuxuetang 幸福学堂. A similar trip is planned this coming winter break in February 2014.
Diego at a baseball park, Denver
Diego and fellow Guiyang classmate at Disneyland
with Iron Man, in Disneyland, Los Angeles
Diego with other students of English in Denver.
观看丹佛当地马拉松比赛
at a marathon in Colorado
All the meat! —Diego wanted more vegetables.
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Tucker English School

The Tucker English School is set up in Guiyang China to offer a new way of learning. The Tucker family believes the long term purpose of learning English is to be able to speak and use it, rather than purely to pass exams. The aim is to use original English story books, games, songs, musical plays, different media rather than textbooks to make learning fun, realistic and productive. We aim to raise awareness of English culture by following the major seasonal events that happen in the UK. To inspire the children to learn English with enjoyment and confidence are our utmost goals. The Tucker English School is creating an environment that helps children to build up characters of a more rounded person as well as achieving their academic English excellence.

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Guiyang International Businesses Meetup Club

see: www.meetup.com/Guiyang-International-Businesses-Meetup-Club/

Doing business in China is not easy. Doing business in Guiyang is probably twice harder, considering the local dialect, spicy food, cold and long winter, and lacking of international community. However, it could be fun and full of adventures in Guizhou too. This meetup group is set to put adventurous international entrepreneurs together in Guiyang. So, they share their experiences and expertise and help each other to pursue their goals in this land. Look forward to meeting all of you!

Boni Jiang

Location:Guiyang China

Organizer since:February 10, 2013 

Introduction

My name is Boni Jiang. I am a local from Guizhou Province and now live in Guiyang. In the past five years I was providing international consulting services in clean energy and carbon credit businesses.

What do you expect from this meetup group?

I hope to meet people and form a community in international business in Guiyang. So, business people and entrepreneurs can share their expertise and experiences.

What would you like to contribute to the community?

I’d like to initiate this community and share my experiences in the past five years.

Are you doing international business in Guiyang or Guizhou?

Yes, mostly consulting for international companies and some Chinese companies.

How did you find us?

Reference from a business subscription.

Can you tell us what your business is?

Energy related consulting. Recently I am extending to education consulting.

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The Guizhou Library has a very nice collection of English books on the 4th floor Foreign Language 外文 section. Open every day.  This Saturday English corner there has been organized by 85 year old “Camel” for many years (his first English corner was at the Qianling Park).   Library cards that allow borrowing of books for one month are available with a 200 yuan deposit.

children’s collection at Guizhou Library, 1st fl, Beijing Rd, with Jack Porter (Guizhou Normal U. English teacher) , Oct 2013, posted at http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/10137882495/in/photostream/

Occasional story reading at the children’s section of the Guizhou Library (Beijing Road, next to the Guizhou Museum) by volunteer teachers on Saturday afternoons.

 

videos of Guiyang 贵阳的视频,useful for newcomers or those considering coming

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 http://v.ifeng.com/news/society/201306/3392ab33-bfa0-4f4c-b889-843d5f1dc24b.shtml (If flash video doesn’t display, paste link into browser)

爽爽的贵阳 中国避暑之都, uploaded at: http://v.ifeng.com/news/society/201306/3392ab33-bfa0-4f4c-b889-843d5f1dc24b.shtml

Tied together by shots of a girl from a Guizhou minority rural background who has achieved success and come back to Guiyang (yeah, kinda corny), with a secondary story of some high living businessmen. But many video segments are well filmed. Narration is in Chinese with well done English subtitles.

贵阳市城市图片, uploaded at: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjIwMTk1MjA=.html

Still photos of Guiyang, perhaps 5 years old.

 

going native

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Anna in Miao minority dress, Huangguoshu Waterfalls, Anshun, Guizhou, Oct 2013,

Anna teaches at the Guiyang American-Canadian International School, see: www.flickr.com/photos/101438178@N05/with/10051855993/

at a store in Guiyang with things to burn to the dead – money, paper clothes, paper gold ingots, paper cigarettes, dominoes, mahjong table, etc 冥币等等,  uploaded at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/10063978115/

American $1 dollar bills with the Chinese god of the underworld in the place of Washington’s face, and the denomination changed to US$1,000,000, was the surprise.

