Lantern Festival

February 9th, the 15th day of the 1st lunar month is the Chinese Lantern Festival and is marked with the first full moon after the Chinese New Year. This is the next day of celebration in China. It kind of signifies an end to the Chinese New Year Spring Festival. The date changes every year. The day is also called Yuan Xiao Festival in China. Children carry around small lanterns on a stick that are about the size of a oatmeal box. There are many fireworks and you must eat these small round yuanxiao (glutinous rice ball) that are very, very sweet.

Bev and I went down to the Seaworld Plaza, one block from home, to have a coffee at Starbucks and people watch. Here are a few photos that I took from 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. The fireworks went off all night long but this does mark an end to the guaranteed all night long fireworks we have had for weeks now. The fireworks are to keep the bad spirits away for the coming year.

Lunar New Year Celebrations

We did spend time in Hong Kong for Chinese New Year.

These are some shots of what we experienced. We spent three hours waiting in our little sidewalk spot to see the parade but were somewhat disappointed by a good but not spectacular parade. It was very dark, (nightime) and that made it difficult to see and photograph much, but most floats were lit-up.

It is the year of the Ox and in know to be a bad year as far as economic terms are known. The Hong Kong mayor shook a fortune telling stick out of a can of about 100 sticks and it was to predict the future for the year. It was the worst stick in the entire can.

Chinese New Year

It is time for the Chinese New Year Celebrations.

Our School has a number of student related performances. Every student from 2 year olds through Secondary IV's participate. These our some pics of this years performance.

New QSI Secondary Fenghua (Fen Wah) School

It was not long ago that I posted pics of what appeared to be the middle stages of construction on our new QSI Shekou Secondary School. Well construction happens fast here in China and that school is done, just 4 weeks later! The number of people that work on a project, and also live on site is huge. I think there must have been over 120 people on this little project. The landscaping is not yet done and the furniture is not all built and installed yet but that and cleaning will happen in about one week. Which coincidentally is when we start to move in. This is a pretty neat building with 4 floors and some great inside and outside spaces. It formally was a restaurant, somewhat famous bar hangout, and a number of very small retail shops. That was last Summer now it is a newly remodeled school. Major remodeling with the addition of 2 floors and much more.

Happy New Year

This is hoping that your New Year is all you hope and wish for. If not well just do a little planning and it will be.

Seoul, South Korea

Tim and Bev in a Antique Shop in Seoul,
They took our picture because they would not let us take their
picture even though we purchased some antiques from them.

Lots of stuff for sale everywhere

Checking out the latest Magazine

Sweet Potatoes for sale as well as many other delicacies

This toilet in our Hotel was awesome, heated seat and great wash options.
I am told that they have these in many homes also.

Same characters different styles

In front of one of the old Royal Palaces, Bev is on the right

Bowls

These boxes are made from stiff cardboard and paper
covered and are sold at many places, not inexpensive!

On the subway

Korean traditional dance we watched

Great special tea we had made

Tea pots

Yup more stuff for sale

We spent 5 days in Seoul prior to Christmas, it was cold but lots of fun, I will add more pics soon.

Fenghua

QSI Shekou will have a new Secondary School soon. I have been visiting the new site and taking some photos of the construction. The new school is slated to be finished by the end of February! Construction in China is very different. There is a lot of sand involved and some fairly crude techniques. Few tools other than hand tools, a welder, (no face shield), and a drill. That pretty much is it. This building has at least 120 on site workers. They live sleep and eat at the job site.

The name of the School is to be Fenghua which means... Well the jury is out on that one. Our director says it means Brilliant Dragon. But I have had Chinese tell me that it does not. I have heard everything from Rising Dragon, but really that is Funghua to Wind Dragon, to Wind something to Elegance, Talent, and Grace. The last one makes some kind of sense since it is also the name of the Theater next door that is getting remodeled at the same time.

This building was a few stores, I bought something in a sports shop there, and it had a large round restaurant on the first floor. The rest seemed to be empty.

Ax of Murder

Our secondary school had their Fall play production the past two nights. It was a play based on a cast and crew working in a theater that had a murder in it. With a Sergent trying his best to determine who of a the cast and crew had committed the crime. The students were awesome and the play was a resounding success. Here are a few pics.

BTW Tim was in charge of the Lights and the Production of the program that was handed out to attendees.