Sunday, July 13, 2008

Episode 180 - Hero

This is a Hero 2019 fountain pen.

Hero brand fountain pens were once very popular among Hong Kong primary school students because of their competitive pricing. I can't recall if the first fountain pen I had was a Hero but I must have had owned a few before.

I purchased this Hero 2019 at the Shanghai Book City. Although I seldom use a fountain pen now, the design, quality and the price of the pen was just irresistible - more importantly, it really brought back memory!

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Episode 179 - Heroine


This is the tomb of the Heroine of the Mirror Lake - Qiu Kin.

Qiu was a revolutionary and a feminist at the time of the Qing Dynasty. She was arrested and executed by the Qing Government after an unsuccessful uprising in 1907. Her remains were moved to and buried beside the West Lake to accomplish her wish.

Apart from being a revolutionary, Qiu was a poet and a martial artist.

I still remember her famous poem: "Have Wine"

對酒

不惜千金買寶刀,貂裘換酒也堪豪。
一腔熱血勤珍重,灑去猶能化碧濤。

The statue is an imitation of Qiu Kin holding a traditional Chinese sword. The stone craving on the tomb was the calligraphy of Sun Yat-sen.