September 2, 2012: Day #7 with Cai Yun, Guangzhou, China

Our seventh day with Cai Yun, our first full day in Guangzhou, was on a Sunday.  Our group had the option of spending the morning visiting three sites.  The first stop was the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees, a Buddhist temple originally built in 537 but rebuilt several times since (originally the Changshou Temple, meaning Longevity Temple, the name has also been changed several times). 

The laughing Buddha greets visitors as the enter the complex

Offerings to the different gods include bottles of water and fruit

Our guide, Grace, tried  in vain to tell our group the temple's history with her portable microphone - everyone just scattered!

Also rebuilt several times, what is now called the Six Banyan Pagoda stands tall on the temple grounds and holds relics.  Like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, this structure is starting to lean, so visitors are no longer allowed to climb it.

Many incense sticks are burnt around the temple

Beautiful clay tile roofs

Characters were carved into the stones outside the halls

  

In the main hall of the temple, rest three Buddhist statues that symbolize the present, past and future.  They are the biggest and among the most ancient of their kind in the Guangdong province. 

Several members in our travel group had their newly adopted children blessed by the Buddhist monk

Another monk sits peacefully by the tree

Cai Yun enjoyed watching the colorful fish in a small pond

Back on the bus for stop #2!

We then visited the Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family, which is famous for its exquisite craftsmanship and was originally built during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

The colorful, intricate carvings on the roof caught our eye as we walked toward this complex of multiple buildings, halls and courtyards

Detailed scenes depicted life in old Guangzhou in the blue etched glass

Historical rooms were set up with traditional Cantonese furniture including this bed with the porcelain block pillows - I'll stick with my down version thank you!

Different artisans were working at different points along the Chen Family complex.  Cai Yun was very captivated by this older gentleman working on a large paper cut art piece.  When they got to talking, he in turn, was charmed by Cai Yun.  We were happy to purchase several beautiful pieces by him.

At our third stop of the morning, we went to an arts and crafts store that our guides insisted had the best quality merchandise at good prices.  Tired from the morning's stops, Cai Yun spent the most time watching the artisans, especially the ink painter who used his fingers to create the detailed landscapes...

...and the chop (seal) carver.

Back at the hotel we were finally able to relax a bit in our room

and in the lovely rooftop pool that had an awesome view of the cityscape around our hotel.

As with the previous days, Cai Yun came alive at night.  That evening we enjoyed some great Chinese cuisine at the Food Street restaurant in the hotel.

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Into food and cooking like her parents, Cai Yun did her best to capture the cooks on camera

and the wait staff!



After dinner ended with fun on the play equipment placed in a peaceful courtyard of the hotel.  We were glad to see Cai Yun finally able to enjoy being a kid!