Photoblog

Last month, we had a great trip to China, so we finally can compare this country with Japan that we visited 2 years ago. The structure of the two trips was quite similar: in Japan we visited Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and had few days in a beautiful natural surrounding, around Fuji mountain. While, in China we covered the famous triangle: Shanghai, Beijing and Xi’an and we spent few days in a really amazing area in Guangxi region. So, how was our travel experiences and how the two trips compare to each other?  And more important, what is our impression about the two countries in the light of those trips: Planning easiness: Both counties are fairly easy to plan. There are lots of information in English about both of them as they are quite popular for travelers. The regular photography websites that we used as source for our location scouting has lots of images from both countries, so we had no issue to have a large amount of locations to visit and photograph in both of the trips....

About Muslim quarter As the name implies, the Xi’an Muslim quarter is the area were the Muslim community of Xi’an is concentrated. It is located just north of the Drum Tower in the city center; the quarter covers several blocks and it is inhabited by over 20,000 Muslims. There are about 10 mosques in this area with Great Mosque in the Huajue Lane being the most famous and popular. But the area is not so popular among the tourists because it is the hub of the Chinese Muslim community in Xi’an, but because is a well known food and souvenir market. The main street, Beiyuanmen Muslim Street, about 500m long, is a really charming place; the street paved with dark colour stone has restaurants, stores and stands on both sides and all the owners are Muslim. A bit of history: In the old days, Beiyuanmen Muslim Street was the place for diplomats and merchants. Gradually, the population increase and the descendants of those immigrants are the today inhabitants...

What is Bund? The Bund or Waitan is a waterfront in central Shanghai and the one of the most famous touristic area of the city. Bund runs along the western bank of the Huangpu River in the eastern part of Huangpu District, from Yan’an Road (formerly Edward VII Avenue) in the south to Waibaidu Bridge (formerly Garden Bridge). Facts: The area along the river faces the modern architecture of Lujiazui in the Pudong District; making it one the most photographed vistas in China. The word “Bund” means an embankment or an embanked quay. The word originated from Persian word band, through Hindustani, having the meaning of embankment, levee or dam. There are various “bunds” in east Asia, probably named after the bunds/levees in Baghdad along the Tigris; the Baghdadi Jews, like the famous Sassoon family, might have given the name. This family immigrated and settled their businesses in Shanghai  and other port cities in east Asia in the 19th century. Lujiazu...

  The Great Wall of China is one of the most impressive defensive architecture in the world. A bit of History: The Great Wall of China is one of the modern wonders of the world. It consists of a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials. It is built along the east-to-west line across the northern borders of China, from Dandong in the east, to Lop Lake in the west, roughly along the southern border of Inner Mongolia region. The main purpose was to protect the empire against the raids and invasions of the mongols and other nomadic groups that inhabited the Eurasian Steppe. The construction started as early as the 7th century BC with few walls. Later, the isolated pieces are linked together, making it stronger into what now we know and call the Great Wall. Important enhancement of the wall happened during the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, but little of his construction work is still visible. The wall ha...

Our first interaction with rural Gunagxi was an afternoon in a small village were we photographed a buffalo farmer. The village was just in the middle of rice harvesting and the roads were covered by freshly collected rice, drying out in the sun. We were surprised to see people, animals and cars walking and riding over the rice. Everybody was happy, collecting the food that will help them to survive during winter. A collective effort that will end up with many bags of rice in the village granary. It was a hot afternoon, with clear sky over the surrounding karst mountains. Our models were waiting for us, by the road. The female buffalo was still covered with a thick layer of mud; she was a bit annoyed that her afternoon siesta in the swamp was interrupted. The owner, a stocky man was dragging her by a rope. The rope, passed through the nose of the buffalo, gives the mean of control to the farmer over the strong animal. For the next hour, the farm...

  Some of the best photographic opportunities come unexpectedly. After a brilliant sunrise at XiangGong Hill, the guide asked us if we mind an hour break in a small village close by. Him and the driver were willing to have a breakfast and he offered us to either joined them or have a walk in the local farmers market. Being Sunday people were gathered from surroundings to sell all kind of merchandise, fruits, vegetables, meat, live animals and various snacks. We decided right away to use this opportunity to explore something that we could not have a chance otherwise; normally a farmers market in a touristic brochure is a place crowded with tourists, selling overpriced merchandise, together with souvenirs. So seing a genuine local farmers market seemed like a great opportunity. The guide told us that people might get annoyed by us taking their pictures; and that we should take good care of our belongings. We experiences the local ‘dangers’ few minutes later: a totally ...