Well today I hit it, my first year anniversary. I’ve officially been in China for 1 year.

As I reflect back on the year I can hardly believe it is already over. As a kid years seemed to crawl by at an unbearably slow rate, now they seem to fly by. As I look forward to another year in China I know this one will only go by faster.

I have my list of regrets and accomplishments. I hope to add to the accomplishments and reduce the regrets as my second year gets underway. I know I’ve made the goal before but this year I’m serious, I will not go home until I can carry on a fluent conversation in Chinese.

I always scoffed at those who lived in a country for more than six months without trying to learn the language. I have become the worst offender and am determined to change that this year. I can do it! I can no longer hide behind the excuse of settling in. With a full year under my belt the big surprises are gone. There is plenty of room for the little ones which will inevitably come but I can turn my focus to Chinese and the culture and way from day to day living.

I’d just like to say Thank You to my family for all they support they have given me over the year and continue to give. I could not be here without all your constant love, support and of course Skype calls.

I’m no longer the newbie! I’m officially a Sophomore!

Ah Singles Awareness Day there is just no escaping it. I had forgotten all about it until I witnessed a mob of desperate men haggling with a flower seller on the corner. For all those of you who have a hard enough time remembering Valentine’s Day in the west just be grateful you don’t have two chances a year to mess up. China has both embraced the West’s traditional day of love and kept their own. 

From what I hear girls here expect both days and provide the same guilt trip if the day doesn’t meet their expectations. Flowers, chocolates, and a romantic date are acceptable starts from which men can branch out. The Traditional Chinese Holiday Qixi Festival stems from the following story.

I started writing the story but got to lazy so here is the Wikipedia version:

A young cowherd named Niulang (Chinese: 牛郎; pinyin: niú láng; literally “[the] cowherd”), came across seven fairy sisters bathing in a lake. Encouraged by his mischievous companion the ox, he stole their clothes and waited to see what would happen. The fairy sisters elected the youngest and most beautiful sister Zhinü (simplified Chinese: 织女; traditional Chinese: 織女; pinyin: zhī nǚ; literally “[the] weaver girl”) to retrieve their clothing. She agreed to do so, but since Niulang had seen her naked, she agreed to his request for marriage. She proved to be a wonderful wife, and Niulang to be a good husband. They lived happily and had two children. But the Goddess of Heaven (or in some versions, Zhinü’s mother) found out that Zhinü, a fairy girl, had married a mere mortal. The Goddess was furious and forced the fairy back to her former duty of weaving colorful clouds, a task she neglected while living on earth with a mortal. On Earth, Niulang was very upset that his wife had disappeared. Suddenly, his ox began to talk, telling him that if he killed it and put on its hide, he would be able to go up to Heaven to find his wife. Crying bitterly, he killed the ox, put on the skin, and carried his two beloved children off to Heaven to find Zhinü. The Goddess discovered this and was very angry. Taking out her hairpin, the Goddess scratched a wide river in the sky to separate the two lovers forever, thus forming the Milky Way between Altair and Vega.

Zhinü must sit forever on one side of the river, sadly weaving on her loom, while Niulang watches her from afar and takes care of their two children.But once a year all the magpies in the world would take pity on them and fly up into heaven to form a bridge (鵲橋, “the bridge of magpies”, Que Qiao) over the star Deneb in the Cygnus constellation so the lovers may be together for a single night, which is the seventh night of the seventh moon.

So Happy Qixi Festival to all you couples and Happy Singles Awarness Day yet again for the rest of us!

After leaving Xi’an we met up with the tour group in Chengdu Saturday morning.

 That after noon we went to the Giant Panda Base. Really quick a few things I’ve learned about Pandas: 1. they are very picky eaters, there are 5 varieties of bamboo of which the Panda will only eat one. 2. they are temperamental when it comes to weather and when the weather gets warm they must stay in the AC. 3. If they give birth to twins they will only raise one and leave the second to die. 4. They refuse to adapt to their surroundings which leaves some scientist wondering why we aren’t taking a hint from mother nature and letting them go extinct.

