Although Shanhong's dad is in his 80s and mum not far behind, they surprised us this year by announcing they would not be staying in Beihai for Christmas/New Year, but would be going to Hainan island.  A bit of probing later and we discover they had bought a new apartment!

So. after Christmas in our own place in Beihai, we joined them for the start of their new adventure, arriving in their new, but empty apartment in a small town on the island of Hainan. Within the first two days we had deliveries of furniture to be built, items ordered online, items shipped from Beihai, contractors trying to finish various bits of plumbing and electrics, internet, electricity and gas to arrange.... and hence a busy time. The pictures here, however, hopefully show all went well, and they have a beautiful place with a fantastic sea view!

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Summer 2008 has been busy, starting with a two-week course in London as part of my certification in order to become a school principal. The two courses this year were 'Leading and Administering Effective Schools' and 'Curriculum in an International School'. I have two other courses to complete next summer in order to graduate and have the opportunity to become Principal of an International School. While I was busy learning, Shanhong went to see 10 different musicals as well as visiting the tourist sights. She even saw the queen! Another highlight was visiting Hillsongs church at the Dominion Theatre - where Shanhong came away with a free CD and DVD of the latest album!

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We then went to Shrewsbury to stay with my mum - she's making good progress after her stroke - although not fast enough in her own eyes. It is difficult, but it is so good to see her up and about, even if tiring easily at times. We did do a bit of redecorating while home - wallpapering and painting the bathroom and toilet, but we still have the doors to do when we are back at Christmas. It's funny how housework and home improvements never seem to end - it is the same in our own home - where we really are going to have to find a cleaner to look after it when we are away. The Shrewsbury trip ended with the wedding of my nephew - a good chance to bring all the family together - here are a few quick pics of the happy couple and the event.

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On the 27th/28th July we flew to Beijing in order to try and find a place to live. I still don't understand why, but it was cheaper to fly Birmingham - Munich - Frankfurt - Beijing with Lufthansa, than to fly Birmingham - Frankfurt - Beijing with the same company! It nearly caused a problem as German customs didn't want to let Shanhong fly across Germany without a Visa, but in the end we were allowed through - and the journey was pretty smooth! I did have a medical here so that school can arrange my documents as quickly as possible (then we can get our shipping) - but the main purpose was definitely apartment-hunting! Shanhong had arranged to meet one agent in the morning, and I had arranged to meet another in the afternoon. Between them we saw more than 20 apartments, and it could have been more, except the second agent wanted to show us many of the properties we had seen in the morning with the first! Two properties stood out, a smaller one very convenient for Shanhong's school and for shopping, and a larger one a little further away. Both could have been possible, but with the difference in price, going for the smaller property also allowed some regular bills to be included in the price - and that swayed our final decision. So, the following day we signed contracts for a 12-month rental of the property and here are the first pics, and the official address.

Landgent International, Apt 1905, Building 2, Unit 1, 76, Bai Zi Wan Nan 2 Lu, Chaoyang District Beijing 100022 P.R. of China

The apartment is on the 19th floor of an apartment block, so well above the noise, dust, and mosquitoes of thecity! There are just 5 apartments on each floor - so it is not too crowded, and security is excellent! It is literallyacross the road from Shanhong's school (2 minutes walk) and also just 5 minutes from a large Carrefoursupermarket and department store - so it is extremely convenient. (Although I, of course, will have a longcommute each day - we will need a car!)

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The apartment has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and is fully furnished - even down to a 42 inch flatscreen TV ! The agreed rental will include management fees, central heating in winter, a parking space in the basement, cable TV and internet, water, gas and electricity. So, we think we have done pretty well - especially as it is within the budget allowed, and so school will be paying for everything!

Feel free to visit the newly updated www.mrhughes.net for further pics as we take off all the dust covers andmove our own things in when they arrive at the end of August. It will also give you some idea of our new rolesin Beijing.

