CM#19 Moto Tour of Liwan
If you have been paying attention, you will remember that Alison and I live in a district of Guangzhou called Liwan 荔湾区. This is one of the 5 main Guangzhou City districts, and maybe the 3rd oldest in terms of history. In terms of urban renewal, however, liwan certianly lags behind more central parts of the city and is just now receiving its fair share of skyscrapers.
Guangzhou as a city has been around for ages (predates Song dynasty ~900AD), and so while Liwan is not the oldest, it certianly isn’t new. In fact, on this little tour, we pass the alley where my Grandfather’s house used to sit, before it was torn down in 1992 to build one of the early high-rises. In fact, problably the thing I like the best about living here is that truly, this is where my grandfather grew up. Literally. He must have walked these streets on his way to primary school, or ran around with his friends in the Liwan Lake park down the street. When I mention a large tree, it excites me that my grandfather, at 10 years old in 1921, might have seen that very same tree get planted for all I know. My grandfather left home in his early 20s to study abroad, and most likely 95% of the buildings are no longer standing, but I am sure that the flagstone alleyways are the very same ones he and his cousins and brothers must have run down, giving their caretaker’s heart attacks. He’s #11 in this photo.
Anyway, this little tour takes us from my street, Duobao Lu 多宝路 down Longjin Xi Lu 龙进西路 to the parking lot where Alison was getting her driving lesson. Sorry about the wind noise…not quite sure what to do about that though.