China, the Nanchang and Tonggu Post

[przed]

Our second last stop on our tour was our most important: Nanchang, the capital of Jianxi province, and Tonggu, Ros' hometown.

The biggest tourist site in Nanchang (apart from Ba Yi square, which is where the Chinese revolution started) is the Tengwang Pavilion. The pavilion was made famous in a classic piece of Chinese poetry, and has been destroyed and rebuilt 29 times. The current version was built in 1989, but it's still a lovely structure.


Here we are posing in front of the pavilion.


A solo shot of Ros in princess garb inside the pavilion.


The view from the top level of the pavilion, with a view of the courtyard below.


Looking from the pavilion out to the city. Like every city we visited, Nanchang is experiencing a ton of construction and growth.


The day after we arrived, we made the trip to Tonggu, where the Social Welfare Institute (SWI) Ros is from is located. There is a brand new highway going to Tonggu now, but it still was well over three hours each way. This is a pic of us and the staff of the SWI, underneath the banner welcoming Ros back.


Ros posed at the place where she was found as a baby, just at the gates of the SWI.


And all three of us in the same spot.


This is Ros' foster mother. Ros had just given her a letter she'd written to her that we'd had our Mandarin teacher translate.


Ros and her foster mother. We had to communicate with her through our guide, and she had a certain reserve, but her foster mother seemed a genuinely lovely person who still seemed to care about Ros.


The staff took us for lunch at a local restaurant, where the meal was simple but some of the best food we had in China. This is the man who found Ros at the gate of the orphanage, toasting Don with the seriously strong local alcohol that was broken out for the occasion. (The director of the orphanage gave Don two bottles of the stuff as a gift.)


Ros and her foster mother.


Ros and the director of the SWI. The director seemed a really nice bloke, and the SWI is clearly well looked after. (The SWI building itself serves mostly as a home for senior citizens. All the children under their care are put in foster care.) This is in the main square of the city.


The three of us in the main square. Tonggu means bronze drum, and you can see the statue of a bronze drum behind us.


Us with the staff of the SWI.


Me and Ros doing a demonstration of roundhouse kicks.

Comments

[togsos.livejournal.com]

I totally teared up during this post. Great pictures.

[przed.livejournal.com]

There were definitely tears shed that day. By all of us.

[solosundance.livejournal.com]

Ditto what togsos said. Seeing the place where Ros was found and the man who found her.... so very moving. Amazing pictures. The drum statue is kind of jaw-dropping. Heh and I wouldn't want to mess with you two ass-kickin' gals ... :)

[przed.livejournal.com]

We knew she'd been left at the orphanage gates, but knowing it and seeing the place are two different things.

The Zeds are not to be messed with. *g*

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

More great pics and memories - and such personal ones this time! The 'officials' must be so happy to see Ros and her clearly wonderful family life. That photograph of her in the special clothes, on the throne, is exquisite. Although I've absolutely loved your pictures of all sorts of places, these are the kind that bring the country really 'alive' for us. Thank you for sharing!

[przed.livejournal.com]

I do hope they all are happy to see Ros thriving. They all seemed lovely people.

I have to say, that fun though the touristy things are, seeing how people really live in China is far more interesting to me.

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

What a fantastic experience for you all!

[przed.livejournal.com]

It was definitely that!

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

Lovely pictures and very moving commentary on them.

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

What an emotional post. I'm so thrilled you and Sweetie and Ros found each other. It was definitely fate. She has an interesting story to tell when she's older! Thanks for posting and sharing this important part of your lives.

[przed.livejournal.com]

It was definitely an emotional day. And we're definitely lucky we all found each other. Thank you for commenting!

[snailbones.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous. You had me reaching for the tissues - what an incredible story, and what brilliant pictures and memories for Ros to take forward with her in her life.

[przed.livejournal.com]

We were all reaching for tissues on the day. I'm so glad we could give Ros that connection to her history.

[halotolerant.livejournal.com]

Gosh. It must have been a very emotional time for you all, in a very positive way, to revisit all those places. And I think it must be very good for Ros to have a clear picture in her mind that she can take forward of where her life story began and who was involved along the way. I mean it's great for any child raised in the West (or anywhere) to have an idea of life elsewhere on the planet, but especially so if it's part of one's identity. I just hope that all the kids who get left in that way end up with such loving parents as you guys. Thank you for sharing these photos of such important moments with us *g*

[przed.livejournal.com]

It was a very emotional day for us all. Ros was a trooper, though she had a bit of a wobbly during the lunch, and so did I. But I think it's definitely important that she have a concrete idea of where she came from and can incorporate that into her own story, especially since she's been so very interested in China. I just hope we can give her what she needs.

[asilia.livejournal.com]

Those are wonderful pictures - I'm sure those will always be amazing memories for Ros to have ♥ And the picture of her in the princess outfit is beyond adorable!