Keep in touch! Trevor & Shanhong xx

Beijing - Settling In

You will have noticed there have not been many reports! Life has not been particularly adventurous over the last few months, it has been a case of ‘settling in’ to a new country, new jobs, new accommodation and a new lifestyle. Having said that, we have been happy, have done some exploration, some spending, and are enjoying our time in Beijing. It is, however, time for another report. So, here is an update.

Accommodation

Our shipping has arrived, and the apartment is looking a bit more like ours! A lot of things we really like have been packed to go to Beihai, to stay safely and permanently at home. A lot of books, especially for maths, were not needed this year, so have gone into storage in Shanhong’s school. So, the apartment is not too crowded … although I still have one room to sort! The accommodation has been working very well – and now the heating is on (and included in the rent), we are very cosy indeed – don’t notice temperatures outside now regularly go below zero!

Car

We bought a car! After much debate on the merits of a good second-hand car, or cheap new car, we ended up buying new. The bike battery was flat, we were walking home, and we passed a Nissan dealership. So, we went and asked if we could charge the bike battery while looking at cars… they agreed, and so we looked, and discovered the Livina (cheap version) was within budget! So – here we are. It looks good, is very comfortable, drives well… but it is cheap… no central locking even! Still, my journey to school each day now only takes around half an hour, and I stay warm!

Concerts

One of the disappointments of Chiang Mai, was the lack of theatre shows or musical concerts. Apart from ‘Cats’ which was a weekend trip to Bangkok, we saw very little. So, part of coming to Beijing was a decision we would try to go out once a month. The good news is, we are doing so – there are a number of shows passing through Beijing regularly! So, last month we went to see a Rogers and Hammerstein version of Cinderella, as well as a classical concert of orchestra and voice, and last night we saw the Elton John/Tim Rice version of Aida. Next month it is the turn of ‘pop’ as we are going to see Kylie Minogue!

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Trips

Most people, thinking of Beijing, seem to think of a dirty, polluted, busy city. That may be true for the downtown centre on a bad day – but the suburbs are clear and sunny – and a one hour drive takes you into beautiful countryside. We joined a group for a hike around the foothills of the Great Wall one Saturday and these pictures show just how beautiful it can be.

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PonsVista International Study Centre

For the first time in many years, I am not teaching. My job this year has been to set up and create an International Study Centre for visiting school groups to be able to come and visit Beijing and experience a little bit of Chinese culture. The centre is now open, and in September we had our first group come to stay. The photos below show the PonsVista centre, and our visitors enjoying their stay. Please help me to spread the word. Tell your friends in schools and universities, that we would be very happy to host a group from their school or college! If you have friends who are teachers, tell them about our centre! Thank you!

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While I have been enjoying setting up PonsVista, Shanhong has been very busy in her new school, teaching Music to older Elementary School students. The school is still young, but growing fast, and there are many activities and extra-curricular events to organize. Last week it was ‘an evening of music’ for students to demonstrate their playing of instruments, next week it is the winter concert in school, and carol singing in a major hotel. The school itself is beautiful, with a fantastic blend of traditional Chinese furniture and furnishings, and modern school spaces. Unfortunately, the best pics on the website cannot be copied, so head to http://www.bcis.cn/ and look for yourself!

Trevor, Shanhong (&Teddy)

03 – Christmas/New Year 2008/9

At last, a short trip or two means I have something to put in a new report. Christmas 2008 saw us back in the UK for a short visit. It was in some ways difficult, the first Christmas without Pappy (dad) and with Maw (mum) not back to full health, but it was also good to be home. We may not have had quite the level of decoration of previous years, but we got the tree up, and presents were more than plentiful! Even teddy did well! Anyone reading these reports should know who ‘teddy’ is by now! The two brown bears, ‘George’ and ‘Clare’ belong to my lovely mum, seen wearing her dressing gown!

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I must just include a wedding pic or two… you may remember that in the summer we were back for the wedding of my eldest nephew. Well, just before we got back, my eldest niece also tied the knot. That’s not the end either – my next nephew got engaged, so there is another wedding to come!

