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[HENAN, CHINA] Guoliang Village – Living in the clouds

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 10 Jun 2015   Posted by Cheryl Tay


Guoliang Village (郭亮村) is this little Chinese village that sits high up in the Taihang Mountains in Henan Province. For a long while, hardly anyone knew about it because of its inaccessibility. The only way anyone could reach it then was by steps on the side of a very steep cliff.

Settled quietly in a valley surrounded by mountains, the villagers one day decided to build a road so they could connect with the outside world and improve accessibility to the village.

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They sold livestock to raise funds for tools and in 1972, a group of 13 villagers led by this elder called Shen Mingxin started carving out a road down the side of the canyon, using only hand tools such as hammers and chisels. Construction was challenging and at one point they were only managing one metre of road every three days. One life was also lost during the construction.

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Finally in 1977, the difficult feat was accomplished and the tunnel was completed. Opened to public, this is a 1.2-kilometre single-lane road which is 5 metres tall and 4 metres wide. Bearing traffic in mind, the villagers who built the tunnel carved arches and levelled sections of the cliff, thus modern-day tour buses are able to drive through this tunnel.

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I took the tour bus up to the entrance of the Guoliang Tunnel and decided to walk the distance so I could appreciate the spectacular and the amazing work by these villages.

Hiking up can get quite steep at some points and you find yourself getting breathless quickly, but there is just so much to see – the layering of rocks in the tunnels, waterfalls and the canyon that falls so deep below you can’t even see the bottom of it.

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When you get to Guoliang Village, you realise how small it actually is. The village is unique as it is entirely made of stone – walls, chairs and tables. Pace of life is laid-back and relaxed. I got there at lunchtime and at one of the front yards I was checking out, I was shushed by one of the villagers who was sleeping. Oops.

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The villagers are mostly friendly and there are several eateries around for you to have simple Chinese fare. Though simple, the village is not backward. The one I ate at even had an LED screen that was playing a Chinese movie DVD.

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I took some time to walk around the village, which is only home to about 30 families and a population size of 300 over, and I came across this stall selling dried fruits, seeds and nuts. She was having her lunch – a simple bowl of porridge with chopsticks – but she put that side to chat with me, curious about Singapore and about the bulky camera gear I was lugging around.

She willingly posed for me when I asked for pictures and even offered me some of her foodstuff. I wanted to give her the photos via email but she only had a mobile phone – no computer – so I will probably use WeChat to get in touch with her soon.

Don’t be shy and just approach the locals. They are just as curious about you as you are about them.

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Getting to Guoliang Village:

Entrance Fee: RMB 80

Guoliang Village is 120km north of Zhengzhou and it’s located in the Wanxianshan Scenic Area. You can go by train to Xinxiang, 50 miles southeast of the Wanxianshan, then take a bus to Huxian Bus Station before another bus to Wanxianshan. Once you get to Wanxianshan you have to take another bus and it will let you off at the entrance. From the entrance you can take the shuttle bus to the start of the Guoliang Tunnel or all the way to the village itself.

More information at www.channelnewsasia.com/henan.

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    First establishing herself in the world of cars and motorsports, Cheryl Tay is a sports and fitness blogger who advocates living an active and healthy lifestyle. Founder of body image movement Rock The Naked Truth, Cheryl overcame over a decade of eating disorders and is now passionate about helping people with similar struggles. She also has a running club ROCKrunners and a tri-enthusiast club ROCKtri.

    Rock The Naked Truth encourages others to be comfortable in their own skin and to learn that there is more to life than just being a slave to the numbers on your scale. Truly, life has more meaning than just forcing yourself to look good - it's most important to be happy and feel good about yourself!

    Previously...
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    > Founder of ELITE (fitness competition)
    > Motoring writer for TODAY
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    > Official photographer for ONE Championship
    > Media manager for Formula Drift Asia
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    > Business development for Kartright Speedway
    > F1 youth speaker for Singapore GP
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P.S. wearing the new activewear range from @pinksaltswim.co

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Jokes aside, I do occasionally feel like my butt is too big, has too many stretch marks and too much cellulite, and it makes me not want to wear a bikini. I'll see other butts and be like, how come they have such a nice peach shaped ass whereas mine just looks like an overstuffed pillow.

BUT I brush these thoughts away quickly because I love this butt of mine, flaws and all. Poor ladder though!

