CHINA 2010 THURSDAY 26th AUGUST

One of Keith’s students had purchased a book entitled ‘A Cultural Portrait of 20 Cities in China’ by Liz Carter so after our evening meal we took a 22 bus down to the University to visit the bookstore. As I had been there before I knew my way around and headed for the Travel and Tourism section, Keith trailing behind for a change. Whilst I was looking for ‘Liz Carter’ Keith was looking for the cover or spine that he felt sure he would recognise. We thought the Travel section would be the obvious place to look for this book but having no luck I approached a member of staff sitting at a computer. She didn’t quite understand, even though she had asked me to write it down for her, and in the end went in search of another colleague. She returned with two but the man decided he wasn’t brave enough to speak to us and turned around leaving the two girls to come to us. No they didn’t have this book. Okay it must be in the other bookshop almost next door. It wasn’t there either thanks to the help of a young man who I thought worked in the shop but saw he was only a customer as he made enquiries at the cash desk on our behalf. This shop did not have any books in English.
Not wanting to waste an evening we headed over to ‘Nanputou Temple’ hoping it would be floodlit. It wasn’t but it was nice to walk through the lower grounds around the ponds without the crowds. We had hoped to go out the eastern entrance but the heavy studded gates, with large metal lion head handles, were locked. Back in the main street we wandered round the smaller side streets frequented by the students. Coloured lights, bright red lanterns, and illuminated advertising signs everywhere gave a cosy friendly atmosphere. I thought I spotted a beer stop but before we opened the glass door I saw a few posters – it was an ice-cream parlour.
We came home just in time to watch the closing ceremony of the ‘Olympic Youth Games’ in Singapore. The next games, to be held in 2014, will be held in Nanjing in China.