Mar 27th-Xiamen, China

Traditional GuLangYu Puppets

Xiamen is a seaport south of Shanghai and by China's standards a small city....1.5 million people. It was named an "economic enterprise zone" by the Chinese government in the late 1990's and it has attracted international growth and development. Did you know that over half the world's building cranes are operating in China presently...their presence is obvious in Xiamen (pronounced "chai-men" or by some "sal-mon"...this dual acceptance of pronounciation adds to the confusion, sometimes I think, purposively, for foreigners!) In any case, Xiamen is a growing city of high-rise condominiums. It has a charming little beach island by five minute ferry in its harbor named: GuLangYu or "Piano Island" for its famed music school. We were fortunate enough to have an island tour and be presented with a traditional musical puppet show, then a western classical piano and cello concert...The smiles were more evident here among the local population....kind of like being at the Jersey shore!!!


Traditional wedding couple