I'm having a good week computer wise this week ...fingers crossed it continues! Still cant access FB though :( so have no idea what everyone is up to. Been very busy workwise but have managed to finish all my lesson plans for the semester and have written all the exams and had them printed!! Woo hoo...how organised am I ????

We had a holiday Monday - in fact my students were rapt to have a 3-day holiday (Sat, Sun, Mon!) to celebrate Duan Wu Festival , commonly known as Dragon Boat Festival. Duan Wu is a day to commemorate the Chinese patriot and poet, Qu Yuan; remind the people of their duties and obligations to the nation; and emphasize the significance of loyalty and commitment to the community. History lesson number one for today......Qu Yuan, one of the greatest poets in China, was a minister of Kingdom Chu in the Warring States period (about 300 B.C.). Slandered by treacherous court officials, he was dismissed and exiled. It is said that he always walked around the Miluo River district (at Northeast of Hunan Province nowadays), singing sad poems. On May 5, 278 B.C., unwilling to see his country encountering the misery, Qu Yuan took his own life by means of jumping into the Miluo River holding a big stone. It is said that the local people put Zongzi (a kind of glutinous rice dumpling with a pyramidal shape wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves) into the river to feed fish to prevent those fish from eating the body of Qu Yuan, which has been developed into a folk custom he eventually jumped into the Miluo River. His unwillingness to go along with others in devil deeds, his noble character and sterling integrity has always been respected. Now Qu Yuan's spirit has become a symbol of the noble and persevering spirit of the Chinese people.

Well I didn't see any dragon boats(crazy city on a river with no races?!?) but managed to catch a performance with everyone in traditional costume. It was all in Chinese so I have no idea what was said but I enjoyed watching anyway!! Also tasted the traditional delicacy for this festival - zongzi. Zongzi are steamed glutenous rice dumplings with various fillings wrapped in bamboo leaves. Very delicious especially the sweet ones that you dip in sugar!

Back to having my Wednesdays off again so with all work up to date headed off for more sightseeing yesterday......and more history to share with you!! This time I headed towards the northwest of the city to Yuejianglou Tower and Shizishan (lion mountain) Park.
Yuejiang Tower (Yuejiang Lou) scenic spot has more than 30 historical sites as well as lovely views across the Yangtze (Changjiang) River (on a good day!). Thanks to its typical building style of the Ming Dynasty and classical grandeur of the royal family, it has become one of the "Four Most Famous Towers South of the Yangtze River".

Jinghai Temple (Temple of the Calm Sea) was built in 1416 by the Yongle emperor to honor Zheng he. Zheng He (1371-1433) was the greatest navigator in ancient China. He had successively led his fleet on diplomatic missions to Asian and African countries seven times. Such a fleet was rarely seen throughout the world at that time in terms of the scale, the navigation times, the distance, the scope, and the time, which paved the way for cultural exchanges between the east and the west. I will know more about him when I visit the treasure shipyard park….one of many other destinations on my list of things to see! In the same area in a memorial hall to Zheng He with pictures depicting his travels and within the site there is also an exhibition hall commemorating the signing of the Nanjing Treaty. Everything written in Chinese but I did manage to get the idea that signing the original treaty was not a nice day but the signing back of HK was!!!


The Nanjing treaty signing museum is built next to a large rock outcropping known as Sansuyan (Three Night Crag). This is where the Southern Song general, Yu Yunwen, moored his fleet for three nights on his return trip after defeating a Jin army in Anhui province. Tianfei Gong Palace was dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea, Tianfei. This is the same goddess that is so popular in Hong Kong, known as Tin Hau. Tin Hau and Tianfei are both titles granted bestowed by the emperor on the same young woman from Fujian province who was credited with miraculous rescues of sailors at sea.

Last stop was to see the northern gate of the ancient city wall....best of all I managed to do all this sightseeing and didn't get lost once!! I';m getting better with the public transport and learning which bus numbers to catch to where - cant read the routes of course!!!


Well girls and boys I think you have had enough history for today so I will sign off till next time.
Bye for now. xxx