Shanhong had her birthday on the 17^th. We didn’t do anything too exciting – but I did find a nice cake and a new set of DVDs to watch! There were actually two sets of DVDs, but the other was one of my own favourites, that we are still watching now. This is our lazy lifestyle now, a good TV series or two on DVD, so we can watch a whole years worth of a show, in just a week or two! Recent watching include ‘Lost’ season 4, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ seasons 1 – 4, ‘Army Wives’ seasons 1 and 2, and now we are on ‘Boston Legal’ season 4 – and we are now on season 5. If you have any recommendations of good shows, let us know. Fortunately DVD’s are cheap here, and Shanhong has also managed to find a few websites where new seasons are streamed. All I need to do now, is work out where I can find some good Sangria to go with the TV, I can’t find any in the shops here!

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For Chinese New Year we went back to our home in Beihai. Unfortunately, Shanhong was quite ill for the first couple of days – but she recovered in time to spend some good days with her family. For the first time in a long time, the whole family were together for Chinese New Year – so now is your chance to meet everyone!

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Not a lot of other news, we did go to one concert, the Christian band ‘Delirious’ were playing one night in Beijing, so of course we had to be there! We took a couple of Shanhong’s friends from work – but I have no idea what they really made of it! We are now both back at work, Shanhong in ‘production mode’ as she gets everyone ready for a Robin Hood musical, and myself desperate to find some clients for ponsvista! We did have an enquiry from a school in Australia today though, so you never know, maybe things will begin to look a bit better in the near future!

Next holiday is a week in April – no plans as yet. Then, the summer, and we’ll be back in London. I am finishing the course I started last summer, and Shanhong will be seeing all of the productions that she hasn’t yet seen (plus a few favourites that she’ll want to see again!)

Take care and keep in touch, love from us all….

Trevor, Shanhong & Teddy!

Beijing

Well, for those of you who have been in touch regularly, it is no surprise that we are leaving Beijing soon (or, by the time you read this – have already left Beijing!). The study centre is an excellent project, and I would still recommend it to any groups wanting to visit China… but it was not for me, I need a school. Shanhong has been wonderfully accepting of my highly annoying desire to change jobs again, and we shall leave Beijing on the 27th June.

We will be going to teach at SJI International School in Singapore. SJI, St. Joseph’s Institute, is a well known and very old Catholic Boys’ school in Singapore. More recently, just three years ago, the International School opened for boys and girls, following a UK and IB curriculum. Shanhong will be the Primary Music specialist, and I will be teaching maths – no responsibilities this time – it’s back to the classroom.

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No doubt there will be plenty more about the new school once we are settled. We’ll have apartment pics too once we’ve found somewhere to live! So, once we leave Beijing, no mail will be forwarded, so please send mail to our Singapore address! We will be using the school address for mail, so send to Trevor or Shanhong: c/o SJI International School, 490 Thomson Road, Singapore, 298191. We are intending not to move quite so quickly next time, so hopefully this address can be written in ink in your address books!

The final trip?
Knowing that we do not have long left in Beijing, it was time to get out and see some of the places we have been ‘putting off for another day’. So, last Saturday, we got an early Metro to the North West of the city, to ‘Fragrant Hills’, with the plan of getting the cable car to the top of the hill, and having a slow, leisurely walk down. Unfortunately, we were greeting by a ‘cable car closed due to gales’ sign … and so a difficult decision was to be made. Shanhong said ‘up we go’! Needless to say, it was a long uphill walk, but the weather was great and the view, exceptional as the photos should show.

Teddy enjoyed it too… he found a nice place to live, but we couldn’t let him stay there… he needs to come with us to Singapore!

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As an indication of just how unfit we have become, the next day, I could hardly stand up, and 4 days later I could still feel the muscles of my leg complaining about the walk!!

Keep in touch – come visit us in Singapore! Trevor, Shanhong, and Teddy. xx

This will not be too much of a surprise to those who knew we were looking – although there will be BIG surprises even for those. This week we signed documents and paid a deposit on a house – we now have a permanent home!

