Tong Li Historical Town (Part 1) & Suzhou, China (Part 6)

In the month of December in 2013, I took a trip to China to visit relatives and to travel places and take photos. On this trip, I visited Jiangsu (江苏), Anhui (安徽), Hong Kong (香港), and Macau (澳门). I took many photos on this trip and I will be splitting them into many parts. I will do my best in these blog post to describe the photos, however due to the lack of map data for China (on Google) and my horrible Chinese, I may not be able to give you too much details on certain things. At the time of visit, the smog in China is very heavy. In many of the photos, you will see what looks to be fog or haze, but it is the smog (pollution) in China. Be warned, that the pollution in China is not at safe levels. I started coughing less than one week into the trip, and I did not recover until the beginning of March this year (2014). Many individuals in China had the same cough I got. If you haven't done so, you can view my vlogs here. I already posted all my vlogs (of the entire trip) on Youtube, but these photos will come out in parts.

12/2013，我去中国旅游。我去了江苏、安徽、香港、和澳门玩。我会把照片分成很多部分。我的中文没有那么好，我不能翻译所有的东西。 我去中国的时候有很大的雾霾。我咳嗽咳了好几个月。我这次旅游也拍了一些视频，你可以在这里看。

Full Resolution Photos and Prints: If you want to see full resolution photos or buy prints of any of the photos you see, they are up on my portfolio for viewing. To view my best China photos from this trip, use this link. To view all of my photos from 2013 China trip, use this link.

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The photos for today are from Tong Li Historical Town (同里) and Suzhou, Jiangsu, China (苏州, 江苏, 中国). Since I shot many photo in Tong Li Historical Town (同里), I will be splitting these photos into 2 parts.

我今天的照片是在同里和苏州拍的。我在同里拍了很多的照片所以会把照片分成两个部分。

So on the first few days in China, I was obviously horribly jet lagged. So on the morning of 12/10/2013, I happened to have woke up to sunrise. Photo was shot from my room in the Suzhou Central Hotel. 

我刚到中国的时候，我又很大的时差。十二月十号的时候，我醒过来看到日出。这是在苏州市会议中心官房间里拍的。

Here is another sunrise shot from my room.

 Now I arrive at Tong Li Historical Town. This is a family drying their stuff outside the house. 

我到达同里。一家人吧被子挂在外面。

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 09 43 N 120 42 58 E

 Some old fashion kettles for boiling water. 

这是烧水的。

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 09 41 N 120 42 57 E

Black and white process of the photo above.  

Here is a photo of Tong Li (同里). Just like Suzhou (苏州), this town is also built near a river with many bridges. The stone roads on the left is characteristic of these towns. This is a preserved historical town and is a tourist attraction near Suzhou (苏州). There are many tour guides and they will bug you to see if you will pay them for a tour. I just pretended I didn't know Chinese. Then one of the tour guides went to go bug our friend, who told them, they are foreigners, they can't understand you. The tour guide was like, "Really? But they look so Chinese!" LOL "You will never understand..." said our friend. 

这是同里。

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 10 38 N 120 42 55 E

Another photo from Tong Li Historical Town. You will see a sign for the Chinese Sex Museum. I know what you are going to ask, and no, I did not visit that museum. A pervert with a camera decided to hit on our family friends... Just a random guess, but I think he was in that museum. :D

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 10 37 N 120 42 55 E

 Here is a close up photo of the sign. Not only do I not know how to translate or read that, but I think Chinese reading visitors to this website can pretty much guess what I wrote. LOL

Now a photo from one of the gardens in Tong Li Historical Town (同里). These gardens are similar to the ones seen in Suzhou (苏州). 

这是同里的园林。很想苏州的园林。

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 09 37 N 120 42 58 E

Here is another photo from inside the garden.  

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 09 37 N 120 42 59 E

 Some historical beds on display inside the garden's museum. 

这是古代的床。

 A household in Tong Li Historical Town (同里). Now looking at the shot, I should have moved those two mops and did a shot like the famous photo "The Open Door" by Willian Henry Fox Talbot. 

同里里面的一家人。

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 09 37 N 120 42 57 E

Black and white process of the photo above.  

Another historical looking house in Tong Li Historical Town (同里). 

Black and white process of the photo above.  

