Guangzhou Part 8 - Shamian Island

Shamian (沙面） Island - It is an island because of a 30m width canal that separates the main land and this parcel of land. The island is connected via bridges.

The island is unique as it was considered prime land given to the British and French under concession during the 19th and early 20th century (under Qing dynasty). A great dishonor to the Chinese as the island was of strategic importance during the Opium wars with the foreigners. A reflection of the weak Qing dynasty, which was subsequently over thrown by Mr Sun Yat-Sen. The historical lessons had thus taught many Chinese of the need to protect herself against foreign intervention and bullying, which could be seen from current China strategic positioning in foreign affairs and policies involving territorial disputes. Since the Opium wars, what a reversal of fortune for the British and French. Vice versa for the Chinese.

There are many historical bridges and buildings in Shamian Island. The most interesting is the British bridge built in 1861. The buildings are also of architectural significance showing British/French design dated back to 19/20th century. They were well preserved and treated as Gazette buildings when the rest of the cities redeveloped. There are also many old trees along the canal. Now, we can see the local residents dancing and practicing Taichi in several locations around the island. Shamian island can be reached by using the Guangzhou subway train line 1 or line 6 and alight at 黄沙站 (huang sha station). Get out of the station from Exit F and walk about 10 minutes south to the island.

The former British Bridge built in 1861. The overhead structure is now an expressway.

Shamian Island on the left

 

Guangzhou Part 7 - Chinese Game 陆战棋

陆战棋

Terrain Map of the Game

When I was a Primary School student, I was good at this game (literally means Army Game) .  Each piece can represent a Captain, Lieutenant, a hand grenade, a mine, a Commander, a foot soldier etc. Each piece is placed in the printed box on the plastic terrain map provided. Back then the pieces was carved out of wood. Now it is in plastic.

I am so glad that I purchased this game set in a supermart in Guangzhou China for RMB24 (S$5.10). The objective of the game is to secure the State Flag (which is also represented in piece). The games pieces are placed downward so that each player does not know the placement strategy of the soldiers and explosive. A referee will look at the pieces of the red and blue sides to determine who will be the winner in each move. The State Flag is secured by pushing the soldiers forward to overcome the enemy force. For example, a Captain of the blue side will win against a Lieutenant of the red side. However, only humans and hand grenade can move. A mine and State flag will not be able to move. Humans can be killed by hand grenade or a mine, regardless of rank.

There is a strategy to win the game as many young players will simply put their junior soldiers in the frontline. Of course, there is an element of luck too.

I will keep this game in excellent condition as a memory of my childhood.

Guangzhou Part 6 - Luo / Law / Loh Ancestors Hall 良溪罗氏大宗祠



Entrance to 罗氏 Great Hall

The statue of the Founder - 罗贵

The red poster shows the donations made by various members of 罗氏

 

 

The Hall was built in year 1707 during the reign of Emperor Kang Xi. The Hall was built using bricks and timber. There are 13 beams in the Hall. The Hall is a cultural preserved building in Jiang Men city since 2004. The Hall is well preserved.

罗氏 Ancestor Place of Worship and Respect. The carving and dragon are lined in gold.

The tablets showing 罗氏 descendants from all over the world, including Vietnam, Hong Kong, Malaysia and various Provinces in China

The Courtyard of the Hall

A pond facing the Hall



Entrance to 良溪 village where 罗氏大宗祠 is located


Photos and information correct as at July 2016. Photos are all rights reserved of this blogger.

 

More information on the internet:-

 

Wikipedia:-

https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%89%AF%E6%BA%AA%E7%BD%97%E6%B0%8F%E5%A4%A7%E5%AE%97%E7%A5%A0

 

Chinese blog:-

http://blog.163.com/wurthsam@126/blog/static/128538124200982310144618



 

Guangzhou Part 5 - Jade

Jade Market in Guangzhou

Guangzhou has a market dedicated to selling Jade jewelry and accessories. It is located close to 长寿路 station along the 长寿 西路 . There are many shops selling all sorts of jade made accessories. The only issue is finding the right price. For those who are familiar with jade, the quality is classified into 3 grades, A, B and C. A being the most original jadeite rock. B has been processed and C has been bleached. An illustration of B and C grades is shown as display in Guangzhou museum. C grade jade can be in the price range of US$50 to US$500. Grade B is probably US$500 to thousands. Grade A can cost more than US$5000. While the variety is there, the question is how to establish the price without knowing which grade.



