Magical Evening in Guilin

So, after our blog post last night, we set off for authentic Guilin food. We had local shrimp. Very delicious! And fish caught by local fisherman using a cormorant fishing bird. Also very tasty! Local veggies including pumpkin shoots with garlic, fresh mushrooms with very fresh bamboo shoots (nothing like what comes from a can.) Culinary heaven once again. (Debbie was hoping that the Ginsing Tea was working.)

Kevin told us more about his work at the orphanage. They even sell several of the paintings from his art students to encourage them. This is ironic and a beautiful turn of events. We found out about Kevin's father's history. Kevin's father was a teacher during the cultural revolution. As were most of the teachers and artists, he was sent to work as a farmer in the countryside in a poor rural area. Kevin was 10 yrs old at this time. After China realized the necessity of art and teachers once again, he was brought back to Guilin to teach. During our walk around the city, Kevin pointed out a stone bas relief, near the Sun and Moon Pagodas, depicting several famous artists from Guilin. We were very happy to hear about this change in policy and encouragement of the arts.

We ended the evening getting caught in a downpour on our way back to our hotel. It was very romantic.
We were truly blessed!
Love and many blessings,
Debbie and Justin