These are all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing them. Next time I will continue with more photos from Tong Li Historical Town (同里) in Jiangsu, China (江苏, 中国). Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Google+. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

我下一次有跟多的苏州在同里拍的照片。

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Shan Tang Street (山塘街) - Suzhou, China (Part 5)

In the month of December in 2013, I took a trip to China to visit relatives and to travel places and take photos. On this trip, I visited Jiangsu (江苏), Anhui (安徽), Hong Kong (香港), and Macau (澳门). I took many photos on this trip and I will be splitting them into many parts. I will do my best in these blog post to describe the photos, however due to the lack of map data for China (on Google) and my horrible Chinese, I may not be able to give you too much details on certain things. At the time of visit, the smog in China is very heavy. In many of the photos, you will see what looks to be fog or haze, but it is the smog (pollution) in China. Be warned, that the pollution in China is not at safe levels. I started coughing less than one week into the trip, and I did not recover until the beginning of March this year (2014). Many individuals in China had the same cough I got. If you haven't done so, you can view my vlogs here. I already posted all my vlogs (of the entire trip) on Youtube, but these photos will come out in parts.

12/2013，我去中国旅游。我去了江苏、安徽、香港、和澳门玩。我会把照片分成很多部分。我的中文没有那么好，我不能翻译所有的东西。 我去中国的时候有很大的雾霾。我咳嗽咳了好几个月。我这次旅游也拍了一些视频，你可以在这里看。

Full Resolution Photos and Prints: If you want to see full resolution photos or buy prints of any of the photos you see, they are up on my portfolio for viewing. To view my best China photos from this trip, use this link. To view all of my photos from 2013 China trip, use this link.

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The photos for today are all from Suzhou, Jiangsu, China (苏州, 江苏, 中国) at Shan Tang Street (山塘街).

今天的照片是在苏州山塘街拍的。

Oyster shells laid outside on stairs. I think this was outside of a pearl shop. 

一个珍珠店外面。 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 19 07 N 120 35 57 E

Decorative gourds. Shot near the photo above.

葫芦。在上面那张照片边上一个店拍的。

 A tea room designed to look historical. 

这是一个茶馆。

 Inside the historical gardens of Suzhou on Shan Tang Street (山塘街). 

山塘街一个园林的照片。

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 19 12 N 120 35 52 E

Another photo of the historical gardens on Shan Tang Street (山塘街).

山塘街一个园林的照片。

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 19 12 N 120 35 48 E

Black and white process of the photo above.  

Historical art work at the same garden.  

Another photo of the same garden. The orange things are goldfish. 

山塘街一个园林的照片。 

 Black and white process of the photo above.  

More photos of the garden. In the back is a modern building.  

山塘街一个园林的照片。 

Black and white process of the photo above.   

 After dinner, back to Shan Tang Street (山塘街) for some night time long exposures. 

吃完晚饭，我在山塘街拍了一些长时间曝光。

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 19 12 N 120 35 47 E

Long exposure of Shan Tang Street (山塘街) and the river from a bridge. 

山塘街晚上。

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 19 14 N 120 35 49 E

A zoomed in shot from the same point as above.  

Now a long exposure of the traffic along the main road near Shan Tang Street (山塘街). 

山塘街边上的一个公路。

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 19 14 N 120 35 48 E

These are all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing them. Next time I will continue with photos from Tong Li Historical Town (同里) in Jiangsu, China (江苏, 中国). Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Google+. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

我下一次有跟多的苏州在同里拍的照片。

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Shan Tang Street (山塘街) & Tiger Hill (虎丘) - Suzhou, China (Part 4)

In the month of December in 2013, I took a trip to China to visit relatives and to travel places and take photos. On this trip, I visited Jiangsu (江苏), Anhui (安徽), Hong Kong (香港), and Macau (澳门). I took many photos on this trip and I will be splitting them into many parts. I will do my best in these blog post to describe the photos, however due to the lack of map data for China (on Google) and my horrible Chinese, I may not be able to give you too much details on certain things. At the time of visit, the smog in China is very heavy. In many of the photos, you will see what looks to be fog or haze, but it is the smog (pollution) in China. Be warned, that the pollution in China is not at safe levels. I started coughing less than one week into the trip, and I did not recover until the beginning of March this year (2014). Many individuals in China had the same cough I got. If you haven't done so, you can view my vlogs here. I already posted all my vlogs (of the entire trip) on Youtube, but these photos will come out in parts.

