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Some images - just passing through on my way to/from the U.S.

珠江 = Zhujiang = Pearl River Doug's pictures and write-up are here - Preliminarily Approved, CCP Overcome, CITIC, CGI Stanley, UID number The cab drivers were ALL over reminding my wife to buckle her seat belt while riding in the front - there is a ¥200 fine in effect. Even so, the subway will take you just about anywhere you want to go - more on that in another topic. We took a dry run on Sunday afternoon before my appointment on Monday for a passport renewal - to make sure we could get there, and to also take a walk around the Flower City Square (WELL worth the trip in itself). This is the view of the consulate from the B1 exit of the Zhujiang New Town subway station - either Line 3 or Line 5 will get you there. A view to the west down Huali Ave., on the North side of the compound. There are several restaurants and coffee shops - and the Yang's hotel - within a couple of blocks this way. A couple of the restaurants have already closed, but others are apparently doing well. The kiosk on the right will keep your "valuables" for you if you forget to leave your cell phone, camera, etc., back at the hotel. The smallish building in front is for security checks only - the larger building behind it is the "Great Hall", where all the processing takes place. These are the only two buildings really visible from the street - the others are behind a fairly massive wall.

There was a group of photographers in the park yesterday, along with the usual wedding photographers. They apparently take day trips around Yulin for picture taking. They have a few models with them this time. I felt a little out-gunned with only my little pocket Panasonic camera with me. a little impromptu front-end alignment

This is a tutorial for those who may be technically challenged or intimidated when attempting to incorporate pictures into a post. This tutorial assumes that the picture is already on the Internet, NOT on your hard drive - it must first be uploaded, either to the CFL Gallery (see How to Upload Pictures to the CFL Gallery), or to a picture uploading site, such as http://tinypic.com/, or http://s1232.photobucket.com/, or even Facebook. Follow the instructions on those sites if you wish to upload your photos there. NOTE (7/14/2017) - Photobucket no longer allows 3rd party hosting. https://imgsafe.org/is a good alternative NOTE 2019 - Photobucket again supports 3rd party hosting, but watermarked for their free accounts The first thing to do is to find the picture on the Internet with your browser. If it's in the CFL Gallery, you can click on the image to get a larger version.

The CFL board software allows members to share pictures with others in two ways: 1) the CFL Gallery allows members to post pictures which may be of interest to others. The Gallery has a link on the top of every page, or click here - Gallery Instructions on how to upload pictures to the Gallery are in the thread How to Upload Pictures to the CFL Gallery 2) Images may be incorporated into posts. The image must have a URL, that is, it must already be on the Internet somewhere (NOT on your hard drive), including those which are in the CFL Gallery. Instructions on how to post pictures are in the thread How to Post Pictures on Candle . A third type of picture which may be uploaded is the AVATAR, the thumbnail-sized picture which accompanies each of your posts on CFL.

This is a tutorial for those who may be technically challenged or intimidated when uploading pictures of interest to other CFL members. Each member may post (and keep) pictures to the CFL Gallery which may be of interest to other members. To get to the CFL Gallery, click on your member name in the upper right corner of the screen. Then click on 'My Gallery', which will bring you to a screen showing any albums you have have uploaded previously. To upload a new album, or add to an existing one, click on 'Upload' on the right side of the screen. Step 1 is 'Upload New Media'. Click on 'Create New Album'

The other day, I went off on my bicycle in search of a little area near Yulin labeled on Google maps as 古城(Ancient City). The entire trip was about 32 km, and took around 3 hours. https://www.google.com/maps/@22.6500242,110.2406644,14z?hl=en

This area to the east of town looks very interesting, with lots of little roads and villages to explore

Beijing From Above, and The Story of How I Was Detained by the Police because of my DJI Quadcopter (link to YouTube) link to the story here - http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2014/06/19/dji-quadcopter-china-detention

Longevity village faces short-sighted tourist boom "The author is a reporter with the Global Times."

