Trip to Chinese Library Association Conference, Dongguan.

1. Heather’s Trip to Dongguan,
Guangdong, China

2. X marks the Province

3. Dongguan

4. Dongguan International
Exhibition Hotel –
This is where I stayed.

5. Giant Fish Tank in hotel lobby

6. My room - Fresh fruit and bottled water were delivered daily!

7. Fire Safety was emphasized
in the hotel!
2 fire escape masks were in my closet
and a fire extinguisher was next to my When you turn on the TV, there is a
dresser. There were also fire safety detailed fired safety video including
messages on the elevator monitors. I this scene of people escaping a fire.
was expecting the weather forecast!

8. View from my room

9. View from park nearby hotel - I ran
through this park every morning and continued on to the City Center.

10. View from park towards
Convention Center

11. Park view towards my hotel – Tropical
climate, which I loved!!!!!

12. Dongguan City Library

13. Banner advertising conference

14. Book ATM- Book vending machine. You can check out and check
in books using your library card.

15. Outside Reading area - Magazines and
newspapers were located outside on a patio for patrons to enjoy!

16. 24 Hour Self Service - When the library is closed, patrons
can access the 24 Hour Library by scanning their library card.
There is a self check out and check in machine for their use.
They exit by scanning their card and checked out books.

17. Posters advertising library programs. –
There were no paper program fliers or brochures, all programs were listed on these
posters adjacent to library entrance.

18. Dongguan Library - This is the central stairway in the 5
story atrium. They left doors and windows open. Fresh air in the library!
The first floor also included:
• Information desk
• Library Book Store (the
library publishes their
own books!)
• Commercial Space –
currently being rented to
an English language
school
• Art Exhibition Space

19. Dongguan Library - Art Exhibition Space
Photographer
is rolling his
camera on
rails to
document
part of their
Art of Book
exhibit.

20. Dongguan Library Bookmobile

21. Dongguan Library – Very clean and bright!

22. Comic Library Room - This was a separate room for
comics, graphic novels, manga, and anime.

23. Children’s Librarians – My Chinese colleagues.
Note the cell phones in their hands, they love their phones more than we do!

24. Dongguan Library Children’s Room –
Note the open door to the outside!

25. Dongguan Library Children’s Room -
Computer Area for children

26. Dongguan Library Toy Room - This is an enclosed
room where children can play on a soft foam floor.
Toy cabinet is located behind the desk.

27. Dongguan Children’s Room - This is the area where
the Librarians teach children etiquette. The library has also published a book to go
along with this program. It covers all kinds of social and family situations.

28. Dongguan Library - Book Swap room – bring a book,
take a book.

29. Dongguan Library - The Electronic Reading Room. This room
had Internet computers and DVDs that could be viewed in the library or checked out.

30. Children’s Library - At another location in the city, there is a
separate Children’s Library. Yes, a whole library for children! This mosaic is located
behind the main desk.

31. Children’s Library - Storytime and program schedules are
posted at entrance. There are no posters or fliers scattered throughout the library,
very neat and tidy!

32. Children’s Library – The librarians here described their work as
sharing “beauty and love” with children. I was literally drawn into this library,
beginning with the lighted constellations flanking the elevators.

33. Children’s Library - Interactive, touch screen game for
children as you continue walking into library

34. Children’s Library – It doesn’t show up in my photo
but as you step on this path, holograms of children’s books appear.

35. Samples of Children’s Art – Children’s art is
on display in the entry and it is amazing!!!

36. Children’s Library – Young Children’s Room

37. Children’s Library – Dedicated area for creative arts in Young
Children’s Room.

38. Children’s Library – The children’s restroom has an open entry
from the Young Children’s Room. The Library Director tasked the Children’s Librarians
to create a hand washing rhyme. They did and it is posted next to the sinks. Even the
restroom incorporates “beauty and love!”

39. Children’s Library – Older Children’s Room

40. Children’s Library – Since most children are cared for by their
grandparents, the Children’s Library has an “Elderly and Cantonese Opera Room.”

41. Children’s Library - Grandparents can read, play games,
practice calligraphy, listen and perform music in “their” Room.

42. Children’s Library - Storytime Room

43. Children’s Library - View into the Toy Library Room,
very similar to Dongguan City Library’s.

44. Chinese Library Association Conference – Huge,
Hollywood production for Opening Ceremony! Note the mini-skirted escort and
paparazzi. Outside of this frame is a big camera boom, the Opening Ceremony
was televised.

45. Conference – The City Government was a sponsor for the conference
and it was advertised throughout the city – banners, balloons, and even on the buses.

46. Conference – Keynote address, “New Normal, New Target, and New
Direction.” Libraries worldwide are changing to meet community needs as their
community’s needs change!

47. Conference - Awards were presented to librarians for a variety of
services: reading to children in orphanages; archiving ancient Chinese medicine books;
taking books into farm fields for the workers; preserving Tibetan scrolls; and many
other worthy acts of service. This was the most encouraging part of the Conference.

48. Exhibit Hall – Greetings from Lion Dancers

49. Our exhibit was co-located with San Francisco
Public Library’s -- the only USA libraries with
exhibits. SF librarians did not attend.

