Carl Hu

Of the cities I visited in China, Hang Zhou was my favorite. I liked the scenery, I liked the food. There, I discovered my favorite restaurant in China, Zhi Wei Guan.

I saw many people depend on West Lake for their livelihood. Their income was solely based on ferrying tourists back and forth in their 4 men boats. They bathed and washed their clothes and food in the lake. This man is fishing for dinner as the sun set.

At first, the poverty I saw overwhelmed me. Gradually, my eyes became used to it and I was able to see levels of poverty. Those who slept in boxes were better than those who slept under benches. And those who slept in boats were better than those who slept in boxes.

The elderly couple living in this boat make their income giving tourists to this small town a ride around town. Zhou Zhuang is famous for the Venice-like canals as well as the prostitution.

I found the gardens the most dazzling architectural achievement I saw in China. While I found the Forbidden City impressive, the gardens moved me with their drama and balance.

Although all the gardens I saw were somewhat run-down, the achievements of the architects were hardly diminished. I particularly loved Yu-Yuan in Shanghai.

I took this while strolling among residential neighborhood around Yu-Yuan. Because the homes are so small, much home life is lived in the streets. This man is preparing dinner for his family while his son plays in the alley.

This outdoor market has some fifty vendors side-by-side yelling at you to buy their food. The street businessmen I met in China---taxi drivers, food vendors, "tour guides"---were without exception the most agressive I've encountered.

Stepping on to the square stones of Tiananmen, I felt the power and history of China. The enormity and seriousness of the place. The Mao Memorial in the center. The profusion of armed guards. Not being the political sort, I didn't enjoy the seriousness very much. All the garbagemen at Tiananmen were dressed in green uniforms like these two. Here, two of them are taking a break and are hunched over exchanging bags of some sort.

Although Yi He Yuan, the restored Summer Palace in Beijing was beautiful, I enjoyed the ruins of the burned down Old Summer Palace. While the newer palace was crowded with tourists, this one allowed quiet contemplation.

Chinese architectural humor: a hole in the wall of the room opening out to the garden.

Much of Shanghai's residential buildings looked like this. In fact, this is on the upscale end of the ones I saw.

View of West Lake, Hang Zhou. Leica M6, 50mm f2. September 2001.

Of the cities I visited in China, Hang Zhou was my favorite. I liked the scenery, I liked the food. There, I discovered my favorite restaurant in China, Zhi Wei Guan.