black and white Wednesday ~ China on my mind

You know, China is always with me...and in my thoughts often.
 Right now I'm reminded of it because this is the time of year we traveled for both of our adoptions.
We were there in very late August - early Sept. of 2003 and late July of 2008.

 For Black and White Wednesday,
 I decided to choose pictures from both trips and write some of my impressions
about this country that means so much to me.

Summers are hot and extremely humid.

Grace was born in Jiangxi Province and it's known as 'the oven of China.'

I couldn't agree more. :)

China's culture is one of old ways intersecting with modern or new ways.

Cities with so many cars, trucks, bikes, motorcycles and buses all traveling somewhere.
And crazy drivers.

(Pudong District skyline on Huangpu River in Shanghai)

It is huge modern cities, like Beijing,
Shanghai and Guangzhou with so much new construction and cranes building high rise buildings.
It is opulent wealth and abject poverty.

(Boats on the Yangtze River)

It is the famous Yellow and Yangtze Rivers.

It is a countryside so beautiful and lush with mountains like

I've never seen anywhere.

(Tengwang Pavillion, Nanchang)

It is tea and it's beautiful ceremony.

It is delicious food and some exotic,
unusual delicacies that I was a little afraid to try.

(Though my husband did)

(Green walkway to pagoda in Fuzhou City, Fujian Province)

It is noisy, congested streets,
and the serenity and peace of a nearby temple or one of it's beautiful parks.

It is colorful art and clothing, beautiful music and architecture.
It is the color of red...and it's everywhere.

It is an old pagoda next to a new skyscraper.

It is bikes...many bikes.

It is shopping and stores,
many Western ones like Walmart and others.

It is huge signs and advertising everywhere.

It is bartering to buy something wonderful.

(Fuzhou City, Fujian Province)

It is the lion,

the dragon and the phoenix.

It is Buddha.

It is many, many people.

It is family... Moms and Dads with children, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Brothers and Sisters.

It is minimal personal space when you are out in a bus or public place.

Sometimes people stare because they are curious about where you are from.

It is thousands of years of history and tradition colliding

 with a new China wanting to be accepted and part of this world.

(Shamian Island, Guangzhou)

And finally this rich,
vibrant country of China is the birth place of my two youngest children.

I thank God and China every day for this gift.
 One I can never repay other than to honor their birth place and people.
I tell my children I'm Chinese too, because my heart is.

And I can't wait to return someday.

It's Wednesday, so hop on over to The Long Road to China to see many more black and white pictures...