This couple was caught behind a tree Still kicking

15 km there and back, today

Seems like another version of Qing Ming, to me. We visited Jiaying's ma-ternal grandmother's last residence and burial ground (nearby), and cleaned it up just like for her pa-ternal ancestors on Qing Ming. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chongyang_Festival Her ma-ternal grandmother, Jiaying tells me, was more of a peasant type, needed to work in the field, and so didn't have to endure the foot binding that her pa-ternal grandmother did. Jiaying spent her first seven years on this property, before she went to attend school in Yulin. The building she lived in is no longer there - after a couple of deaths in the family (a 24 year-old uncle, and a 10 year-old son of another uncle), she (the grandmother) moved to this smaller building next to the old one. Some of our relatives on that side. Notice the water pump. It still looks functional, but un-primed. The old house was off to the right in this picture. An idyllic scene nearby. Lots of hibiscus flowers nearby

. . . and some kinda boring, from the People's Daily China's weekly story (2013 6.22-6.28)

We took a bus trip to Hainan this week. On the way back, the bus turns off the frreeway near a little one-intersection town where the road is chewed up for repairs. The speed is about 5 mph. Three boys on a motorcycle come up behind the bus and pull off the license plate, offering it for sale back to the driver for ¥200 (about $30). One of them saw me taking pictures and asked to see the camera, with his buddies joining in. I politely didn't laugh, and didn't move. Once in town, there's a police checkpoint, where, they made us stop and put the plate back on. No corruption involved (I don't think) - this was just 3 kids on a motorcycle. The police were checking papers and licenses. Police don't investigate much of anything. The solution is to make sure your plate is securely fastened. This plate had the round-head screws, but was only mounted with sheet metal screws into fiberglass.

