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               ADVENTURES in CHINA

 

One of the most interesting adventures I have had was to China.  We went there as part of the New Zealand Water Ski Team to compete in the Region III competitions.  We landed in Hong Kong and then travelled by Hydofoil up one of the very long rivers(Xi River) into South China.   The competition was held near the city of "The seven Mountains."   There were also seven lakes in the area, one of which was used for water skiing.

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Top right and the two photos below show the lake where the tournament was held.  It is a very lovely and peaceful place with many delightful walking tracks.
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We were fortunate to be able to visit on of the schools in Zhaoqing city.  This particular school specialised in teaching music.  The main instruments were piano, piano accordian and violin.
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The ages of the children ranged from 4 yrs to 12 yrs old.  The sound has to be heard to be believed.   One would think that it was an international orchestra playing, these children were excellent !!

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Just some of the international teams competing at the tournament.  the eventual winners were Australia with New Zealand a very close second overall.

Just one of the very busy market areas in Zhaoqing.  Pedestrian traffic only in this area, the smells and aromas from out door cooking has to be smelt to be believed.

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chn_map.JPG (52166 bytes) Zhoaqing's premier attraction, the seven star crags, is a group of limestone towers.  Legend has it that the crags were actually seven stars that fell from the sky to form a pattern resembling the big dipper.  The artificial lakes were built in 1955, and the park is adorned with concrete pathways, arched bridges and little pavilions.

Check back from time to time for more pictures and stories from China