Tag Archives: studying Chinese in Guiyang

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/

GoGuiyang – The official guide to Guiyang (goguiyang.weebly.com)

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GoGuiyang – The official guide to Guiyang (goguiyang.weebly.com)

for enlarged view of this map see:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/9567466269/sizes/l/in/photostream/

GoGuiyang is the only guide to Guiyang made by foreigners for foreigners. It is inspired by the amazing people we have met and places we have been since coming here and we wish to pass on that gift so you can get the most out of your time in Guiyang. If you would like to help contribute to the site please contact us: emyxter@gmail.com .

website: goguiyang.weebly.com/
Note: Listings change. Check website for latest updates.

Western Restaurants

Best Western Restaurants in Guiyang
1. Grandma’s Kitchen
2. Kempinski Buffet
3. Sheraton Hotel
4. Ramada’s Aroma Cafe
5. Highlands Coffee

(from goguiyang.weebly.com/western-food.html )

Bars / Nightlife

Bars

1. Pu Bar
Owned by a Guizhou coal boss, Pu Bar is one of the hippest and most international places in Guiyang. It is also the only bar that is known to bring in national and international rock / jazz acts to play shows. With a wide assortment of foreign beers and liquors, Pu Bar is definately a place to check out if you have the money.
Good = Live music, international atmosphere, imported beer / alcohol
Bad = Expensive, must buy beer in groups of at least six.

2. Small Circle of Friends
Owned by a collective of Guiyang’s most wealthy hipsters, Small Circle of Friends has two locations. Both double as a coffee shop during a day and a party spot at night. The Da Xi Men （大西门）location is also the home of Guiyang’s hip-hop scene, with some nights ending in intense Chinese rap battles.
Good = Local hip-hop culture, local sports car club, happening place to be in Guiyang
Bad = Expensive

3. Bar Street
Known by all the locals Bar Street has exactly what you would expect, a lot of cheap, Chinese style bars with street food right outside. Most of the bars offer the same type of coosy red sofa interiors where you and your friend buy a case of snow beer and some sunflower seeds for around 100 yuan while you play drinking games.

4. Tibetan Bar

5. Rooftop Bar
Located on the third floor of a swanky new Chinese hotel across the street of Guizhou Normal University’s back gate, this rooftop bar offers Guiyang’s only place where one can relax in a really modern setting without the pressure of having to drink a lot. The menu offers semi-expensive Chinese beer and Chinese/Imported red wine. If it is a nice day / night and you want to enjoy a conversation with friends over a glass of alochol, you have found the right spot.

6. Xiaohe BoBo Music Bar

Clubs

1. TT club
2. Soho
3. Muse
4. Pink

(from goguiyang.weebly.com/bars–nightlife.html )

Study Chinese

Guiyang has two Universities in which accept foreigners to learn Chinese.

1. Guizhou University – Known as the best University in Guizhou, Guizhou University accepts has the largest and most developed Chinese studying program in Guiyang. With over 200 foreign students (mostly from SE Asia) Chinese studies at Guizhou University are seperated into four different classes: Beginner 1, Beginner 2, Intermediate and Advanced. The teacher quality ranges from amazing to ok and the tution is some of the cheapest in the country. The standard student has 14-16 hours of classes a week all at Guizhou University’s Huaxi campus. The average class size is 10-20 for the beginner classrooms and 5-10 for the intermediate and advanced classes. One-on-one tutoring is also available.

2. Guizhou Normal University – Right in the heart of the city Guizhou Normal University is the only other University with a foreign language learning program. The tuition is really cheap, but most students at the school say the program is not structured nor are many of the students serious about studying.

(from goguiyang.weebly.com/work–study.html )

Jiaxiu Tower and Cuiwei Garden (甲秀楼)

Our take: The Jiaxiu tower is a symbol of Guiyang and it is neat to go to at least once in your trip or stay here. At night when the lights are on it can be a beautiful sight to behold. If you are not interested in the history behind the tower, there is a nice traditional Chinese tea house located at the tower. At the tea house we recommend going through a traditional Chinese tea ceremony. The tower is free for those who want to take a look, tea ceremony price ranges anywhere between 100-1000+ yuan depending on the tea you want.