50. Panels from our Exhibit

51. Exhibit Panels

52. Visitors in our Exhibit

53. Visitors taking postcards that described our
library programs. They send postcards for
Chinese New Year.

54. Children’s Services Conference – I attended
these sessions with the help of an interpreter.
Several librarians
demonstrated their
programs. School
children had been
bused into the
conference to
participate in the
demonstrations.
After each
demonstration or
presentation, there
were 3 “experts”
who critiqued each
presentation.

55. Children’s Services - The most interesting session was the one on
bookmaking with children presented by Chongquing Library.
Note the librarians’ outfits!!!!

56. My Presentation - I presented “Open Door Special Needs
Storytime.” I definitely did not have the glamour and glitz of my Chinese colleagues.
At least I didn’t cause an international incident!
Below is my name on the presentation schedule board.

57. Keyuan Garden - is one of the Four Great Gardens of
Guangdong in China. Keyuan was built during the Qing Dynasty.

58. Keyuan Garden

59. Keyuan Garden

60. Keyuan Garden

61. Guihuayuan Park
I spent Sunday morning listening to these wonderful musicians in a park full of
families! Great place to people watch. Multi-generational families were enjoying
the day together.

62. Guihuayuan Park
This woman was “exercising.” – beautiful!

63. Guihuayuan Park
Many people were walking, biking, and running. Note that they are
wearing “street” clothes while running.

64. Guihuayuan Park
I went hiking in the park. The steep trail uphill had paved steps. This
was a great way to spend a morning!

65. Dongguan Exhibition Center – This is the city
museum. Visit website for details. http://dgec.gov.cn/ The Economic Hall was a
fascinating look at modern, mega- manufacturing China. Deng Xiaoping is credited
with saying, “Wealth is glorious.” Dongguan is certainly taking his words to heart!

66. Dongguan Exhibition Center – I spent an
enlightening afternoon here! There were English translations! The History Hall took
me on a brief tour of Chinese history from ancient Cantonese culture; to the Opium
War; then the Anti-Japanese War; and finally to the beginning of modern China.

67. Dongguan Science and Technology
Museum - Another wonderful museum! Again, there were English
translations, which I certainly appreciated. Check out their website:
www.dgstm.gov.cn/english/aboutus/index.jsp

68. Dongguan Science and Technology
Museum - About 90 percent of the exhibits were hands-on activities like
this simulated MRI machine. You slide the machine over the model and the image
shows what the inside of the body would look like on the MRI screen. I visited on a
Sunday afternoon, and it was full of families.

69. Shopping - I managed to complete a little shopping without speaking
Chinese. I selected an item, the sales clerk shows me the price on a calculator, I make
facial expressions either expressing agreement or “what is the discount price?” She then
shows me another price I like, I nod “yes,” and she completes a sales slip. I take the slip
to a cashier counter, pay for the item, take the receipt back to the sales clerk and collect
my item.

70. Shopping - I discovered the “Wal-Mart” Mall Sunday morning. Chinese
malls are not spread out, they are stacked up with small shops. There indeed was a
Super Wal-Mart inside on 2 levels, with an escalator ramp for carts to move between
the levels. On either side of the ramps were bins with impulse items. Wal-Mart had all
Chinese groceries but everything else looked like an American store, only in Chinese!
Wal-Mart had posted prices, check out registers, and you had to pay for bags.

71. Chinese Pizza Hut - I didn’t eat here but I looked at their
outside menu. Some pizza but mostly Chinese dishes. KFC is really popular in
Dongguan, of course, Chinese style!

72. Street Scenes
Street vendors outside of the Children This man is creating a candy. Look at
and Youth Center. Sales of roasted sweet top, right hand corner of photo.
potatoes and candies. This woman was
selling birds, and rabbits (as pets!).

73. Hard Working People

74. Hard Working People

75. Police at almost every corner - I saw a policeman
sitting every morning in an empty plaza during my morning run. There was no one else
around except the maintenance workers in the park. (How boring!) I did peek into one
of the corner booths and it looked like the policeman was keeping some kind of log. I
felt extremely safe during my visit.

76. Bicycles are a major mode of
transportation.

77. Public Toilets - I had been advised to carry tissues at all times.
However, I discovered that most toilets had a wall-mounted dispenser as you entered
the restroom. You just need to remember to grab some TP before you get in the stall.

78. Qifeng Park - It was raining when I visited, but beautiful!

79. My Interpreter, Tracey- (Tracey is her English name
assigned by her English professor.)She helped me during the conference and then
accompanied me to Qifeng Park and Guanyin Temple.
She was so informative and polite!

80. Guanyin Temple - You can purchase incense and paper
“good wishes” to burn in the temple courtyard.

81. Guanyin Temple – Tracy and I entered the temple. People come
twice a day to offer their “best wishes” to the “goddess” (bodhisattva.) Tracey said her
parents have an altar in their apartment dedicated to Guanyin.

82. Tracey also said her parents do many “practical” things like gardening; painting; hiking,
etc. While her generation does “virtual” things on the computer and their cell
phones. She also said her friends like to meet at the mall. Everyone I saw at this park
and temple were my age or older, in fact Tracey said she doesn’t plan to follow her
parents traditions as she really wants to move away and live on her own.

83. Chinese Food - I ate vegetables at all 3 meals! Even the fast food
(below) was fantastic. I ordered a Garden Salad and expected an American style salad
– dregs of the garden with wilted Iceberg Lettuce in abundance.
However, as you can see below, wholesome vegetables reined supreme
and I ate like a queen!

84. Great Trip! – I hope you enjoyed this brief overview.
Happy Travels!