Baby Buddha is coming out of a lotus flower.
Gilded, the statue is a bright contrast to the black lotus on which it stands, the mechanical petals slowly unfolding as an operatic track swells from hidden speakers.
Fountains shoot up, pummelling the Buddha with streams of finely choreographed adulation.
And then, in a feat of automated mastery that rivals the Dubai Fountain, he begins to turn, his little golden index finger pointing the way up towards enlightenment.
"Patty!" I shout to my friend, demanding an explanation to the Nine Dragons Bath the Baby Buddha exhibit at what had been described as a "modest Buddhist temple" by our tour guide.
I should have learnt by now that nothing in China is modest. A country that hosted the most expensive Olympics to date doesn't shilly-shally when it comes to putting on a show.
But - and this was a vain hope, I know - I had thought that once past the furious neon of Shanghai and the towering apartment cities of its outskirts, past a Suzhou rife with KFCs and Papa Johnses (called "Great John's" here) and the yawning development zones of Hangzhou, historic Wuxi might offer a landscape that hearkened back to the days of old.
But Wuxi's Lingshan Buddhist Centre, home to the bathing baby Buddha, a neon-lit convention dome, and a statue of the world's tallest standing Buddha, quickly dashed that hope.
To be fair, much of historic northern China remains well preserved amid the fervour of development. The dynastic architecture that predates modern skyrises preens along pedestrian streets and stands stalwart between high-rise apartment buildings.
Sharply curved pagodas and masterfully designed gardens abound in the older neighbourhoods of cities such as Wuxi, which have had no choice but to snake around the past as they grow. (In 1950, the estimated population of the historic city was 57,000; today, it numbers over six million.)
But a growing appetite for attracting tourist yuan has led to the growth of some utterly extraordinary sites. Ling Shan is one of them.
Board an electric tram at the entrance, drive past the Mind Cleansing Pond and stop to the right of the Number One Palm in the World. There lies the Sangharam Bo Da La of Lingshan - a monument to Buddhism that looks like French palace meets Cavalli Club.
Baroque embellishments flank heavenly deities in a large dome whose neon lights change colour every seven seconds. At the apex, artificial stars twinkle. I half expect karaoke music - perhaps a pan-flute version of Take My Breath Away - because the multicoloured jade and the murals and the overhead light show have robbed me of speech.
"You know how people tour Versailles today?" Patty says, gazing at the dome. "I wonder if in 100 years people will look back on this and be like: 'Wow. That was classy'."
I'm not sure if "classy" is the word designers had in mind. Not one, not two, but three bombastic attractions are showcased here, the last being the most well-known: China's tallest standing Buddha.
Amitabha Buddha towers at 88 metres. He's made of bronze - a curious choice considering oxidation - and was completed around 13 years ago. That makes him the youngest biggest Buddha in China - bonus points in the Chinese tendency of placing all things in some sort of hierarchy.
"This Buddha is the number one tallest Buddha in China of the number five biggest Buddhas in all of China," affirms Jeffrey, our beleaguered tour guide. He has spent the majority of the day translating the Mandarin screamed out of a microphone by another tour guide into English for me and the two other westerners on this government-sponsored tour, and in the interest of time, he's begun explaining everything in Top 10. "Leshan Buddha in west - oldest Buddha in all of China. Guan Yin - biggest female Buddha in all of China. Tian Tan in Hong Kong - biggest Buddha in eastern China. And Tai Hu Lake" - which this Buddha overlooks - "third largest freshwater lake in all of China."
I raise my eyebrows, trying to look reasonably impressed. What I really want to ask is if this dome has the most neon lights in all the Buddhist domes of China, and if the baby Buddha is washed by the fastest-spraying hoses in all of China. But I refrain.
After all, we are visiting the number one tea plantation in all of China in a few short hours, and I need Jeffrey to pace himself.
Catch up on Effie-Michelle Metallidis' adventure at Around Asia.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
And%20Just%20Like%20That...
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The biog
Age: 35
Inspiration: Wife and kids
Favourite book: Changes all the time but my new favourite is Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Best Travel Destination: Bora Bora , French Polynesia
Favourite run: Jabel Hafeet, I also enjoy running the 30km loop in Al Wathba cycling track
The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
EA%20Sports%20FC%2024
%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20EA%20Vancouver%2C%20EA%20Romania%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20EA%20Sports%3Cbr%3EConsoles%3A%20Nintendo%20Switch%2C%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20One%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
'The Sky is Everywhere'
Director:Josephine Decker
Stars:Grace Kaufman, Pico Alexander, Jacques Colimon
Rating:2/5
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
Leading all-time NBA scorers
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38,387
Karl Malone 36,928
Kobe Bryant 33,643
Michael Jordan 32,292
LeBron James 31,425
Wilt Chamberlain 31,419
Barings Bank
Barings, one of Britain’s oldest investment banks, was
founded in 1762 and operated for 233 years before it went bust after a trading
scandal.
Barings Bank collapsed in February 1995 following colossal
losses caused by rogue trader Nick Lesson.
Leeson gambled more than $1 billion in speculative trades,
wiping out the venerable merchant bank’s cash reserves.
Civil%20War
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Charlotte Gainsbourg
Rest
(Because Music)
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