9 Jan 2011: Going to Flower market in winter and Church in China

Greetings all from Shenyang!

As I write this at 3:00 on Sunday afternoon, it's a chilly 12F outside with bright sunshine.  It's been cold all week, with some nights at -10F...a light dusting of snow but no major accumulation...that said, there has been no major thawing since the snow of last week, so as my dad used to say it's "hanging on, waiting for more".  We haven't had the freezing rain like they have in the south of China!  Good thing we have our winter clothes for the outside, and we are warm here in the apartment!  Last weekend, we went back to the flower market I had visited just before Christmas.  This is always a delight for my eyes..lots of color and wonderful smells when you walk in the door!

We bought some nice Orchids and brought them back to the apartment.  They crammed about 7 orchids of various colors like the ones above in to a pot....just the way I like it!  Lots of color!  I've never been much of an orchid keeper, but at the price we bought them, if they die, I'll just go back and get some fresh replacements!  At the flower market a phenomenon I've noticed at the plant section of Lowes or your local Nursery, also happens here in China...all the women are smiling and pushing the carts...and the men walking dutifully around somewhere..not nearly the same sense of urgency in their stride!  Why is that?!  Here are the photos from our trip to the flower market in the winter:

one of the booths at the flower market in Shenyang

Rod beside one of the flower market booths

Sarah found the bromilliads and orchids

Sarah with the orchids

Building an orchid arrangement

Orchids in the apartment from the flower garden

 

Some of you have asked about the Christian church here in Shenyang.  There is one and it's a Catholic Church. We've been going there for a little while even though we are not Catholic.  There is an english speaking Chinese priest plus an American priest.  The congregation is small by Chinese standards (I would guess somewhere around 100 people) and I believe this is the only organized church in Shenyang (a city with about 8 million people).  It's a very diverse congregation,  several Chinese people, several westerners and a contemporary service.  We enjoy going to a house of worship and are thankful that the Church exists and seems to thrive.  All worship in China  must legally be conducted through State-approved churches belonging to the something called the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association which, incidentally, does not accept the primacy of the Pope.  I'm not sure how this church gets around that but they seem to!  

Catholic Church building in Shenyang...although this building is not used for worship services...this building is used solely for commercial purposes...rented out for weddings!  It's much too big to heat in the winter, but it's sad that a nice building like this is use solely for commercial purposes...I'm sure it wasn't built for that!

The worship service is actually held in a small Chapel section of the Nunnery.  I don't think the Nunnery is actually functioning now.

The chapel is normally not heated much, but today it wasn't heated at all due to some problems with pipes freezing.  We never take off our coats and you can see your breath when you sing...but that somehow makes it all the more special for me.

Here are the photos of our worship area: 

Catholic church building in Shenyang...but open mostly only for weddings..not for worship

Sarah Miller in front of the church

Repairs needed at the Catholic church

So that's about for this week!  Wishing you all to have the best 51 more weeks in 2011!

Rod & Sarah