A few weeks ago Don and I, along with Susan and Brad Hertz, went on a day trip to the neighbouring small city of Foshan. (population of only 3-6 million, depending on how you define the borders)
Michael, our student volunteer, offered to show us around, although he had never been to Foshan before. He brought a friend named Vicky.
We had a great day and Michael and Vicky were helpful.
We took the Metro or subway to the city and it took about an hour. The metro station was in front of an Ancestral Taoist Temple which included a memorial and museum dedicated to the martial arts master Huang Feihong. He was a 20th century Kung Fu expert who is revered in China today. It is said that Kung Fu, a form of martial arts, was born in Foshan. The ancestral temple site houses the Huang family home.
The rest of the day was visiting the porcelain district. This city has been the home to ceramic making, since the Stone Age. The area is lucky to have many colours of good clay. There was a very good museum, and a preserved village dating from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It was fun to wander. The highlight was the Ancient Nanfeng Kiln, a huge firewood kiln constructed against a hill. It showed how large the production of ceramics was. The kiln was not in use but it boasted being in continuous use since 1506, and that makes it Ming Dynasty era. Don tried to explain why the kiln, running uphill, had better heat. Perhaps the highlight was looking at all the varied ceramics in the shops, for blocks and blocks. There were all shapes, sizes and qualities. It was beautiful.
Wish you had been with us!
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