I’ve come to decide they are just the supermodels of the animal kingdom which leaves every other animal wondering why they get so much attention when they refuse to follow the rest of the group. I’m not sorry if I see, cynical I’ve never been a real animal lover and quite frankly they are just not as cute and cuddly as I thought they were.

The Great Panda, or should I say the Great Picky Panda

No if only I could afford to spend my days like that all would be right with the world

Not the enclosures I would have imagined. But then again I grew up with the Chaffee Zoo in Fresno

The Red Panda is definitely more entertaining to look at.

Yes, I'm going to go with a member of the raccoon family on this one.

The Reserve was beautiful

 After the Panda reserve we had a wonderful dinner and then went to see a Sichuan Variety show. The different acts highlighted the various arts popular in the province as well as the China as a whole. The fist act was that of Beijing Opera. Before I’d felt inclined to go to a Beijing Opera performance as it was a traditional art of China, now I think I’ll leave that ticket available for some who, how shall I say it, appreciates that kind of ear splitting, headache inducing performance.

What's a traditional showcase with out Beijing Opera

 The Shadow puppets were quite impressive and I felt like a little kid taking pictures of each and every one. Does anyone else see Scooby Doo or is that just me?

Now that's an impressive shadow dog.

My favorite shadow puppet

 I was grateful our tour guide explained this act prior to the show as I appreciated much more understanding the context. It is a common belief that in the Sichuan province the women wear the pants. In this act the man arrived home late, after losing his shirt in yet another gambling game his wife makes him go through a series of repent acts. Each act must be complete with a full oil lamp balanced atop his head.

And who says men can't be trained...

 The first is a reenactment of a famous dialogue between a husband and wife, he must play both parts with acceptable gestures, voice inflection and so on. Another feat is that of crawling under the two benches and back again without touching the lamp with his hands.

Quite a feat, I was enthralled.

 A musical number was preformed on the Er Hu.

The Er Hu, it is beautiful to listen to.

 Face Changing is a unique performance in China. I once watched a TV special on the reigning master of face changing. He can do over 100 face changes in a single performance. The performer changes the mask so quickly it seems as if it is done by magic.

Traditional Face Changing Show

 The next morning we went to LaShan. When we returned we browsed through the Old Town in enjoying the low altitude for one final night.

My new obsession - hair sticks

Old Town Chengdu, pricey but a wonderful atmosphere.

ummm...not much I can say

 That evening we were on our own for dinner. We stumbles across a BBQ restaurant and we decided to give it a try. We didn’t exactly understand what we had gotten ourselves into but enjoyed it all the same. We soon realized it was an all you could eat buffet and Thomas and I decided to make the most of the meat selection.

All you can eat smorgasbord, and only 29kaui

Okay so not exactly following any health codes but....

 

 Katie, as a culinary student unfortunately knows all the health code rules and was horrified to see the conditions from which we selected the food. But in the end we all knew we’d eaten worse here so as long as we have Imodium who really cares.

I must admit it was a delcious meal. The seasonings were delicious and all you can eat meat, I was in heaven.

My new found past time of watching football does not seem to be sanctioned by the gods. Up until now the games have been played at 7:30pm, 10:00pm and 2:30am. One game during each time slot. Now there are two games at 10pm and 2 at 2:30am. Last night England played Slovenia and the USA played Algeria. So which game do you suppose they aired? England of course. I spent 30min online trying to find a live stream. I finally gave up and went to bed praying they would play the Germany vs Ghana game.

At 2:15 I woke up and headed to the living room. I settled in for the game and was thrilled when the German teamed lined up. I figured I’d get the game going then check the score for the American game. Just as they were about to kick off the TV shut off! I wanted to scream you’ve got to be kidding me!

I ran to the landing to be sure, yup sure enough our power had run out. Of all times! No game and I still was clueless as to the outcome of the US game.