I just went and filed my i-130 in Guangzhou (that is, DCF) last week. Here is my description of the process, with pictures. (Since there are too many pictures here, some have been converted into links, which you can click on to see the pictures.) I stayed at Yang's, for more information on which you can also see these posts: http://candleforlove...sulate-complex/ http://candleforlove...y-in-guangzhou/ Thursday (4/26/2012) -- Arriving, locating Yang's and consulate I arrive in Guangzhou airport (domestic arrivals). Exit baggage claim and turn right, go to the escalator by door B6£¨6ºÅÃÅ£©(may have to exit and re-enter the building) and go downstairs. Follow the signs for the 'metro' (µØÌú). (Finding the metro inside the airport) To go to the consulate (or to Yang's), buy a token to Linhexi (ÁÖºÍÎ÷) -- which is on Line 3, the same one that leaves from the airport -- for 7 yuan, enter by swiping the token, and board the train (toward Tiyu Xilu ÌåÓýÎ÷·). Get off at Linhexi (ÁÖºÍÎ÷). Deposit the token to exit. (Linhexi metro station Exit C) The most straightforward way to get to the consulate (and to Yang's) is to go out Exit C from the metro station, turn right coming out of the exit (onto Tianhe Beilu ÌìºÓ±±Â·), pass Citic Plaza, and take the first left, onto Linhe Zhonglu (ÁÖºÍÖз). (Going past Citic Plaza on Tianhe Beilu) (The Linhe Zhonglu intersection, where you turn left.) Go up Linhe Zhonglu ÁÖºÍÖз for a couple blocks, crossing Linle (ÁÖÀÖ) Street and going by the Westin hotel; the embassy is not marked in any way except for the address number (136), but it's on the right, just before the IKEA. (Going past the Westin hotel on Linhe Zhonglu) (The intersection with the IKEA, which is where you turn right if you're going to Yang's, and means you've just passed the Consulate (if you're coming from the Linhexi station like me).) Yang's is just around the corner (turn right in front of the IKEA). I just called Yang's wife when I arrived at that street corner, since I hadn't had the forethought to figure out the address more specifically before arriving, but she came right out and met me, and took me in. She speaks decent English; I don't think her husband does, or at least he spoke to me in Chinese. (Yang's: 140 Linhe Zhonglu) (The street names are kind of ridiculous, by the way, in that you go up Linhe Zhonglu, and turn right, and you're still on Linhe Zhonglu, but the address numbers continue to increase accordingly. The metro Line 3 is also a bit weird in that it splits in two at Tiyu Xilu (ÌåÓýÎ÷·) so if you're going through that stop you may have to switch trains there to stay on the same line, or to make sure you're on the correct branch of the fork.) (The metro plan.) It's just an apartment building. Their address is 140 Linhe Zhonglu, apartment 2903£¨ÁÖºÍÖз140ºÅ2903·¿), which is (as you would expect) on the 29th floor, so you could probably just go straight there for check-in, or if you need to talk to them for anything else. But I didn't actually go there (until the next day), because, like I said, she came outside and met me. So then we just went to the room that I was renting; she took me up to the right floor and showed me into the room and gave me the keys. It's basically just one of these shared £¨ºÏ×â) Chinese apartments, I just had a very small private bedroom (with lock); the bathroom (and a small common area with little couches) was shared with the other four people staying in the unit. Which I wasn't expecting, but turned out to be an advantage rather than a disadvantage. (Yang's apartment: 2903) The place itself was alright; kinda dingy; about what you'd expect by Chinese standards (although maybe for half the price if it wasn't right in the same complex as the consulate). I did see several little cockroaches, but the little ones aren't so bad, right? By the way, I paid 180 RMB for a very small, closet-like room; the other people sharing the flat that I talked to had paid 188 for a slightly larger room, or 200 for a two-bed room. There was no wi-fi in the apartment I was in. (I get the impression that they have access to a variety of apartments around there, and put people wherever they can, depending on how many people there are.) There are other places to stay very nearby, which advertise cheaper rates, but may not speak English or know anything about the visa process, or whatever. I heard lots of people asking them questions and getting knowledgeable answers. Yang also helped me put money on my phone, which I needed. (Yang at his desk) So the good thing about staying here, and even about sharing a little apartment like this, is being able to talk to other people who are also staying here because they're applying for visas and stuff, and to be able to head to the consulate together, etc. Which takes us to... Friday (4/27/2012) -- DCF We arrived at the consulate at about 7:30 AM. It's just around the corner from Yang's, maybe a one or two minute walk. The entrance to the consulate's building is at 136 Linhe Zhonglu (ÁÖºÍÖз136ºÅ). (The entrance to the building the consulate is in) When I got there, there were huge lines of people waiting outside the doors, and they had just started letting them in at 7:30. They seemed to be mostly people applying for non-immigrant visas, and they were lined up according to the time of their appointment. The door, however, is open, and you can just waltz right in. Those other people have to wait outside to get their appointment ticket, without which they won't be able to be seen. But since I'm not going to the same section, and in any case I don't have an appointment (and indeed can't make one; they only see people from 8:30 to 10:30 AM on Fridays), I don't need to wait in these lines outside here, and you don't either. (The consulate's address number: 136) So anyway, you can just walk straight into the building. The consulate itself is on the 5th floor, so go up the escalators on the left after you walk in the door. The first floor is the lobby you enter in; the second floor is a balcony overlooking the lobby; the third floor is just another opportunity to go up another escalator. When you get to the fourth floor, there are two lines of people waiting to be let through (although it may be hard to tell, since the space is small and it kind of just looks like a huge crowded mass). Most of the mass is the line on the right, which is made up of the same Chinese people who were just waiting downstairs outside the building; they make a huge long line, at times snaking down the hall and around the corner (but it moves quickly once they start letting people through). In any case, you don't need to