Jade B and C grade, Guangzhou Museum

Jadeite Rock, Guangzhou Museum

While in Guangzhou, I was looking for a jade traditional Chinese stamp (印章). I walked around 长寿 西路 and found that the price could be from RMB1500 to RMB 2500 for a stamp with a dragon carving on top.  In the end, I found a RMB500 jade Chinese stamp. This was found after walking round the shops in the rain. After purchasing the jade, I had to find a carving master to carve my name on the jade. A shop which I asked quoted RMB400 and needed a few days. I walked away and was fortunately to find one craftsman in the Airport who was willing to carve on the jade for RMB100.  Finding the right price and avoiding being exploited are keys to getting the right jade pieces.  The trick is to make comparison.

Guangzhou is the centre of jade trade because of the huge demand from the Chinese. These jade were mined in neighbouring Myanmar and were bought over by traders.

Guangzhou Part 4 - Cost of Living

While travelling to Xin Hui, the driver had asked me a hypothetical question, "would it better if my ancestor had not travelled to Singapore and we had stayed in China?"  My immediate reply was that many Chinese currently are requesting for immigration to overseas, among other countries, Singapore. There must be reason for this. Firstly, it is because of the education system which enable Singaporeans to be taught in both English (the commercial language) and a mother tongue. Secondly, the ability of Singaporeans to travel easily without the need of a Visa, which includes countries in the Euro zone and the US.

It sets me into deeper thought on what would I be if I were to be in China, perhaps a small business man, a farmer, an office worker? Would I enjoy the same convenience and wealth as a Chinese or Singaporean? Of course, my deeper concern is the need to go through the Cultural Revolution in the 1970s, although Guangzhou area would not be so severely affected.

羊城晚报 Article

It also sets me thinking on the cost of living in China, specifically in big city like Guangzhou. I had specifically brought back this article from the local newspaper, 羊城晚报, dated 7 July 2016. In the article, a reader had asked for advice for purchase of property. She shared that she is earning a monthly salary of about 7000 RMB (about S$1400) and she is approaching 30 years old soon. She is asking what value of property can she purchase assuming that she has a saving and parental contribution of about 700,000 RMB (about S$145,800). The newspaper expert advised that the value of property that she can purchase is about 1,100,000 RMB (about S$229,000). A $1.1 million RMB unit is only about 50 to 60 sqm.  For bigger area of more than 90 sqm, the cost can be in excess of $2 million RMB (about S$416,000). See photo from a property agent.

From a simple mathematical ratio, a Guangzhou resident needs $1.1million/7000 = 157 months of salary to purchase a property. Comparatively, a Singaporean (single and about same age) needs $300,000/4000 = 75 months. It is less stressful for the Singaporean to purchase a government subsidized public housing of about 90sqm. Both Singapore and China(Guangzhou) has a Central Provident Fund system which allows residents to make use of the fund to partially pay for the purchase of the property.

Secondly, the cost of meal in Guangzhou is between 10 to 20 RMB. While in Singapore, a hawker centre meal will be between S$3 to S$5. Comparatively, it is still cheaper to eat in Singapore.

However, the killer expenditure in Singapore is private transport. The purchase of a car will set the comparative advantage back.

The driver and I subsequently discussed the topic of retirement. For that, I would think China, especially the third or fourth liner cities and suburb would offer much better lifestyle for retirement. The driver shared that he could retire in the suburb of the city of his birth, Si Chuan with a big house and a garden to grow crops of his own desire. He shared that the house has 10 rooms. Whenever, there is an urge to visit the city, he could just drive and purchase things that he needs. I agreed.

Guangzhou Part 3 - Ship with Canvas Sail



Canton Waterfront painted in 1845, Guangzhou Museum.



 Replica of a ship with canvas sail (帆船), Guangzhou Museum



Contribution from overseas Chinese from Canton, Guangzhou Museum

My paternal grandmother came from Xin Hui, Canton Province prior to WWII.

She came to seek better fortune and livelihood in South East Asia（南洋） and eventually landed in Singapore.

In Guangzhou Museum, there was a large section that showed the contribution of people from Guang Dong Province(Canton) who travelled world wide for the purpose of work and supporting families back home. In display was this large replica of a ship with canvas sail (帆船). It is the basic mode of transport prior to the war. Probably, it took a month to sail from Canton to South East Asia. In present day, an airplane will take 4 hours. My grandmother had taken the canvas sail ship to travel.

Guangzhou Part 2 - Food in the City

While in city of Guangzhou, I tried the egg tarts. There are many shops selling egg tarts. I especially like this shop that bakes its own tarts and other pastries. It is located at 文昌北 road. The name of the shop is called 'Sisters Bakery' (姐妹 烘焙). The nearest train station is chang shou road station. It is so nice that I went back to the shop twice. The price of the tarts was 5 RMB for 4 nos.

The difference between egg tarts in Guangzhou and in Singapore is that in Singapore, the tarts have a thick pastry base. While the tarts in Guangzhou are baked with thin crust that are almost in layers. The egg content is soft and tasty. Most of the time, the tarts are baked within the day of sale, hence freshness is guaranteed. I wished we could have this egg tarts at that price in Singapore.

