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Category: China

Gathering wood for cooking fuel – China, Travel Photography

As I was editing this image taken in a small town in China, I reflected on how life in Australia is really convenient. If we turn on a switch, we have electricity. We turn the tap and have clean running water. We get sick, we can go to the doctor or the hospital. And, if we are hungry, food is readily available.

But today I’m remembering that:

  • one in eight people who do not have access to safe water supplies (over 850 million)
  • one in seven people who will go hungry each day (over 900 million)
  • one in five people who do not have electricity (1.4 billion)

There is plenty we can do to help with prayer, giving our time and resources and considering our lifestyle choices here in Australia. It’s not a lost cause.

China Travel Photography

Sources:
http://water.org/learn-about-the-water-crisis/facts/
http://www.wfp.org/hunger/stats
http://www.iea.org/weo/electricity.asp



Great Wall of China, Kelly Anthony Photography part 2

Some panorama’s of the Great Wall of China. These have been stitched together with up to 13 images in some cases.

Great Wall of China, Kelly Anthony Photography

Great Wall of China, Kelly Anthony Photography

Great Wall of China, Kelly Anthony Photography



Great Wall of China, Kelly Anthony Photography part 1

As part of our trip to China, we visited the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall was built during various time periods and was designed to protect the Chinese from the invaders who lived in the North. The Great Wall stretches for 6,259km and we walked approximately 10.5kms.

We visited a section called Jinshanling. This particular section of the wall was deserted at the time we visited, which was great! We had heard of stories where the wall was packed with tourists.

Up close, the wall itself is not that special. What is amazing about it is when you can see it stretch out behind and ahead of you for kilometer after kilometer, without an end in sight.

The wall at Jinshanling had a number of watch towers and defensive features such as side walls and horse walls which made it interesting.

Here are 4 images placed together of the different aspects of the wall.

Great Wall of China, Jinshanling



Xitang Water Town, China Travel Photography

Xitang is one of a few ancient water towns located East of Shanghai. It’s approximately 1.5 hours drive away or 30 minutes by train.

Imagine old stone cobbled streets, wooden boats floating on the small canals, stone bridges, tiled corridors and ancient buildings. It’s a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of modern Shanghai. It’s probably not as well known as some of the other water towns, but it is just as beautiful, if not more, as it retains a lot of the original architecture from the Ming and Qing dynasties. I believe the town itself is over 1,000 years old.

Ancient lanes intersect with canals and bridges as old men drink tea early in the morning and women wash clothes in the canals. At night, hundreds of red lanterns light up the town as people eat dinner. You could easily think you’ve stepped back in time a few hundred years. Apparently the town had a bit of a reputation for wine drinking or making wine.

Here are a few images of our brief time here – possibly more to follow.