CHINA PART 5 – A DAY OFF
Today was the first day since the beginning of the trip that we have not been either travelling or meeting or both. We decided to do some sightseeing in Guangzhou and went to the Chen Ancestral Hall, one of the most popular tourist destinations. This is an amazing garden and pavillion complex. The buildings are covered with elaborate wood carvings, stone carvings, ornate iron work and painted plaster frescos. There are period room displays and displays of traditional and modern crafts, much of which is for sale.
Later in the afternoon we went to the antique district, where Bill looked for porcelain similar to what we have in the Barkerville collection. What little he did find that was similar was quite pricey, indicating that much of what we have in the Barkerville collection is worth quite a bit in China.