Amoy Wanderings

For my birthday this year, Sandy and Emily decided to take me to an old fishing village near the ocean for the purpose of shooting photos. It was a wonderfully relaxing evening which began with some beautiful seascapes. Sandy and Emily also posed some for me to let me work on portraits. There were several wedding shoots in the area (a very popular spot for them) and we even were treated to some beach musicians. As night came on, we wend to the fishing village, which actually is more of a night market/tourist trap. The vendors were pushy and loud (so my headphones were fully engaged), but I was pleasantly surprised by some of the unusual architecture. It was definitely worth the visit, and I wish I had more time  to explore and experiment, but the girls weren't feeling the best and the noise was annoying. As to the photos, yes, that is a roasted pig (sans head). I also really enjoyed finding a cat who posed for me. We end...

A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to visit the famous tulous (pronounced two lows ) of Fujian province. The name Tulou literally means earth wall which is what these structures are. They are circular buildings made of packed mud and bamboo which house small communities with the largest accommodating around 2,000 people. These structures were designed to be a fortress against marauding bandits (which they were) while allowing the community to live inside not inconvenienced by the closing of the compound. Additionally, the structure is said to keep the dwellings cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. It was quite the cultural experience and our first time out in the countryside. There are many different places where one can see tulous, but this is probably the most popular site for our area. This particular place is referred to as "four dishes and a soup" with the four tulous being the dishes and the square building being the soup. The tulous represe...