Our Memorial Day Weekend in China

Just for fun, we didn't even plan the green thing today :)

 To the dismay of both his brother, Gabe, and his sister, Hattie, Mason has grown a bit this year!

The kids like this pear drink and they love mascots in China!  Another, "really mom" photo op.

 On Saturday May 25th we headed to Foshan to the "Ancestry Temple"

Known as "Chan Cheng" (Zen City), Foshan City is in a scenic part of Guangdong Province. It has a long history and there are many attractions, however, the Ancestors' Temple is the most famous.
Located in the main part of the Zumiao (Ancestors' Temple) Road of the city, the Ancestors' Temple was built in the Northern Song Dynasty (960 - 1127) and was mainly used as a place where sacrifices to the Xuantian God (the God of Water in Taoism) occurred. Having now been rebuilt and enlarged, the temple covers an area of about 3,500 square meters (0.85 acre) and has a series of well-built architectural features such as the Wanfu Stage, the Lingying Archway, the Bell and Drum Tower, the Jinxiang Pool, the Sanmen Gate, the front and main halls and the Qingzhen Tower.These buildings are mainly located on a north-south axis.
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/guangdong/foshan/ancestors-temple/

Some Chinglish on the map...glad to report it was not really a "Crap Square"

Speaking of crap, I got a photo, hopefully tastefully enough, of the pants often worn by young children so that they can easily use the street or where ever they see fit as their bathroom.  If you look closely he has no underpants and his pants are split open from front to back.

Lion Performance

People came forward to pay the lion and received a banner with a Chinese saying such as, "Prosperity" or "Good Health"

Beautiful Decoration hanging from the ceiling

Sword in the Temple

 Xuantian God (the God of Water in Taoism)

Naptime...also a common sight around public places???

  The southernmost courtyard was used for Guangdong Opera and the Wanfu Stage.  We were lucky enough to be there on a day they were performing. 

Loved the contrast of the old Temple in the foreground

                    and the new City in the background

Also. at the Ancestry Temple. there was a Marine Exhibit?  Many of the animals looked paper mached, but many were stuffed

A few photos around our Country Garden neighborhood inside our gated community and the neighboring community located just outside our gates. 

 This is a common occurence that we don't see in the US.  They just hold there babies while driving on their scooters..

Girl riding on fender area of the bike

West Gate entrance of our gated community - Xi Yuan

Ally near where Hattie tutors in Bijiang

Construction in Bijiang neighborhood

 Hattie's students

 Here are a few shots of the market out in Bijiang where we purchase our vegetables.  We can buy tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, carrots, garlic and lettuce for about $5 total.

 This is my favorite dish at a restaurant we call Muslim noodles.  It is served cold and the noodles are homemade. 

This is the little girl and her father that own the Muslim noodle restaurant.  Here the little girl is checking out the customer.  These strollers are very common and remind of antique strollers in the U.S.