Blogging by Iris
We all miss Hong Kong. Some more than others. Though we're doing our best to reserve judgment for Guangzhou overall, today was a good day--worthy of the same loving regard in which we hold all of our memories from the last 10 days.
It started, like everything else, with breakfast. We headed to a nearby Cantonese restaurant, where we enjoyed rice rolls (also known as chang fen,) picked up water bottles to last us the rest of the day, and met our bus.
We headed straight to the offices of a local environmental organization. (We have been asked to refrain from publicizing details--please forgive my vague description.) In this group, we discussed the nature of waste and the environment in Guangzhou. The organizations philosophy is that society should function not in a linear way, where resources become waste, but a circle, as it were, of renewing and replenishing the world's resources for a healthier and more sustainable humanity. To accomplish this, the group conducts research in association with the Chinese government, and executes various advocacy efforts with the general public.
After wrapping up our conversation, we had a traditional Chinese meal at a beautiful local restaurant called "Liu He Chazhu." The meal was largely vegetarian, a refreshing sight after our recent meeting with Green Monday. We enjoyed the food and the fancy red decor, and then made our way.
With some time before our appointment at the Consulate General, the group split up, some heading to the local 7/11 for well-deserved refreshments and others moving on to the nearby Hua Cheng square, which was certainly a spectacle. The square, developed in recent years, is a hot spot for high rises and new business, as well as a symbol for the development of Guangzhou. Craving air conditioning (and knowledge?) the group stepped into the Guangzhou Public Library, an architectural spectacle also built in recent years. We saw plenty of students studying for upcoming exams, a solid reminder of our plans upon return to America.
After our brief visit, we passed through security at the Consolate and into the presentation room. We heard from several Foreign Service Officers about their experiences working for the consulate, as well as their philosophy on the environment in China. The Public Relations fellow that greeted us explained, in an impressive fashion given that he had disembarked a plane from Europe 36 hours ago, that these diplomats in China have a distinct responsibility: To present "the American perspective." Which is to say, their job is not to judge the Chinese for their ways but instead to encourage international discussion of issues and overall mend what is widely considered to be "the worlds most important relationship"--the one between China and the USA.
After the talk, an FSO gave us a tour of the premises, a beautiful LEED Silver certified building equipped with a garden and several small frogs. We also got to see the artwork of the Consulate, gifted from the organization FAPE (google it, we can't.)
We had another, very spicy, Chinese dinner and then headed to the harbor for a beautiful hour-long tour of the Pearl River Delta. We enjoyed the breeze after a long day in the hot, humid weather, as well as the beautiful sights of Guangzhou.
Finally, we headed back to our hotel rooms and retired after a long day. We are healthy! Happy! Safe! Check back tomorrow for more updates.
We all miss Hong Kong. Some more than others. Though we're doing our best to reserve judgment for Guangzhou overall, today was a good day--worthy of the same loving regard in which we hold all of our memories from the last 10 days.
It started, like everything else, with breakfast. We headed to a nearby Cantonese restaurant, where we enjoyed rice rolls (also known as chang fen,) picked up water bottles to last us the rest of the day, and met our bus.
We headed straight to the offices of a local environmental organization. (We have been asked to refrain from publicizing details--please forgive my vague description.) In this group, we discussed the nature of waste and the environment in Guangzhou. The organizations philosophy is that society should function not in a linear way, where resources become waste, but a circle, as it were, of renewing and replenishing the world's resources for a healthier and more sustainable humanity. To accomplish this, the group conducts research in association with the Chinese government, and executes various advocacy efforts with the general public.
After wrapping up our conversation, we had a traditional Chinese meal at a beautiful local restaurant called "Liu He Chazhu." The meal was largely vegetarian, a refreshing sight after our recent meeting with Green Monday. We enjoyed the food and the fancy red decor, and then made our way.
With some time before our appointment at the Consulate General, the group split up, some heading to the local 7/11 for well-deserved refreshments and others moving on to the nearby Hua Cheng square, which was certainly a spectacle. The square, developed in recent years, is a hot spot for high rises and new business, as well as a symbol for the development of Guangzhou. Craving air conditioning (and knowledge?) the group stepped into the Guangzhou Public Library, an architectural spectacle also built in recent years. We saw plenty of students studying for upcoming exams, a solid reminder of our plans upon return to America.
After our brief visit, we passed through security at the Consolate and into the presentation room. We heard from several Foreign Service Officers about their experiences working for the consulate, as well as their philosophy on the environment in China. The Public Relations fellow that greeted us explained, in an impressive fashion given that he had disembarked a plane from Europe 36 hours ago, that these diplomats in China have a distinct responsibility: To present "the American perspective." Which is to say, their job is not to judge the Chinese for their ways but instead to encourage international discussion of issues and overall mend what is widely considered to be "the worlds most important relationship"--the one between China and the USA.
After the talk, an FSO gave us a tour of the premises, a beautiful LEED Silver certified building equipped with a garden and several small frogs. We also got to see the artwork of the Consulate, gifted from the organization FAPE (google it, we can't.)
We had another, very spicy, Chinese dinner and then headed to the harbor for a beautiful hour-long tour of the Pearl River Delta. We enjoyed the breeze after a long day in the hot, humid weather, as well as the beautiful sights of Guangzhou.
Finally, we headed back to our hotel rooms and retired after a long day. We are healthy! Happy! Safe! Check back tomorrow for more updates.