【Hong Kong Nostalgia】
【Behind the Image】
【Hong Kong Nostalgia】
【Behind the Image】
【Hong Kong Nostalgia】
【Behind the Image】
【Ontario Yours to Discover】
【Ontario Yours to Discover】
【Ontario Yours to Discover】
【Ontario Yours to Discover】
【Behind the Image】
【Ontario Yours to Discover】
On the very last day of the Thanksgiving holiday. I went to Parry Sound, 230km north of Toronto to appreciate the fall colors. I climbed up to the top of the 10-storey lookout tower on the Tower Hill to get a panoramic view of the beautiful scene.
I have a deep affection in the campsite at the Oastler Lake Provincial Park at Parry Sound, 230km north of Toronto. The campsite is by the Oaslter Lake with beautiful lakescape and easy accessibility. This fall, I have been there camping twice. I love camping by the lake as it is easy to do photography and artistic creation. 
On Thursday 6am, I was overcome with boredom and eventually drove alone for 2.5 hours, 230km northbound from Toronto to the Oastler Lake Provincial Park at Parry Sound again. I wished to spend a day off for relaxation to relieve my recent busy and heavy workload. I set up a tent by the lake quickly as I loved this lakeside campsite for easy appreciation of the lakescape. I could also walk along the Oastler Lake Drive to reach the other side of the lake to gaze at my campsite from across the lake. For this, I chose an eye-catching red tent.
Discovery Harbour is located at the Penetanguishene Bay near Midland Township 160km north of Toronto. The British naval and military base has revealed part of the history of the war of 1821 between Britain and the United States. In 1793, Sir John Graves Simcoe discovered Penetangusihene Bay as a suitable strategic base with steep-sided deep water to protect and maintain ships. 
Sainte-Marie among the Hurons was the first European community built on the bank of the Wye River of Midland in Ontario. 400 years ago, French Jesuit missionaries decided to preach Christianity to the Hurons and they believed education is the best means for preaching and therefore planned to develop a christian headquarter in Wendake, the ancestral home of the Huron Wendate nation here in Midland. 
This was a sunny Thursday with cloudy blue sky, a good time for outdoor photography. I went to Scarborough Bluffs again with my two photo buddies. This is my 3rd years taking photograph of the cliff scenes. Now the cliff top is securely fenced to prevent visitors from going too close to the cliff. But there is still an opening where people can walk closely to the cliff edge to appreciate the beauty of the lake.
Tay Shore Trail is located in the Tay Township in Ontario, Canada. It begins in Maubaushene and ends by the Wye River in Midland. The origin of Wye River starts at the central Tay Township and flows northbound to the Midland Bay. Wye River passes the Wye Marsh Wildlife Area, Sainte-Marie among the Hurons, Hwy 12, Martyrs' Shrine and finally reaches the Midland Bay. 
Tay Shore Trail is located in the Tay Township in Ontario, Canada. It originates from the east in Waubaushene, running through Victoria Harbour, Port McNicole and ends by the Wye River in Midland City. The construction of the Tay Shore Trail began in June 2006 and completed in September 2007. The length of the whole trail is 18.5km. The trail was paved with cement and is suitable for hiking and cycling. It has run through different small towns and renowned places of interest.
The Martyrs' Shrine in Midland, Ontario consecrated to the memory of the Jesuit missionaries who sacrified their lives when bringing their Catholic faith to the aborginals in Canada almost 400 years ago. The Shrine, 150Km north of Toronto, was built in Midland in 1926 in Goethic architectural design. It is attributed to the 8 martyrs of the Jesuit missionaries and the Catholics. 5 of them were catholic priests preaching in Canada: Antoine Daniel, Jean de Brebeuf, Gabriel Lalemant, Charles Garnier and Noel Chanel. Three preached in American land: Isaac Jaques, Rene Goupil and Jean de La Lande.
Recently, I passed the Steeles Avenue in Toronto and the church building was still under construction. I walked and looked around the church's building site. The construction site was dumped with soil and flourished with weeds. To the general pedestrians, there were nothing worth staying for a while for appreciation. 
This piece of land appears red full of small hills and gullies. This ancient seabed is estimated at 450 million years. The red and loose sediment of soil is commonly found in Alberta. It is rare in Ontario. Unlike those in Alberta, the feature of the present Cheltenham Badlands in Ontario is not entirely natural. In the early days, it had layers of deposit beneath a forest and soil cover. When the settlers arrived here, they cleared the forest to graze their cattle. Gradually, the top soils eroded and disappeared and the red sediment exposed. 
In a sunny afternoon, I was driving north bound along McCowan Road in Toronto. In 30 minutes, I arrived Lemonville at the Bethesda Road and appreciated the beautiful view of the ponds one after the other. The scenery throughout York Region looks fairly ordinary. There is, however, a stretch of countryside atop a sandy hill in Whitchurch-Stouffville lies a series of elegant homes which appear to be floating on water. 
