User:Daduzi~commonswiki/gallery

China

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  This picture was taken in a cafe in a park near Yuyuan Gardens, Shanghai (I'd left to escape the horrendous crowds). I'd only recently arived in China and asked for a tea and this is what I received. Looking as it did like something taken from the sea I felt it warranted a photograph. It tasted lovely, though.
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  A truck laden down with products to be recycled travels along a highway in Shanghai.
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  The sun sets over the East China Sea. Taken on the ferry from Shanghai to Dalian.

Dalian

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  Zhongshan square is the main square in the financial district of Dalian, and is surrounded by many banks. The Bank of China, probably the most striking of all of them, was built in 1907 and originally played host to the Yokohama Shokin Bank. In the foreground you can just make out some teenagers playing hacky sack, a common pasttime of people in the square.
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  Dalian is the main port for North East China, and is the 3rd largest port in the whole of China. Here you can see a number of the harbour crains in action and behind them the skyline of Dalian proper.
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  The Dalian Hotel, off Zhongshan Square, is the oldest hotel in Dalian, dating from 1911. The hotel itself was built by the Japanese, though the large screen television on top is very much a Chinese addition.
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  I've called this street electronics street, though in reality it hosts a wide range of shops, stocking all manner of electronic and mechanical goods and parts. Located just next to Victory Square in the centre of town.
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  Friendship Square (友好广场), situated in the centre of Dalian between Victory Square and Zhangshan Square, is surrounded by a number of cinemas and restaurants. In the background is a Russian style building that played host to a number of short-lived western restaurants. The ball in the middle symbolises something or other, possibly golf.
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  One of Dalian's modern trams (line 201) runs along the tracks near Xinghai Square.
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  A group of fresmen students, in uniform, return from their military training session at Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China, while sophomore students in track suits return from their PE lessons. All freshmen students in Chinese universities must undergo a minimum of two weeks military training when they begin, a policy implemented as a response to the student protests that culminated with the Tiananmen Square massacre.
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  Students await inspection in their school yard, in Dalian, China. The tall building in the background is the CNC Telecom building.
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  The skyline of Dalian, as seen fro Lushan Hill. Labour Park with it's oversized football and ferris wheel can be seen in the foreground.
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  One of the many skyscrapers in Dalian, as seen from an underpass underneath Zhongshan Road.
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  The main path of the north campus of Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China, taken just as the students were returning from lunch at the canteen.

Beijing

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  St. Joseph's Cathedral (东堂) has had a pretty eventful history. It was built on donated ground by Jesuits in 1655, toppled by an earthquake in 1720, gutted by fire and then demoloished in 1812, rebuilt in 1860 and then set fire to again during the Boxer rebellion. Now its grounds are mostly used by skateboarders, though services are also held. The hotel behind, with it's pseudo-traditional roof, presents an interesting architectural contrast.
• From left to right: Marx, Lenin, Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, the four leaders of Chinese communism.
  From left to right: Marx, Lenin, Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, the four leaders of Chinese communism.
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  A shot of the main court of the Forbidden City during a particularly cold winter (I believe it was down to -30 centigrade with the wind chill).
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  The Monument to the Revolutionary Martyrs casts a long shadow, Tiananmen Square, Beijing.
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  The northern wall of the Forbidden City, Beijing.
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  Red lanterns are hung from the trees during the Chinese New Year celebrations in Ditan Park (site of the old Temple of Earth) in Beijing.
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  A group of restaurant workers have a game of tug of war in Beijing, chefs vs. waiters. The chefs won.
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  A group of statues stand in the yard of an artist's workshop in the vicinity of the 798 art factory, Beijing, home to many of the city's young artists. The poses of the statues suggest some kind of bizarre relationship.
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  People walk across the frozen Kunming Lake while snow falls at the Summer Palace, Beijing
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  The sun sets over the north wall of the Forbidden City, Beijing.
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  Groups of people wander around Tiananmen Square in the late afternoon.
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  A statue of a turtle with snow on it's back in the Forbidden City, Beijing.
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  Tiananmen gate as seen through trees in front of the Museum of Chinese History, Beijing.
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  A view over the Forbidden City, Beijing, taken from the hill in Jingshan Park to the north of the palace complex.

