Spring is coming 春天的脚步

 When I was a small girl in early 1970s, the springs in Beijing were extremely windy and sandy. My primary accessory for the season was a translucent scarf tightly to wrap my entire head when I was out to avoid sands from getting into my eyes and hair. I love these scarfs, not because they were necessary, but because they were almost the only extra to add to clothes, to be more colorful and prettier.

Now I've just lived my first spring in Beijing after being away so long in places with no sharp changes of seasons, the longings, the quiet joy and strong sense of life associated only with the coming of spring are being revived in me.  From the first sight and smell of the new green on the bald willow branches, the winter jasmines, lilacs, peonies, blossoms of cherry, plum and pear trees, I have reconnected to a passion for embracing a new cycle of life and found back the Beijing of my childhood. Even the flying downy balls from the willows and poplars are a pleasant reminder of a hometown return for me. The city is only more beautiful, with so many more trees and flowers everywhere. 

The pace of spring is brisk and is never meant for anybody to catch up. Each passing minute brings us closer to the hot summer. Today the temperature will reach 31 degrees. The summer is already at the door. 

70年代我还小，那是北京的春天风沙大，我总是随身带一条纱巾，但凡出门都用它裹住头，不然一定迷了眼，弄乱了头发。我很喜欢这几条纱巾，到不是因为它的用处，而是因为它是衣服之外我拥有的唯一装饰物，带着它，我觉得更艳丽、更漂亮。

经过这么多年居住在没有明显季节变化的地方，今年终于在北京过了个春天。只有春天来的时候才能体会到的那种渴望、那悄然的喜悦、那强壮的生命力在我心里重新生发出来。柳梢间的第一抹新绿和清香混合着空气中温柔地弥散着的暖暖的花香，迎春、榆叶梅、丁香、牡丹和桃花、樱花、梨花在几个星期内从含苞到怒放，真真唤起了我拥抱生命中有一次周而复始的那开始，唤回了深埋在记忆中的童年的北京。就是空气中漫漫飞舞的杨花柳絮也似乎欢快地提醒我，这是我的家乡，而她在春天里是一个比从前更加美丽的城市。

春天的脚步太快了，是追不得的，春的样子转瞬即逝，好像每一分钟夏天就走进一些。今天温度已经要达到30度，夏天已经到了门前。

Terra-Cotta Warriors in Xi'an 西安兵馬俑

I couldn't fully appreciate the mystic and grand scene before I actually stood in front of it - thousands of terracotta soldiers standing to form battlions as if they had just risen from the dirt beneath.  When I looked farther, I spot figures still half buried or completely broken into pieces, which triggers more fascination.

The excavation and recovery of the Terra-Cotta pits continue, and the main tomb of Qingshihuang remains still untouched. My childish fantacy is really stirred quite strongly by the mere thought of legends and mysteries passed on generation after generation about the moment the main gate to the tomb is opened.  

在我真正站在兵馬俑坑邊上之前，我無法充分感受它的神祕和宏大。千百個陶俑列隊而立，好像剛剛從他們腳下的泥土中走出來。再向遠處望去，還有支離破碎的陶俑半掩半露在土裡，更添幾分遐想。

兵馬俑的開掘和修復還在繼續，而秦始皇主陵還原封未動。代代相傳的關於秦陵的故事令人著迷，只是一個念頭，就能激起孩童般的浮想聯翩。打開秦陵的那一刻會怎樣？！

Cherry blossom in early spring Kyoto 京都的早春，櫻花初放

The wish to see a place that I've never seen on every of my birthdays brought me this year to Kyoto. Early April is a good time to view the cherry blossom, but the prolonged cold weather had postponed the full blossom to some days later. Blossom forecast quite accurately predicted first blossom in Kyoto on April 2, but one had to wait for another few days to see the view of overwelming "pink clouds" floating over the parks, temples, pathes and canals of Kyoto. For that, I have to return.

為了在每一個生日看一個不同的地方的願望，今年我來了京都。早春是觀賞櫻花的季節，但漫長的冬季推遲了花期，4月2号才櫻花初放，沒有看到盛開的櫻花雲一樣飄落在京都的公園、寺廟、小徑、運河的景象。為了這個，還要再來。

8am on Sunday at Temple of Heaven

Temple of Heaven is the most lively high profile park in Beijing that I've been to. Despite its world heritage fame that draws crowds wearing colorful caps and following small flags and megaphones, the park is better known to common residents in Beijing as a "natural oxygen bar" in the city, due to the large green areas surrounding the alter and the temple. From 6am daily, one can see all kinds of traditional Chinese exercises practised by hundreds of people coming from the neigherhood. Fascinating!

Sunset at 17-Arch Bridge on Kunming Lake

Waiting for the sunset by the side of the 17-arch bridge was not too comfortable on acold winter day with strong wind piecing through. It was nice to have the companion of several photography enthusiats, even though we already couldn't speak too fluently with our tongues disabled by the coldness. 

The sky was extremely clear and the view of the western hills and the Yuquan Pagoda on the backdrop was poetic. The sun set quietly and there was no spectacular color except for a warm orange glow. There was not even a piece of cloud. Very peacefully the day went into the night mode.

