New photo album: August 31, 2008

This is our fantastic hiking in Hawk Peak, Beijing. See the original post here.

Now one year later, the photos were published in my Picasa Web Album. Enjoy!

One more day in Mississippi State University

Feb 21, 2009, we had half a day of meeting, then we hurried off to get back to Texas.

Here are photos we took in the noon, after lunch.


In front of the beautiful modern building (as told by the organization committee when we tried to find our way there).

That's all of us. The camera was placed on a Sedan, in a car park besides Hunter Henry Center, the conference center.

It should be the school apartment. Just half an hour later after we left the conference building and we haven't left the campus, the clouds formed quickly and it looked very beautiful to me. But the exposer time of the photo is too long so the effect is not satisfactory.

It rained that afternoon.

千里之外（续二）

一月十七日是我赴美前在北京逗留的最后一天。下午由朋友带去逛了北京老胡同和南锣鼓巷。我蜗居北京八年半了，这么著名的地方，听都没听说过，更不用说来过了。唉～～

乘地铁到张自忠站下，出来后的北京街道和电轨公交车：



旁边就是仍有居民居住的四合院。我们私闯民宅，窜到人家的院子里看了看。其生活面貌的保存完好程度令我这个北方小城镇出来的人都感到惊讶。




其中一间矮房门锁着，透过没有窗帘遮挡的玻璃，可以看到有人曾在旧报纸上练习毛笔字，挺有传统文化味道。



到南锣鼓巷了。



巷子口那个牌楼的背面。记得这巷子里好车特别多，好像有身份的人



从巷子口往里看就是这样的。小小的巷子，越往里越狭窄。但还是挡不住这里的车水马龙。我想，穿行在这里的机动车就仿佛旧日里的马车、黄包车。



开始逛这里的小店铺了！巷子里临街的店铺品种繁多，干什么的都有，对我这个整日闷在屋里的书呆子真是不小的视觉刺激。

巷子口不远是一个老制衣店，張華製衣。



这里有无数的小酒吧和咖啡厅。每个都与众不同，超级个性。




还有一家专卖火柴的铺子。但据我观察，火柴盒子上的图案基本上是侵权的 :-(




中央戏剧学院就在巷子里，怪不得这里有很浓的艺术气息。门口的广告牌上贴着很多在我看来很先锋的话剧告示，都是这里学生的作品



非常巧的是，我们赶上一个电视剧拍摄现场，《邓稼先》。片场设在一个cafe里（名字叫``小新的店''，好巧啊），屋里是西式陈设，会不会是邓稼先早年在美留学时的场景？我傻瞅着那堆设备的时候，随行的朋友一眼就看出了当红明星黄奕在里头，然后我就陪着她戳在那儿往屋里看啊看~~我发现连旁边的老奶奶都认得有个大明星在那儿，而我才第一次听说 -_-||



之后接着逛。看到一个巨个性的布偶商店。要是我猜到在里面会遇见和发生些什么，我可能就不敢进去了...哈哈


>_< 这就是了我被要求和里面的爷俩合影，理由是我长得跟他们好像！ （她先大笑的指着老头子说我老了就这样，然后又看到旁边那个，说我两年后就那样，然后就强迫我去合影...我又不是一眼大一眼小，鼻子上也没环...） 但照片出来一看，别说还真有点像！-_-|||



继续逛吧！天都黑了，而且冷得厉害。抓相机的手都被冻疼了。

在十字路口发现了几名摄影爱好者在取景。于是哆嗦着拿人家当成景儿拍一张。我的老相机没有防抖功能，远景被抖的一塌糊涂，仿佛在漂移似的，近景里的那位不畏寒冷的拍摄者却比较清晰，真是弄拙成巧啊哈哈



一家美轮美奂的服饰店。

Mysterious tomb in the valley

This mysterious tomb resides in the valley of Baiwang hill. It has been known to me for some years. During a tour to the hill on Oct 12, we visited the tomb again. First image showed this tomb has a curious "front gate", built with piled stones, stands firm. A white object can be seen on the left, which is the gravestone been pushed down from its original place. Second image is about it. First part of it is in a language I didn't recognize, but I guess it said the person buried there was born on September 1877, and died 1947. Second part is in Chinese, but most contents had been removed with great strength, obviously intentionally, as though someone didn't wish to let the contents been read by others.

A lot of local residents were strolling there all the time, but seemed no one cared about it.

再登鹫峰

On August 31st, 2008, we went to Jiufeng Hill again. This time, we went quite far beyond.
Beijing had plenty of rains this summer, and there was a big shower in Aug 30, so we enjoyed the clear sky and clean air that day. How wonderful it is!
北京今年夏天的雨水特别多，空气也比往年要好不少。趁着前一天下过雨，我们就在这天出发爬山去了。天真的好蓝啊！


这是在鹫峰公园入口不远处。
this photo was taken near the park entrance.

Zhao Yang was on the road. Hills are connected with each other and you never know where the climax is. Only you know is you are getting higher. The altitude of the highest point there is over 1000 meters, and we have been there. Note the altitude of Beijing city is around 40 meters.

We three. The camera was placed on a rock.

赤城温泉 Chicheng Spring

我和爸爸去了趟赤城温泉，这里环境优美，山清水秀，有治病保健功效的温泉驰名远近。
We went to Chicheng, a small town near my hometown. There's a famous, hot spring in its moutainous region. It has long history and its mineral water can cure certain diseases.