In the evening of 22 June 2013, Toronto Chinese Orchestra（TCO) has the 20th Anniversary Concert held at the PC Ho Theatre, Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto. Guest artists included Yazhi Guo, Winds virtuoso, Tao He, Erhu virtuoso and Pingxin Xu, Dulcimer virtuoso. Toronto Chinese Orchestra was founded in 1993 by Mr Hoi Lee and a group of Chinese music enthusiats to promote and develop Chinese music in Toronto. I have participated in and witnessed the birth and growth of the orchestra since 1993. 
Last year, I have taken photography of the construction of a cathedral on Steeles Avenue East in Toronto. A few days ago, I noticed the steel shell of this cathedral installed with a roof and window glass. Through the window of this cathedral, I have taken photography of a cross of another distant church. Now this scene cannot be taken again and the previous photograph of a cross has become a witness to the history of the construction process. 
I have spent two hours of a sunny afternoon, a 30 minutes drive from Toronto, to visit the Mary Lake Augustinian Monastery, also known as Mary Lake Shrine or simply Mary Lake in King City, Ontario, Canada. The Mary Lake complex includes the property, the monastery and shrine which operates a retreat centre, residing on Keele Street, north of 15th Sideroad (Bloomington). Mary Lake is now well known as a spiritual centre for the Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto.
She ...
【Ontario Yours to Discover】 《Strolling beside the Toronto Train Yard》: Many people love transport. Children love buses, matchbox cars. Adults favor sport cars, aircraft, yachts. I fall in love with train. I specially prefer steam locomotives which use to drag over 100 trucks through mountains, valley, cross the bridges, pass through the caves, travel the desert, wilderness, forests and swamps. In all modes of transport, train is the most heavy duty, hard-working and bitter endurable transport to any change of the tough climate. To be a wise man, we have a lot to learn from the train!
I love Canada's distinctive seasons: spring flowers, summer rain, autumn maple, winter snows. In a lazy afternoon, I strolled on the streets of Scarborough in Toronto. There are petit yellow flowers covering the ground everywhere whereas the trees have started to grow new shoots and leaves. 
On 4th May, a sunny Saturday afternoon, I visited High Park at the southern end of Toronto to appreciate and shoot the cherry blossoms. In 1959, citizens of Tokyo, Japan, donated cherry tree to Toronto people who had an opportunity to appreciate the handsome gorgeous views of the Japanese cherry blossoms. 
The recent chase of the sunset ends at the Golden Beach in Tuen Mun, Hong Kong. Despite missing the chance in watching the sunset on the beach, I have appreciated the light, shadow, feelings and event of the precious moment at nightfall.
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In 1953, a fire in Shek Kip Mei, Kowloon, made tens of thousands of families homeless. The Hong Kong Government in order to house these refugees, within a short period of time, started the construction of multi-storey buildings in a nearby hillside of the disaster field. This was the first Hong Kong public housing estate, known as the "Shek Kip Mei Resettlement Area". 
The name of Yaumatei has close relation with the Yaumatei Tin Hau Temple. According to the record inscribed on a tablet in 1870, the land was named as "Ma Tei" (lit. jute ground). There were many shops selling sesame oil and jute. The place was re-named as Yaumatei (lit. oil and jute ground). Now, the Tin Hau Temple and Temple Street are the landmarks of Yaumatei.
Photo Inspiration ...
Most people prefer sunny, blue sky and white clouds to go out taking photos. In rainy day, it will affect the shooting mood, even dispel the idea of photography. This day, I went to Cheung Chau Island in Hong Kong, going to shoot some distinctive views. Unfortunately, it rained all day from the beginning to the end of the trip. 
Wing Lee Street is a short street in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, its street numbers range from 1 to 12 in a 5-story tenement building. Hong Kong film "Echoes of the Rainbow" was shot in this street, produced by Mabel Cheung, directed by Alex Law and starred by Simon Yam and Sandra Ng. The film won the Crystal Bear Award for the best film of the 60th Berlin Film Festival in March 2010 and subsequently made Wing Lee Street world-renowned. It is because of the fame gained by the film and the reaction of the public rejection that the Hong Kong government eventually changed its mind to retain the entire building which escaped the fate of demolition!
Hong Kong is world-renowned as "the Pearl of the Orient" because of its charming night scene. But in the hustle and bustle of Central downtown, there are still countless combinations of light and shadow that have presented many wonderful images of the city through the glass wall of the buildings. The images presented are fascinating. I walked in the concrete jungle of Central and used the camera to capture the "city of light" to let people appreciate another face of the Central.
Central is a commercial district in Hong Kong. In this bustling city, there are scenes reflecting people's struggling for a hard life. I was on the mid-levels escalator in Central, discovering many shops opened in the buildings on both sides of the escalator. The internal operation of the shop is a vivid showcase for the customers and pedestrians. 
The Cyberport is located at the Southern District of the Hong Kong island. It is a commercial community established to develop digital technology with partnership of companies and IT developers to meet the demand of the expanding digital age. While visiting the Cyberport, I have enjoyed the "Golden Champion Concert 2012" held at The Arcade. 