Sisters Bakery

Egg Tarts

Sisters Bakery

Other than tarts and pastry, locals Cantonese like to eat porridge and 肠粉. In Guangzhou, the 肠粉 is thicker and there are ingredients such as pork and vegetable in it. A thicker layer satisfies the hunger but much effort is needed to chew.  In shop serving 肠粉 to locals, the price of the dish can be as low as 6 RMB (S$1.25) which is a cheap breakfast and provides a filling food. The sauce is good too.

肠粉

I also noticed that in Guangzhou, when a person ordered traditional wan ton noodle (传统云吞面），it is actually soup based. In Singapore, 云吞面 is usually not soup base, unless otherwise specified.  See below. The shop is located very close to Sun Yat Sun Memorial Hall and the price of the noodle is 13RMB.

传统云吞面

Guangzhou Part 1 - Food in Xin Hui

I was in Guangzhou China from 3 to 8 July 2016.

In the few days in Guangzhou city, I felt that the food culture was diluted by the infiltration of food from other cities. In a big city with short time, it was difficult to find authentic good food. Most of the time, there were food from Si Chuan and spicy food from the North.

When I travelled out of the city to Xin Hui (新会）, I was most fortunate to find this local restaurant located at the junction of 田心 road and 骑虎西 road, where I had a good Cantonese claypot rice. The restaurant is named 曼特宁.  I ordered the pork ribs claypot rice for 20 RMB (S$4.20) and it comes with a soup and a vegetable dish. In China, it is common to find food spiced with monosodium glutamate (MSG) to make the food tasty. However, I will feel extremely thirsty after consuming MSG. In this claypot, however, it was tasty enough without the use of MSG. There was Chinese black bean commonly used in Cantonese cooking. Also special was the soup which was prepared with octopus and corn. The claypot rice was worth every penny which I paid for.

Xin Hui is a city in Jiang Men (江门）Guangdong (Canton) Province. It is about 1.5 hours drive from Guangzhou city.

Whole set for RMB20

A Tasty and Good Pork Ribs Claypot Rice at Xin Hui, China

曼 特宁 Restaurant

Location of the Restaurant. From Baidu Map

Audi Q5 Quattro

Audi Q5 2.0

 

I have the opportunity to drive this car, an Audi Q5 2.0 Quattro (Year 2014). In Singapore, this car retails at about S$200,000.

As compared to A3 which I own, A6 which I had driven, the Q5 has a different feel.

Cons of Q5
* The brake is weak as compared to A3. It takes a lot of leg effort to stop this car.
* High fuel consumption. Estimate it to be 10 km/litre for expressway and much less for city travel. A few probable reasons, firstly it is a 2 litre car, then it is heavy and lastly it is 4 wheel drive.
* The A3 feels more agile and highly maneuverable. The Q5 is very much bigger in size and driving it requires more attention. I do like the big side mirror.

Interior of Q5

 

The Good about Q5
* The suspension is better as compared to A3 but not as good as A6, especially Avant. A3 tends to vibrate more as it is lighter in weight comparing it to Q5.
* The sitting position is such that getting in and out is easy. The ride height is very convenient especially for older folks.

* The power steering works well even though this is a heavy car. Turning is light.

* It is spacious both at the front and rear seats.

Soon Heng Rojak

For those who lived and are living in Toa Payoh will know Soon Heng Rojak. Soon Heng was first located at Silver Stream Coffee Shop 银川, next to the existing Blk 175 Toa Payoh Lorong 2. The Coffee Shop was demolished due to the construction of HDB Hub in the late 1990s. Soon Heng Rojak was then moved to a corner coffee shop at Blk 177 Toa Payoh Central. It is currently located at the basement food court of HDB Hub. At any one time during its operating hours, it would have a patron line formed.

After many years of missing this rojak due to long queue, I have the opportunity to eat Soon Heng rojak today. Still as good although it was not prepared by the boss himself. The queue was about 20 minutes. It is good because of the fine sugar and the prawn paste. For the 'youtiao' (fritters), I remember that the boss would toast the 'youtiao' in a small oven to make it crispy. Now, the 'youtiao' was probably toasted (didn't see it done), but was not as crispy as before as time has lapsed when the rojak was mixed. Due to its popularity, all ingredients are prepared in bulk, from pineapple, peanut, 'youtiao', tao pok, jicama etc. It is still good. Many critics have said this is one of the best Chinese rojak in Singapore. It is currently available at $3, $4, $5 and $6 portion.

