Day 12 was the 27th December 2016

Day 12 was the 27th December 2016 and we had planned to go to Victoria peak but it was a holiday and the queues were horrendous so we gave it a miss. Our first stop was Victoria park, then we visited Tin Hau temple and walked across Hong Kong island, caught the Star Ferry to Kowloon and were overwhelmed by the shops, visited another Tin Hau temple, went to the Temple Street jade market, walked the avenue of stars, caught the Star Ferry back to Hong Kong island and returned to Habib's for another curry, walked around Victoria park again and collapsed having walked for the whole day.



We clearly over did the sightseeing but did not like Kowloon as it was too western and too commercial. The jade market was fun and in full knowledge we were not buying actual jade we bargained and bartered our way to a bag full of souvenirs. The iconic Star Ferry was great, albeit a short journey but my memory of the day was Victoria park in the morning, watching the martial arts and people of Hong Kong, if I lived here it would be my daily ritual too.

第12天是2016年12月27日，我们计划去维多利亚山顶，但今天是假日，排队的队伍是可怕的，所以我们避开时间。我们的第一站是去维多利亚公园，然后我们参观天后庙，穿过香港岛，搭天星渡轮到九龙，那里到处都是商店，游览另一间天后庙，前往庙街玉石商场，走在明星大道，搭了天星渡轮回香港岛，然后回到哈比卜吃另一个咖哩餐，再次走过维多利亚公园，走了一整天真是累瘫了。

在观光游览以后我们很清楚，我们不太喜欢九龙，因为它太西方，太商业化。玉石市场很有趣，在充分了解的情况下，我们没有购买实际的玉石，我们讨价还价，用我们自己的方式，将袋子装满纪念品。天星标志的渡轮是很棒的，虽然是一个短暂的旅程，但我最记得的是早上在维多利亚公园，看着武术演练和香港人，如果我住在这里，这可能也是我的每天的例行公事。

Day 11 was the 26th December 2016

Day 11 was the 26th December 2016 and today we were on the move again. This time from Guilin to Hong Kong, again by train, but this time we were going across a border and although technically not leaving China we were on our way back to the West.

Chris brought Guilin noodles for breakfast but we stashed them in our rucksacks for the journey. Mainly because this was the day we said goodbye to Chris, and it was tinged with a little sadness, but also we had to pack and make our way to Guilin North station for the 11 O'clock train.

We said goodbye to Chris and for the first time entered a station unsupervised, we need not have worried as it was old hat now, and without hiccup we found the waiting room and sat. I managed to purchase some snacks and watched the world go by. It was then a young lady began to ask questions, mainly about our daughter, but my answers did not seem to dissuade her curiosity. My well versed and stock answers came to an end and I asked her if she spoke English. The answer was no, so she continued to ask in questions in Mandarin. It was a little frustrating but I learned more during that conversation than any other in out time in China. In hindsight I wish I had been pushed in that manner during the whole trip.

The train journey was similar to our other rail experiences, fast and efficient. We watched China whistle by and even saw NanJing, the home town of a good friend in the UK. And before we knew it we were in ShenZhen alighting the train with all of the other passengers as it was the terminal station. Then we were alone and with no idea where to go, so after a little wander we found a strict young woman in uniform and I asked how to get to Hong Kong, 'Red, line number 4' she barked, so off we went and duly found the queue for a transfer train. We purchased some tokens and spoke to some South Africans who were also making the journey to Hong Kong, together we then followed the masses to the train and the border. On arrival we filled out our departure cards, stood in more queues and were then stared at by border control, then we walked out of mainland China into Hong Kong. To be confronted by more queues to exchange our money into Hong Kong dollars. Then over a glass bridge, through more checks and finally onto the MTR and our final train of the day that took us through Hong Kong to Tin Hau on Causeway bay.

We purchased our Octopus cards, a very good idea if you ever go to Hong Kong, before we traveled and kept those for our visit. They did however morph into crustacean, crab and cuttlefish cards during our stay!

By the time we reached Tin Hau we were very tired and the sight of the hotel was very welcome indeed. Although once again we found we were short on beds, as this was a boutique hotel, but as very tired travelers, we did what we had always done, we just got on with it.

Showered and refreshed we venture out and in true British style we went for an Indian meal at Habib's, followed by a stroll in Victoria park. It was warm, dry and felt like the antithesis of England in December. We also now had access to Facebook, Twitter and Google, and although we had been emailing friends and family throughout the trip, it felt as though we had shifted back into the 21st century.