Fireworks Outside Our Bedroom Windows

Every year, the fireworks lit by thousands of private residents of Beijing to celebrate the Spring Festival present a spectacular show at night for quite a few days starting on Chuxi (the new year's eve). The climax is reached at midnight when the new year sets in. Another high wave emerges on the 5th day of the new year. The two photos below are explosions immediately outside our bedroom window. 

Most Beautiful Part of Forbidden City

The most beautiful part of the Forbidden City is its corner towers seen over the moat surrounding the City. On a overcast winter day, wait by the moat until the time of sunset. The faint sunlight shines through the clouds onto the towers and draws a prestine and solumn picture of it. One may at the same time see an old man flying a butterfly kite by the moat and feels the freezing coldness of the day melting away.

Hike on the Great Wall at Beginning of Year of Dragon

Is there a better way to start the Year of Dragon than hiking on the Great Wall and watching the ancient stone structure extending like a dragon in China's northern mountains?

It was fine weather on the 3rd day of the Chinese New Year and we walked along the Great Wall from the Gubeikou to Jinshanling sections. It was a leisurely 3.5 hours walk but the view was breathtaking. 

More photos of the Great Wall have been posted in the album The Great Wall of China in the  World Heritage Sites section of my photo website.

Beijing, Ni Hao! 北京，你好！

After 15 years exploring the world thousands of miles in distance, I returned to where I'm from at the beginning of 2012. Beijing became home again. 

Last Saturday morning when I opened the curtain, I let out an exclamation with delight. Snowflakes were falling, and the roofs of the pavilions surrounding a small icy lake that forms our view from home is covered with snow. For a moment, I became the little girl who went to bed at the Chinese New Year's eve, wishing for a snow at night and waking up to see her wish fulfilled with the world turned white overnight. In those years, we had snow on almost every Chinese New Year's Day. 

I went out for a long walk along Hutongs, stepping on the very thin layer of snow which soon melted away. It was cold and fresh. The sky was grey. All the trees have lost their leaves and now the branches are of the faint yellow-brownisgh color. Many bicycles, quite used ones, leaned against the grey brick walls of courtyard houses. Names of some of these Hutongs are familiar. Excitement overwelmed me when I saw "Fuxue Hutong"(府学胡同). Gosh, I had walked along this hutong day after day for four years to go to my first school. The young classmates of 7 to 8 years old would form a single line (路队) to do our 30 minutes walk to school together, picking up other classmates along the way. Did we really use that long to cover this short distance? Now standing in front of my school, I could see myself entering the gate, letting pupils on duty check whether I'd got my young pioneer's red scarf, my mug and my cleaning cloth... Many other memories from my happy days at this school and in my childhood welled up like water from a spring.

A quiet pleasure warmed me during my tireless walking in the coldness of northern winter, observing every detail like an outsider but actually with a heart of a returning child of the city. People say that Beijing is ever-changing, but obviously I have experienced something deeply known and familiar to me despite the city's vastly changed appearance. I have been assured that this is still the city with a spirit that is uniquely Beijing, and this is still the city I love. For that, I am very contented.

So Long Lamma! So Long Hong Kong! 再见南丫，再见香港！

Now it is the same empty flat again. Outside every window are trees and plants, in the green shades of which birds are chirping as always. The wind breezes in and roams in the emptiness between windows, reminding me the first time we saw this place and decided to move in on the spot. I seem to still hear laughters of me and Ansel while diligently cleaning the floor, as close as yesterday. 

More than 5 years have passed and it is time to bode farewell to my small island of Lamma and to my metropolitan city of Hong Kong. I look back, and the momeries of the past, coming to me as if they were compressed through an extremely long lens, are blended into one whole and deeply cherished "yesterday". I can touch it, see it and hear it. Hong Kong and Lamma are by all means the most important phase of my life, where people dearest to my heart live, life-changing decisions have been made, and I've seen my own life grow as I nurtured that of a young one.  

The journey goes on. This time it will lead me back to Beijing, the place where I am from. However in my heart, there is no good-bye to Lamma or to Hong Kong. Part of me will stay, and part of it will follow my track into the future. We planted our bougainvelia tree on a hill facing the ocean, hoping to see it flourishing, flowering and reaching high to the sky. I'm sure it will.