The store was close to a hospital.  There was no Buddhist or Daoist temple in the area.

old photos of downtown Guiyang, on Zhonghua Rd near Dashizi and Penshuichi 老贵阳的照片，中华路在大十字、喷水池附近

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old Guiyang photos – Dashizi (Zhonghua Rd & Zhongshan Rd) in the 1940s, from 贵阳老照片, 2003, ISBN 7-221-06271-4/K-725, posted at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/9998463924/in/photostream/

old Guiyang photos – celebration of founding of PRC, 1949, seems to be on Zhonghua Rd near Dashizi, uploaded at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/9998463964/in/photostream/

old Guiyang photos – Dashizi (Zhonghua Rd & Zhongshan Rd) in the mid-late 1950s, celebration of collectivization, uploaded at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/9998463954/in/photostream/

old Guiyang photos – Dashizi (Zhonghua Rd & Zhongshan Rd) with Zhonghua Middle Rd in upper right,undated, from 贵阳老照片. 2003, ISBN 7-221-06276-5/K-727, uploaded at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/9998463934/in/photostream/

Dashizi 大十字 today

1930s Guiyang street scene 30年代贵阳, 30年代贵阳繁华地段。from http://shanshuiqiancheng.soufun.com/bbs/3314011348~-1/53710480_53710480.htm, uploaded at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/9480807336/in/set-72157634952466595/

old Guiyang photos – from Dashizi looking S on Zhonghua Middle Rd 1996 & 2008, photos from 图说贵阳, ISBN 978-7-5614-4916-5, posted at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/9998178615/in/photostream/

old Guiyang photos – from Dashizi looking N on Zhonghua Middle Rd toward Penshuchi 2002 & 200_, photos from 图说贵阳, ISBN 978-7-5614-4916-5, uploaded at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/9998178225/in/photostream/

old Guiyang photos – looking N on Zhonghua South Rd toward Dashizi 1996, photos from 图说贵阳, ISBN 978-7-5614-4916-5, uploaded at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/9998178795/in/photostream/

old Guiyang photos – looking N on Zhonghua South Rd toward Dashizi 2008, photos from 图说贵阳, ISBN 978-7-5614-4916-5, posted at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/9998178805/in/photostream/

Penshuichi in the 1960s – 60年代的喷水池

former Water Fountain (now paved over) 喷水池, Guiyang, uploaded at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/9482921909/in/set-72157634952466595/ 【黔城往事】“喷水池”最后一瞥 作者:黔山毛豆  日期:2010-02-25, 现在就是历史。贵阳市最繁华的“喷水池”原名“铜像台”，因铸造有周西成一尊铜像而得名。1933年开始筹建，历时两年半，于1935年夏建成。1952年拆除铜像，改建为街心花园，中有喷泉，称为喷水池。此后，喷水池经过数度改造，终成为照片中的模样。2010年2月18日凌晨，喷水池拆除工程动工，将拆除现有环岛和雕塑，改为十字交叉口；在交叉口设置四个交通导流岛，导流岛内设喷泉小品和绿化，兼顾城市景观和延续“喷水池”历史传统。拆除以后，那个被贵阳人称为“巨大背篼”的城市雕塑将如何处置？择地放置？当废金属卖掉？或是融掉？(from http://www.qtwm.com/default.asp?tag=%e9%bb%94%e5%9f%8e%e5%be%80%e4%ba%8b&page=3 )

old Guiyang photos – Penshuichi looking NE 1996 & 2008, photos from 图说贵阳, 2010, ISBN 978-7-5614-4916-5, posted at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/9998463524/in/photostream/

old Guiyang photos – from Penshuichi looking N on Zhonghua North Rd 1997 & 2008, photos from 图说贵阳, ISBN 978-7-5614-4916-5, uploaded at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/9998178035/in/photostream/

Penshuichi 喷水池 today

old map of Guiyang (Guizhou).18th century,French 贵阳历史地图, posted at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/9473752520/in/set-72157634952466595/

old Guiyang map 贵阳老地图, from 图说贵阳, ISBN 978-7-5614-4916-5, uploaded at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/10000341595/

downtown Guiyang map today

Guiyang has grown exponentially since the 1990s. The city’s heart is around the 大十字 (literally “Big Cross”) which is a cross, resembling the Chinese character for ten, and 喷水池 (literally “Fountain Pool”) which is a traffic intersection which had a large fountain at its center, until the fountain was paved over in early 2010 to help improve the flow of traffic.

The city is situated on the Nanming River, a headstream of the Wu River, which eventually joins the Yangtze River at Fuling, Chongqing. Guiyang is a natural transportation center, with comparatively easy access northward to Sichuan, eastward to Guangxi and Guangdong, westward to Yunnan, and northeast to Hunan province.

History of Guiyang

The city was first constructed as early as 1283 AD during the Yuan Dynasty. It was originally called Shunyuan (順元), meaning obeying the Yuan (the Mongol rulers).