第11天是2016年12月26日，今天我们再次移动。这次从桂林到香港，再次搭乘火车，但这次我们正经过一个边境，虽然技术上没有离开中国，但我们回到了西方。

克里斯带来了桂林的面条当作早餐，但我们把他们收藏在这次旅行的背包。主要是因为这天我们跟克里斯说再见，这不仅有点忧伤，而且我们必须打包好行李，并走到桂林北站搭11点钟火车。

我们跟克里斯说再见，第一次无人照看进入一个车站，我们并不担心，因为现在已经很熟了，没有波折，我们找到了等候室坐下来。我设法买了一些小吃，看着人来人往。 这时一个年轻女士问我些问题，主要是关于我们的女儿，但我的答案似乎并没有劝阻她的好奇心。我所精通和能够用的答案都用尽了，我问她是否会说英语。但答案是否定的，所以她继续用普通话问我。这虽然有点令人沮丧，但我在这次对话中比在中国的任何其他时间学到的更多。事后看来，我希望在整个旅行期间能以这样的方式进行。

火车旅程与我们其他铁路体验相似，速度和效率都很高。我们看着中国呼啸而过，甚至看到英国一个好朋友的家乡南京。在我们知道之前，我们与所有其他乘客一起在深圳下火车，因为它是终端站。然后我们独自走出，不知道该往哪里去，所以有点彷徨之后，我们发现了一个严肃穿着制服的年轻女子，我问她如何去香港，她大声喊出“红，第4号线”，所以我们走去，的确找到了接驳车的队伍。我们购买了一些代币，并与一些正在排队前往香港的南非人交谈，然后我们跟着群众坐车以及到离境处。抵达后，我们填写了我们的出境卡，排在更多人的队伍，被边界管制人员盯着，然后我们从中国大陆走进香港。面对更多的队伍，把我们的钱兑换成港元。然后经过一座玻璃桥，通过更多的验票，最后搭上这天最后一班地铁，带我们通过香港到铜锣湾天后。

我们购买了八达通卡，如果你曾去过香港，这是一个很好的主意，我们以前来过，为了这次到访我们又买了几张。 然而他们在我们停留期间变身为甲壳类动物，螃蟹和墨鱼卡！

当我们到达天后，我们非常累了，看到这酒店的确是非常受欢迎。虽然我们又发现我们的床短少一张，因为这是一家精品酒店，但我们已经非常累了，我们只好再做同样的事，把床倂在一起就可以了。

淋过浴恢复了精神后，我们走出酒店，以真正的英国风格，我们去了一家哈比卜的印度餐厅，然后在维多利亚公园漫步。它是温暖，干燥，感觉起来正好与12月的英国相反。 我们现在也可以访问Facebook，Twitter和谷歌，虽然在整个行程我们一直在发送电子邮件给朋友和家人，它感觉好像我们已经回到了21世纪。

Day 10 was the 25th December 2016

Day 10 was the 25th December 2016 and it rained, and it rained, and it rained!

It was strange to wake up on Christmas morning and be so far removed from the occasion, it did however grow on me and the truth is, it was a liberating feeling not to be confined to the Christmas stereotypes. I took off alone for an early morning walk around the local streets and watched the shops and markets come alive.

We went to Elephant hill and climbed the karst rock there, up to the hilltop pagoda and down to the cave of 1000 Buddhas. There was quite a lot of scaffolding being erected in preparation for the New Year celebrations, so we had to forego some of the scenery. A wine cave, unfortunately locked, smelled quite enticing and we had to duck into the souvenir shop to view the local wares. This did include a large vat of dead black ants that had something to do with an arthritic remedy, we did not indulge, but did buy some wine for the folks at home. The gardens were wet but were worth a look around and sported some peculiar statues and baffling descriptions. Some of the cave writing was very old and in the darker recesses history had been etched for all to see. Newer barriers barred the way in some areas and Chris regaled tales of previous visits with access to rather dangerous rocky outcrops we were glad to have missed.



We then walked across to the other side of the hotel and up to Fubo hill, where we again climbed up to the crowning pagoda. The view was shrouded by the mist and rain of the day, but that maintained a mysterious veil over the surrounding city and proud rocks. We walked the grounds and saw the sword stone, the giant cooking pot and gong, and the obligatory caves.

With aching legs we set off back towards the hotel and Chris found a near empty restaurant for us to enjoy our festive feast. I got involved with the ordering, pushing my Mandarin to its limits in the hope the vegetables would not be meat laden. It seemed to work and we had one of the best meals of the trip, except I managed to confuse a chickens leg with a head and it ended up on our daughter's plate. It was quickly removed and Chris shifted other heads and feet to a nearby napkin to avoid any further upset.

We returned to the hotel and left our daughter in the warm and then set off for a little late shopping, we got Chris a present and landed a few souvenirs, with some expert haggling by my wife. The rain still fell and so we gave in and also returned to the warm embrace of out hotel. This was our last night in mainland China, so I felt uncomfortable wasting it indoors, so once again I took off alone, this time at night, for one last look. I felt strangely sad, I had expected to be relieved, but I wanted to stay and soak up more. I walked along the river and the karst rocks of Seven Star park were up lit against the low clouds. The rain subsided and Guilin hummed with life, the mob of angry mopeds began to swarm again and only then was it time to call it a night. I walked back under the bridge and, in our quest to leave us much of our belongings behind, left my jacket and jumper on the bars of a sleeping mans bicycle.

