This sign discouraging people from climbing over the railing at the Three Gorges Dam, and the way it was translated from Chinese into English, made everyone smile.
However, signs showing how high the water behind the dam would eventually reach, didn't make anyone smile. The water here was full of debris from the land it had covered.
In the Forbidden City, former home of the great Chinese emperors, were signs showing the ancient names of the beautiful buildings, and arrows pointing the way to other areas. "The Hall of Mental Cultivation" could be seen as we headed for the Imperial Garden.
The Palace of Gathered Elegance, the name given to the home of the emperors' concubines, made more than a few people smile.
But even with mental cultivation and gathered elegance, it wasn't easy to find a 4-star toilet.
In July, 2008, people like my husband who climbed China's Great Wall could see, despite the air pollution, a large sign announcing the upcoming Summer Olympics.
If you look carefully at this close-up of the Olympic sign near the Great Wall (or click on it to enlarge it), you can see people who have hiked up to get an even closer close-up of it.
This sign discouraging people from climbing over the railing at the Three Gorges Dam, and the way it was translated from Chinese into English, made everyone smile.
However, signs showing how high the water behind the dam would eventually reach, didn't make anyone smile. The water here was full of debris from the land it had covered.
In the Forbidden City, former home of the great Chinese emperors, were signs showing the ancient names of the beautiful buildings, and arrows pointing the way to other areas. "The Hall of Mental Cultivation" could be seen as we headed for the Imperial Garden.
The Palace of Gathered Elegance, the name given to the home of the emperors' concubines, made more than a few people smile.
But even with mental cultivation and gathered elegance, it wasn't easy to find a 4-star toilet.
In July, 2008, people like my husband who climbed China's Great Wall could see, despite the air pollution, a large sign announcing the upcoming Summer Olympics.
If you look carefully at this close-up of the Olympic sign near the Great Wall (or click on it to enlarge it), you can see people who have hiked up to get an even closer close-up of it.
1 comment:
Translations can, indeed, run amuck. But I like how in China the English versions mostly sound poetic. These are great pictures, Kay. I double-clicked on the last one to see the people who managed to make their way up those many stairs. The gray haze of pollution over this beautiful part of the world is a shame.
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