Phoenix, Arizona - Chinese New Year Festival

The 2014 Chinese New Year Festival was held in downtown Phoenix at the Margaret Hance Park.  Entrance to the event was free and there was a lot of activity.

A man was explaining how an abacus works. It was very interesting and is something that I have always wanted to know how to do.  The girls were getting his undivided attention.

 There were a lot of booths with stuff...

 And booths with things to do. This one had arts and crafts.

 Eventually the stage caught my eye and I wandered over to see what was going on.  I saw that a family was performing and while dad was on stage in costume and whirling a stick...

 The children were the funniest. One little boy was playing with the cymbals.

 ...while his older brother was wondering when this was all going to end.

 Soon a two man dragon took center stage and weaved and bobbed.  Every so often the front actor would raise the dragon head so that children could see and understand that this was just make believe.

 A woman sang an opera and played both the man and woman's part.

 A troupe of butterfly dancers fluttered around the stage and ended with a great photo op (minus the man's head!)

 Children were in costume.

 The organizer of the event spoke to the group and thanked everyone for making it a huge success.

 The local Tai Chi organization had a competition earlier in the day at the main branch of the Phoenix Public Library.  First, second and third place medals were given.  This woman was waving at someone in the audience.

 After the award ceremony, the group put on a Tai Chi demonstration.

There were a lot of food booths and plenty to do. It was a good festival.  Happy New Year!

Phoenix, Arizona - Chengdu Concert

Chengdu is Phoenix's Sister City and a delegation of artists traveled to Phoenix to celebrate Chinese New Year. The concert was held at Arcadia High School.  The entertainers had a wide variety of styles to demonstrate the different periods in China's history.  I arrived early to get a good seat near the front.  These are taken with my point and shoot camera so that I could be discrete during the show.

Qiang Ethnic Song and Dance: Wonderful Music of Qiang Mountains.  This was a singing and dancing performance.  The bags played a significant role.

 Suona Solo: Happy Happenings.  A four string guitar like instrument.

Sichuan Opera Puppetry: A Fish Fairy in the Garden. This was a marionette and she told a story about a fish fairy.  She also came into the audience and "shook hands" with people. The artist did an incredible job controlling the puppet's hands and she was able to swirl a scarf and grab the long trailing feathers.

Yi Ethnic Song and Dance: Ah Mo Girls.  Song and dance with umbrellas.

 A local chorus sang "Descendants of the Dragon" and "Seeking Blossoms in the Snow".

 Guzheng Duet: Fragrant Jasmine.  String instruments.

 Classic Solo Dance: The Beauty of the Tang Dynasty.  The dancers in the "sleeve dance" have long sleeves to swirl around.  I like this dance style and it makes me want to have long sleeves to dance with!

 Acrobatics: Rolling Cups.  This woman was a contortionist and could balance the stacks of cups as she moved around.

Sichuan Opera Stunt: Face Changing.  It is fascinating to watch this.  The photos are poor but I wanted to mention these performers.  They swirl the cloak over their face and their mask changes.  I also recognized the blue headdress from a visit to Dalian in May, 2013.  (Click here to see the Dalian post.)

Tibetan Song and Dance: Ballad of Prosperity.  Long sleeve dancing in a group.

 The group posed for a group photo.

It was a delightful concert and I am so glad that I attended.

Beijing, China - Temple of Heaven (Video)

Another iPhone video.. I use these videos to make panoramic photos.  If you are receiving this in an email, click on the post title to go to the actual blog to see the video.

China - One of Our Many Chinese Meals

I like this large lazy Susan idea.  This arrangement was very common at the restaurants that the group visited.

China - Great Wall Memorial (Video)

This are is next to the Great Wall. The bamboo pieces with the red string were each unique. And yes, that is a replica of a terra cotta warrior at the end.

If you are receiving this in an email, click on the post title to go to the actual blog to see the video.

China - Great Wall (Video)

Yep. It is awesome.

If you are receiving this in an email, click on the post title to go to the actual blog to see the video.

Jinheon-dong, South Korea - Bulguksa Temple Cheongungyo and Dabotap

The entrance to the temple, Sokgyemun, has a double-sectioned staircase and bridge that leads to the inside of the temple compound.

Dalian, China - Sail-Away

Our group exited the bus, thanked the driver and tour guide (tips are always welcome), and walked back to the ship through the terminal.  I turned to take one more photograph of the amazing architecture.  This looks like a convention center.  I thought that this was a pretty cool photo, but CLICK HERE to see more google photos up close and personal.

Dalian, China - Return Drive to the Ship

The bus returned to the ship, giving me one last look at Dalian.  I sat back in my coach window seat and captured my last look.

Dalian, China - Jiuguang Dalian Department Store (Part 3)

More views of the linens and things

Dalian, China - Jiuguang Dalian Department Store (Part 2)

More photos as I ride the escalators to the top floor.  I saw a sign for a Toilet so decided that I better take advantage of this.  I could only take one photo before someone else walked in.

Dalian, China - Jiuguang Dalian Department Store (Part 1)

Our final stop on the tour was at a huge department store.  The website for this store is listed below.  My browser gave me an option to translate the page, which I did.
http://www.jiu-guang.com/dalian/intro/

The department store is in "a most prosperous district" and you can see from these first few photographs that this appears to be true.

Dalian, China - Locked Lock (Video Part 2)

This is part of the story about our visit to the Chinese family home in Dalian.  Click here for the entire story.



Video needs to be viewed from the Internet. Click on title.

Dalian, China - Locked Lock (Video Part 1)

This is part of the story about our visit to the Chinese family home in Dalian.  Click here for the entire story.

You need to view this from the blog.

Dalian, China - Hostess Interview (Video)

This is our delightful hostess from our visit to a Chinese home in Dalian, China.  Our translator was very helpful, as we would have been lost for most of the conversation.  The hostess's warmth and good nature were very evident.

This is part of the story about our visit to the Chinese family home in Dalian.  Click here for the entire story.



Notes from original post:
This is a brief interview with our delightful hostess.

You will need to click on the title of the blog post to see the video on the Internet if you receive this by email.

Dalian, China - Chinese Family Home Visit

Our group entered the apartment to meet our delightful hostess.  I was very happy that she has opened her home to foreigners so that we could get just a small glimpse of life in China.  This presented a picture outside of the tours to the famous places and added a human touch to the experience.

Dalian, China - Neighborhood Scenes

This is a connection point in the city transportation.  The subway exist is here, and the train also stops.

Dalian, China - Donkey Cart and Street Views

We left the market place and walked a block or two to board our bus.  This photo has three things for you to see.  First, the tall man is our tour helper. He is a great one to have as the helper because he is so tall and so easy to see.  He made life in the market very easy.  Second, see the bicycle sign that says bikes are to go to the right.  So is the donkey cart considered a high speed vehicle?  Or is the bike to go the right side with the cars?  And third, the donkey cart itself is worth stopping and taking a look.

Dalian, China - Fruits and Vegetables and Cakes and Cookies

Note: This is an updated post because I had a reader question on the pineapple.  My comments and an additional photo are added.
There were a lot of baked goods, cookies, cakes but I noticed that there was not a lot of chocolate.

Dalian, China - Fish, Fish, Fish and more Fish

This is beginning to be a little crazy.  How many options do you need?  There are the slimy and the squirmy, the shelled and on and on.  I tried to cut back on the photos, but wanted you to see all of this.  I was having a blast snapping the photos.  I must have looked like I had never seen anything like this.  I haven't, not quite like this. And we must have looked funny as our little tour line stayed together in a long line in the middle of the aisle.