A Walk In The Park

Someone is ready to hit the town in style! #divastatus

 While we have been here for almost an entire week already, we have had limited opportunity to go out and explore some of the landmarks and historical areas of the city we've considered our home for these past few days.

Our guide picked us and the other two families up and we headed out to Yuexiu Park, which is one of the most popular areas in town, because of the statues and history behind it.  This area once formed the northern most point of the city and was defined by the large massive brick and stone wall that was created here to designate the city boundary.  As time went on, the city expanded and most of the wall was torn down, except this section that still remains.

On top of the big hill inside the park stands the "Five Rams Sculpture".  As legend has it, when Guangzhou was founded (over 2,200 years ago), five immortals were said to have ridden rams into the city with stalks of rice in their mouths.  Their intent was to teach the residents how to grow rice and feed one another, ending the famine that was present in the land.  This well-known statue commemorates this legend, and is a very popular spot for residents and tourists to visit.  The city of Guangzhou has been given the nickname "City of Rams" because of this legend.

Entrance to Yuexiu Park

The Five Rams Statue

Part of the old city wall that still remains intact!

We spent about 1-2 hours in this park walking around the paths, exploring the old city wall, and making our way through a few other monuments and memorials to well-known city leaders and rulers.  Of course, there's *always* time for some selfies, and our little girl wasn't afraid to take them....

After heading out from the park, we went downtown near the Pearl River.  Guangzhou is built along this river, and is considered a major port and transportation hub here in China.  With over 13 million residents, Guangzhou is one of three largest cities in China.

We took a quick walk to the Canton Tower - a massive free-standing skyscraper built back in 2009-2010 and located in the heart of the city.  This tower reaches almost 2,000 feet in the air, and held the record for the tallest tower in the world (for a brief time, anyway).  It was built for the 2010 Asian Games, and remains a beautiful landmark that lights up at night and creates a very fun and lively environment around it with shops, entertainment, and a walking pedestrian mall. (More pictures from this area tomorrow!)

As we continue to spend more and more time with Hannah, we're encouraged to see her become more relaxed and open to us!  Her smiles and giggles continue to brighten our day, and she's beginning to pick up a few basic English words and associate names with each one of us.  She continues to be a great eater at meal times, but is slowly beginning to show us her clear opinions and thoughts on what she wants to eat and not eat!  = )

Thanks for your continued support and prayers - we are feeling them and appreciate them greatly!