After spending a week in Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Zhongshan each, I am spinning from the pace of activity here, not only movement and food, but the myriad individuals, old and new, that I’ve met. Just to add a little spice, I spent a night in Macau whirling from private taxi, walking across the border by foot, taking Uber taxis all over Macau to visit the Macau Library and Sun Yat Sen Museum, and the Jetfoil to Hong Kong. Whew!

New Chinese friends are active in the medical, journalistic and music scenes! They are young professionals who give me alot of hope for China. It’s a dynamic, exciting spurt of energy where young people are improving all aspects of life: health, personal interaction, communication, entertainment and the environment!

Old personal friends from Hong Kong (you know who you are) are thriving and securing their place here in the world. They are comfortable, satisfied, and enjoying life traveling to other parts of the world. Like me, the areas outside Asia provide perspective and a better understanding of who we are and what we are. Not necessarily why, but maybe a bit of how. Like Artemis’ recent mission, we can only see one side of Earth at a time, not the whole–not even from the back side of the moon. We are still a flat, two-dimensional blob that rolls around listlessly.

Meanwhile, back on Earth. Hong Kong is crazy.

Hong Kong

The new Hong Kong Metropolitan University has initiated an opera repository to translate Chinese Operas into English! There were no performances but a great costume exhibition and videos of how the performers prepare their dressing was fascinating.

The hotel where I was staying boasted a 38th floor breakfast room and view of Hong Kong Island. Not the best hotel, but it gave me a different experience staying in Tsim Sha Tsui.

I’m having some trouble uploading videos, so these may not be visible.

Traveling backwards, it was still a thrill to take the super smooth jetfoil across the waters from Macau to Hong Kong. Crossing the border by foot was a real experience that reminds you of how stressful it is for immigrants.

Macau

The Macau Library holds a substantial collection of material on Sun Yat Sen and his activities from 1911-1925. I’ve been fascinated by the history of this monumental figure in Chinese history. He came from Tsui Hang Tseun, just a stone’s throw from Antang Village and a huge influencer on my family history.

It’s a pity that there isn’t some kind of historic trail that can trace Sun Yat Sen’s footsteps in Guangzhou, Zhongshan, and Macau. I feel as if I have walked this trail independently and inhaled the significance and depth of this man’s contribution to the founding of modern China. I suppose that Hawaii, London, and San Francisco should be added to the list of places where he lived and learned to make his mark a century ago.

The Sun Yat Sen Historical Building was similar to his house in Hong Kong in terms of vintage, but the collection was very different. It looks like it was funded by Taiwan judging from the flags. Yes, Sun Yat Sen is the father of the KMT and Taiwan claims him also.

Macau really does feel like a different country, different system, different era. Lots of pink Portuguese influences, with a tasty paella-like tomato based rice under roasted chicken–a signature dish. And dont forget the egg tart! Of course the language and street names keep you thinking. The cab drivers use Uber to increase their exposure–all very beneficial for English-speakers.

That’s all for now, folks. See you again in the future! I’m going to take some time to recover from the three weeks of fast-paced travel in China and Macau to recover! Thanks to everyone who helped to make my trip a fantastic one!