 So utilities here in China are metered by cards. When you run out you recharge your box with a card. I knew where the water card was but had no clue for the electric! As much as I wanted to, I refrained from calling James at 2:30 am. So no game for me. Back to bed, I was fuming. At exactly 7:30 I texted James asking him to stop by on his way to work.

To my horror it turns out the electric card is in the same spot as the water! Oh well I got more sleep than expected last night, that was a plus. And both teams won! I still can’t believe the USA will advance to the next round.

I have been truly fortunate to receive first  hand introductions to Chinese culture. Last semester when James announced his engagement I was thrilled at his invitation to attend. As much as I hoped to attend the entire ceremony I was unsure if the invitation extended to the ceremony as that is usually attended only by family and very close friends. When I returned this semester he confirmed his invitation and asked if I was interested in attending the ceremony. Was I ever!  From start to finish – Grooms side.

Wendy arrived at my apartment at 7am to pick me up. We walked to another teachers home on campus where a car was waiting to drive us to James parents home.  (They lived in an apartment across town.)

At James  home preparations were in full swing. His parents greeted us warmly at the door and as the foreigner I always seemed to get a huge welcome. Wendy and I both got a red flower to denote we were part of the Groom’s wedding party. Each person in the wedding party received a flower. Those with specific titles had a ribbon to denote who they were.

Officially part of the groom's side!

This is a groomsman.

Candy and peanuts are traditional party favors at a wedding. Peanut in Chinese sounds similar to the word for fertility, thus it is believed that eating lots of peanuts will bring luck to the couple.

The wedding schedule.

The entire day down to the minute is meticulously planned. Numbers are extremely auspicious in China and as such events are planned to start at specific times. For example the wedding ceremony was to begin at 8:08 and we were to leave the apartment before 8:28. Wendy gave me the basic rundown for the day.

The family announcement.

The ceremony officially starts with James announcing to his parents he is leaving to get his wife. He bows three times out of respect. The host in the middle is the announcer and mediator throughout the day. The bouquet James is holding is the brides bouquet. It is tradition that the groom gives the bride her flowers.

James Family - Nai Nai is in front

The announcement is then made to the grandparents of the groom again with three bows of respect. This is the groom’s family before departing for the bride’s home.

Red squares everywhere!

I don’t know the significance of covering the utility covers but if you ever see red squares on the ground outside an apartment you can bet there’s a wedding going on.

Wedding Procession

The groom’s party all ride in hired cars that have been decorated with flowers. The larger the party the more cars there are, the wealthier the group the more expensive the car! There were 6 cars in James procession all of which were Audi!

Wendy and I in car #5

The grooms party fills each car. Wendy and I rode by ourselves in car #5. In the ride to the Bride’s home Wendy finally gave me my Chinese name!

It's not a party without the Firecrackers!

As the procession was leaving the family set off FIRECRACKERS!! I always wondered what the sound was you hear at least twice a week. I’m not exactly on the West Side of Tulare anymore.

The tradition of setting off firecrackers is to ward off evil spirits. Trust me with the amount and decibel of those babies more than evil spirits were warded off.

The results of the Firecrackers

Upon arriving at the Brides home more firecrackers were set off. These were even louder!

The first car in the procession. It is the most elaborately decorated. The use of fresh flowers as opposed to fake is another symbol of affluence.

The first blockade to the bride.

The entire day was steeped in tradition. Wendy was my guide and translator. When James first knocks at the door he is refused entrance. The door is guarded by family of the bride. He must bribe his way into the house with red envelopes of money and sweets for the children.

Once he has entered he is guided to a table with his groomsmen to wait. He is presented with sweets and peanuts to snack on while he waits for a meal prepared by the bride’s family.

The groom is not allowed to use his hands during the meal. His Groomsmen must feed him.

James was more than generous as he allowed me to join him at this meal. The meal was various traditional plates. The first plate to arrive made my stomach a little queasy but I ate it! It is the plate just in front of James, some sort of beetle. I have to admit it was tasty. Well anything crispy is tasty right? I’m still not a huge fan of squid though.

