A Trip to the Markets

On Friday afternoon Ken and Rommel finished work a bit early and so before going to the annual dinner we took some time to visit the only Catholic church in Guangzhou along with a few of the markets.


All Saints church is over 100 years old. When the communist revolution took place in 1949, the church was closed and the priest imprisoned in the bell tower. The parishioners threw food up to him to help keep him alive although ultimately he succumbed before freedom was granted. In more recent years the ban on practicing religion was eased somewhat and foreign nationals were allowed to attend mass but had to show their foreign passports in order to enter the grounds. Chinese nationals were not permitted to attend. Even more recently the provincial government did a huge about face and told the parishioners they would match any amount the parish could raise to restore the church. They also lifted the ban on the local citizenry. Over $1 million was raised by the parish and that amount was matched by the government. The restoration is now complete and guards no longer screen those entering the church grounds.

Outside the church grounds and in front of the markets are many street vendors. One gentleman was very proud of his machine that extracts syrup from sugar cane. The metal finish was gleaming as he sold his wares.

Food vendors cook all types of treats on various kinds of grills and carts.

We visited two markets. The toy market sells every type of gift goods imaginable in stalls stacked side by side and ten stories high. The other market we visited featured all types of decorations for any and every season. Of course, with Chinese New Year fast approaching most of the stalls were filled with traditional lanterns, banners, faux fire crackers, strings of lights and, of course, the occasional dragon.

We purchased a few items to get our apartment in the spirit and then headed off to the Steelcase Guangzhou Annual Dinner.