Heather’s Trip to Dongguan, Guangdong, China

X marks the Province

Dongguan

Dongguan International Exhibition Hotel – This is where I stayed.

Giant Fish Tank in hotel lobby

My room - Fresh fruit and bottled water were delivered daily!

Fire Safety was emphasized in the hotel!

2 fire escape masks were in my closet and a fire extinguisher was next to my dresser. There were also fire safety messages on the elevator monitors. I was expecting the weather forecast!

When you turn on the TV, there is a detailed fired safety video including this scene of people escaping a fire.

View from my room

View from park nearby hotel - I ran through this park every morning and continued on to the City Center.

View from park towards Convention Center

Park view towards my hotel – Tropical climate, which I loved!!!!!

Dongguan City Library

Banner advertising conference

Book ATM- Book vending machine. You can check out and check in books using your library card.

Outside Reading area - Magazines and newspapers were located outside on a patio for patrons to enjoy!

24 Hour Self Service - When the library is closed, patrons can access the 24 Hour Library by scanning their library card.

There is a self check out and check in machine for their use. They exit by scanning their card and checked out books.

Posters advertising library programs. – There were no paper program fliers or brochures, all programs were listed on these posters adjacent

to library entrance.

Dongguan Library - This is the central stairway in the 5 story atrium. They left doors and windows open. Fresh air in the library!

The first floor also included:• Information desk• Library Book Store (the

library publishes their own books!)

• Commercial Space – currently being rented to an English language school

• Art Exhibition Space

Dongguan Library - Art Exhibition Space

Photographer is rolling his camera on rails to document part of their Art of Book exhibit.

Dongguan Library Bookmobile

Dongguan Library – Very clean and bright!

Comic Library Room - This was a separate room for comics, graphic novels, manga, and anime.

Children’s Librarians – My Chinese colleagues. Note the cell phones in their hands, they love their phones more than we do!

Dongguan Library Children’s Room –

Note the open door to the outside!

Dongguan Library Children’s Room - Computer Area

for children

Dongguan Library Toy Room - This is an enclosed room where children can play on a soft foam floor.

Toy cabinet is located behind the desk.

Dongguan Children’s Room - This is the area where the Librarians teach children etiquette. The library has also published a book to go along with this

program. It covers all kinds of social and family situations.

Dongguan Library - Book Swap room – bring a book, take a book.

Dongguan Library - The Electronic Reading Room. This room had Internet computers and DVDs that could be viewed in the library or checked out.

Children’s Library - At another location in the city, there is a separate Children’s Library. Yes, a whole library for children! This mosaic is located behind the main

desk.

Children’s Library - Storytime and program schedules are posted at entrance. There are no posters or fliers scattered throughout the library, very neat and tidy!

Children’s Library – The librarians here described their work as sharing “beauty and love” with children. I was literally drawn into this library, beginning

with the lighted constellations flanking the elevators.

Children’s Library - Interactive, touch screen game for children as you continue walking into library

Children’s Library – It doesn’t show up in my photo but as you step on this path, holograms of children’s books appear.

Samples of Children’s Art – Children’s art is on display in the entry and it is amazing!!!

Children’s Library – Young Children’s Room

Children’s Library – Dedicated area for creative arts in Young Children’s

Room.

Children’s Library – The children’s restroom has an open entry from the Young Children’s Room. The Library Director tasked the Children’s Librarians to create a

hand washing rhyme. They did and it is posted next to the sinks. Even the restroom incorporates “beauty and love!”

Children’s Library – Older Children’s Room

Children’s Library – Since most children are cared for by their grandparents, the Children’s Library has an “Elderly and Cantonese Opera Room.”

Children’s Library - Grandparents can read, play games, practice calligraphy, listen and perform music in “their” Room.

Children’s Library - Storytime Room

Children’s Library - View into the Toy Library Room, very similar to Dongguan City Library’s.

Chinese Library Association Conference – Huge, Hollywood production for Opening Ceremony! Note the mini-skirted escort and paparazzi. Outside of this frame is a big camera

boom, the Opening Ceremony was televised.

Conference – The City Government was a sponsor for the conference and it was advertised throughout the city – banners, balloons, and even on the buses.

Conference – Keynote address, “New Normal, New Target, and New Direction.” Libraries worldwide are changing to meet community needs as their

community’s needs change!

Conference - Awards were presented to librarians for a variety of services: reading to children in orphanages; archiving ancient Chinese medicine books; taking books into farm fields for the workers; preserving Tibetan scrolls; and many other worthy acts of service. This was the most encouraging part of the Conference.

Exhibit Hall – Greetings from Lion Dancers

Our exhibit was co-located with San Francisco Public Library’s -- the only USA libraries with

exhibits. SF librarians did not attend.

Panels from our Exhibit

Exhibit Panels

Visitors in our Exhibit

Visitors taking postcards that described our library programs. They send postcards for

Chinese New Year.

Children’s Services Conference – I attended these sessions with the help of an interpreter.