12/2013，我去中国旅游。我去了江苏、安徽、香港、和澳门玩。我会把照片分成很多部分。我的中文没有那么好，我不能翻译所有的东西。 我去中国的时候有很大的雾霾。我咳嗽咳了好几个月。我这次旅游也拍了一些视频，你可以在这里看。

Full Resolution Photos and Prints: If you want to see full resolution photos or buy prints of any of the photos you see, they are up on my portfolio for viewing. To view my best China photos from this trip, use this link. To view all of my photos from my 2013 China trip, use this link.

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The photos for today are all from Suzhou, Jiangsu, China (苏州, 江苏, 中国) at Shan Tang Street (山塘街) with one photo from Tiger Hill (虎丘).

今天的照片是在苏州虎丘和山塘街拍的。

Photo of historical houses at Shan Tang Street (山塘街). 

山塘街上的旧房子。

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 20 00 N 120 34 41 E

Now some posters put up by the Chinese government. My Chinese is bad but for this photo and some of the ones after this, it roughly translates to if you move out before the date, you will get money from the government. If you move out after that, you don't get the money. That is what the signs' messages are. The government is trying to get the residents to move out so they can clear these buildings for new railway systems, highways, or to turn these buildings into a tourist destination. One of the local residents told me that she was more than happy to move if the Chinese government paid her family enough for a new place to live, but they aren't.

More posters put up by the Chinese government.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 19 59 N 120 34 42 E

HDR composition of one of the houses. I did HDR to try to get the inside shadows to show through. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 19 58 N 120 34 42 E

Here is a black and white process of the photo above. 

More posters put up by the Chinese government.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 19 58 N 120 34 43 E

Now looking down a river at Shan Tang Street (山塘街). 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 19 54 N 120 34 48 E

Now back to Tiger Hill (虎丘). Off in the distance is the Tiger Hill Pagoda (虎丘塔). The smog cleared a bit, but I still didn't hike up. When I approached the entrance to the place, I saw the ground covered in autumn leaves. I knew I had to get a shot. I think is is one of the best shots I've ever taken. 

我又回到虎丘。远处是虎丘塔。我没有爬虎丘塔。我到的时候我看见有很多秋天的叶子。我知道一定要拍张照片。

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 20 06 N 120 34 31 E

I now head to the "tourist part" of Shan Tang Street (山塘街). Here is a photo of the river going through the area. Like Tiger Hill (虎丘), there are tourist boats that go up and down this river, and there are many bridges characteristic of Suzhou. 

回到另外山塘街的一部分。这是旅游点。

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 19 12 N 120 35 51 E

Here is a photo down the river from one of the bridges. On the left is a place that sells food. I love Chinese sausages, and their's was delicious. I ate it before I took a photo. HAHA

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 19 11 N 120 35 52 E

Stores along Shan Tang Street (山塘街). Close the where the photo above was shot. 

Now I enter a stinky tofu shop. Yum! I love that stuff. It was so good. 

臭豆腐很好吃哦。

Exactly describes stinky tofu. 

Some sort of coconut husk used for decoration. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 19 06 N 120 35 58 E

Deep fried pork buns. It was also very good. :)

生煎包很好吃哦。

A store on Shan Tang Street (山塘街) selling Chinese pancakes. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 19 03 N 120 35 57 E

These are all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing them. Next time I will continue with more photos from Suzhou, Jiangsu, China (苏州, 江苏, 中国) from Shan Tang Street (山塘街). Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Google+. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

我下一次有跟多的苏州在虎丘和山塘路拍的照片。

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Tiger Hill (虎丘) & Funny Translation - Suzhou, China (Part 3)

In the month of December in 2013, I took a trip to China to visit relatives and to travel places and take photos. On this trip, I visited Jiangsu (江苏), Anhui (安徽), Hong Kong (香港), and Macau (澳门). I took many photos on this trip and I will be splitting them into many parts. I will do my best in these blog post to describe the photos, however due to the lack of map data for China (on Google) and my horrible Chinese, I may not be able to give you too much details on certain things. At the time of visit, the smog in China is very heavy. In many of the photos, you will see what looks to be fog or haze, but it is the smog (pollution) in China. Be warned, that the pollution in China is not at safe levels. I started coughing less than one week into the trip, and I did not recover until the beginning of March this year (2014). Many individuals in China had the same cough I got. If you haven't done so, you can view my vlogs here. I already posted all my vlogs (of the entire trip) on Youtube, but these photos will come out in parts.

