This afternoon we visited the castle summer home of a German governor, built in the early 1900's. I didn't think I could remember the details correctly, so I was photographing the entrance plaque explaining what the history was, and all of a sudden I heard a loud angry outburst over the loudspeaker! YiLI asked "What is going on?" and right then Michael (who had been helping me with this photo and didn't know either) said "Oh, don't take any photos - it is forbidden" at which time a uniformed officer stomped in toward me. I tried to look contrite very very quickly and shook my hear no as I was putting my camera in its case. Yikes! A real quick reminder that our contries are different . . . anyway, it was a wonderful piece of architecture commissioned by the Germans and built by the Chinese. It was filled with photos of visiting dignitaries from the time period and on up to 1964, when some Chinese official has lived there. This is the outside . . .
I learned something new today. Maybe you all knew this, but I did not: Chinese people are not allowed to step on any grass. There are so many people that if they did, the grass would quickly be destroyed. ThenMichael told us that there is a wonderful park near the China Hotel Marriott where we will be staying in Guangzhou. So I asked the stupid question "Well, Michael, if you are actually in a park you are allowed to be on the grass, right?" No, not even then. He did clarify that if a child's ball rolls unto the grass, you are allowed to retrieve it. But otherwise, stay on the sidewalks I told Michael that he was missing out on a lot by not feeling the grass between his toes . . . We are blessed.
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