The meal....umm...do I have to eat that?

 During the meal James and his party toast 8 times with traditional rice wine. This is when the drinking begins for the day and only picks up speed as it goes! I was truly grateful to be able to politely decline the alcohol. Wendy always had me covered with a quick substitute.

The wait is over! Here comes the Wolf.

Once the meal is over the Groom goes to find the Bride. He knocks at the door of the room and is again denied entrance. When asked who and why he is there he responds he is the Wolf who as come to collect his bride. Again he bribes the relatives to let him in with Red envelopes of money and sweets. James had a hard time bribing the youngest relatives as they thoroughly enjoyed the excitement of holding the door shut.

Once inside the room the festivities continue. First James gave the Bride her flowers. The host then informs both the Groom and their Bride of their future responsibilities.

Accepting the responsibilities ahead - Vows

It's official, she's the bride.

 James then pins on a corsage and Bride Ribbon, making her the official bride. Next James must find her red shoes. One is hidden somewhere beneath the dress, which turns into an interesting hunt. The second shoe is hidden and held for ransom by the young relatives. Again as before it took some extra bribing on James’ part to achieve this step.

A little more candy and another red envelope finally got the second shoe.

Last preparations for the rest of the day.

 James then puts on the Bride’s shoes. The Mother and Grandmother of the Bride then feed the couple dumplings. It is customary for the groom to then carry the bride to her parents to pay they respect. James’ Bride wouldn’t hear of it and insisted on walking out herself.

Dumplings for good luck.

Documenting the Day - Photos

Documenting the Day - Film

 The Bride and Groom pay their respects to the Bride’s family just as the Groom did to his, first parents then Grandparents.

Formal exchanges with Bride's Parents

Let the Foreigner toast in Chinese. Don't James' brightest ideas.

The Wedding Party

Carrying the Bride to the car

 James did insist on carrying her to the car!

More firecrackers for the send off.

The hotel for the reception.

It's not a party without confetti.

The Reception Hall

 The reception was huge. The reception started with James at the front. Speeches were made by family and friends. (Sad side note, the Bride’s family is not invited to the Reception. The Bride leaves behind her family to join her husbands.)

James greeting his bride.

Exchanging of the Rings

Champagne Tower

So obviously a mix of Chinese and Western

Double Balls of Happiness

Toasting the Guests

 Wedding pictures are a huge part of the modern Chinese wedding. Each town has its hot spots for Wedding Photos. Weifang’s is the People’s Park in the center of Town. This step can take hours. I had a wonderful time tagging along chatting with Wendy.

Wedding Pictures

Waiting for the pictures to finish.

Isn't she just gorgeous!

 The Wedding was beautiful and I was greatly honored James invited me to attend.

First and foremost Chinese take pride in their Country, second their province and third their county or city. This pride is displayed in the products produced in their locale. Two of my students presented me with local products they were eager for me to try.

from: Alan - Pickled minced veggies?

from: Matinda - Sesame Cakes! Yumm!

After we were thawed out and rested up we bundled up once again and headed out for the evening. As directions to the Ice Festival were rather hard to come by and even more difficult to decipher we opted to just take a taxi. Of the entire trip this was our only real hiccup but a large hiccup it was. The festival is an International event that was covered in the London Times, Boston Globe as well as many other national newspapers that we had looked at online, but no where in Harbin could you get a straight answer on how to get there, when it opened or how much it cost! Welcome to China!!

After trying for 45min (no joke) to flag down a cab one finally picked us up as a double fare. Double fares are ALWAYS a rip-off but when you are desperate and freezing who cares. I had a basic idea of the direction we needed to go but I soon realized that was not the direction we were headed. Thanks to Bonnie’s level head we remained calmed and sat back to enjoy the rather lengthy confused tour through Harbin.