Buffett Purchased Apple

One of the greatest investment news this week is the purchase of Apple stock by Berkshire Hathaway, the investment vehicle of Mr Warren Buffett who is known to dislike technology stock. His aversion of technology companies had led to his avoidance of the technology stock bubble and subsequent crashed in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

It is known that Mr Buffett prefers down to earth companies, such as newspaper, insurance and manufacturing entities that produced great profits with proven track record. It is also important to note that Mr Buffett would have high confidence over the management of the companies before his purchase. Hence, many observers were surprised that he had spent US$1 billion to purchase Apple.

I had my own share of mistakes made in purchasing technology stock, aka Creative Technology. Please see http://e21s.blogspot.sg/2015/11/creative-technology.html

If Mr Buffett had purchased Apple stock 5 years ago, I would probably have understood him. However, currently, I am puzzled why he feels that the stock is under priced when most of its products had already reached maturity, ie iPhone, iPad, MacBook etc. The only recent product is iWatch. How would this create the growth engine for Apple? Not forgetting, Apple had competitions from Windows, Google and Samsung. Perhaps Mr Buffett had found new ways to valuate technology companies. Perhaps it was a decision not made by Mr Buffett himself, but by his successors.

Apple is now (17 May 16) trading at about US$94 . At the time of purchase, which was a few months back, it could be purchased at more than US$100. Lets see its performance over time.

Alfa Romeo Brera

Alfa Romeo Brera

I saw this nice Alfa Romeo Brera in grey colour and dark rims. The rear of the car is beautifully curved and distinctive. The curvature is in one continuous loop which is difficult for family car when space is a consideration. But this is a coupe, hence beauty is emphasized more than functionality. The rear lights are also matching with the curves.

The front of the car is however a disappointment. The car is beautifully curve at the rear, but there is a break in the design when the head lights of the car are straight and the front bumper edge is sharp. I think the flatness of the front panel is to match the Alfa Romeo grille. Not many people fancy the grille design as it looks like a skeleton nose with the head lights as the eyes.

Alfa Romeo Giulia (from Alfa Romeo USA)

It would have been better if the Brera front has a more rounded, curved bumper and head lights like the Alfa Romeo Giulia although I must say I still find the grille difficult to accept.

I would give the rear a 9 marks out of 10. But the front is probably 4 out of 10.

SIA - Disposal

On 7 Jun 13, I wrote that I had bought SIA equity. I finally sold the equity on 11 May 16, about 3 years of holding, for a profit of approximately S$1200. I sold it at a price of S$11.59/share. There was a price hike on 11 May 16 as a result of outstanding financial performance in the last quarter. In its last quarter, profit was $224.7 Million. Reason cited was lowered global fuel price.

However, just 2 days later, on 13 May 16, the price of SIA equity plunged to S$11.00. This was because of investors fear on the intense competition from middle east airliners, such as Etihad and Qatar Airways. Within a time span of 2 days, investors' sentiments could change from bullish to bearish.

This reinforces my view that local equities generally perform cyclically. It is important to be content with the gain and exit when there is sudden exuberant on the performance.

Will I be interested in SIA? Possibility, if the price is right. Currently, the global market sentiment is not overly bullish and China is in bear territory. Hence, equity prices are going to be softening.

SIA dividend is between 2% to 3% annually depending on the company performance and the purchased price. SIA had announced a final dividend of 35 cents per share which is higher than average. Expecting a jump in share price prior to its book closing date.

Talking Tom Cat Game Level 100

Talking Tom Cat Game Level 100

I finally reached Level 100 on 18 Apr 2016. This is after daily opening the App, even when I was in Germany for holiday. The game involves a few simple tasks, feeding the cat, bathing it, making sure it goes to the toilet, giving it tender loving care and of course making the cat sleep. Other than that, the room can be decorated, the cat can have new clothes etc. It is almost like  Tamagotchi, the Japanese game popular in the late 1990s.

At Level 100, shown above, the cat has a free soldier hat. The game is suitable for people who love routine business with a high degree of discipline, even though it can be boring at times. I played it on my Samsung Galaxy Tab first generation. It is the only app that I continue to use on this Samsung tablet.

Jiu Jiang Shao La

The stall (九江烧腊）is famous for its roasted meat and roasted duck. As it is a Saturday, the queue was long and I had to be in the line for close to 1 hour to purchase the 3 different types of meat (烧肉，烧鸭， 叉烧）. People were just buying in packets.

The quality of the roasted duck and meat is good. It is one of the famous cooked food stalls at Ghim Moh Market which was recently renovated. I would say that the meat was over burned in thick marinating sauce in order to create the roasted aroma. Hence the skins of both pork and duck are crispy and people like them.  It is slightly expensive, but quality comes with a price. The sauces given was ordinary.

The approach in preparing and cooking the meat is quite similar to Fei Fei Shao La at Jurong East.

Would I queue for another 1 hour to enjoy this? Probably not.