Shek O, located in the southern part of the Hong Kong island, is a resort area with a beautiful beach. A small bridge connects the Shek O Village and Tai Tau Chau (lit. big headed island). There is a small trail meandering in the hill. The village is tranquil with gorgeous resort houses. The beach is wide with tidal waves, attracting many tourists, lovers and the newly-wed for a walk and photography. 
When you are in a ferry in Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong, you will see the Peak on Hong Kong island and the Peak Tower at the mountain valley of the Peak. My impression of the Peak dated back to the 60s when I was a small child. I remembered that I saw the Peak when I was taking the Star Ferry to Hong Kong. The Peak tram was seen climbing slowly in the mountain.  |
| The Peak Tower and the square 凌霄閣及山頂廣場 |
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| The Peak Tower in 1972 had a Chinese, a western restaurants and shopping centre. The lower level was the Peak Tram terminal. The Peak Lookout restaurant was on the left (archive photo). 1972年的「老襯亭」，內有中餐廳爐峰酒樓、西餐廳凌霄閣及購物商場，下層為纜車站。太平山餐廳在左面 (檔案照片)。 |
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| The Peak Tower in 2012 as seen from the Victoria Harbor is viewed closely from the Lugard Road. 2012年在盧吉道近看凌霄閣背面, 也是在維港望見的一面！ |
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| An old peak team was displayed at the plaza in the Peak 山頂廣場放了一部舊式的山頂鑬車作展覽 |
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| Gazing out from the shopping centre 從商場外望 |
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| The Peak Lookout, a historical restaurant at the Peak and was accorded as Grade 2 status by the Antiquities Advisory Board of Hong Kong in 1981. The interior has been changed but the building remains the same. 山頂之太平山餐廳，1981年被列為香港二級建築。內部已改動得面目全非但整楝建築仍舊未變。 |
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| Lugard Road 進入盧吉道 |
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| A singing bird found on Lugard Road 沿盧吉道漫步，鳥語花香。 |
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| Lugard Road meanders on the mid level 沿山腰游走的盧吉道 |
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| A section of the Lugard Road was a plank road as seen in the early days. 部份盧吉道以棧道形式建成。 |
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| The same section of the plank road was captured in 2012 同一位置的棧道攝於2012年12月 |
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| Strolling on the plank road 在棧道上漫步 |
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| A plank road built on the cliff 懸空的棧道 |
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| The lamp is barely visible as the plank road is immersed in the dense plants in the hill. 棧道在密林綠樹的山腰游走,祇露出路燈。 |
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| Green algae on trunk 綠苔綠樹 |
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| Colorful ships were sailing fast off the Western District of Hong Kong 遠望西環海面，彩色的輪船在飛馳。 |
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| An ancient and elegant lamp post 沿路的古雅燈柱 |
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| The park at the junction of Lugard and Harlect in panorama 夏力道與盧吉道公園 |
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| The cliff rock on Harlect Road 夏力道路旁岩石 |
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| A yellow flower 黃蕊小花 |
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| Lung Fu Shan viewpoint 龍虎山觀景台 |
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| The pill-box at the end of the Harlect Road. A number of batteries, pillboxes and shelters were constructed on Hong Kong island to defend against the Japanese threat during the war from 1936 to 1941. 夏力道盡頭處的機槍堡。為了防禦日軍的威脅﹐ 香港英軍在1936至1941年間港島沿岸建造防禦設施如機槍堡等。 |
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| The descending Hong Kong Trail Section 1 下山港島徑1段 |
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| Buildings of Queen Mary Hospital 俯瞰瑪麗醫院 |
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| The sea off the Kennedy Town of the Western District 西環海面 |
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| A distance post points at the Queen Mary Hospital 標距柱對著瑪麗醫院一帶 |
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| An ancient classic building on the hill-slope 半山古雅建築 |
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| Passing by a water supply plant 途經輸水站 |
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| Potfulam Reservoir 薄扶林水塘 |
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| Tranquil scene on the Hong Kong Trail Section 2 環境優美的港島徑2段 |
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| A panoramic view 全景照 |
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| Images of trees 樹影 |
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| Lamma Island at dusk 遠眺黃昏的南丫島 |
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| Gazing over the high rises at Pokfulam 遠眺薄扶林置富花園 |
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| The evening at Aberdeen city centre at 5:56pm 下午5時56分: 俯瞰香港仔市中心夜景 |
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| At 6pm, I was still hurry my way down from the hill before the coming of the night. 下午6時: 夜幕已低垂，我仍在半山趕路。 |
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| 6:04pm: It was totally dark on the trail. 下午6時04分: 天色已黑，沒有路燈的山路已是漆黑一片！ |
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| 6:07pm: it was totally dark within a minute! 下午6時07分: 不到一分鐘，已伸手不見五指。 |
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| 6:24pm: after struggling my way in the dark, I finally arrived at the Pokfulam Road in 24 minutes! 晚上6時24分，終於抵達薄扶林道近華富邨的出口了！ |