wait with them. The other line, which is the one on the left, is the one you want, and it won't start letting anybody through until 8:30 (Waiting on the fourth floor to be let through.) Like I said, I got there at a little after 7:30. To be honest, there's probably little reason to go so early, at least with the security trick I'll tell you in a minute. You can go line up, but they won't start letting through in until 8:30 (in contrast to the hordes of Chinese people going to the consulate for visa interviews, who began at 7:30). When I first found my way up to the third floor waiting area, there were about 7-8 people in line already. I went out and walked around and surveyed the premises, and didn't actually come back and get in line until about 8:00, at which time there were 15 people ahead of me. After another 20 minutes, there were another 7-8 people behind me, and at 8:30 when they opened the gate to start letting us in, there were a total of about 25 people in line. It's not really a huge number, but we're all waiting for just two workers to see us all when the time comes, and of course they supposedly close at 10:30 -- although I assume as long as you get in before that time, they would still see you sometime during the day (but that's just a complete guess on my part, and better safe than sorry, you might as well go early.) After they start letting people through at 8:30, they just check your passport (and in at least some cases ask you what your business is; I said file an i-130 at USCIS) and let you go upstairs to the fifth floor itself, where you then have to wait in line to go through security. Except you don't. The officer who let me through on the fourth floor (and who I told I was going to see CIS) told me when I got upstairs I should turn right. All the signage also says for USCIS you should turn right at the top of the stairs. (Signage indicating you should turn right.) Here's the security trick: Don't turn right. That would put you in the same security line as all the Chinese people, and it'd be a long wait, maybe over half an hour depending on how many people there are at that time. But if you turn left at the top of the stairs instead, you can go through the security checkpoint for the US citizen services area (for people who are adding pages to their passport, getting something notarized, getting a marriageability affidavit, etc., I think) -- and here's the thing, there was literally zero line at that one. And the waiting area is all connected on the other side of security, so it doesn't really make any difference whatsoever. (Here's the secret way through security so you don't have to wait in line.) Even though there were fifteen people in front of me in line on the fourth floor, there was only one other guy that knew about this security trick, and so I ended up second in line at USCIS. (And actually, he figured out he might be in the wrong place, so he actually let me go ahead of him, and I got in first.) So a huge thank you to the friend who tipped me off about this little shortcut. Going through security, they will collect your phone and camera and stuff, and you can pick it up when you leave. After you get through, you'll see a bunch of numbered windows; the numbers increase from left to right. You want to go all the way to the left, all the way past window number 1; there, there are two doors marked A and B, and a sign indicating that this is the USCIS area, which is what we want. There are also two rows of about ten chairs each there, which are the actual lines you wait in. I first sat in the line for B, but the guard moved me to A, and as I was sitting and waiting for a while, it looked like A was mostly for Americans and B was mostly for Chinese. There was also a sign on Door A that said that was the place for I-130. (So to summarize, on the fourth floor, wait in the line on the left. When you get up to the fifth floor, go through security by turning left. After going through security, go all the way to the left.) Now, they didn't actually open the door until 9:00. Maybe they're used to everybody waiting in the security line for half an hour first. In any case, they opened at 9:00. I was the first one they let in, and she apologized for making me wait, so I don't know if that means they usually actually open at 8:30 or if she was just being polite, but anyway that's when I got in. The officer herself was very friendly. She first asked to see my originals -- passports (mine and wife's) and marriage certificates -- then she accepted the huge stack of papers I had, all together, just as I had had it. She was very impressed by how organized it was. Her review of it was pretty cursory, just flipped through the stack for a few seconds to make sure the forms were all there and signed and filled out completely, and pictures were attached, and that's about it. Then she gave me a payment ticket and told me to go to window 16 to pay, which I did. The cost is 420 USD, which I paid as 2688 RMB, cash. Get the receipt, take it back to the officer (don't wait in line again; I just stepped to the front of the line, waited for the person who was currently in the room to come out, and then hopped in and gave her my receipt). The receipt gets attached to the top of the stack of papers I just gave her (and you get to keep a copy for yourself). Don't forget to pick up your valuables from security, and that's it; you're done. She told me USCIS should be done with their role in two weeks, and then they give everything over to the state department, but she couldn't tell me how long that would take or anything. I was done and through and out by 9:15. At that point, I hung around the exit for a while, waiting for the girl who I had walked over with this morning from Yang's to finish her interview, and I saw the guy who had been first in line by rights on the fourth floor but who didn't know about the security trick. He came out at 9:40. And FWIW this is the same place everybody exits, so if you accompany your wife (e.g.) to the interview, this is also where you would wait for her to come out. There's a little cafe and stuff. (The exit and waiting area)

http://www.gettyimages.com/Search/Search.a...ventId=82507803 Jan 2021 still available at https://www.gettyimages.fi/photos/beijing-olympics-closing-ceremony?page=1 http://i33.tinypic.com/ok77ec.jpg http://i38.tinypic.com/2w6ebfr.jpg http://i33.tinypic.com/vdic88.jpg

Some (over 500) interesting pictures at http://www.gettyimages.com/Search/Search.a...ventId=81973004 Jan 2021 check at https://www.olympic.org/beijing-2008 http://i37.tinypic.com/2i23rbm.jpg http://i36.tinypic.com/9pvwwy.jpg