China’s tourism bureru’s take: The Jiaxiu Tower is a symbol and a key historical monument under state protection. Standing on the huge Turtle Rock in the Nanming River, the Jiaxiu Tower is close to the Avalokitesvara Temple and Cuiwei Pavilion. IN 1598, the 26th year of the Wanli reign of the MIng Dynasty, Governor Jiang Dongzhi of Guizhou Province had an embankemnt and a tower built, which was named Jiaxiu Tower to encourage local scholars to win success in the imperial examinations.
The Jiaxiu tower is a three-story pavilion with three eaves, four corners and a pointed top. The fuyu Bride is like a jdae belt floating on water. Crossing the fuyu bridge, tourists will come to the Cuiwei garden which integrates a temple and a countyard and is decorated with sojme tourist attractions, such as Gongnan Pavilion and Longmen Academy.

Getting there: No. 15, 46, 52 and 62 buses
Qianling Park (黔灵公园)

Our Take: Qianling Mountain Park is Guiyang’s pride and joy. The park features extensive hiking trails, a large lake, a zoo, an amusement park as well as a large pack of wild monkeys who are famous for attacking walkers for their soda pop and snacks. Ticket price is 5 yuan. Downsides: Park is often very crowded. Upsides: climbing to the top of the mountain on the clear day gives you the best possible view of Guiyang city.

China’s tourism bureau’s take: Situated on the norwestern corner of Guiyang City, the Qianling Park is a national AAAA scenic zone. The park is named after Qianling Mountain, which is known as”No. 1 Mountain in SOuth Guizhou..” The scenic zone has towering mountains and green trees, and the forest cover an area of over four million sq m. It is a rarely seen forest park in the city. The Qianling Park is home to a wide variety of birds, and many macaques, which love to play with tourists, showing harmonious atmosphere between man and nature.

Getting there: No.1 or No.2 bus to Qianling Park （黔灵公园qianling gongyuan） stop
official website
Red Maple Lake (红枫湖)

Our Take: Red Maple Lake is really beautiful and rare place in China. The wonderful mountains that surround and exist in the lake, along with the large amounts of birds that fly through the area really makes it a sight to see in Guiyang. That being said the lake is slightly ruined by the tourism development. If you choose to go through the gate to see the lake the ticket price is cheap but the attraction is to go island hopping to see fake minority villages is not. Speed boats are 250 yuan a group and slower boats are around 100yuan. While interesting in its own right, I would highly recommend sneaking around the gate to find one of the many shorelines of the lake that are not develop for tourism. Here you will find hiking trails, local’s fishing and good places to have a picnic or fun in the sun.

China’s tourism bureau’s take: Situated in Qingzhen City in the west of Guiyang, it is a national scenic and historic interest zone, and a national AAAA scenic zone. With a water area of 57.2 km sq, Red Maple lLake is the largest man-made lake in Guizhou. The scenic zone is known for the karst landform and beautiful scenery of lakes and mountains. The islands in North Lake, the bay in Rear Lake, the caves in South Lake and the hills in Mid Lake are called the “four wonders” of Red Maple Lake. The surrounding ares are inhabited by Miao, Buyi, Yi and other ethnic minorities; hence the customs and lifestyle of ethnic minoities are an important component part of the tour of Red Maple Lake

Getting There: Go to Jinyang bus station. From there take a bus to QingZhen (10 yuan) This bus leaves every 10 minutes from morning until night. Once in QingZhen (about 20-30 minutes) take the No. 3 bus to its last stop Red Maple Lake (to get around the gate, go up the road, take a right into a village, walk about 15 minutes and arrive at the lakeshore)

Qingyan Ancient Town

Our take: Every city in China seems to have an acient town, but Qingyan really is something special. Unlike other acient towns much of the architecure is original or has not been done up to much. What’s more right outside of the town are actual villages where people spend their lives. The landscapes are beautiful, the buildings are actually old and the food is great. We highly recommend having the Qingyan pig’s feet and their local tofu.

China’s tourism bureau’s take: Qingyan town in Huaxi district is a famous historic and cultural town in China. The layout of the old town retains the architectural styles of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. NOw the old town preserves one city gate, four streets and 26 streets and lanes paved with flagstones, three stone memorial archways, and ancient wood-structure houses along the streets, showing the characteristics of the civilian residences in south China. In addition to the Buddhist and Taoist temples, the town also boasts a Catholic and Christian churches.

Getting there: At the gate of Hebin park there is a road. There you will find a line for the 210 bus. This bus takes you directly to Qingyan Ancient Town. You can also go to Huaxi using many different buses and from huaxi town find the special Qingyang Ancient Town bus that drops you off at the site.

(from goguiyang.weebly.com/local-attractions.html )