第10天是2016年12月25日，下雨了，下雨了，下雨了！

在圣诞节的早晨醒来，并且在这个时节远离很奇怪，可是它确实改变我的想法，事实是，这是一种解放的感觉，不被设限在圣诞节的刻板印象。清晨我独自一个人在当地的街道上散步，看着商店和市场活络起来。

我们去了大象山，爬上喀斯特石灰岩，到山顶宝塔，到1000诸佛的洞穴。那里架设了很多脚手架，正在筹备新年的庆祝活动，所以我们不得不舍弃一些景点。 一个酒窖不幸被锁着，闻起来相当诱人，我们不得不进入纪念品商店看看当地的商品。 这包括一大桶死黑蚂蚁，与治疗关节炎有关，我们并不爱喝酒，但却为了亲戚买了一些酒放在家里。这个花园是淋湿了，但值得一看，而且有一些特有的雕像和难以理解的描述。一些洞穴的铭刻非常古老，在更黑暗的深处可看到历史的蚀刻。在一些区域有较新的障碍挡在路上，克里斯不亦乐乎说明先前游览过的事，进去那里的岩石露出地表是相当危险，但我们很高兴没去。

我们接着走到酒店的另一边，直到富博山，在那里我们再次爬上了加冠的宝塔。 这个景色被这天的薄雾和雨所覆盖，在周围的城市和傲人的岩石仍保持着神秘的面纱。我们走在广场，看到了剑石，巨锅和锣，和必看的洞穴。

带着疼痛的腿，我们回到酒店，克里斯找到一个几乎空的餐厅，享受我们的节日盛宴。我参与了点菜，把我的普通话推到极限，希望蔬菜里没有肉。看起来似乎奏效，我们享用了旅程其中最好的一餐，除了我把鸡腿和头搞混了，最后在我们的女儿的盘子上。但它很快被拿掉了，克里斯很快地把其他的头和脚移到附近的餐巾纸，以避免任何进一步的烦恼。

我们回到了酒店，留下我们的女儿在温暖的饭店里，那时出发去购物有点晚，我们准备买给克里斯一个礼物，买到了一些纪念品，有一些由我专门讨价还价的妻子买的。雨依然在下，所以我们只好回到酒店温暖的怀抱。这是我们在中国大陆的最后一天晚上，所以我不想把时间浪费在室内，所以我再次独自一人出去，这次是在晚上，最后再看一看。我感到莫名的难过，原本我预期将会松口气，但我想留下来吸收更多。我沿着河边走，七星公园的岩溶岩点亮了低云。雨势稍歇，桂林开始忙忙碌碌的生活，发动着的轻便摩托车再次蜂拥而至，直到那时才满足地结束这一天。我走回桥下，在我们的讨论之下，决定留下我们的物品，所以把我的夹克挂在一辆自行车的长杆上给一个流浪汉。

Day 9 was the 24th December 2016

Day 9 was the 24th December 2016 and we were up early to enjoy a river cruise on the LiJiang. We were treated to some local Guilin noodles for breakfast and as a rice based noodle I ate them without fear of upset. They were some of the best noodles I have ever had!

Chris ushered us to a coach at 7.30 am and we set off on a circular tour of Guilin to collect other passengers. The guide who only spoke in Mandarin was clearly used to dealing with the hard of hearing and shouted her information for the entire journey. I did pick up that the local speciality meats were duck and, unfortunately, dog. We eventually arrived at the river dock and boarded a flat bottomed boat and were shown to some very comfortable seats around a table. This is were we sat for the journey and tea was served as we set off down the river.

The trip was a geographical feast, with karst rocks appearing out of the mist, with some circling birds of prey. We saw plenty of ducks and corvid type birds and at one point some goats displaying their adeptness at mountain climbing. But it was mainly the scenery and the clean fresh air and water that filled us with a renewed energy. I only saw one horse on the 'painted hill of nine horses' but did see the spectacular hills printed on the 20￥note, Guan Yin hill and, whilst standing on the upper deck, just took in this beautiful and unique landscape.



After four hours we arrived at YangShou and transferred via an electric car to the coach for the journey back to Guilin. The low point of the day is we were hearded into a jade factory for a 'lecture' that turned out to be a sales pitch. As it was in Mandarin we slipped out the door back to the coach, but found a small lake to enjoy whilst our fellow tourers enjoyed some retail therapy.

We continued on our journey and were treated to some quick stop tours on the way, including a Buddhist temple, the Grand Banyan tree scenic area at ChuanYan, Moon Hill rock and another cave system.

At the Grand Banyan tree our daughter was photographed sitting on a buffalo, a picture that will grace the family album forever, and at Moon Hill we parked next to a market where they were selling 'magic beans' that Chris told me could improve my love life 'x10'!!! The caves were again gaudily lit but equally spectacular once you got over the lighting. We had our ears touched for luck and again found a retail opportunity within the caves should we need to buy more souvenirs.



As we left the sun went down and the rest of our journey was in darkness. The journey was long, everyone was tired and we got stuck in a long traffic jam. I did however enjoy it immensely as we went off road, in a coach, drove on the wrong side of the road and into oncoming traffic. The roads were dire and we bounced all the way back to Guilin, reaching the hotel at 9 pm.

