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<googlemap lat="30.246389" lon="120.141935" type="satellite" zoom="14" width="730" height="500" controls="small">
 
<googlemap lat="30.246389" lon="120.141935" type="satellite" zoom="14" width="730" height="500" controls="small">
 
30.242429, 120.163666, 杭州 (Hangzhou)
 
30.242429, 120.163666, 杭州 (Hangzhou)
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30.123592, 118.207585, Emerald valley.
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30.1435367, 118.1721291, Huangshan.
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31.241871, 121.486258, Shanghai, {{thisday|27|June|2012}}.
 
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Revision as of 08:36, 9 July 2012

Contents

PLMCN12

The 13th edition of the PLMCN was held in Hangzhou (杭州), China, on the bank of the famous West Lake, an icon of Chinese culture renowned for having "influenced garden design in the rest of China as well as Japan and Korea over the centuries" and as reflecting "an idealized fusion between humans and nature." [1]

<googlemap lat="30.246389" lon="120.141935" type="satellite" zoom="14" width="730" height="500" controls="small"> 30.242429, 120.163666, 杭州 (Hangzhou) 30.123592, 118.207585, Emerald valley. 30.1435367, 118.1721291, Huangshan. 31.241871, 121.486258, Shanghai, 27 June (2012). </googlemap>

In the conference dinner, we shared our table with three Chineses, one of them actually a post-doc in Southampton whom we never met there! He recommendeded us to visit the Yellow Mountains after the conference, which we did.

Below are some pictures of the conference place and surroundings.

West Lake

Emerald Valley

The Emerald Valley lays at the feet of Huangshan. It has crystal-clear water with colours of the same name, and nice rock formation. The vegetation is notable too, it might be the closest we ever got from a real jungle (with wild and exotic sound from the fauna, especially birds). It is a mainly a Chinese tourist spot, we met one occidental only. People would occasionally show up superbly dressed, maybe following or preceding a wedding.

黄山

Huangshan (黄山), literally the "Yellow Mountain", is a mountain range composed of material uplifted from an ancient sea during the Mesozoic era and subsequently carved by glaciers during the Quaternary [2]. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth, the archetype of Chinese paintings, with pine trees perched on salient peaks piercing through the fog. Weather is quite capricious. Our ascension of the lotus peak was an enduring exercise, against thick fog and battering rain. The whole mountain is busy during the day, with hordes of Chinese guides shouting in a microphone in the most touristic spots, but nearing the closing time of the last cable car, at half past four, it would become much more relax and peaceful. In the evening, it becomes completely empty. Early in the morning—and we woke up at four—you really feel alone in heaven.

Shanghai

We had a short time in Shanghai before taking the plane. We came back from Huangshan by night train and met at this occasion a nice couple from central China, who told us more, through the voice of the husband, about people's life. He was a doctor and she was a state officer at the hospital. In Shanghai, we visited the oft-recommended Yu garden and haggled in the market. Elena would do the haggling as I cannot stand the practise (in which you always lose). It seems she was haggling well as a couple of time, her last offer was refused. It was rainy and extremely foggy and much of the time was spent in the hotel trying to fix the internet to attend to urgent matters, all falling at the same time.

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