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Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Following the Rainbow: A Pagoda, River, and Bridge in Ganxian, Ganzhou

A little over a week ago in Ganzhou, I saw a rainbowan uncommon experience for me during my years in China. Seeing the rainbow was all the more surprising because I hadn't noticed anything which made me think one was a likely possibility.

Later in the week on Saturday, I visited Ganzhou's Ganxian District (赣县区). A storm passed though during the afternoon, and as the rain subsided I thought it could be a prime opportunity to catch yet another rainbow. So I headed eastward down a tree-covered section of Meilin Street (梅林大街) to an intersection with a clearer view.

And there it was.

rainbow over Meilin Street (梅林大街) in Ganxian, Ganzhou (赣州赣县)


I hadn't ever seen two rainbows in such a short period of time in China. Looking further down the road, it appeared there might be some natural scenery to pair with the rainbow. So I changed plans and headed in that direction. By the time I reached the perimeter of Ganxian's most urban area, the rainbow was gone. Yet the view was still rewarding, and I spotted the Zhenxing Pagoda (振兴塔) in the distance.



Now intrigued by the tower, I headed toward it. Soon I was at the Gong River (贡水), the same river where I had earlier seen people observing the Hungry Ghost Festival in Ganzhou's Zhanggong District (章贡区).

Zhenxing Tower( 振兴塔) and the Gong River (贡水) in Ganxian (赣县), Ganzhou, Jiangxi


Nearby I spotted the Meilin Bridge (梅林大桥).

Meilin Bridge (梅林大桥) in Ganxian, Ganzhou


I then headed down to the riverbank where I took in more views and also saw construction work on a riverside walkway.

men walking on land sticking into the Gong River with the Zhenxing Tower (振兴塔) in background


construction of a walkway next to the Gong River near the Meilin Bridge in Ganxian


construction of walkway next to the Gong River in Ganxian


The previous time I saw a rainbow, I had to give thanks to a woman for the fact I saw it all. This time, I had to give thanks to the rainbow for bringing me to sights I would have likely missed otherwise. And I still ended up making it to my original destination, which I could fortunately appreciate even after the sun had set.

One more thing . . . While I had been walking near the river, there was a brief drizzle and a rainbow appeared once more. I wasn't in an ideal location during its brief existence. But nonetheless, I finally captured a rainbow in a more scenic Chinese setting.

Zhenxing Tower (振兴塔) and a rainbow

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