It had been a long day and we again slept like logs!

Footnote:

It was when we arrived back at Guilin and proceeded to drive around dropping our fellow travelers back at their hotels that we began to see the tanks and cages stacked up outside of the restaurants. We had been exposed to animal welfare issues on our first visit to China, so it was not a shock, but still saddening having to explain the why's and wherefore's to our daughter. Of our time in China this was the most difficult sight to deal with, because of our line of work, but it was also a reality check to remind us we were not in England and in China this was normality.



第9天是2016年12月24日，我们很早就在丽江享受江上游览。早餐我们享用一些桂林当地的面条, 这些是米做的面条，我很放心地吃了。那是我曾经吃过的最好的面条！

克里斯在上午7时30分带我们到一辆游览车，我们出发去桂林，游览车环城招揽其他乘客，这位只说普通话的导游显然习惯很大声说话，在整个路程中她都用喊的来传达她的信息。我确实明白了当地的特色肉是­-鸭肉，和不幸的是狗肉。我们最终到达了河码头，登上一艘平底船，并在一个桌子周围看到一些非常舒适的座位。 我们整个旅程都是坐在座位上，饮茶是在我们下河的时候端上的。

这次旅行是一趟地理盛宴，岩溶岩出现在雾中，有一些盘旋准备捕食的鸟。我们看到了很多鸭子和鸭科类的鸟，在某一点上可以看到一些山羊正展示他们老练的爬山技巧。但主要是风景和清新的空气和水，使我们充满新的活力。在这像画着九匹马的山我只看到一匹马，但的确看到印在20元人民币纸钞上的观音山壮观的山丘，虽然站在上甲板，但刚好拍到这个美丽而独特的风景。

四个小时后，我们到达阳朔，并经由电动车转搭游览车(大巴)回到桂林。这一天的低点是，我们被赶进一家个玉器工厂，在那里被强迫推销。因为那里只说普通话，所以我们溜出门回到游览车，当我们的同行者正享受一些购物疗法时，但我们发现一个小湖可欣赏。

我们继续我们的旅程，并在途中快速地游览一些景点，包括佛教寺庙，春艳大榕树风景区，月亮山岩石和另一个洞穴系统。

在大悦榕庄拍摄我们的女儿坐在水牛，一张照片将永远典藏在家庭相册里，在月亮山，我们停在一个市场旁边，他们卖的魔术豆，克里斯告诉我可以提高我的性爱生活十倍！洞穴又一次点亮，如果一旦照亮同样壮观。他们轻碰我们的耳朵带给我好运，在洞穴又发现有一个贩卖摊，我们是否应该需要买更多的纪念品。

当我们离开时，太阳已下山，我们剩下来的行程是在黑暗中度过。旅途漫长，当我们出发上路时每个人都累了，而且有一段漫长的塞车。但我确实玩得很痛快，在大巴里，彷佛看到车子开错车道和迎面而来的车流。看起来很可怕，我们一路颠簸回到桂林，到达酒店已经晚上9点了。

这是一个漫长的一天，我们再次睡de很好！

脚注：

当我们回到桂林，车子把我们的同行一一带回他们的酒店，我们开始看到水槽和笼子堆在餐厅外面。在我们第一次来中国时，我们已经知道了许多的动物福利问题，所以这不惊讶，但仍然很难对我们的女儿解释。我们在中国的这段时间里，这是最难处理的景象，因为我们的工作，但它也是一个事实查核，提醒我们，我们不是在英国，但在中国这是常态。

Day 8 was the 23rd December 2016 - 依依不舍

Day 8 was the 23rd December 2016 and we had to leave Ning Yuan and make our way to Guilin. The journey, again, had to be completed on road, so a van had been booked. We had packed up and Chris arrived with some dumplings to sustain us on the journey and after the rush hour traffic had subsided we set off.

Our experiences over the past two days made it difficult to leave (依依不舍), the institute director came to see us off and after a short goodbye we were back on the road. The sights of Ning Yuan passed us by, including a moped with a dead sheep on the back, and suddenly we were back in the countryside.

The road to Guilin was good and the journey fast, if a little dangerous, and before we knew it we had arrived at the foyer of the Hotel Universal Guilin. It was diametrically opposite to the Yong Shun in Ning Yuan, open, modern and clean. However, it was undergoing modernization so we had not escaped the noise. It did however boast a wonderful view of the LiJiang and the some of the stunning Karst rocks and geography GuangXi is famous for.

It also had a Christmas tree in the foyer, a timely reminder of the season we had left behind, and oddly a taste of the decorations to come when exploring Guilin itself.

After a tea break, some unpacking and flopping in some much needed modernity, we ventured out into the moped infested city. Having crossed the river we almost immediately found ourselves at the gates of the Seven Star Park and, having paid our 70 ￥each entrance fee, we entered a large garden area that extended into a greater park that boasted some karst rocks ready to be climbed. It also had a zoo, which we avoided, and some signs warning us of the dangers of the local monkeys that we did not see. We did however descend into a large cave complex and took the guided tour, it was gaudily lit and had an odd souvenir stall half way down, but was well worth the time and effort. We then returned to the park and climbed our first karst rock of the visit to a spectacular view of the city.



