Friday, January 3, 2014

Luodai Ancient Village - Chengdu

I am always very interested to visit very quaint and ancient towns in China to observe their historical landmarks and architectural buildings.

I always planned my trips ahead by 6-12 months and had to study the places of their attractions. I thought Chengdu was only about Pandas and Hot Flaming Spicy Sichuan Food. I was taken by surprise that they have Mount Emei, Ancient Hakka Villages and a modern city bigger than Bangkok or Singapore.



1. We took a public bus transport from downtown Chengdu and visited this Luodai Ancient Village which has a Hakka community of over 23,000 people. It was a very cold morning at 3 degrees C and the bus took us less than 2 hours to reach this village, 20 km away.










2. This Hakka Village is the nearest to Chengdu and many voted it as the "Best Hakka Town" in China. It was built during the reign of Emperor Linchan during the Three Kingdoms Period - 1,800 years ago.





 3. My wife is always very supportive and followed me everywhere no matter how boring or smelly those places could be. In return, I would follow her to climb all the mountains she fancied, even if I had to drag my fat ass and corpse up the hills. Wakakakaka





 4. There were several clan houses in this village with individual ancient stages for their festive opera shows. This one has a museum too.



5. I entered their museum and was attracted to this old bridal chamber bed which was used during the Qing Dynasty. My immediate thoughts was Blogger SK's lavish traditional wedding and revealing his bride's veil on that Red Chamber Bed!




6. This wall with Dragon's motifs is definitely very old and beautiful.




7. Many old buildings have become commercialized but that doesn't matter to me. They need to survive and run businesses too. I did not post all the small shops selling food, snacks and souvenirs as they may take up 50 photos.





8. This is another old stage for operas. There were only 3 performers but no audience. I had goose bumps and walked away quickly.




9. The streets are narrow with local tourists walking on the real ancient slabs of granite rocks. China is so huge with the highest population in the world, therefore their locals are always visiting & discovering all their different provinces. It may take them a lifetime to cover all.




10. We entered another Clan House along the narrow alleys and I tried to cheer my wife up. I put up my own Sichuan Mask Changing show to entertain her! I was good and she clapped!




11. Everything is cheap there and I tried almost every small bites available. 




12. The ancient staircase was so unique and I spent 5 minutes gazing it. I imagined the brothel ladies were upstairs waving their silk scarves to lure some Chinese scholars to have tea.




13. Many female folks played mahjong tile games in back lanes!
The men played Chinese Chess in other back lanes. What a sight to behold.





14. This is an old pagoda and a rickshaw puller stood in the cold, waiting for clients.




15. I spent almost 3 hours in this tiny village looking up and down at their old walls of Chinese architecture.



  

16. This small unique restaurant hung all the dried and waxed goose, pork, buffaloes & even rabbits with stuffed intestines being strung across the ceiling above the patron's head.


 17. I was taken aback to see couples playing table tennis and danced merrily in the cold weather! In China, you could often see young & old ladies doing cha-cha, line dances and hip hop numbers along the boulevards in Chengdu, Beijing or even Shanghai.



 18. I walked into every back lane to smell and observe their lifestyles. Here, a seamstress was doing a good business!



19. This is the famous traditional oval shaped houses of the Hakka clans but I discovered that it was a newly built building. At least I got to see the interiors which was interesting.



 20. This village still maintains its laid back lifestyles with small vendors selling their wares.



21. I was shocked to see this huge furry pet for sale. Guess what animal it was?








A Hamster! Are you not shocked, Wenn?




88 comments:

  1. wow.. a really eye opener for me! Just like those ancient movies, yes! I have been to Chengdu once but only stayed one night and visited the Summer Palace..I think... hahaha... cannot remember much cos more than 6 or 7 years back...

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    Replies
    1. You got mixed up with Chengdu and Chengde where the Dowager's Summer Palace is. Chengde is in Hebei and Chengdu is in Sichuan.

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  2. They really have a carefree and relaxing lifestyle with nothing to worry it seems. Life is slow and unhurried with lots of recreational activities. It's really a wonderful culture !

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    1. I think the Hakkas live very long lives in Luodai. Stress causes cancer.

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  3. you really had an interesting time in the ancient village. And both of you and yr wife are very supportive of each other. That's great!

    I thought that's a cat. Omg, such big hamster! My hamsters are so tiny!

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    1. I thought it was a rabbit since it does not have a cat's tail. I saw the small head like a rat! It is hamster alright. Their stray cats and pigeons are damn huge too. Here they eat rabbits more than chicken.

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  4. I bet Letchumi didn;t find these place boring la.