The house is part of a new development, and we were fortunate to be able to buy the showhouse which means we have it fully furnished from day one. So, for those who are wondering just where in Chiang Mai it is… it isn’t! It turns out there are laws here preventing foreigners from owning property – and so, after examining prices in various places – we have bought in the South of China, just a boat ride from Vietnam

Beihai is currently not very developed, but like much of China, as it opens up to the west, there is growing demand both for tourism, and for homes. Beihai is a coastal town with a 25km white sand beach (incidently – less than 1km from the house we have bought) and a climate where temperatures are rarely outside of 20 – 30 degrees. The following photos are all from the city and surroundings of Beihai. Doesn't it just look perfect? You can even take a boat direct to Halong Bay, and those who have seen my pics from Vietnam know how good that place is!

So, what about our home? Obviously the ‘real’ pics will have to wait – we’ll be there at Easter – but here are the plans. The home is semidetached and on three floors, with a basement for parking. The ground floor is split level, providing an extra little quirk that we liked a lot. It is part of a large compound of other houses and apartment blocks with a central 'mini beach' and other facilities. We are less than 1km from the sea – and are on one of the few public bus routes for getting into the city itself.

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Trevor & Shanhong xx

You will remember from an earlier report that we bought a house in Beihai, southern China just before Christmas. April saw our first opportunity to go and see the house in person. Fortunately it was as lovely as we had hoped from the pictures we had seen, and this report is one of proud new home-owners showing off their new home! Hope you like it.

The home is semi-detached in a compound, just 5 minutes from a long beach. We have three floors, with 4 bedrooms (one being used as a computer room), bathrooms for every room, and lounges on every floor. The top floor has two bedrooms, a lounge, and an attic space.

The middle floor is the one we are living on, with the all new curtains that Shanhong loves and the themed ‘yellow’ and ‘blue’ bathrooms! If you look closely, you’ll find teddy came with us – as always! The bath was a huge bonus – big enough for us both to enjoy!

The ground floor has the kitchen, dining room and main lounge. There is also a basement for the washing machine, cleaning materials etc, and a nice garage for our electric bike. Don't forget, clicking on any pic opens the full gallery!

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Hope you like our home - let us know if you would like to visit! Trevor & Shanhong xx

In the last report, you saw the house we bought in Beihai, in this one I want to show you the area of Beihai itself, the area immediately around our home. Firstly, as is common in China, the house is built as part of a compound, which means an area which is walled with gates and security, the idea being only people that live there can get into the compound making it more secure. A compound always has a communal outside and ours is no different… this is our compound:

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Nice, hey? We bought an electric bicycle to get around, and just five minutes from our garage door takes us past a local market to ‘our beach’. The crabs are excellent – they scamper over the beach in front of you, diving down into holes as you approach, popping back out as you go past! Thank you, Juliet, for this superb photo – mine didn’t work! Beihai is famous for an area called ‘Silver Beach’. This is a little further from our home, perhaps 15 minutes on the bike. It is a glorious long white-sand beach, a little busier than ours, but still with plenty of room as the photos show.

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Beihai is also famous for its old town. Zhongshan Street and Zhuhai Street are the two oldest streets in Beihai, built around 1883. Since Beihai became a commercial port in 1876, a number of western companies from countries such as Britain, France, Germany and Holland set up their businesses around this area. The architecture reflects its colonial past with an interesting mix of Chinese and European influence and some extraordinary contemporary structures. It's also the ideal place to stock up on bargain-priced souvenirs.

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So there you have it, Beihai – our new home. Hope everyone likes it.

Trevor & Shanhong

This report was written in Beihai in July 2007 – but unfortunately got left on the computer there! As we were back in October, I managed to copy it onto a portable hard-drive, and so here it is, better late than never! Enjoy! We spent the first half of the Summer 2007 break back at home in Beihai, an opportunity to update a few things around the house, and explore the area further. Changes to the house included adding extractor fans and heat lights to bathrooms, adding net curtains, putting up a few pictures, and buying a new bed and 'office' furniture. The first pictures below show some of the 'afters'.

We also decided to do something for Shanhong's parents. They have also bought a house in Beihai, but an older house... we decided to update the kitchen. The before, during and after follows! I have no wish to upset my own mother who has wanted a new kitchen for years - but this whole thing cost just £170 !