We filled our lungs with the fresh air and sat and watched the scenery unfold. Now we had time to reflect and absorb some of the events of the trip thus far. The thought kept resurfacing that our first visit to China had been a stressful one and we had transposed that onto our surroundings, this trip was very different and we had been able to see a more accurate, unclouded China.

Our walk back down and out of the park was punctuated by water on slate calligraphy and an old lady firing questions at Chris about these foreigners who appeared to have a Chinese child. This was becoming a regular occurrence and my vocabulary improved to mitigate the questions as we went.

Back at the hotel I squared up with Chris, another 1800 ￥ for the transfer and 1000 ￥ for the following days boat trip. The evening meal was an event not worth recounting, except to say the vegetarian option mainly consisted of pork. We returned to our clean, warm and comfortable beds, via a shop that sold red wine, for some well earned rest and a little television to catch up on world events.

We were here for three days, and having achieved our daughters desire to return to her orphanage, we now felt able to relax and enjoy the rest of our time in China and this had been a good start.

第8天是2016年12月23日，我们不得不离开宁远到桂林。我们收拾好行李，登上一辆已经预订的面包车，克里斯带来一些饺子，女儿吃过后，等上下班尖峰时间一过，忙碌的交通已经平息，我们打包好行李，再次踏上旅程。

在过去两天的经历使得我们难以离开（依依不舍），福利院主任来为我们送行，在简短的说再见之后，我们回到了路上。宁远的景色过去了，途中一台摩托车后面载着一只死了的绵羊，突然地也消失了。

通往桂林的道路很好，车程很快，如果要说我们知道有点危险之前，我们已到达桂林酒店的门厅。它和宁远的永舜酒店正好相反，开放，现代和干净。然而正在进行现代化装修，所以我们没有办法避免噪音。桂林的丽江确实有一个美丽的景色，及一些令人惊叹的喀斯特岩石(岩溶岩石)，这是广西闻名的地理风貌。

大厅里也摆放着一棵圣诞树，及时提醒我们抛下的节日，奇怪的是，当我们探索桂林时随处可见装饰着圣诞节的感觉。

在茶歇后，在解开一些行李以及暂时喘了口气舒服躺下过后，我们就外出到这摩托车污染的城市探险。过了河，我们立刻警觉已在七星公园的门口，并付了每人70元人民币的门票，我们进入一个大花园区，从这儿延伸到另一个更大的公园，这里自诩有一些岩溶岩石可攀登。里头还有一个动物园，我们避开那里，因为从一些迹象告诉我们，当地的猴子是相当危险，这是我们所没有看到。然而，我们一路走下坡到一个大的洞穴群，带着导览图，里面有灿烂七彩的灯光，一个奇怪的纪念品摊挡在半路，但是这洞穴群是非常值得看的。后来，我们返回公园，我们爬上第一个岩溶的岩石，全览了这个城市的壮观景色。

我们呼吸清新的空气，坐着看着风景。现在我们有时间仔细想，和吸收到目前为止旅程中的一些事件。这个想法不断地重复，我们第一次来中国时感觉压力很大，现在我们已经可以把它转移到我们的周围环境，所以这次旅行非常不同，我们已经能够更准确、更清楚地去看中国。

我们步行下来，走出公园，看到一个人在岩板写书法，一个老太太问克里斯，这些外国人身边有一个中国孩子的问题。这似乎是习以为常的事，而我的中文已有改善，足以应付我们面对的问题。

回到酒店，我和克里斯结清，另外1800元人民币车资，1000元人民币用在接下来的乘船游览。晚餐是一个不值得记述的事，除了说素食可选择外，主要是菜肴里有猪肉。我们回到了我们干净，温暖和舒适的床，经过一家出售红葡萄酒的商店买了一瓶红酒，这是为了能好好的休息，同时看了一会儿电视知道世界新闻。

我们在这里待了三天，并且实现了我们的女儿回到她的孤儿院的愿望，我们现在能够放松和享受我们在中国的其余时间，这是一个好的开始。

Day 7 was the 22nd December 2016 - part 2

Day 7 was the 22nd December 2016 and as it was log has been split in to two parts.

We left the institute and returned to the hotel, the emotion was palpable and it was clear we were drained. We needed to walk and process our thoughts thus far and at Chris' suggestion we set off to walk the streets of Ning Yuan. He had walked out the night before to reconnoiter a Confucian temple for such an occasion, or to walk off the local brew, and it was the perfect antidote to a draining morning.



It was an interesting afternoon, marrying the heritage and philosophy of the temple and grounds. We were shown the beautiful stone carved dragon pillars and formal temple buildings, with their serious-faced statues. Interestingly there was a hall lined with photographs of local adults and students who had obtained recognition for their studies and the educational philosophy of Confucianism was very much to the fore. The grounds were scented and it was clear this building had been here significantly longer than its neighbors.

