QUANZHOU - LUOYANG BRIDGE

Luoyang Bridge of Quanzhou, Fujian China is one of the historical places which I heard being mentioned quite often in the house during my childhood days. This was probably because my late grandma used to watch Hokkien Opera Shows with 'legendary' stories of this place.

The Luoyang Bridge, also known as Wan'an Bridge. The stone bay bridge is situated at the mouth of Louyan River.  Being the first stone bay bridge in China, it enjoys the reputation of " one of the four ancient bridges of China".

Legend has it that in the Tang dynasty, emperor Xuanzong of Tang disguised himself and went to the street to inspect people's lives. 

 

Finally, after so many years I came to visit Luoyang Bridge which is not a legendary place you see in the shows but it does exists for centuries. 

We followed a day tour to Quanzhou from Xiamen.  The day tour fare is very reasonable at 180 Yuan inclusive of lunch. It covers visits to various tourists sites such as Shaolin Temple, Kai Yuan Temple and Wudianshi Traditional Block.

Oyster Picking

FUJIAN NANJING TIANLOUKENG TULOU AND HOMESTAY

My greatest appreciation and gratitude to my relatives in Xiamen [Lay Chong and Aun Aun] for bringing us to Tianloukeng Tulou and arranging to spend a night at this homestay.  This homestay belongs to Aun Aun's cousin.  The exterior does not look near attractive but the interior was cosy, comfortable and homey.

Homestay Room View

It is situated on a higher ground, a short distance to the viewing platform overlooking Tianloukeng Tulou.

The homestay provides meals upon requests in advance and free KTV to while away the cool dark night outside [15-16 degrees C].

Boss of Homestay [sitting with mic] singing KTV with guests [us].

A table of sumptuous home-cooked food, their local cuisine.  It was an awesome meal minus all the frills of a restaurant.  Homey, delicious dishes cooked with fresh ingredients.  The vegetables are freshly picked, the chicken and duck are chosen just after our arrival from their own farm and cooked right away.  We picked some fresh chicken eggs for tomorrow's breakfast, too.  Dishes are prepared with the least of seasoning used.

Free Range Old Hen Chicken
With Wild Red Mushrooms Soup

Boiled Free Range Duck 

Stir Fry Home Grown Small Bok Choy

Stir Fry Freshwater Prawns
With Leeks and Chillies

Deep Fried Freshwater Fish Slices

Braised Dried Bamboo Shoots
 With Pork Belly Meat

Braised Mui Choy With Pork Belly Meat

Crispy Fried Small Bait Fishes
with Chillies

A big plate of steamed white rice for dinner

The road leading to the Home-stay

Aerial View Of Nanjing
Tianloukeng Tulou [Si Cai Yi Tang]

Tai Chi members who came from Hunan enjoying the serene environment whilst demonstrating their Tai Chi skills overlooking Tianloukeng Tulous. Isn't a great experience?

Another homey, delicious Chinese style breakfast, [Fujian Minnan Porridge] which is very similar to ours back home in Penang, Malaysia.  I believe, with this we would not miss home.  We really enjoyed this hot porridge in the early  cool morning with temperature at 16 degrees C.

Clockwise from top left - Cai Por Egg Omelette [Cai Por Niu], Stir Fry Sweet Potato Leaves, Braised Pork Belly with Mui Choy, Pickled Szechuan Preserved Vegetable [Zai Choy] and Deep Fried Groundnuts.  These are all authentic and popular condiments for porridge.

New Acquaintances From Jiangxi
who gave us a Honey Pomelo