Originally the area was populated by non-Chinese. The Sui Dynasty (AD 581–618) had a commandery there, and the Tang dynasty (618–907) a prefecture. They were, however, no more than military outposts, and it was not until the Yuan (Mongol) invasion of southwest China in 1279 that the area was made the seat of an army and a “pacification office.” Chinese settlement in the area also began at that time, and, under the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties, the town became the seat of a superior prefecture named Guiyang.

Locally Guiyang was an important administrative and commercial center with two distinct merchant communities, consisting of the Sichuanese, who lived in the “new” northern part of the city, and those from Hunan, Guangdong, and Guangxi province, who lived in the “old” southern part. Nevertheless, until the Sino-Japanese War (1937–45), Guiyang was no more than the capital of one of China’s least-developed provinces. As elsewhere in the southwest, considerable economic progress was made under the special circumstances of wartime. Road transport infrastructure with Kunming in Yunnan province and with Chongqing in Sichuan (China’s wartime provisional capital) and into Hunan were established. Work was begun on a railway from Liuzhou in Guangxi, and after 1949 this development was accelerated. Guiyang has subsequently become a major provincial city and industrial base. In 1959 the rail network in Guangxi was completed, allowing seamless connection from Guizhou to Chongqing to the north, to Kunming to the west, and Changsha to the east.

(from Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guiyang )

books with photos of old Guiyang – Guizhou Provincial Library, Beijing Rd near Guizhou Museum, 5th fl. Local Collections Reading Room. Open every day.

Guiyang dialect tapes 贵阳话磁带

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Guiyang dialect tapes 贵阳话音档, includes above transcription and recording of “The North Wind and the Sun” 北风跟与太阳 in Guiyang dialect. To order:  ISBN 7-5320-5449-7/G-5691

see uploaded scans of this book at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/sets/72157644983638411/with/14151126748/

 

from  ISBN 978-7-5106-1247-3  新编普通话教程, 2012  :

 

 

Cosmos, an African teacher of English in Guiyang, in the news

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[ News story relates how several Guiyang traffic policewoman know how to speak English well, able to give directions to Cosmos, an expat English teacher here. ]

贵阳交警设双语岗 老外问路也能对答

http://www.hebei.com.cn  2011-07-23 11:12 长城网  http://jiaotong.hebei.com.cn/system/2011/07/23/011299496.shtml

 
　　22日下午，在贵阳交际处路口来了一位特殊的问路人，一名外国朋友用英语向交警问路，而交际处的女交警们用一口流利的英语回答了老外的问题。原来，交际处交警岗已经变成了双语岗，老外来问路也能对答。
　　“Thanks　for　your　help，byebye。”22日下午2点半，在贵阳当外教的Cosmos向交际处的女交警询问喜来登酒店怎么走，在女交警用流利的英语为Cosmos指路后，Cosmos非常惊喜地表示感谢。Cosmos向记者表示，他没想到贵阳交警能用流利的英语为他指路，这让他很开心，觉得贵阳越来越吸引他。
　　“为了能流利的为外国朋友们指路，我们已经练习了两个月，应对基本的问路和实施交通管制等内容都能顺利回答和解说。”贵阳交警一大队三中队副中队长叶承碧告诉记者。
　　除了交际处设置了双语岗外，贵阳交警一大队在黔灵山公园路口也设置了双语岗位。贵阳交警一大队政工办主任刘明说，今后还会逐步在其他岗位推广双语服务。(实习生叶梁婕特约记者乔啓明记者邹敏)
关键词： 交警|双语岗|老外问路|贵阳

also uploaded at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/9981873206/in/photostream/

The Chronicles of a Laowai, A Stranger’s Tales of China – All the People, So Many People [ blog of a foreign student of Chinese in Guiyang, Mar 2013 ]

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The Chronicles of a Laowai, A Stranger’s Tales of China – All the People, So Many People [ blog of a foreign student of Chinese in Guiyang ]

Sunday, 31 March 2013
All the people so many people…Parklife!
Guiyang, Gateway to the dramatic countryside of Guizhou and the ecological delights of Yunnan and thriving city and provincial capital , romantically described in Lonely Planet as ‘A city that would never win any prices in a beauty contest.’…This is my new home

Sat. 8.55 am! I have a big weekend planned, its my first real chance to experience the state capital. Problem is the only free bus leaves in 5 minutes and I am still in my pants.