#rockthenakedtruth
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#rollerskating #roundandround
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📷: @ansonchew
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People would die for these bodies, people are dieting and doing stupid things to get this kind of body, but these 'more attractive' people are actually insecure about the very body society desires.

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Your body, own it!

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I wanted @jyanyoga to base me just for ONE photo, but she ended up sending me into several moves, which scared me a little but with the help of @branstands, I got into a few poses so now I have a few photos to share. Yay!

To more of such collabs!!!

📷: @_yaops_

#GRITYARDSG #jyanyogastudio #acroyoga
    HELLO 2021! Thank YOU for being here with me thro HELLO 2021!

Thank YOU for being here with me through my journey of life, as I grow and progress. You, my IG fam, are a significant part of support network! Happy new year everybahdee!!

😘😘😘🥰🥰🥰❤❤❤

P.S. Let me know what kind of content you want to see more from me?

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    My favourite 9 photos of 2020! Even though this ye My favourite 9 photos of 2020! Even though this year took us down different paths, it has still been a very fulfilling year for me and I am grateful for everything that I have - my health, my family, my work, my friends, my sports.

Here's a quick recap of how my 2020 went:

1) Kicked off the year with @rockthenakedtruthsg's 4th anniversary with a track relay event that had 100 participants, supported by Moulmein-Cairnhill CSC

2) Spent a weekend at integrated fitness resort Thanyapura Phuket for @teampurpose's inaugural retreat

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4) Raced in the Ironman 70.3 Bangsaen, my only race for the year

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12) Created content with and for homegrown brands @teampurpose and @grityardsg, implementing several key launches and initiatives

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14) Started going into video production in the role of a producer and helping to produce videos

15) Got a new car - traded my 5yo VW Golf for a Honda Civic

16) Revamped my humble bachelorette pad, which is now so cosy and feeling more like a home

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How has 2020 gone for you?
    Following my house revamp, it's now time for some Following my house revamp, it's now time for some deep cleaning. Since I've moved in 3.5 years ago, I've not done any deep cleaning so there is definitely work to be done heh.

The @surecleansg professional cleaning team came over to work on my home and I was so impressed with their cleaning! (You know you're upping your auntie level when you get excited seeing things get cleaned and get intrigued by these fancy cool machines.) You can swipe to see the before/after results!

For my bachelorette space of 600 sqft, they sent a team of 3 who worked on the place simultaneously. Altogether they took 4 hours for the Home Deep Cleaning and Disinfection; sofa and mattress cleaning are add-ons to the package. 

They also have their own products, like their own Germclean disinfectant that has silver ion technology and 24h residual disinfection and can last on surfaces for 30 days, which they used on my home AND you can purchase to use too.

Quote 'CHERYLTAYSG' to get 15% off with min. spend of $250 before GST. You can book on sureclean.com.sg!

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@yolesingapore has opened their newest outlet at Vivocity and the ice cream and froyo served all have NO sugar added! Soon, the rest of the outlets will follow suit.

But hey, don't use this as an excuse to go mad on the toppings ya!

Use 'CHERYLxYOLE' to get $1 off their NO SUGAR ADDED ice cream and froyo at Yole Vivocity from now to 31 December.

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It's been 3.5 years since I moved in, but I've mostly just treated this as a house, somewhere to stay, and not really put the effort to make it a home home.

When I first moved in, I wasn't keen to do up the house much because I felt that I might get married one day and move out, so why bother to spend money? So I only added a counter to separate the kitchenette from the living area, and set up my bike trainer next to the sofa.

These made the house quite cluttered and it just got messier and messier over the years as I accumulated more stuff, and was often too tired or busy to clear up. I mean, it was just me and I don't invite friends over, so I let the mess manifest.

Finally, I decided to revamp the place and I'm glad I did!

I got rid of the counter, built cupboards and shelves into the walls for more storage space, got zip blinds so I could convert the balcony into a usable space, did vinyl flooring over the original glossy floor which is hard to maintain (and I was wearing bedroom slippers all the time), and got a dining table set that doubles up as my work station.

The result is amazing! I wish I could say this was a DIY project, but no, I engaged the services for the various things I did... after taking time to source for the best deals with value and quality!

The home feels like a home now and this might sound strange, but having more physical space actually has a calming effect on me and psychologically I feel better!

If you have any budget home decor ideas, please share! My only decor ideas are multiple stuffed toys and Hello Kitty memorabilia lol.

Now I'm looking forward to hosting friends at my revamped space I call home!

#homesweethome
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