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.