China

Bakerlite.co.uk

In March 2008 I had the opportunity to visit China as a video lighting 'consultant'. Sounds quite grand and I guess I do have problems accepting that I am an expert in anything, but, at the end of the day, I do have many years experience in lighting for TV and that can't be taken away from me.

So, I was given all the travel stuff that I needed to get to Yuyao, a provincial city south of Shanghai where I was to be met by the business partner of my UK contact whose company had manufacturing facilities there.

It was a long journey, almost 24 hours from leaving home to arriving at the hotel what with a flight change in China from Beijing to Yuyao.

When we arrived, it was getting dark so, surprise, surprise I was out with my camera.		here is a view through the hotel fountains and a large inflatable arch towards the river.		just a few paces on through the 'square window' (with apologies to Jackanory)
	Lasers were panning their green beams out from the hill in the centre of town (city?)			The wind was blowing these willow trees!
I wonder if this light display happens every night.
	Looking back towards my hotel on the right. Some 18 floors.		Even the lights at the top of the hotel change colour. A la Empire State Building.
But it's the tricycles that fascinated me most. There are many of these pedal powered rickshaws touting for business around the clock. They are very popular and I saw all manner of people using them to get around the city.			Just a few hundred metres away, a classic Chinese building beautifully lit up.
	This is the centre of the old part of the city. The lights reflecting rather splendidly off the river.
The following morning, I awaken to the sound of fireworks, which is a change from Cock a doodle doo or church bells in the UK.			As I wait for my lift, tricycles rush silently by with their passengers or not, as the case may be.
	For some strange reason which I never did quite fathom, a huge inflatable semi circle of coloured plastic stood in front of my hotel for most of my stay.		To say nothing of some very Chinese balloons tethered to a high point of the hotel.
	Traffic in Yuyao can best be described as 'interesting'.		There are several Western style department stores, escalators et al. My hotel looks huge from here.
Next, I take a gentle climb up the hill. there's a small zoo, some pleasant sitting areas and a Pagoda or three.			On the way up I spot a small child practising her dance routine as her father takes a breather. A mixture of oldish and newish architecture.