After a frantic dash I made it to the college bus, only to get stuck in traffic for 3 hours! the urban spread of
Guiyang begins 5 miles or so outside the city, the suburbs are a little like a box of biscuit misshapes, you munch through a load of shattered rich tea, and splintered custard cream and its sweet and ….just ok…then you pull out a pink wafer..whole! Demolition and construction is everywhere, this a rapidly growing business and travel hub. New international hotels, conference centres and warehouses the pink wafers and Oreos of the biscuit tin nestle underneath the flyover of the yet to be completed superhighway will soon connect Guiyang to Yunnan and Guangdong next door to the Radisson the tired street side restaurant or the dilapidated corner store spills into road like a crumbling bourbon creams..
(I think it may be time to put a lid on this cookie barrel analogy.)

I am here to meet a Local and get a feel for the town, I have been here before, twice, for my Government medical. I had to take a resit because of white blood cells in my urine, for a couple of days I thought I was going to get deported because I needed a new kidney. Luckily the only innards required were the ones on sale at the offal pick ‘n’ mix shop where gizzards, livers, feet and chickens necks are flash fried and smothered in hot sauce. I have also discovered boiled tripe wraps which are pretty killer too.

Guizhou university [ Guizhou Normal University ??] is situated in the northern part of the city and surrounded by bars and studenty stuff. The student teachers line the streets out side the campus entrance like intellectual rent boys advertising there skills all of which are for sale right price, there are loads of university’s in Guiyang I was lucky to get to the right one. Yang Ying is a teacher who resides on campus at Guizhou ‘Normal’ University and my host for the day.

I arrived flustered. Fortunately my new friend has keen eyesight and she spotted a freckly 6 ft ghost striding down the pavement with ease. After a brief handshake I was ushered to a fancy restaurant in a hotel complex called the ‘He House’. for a exquisite and refined lunch. She was polite, and very easy to talk too we both shared a love of travel especially India, she seemed to envy the freedom I have in my life and she felt stifled by Chinese bureaucracy and wanted to see the world. So the conversation flowed like the tea she suggested we mingle with the rest of the population of Guiyang and visit Qianling park and HongFu temple.

Saturday in Guiyang is park day. there is a scramble at the ticket office booth and the paths are jammed with buggies and minors in charge of mini electric cars. teen flushed with first love walk by fumbling nervously for each others hands, and older couples help each other down steep stairs. It seems its a park for everyone.

Just round the corner, left of the impoverished monk street performer who plays the harmonica with his nose. past the couples dancing in the bandstand and behind the middle aged man with portable amplifier and mic wailing a tuneless ballad. (I Imagine his wife had kicked him out the house for being under her feet all day! ‘..Shut up…you old git either fix that shelf or go and torment the people in the park with your talentless warbling!’ she must have said) are the stairs to the top of the 1300m mountain and the HongFu temple. Yang Ying bounded up the stairs. she was enjoying her day and tended to work a lot over the weekends so to have something different to do was fun.

Entrance to Hong Fu Temple
The smell of incense and blossom welcomed us to the 400 year old temple complex and the atmosphere was serene despite the crowds. In a small temple to the right of the main structure is probably the best temple i have ever been too, its a maze like room crammed filled with quirky Buddha all about the same size on three shelves which stretch all the way round the temple walls. Now these jocular, portly men are fortune telling Buddhas, and I was invited to play ‘You gotta pick as Buddha or two!’ The rules are easy. Pick a Buddha you like then count a round the room moving to your Buddha right until you have counted as many Buddhas as you have been on the planet, then remember the number of final Buddha and collect you fortune from the kiosk. my final Buddha was stubled, poorly attired with a small forehead and an uncomfortable expressions reminiscent of acute constipation. I doubted very much he had anything nice to say about my future. Ying’s Statue on the other hand was much more welcoming and happy so see decided to get her fortune told……..It could not have been worse!……Stay close to home and your Husband will arrive after he has travelled from afar….ooops!!….not the fortune you want to her when all you dream about is far off adventure in foreign lands.

Where there are people, food and trees in asia there are Macaques, loveable,cuddly, funny,dirty, rabies carrying monkeys, the most adaptable species on the planet after humans. I have a love/hate relationship with Macaques after one stole my samosa and pee-ed on me from height in Varanasi train station. In Qianling they pry on the timid and the weak, playfully fighting each other to get biscuits nuts, and sweet sugary drinks, they drink so much Sprite and OJ, they must be on a mental sugar rush all there lives until they die from diabetes! I had a terrific day in the park I saw so many wonderful things I really enjoyed watching the men loving write on the pavement with water and big sponge quills to demonstrate the art involved in beautiful calligraphy. The company was magical, Ying and I became good friends on that walk in park. and the day had only just begun……next came a Siwawa masterclass!

from www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/9981092315/ , uploaded at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/9981293814/