Several librarians demonstrated their programs. School children had been bused into the conference to participate in the demonstrations.After each demonstration or presentation, there were 3 “experts” who critiqued each presentation.

Children’s Services - The most interesting session was the one on bookmaking with children presented by Chongquing Library.

Note the librarians’ outfits!!!!

My Presentation - I presented “Open Door Special Needs Storytime.” I definitely did not have the glamour and glitz of my Chinese colleagues. At least I didn’t cause an

international incident! Below is my name on the presentation schedule board.

Keyuan Garden - is one of the Four Great Gardens of Guangdong in China. Keyuan was built during the Qing Dynasty.

Keyuan Garden

Keyuan Garden

Keyuan Garden

Guihuayuan Park

I spent Sunday morning listening to these wonderful musicians in a park full of families! Great place to people watch. Multi-generational families were enjoying the day together.

Guihuayuan Park

This woman was “exercising.” – beautiful!

Guihuayuan Park

Many people were walking, biking, and running. Note that they are wearing “street” clothes while running.

Guihuayuan Park

I went hiking in the park. The steep trail uphill had paved steps. This was a great way to spend a morning!

Dongguan Exhibition Center – This is the city museum. Visit website for details. http://dgec.gov.cn/ The Economic Hall was a

fascinating look at modern, mega- manufacturing China. Deng Xiaoping is credited with saying, “Wealth is glorious.” Dongguan is certainly taking his words to heart!

Dongguan Exhibition Center – I spent an enlightening afternoon here! There were English translations! The History Hall took me on a brief tour of Chinese history from ancient Cantonese

culture; to the Opium War; then the Anti-Japanese War; and finally to the beginning of modern China.

Dongguan Science and Technology Museum - Another wonderful museum! Again, there were English

translations, which I certainly appreciated. Check out their website: www.dgstm.gov.cn/english/aboutus/index.jsp

Dongguan Science and Technology Museum - About 90 percent of the exhibits were hands-on activities like this simulated MRI machine.

You slide the machine over the model and the image shows what the inside of the body would look like on the MRI screen. I visited on a Sunday afternoon, and it was full of

families.

Shopping - I managed to complete a little shopping without speaking Chinese. I selected an item, the sales clerk shows me the price on a calculator, I make facial expressions

either expressing agreement or “what is the discount price?” She then shows me another price I like, I nod “yes,” and she completes a sales slip. I take the slip to a cashier counter,

pay for the item, take the receipt back to the sales clerk and collect my item.

Shopping - I discovered the “Wal-Mart” Mall Sunday morning. Chinese malls are not spread out, they are stacked up with small shops. There indeed was a Super Wal-Mart inside on 2 levels, with an escalator ramp for carts to move between the levels. On

either side of the ramps were bins with impulse items. Wal-Mart had all Chinese groceries but everything else looked like an American store, only in Chinese! Wal-Mart had posted

prices, check out registers, and you had to pay for bags.

Chinese Pizza Hut - I didn’t eat here but I looked at their outside menu. Some pizza but mostly Chinese dishes. KFC is really popular in Dongguan, of course,

Chinese style!

Street Scenes

Street vendors outside of the Children and Youth Center. Sales of roasted sweet potatoes and candies. This woman was selling birds, and rabbits (as pets!).

This man is creating a candy. Look at top, right hand corner of photo.

Hard Working People

Hard Working People

Police at almost every corner - I saw a policeman sitting every morning in an empty plaza during my morning run. There was no one else around except

the maintenance workers in the park. (How boring!) I did peek into one of the corner booths and it looked like the policeman was keeping some kind of log. I felt extremely safe during my

visit.

Bicycles are a major mode of transportation.

Public Toilets - I had been advised to carry tissues at all times. However, I discovered that most toilets had a wall-mounted dispenser as you entered the restroom. You

just need to remember to grab some TP before you get in the stall.

Qifeng Park - It was raining when I visited, but beautiful!

My Interpreter, Tracey- (Tracey is her English name assigned by her English professor.)She helped me during the conference and

then accompanied me to Qifeng Park and Guanyin Temple. She was so informative and polite!

Guanyin Temple - You can purchase incense and paper “good wishes” to burn in the temple courtyard.

Guanyin Temple – Tracy and I entered the temple. People come twice a day to offer their “best wishes” to the “goddess” (bodhisattva.)

Tracey said her parents have an altar in their apartment dedicated to Guanyin.

Tracey also said her parents do many “practical” things like gardening; painting; hiking, etc. While her generation does “virtual” things on the computer and their cell phones. She also said her friends like to meet at the mall. Everyone I saw at this park and temple were my age or older, in fact Tracey said she doesn’t plan to

follow her parents traditions as she really wants to move away and live on her own.

Chinese Food - I ate vegetables at all 3 meals! Even the fast food (below) was fantastic. I ordered a Garden Salad and expected an American style salad – dregs of the garden

with wilted Iceberg Lettuce in abundance. However, as you can see below, wholesome vegetables reined supreme

and I ate like a queen!

Great Trip! – I hope you enjoyed this brief overview. Happy Travels!