Treasured Memories Of Guilin Chinese Chop As Memento

In 1987 the Guilin scenery for me was a picture book example of what I had imagined the Guilin mountains would be like. In the very short time that we were in Guilin, we discovered that there were many interesting places to visit and enjoy. I would return to Guilin in later years, when friends would show me a yet more fascinating insight into this well known China town.

There were fruits and vegetables in abundance on the pavement stalls in Guilin and a path leading from the end of the bridge down to the river bank was lined with yet more stalls selling a variety of goods. Highly decorated swords and daggers, embroidered silks were all there to tempt the Guilin tourists. It was at one of these stalls that I had my first Chinese Seal, or "Chop", made by a very skillful Guilin craftsman carving my name on the end of the seal, mirror-wise, and by eye, taking no measurements and working in the light of a kerosene lamp.

For the local people, all the Guilin activities were just a part of normal daily life, but for the foreign tourists, visiting Guilin for the first time, they were full of mystery, different to anything seen before, well worth the long haul journey from the other side of the world. We had only been in Guilin for three days, and we were reluctant to leave the excitement of nightlife on the streets and by the market stalls, but the following day we would have an early start to cruise down the River Li, then from Guilin fly to Shanghai to continue our China tour.