Panda Breeding Center

Pandamonium!

We are so excited to see the Giant Panda's! We got up early so that we could be first in line. The wild panda population is thought to be around 1,200. Much effort is made to learn about panda, to breed them, and nurture them to adulthood. Also, there are some 120 panda's in zoos around the world. In Chengdu there is a panda research park and breeding center where panda specialist study the life cycle of panda's. The park is beautiful place, plenty of walkways, flowers, trees, and a lake. We stayed for hours and hours.

Our friends Nicole and Patrick Woo invited us to join with them for this trip. Patrick can speak and read Chinese, a most valuable benefit to our friendship especially in restaurants that didn't have pictures of their food for us to look at when ordering.
From time to time the path we walked on would lead through a bamboo tunnel. Bamboo is growing everywhere at the park, only the panda's living here don't seem to want to eat this bamboo, they will only eat bamboo grown at a higher altitude. These panda's are so loved that bamboo is trucked in daily from a distance of more than two hours away.

Nicole and Ruth venture off of the path for a picture.

This is a happy day, a perfect day.

Everyone in the park is happy. Panda's just make you want to smile and take pictures. They are a cute, lovable, content, and sometimes playful animal.

Opp's, this was suppose to be a picture of Nicole holding a baby panda. (I do not know how to erase pictures so you'll just have to enjoy this picture twice)

Aside from a few zoos world wide Sichuan Province in Southwest China is the only place to find pandas. At the breeding center only 20 people a day can hold a panda. (at least that is what our tour guide said.) The nursery tried to tell us that we couldn't hold the panda on this day, but Nicole persisted and got our name on the list. We had to pay 1,000 RMB each for this opportunity. We were happy to pay knowing that they money went to the center for the care of the pandas. Ruth is now one of a small percentage of people to hold a panda bear.

Once in awhile there would be a plaque in English telling the story of one of the panda's. This panda, Qi Zhen or Seven Stitches also had a movie made of her story. Panda's weigh only 3 1/2 ounces when they are born--compare that to the mother's weight of 440 pounds and you can see that it is a miracle when one of these tiny infants survives to childhood.

The park has several playgrounds for the young cubs to spend their days. The keepers will rotate the cubs around the different play yards so that they do not get bored. The cubs are playful. They seem to enjoy the companionship. In the wild adult panda are occasionally seen in family groups, but mostly they live a solitary life in clearly defined territories.

Telling secrets in a tree.

The rough-and-tumble of childhood.

Learning to climb up and over.

This is how pandas climb trees looking for the perfect spot for a nap.

Pandas spend 10 hours a day sleeping, 12 hours a day eating bamboo, leaving only 2 hours for exercise. From what we observed that exercise time is spent in walking over to the pile of bamboo for more to eat.

Looking for the perfect spot to nap.

Pandas have a happy talent for being comfortable and content.

Did we mention that this is a happy day? We feel truly blessed and grateful for life and love. God's creations are vast and amazing, a testimony of His goodness and glory.

Qingyanggong Taoist Temple

Qingyanggong or Qingyang Gong means Green Goat and is the largest Taoist temple in Chengdu. Qingyanggong was built in the ninth century with the typical Chinese roof tops slopping upward and plenty of whimsical detailed embellishments on walls, stairs, and balustrades.

Both of these dragons seem to be grinning at each other.

George and Ruth were born in the year of the goat. It is said that the goat is alway ready to block trouble and toss it away with a flick of his horns.

The grounds are well-planned and well-tended with the most extraordinary trees.

March 2011

The strap on Ruth's favorite pair of brown walking shoes broke so we stopped by a street vendor who had a sign saying he could make copies of keys and repair shoes. He had a portable sewing machine that could stitch leather.

For our 34th wedding anniversary we bought a Jade Dragon Boat.

Sunday Dinner with the YSA's

The Great Wall in February

Jane Kennedy, the best friend of Tamara James our next-door neighbor in Raleigh came to stay with us a couple of days in February. Jane wanted to see the Great Wall. It was a beautiful blue sky day, cold but not freezing.

The light dusting of snow on the Great Wall is exactly what George wanted to see.

Chinese New Year

On Thursday we went to Dong Yue Temple Fair. As part of the New Year Celebration people go to the Temples. While there they can buy incense to light as an offering while they pray. Many vendors come and sell their wares. We bought a large Whirly-ma-jig (our name for it). It has many pinwheels that spin around with the wind. Each pinwheels has a little drum attached with 2 drum sticks for each drum. When the pinwheel spins the drum sticks beat the drum. It's a pinwheel and a noise maker. How fun is that?

For an 'old-time' experience you could grind some grain.

There were dancers, acrobatics, and jugglers performing for the crowds

One night we went to the Sanlitun Village for dinner.

Festive lights are everywhere.

On the Eve before New Years Day Fireworks were the thing to do. Beginning at 7:00 pm and lasting till after midnight fireworks were lunched from almost every corner. Completely amazing. We began by watching the fireworks on the street outside of our apartment. After awhile we moved indoors. The booms, bangs, pops, sizzles and flashes of light made sleep impossible, fortunately we had a great view from our window and enjoyed the evening immensely.

Harbin, China

We signed up for a China Culture Center tour group to Harbin, China. Harbin is in north China bordering Siberia, Russia. The Siberian cold winter winds blow over Harbin causing temperatures to plummet. The temperature during our stay were -15 to -25 or colder. Given the cold, we were thinking that Harbin would be a small town. We were surprised to find Harbin a city of 5 million.

Each Chinese New Year people will buy "money" and burn in in small outdoor fires. The ashes will take the money to the spirit world of their ancestors, allowing the ancestors to buy the things they required for the coming year, or to "bribe" the officials as needed.

A vendor "catching" a fish out of his fish tank.

Apparently, when it comes to fish, the fresher the better.

A side street in Harbin.

We ate lunch at a sea food restaurant. They had live seals and a large turtle tank for visitors to admire. We came during the seal's snack time.

A Warning Sign by the Seal tank.