20250502- Chengdu

Covered Chengdu in about 4 days itself. Fun facts!

1. Chengdu population now 23mio. After the major earthquake in 2008 & 2017?  Chengdu pp seemed more chill about material stuff. Saw broken! If they earn 3000? They save only 200!  But other main bigger cities like Shanghai or Beijing does the opposite? 😂 earn 3000 save 2800!

2.  Pandas! Less than 2000 in the whole world! And there are about 5 main panda breeding research centres in Chengdu! The one we went was supposedly the biggest with 200 But we saw only 20 +\~! So the loaned panda in spore is now in Dujiangyan Panda Centre!

3. ⁠Chengdu - main river Is Minjiang River which was dam in Dujiangyan. To prevent flood and provide irrigation to Chengdu.  Quite an amazing Li Bing the engineer in Qin state to come up with such a unique way of separating the river into 2 parts and also making the filter of the sand and rocks to prevent clogging !

4. ⁠ There was a lost civilization called San Xing DUI.  Remains found in 1929. More excavated in 1980s and 2021/2. So now the museum has great artifacts collections. Weird looking bronze and jade masks! 

5. ⁠Sichuan - home to Mala food. Rabbit stuff! And their opera is good! ESP their magical face changing dance. And they love to have their ears dug with Services all over!

6. ⁠Several old ancient streets In the city centre itself. But we managed to over only 2 old ones: Wide and narrow and Jinli streets. The other 2 are the modern “orchard” road kinds in Chunxi and DaKooLi :)

7. ⁠Restaurant Food is Michelin but a fraction of the price here in spore! LOL.  And after this? Gerry and I waved white flags to other mala toufu and hot pot! So so so spicy!! 🌶️ 🥵

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Here is Chengdu!

 

20130713- WWF Pandemonia Reflections

Ps148:7,10"Praise the LORD from the earth, wild animals and all cattle...."

Oh yes, praise the Lord for making pandas - black and white kind of huggy bears.
Last sat , I was approached by a P who was trying to raise funds for WWF. He was a marketeer from this certain company.

For many occasions like this , it was quite usual for me to reject such people as I was not for the idea of raising 'charity funds' using a marketing company.  But that day was different. To cut the story short, I decided to give this PMET a one time donation as a form of encouragement after hearing his job searching experience at his age of 45.

In the course of prior to the signing of the form, I had a really good time sharing the full gospel to him. Thanks to the panda conversation where I asked him if he knew that little pandas were actually pinky when born? But the cute black and white patches came thereafter . Uniquely pandas! Praise the Lord for making pandas the way they look! Wonder what was in His mind when He decided to paint the black patches on the eyes and making the limbs black in the midst of the white??! So funny! Guess He must be bored with patches and so he decided to do stripes later and created the zebras? It was all about experimenting? Oh yeah!

Interestingly on that same week, i received two cute niece and grandnephew's little photos with their panda. it was a panda showoff time!

(the funny out of proportion Panda long legged mascots!)

Reflections

It had been a while since I did 'street evangelism". But this soul came to me to sell me something and it was easier for me to reach out.  Perhaps for a $xx amt one time donation - worth it.  None in his family were believers. All of another religion. 

Guess, many people like P had not given the Good news a thot due to the long-standing hand me down parental religion. The challenge was to create the sense of awareness to step out of the box. This is something so common here as even for me, I was born into a family just like his. But all it is needed is only an encounter by the Lord to panda think as who I am, where do I come from and where am I going...that led me to the greatest Creator Saviour who made these pandas more than 20 years back!

So I trust that the sat witnessing of such a joy of the jolly panda bear would bring a step closer for P to understand and know Him. Perhaps may be will meet him in the panda mascot outfit up in heaven 

Indeed , WWF - World Wide Fund for Nature - He is the awesome creator of all nature. And all such great sea creatures, wild animals , cattle, small creatures and flying birds, including kings of the earth and all nations, princes , rulers of the earth, old men , children, angels, heavenly hosts, sun moon! Were created for this sole purpose - PRAISE THE LORD! What a psalm 148! Look to YHWH!!