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    1. She was very cold, hungry and tired while I was busy looking & loitering heartlessly.

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  5. The places you visit are very interesting la... Where got boring?

    Pity thse who think historical sites boring.

    I prefer the places you visited than trawling the mall Anay.

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    Replies
    1. Yes agreed. We seldom visit their malls unless no where else to visit.

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  6. The ancient village looks interesting~ I like to play ping pong too.. sorry for just view the picture...

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  7. That Sichuan mask sure helps to improve your looks. Hope you bought one home. Muahahahahahaha!!!!!

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    1. Phiak your mouth!!! I should lace your lips with Sichuan's Hot Peppers!!!! Wakakakaka

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  8. Finally catching up with your blog posts! (I don't have to explain about Africa time anymore, do I? Grin.) The more I read your stories, the more determined I get to visit China, but ... there are still so many unexplored places right here in Japan. I need ten thousand years. Sigh.

    PS: I thought that was a rabbit with small ears!

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    1. Funny woman! You finally showed up many eons later!!! I think China has more historical and older sites than Japan.

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  9. Pixz 19 is the famous Hakka tulou, tu (土; "earth") and lou (樓; "[tall] building"). NAZA mistaken the round tulous for "rockets" from pixz taken from space.

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    Replies
    1. Think that tulou is a replica. Would love to visit the real tulou in China one day. clicj here for more info on Tulou

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    2. Yes that Tulou is a replica. They have old and aged ones somewhere but we were too cold to venture further.

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  10. Bananaz also likey old buildings..woh that hamster is overweight leh

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  11. Hi! Nice captures. I enjoyed your photos very much. Thanks for sharing.

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  12. yeah, anything cultural and historical actually attracts me too!! i just love to learn about the history of the places i go.. it really makes a perfect combination that Anay and Letchumy make each other company to go to the places each other loves to go.. but one place Thambee for sure BOTH will love - green green grass with coconut trees or bushes around so that both of you can sing and dance and chase each other~~

    ReplyDelete
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    1. #1: the chinese on the signboard says 中國 洛帶博客小鎮.. at first i thought 博客 means blogger!! muahahaha.. but i guess it has to do with "something hakka"~~

      #2: this building is so new and so colorful.. i guess they must have restored it many times.. still i think it would look nicer if they didn't restore it so perfectly.. :p

      #3: as compared to photo #2, this color tone is way better.. looks more like ancient town with those "washed off" colors.. agree??

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    2. #4: oh, opera show and museum?? that's interesting..

      #5: wow this huge red bed!! i think i will be taken aback by the bright bloody red color dei.. it is definitely not a good color to help me to get to sleep~~ :D

      #6: i think this building with the big dragon motifs was (or maybe still is) a library, as from what i can see carved on the horizontal plate on top..

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    3. #7: hey, this building looks very familiar.. i read somewhere about a hotel in Guilin and exactly this is how it looks like, minus the color of course, the one i read about has dark color instead..

      #8: aiyoh, three people performing but no audience at all?? the authority has to think of ways to promote this cultural show dei.. this is so badly marketed!! it should be able to attract many tourists by right.. or probably most are local tourists which are not even interested??

      #9: hmmm, the streets like this are not considered narrow dei.. i find them big instead, haha!! or maybe they seem to be narrow because of the crowd??

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    4. #5: that huge red bed isn't for sleeping, that is only for the activity that make you pant non-stop.

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    5. #10: oh, how sweet of Anay to entertain Letchumy with the Sichuan Changing Face mask!! i like this photo, i even chose this to put into your Quarter 4 winner photo, did you notice??

      #11: oh, how nice you have a bit of almost everything there!!

      #12: ah, indeed very unique stairs they have it there.. and so imaginative of Anay to think of the ancient brothel and the ladies and scholars, hahaha!! watched too much drama series dei~~

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    6. #13: hahaha, indeed a nice view to behold.. did Anay or Letchumi join in to have some fun?? this would be a great experience to feel the local culture..

      #14: ah, very nice shot of the rickshaw and pagoda!! i am wondering, what was the use of this pagoda back then huh?? and the rickshaw probably was ridden by many brothel ladies?? :p

      #15: Anay spent almost 3 hours in this tiny village looking up and down at their old walls of Chinese architecture!! i thot you spent 3 hours buying souvenirs from the many shops that offer you so many choices!! :D

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    7. #16: errr, all the waxed meat?? more attention was given on the plate on above the door, it says this shop specializes in sup kambing!! did you go in a have a tried?? must be very nice under such cold weather to keep you warm..

