Hey Hey and a Big G'Day toya,
 
What a Fangcun day I had today!
What in the world is a Fangcun?
Ha Ha Ha!
 
After chatting to Luo Wei nearing lunch time I decided to drag my head off the pillow and not have a slow relaxing day as I promised myself. I had promised myself to kick back and find something close by to see and do that and that only. No such luck with a slow day or keeping my own promises. I grabbed my map and decided to not waste such wonderfully warm weather as when my break is over I'll be heading back north to freezing cold Shaanxi Province.
 
I decided to find a green patch in a part of town I had not been to.
Twenty or so minutes later I was across the Pearl River and leaving the Fangcun Metro Station.
 
The patch of green that I had used for my first destination on the banks of the Pearl River and was called Zuiguan Park. You can find it if you head west along Fangcun Dadaozhong. It is only a small park and if you are not in the area to see Huangdaxian Temple then maybe find something else to do. Even though it is small I found it to be a very happy park that was full of families and friends all walking around with big happy smiles.
 
There are a few pagoda's and a heap of beautiful Bonsai trees to be admired.  
 
After an hour or so I headed down Dongjiao Beilu in search of the Huangdaxian Taoist Ancestral Temple (also known as the Wong Tai Sin Temple). It took a few locals before I actually found it and all the locals seemed to point in different directions but finally one of those wrong different directions was actually the right direction. I knew I was on the right track when I began passing a heap of road side stores and stalls selling incense and other Bow Station 'stuff'.
 
Huangdaxian Taoist Ancestral Temple
 
Wong Tai Sin is a Taoist god who achieved fame using the miraculous properties of Chinese Herbal Medicine in aiding the needy and healing the sick   He gained respect by preaching benovolance and practicing virtues, while possessing the power to control 'you get what you pray for'. Therefore he is very popular amongst peasant worshippers. Legend says that Wong Tai Sin was originally named Wong Cho Ping. He was born in AD328 and was a shepherd boy living in the Red Pine Hill area north of Jinhua in Zheijiang Province. When he was fifteen he was taught by an immortal the art of refining cinnabar into a medicine that was said to cure all illness.
 
Wong Tai Sin spent the next forty years living in seclusion until he was found by his brother.
In 1889 the original Wong Tai Sin Temple was built in Fangcun.
 
 It was frequently visited by Guangdong residence to pay respect to the Taoist god. Although the building was later destroyed, the artifacts of the stone plaques, stone pillars and delicate handcarvingstold of the design of the buildings. A Wong Tai Sin follower later financed and had the same temple built in Hong Kong in 1921 and as its grounds have always been crowded with worshippers the Guangdong government happily gave into cries from both the local and the overseas Chinese communities and re-constructed the temple on the original site in the Fangcun District.
 
The temple was a wonderful decision and it was beautiful.
 
 It wasn't overcrowded so I could actually breath easy due to there not being a million Chinese with a billion incense sticks running from Bow Station to Bow Station chanting and leaving incense behind. The gardens were peaceful and big enough to keep me around for nearly two hours. Each Bow Station (Idol/God or Temple thing) had a little sign in both English and Chinese to explain who they were, what their God Job is and where they are on the list of Chinese favourites.
 
My favourite was the Mother of the Big Dipper.
 
Did you know that the Mother of the Big Dipper is master of the Big Dipper. Mother of the Big Dipper is with an unusual appearance but looks graciously. Taoists believe that sixty years constitute one calendar cycle and there is a divined protector for each year. Legend said that Mother of the Big Dipper with sons including Emperor Gods and the seven Little Dippers.
 
Dippers administer birth and worship to the relevant star of birth and give people blessing and protection.
 
The Tiny Backstreets of Fangcun
 
If you for some reason ever find yourself in the Fangcun area make sure you spend a few hours getting completely disorientated and lost in the little ancient back streets that can be found behind the latest facades that run down both Dongjiao Beilu and Huadi Dadao. Things are very much what they used to be in these shady maze ways of back alleys and side streets. I dropped into a small Hairdressers and got a hair cut and a forty minute head and back massage for ten Yuan (under two Aussie Bux).
 
Bai'etan Bar Street (Changdi Lu)
 
As the daylight had somehow hidden itself from me I figured it was time to head to the river side for a walk along the river across from the colourful city lights of Yiangiang Xilu (the main road that runs along the Pearl River) so I set off to find what I thought was a foot bridge that would take me across to Binjiang Xilu (I walked along there on my first night). I didn't find the foot bridge, instead I found the Bai'etan Bar Street which is a huge 'mainly' Pedestrian Only street that runs along the Pearl River right across from Shamian Island. Here you can find all types of expensive bars and restaurants.
 
On my map it also reads 'Guangzhou Mental Hospital'.
I couldn't find that facility but it leads to the question 'what happens after midnight and too many beers?'
 
I walked up and back once and after seeing groups of foreigners sitting happily drinking and sharing stories together I felt a little lonely so I headed up a very vibrant street that runs behind Huadi Dadao. It is full of DVD stalls , small eateries and clothes stores and all of course are very inexpensive. As I hadn't eaten for many hours I decided it was time to eat. As I was walking along I found several roadside eateries that were serving duck, ham, eggs and vegetables with rice.
 
Believe me, it was probably the best meal I've had since I arrived in Guangzhou.
And I also got to squat onto a tiny plastic stool and sit at a tiny plastic table.
I also got to spit my bones on the ground and almost in my lap!
All for under one Aussie Dollar!
 
Beers N Noodles toya.....shane
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The soundtrack to this entry was by funkadelic, Jamiroquai
The album was 'Greatest Hits'
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