温泉附近的山间公路。从张家口方向前往温泉和县城必经之路。这张实际是在回来的路上拍的。
This is the road leading to Chicheng. Very fine scenary.




为什么这么有名呢？一在历史悠久，二在开发彻底。温泉所在的山谷里光大小旅馆就有十几家。真是赞叹赤城县政府的工作效率，小小山谷几年内搞得像商业街。但 是管理人士似乎终于无法忍受高档的餐饮、服务设施与落后、陈旧的温泉景点之间的不协调，于是开始了对老温泉景点的彻底翻修工作。我们恰好赶上了进展到一半的工程，瞧这一片乱糟糟！
The spring is under re-construction because people decided that the old antique facilities there do not match fast growing hotels around. I used to be here many times in my childhood but now everything is in a mess!



幸好，不管人怎么折腾，山还是依旧那么青...
Hills and valleys are still green there...



从施工工地往上走，还能找到待翻新的温泉眼和古庙。庙叫什么？抱歉忘了 :)
An old temple, waiting to be renovated. Sorry I forgot its name.


这就是大名鼎鼎的赤城温泉！从这一眼小井里流出的热气腾腾、带硫磺味儿的胃泉水（治疗胃病！），和周围静谧的满山树木构成了我小时候的美妙记忆之一。可现在它周围的环境让它看起来就像 ... 一个下水井，我们死活没有敢把水杯伸下去打点水品尝。
Ahh... yes! This is the Spring! It's water can cure stomach disorder. I felt sorry that it currently looks like sewer, but it is still the famous spring.


里面的泉水依旧流淌。我问旁边的一位工人师傅，他称这水能喝，在这里施工的人都在喝。
This is how the spring looks like.

官厅水库

大家好，我今天就回家啦。在回来的路上我们绕道走了我很久没有来过的国道上，并且来到了官厅水库边上。在饱览库区景色同时，我们不禁为水库现状担忧：据旁边的居民说，从1995年到现在，水库的水位线已经下降了十几米！而且的确我们在水库的另一边看到湖底白色的沙子已经能从水上看到！

I'm back to home now. Yesterday we went to see the Guanting reservoir. It is among the earliest built reservoirs in China since 1949. Now I'm sure it is in danger due to the tough "dry" problem of this land. Residents here said that the water in it has dropped more than ten meters since 1995, and in some places we have even seen bottom of the lake.

To the hill again

A few days ago, we went to the Baiwang hill again. This time, to the top.

又去了趟百望山

又去爬百望山了，放松且惬意！
We had a trip to Baiwang hill nearby, relaxed and happy.

最近一段时间的雨水十分充沛，山上的植被超乎往常的茂密，我看得满心欢喜 :-)
There has been plenty of rains these days, and the plants on the hills all grows happily.

空气不错，站在半山腰也看得挺远。几年以后不知道这景色会不会变。
The air is clear, so the view is good.

我的拿手好戏：用草叶做的笛儿打鸣，把所有人都吓着了。
I made some noise using grass leaf. So loud everyone was astounded :)

Revisit to phoenix range 再登凤凰岭

Some new pagodas sighted in Phoenix Range, in addition to our last year's visit. Sadly, they are almost relics or remains. Wonder how they stood thousand years' erosion, both by human and nature.

在凤凰岭中又见到两个佛塔, 一个在上方寺的遗迹中, 另一个在小山头上. 它们基本上都有严重的损毁, 但似乎公园并没有将其修缮的打算, 它们甚至没有被标注在公园地图上. 它们都为古代僧人所建, 经历几乎千年的风吹日晒雨淋人毁, 见证了尘世变迁. 在不久的将来, 它们将各自化为一堆堆的碎石瓦砾, 重归造化怀抱...



When I was taking above photo, I discovered this fern living in the shade of stone I stood on. Don't know its name.
下面这个蕨类植物照片是拍上面那个塔时发现的, 应该比较常见, 卵形叶, 叶背尚无孢子囊. 附着在岩石的背阴面, 环境干燥.

Mountaineering 登鹫峰

(Apr 6, 2008) 只爬到了海拔~600米的小山头, 后面的高山没有上去 (>1100m), 下次吧...


Well, we got a photographer...
瞧, 我们有专业摄影人员...
... and he took pictures during picnic time...
还在野餐时为大家拍照...

北戴河冬日旅游 Ashore

We paid a trip to the beach. This is my first visit to the shore since 2003.

2008年2月9日至10日，我们到河北省北戴河游览。由于是冬季，这个全国热门旅游城市游人稀少，但冬季海滨仍然风景不俗。

This is the eastern head of Great Wall of China, called "Loong Head".
(Loong, but not dragon, is Chinese symbol)

Looking around the beach while standing on Loong Head.

Part of us,

...and me.

Galbraith教授给我寄来的照片

Galbraith教授给我寄来的我们在长城上的合影, 这照片是我们碰到的另一个不畏艰险\不怕被山风吹下去\不怕被晒黑\勇攀长城的美国女士帮忙拍的.



I wrote Professor Galbraith a greeting letter when he went back home. Today I got his reply. He said that "I had a wonderful time, and it will always remain in my memory! Here are a couple of photographs from that adventure!".

I put them on my Blog immediately, so nice, haha!

In the first photo, left is the tourist guide, professor in the center, and me on the right.