Burton Bradstock Village Society
I am sure we all know by now that whenever David Barnikel shows us his slides of his overseas travels, we are all in for a treat and this time was no exception when he gave us a presentation on Fri 11th Jan entitled ‘Images of China’.
He went to China on an organised tour in December, travelling with Saga! This included a cruise up the Yangtze River and we saw dramatic shots of beautiful gorges and autumn colours with a taste of industrialisation through coal mining and coal barges. We saw shots of the enormous dam being constructed across the river. There are many towns and cities below it and with a question mark over the quality of the concrete and risks of earthquakes; this is not a good place to live. Also the water levels will rise by several metres and hence high rise apartment blocks are being built on higher ground, which look horrible and grey. Thank goodness we live in Dorset!
We also saw markets selling colourful herbs and spices, beautiful parks and gardens, images of the Terracotta Warriors, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and even a B&Q!
The cities now have luxury hotels and gone are the days of the bicycles to be replaced by thousands of cars being driven by well fed, well off, affluent people.
Altogether a fascinating insight into a country which up until recent times has remained a bit of a curiosity.
Our next meeting is on 7th March when Bob Mizon will be telling us all about the vital roll of the Sun on our planet and what developments to look out for in the next two years.
Peter Dutton
for more information about this and other talks go to the Village Society's programme