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Around the world via China (CHINA - Guangzhou)

Bec
2004-09-19 15:42:00

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The Chinese love their parks which provide relief from the overcrowded living conditions prevalent everywhere. All the cities I visited had beautiful parks, most of them with tree lined lakes and islands joined by decorative bridges. Parks play an important role in the social life of young and old everywhere in this country.

James Mok and several members of his family showed me around Yuexiu Park which features this sculpture of five rams that is the symbol of Guangzhou. It refers to a legend about five celestial beings riding through the air on rams to bring rice to the first settlers of the area. It is considered to be a sign that people would never suffer from famine here.

The restaurant is also a major focal point of social life in China. Here I am having dinner with web-mate Mok and his family in the first class Guangzhou Restaurant. Customs differ, in the West, tables are generally for two or four. Here they are seldom for less than eight and the center rotates so that everyone can share the several courses.

No one will dispute that the culinary arts feature highly in the Chinese culture but its predominant role is difficult to grasp by westerners. The importance granted to the taste buds can be illustrated by the price range of teas found in the average tea shop. It can go from the equivalent of one dollar to one hundred dollars a pound! The French love their fine wines but the average wine shop does not keep bottles worth one hundred times more than the least expensive one. Moreover, the snob value is nil because you don't see the label when you drink 100$ tea, as you do with fancy wine. Those who pay that much must really do so for the taste.

The Chinese literally eat everything that is not poisonous. And they get it fresh in markets like this one. Guangzhou's Qingping market has more vegetables than the English language has names for them. It also sells a broad variety of ...