      #17: hahaha, i think it's nice to see the local folks in their daily activities huh?? and they do that in public.. it shows the locals here tend to like moving exercise.. the ones i saw in Summer Palace in Beijing, lots of them practice calligraphy by using mop on the floor (of course not with ink but water only).. that was indeed beautiful handwriting i saw..

      #18: the locals can really do anything simple to earn a living huh?? surely the back lanes have more things to see than the commercialized main roads..

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    8. #19: ah, this was what i was thinking, the oval shaped hakka settlement.. though not the one that is in my mind.. can't remember where that was, which if not mistaken also some UNESCO heritage and GUINNESS record, a lot older and huge than this you saw..

      #20: ah, i guess this place is further deep into the village where there are actually less tourists?? it looks like a marketplace where you can find things that the shops in front may not want to sell??

      #21: huge hamsters!! hahaha, yeah, there are many types of hamsters and perhaps Wenn should get one for her girl.. :p

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    9. Thank you for all your lovely comments! Muacks!!!

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  13. Chengdu -Luodai Ancient Village is such an interesting place to visit, I was fascinated when reading this post and looking at the picture.

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    Replies
    1. Anay, reading your Chengdu travelogue, I feel sad that I have no time to compose my Taiwan travelogue. I think I will skip doing it.

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    2. Hey please blog about your trip and I will visit your blog soon!

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  14. It seems like you like ancient china a lot why you had goosebumps? It is bright daylight

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  15. I saw these oval shaped houses in singapore tv drama series 客之歌

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  16. Replies
    1. Thanks for your good comments and I hope that you will visit there someday.

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  17. Nice pictures twi! I'm so proud that you willing to drag your own corpse for the sake if your wife? Did u cha cha in Chengdu as well?

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    1. We tried to waltz but it was too cold and windy. The old folks have thicker skins!

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  18. #2 Wow, it was built during Three Kingdoms Period??? I like that!!! I must go visit this place one day!!!

    #8 Huh? So they perform to no audience??? Or…maybe…they perform to something you can with your naked eye…hehe (joke, joke, joke!!! choi……)

    #10 Did you go see the mask changing show???

    #15 I guess for me, I would spend as much time as you do to look through the whole town…or maybe more to me….cause I like all this ancient buildings!!! =]

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You should visit these ancient places in Sichuan. Really nice!

      I didn't watch the mask changing cos I have seen it many times elsewhere for free. In Chengdu it is quite expensive to watch these opera and mask shows which are meant for Western tourists.

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  19. You plan your trips 6 mths ahead?? Gosh, I can never do that! It's always a week or a mth at most.You're such an organized person. Btw, I replied your mail & already sent out the goodie bag two days ago :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Due to limited funds, I need to book many moons ahead to get cheaper flight and hotels.

      Thanks for the email and looking forward to my goodies!!!

      Delete
  20. such a beautiful place.. heard of it before, my previous ex ex ex company had a plant in chengdu and everyone who went there came back saying it is beautiful

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    Replies
    1. Oh really! I am so outdated as I had never heard of this place until I reached there.

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  21. Good day TM! Congratulations on being number one (again) on SK's blog! Really must learn from you la!! ^^

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    1. Hmm, this village looks like an interesting place, just like what I used to see through some TV programmes, must be a serene place.

      Glad to know that you and wifey are so loving and supportive to each other! =)

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    2. Thank you for your kind wishes. I am falling down the mountains now!!!

      We are just like you and your hubby! Travel a bit and be happy always. Life is so short and time flies really fast.

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  22. Been waiting for your next part.. Hehe.. Good morning by the way.. Didn't online during the weekends..Oops, not didn't online, but too bz to online..

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Fuyoh, so fast got 41 komens liao.. That's fast!

      Oh yes, before I go on vacation, I will also spend some time to research that place, and what's nice to visit, to eat, etc.. Guess it's normal and everyone does that kua, no?

      Less than 2 hours (or about 2 hours) to reach 20km? Yau mou ahh? My workplace is 25km away from my house and it took me half an hour to reach every morning only. But evening that time, I take about 1 hour la..Oops, sorry, I forgot it was a bus, so yeah, guess it needs longer time.. Hehe, sorry hah..

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    2. Thank you for all the good supports in my blog. The comments keep me alive and blogging.

      Delete
  23. That old bridal chamber bed attracted me too, but I never thought of SK la, hehe.. So did you sit on the bed and pose for pictures? Or no sitting is allowed? If sitting is allowed, you dare to sit mou? Will have goosebumps?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your own Sichuan Mask? You bought that mask as souvenir?