Shanghai

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  I took this picture because I like the way it illustrates three different ages of China: the traditional (the mock-Qing dynasty building on the right), the colonial (the building on the left) and the modern (the KFC sign in the bottom left hand corner). Taken just outside Yuyuan gardens, Shanghai.
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  Taken from inside the cafeteria in the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall.
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  A freight vessel sails along the Hunagpu River, with the colonial buildings of the Bund, interspersed with modern skyscrapers, in the background.
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  The church in the picture is Mu'en Protestant Church, built in 1887. I found the contrast between the two buildings interesting, hence the photograph.
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  A group of Chinese cadets return to Luijiazui metro station after a visit to the Jin Mao tower, the tallest tower in the People's Republic of China and fifth tallest in the world.
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  People's Park with skyscrapers in the background, Shanghai.
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  A cluster of skyscrapers stand together in the Pudong New Area, home of most of the newest buildings in Shanghai.
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  A view along the Bund from a highway overpass, Shanghai.
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  The Yuyuan Gardens in Shanghai, crowded as usual.

Jia Ding

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  This bank, in a mock colonial style, is on one of the main streets in Jia Ding, a district in the west of Shanghai. The mock colonial style even extends to the traditional lion statues, often seen outside Chinese buildings as they are thought to bring good fortune, which are of a western, rather than Chinese, type.
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  These quaint, slightly dilapidated buildings in Jai Ding (a western district of Shanghai) next to an old canal, present an intresting contrast to the rest of the ultra-modern city.
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  The buildings to the left, as well as the somewhat run-down boat, present a stark contrast to the modern high-rise buildings behind.The land to the right of the canal had been levelled ready for development, suggesting these buildings would not remain for that much longer.

Zhou Zhuang

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  Tourists cross a bridge in Chengxu temple, Zhou Zhuang, China.
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  Quanfu Bridge is the largest of the many bridges in the ancient canal town of Zhou Zhuang, Jiangsu Province, China. In the foreground a group of Chinese boatmen can be seen having lunch in their boat.

Hong Kong

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  Skyscrapers clustered together in Central, Hong Kong.
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  Buses like these are a common sight in Hong Kong, and testify to the city's British past. Nathan Road is one of the busiest roads in Kowloon and is host to hundreds of shops, bars and restaurants, and a near endless stream of Indian curry restaurant touts.
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  Legions of Fillipino maids gather in Statue Square on Sundays when they have the day off. Here they can be seen underneath the Bank of China tower.
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  A view of the skyline of Hong Kong island at night, taken from Victoria Peak
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  An aerial view of Hong Kong, taken from my sister's dormitory building at the City University of Hong Kong. Most of the buildings in this part of Kowloon are squat, unlike the skyscrapers in the rest of the district, since they used to be along the flight path towards the old Hong Kong airport.
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  One Peking Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong.
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  The world famous Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong.
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  The tower of Saint John's Anglican Cathedral stands somewhat overwhelmed when set against the skyscrapers of Central in Hong Kong.
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  Buildings cluste along the slopes of Victoria Peak, Hong Kong. The tower of Saint John's Cathedral can be seen among them.

Xi'an

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  AK 47 are a Chinese rock band, who play industrial music very much in the style of Nine Inch Nails. They famously dress up in Red Guard uniforms when playing. This was the first time I saw them play, supporting the heavy metal band Tang Dynasty at a mini-festival in Xi'an on May Day.
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  This was one of the very few noticably Islamic items at the Great Mosque, the rest of the Mosque being very similar in style to most Chinese Buddhist or Daoist temples.
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  The Great Mosque in Xi'an is probably the most famous mosque in China, and certainly one of the oldest (though reconstructed several times later). The building style is that of a slightly Islamicised Chinese temple, as these arches exmplify.
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  A group of school children practice martial arts formation under the watch of their somewhat stern, matronly teacher in the Great Mosque, Xi'an
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  Groups gather to fly kites next to the ancient Bell Tower in the centre of Xi'an
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  A McDonald's sign overshadows the ancient Bell Tower in the centre of Xi'an.
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  Trees reflect of the glass canopy of one of the burial chambers in the courtyard of the Terracotta Warriors Musem, Xi'an.
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  A stone warrior stands in a glass display case in the Terracotta Warriors museum, Xi'an
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  A group of musicians play traditional Chinese instruments on a street in Xi'an.
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  The Drum Tower in Xi'an marks the start of the Muslim district, home of many street food vendors (amongst other things). These vendors, just outside of the district proper, were selling migao, deep-fried rice cakes with a sweet rose-water filling.
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  The godfathers of Chinese heavy metal, Tang Dynasty, play at a mini-festival on May Day in Xi'an.
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  A woman does her laundry under the ancient walls of Xi'an

Chengdu

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  Cyclists pass by a flower bed in People's Square, Chengdu.
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  Worshippers offer up paper sacrifice money at the Wenshu Buddhist temple, Chengdu.
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  Temporary illuminations along Nanjing Street, the main shopping street in Chengdu.
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  Mao Zedong with raised arm looms over the locals in People's Square, Chengdu.

