Jinan university

This is Jinan University. In fact, this is the main teaching building where all/most of the undergraduate classes (on this campus) are scheduled. it's too big to fit into the picture (and I couldn't be bother ed walking backwards). It actually goes up about another six storeys.

I actually gave a lecture here (as a guest speaker) on translation theory in Australia. Sadly, they didn't invite me back, but I think they have pretty strict views on academic hierarchy. If I get my Ph.D, then I can come back. It would be a nice place to work. Not a very likely one, though.

This is on campus student accommodation. I was talking to one of the students here - there are 15,000 roughly & accommodation is the big problem inhibiting growth.

Jinan University is a university anyone in the world can come to based on their native country's university entrance exams. That makes it pretty rare in China, where most of the undergraduate entrance (for international students) would be by university exam. Mind you, this particular Sunday I didn't see much sign that anybody was taking the offer up.

This could be called "paperbark drive". I don't know why the white paint, but either white paint or rope winding is very common on Chinese trees. I don't think it's related to visibility, because I've seen it on many trees that were nowhere near a road.

It's a very pretty campus. Elsewhere there are ornamental ponds with pavilions, a couple of large fountains, lawns, all that you could reasonably require. Another thing I like about the campus is that it peters out into the rest of the world towards the back - the front is an imposing us v. them, but at the other ends it's not easy to say where the university ends and the city begins.
So far as I could tell, this was not actually part of the campus (although I'm deducing that as much because I don't think academics are so well paid that they can afford to create this streetscape as from anything else). It was an absolutely perfect winter day, about 15 degrees and sunny at around midday - I actually thought Spring was coming (but the weather this week has disabused me).

It's not all hubbub.

The Hill

Behind the East railway station is a hill, and I've been wanting to climb it since I got here. I made an abortive foray once before, but this time I enlisted some moral support from one of the teachers and we jointly summitted. Which is a somewhat grandiose claim, although the hill was sufficiently steep to make me realise that it's not enough to give up smoking. You also have to exercise.

Regular readers will recognise the top of the Communications Bank building - this picture is taken looking south, on New Year's day. It's still hazy.

There's a kind of feeling that Guangzhou ends at the railway line - mainly because from where I live in Tian He, you can't actually see past the hill that I am now standing on. Here is some of the northwest unseen Guangzhou - if the day was clear you could probably see across to the foothills of the Baiyun mountain - they're over there somewhere. The green building in the middle foreground is actually a shell under construction, wrapped in green gauze to minimise the dust escaping out from the construction. It's not so easy to tell from this shot, but the trees/undergrowth are almost indistinguishable from the Sydney surrounds.

Just for orientation with other photographs, this is the view south again, at a wider angle. Low to the right rear you can see the railway forecourt - looks different during the day, doesn't it? The IKEA building is under the yellow cupolas. The buildings towards the left rear are the rear building in the Concordia compound where I live. The large building to the right of that (behind the pinkish thing) is the Westin Hotel. Note the eucalypt in the extreme right foreground.

This is the view directly North - it is actually possible in reality, maybe not so much in this picture, to see that human habitation is thinning in this direction as you finally reach the outer edges of the city. 

There is a building on top of the hill (actually I'm standing on it), which has been demolished in the not too distant past, but also a few signs of other, older buildings/constructions that have fallen into decay over time, rather than through direct intervention. Something that was probably a water tank. Maybe some old fortifications - although if they were of historical military significance, they'd probably be signposted, and they weren't. The most common sign was "Don't dispose of lighted cigarette butts or firecrackers" - good advice, because in summer it would be a tinderbox.

Night at the East Railway Station

There is no risk of astronomy taking off as a hobby around this part of town. Nor does it look as though there will be any cessation of demand for Australian brown coal. This is the China Telecommunciations Bank building, viewed from the railway station forecourt. On the right edge, the Southern Electricity Board. Just behind it, the International Trade Building.

The grass between the camera and the buildings is covered with decorative strings of lights as well, just in case anybody is passing overhead.

This is taken back in the other direction, looking up to the station from the front of the bank.  Neat, hey?  The effect of the tunnel of trees up the left hand side is fantastic, and the columnary without superstructure is also stunning.   It may cost a fortune in electricity to run, and it's a hairsbreadth off tacky, but it's much more palpably  ambitious urban sculpture than typically floats around Sydney.  True, it's also a little Bladerunner-esque as well, but there's a materialistic sub-text to Bladerunner that I'm quite in sympathy with.

Winning all prizes for lighting though is the Westin, seen here reflected in the obligatory water feature.  I'm sure I'll grow out of it, but I can't resist these reflection photographs. I like that the reflection is clearer than the thing itself. I don't understand it, but there you go. It's also a puzzle that the name is so blurred, given the picture was taken with a tripod & a remote control.

Leaving the railway station but not the bank, this is Guangzhou's tallest building viewed from the sports centre side. I'm not sure quite why Amway has such a big foothold in China, but given that they have it's not a surprise that they have buckets of money to blow on advertising. It's interesting too that all the residual light from the railway square behind is invisible in the photograph. It's a tribute to the human eye really - I have a much more complex image of the shades of light in this image. If I exposed this long enough for you top see the staion glow, the fireworks would have saturated themselves out.

Even at night the haze of pollution is visible. I like this picture, but it doesn't have much story to go with it. But note the trees - they are everywhere and they really add a great feeling of comfort to the city.

More on the Botanic Gardens

This caught my eye, but I can't particularly remember for what reason. Now it just looks like a half open water lily.

This is reputedly an exemplar of the tallest tree in China - grows to 80 metres in Yunnan. That's going to be a pruning challenge in the years ahead.

I like the fact that the architects have used tree trunks as supports for the roof. It's a nice contrast with the galvanised steel girders. (behind the tree)

Cute.

This is the regional flower, but I have forgotten its latin name (must take a notebook with me next time).

Never saw a tree that wouldn't look better in a pot...actually I really like these oversized "peng zai", much more than the stereotypical Japanese ultra-small ones. It doesn't seem possible that the root system in that pot could support that tree - I wonder how long they last and how much maintenance is required?