They sold other animals there too, which brings me to my first purchase…
Woops, I couldn’t help myself – I bought a turtle!
There are so many animals in this place, seriously. But when I came to the turtle section, I was struck with my past desire as a child to have a pet turtle. It was so difficult to choose; on the one side, it would be a living thing I could treasure possibly for the rest of my life, which is also native to China; on the other, was impracticality of taking a turtle back to England, so I left…..then I went back and bought a turtle, his name is Rui Gui! (Rui = hard to translate, sort of like ‘gem’ but personified?) (gui = turtle).
It wasn’t quite an impulse buy, because I went away for a good 3 hours to research thoroughly whether I could care for one, how big they get and whether it’s possible to take him back to England. He’s a ‘chinemys reeves’ or Chinese pond turtle, and I chose to get a male as he will only grow to be about 8 inches long, but the females can grow up to 16...They originate from the Yangzte River, but due to farming for medicine and the destruction caused by the Yangzte river dam it’s actually now considered an endangered species. But, due to their strong ability to reproduce in captivity they are not restricted by law to have as pets – they’re also very tame!
Rui gui is also very active for a turtle – whenever I clean out his tank I sit him on the bed to have a little wander, but when I turn by attention away for a second he manages to run to the other side of the bed, climb the barricade of pillows and get himself into peril! He’s a great pet, not too much to handle and he will keep me company for many years to come.
Shiny Chinese Jade Necklace
Guangzhou is known also for it’s huge jade market, which I spent a good 5 hours browsing. It’s so hard to choose between one shiny thing and the millions of other shiny things, all at good prices! But after a few hours we began to gather the facts which would lead to my decision. It turns out that most jade doesn’t originate in the far east, but more in the middle-east such as Pakistan. So most of these sculptures looked Chinese, but weren’t authentic. However we came across a stall which sold smaller items made of authentic Chinese jade – which is much more expensive! But we managed to bargain and I got myself a jade necklace of my zodiac sign – a ram! It’s believed in Chinese tradition that jade either worn or kept in near vicinity for lengthy periods will have long term health benefits; shielding you from disease and bad fortune. Jade also symbolises beauty, nobility, perfection, constancy, power, and immortality!
Although it cost quite a bit, it felt like a quality purchase! Afterall, as the Chinese saying goes:
‘Gold has a value; jade is invaluable’.
A Really Big Lantern
There’s not much to say really, it’s just…so big! Only 60 kuai (6 pounds)! I have an obsession for Chinese lanterns, even the dullest of streets look graceful with them dangling down from all the trees and shops. No doubt I’ll be returning to England with enough for every room in my house!
My final treat will be a trip to the White Cloud Mountain tomorrow, which should be fantastic. Although I love Guangzhou, I’ve been longing for weeks to escape the crowds and chaos just for a day – and the views should be fantastic!
This week at work was rather relaxed, so rather than just sitting about I decided to touch up on my photoshop skills! So I’ve produced quite a few images inspired by some of the oriental artwork I’ve seen during my time here, which I felt like sharing Below!
Zai'Jian!
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