12/2013，我去中国旅游。我去了江苏、安徽、香港、和澳门玩。我会把照片分成很多部分。我的中文没有那么好，我不能翻译所有的东西。 我去中国的时候有很大的雾霾。我咳嗽咳了好几个月。我这次旅游也拍了一些视频，你可以在这里看。

Full Resolution Photos and Prints: If you want to see full resolution photos or buy prints of any of the photos you see, they are up on my portfolio for viewing. To view my best China photos from this trip, use this link. To view all of my photos from 2013 China trip, use this link.

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The photos for today are all from Suzhou, Jiangsu, China (苏州, 江苏, 中国) at Tiger Hill (虎丘). One photo is of some funny translations.

今天的照片是在苏州虎丘拍的。

While in Suzhou, I stayed at the Suzhou Central Hotel. This was the "Security Scattering Sketch Map" aka "Fire Evacuation Plan" on the back of the door in my room. LOL 

我在苏州的时候我住在苏州市会议中心官。门后面的翻译。

Here is the lobby of the Suzhou Central Hotel.  

苏州市会议中心官的前厅。

 Now I arrive at Tiger Hill (虎丘). This is right across the street at a private parking lot. The long exposure was unintended but the smog really blocks out a lot of light. While mid day, I still had to long exposure. So funny story here. I asked my mom to help carry my tripod (in English) and the guy in charge of the parking lot came and was like: "How you educate your child? His Chinese is so bad, I couldn't understand!" We all laughed. XD

我到了虎丘。

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 19 57 N 120 34 29 E

Now at Tiger Hill (虎丘). This long exposure was intended. I used an ND filter to blur out a tour group that was also at this place. Tiger Hill pagoda is off in the distance. I didn't end up climbing it because of the smog. I doubt I could see much on top. I think this is one of the best shots I've ever taken. 

虎丘塔在远处。我没有爬虎丘塔因为雾霾，看不见东西。

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 20 01 N 120 34 29 E

 Black and white process of the photo above. I think this is also one of the best black and whites I've ever processed. 

 Photo from Tiger Hill (虎丘). As you can see the smog is very heavy and the distant buildings are blurred. The rivers and bridges are famous in Suzhou (苏州). The boats underneath the bridge are for tourists. The boats are also famous in Suzhou. 

苏州有很大的雾霾。

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 20 04 N 120 34 32 E

To shoot that photo above, I had to be on a bridge. This is the view from the other side of the bridge. While Tiger Hill (虎丘) is a historical preserve, there are also residents still living in the old style houses. 

A black and white process of the photo above.  

A photo of a road at Tiger Hill (虎丘). These stone roads are characteristic of Suzhou's ancient towns. This one seems to be rebuilt. On the left is a stand selling scarves. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 20 05 N 120 34 32 E

 This is a well at Tiger Hill (虎丘). 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 20 05 N 120 34 31 E

Stores at Tiger Hill (虎丘).
Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 20 06 N 120 34 29 E

A vintage barber shop chair in one of the stores at Tiger Hill (虎丘).
Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 20 05 N 120 34 32 E

Upped the clarity and did another shot. 

A black and white process of the photo.  

Old style houses at Tiger Hill (虎丘). 

虎丘的旧房子。

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 20 04 N 120 34 33 E

Black and white process of the photo above. 

A food seller at Tiger Hill (虎丘). She is making Chinese style sausages and egg omelettes. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 20 04 N 120 34 35 E

Black and white process of the photo above. 

Here is a landscape shot of Tiger Hill (虎丘) and the river. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 31 20 02 N 120 34 37 E

These are all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing them. Next time I will continue with more photos from Suzhou, Jiangsu, China (苏州, 江苏, 中国) from Tiger Hill (虎丘) and Shan Tang Street (山塘街). Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Google+. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

我下一次有跟多的苏州在虎丘和山塘路拍的照片。

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