      So are you planning to wear that mask here in KL? You know la, to scare off kids.. You said you always babysit your friend's naughty kids right.. So if they are naughty, I think if you wear this mask and scare them, they will keep their mouth in front of you forever, hehe.. But I think you are not that evil hor..

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    2. Total how many "small bites" aka "siu sik" you tried? Reminds me of myself when I am shopping at hypermarkets, especially JJ.

      I always look out and keep an eye on their "small bites" section, pretend to walk nearer to them, let them notice me and call out to me, then I try their samples, pretending to say "Oohh, I need 1 more for my boy" (knowing my boy is picky and would not eat it), then I would say "Oh, you dont want ahh, then mummy eat it ok"... Hahaha..

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    3. I like pic # 19. It looks like those fine-dining or 5-star restaurants in those old Chinese movies.. And when there's a fight, Wong Fei Hung will jump from each floors and fly through the skies to fight using swords, hahaha..

      Pic # 21? Guinea-pig lor, duh..

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    4. I bought few masks and gave them away. It was cheap.
      The Pix 19 is actually a hotel now with many offices occupying some units. It looked nice and unique inside.

      Pix 21 is definitely a hamster as I saw smaller ones. Just this huge one was a freak. All their animals looked big esp the chickens, birds and stray cats.

      Delete
  24. okay am gonna comment here before my arse kena kicked LOL

    You and Letchumi worked hard. When vacation also play hard. Must have the well planned vacation . Good that you do research :)

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    Replies
    1. Yeah we really work hard doing many jobs!!! You know better than others that we have no free lunch.

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  25. 20km away but travel time less than 2 hrs ..meaning it's more than 1 hr la...quite slow leh. The road bad or many stops along the way? Bum bum gone lor if bad road

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    1. I commented the same thing also.. But then I was thinking, it's a bus ma.. So maybe travelled slower lor..

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    2. The bus was damn slow but that allowed us to watch the streets better. Their folks and farmers are worth observing.

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  26. 2. saw something like bridal dress on the photo. that one bridal shop ka?

    3. ahem ...the Hakka village boring or smelly? coz saw your comment "no matter how boring or smelly those places could be.".

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    Replies
    1. Mami Meow, your eyes so observant.. Like that also can see.. Eh, the dress looks spooky..

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    2. Yes there are several bridal shops and they even rent out the Mao Tse Tung's uniform for couples! The modern ones were in glaring red with the 60s frills with big Mei Hua flower. Adoi!!!!

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  27. 5...LOL...ya ya...so true...but then his wedding in Chennai leh...

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    1. His wedding is everywhere! From China to Sibu and Chennai....

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  28. the dragon wall look very good. lucky it was not destroy during the cultural revolutions

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    Replies
    1. The wall looks very old but in mint condition because the government always preserve them well.

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  29. The people in China really versatile . They can adapt to changes fast like commercialising old building and yet retaining the cultural heritage

    hmmm...opera only 3 person performing and not audience? Maybe invisible audience .

    or on a brighter view maybe they are practicing

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    Replies
    1. You are the only one who guessed right about the invisible audience. The performers were probably rehearsing too but others were watching too.

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  30. LOL....your mask so darn funny la....

    the "beca" makes me think of sk in beca riding to fetch letchumi to his red wedding chamber :p

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. pengsan...i mean kamala....ish...mabuk aku

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    2. Wakakakakaka... You always cracked me up with your blurry sotong mode. Why not we call you Small Sotong???

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  31. I wonder is the dried meat cheap or not there...if i were there i would buy some. But dont know can bring in Msia or not. I like these wa duck..the sausages...can cook with rice sedap

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    Replies
    1. If mami meow buys it, then in hotel room already sapu all liao lor..

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    2. Small Kucing - Everything is very cheap in China including the waxed meat which are sold in Malaysia. They were imported from China.


      Ribbon Princess - How to eat inside the hotel?? You probably need to boil with the kettle for hours. Muahahahahaha Siao Char Boh!

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    3. Oh so now I got a new name huh.. Ribbon Princess.. Eh, I like wor.. I don't mind, hehe..

      Ohh yeah hor, if "lapp ngap" and other waxed meat, need to steam hor... Errrr, coz Meow & Small Kucing always wallop food in the hotel room ger ma.. So when she mentioned buy food during travelling, I immediately think of all be gone in the hotel room liao lor.. hehehehe..

      Delete
  32. I always wondering how much of this kind of mask cost? Did you get one for yourself? It looks pretty scary though which I don't think I want to have it at home else the kids will freak out.

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    Replies
    1. The mask is cheap like RM5 only. They have so many scary colours and I bought a few for kids like me.

      Delete

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