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Apart from the above, it has been a restful time! I completed two modules of my course, and watched every episode of Cadfael ever shown. I've also read three books and completed a new computer game. We were sent some DVDs and also found a DVD shop - very cheap (although quality varies). Shanhong bought a DVD which had over six hours of a Chinese soap opera - so she has been happy too! We've been to our local beach often, both with miles of sand when the sea was out, and watched the waves crashing over the wall when the tide was in and a tornado passing. It really is fantastic to have the ocean so close! We've been to see the 'famous?' fountains - and enjoyed the show - watching from the beach as 'important people' were exclusively using the proper seats. We will have to go back with a video camera to get some photos!

We made a few little trips, one was to the nearby island of Weizhou. A 50 minute journey by fast catamaran took us directly from Beihai (5 minutes from the house on the bike) to the landing pier of Weizhou. Quickly selecting a motorbike 'taxi' to take us to all the places of interest, we were off! The sun was hot, the scenery good... and then the heavens opened... we were soaked - thoroughly drenched... never mind! One more surprise... our 'taxi driver' insisted on giving us a gift - a whole hand of bananas! Photos are all ours.

Another day saw us taking the free supermarket bus out to the old town of HePu. Here we thought be clever and hired another motorbike taxi to take us to all the famous places.... she didn't know any - and there is certainly no tourist set up - most turned out to be inside school grounds or other private places. We still took lots of photos. Perhaps the simplest trip, with the nicest photo - was a ride on our own bike, up the coast to the National Park - just 30 minutes cycle and lovely views of the coast and city.

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So, there you have it, our latest visit - we'll be back at Christmas to finish off! A 'video' of the fountains and of the house will added to the website soon! Keep in touch.

Love to all, Trevor & Shanhong xx

Having seen all the family in the summer for our wedding, we came back to Beihai for our first Christmas in the new house. Shanhong had ordered a whole pile of decorations from Ikea, duly collected, boxed, and forwarded by her long-suffering brother, which together with what we found in local shops and what we had already got together - meant we were able to 'decorate' properly - my mum will be proud!

We also bought a tree and decorations for Shanhong's parents - so they could also celebrate! On Christmas Day however, they came to us and opened a few presents we had kept for them under our tree. The Christmas meal certainly wasn't traditional - Shanhong had just bought a hotplate - so it was a 'hotpot' for lunch and a cake full of tinned fruit and cream rather than dried fruit and brandy!

It may not have been quite the same as a Christmas in Shrewsbury (although due to illness and a death in the family, Shrewsbury didn't see its normal Christmas this year), but we had fun all the same! Quite a lot has changed in the house since the first house report, and so I thought I would take this opportunity to send an update! Hope you like the changes (those of you who actually remember what it looked like originally!).

The final photos were taken during the Christmas break outside Shanhong's parent's house and in front of the musical fountain.

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As I write this, we are about to return to Thailand - it is likely we shall be moving next summer, probably to work in Beijing, so getting home will be a lot easier. No doubt the house will continue to develop - there are plans for window seats and if only I can persuade Shanhong, a new bathroom downstairs!

Trevor & Shanhong.

For Christmas, we went back to Beihai, our China home. Always nice to be back in our own place... although the first few days are always needed to clean! As always, a lot of our trip was on the bike, enjoying the coast - but we also went out to one of the temples. Other days saw us in the local cinemas, eating out, and having visits from friends.

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We popped into Dalian, to sort out the flat, get personal items sent back to Shanhong's parents, and put the flat on the market. Anyone looking for a place to buy? Lovely compound, really nice flat with a beautifully converted attic space (all Shanhong's design) and a beach like this...   ... a steal at around GBP 100,000.

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October half term saw us take a cheap trip! A budget airline flight to the apartment in Bo An on Hainan Island. No accommodation costs - and a beautiful seaside destination. We hired local bikes to have a ride around the coast and also went out to one of the temples - but most of the time we were just walking on the beaches.

