Writing on the Pavement in Haerbin 哈尔滨
The plaza where the Flood Control Monument was was also filled with people, fortunately, it was big enough to handle the Sunday crowd. Besides, there was enough room along the river as well. I couldn’t really tell whether these people were tourists though but I would think that they are locals since tourist season for Haerbin would be in January when the ice festival held. For now, I would be content to observe how the people go about their lives in this northern Chinese city.
Practice Writing in Haerbin 哈尔滨
It used to be the older folk would perform calligraphy either for a fee or just to brag. I have seen this numerous times in small Chinese villages and it seems to be a common way to earn a living. In the big cities, you would never see this kind of this unless you are in a very touristy area. So I was surprised to see some local Chinese, elderly ones, literally take to the streets and perform calligraphy. They hold an oversize brush which they dip in water and just start to write on the pavement. People would gather around them as they would try to explain what they just wrote. This is a kind of public art which is probably disappearing and somehow it still makes a showing here in the modern city of Haerbin. And I would have to admit, their writing is nice.
[xmlgm {http://www.worldwanderings.net/kml/FloodControlMonument.kmz} zoom=19]