SOME FINE CHINA
West Lothian art delegation enjoy an amazing trip to the Orient
An art delegation from West Lothian has just returned from the trip of a lifetime to China.
Councillor Jim Dixon organised the event and was joined by artists Manna Dobo, Brenda Macdonald and Allan Goodwillie, architect Paul McCormack and retired headteacher, Bill Macdonald who all left Edinburgh on October 7 and flew the five thousand miles to Beijing.
Brenda said their time in Beijing was hectic but in three short days the group managed to see The Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, climbed the Great Wall, saw the Ming tombs, visited an a amazing Jade factory and had some great Chinese food.
Brenda told the Courier: “At a small local village near the Great Wall I picked up a small dog and was promptly given it as a gift by the farmer. Regrettably I had to leave her behind.
“There is low unemployment in China and it was remarkable to see Beijing’s 22 million inhabitants, no matter their age, working extremely hard and they often work seven days a week just to survive.
“The second stage of our adventure began in Guilin in the south.
“Guilin is a large city with a population of six million and extremely beautiful and is known for its strange rounded limestone hills and beautiful lakes.
“This was Jim’s 35th trip to China and he introduced us to many of his friends and contacts, giving us the best and most authentic experience ever.
“One of the main purposes for our visit was liaising with the staff and students at the Guilin University of Tourism. This was a very rewarding experience where we shared ideas with the staff and students and visited the amazing Art department at the University.
“Visiting one of the Guilin’s leading primary schools was one of the highlights of our trip and Principal, Madame Mo, made us extremely welcome and meeting and working with the staff and children was a sheer delight. Madame Mo and lovely translator Lucy accompanied us for most of our time in Guilin.
“When not visiting educational establishments our time was spent exploring this wonderful city.
“We took a trip up the Li (Lijian) river to Yangshuo. Because the water level was low it took us five-and-ahalf hours to travel 83km, but the journey was spectacular.
“One of the highlights of the whole trip for me had to be visiting the wonderful Riverside Retreat in the mountains above Yanshuo.
From picking our own grapes, to sampling Osmanthus wine, to experiencing the charismatic tea ceremonies, to seeing some of the many wonders of China and meeting its lovely people, this trip was something dreams are made of.
“Everything about our visit to China exceeded our expectations and the group all felt privileged to be ambassadors for West Lothian everywhere we visited in this magical country.”