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To celebrate 50 years of Independence, Singapore announced an additional public holiday which gave us the chance to escape for another long weekend - this time to Macau, a special region of China. In 1557, Macau was rented to Portugal as a trading port. The Portuguese administered the city under Chinese authority until 1887, when Macau became a colony. Macau transferred back to China in 1999. 

After a quick trip up the hill to the lighthouse, our first day was spent walking around the Historic Centre of Macau, a collection of over twenty locations that witness the unique co-existence of Chinese and Portuguese cultures in Macau, and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We saw a great water show here - check it out in the show blog!

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In the middle of Beiling Park (北陵公园), the largest park in Shenyang, lies the mausoleum of Emperor Huangtaiji and Empress Xiaozhuang - "Zhaoling (清昭陵)", also known as “Beiling”. Zhaoling is one of the most representative imperial tombs of the early Qing Dynasty in northeast China, and one of the most intact ancient imperial tombs in China.

Covered with verdure, Beiling Park enjoys a quiet and beautiful environment. Towering ancient pine trees, rippling clear lake, stately palaces and dazzling glazed tiles, fully show the majesty of the royal mausoleum and the elegance of the modern garden. The over 300-year-old ancient pines are still standing tall and straight, guarding the royal garden like loyal guards.

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Shenyang is Shanhong's childhood home, so we started with a trip to the university where they all used to live! Then, it was on to Fangcheng Cultural Zone. This is a core part of Shenyang's historical and cultural city, covering an area of 1.69 square kilometers, rich in historical and cultural resources and unique tourist attractions. It is home to the Shenyang Imperial Palace, a world-class cultural heritage site and one of the only two remaining royal palace complexes in China. 

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The Fuling or Fu Mausoleum (福陵), is the mausoleum of Nurhaci, the founding monarch of the later Jin dynasty and his wife Empress Xiaocigao.  It served as the main site for ritual ceremonies conducted by the imperial family during the entire Qing dynasty and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004.

The first few photos are actually from another site - but, my apologies, I have forgotten the name of that one. There are a lot of historical sites in Shenyang!

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Mukden Palace (盛京宫殿), was the former palace of the later Jin and early Qing dynasties. It was built in 1625, and the first three Qing emperorslived there from 1625 to 1644. The palace has now been converted into the Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum. In 2004, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, as having equal importance to the 'Forbidden City' in Beijing. 

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Horizon New Town - Beihai, China.

We bought an apartment in Beihai, China. At the time we bought it, most apartments and houses were sold as plain concrete - no electrical wiring, no plumbing, no flooring etc - literally, a concrete shell. Situated walking distance from the main railway station (now on the high speed intercity network), this was bought as possibly a retirement home we could share with Shanhong's parents.

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In 2016, work started on putting in the plumbing, wiring, tiling floors and plastering walls.

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The apartment was finished in 2017 and Shanhong's parents moved in - happily living there until 2023. Here are some pics of the finished apartment.

Gallery 3 - Finished (14 pics)
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Like the house, this is also now on the market. Cheap too - just 120,000 GBP. There is NO WAY you could get something this big in such a desirable location for that price in the UK! Click here for the video walkthrough.
https://open.realsee.com/ke/LvK29zNm2O89Jowd/ym8DOYkS3cXAmBzp6pX3HAToD93qHyLb/?shareCount=1&shareTicket=e72feece6a58478620e7404eac743def&link_share_channel=wechat#lianjia

This was was bought for Shanhong's parents to live in - but that didn't happen - they decided to stay in Beihai instead! So, we had a couple of nice stays - but the apartment is now up for sale. This is a single floor apartment with an attic. I have to say, I really love the layout - and the attic is very much 'our style' - designed by Shanhong!

Gallery 1 (16 pics)
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Dalian is another coastal town - and while with a bit of imagination and a pair of binoculars, this one also can see the sea, this is not 'right on the coast!'. Here are some pics from the local area. As always, clicking on any image opens the full gallery. 

Gallery 2 (8 pics)
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If you like what you see - get in touch - it's on the market - we need to sell to be able to buy our retirement home in the UK!