[unless otherwise specified, all photos by Bronwyn Lloyd]
We arrived in Shanghai on Monday morning (11/7): a characteristically misty day. This is the view from our window in the Guoman Hotel:
front window
side window
We had a chance to do some sightseeing the next day, Tuesday, stopping first at the breathtaking Jing'an Temple:
front courtyard
main steps
[photo by Paul Hinton]
Bronwyn & Jack
[photo by Paul Hinton]
Paul Hinton & Tracey Slaughter
Buddha's hands
Buddha
Guanyin
Jack
side temple
amazing detail in the wooden carvings
complexities of perspective
mandala picture
us
Tracey & Paul
Laughing Buddha
And here we back on the top deck of the bus for the city tour:
Jack & Bronwyn
Oriental Pearl Tower
extravagant topiary
Paul & Tracey
& here we all are in the Yu Garden, hunting for bargains:
entrance
lake
dragon
rooftop
We managed a bit of sightseeing later in the week. Here we are at the Temple of the Jade Buddha (which is one statue tourists are not permitted to photograph. It is phenomenally beautiful, though:
back of the main hall
Twin Buddhas
Buddha
reclining Buddha
Monster
back door
intricate goldwork
And if you're wondering why I'm looking like this, the picture below of me sampling a Mango Lassi dessert in one of Shanghai's top restaurants might offer a few clues (the statue of the pig is outside the Jackie Chan Museum, just beside our hotel):
Jack sampling some advanced fusion cuisine
Jack & pig
Ah, beautiful Shanghai!
*
[Addendum (1/8/16)]:
&, for those of you who've expressed scepticism about whether or not we actually attended any sessions at the said conference, please check out the following:]
This latter article, from the China.org.cn website, includes the following passage:
Jack Ross, a New Zealand poet and lecturer in creative writing, said: "For years people thought we belonged to the West. However, the colonial and Maori history of New Zealand has made us neither East nor West. With increased immigration from Asian countries like China, Japan and Korea in the latter part of 20th century, the new generation of New Zealanders are eager to take on their own identities."
So there you go, smartypants! Read 'em and weep.
The picture above comes from Nuala O'Connor [Nuala Ní Chonchúir]'s literary blog "WOMEN RULE WRITER." She comments:
I really, really enjoyed the panel of New Zealand writers who were as down to earth and vibrant as one might expect. NZ author Frankie McMillan also gave an interesting paper on flash fiction which is having a renaissance in her country.
Thanks, Nuala. You're welcome in New Zealand anytime ...