现在这里又是空荡荡的样子了，窗外仍是绿阴如蔽，鸟儿在绿叶间如每天清晨般鸣啼，风在窗与窗之间毫无遮拦地流荡，轻轻提醒我当初怎样一眼看到这房子就决定了搬来。耳畔仍能听到我和熙临努力打扫房子时的话语和笑声，近如昨日。

五年已逝，竟已到了与南丫、与香港挥别的时刻。回首时，记忆仿佛穿过长焦镜头被压缩了呈现出来，成为一个完整的被我挚爱的“昨天”，我看着它，听着它，感觉着它。从任何意义上讲，香港都是我生命中最重要的一页，在这里有我的最宝贝的幼小生命，有我改变生命的抉择，有我所经历的前所未有的成长。

旅程还在延续，这次它将带我归回故乡。然而在我心里，香港是永不翻去的一页。我的一部分留在了这里，而它的一部分会紧随我走向未来。我们将阳台上那株敕杜鹃栽到了面海的山坡上，希望它向着阳光向着天空生长，枝繁叶茂，花儿盛开。我相信它会

Floating Islands on Lake Titacaca

Lake Titicaca, on the border of Peru and Bolivia, is a lake at high altitude (3810m) noted for the Uros inhabited by pre-Inca, Quachua speaking cultures. These are "floating island" made of reeds. The vibrant colours of these golden islands, brightly dressed people and deep blue water reward visitors with an exotic visual feast in the afternoon sun. 

More photos from Lake Titicaca and Peru are in the album Peru.

Other Worldly Beauty of Antarctica

Dubbed the last great wilderness on earth, Antarctica presents an other worldly beauty, not spoiled by human activities. Despite its harsh natural environment,  the calm and mild purity of white snow, sometimes painted light pink, blue or orange by the light, touches the soul and leaves unforgettable images. We boarded Akademik Ioffe early November as first visitors to the continent of the year.

My photos from this trip are in the album Antarctica. 

Gentoo Penguins in Snow Storm

Even in early summer, it's very common to be in a snow storm on Antarctica. Weather changes often and abrupt. Even penguins look like they are not really enjoying the strong wind and slashes of snow flakes. This photos was taken at Mikkleson Harbour in Antarctica penisula in mid November. Penguins are as cute as you can imagine, but also not too much more than that. At the end of a two-week trip to the world's southernmost continent, one may feel that he has had enough of them. 

The Mood of East Africa

This picture was taken at sunset in Serengeti National Park of Tanzania, one of many national parks in north part of the country where we travelled to from early to mid October, driving from sunrise to sunset. At one of the most touching moments we quietly experienced from the open roof of a Land Cruiser, the picture captures vividly the mood of East Africa as I remember it - peaceful, poetic and free.

More photos from Tanzania are in the album Tanzania.

Ginger Flowers - The Fragrance of Lamma

When the time to leave is approaching, I start to wonder how I will remember things here on Lamma from a distance. I will remember the summer fields of Lamma, dotted with beautiful white ginger flowers. The breeze brings their sweet fragrance to one's walk in a late afternoon. If one gets to the market early in the morning, there's a good chance to buy a few branches full of flower buds from an old woman who just cut them off from the field. And when night falls, one returns home to find a graceful blossom that has filled the home with a delicate and delightful sweet smell.

Cloudy before the wind turns

It's been beautiful and cloudy in the past 10 days. I saw that we'll start to have the first north wind around end of this week. That means the normal smoggy and murky days that we are used to in Hong Kong will return. Thank God for the two months of crystal clear days that please the eyes and cheer up the heart. They will form part of my memories of Lamma and of Hong Kong during my last days living here. (More photos from Lamma Island in the Lamma Album.)

Fuji Finepix X100 Film Simulation

The southern wind continues and so do the fine days. When I got off the boat yesterday at Yung Shue Wan, the bay and village look so vivid in colour under the late afternoon sun. The Chinese expression of "欲滴“ (about to drip) tells exactly about the saturation - so saturated that it is about to drip.

There is a function in the Fuji Finepix x100 to choose film simulation. One can choose from Provia, Velvia, ASTIA, and Monochrome with different filters. I used Velvia to take a picture of the bay as I recall the colours of pictures taken with Velvia film in the old days.  Wow, no photoshop whatsoever is needed at all.

Fishermen's Village off Yung Shue Wan Pier

In between the sunny days in Hong Kong, we had a few days of rain last week. I had a early morning stroll to the fishermen's village off the Yung Shue Wan pier on Lamma Island in light drizzles and tried out my new Fuji Finepix X100. Compared to my Nikon D700, it looks like a toy but the quality of the pictures is really good. I've decided to carry it everyday and everywhere I go.

We have the feeling that this corner on the island will soon disappear and be forgotten. There are still signs of people living here, but a lot less than before. The local god worshipping niche was gone and running crabs filled the wet and narrow alleyway. Lamma is losing its orginal charm, day by day now that the government and developers waste no time digging open natural trails and pouring concrete into them. In no time, Lamma will become a second Cheung Chau.

Panoramic Hong Kong on a Clear Day

Every year from July to early August, we have the clearest days in Hong Kong thanks to mostly southern wind. Visibility is very good and colours are saturated. This is the best time to hike up high and take panoramic photos of the city. I decided to join the exciting tourists on the peak and at the water side in Tsim Sha Tsui to have some classic snap shots. The weather didn't fail me. I couldn't help feeling as awed as a tourist, as if this was the first time I were in front of the scenes. Somebody shouted behind my head:"Beautiful Victoria Harbour, here I come!" As my lovely mainland compatriots were shouting their emotions out, I got crystal clear pictures. Below are a few. To see more shots from Hong Kong, please go to the Hong Kong Album in my galleries.