# 53 Today's picture 090323

090322 ©Ingrid Booz Morejohn

Straight down from the mountains to the city. We see the most incredible people on our street. Tibetans from all areas of the country come down to the city to meet with friends and family, "see something", visit doctors, go to school, buy a new Buddha or two, sell or buy jewelry, purchase a blender for their butter tea or a prayer flag or two, sew up fifty colorful cushions for a new dharma centre, consult their guru or spiritual master, go on a pilgrimage to Emei Mountain or just windowshop and rubberneck. You name it, we see it on our street. This woman had one of the many fantastic hats we see every day in the endless hat parade that is Tibetan traditional couture. She also had an MP3 player in her mobile phone which you can see that she is listening to. 

Sichuan Art Museum and Funny Hat Day

Photographer Tianfu Square, Chengdu 090221 ©Ingrid Booz Morejohn

Yesterday was a grey,  rainy day (yes the rains have begun) so we decided to go to Sichuan Art Museum just west of Tianfu Square here in Chengdu. Lo and behold, upon arriving at the Art Museum there was no more museum left. The building looked completely abandoned inside, all the exhibition halls were chained shut and everything was dusty and depressing. Are they between exhibitions or is this it? Nada mas, meiyou, inget mer?? Couldn't get an answer out of anyone. 

If someone can tell me what has happened to the Art Museum and if it will ever open up again please post a comment. If you at the same time can also tell me when the Sichuan Provincial Museum will open up I'd be most interested. It's been years now since they tore down the old one and the new building next to Dufu Cottage looks promising from the outside but it looks like nothing is happening on the inside. I think that a city like Chengdu, with a population of over ten million people and a provincial capital to boot, doesn't have a proper art museum and and an open and functioning provincial museum is quite pathetic. Look at the vibrant art scene and all the museums and galleries in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and even Guangzhou. Come on Chengdu, we can do better!

Around the corner from the Art Museum however was a gallery with Russian art. Very nice, well lit and interesting. After visiting this we walked over to Tianfu Square to watch the musical fountains (Emy said the pattern the water made "looks like onions"). We came across this smart photographer in his "anti-drizzle hat". I like the "camo-pattern" on the underside. Very chic!