Part Two City Tour of Guangzhou Chen Academy

The second part to our city tour was a tour through the Chen Academy also known as the Folk Art Museum celebrates the artistic genius and the best of Chinese artistic community through silk screens, embroidery, clay work, porcelain, ivory carvings, and furniture.  The building that houses this tribute is nothing less than a super star in Chinese architecture.  The Chen academy was owned by the Chen family in 1898 as a temple to worship their ancestors, but in the late 1950's the 19 buildings that comprise this academy was turned into the academy it is today and in the late 1988's it was decided that this academy was in need of protecting as one of China's treasures.  My breath was taken away as I watched a man with a set of scissors create a peace of art with each delicate and precise cut he made to a piece of paper.  I purchased two of his pieces of art for my two sons.  I also purchased a chop for my older son Harris and for Avery a Chinese blossom scroll with her Chinese name Xin Jing which means beautiful view.  She is a beautiful view.  After the academy we went on to do a little shopping where many in our group purchased Jade jewelry.  Jade here in China is considered more valuable than gold and woman usually receive jade three times in their lives: when they are born, when the get married and later when the are of the age to retire.