As we walked back to the hotel, Ning Yuan was coming alive as children began to erupt from school, spilling onto the surrounding streets and in turn the scooters loaded with parents and children swarmed the area.We ducked off the main road into a market street and almost immediately my wife nearly got run over, having told us on numerous occasions to 'mind out'! The shops were open-fronted and an array of foods and dry goods lined the shelves and paved areas outside. The smells merged but some dried fish smells lingered in the nose for minutes. The sights, mainly of red decorations, were quite blinding and we tried not to touch anything as our unfamiliarity meant we had little idea of what many things were.

Our daughter brought some biscuits and for 10￥came away with an enormous bag that lasted until the end of our Guilin visit. The staring was now part of our daily experience, we ignored it in the main but it was clear in Ning Yuan we stuck out like fireflies in a dark wood, it did not detract from our experience and actually meant we saw and discovered more. It really felt as though we were touching Ning Yuan and its people, the genetic pool that bore our daughter, and for a fleeting time became part of this maelstrom.

On our return to the hotel we were advised the director and his team from the institute would again join us for dinner. We paused, wrote notes, washed and changed and made our way down to the restaurant. To say the day was a busy one would be a gross understatement.

At dinner we followed the same path as the previous night and the local brew was once again rolled out. I tried one glass and can now speak from experience; an experience I will not be repeating! Our daughter sat next to Ài and we managed to communicate enough to swap details and organised to link up on WeChat after we left China. We were also joined by a journalist who wanted to write about our daughters return to Ning Yuan and through Chris managed to ask many questions throughout the meal.

The article URL at time of writing was working: 
http://m.voc.com.cn/wxhn/article/201612/201612231539201647.html?from=singlemessage&isappinstalled=1

At the end of the meal we said our goodbyes, I think we were too tired to do anything else, so I paid for the meal and at 400 ￥ for a banquet was quite a steal. The hotel remained its noisy self but it did not stop us collapsing and sleeping like logs until the next morning.



第7天是2016年12月22日 - 第2部分

第7天是2016年12月22日，因为日志太長我分成两部分。

我们离开了福利院，回到酒店，情绪是显而易见的，很明显，我们已被耗尽。我们需要步行和进一步理清我们到目前为止的想法，在克里斯的建议下，我们出发走在宁远的街道上。在晚上以前他走了出去，机缘巧合下察看一下孔庙，或许释放掉晚餐中喝过的酒精，这也对一个已耗竭的早晨来说，是一个完美的解方。

这是一个有趣的下午，结合古迹和寺庙的哲学和广场。我们看到美丽的石刻龙柱和正统的寺庙建筑，与严肃面孔的雕像。有趣的是，有一个大厅布满了当地成年人和学生学习获得认可的照片，显示儒家的教育哲学是非常重要的。这广场有着香味，很清楚可以知道，这个建筑在这里明显比其他邻近的更长。

当我们回到酒店时，宁远活络了起来，孩子们开始从学校奔出，散落在周围的街道上，反过来，骑着摩托车准备来接孩子的父母聚集在这个区域。我们从主要道路走进一条市场街，我的妻子差点被辗到，已经告诉我们很多次“注意”！商店是开放式的，一系列食品、干货物排列在货架，同时延伸摆放到外面的铺砌区域。这气味不但合并一些干燥的鱼味，且在鼻子里停留了几分钟。风景名胜，主要是红色装饰，是相当盲目的，由於我们的不熟悉，所以我们试图不触摸任何东西，因为我们不知道的事情还很多。

我们的女儿带了一些饼干，花了10元人民币就有一大袋，持续吃到桂林的最后一天才吃完。现在每天都有很多眼睛看着我们，基本上我们不去理会，但很明显，在宁远，我们看上去像是在黑暗的树林中的萤火虫那样突出，但这样并没有减少我们的经验，实际上我们看到和发现更多。这真的使我们感觉到正在触摸着宁远和它的人民，我们的女儿的基因库，这样短暂的时间就将成为这个漩涡的一部分。

我们回到酒店，我们得知主任和福利院的团队将和我们一起吃晚餐。我们稍作休息一下，作了笔记，梳洗更衣后，我们下来走去餐厅。要说这天是忙碌的一天，那只是轻描淡写的说法。

晚餐我们循着前一天晚上相同的路径，再次拿出本地酿造的酒。我喝了一杯，所以现在我已经可以说; 经验告诉我，我不会再喝第二杯！我们的女儿坐在艾旁边，我们设法沟通并交换彼此的生活细节，并打算在我们离开中国后可以用微信联系。在晚餐时还有一位记者加入我们，他想写有关我们的女儿回宁远的事，透过克里斯翻译在晚餐中提出了很多问题。

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在晚餐结束时，我们告别了他们，我想我们太累了，不能做其他任何事情，所以我付了这餐费，400元人民币一餐相当便宜。酒店依然很嘈杂，但这并没有阻止我们一睡到天亮。

Day 7 was the 22nd December 2016 - part 1.

