Due to leaving my keys at home today (sigh) I get to spend some time in this park near where I live. This first picture is the view of the park from across the river. I cross this bridge to get to the park, passing kite and sugarcane sellers:
The park is full of huge bunches of bamboo and the trees flanking a little creek are full of cranes. Their cries are strange; I have never heard birds make noise like that before. It also takes me a while to figure out what is making the noise since the bamboo is so dense. They almost sound like turkeys.
There are several tea house areas in the park full of mostly older people drinking tea and playing ma jiang - in one place the tiles keep up a constant rattle. In another square dedicated to the Chinese poet Xue Tao some people are playing the erhu, and one man is practicing calligraphy.
The official translation of the park's name - River Viewing Park - is pretty bland compared to the Chinese name. The 望 wàng part is the same as the 望 in the word for hope, so it should feel more like river gazing/desiring park. There is a museum-y section in the park as well but I didn't have enough cash to buy a ticket. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of it.
This is the ear cleaning man, with his tools of the trade. (I am sorry I didn't get a better picture.) He goes to a place like a park or tea house where people are at leisure and advertises by clanging the long metal rods together.
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