Warsaw

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  Back streets like these really show how old the Old Town in Warsaw feels, even though it's only 50 years old (the original having been completely destroyed by the Germans in World War 2).
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  A man dressed in a suit of armour takes time out from his work to have a cigarette break under the rear gate of the Old Town, Warsaw.
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  The Palace of Science and Culture, Warsaw, as seen from the main railway station.
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  The Palace of Science and Culture, Warsaw. Image has been adjusted slightly using Photoshop to lighten the building.
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  A large number of police march past a park in central Warsaw.
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  The Siren Statue in the centre of the Old Town, Warsaw, taken at night. The statue depicts a mermaid, the legendary defender of the city, with a raised sword and shield.
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  A statue of Copernicus stands outside the Polish Academy of Sciences.
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  Warsaw looking deceptively green, with the towers of St. Stanislaus Church in the background. Taken from the west bank of the Vistula.

Prague

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  The astronomical Clock tower, Prague
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  The Lennon Wall in Prague was a focus for anti-Communist sentiment during the 1980s in Prague. Starting as a single painting of a mock grave for John Lennon after his death in 1980, the Wall became a location for art and writing opposing the state. Police would regularly whitewash over the graffiti, only for new graffiti to quickly be put up in its place. Today the wall is mostly a combination of love messages, exhortations to peace and running football disputes, though the image of John Lennon remains a constant.
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  An old waterwhell by the side of a canal in central Prague.
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  Built in the 15th century (at the site of an older 11th century gate, one of the original 13 gates of the old walled city), the Powder Gate in Prague is so named because it was used to hold gunpowder in the 17th century.

Vienna

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  A close up view of some of the stunningly detailed sculptures that make up the Pallas Athena fountain, Vienna.
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  A rather striking college in Vienna, situated near the north bank of the Donnaukanal.
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  The 18th century Peter's Church, Vienna, in its somewhat claustrophobic setting.
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  Patrons sit at a terrace cafe in front of one of the many fountains in Vienna.
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  The rear of the town hall in Vienna, almost as impressive as the front.

Munich

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  This beer garden is a popular place for lunch with both tourists and locals in Munich. If you sit at one of the tables with a table cloth you have to order food from the beer garden itself, while if you take one of the bare tables you can bring your own food bought from any of the many stalls.
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  A group of people hang out next to a fountain in front of the central courthouse, Munich.
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  An old building on the banks of the Iskar acts as a haven for loval graffiti artists.
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  The River Isar flows under a bridge in the centre of Munich.
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  The Viktuals Market in Munich plays host to a large number of stalls selling all kinds of foodstuffs, both exotic and home grown. A number of the old buildings of central Munich can be seen in the background.
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  A terrace cafe in Marienplatz, Munich, underneath the city's famous town hall.

Paris

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  The grave of a former commander of the Serbian Royal Guard and chief of the Royal Palace Police who died in Paris in exile, presumably after the fall of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
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  Shakespeare and Company, founded in 1951, is an English language bookstore in the Latin Quarter on the Left Bank of the Seine. It captures the spirit of the area by being highly unorthodoxly run, with the owner often allowing hard up writers (real or aspiring) to stay in the shop. While I was browsing a violonist began an impromtu concert on the pavement outside, drawing the attention of both passers by and residents.
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  In the midst of all the great and good of Chinese society buried in Père-Lachaise cemetary was this small, well maintained, grave of a Chinese couple, testiment to the Chinese community of Paris.
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  Chopin's Grave, Père-Lachaise cemetary. A number of Polish flags and tributes can be seen adorning the grave.
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  Marcel Proust's grave, Père-Lachaise cemetary.
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  A rear view of Notre Dame cathedral, Paris.
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  A view of Pont Neuf from the right bank of the Seine.
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  The stunning town hall of Compiègne, a town most famous for being the location of the signing of the armistices between France and Germany in both the first and second world wars.
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  Inside the Columbarium of Père-Lachaise cemetary are walls which conceal the ashes of those who were cremated there. As in the cemetary proper the Columbarium plays host to many famous individuals, including Jean Moulin, Maria Callas, Isadora Duncan and Stephane Grappelli.

Maps and other things

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  Map of the ITV regions (2006), using old names.
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  An empty football pitch (not to exact proportions) with grass texture.
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  An empty football pitch (not to exact proportions) with grass texture. This version is lightened from the original for use as a background.