Day 7 was the 22nd December 2016 and it was the day we had planned the trip around, no pressure there then!

Only our daughter ate breakfast, not because we were nervous but because we had eaten so much the night before. I spent some time writing down some questions for the director and after a few nervous visits to the toilet Chris rang us to tell us the director had arrived to drive us to the welfare institute.

We packed all of the gifts, our older clothes and some pens and paper and off we went. The journey was short and the streets of Ning Yuan were pulsing with commuters and transporters; many of them staring at the foreigners haplessly wandering around. We finally drove down a side street, and were immediately distracted by three puppies also wandering around, then a tight left through some gates and there we were, the focal point of our journey.

The building was a robust concrete block with bars on the windows, golden characters above the entrance and a drive punctuated by a large landscaped roundabout and a badminton net. We alighted and went straight in, and were led up stairs to the directors office and sat down. Tea was served, in small plastic cups, and I presented the director with the watch as a gift, again trying to articulate our feelings in Mandarin. We were joined by the assistant director of the civil affairs office and our daughter's orphanage mother, who I later found out to be called Ài Zhēn Yún 艾珍云; who we later began to call Ài. Our daughter gave Ài a gift, which was initially taken by the civil affairs office staff, but quickly returned. This had been hastily sourced the night before as we were unaware of Ài's existence but now felt an immediate bond that needed to be recognized.

 

Chris once again mediated and we began to ask questions, initially we asked some cultural and geographical questions, firstly to start the ball rolling but also to help us with creating a better understanding of the Ning Yuan people. Buddhism and Confucianism seemed to be the predominant belief systems, with tofu and pork balls, duck with duck blood and chicken in vinegar the favorite dishes. Weightlifting, ping pong and badminton the chosen sports and Confucius day, children's day and Guan yin day the celebrated holidays. Agriculturally spice, peanuts, rice, vegetables and tobacco are grown as the main crops and porcelain objects are manufactured. We asked about local fables and stories but were only shown a children's storybook authored by a friend of the institute.

We began to ask about our daughter specifically and were told the original records were no longer available. Her Chinese name was derived from Yong Zhou's 'Yong', Ning Yuan's 'Ning' and because she was the third child in that rotation 'Chang' from the dictionary. That her date of birth was estimated, with a 1 or 2 day margin of error, from her umbilicus and how it had healed. It had been suggested initially she had been abandoned at four weeks and this was exceptional, that was debunked straight away and we were told it was quite normal. The scar on her hip we had thought was a mark from her biological parents was examined by Ài and explained as the effect of the cord on her string pants rubbing her skin. Ài also went on to explain she remembered our daughter very well and had kept a photo of her for some time after the adoption, but was upset and put it away, only for it to get lost. She remembered our daughter as a quiet child, who would either walk or stand still and watch the world go by. She ate a lot and went to the toilet a lot, and was never naughty. But, if she could reach something it went in her mouth.

It would have been very clinical without Ài's input, she seemed very genuine and was tearful on occasion but did make a big fuss of our daughter at every turn. The institute was just that and the fact they had 'nothing else on file' seemed to bring the visit to an end.

However, as we spoke one child came in and out of the office to elicit fruit from the director's table and having shared it with us we followed her out into the corridor to see other children walking around. There were only eleven at the institute now, in 2007 there had been around 200 at a time, so the picture would have been quite different when our daughter was here. The emphasis now was on the aged. We were shown down the corridor into the dormitories and into the lives of the children there and apart from a few head lice they all looked in good health. I sometimes find situations like this difficult, too intense, and so took out three satsuma like fruits from my pocket and juggled for the child who had been in the director's office, she smiled and laughed and together we diffused my creeping tension. She then held my hand and we proceeded with the tour.

After a while we returned to the car park and the director's car and proceeded back onto the streets of Ning Yuan. It was not long before we parked in front of the communist party school and alighted to view some concrete steps outside. This was our daughter's finding place, the place her biological family had seen fit to leave her and left her to fate's mercy in the hope there was a better future for their child. The suggestion was they were either living locally or, more likely, had come to town to work, for economic reasons from the surrounding countryside. And it was here, on the steps of this school they said goodbye. I could not help but notice a bus stop outside the school, on this busy arterial road running through Ning Yuan, and my mind began to dwell on the logistics of how she would have been left here.



We returned to the institute to be taken to the local civil affairs office next door to drink some warm water and with Chris' help 'chew the fat' with the director of the welfare institute and the assistant director of the civil affairs department. We talked about kids and the similarities between our lives and countries and they then took us to lunch. The food was simple but appeared to be traditional Húnán, it was a little spicy and a whole lot delicious, and we sat, ate, talked, ate more, drank, toasted and ate even more for some time. The Chinese food culture and dynamic was becoming very clear, and as much as my Mandarin was not progressing very well, my cultural understanding was increasing exponentially.

Although our visit to the institute could have been very two dimensional, the staff and children, the sights and smells and the cultural insight had created a very colorful and vivid memory. One that I hope will support our daughter's understanding of who she is, so she can be more positive about her past and the people who looked after her when she needed them.



