Wandering Around
While CCTV was busy burning down it’s own hotel, the recession raged on and numerous articles appeared in worldwide media writing about the rising unemployment rate of Dongguan, we were out traveling around trying to find employment of our own.
First stop, Quanzhou. Got to meet with an old friend who I haven’t seen in like 15 years it seems. Oddly enough she hasn’t seemed to have aged at all, while I on the other hand have gotten more wrinkly, greyer, and in general more creaky. A couple of good dinners and breakfasts and some good chats. Oddly enough, at one dinner I know most of the people there, as I had worked with them at other companies.
The fun part, was the drive to Quanzhou from Dongguan. Considering we had more time than money, we decided to make a little road trip out of it and drove. This isn’t all as difficult or death defying as it may sound, as the highways from Dongguan to Quanzhou are all tollway/expressway, and for the most parts in good shape. There are some nice rest areas every 40 to 50km, a couple with McDonalds none the less.
One rest area we always stop at has a large tea museum, and coffee 
shop, and others usually have shops, restaurants, and fuel stations.
Quanzhou itself is a smaller city in comparison to many in China, but is the home to a large international community of Arabs, Persians, Indians and other nationalities.
Quanzhou is also home to Quingjing Mosque. Imitating a mosque in 
Damascus, Syria, it was initially built in 1009 and today is the oldest Arab-style mosque in China. This magnificent mosque covers an area of 2,500 square meters (0.62 acre) and features a gate, the Fengtian Hall, and the Mingshan Hall. Next to the Quinjing Mosque is a Taoist temple, and in between the temple and the mosque is a market area selling traditional Chinese decorations, artifacts, etc.
All in all it was a great trip, a chance to get out of Dongguan for a few days and experience some of the other areas of China, at our own pace. Also a good chance to catch up with some old friends, and make some new ones. As far as employment, made some new contacts, and we’ll see how that pans out in the future.
