Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden

The Nan Lian Garden is a true escapism from the busy city. This tranquil oasis is landscaped over an area of 3.5 hectares, in which every hill, rock, body of water, plant and timber structure has been placed according to specific rules and methods. ‘Nan Lian’ literally means, South Lotus or ‘Lotus from the South’.

The Chi Lin Nunnery was founded in 1934 but was rebuilt in the 1990s following the style of Tang Dynasty traditional Chinese architecture. The present-day buildings are wood frame buildings built without the use of any iron nails. This construction is based on traditional Chinese architectural techniques dating from the Tang Dynasty that uses special interlocking systems cut into the wood to hold them in place. The Chi Lin Nunnery buildings are the only buildings to be built in this style in modern day Hong Kong. - Wikipedia. 

Dances and Wishes

Happy New Year!

On Sunday the 10th of February hundreds of people made their way to Nan Hua Temple in Bronkhorstspruit to celebrate the 2013 Chinese lunar New Year. According to the Chinese Zodiac calendar; 2013 is the year and the year of the snake or small dragon.

The Tanka community in Hong Kong

During our trip to Hong Kong we discovered a very interesting group of people in the Aberdeen harbour. Tankas, or boat people, are essentially fisherfolk living on junks and boats.  According to superstition, Tankas believe that a giant wave will sweep them away if they were to live on the shore.  However, the population of boat people is steadily declining due to pollution and the encroaching shoreline as land is reclaimed.

  

Animals at the Pretoria Zoo

It is always a good day at work when you are sent to the Zoo to go and photograph some animals. This time I focused on the seals and the the Black Rhino.

  

Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) 2012 exhibition at Air Force Base Waterkloof