第7天是2016年12月22日 - 第1部分。

第7天是2016年12月22日，这是我们计划旅行的一天，那里是没有压力！

只有我们的女儿吃早餐，不是因为我们紧张，而是前一天晚上我们已吃了很多。我花了一些时间写下一些问题，一点紧张地等待家人上完厕所后，克里斯告诉我们，主任已经抵达，要带我们去福利院。

我们收拾好所有的礼物，我们的旧衣服、一些笔和纸，我们就出发了。路途很短，虽然宁远的街道上有通勤的人和交通工具; 其中很多人无助地徘徊看着我们。最后我们开进一条小巷，立刻转移三只四处游荡小狗的注意力。然后很快地左转通过一些门后，我们抵达了那里。

这个建筑物是坚固的混凝土构造，铁条围在窗户上，在入口上方可看见几个金光闪闪的大字，车道环绕一个大型的园景和一个羽毛球网。我们下车，直接上楼到主任办公室坐，他们端茶给我们，把我们带来的手表送给主任作为礼物。民政办公室的副主任和福利院我们女儿的奶妈也加入我们，后来我发现她叫“艾珍云”。后面都会以”艾”称呼她，我们的女儿给了艾一个礼物，民政办公室副主任确认过后交还给她。

透过克里斯翻译，我们开始问些问题，刚开始我们问一些文化和地理问题，逐步地帮助我们更理解宁远人。佛教和儒家思想似乎是主要的信仰体系，豆腐和猪肉球(狮子头)、鸭血豆腐和醋溜仔鸡是他们最喜欢的菜。举重，乒乓球和羽毛球是他们的运动项目，孔子诞辰日、儿童节和观音诞辰日是他们庆典节日。农业香料，花生，大米，蔬菜和烟草是这里主要的作物，这里也有瓷器制造。我们问关于当地的寓言和故事，但他们只展示了一个由福利院的朋友所作的童书。

我们开始问些有关我们的女儿更具体的事，但原先的记录已不可考。她的中文名字来自于永州的永，宁远的宁，因为她是第三个从字典中轮到畅的孩子。她的出生日期是从脐带愈合程度估计，大概是1天或2天的误差范围。一开始有人说她是在四个星期后被抛弃的，我以为那样是例外，但他们告诉我们这是相当正常。她臀部的疤痕，我们原以为是她的原生父母所标记的，但艾检查并解释，那是因为裤子上的绳子摩擦她的皮肤所造成。艾也继续解释，她记得我们的女儿很好，而且在她被领养后她仍保存她的照片一段时间，但是感觉很失落，心烦意乱，就把它给丢了。她记得我们的女儿是一个安静的孩子，不论是走路或站着，总是看着人来人往。她吃了很多，也拉了很多，从来不淘气。但是如果有东西她就往她的嘴里塞。

艾她说得很有感觉，她看起来很真实，有时含着眼泪，也确实很关心我们女儿的每一个举动。福利院有的信息就只有这些，事实上一直到访问结束，他们也没有什么其他有关我们女儿的资料。

然而，当我们正在谈话中，一个孩子进出办公室，从主任的桌子拿了水果，并与我们分享，我们跟着她走到走廊，看到其他孩子四处走着。现在在福利院只有十一个小孩，在2007年时约有200个，所以这景象已是大不相同。现在的重点是老年人。我们沿着走廊进入宿舍参观，并进入看那里孩子的生活，除了有几个头上有头虱外，他们看起来都很健康。我发现有时这样太紧绷了，所以我从我的口袋里拿出三个像水果的无核蜜柑，为那个在主任办公室的孩子耍弄戏法，她笑了笑，笑声一起弥漫开来也缓和了我的紧张。然后她握着我的手，我们继续参观。

过了一会儿，我们回到了停车场，上了主任的车，然后回到宁远的街道上。我们停在共产党学校前面没有太久，下车看看外面的一些混凝土台阶。这是发现我们女儿的地点，她的原生父母认为在那里是离开她比较适合地方，任她由命运摆布，希望他们的孩子未来有一个更好的地方。根据福利院同仁的说法，是有几种可能性，可能他们是住在本地，或更有可能他们是从周围的乡村来到城里工作，出于经济原因，他们才会在这里，在这所学校的台阶上跟她说再见。因为这个公共汽车站牌是在学校旁边，这是条人们通往宁远繁忙的主干道。

我们回到民政办公室，并带我们到隔壁的地方民政办公室喝一些温开水，在克里斯的协助下与福利院主任和民政部助理主任闲话家常。我们谈论孩子和我们的生活，以及国家之间的相似之处，然后他们带我们去吃午饭。食物很简单，但似乎是传统的湖南菜，有点辣，一大堆好吃的，我们坐，吃，说话，吃了很多，喝，烤，甚至吃了很久的时间。我们对中国的食物文化和动态越来越清楚，虽然我的普通话没有很大的进展，但我对文化的理解却正呈指数般增长。