When we finally approached the Festival I was overwhelmed with the sheer size of the sculptures or should I correctly say, ice buildings. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

11th AnnualHarbin Snow and Ice World

Buddhist temple

The lights just made everything magical

After a 20 min I couldn’t keep quiet about my freezing condition. I admitted my hands were about to fall off, Bonnie agreed and suggested sticking my hands in my mouth. I asked her to repeat the instructions, she laughed and promised it would work. Sure enough, I was a sight to see with double gloved hands crammed in my mouth but soon they didn’t feel like Popsicles about to snap in two.

Looking into the park was just fantastic.

Hindu God

Hindu Goddess

St. Basil's and the Great Wall

The Sphinx - those are ice slides descending from his shoulders

Chinese Pagoda

I've no idea how she got this icy but it was probably one of my favorite pics!

A steaming cup of hot chocolate!

We decided to warm up in one of the class boxes they had strategically placed around the park. My Camera fogged over when I pulled in out after freezing in the outside weather! As we were warming up we both admitted how cold we both were although we’d been afraid to admit it to the other. Haha. Some how our bodies did adjust to the cold and we stuck it out to the end.

Another Cathedral facade

Skyscrapers a must in China

No matter how many sculptures we went to the size never ceased to amaze me.

Bonnie got her picture with an arctic fox!

Bonnie’s mom had shared an article withher about the Harbin Ice Festival, in which a prominent picture was of visitors posing with an arctic fox. Bonnie was determined to get her picture and we were thrilled when we found the booth.

 

 

Looking out over the Park

It wouldn't be a Chinese Party without back up dancers!

In the center of the park was a large ice rink.

A Northern European Church

Nothing like walking on ice!

Angkor Wat

The Colosseum

A view from the top.

Can you recognize the bundle?

Our final stop was a larger than life Chess board.

We stuck it out to the end and both felt the fight with the coldwas worth it. We found a taxi driver at the exit who was looking for passengers and bargained our way down to 40 kuai for a return trip. It wasn’t until we got to the taxi that we realized yet again we were a double cab.

Once in town we stopped by a local resturant for a little piece of home.

We'd spotted this restaurant during the day.

Can I just say, I love traveling with Bonnie we were up and out the door by 8am. On the train we had listed, crosschecked and plotted our two days in Harbin.

Our list included:

• Saint Sophia (Eastern Orthodox Church)
• Snow Park
• International Ice Festival
• Pedestrian Shopping Street
• an authentic Russian Meal

The top half consisted of 6 layers!

Before leaving the hotel we had to put on just about everything we had brought. We quickly learned once you start getting dressed the clock starts, you have about 10 min to get dressed then outside to avoid heatstroke in all your layers. There was a drop of about 90* between the 70* hotel and the -20* outside!

I had brought just about every thermal item I owned!

The bottom half was five layers - two pairs of fleece lined stockings, thermals, track pants and last but not least jeans.

Our Hotel was close to downtown so we decided to walk to the Church first. As it was still early the view was breathtaking. The church was constructed in the corner of a large plaza. The snow was fresh and untouched, light flakes still dusting the ground.

Saint Sophia - Eastern Orthodox Cathedral

How could someone do such a horrific thing?

Not too many shots of us together, downside to traveling with only one other person.

After the church we headed for the Pedestrian Street and breakfast. We soon found both and enjoyed a hour of pastries and souvenir browsing.

Yumm...nothing gets you going on a cold morning like Hot Chocolate and an warm pastry.

Yes, I'm aware I'm the Christmas edition of the Michelin Man! Main Pedestrian Street.

Привет из России - Hello from Russia! Can anyone beat that mamuska doll?

Harbin Flood Monument

The steps down to the river become the bleachers for the community ice rink in the winter!

The main river in town turns into another road during the winter. INSANE!

Some times as a tourist you have to be a tourist.

Total tourists we payed Y100 to take a horse carriage across the frozen river. Although we had to have been the 1000th carriage this river I was still not completely comfortable crossing the river in a 1000lb buggy.

After getting completely ripped off at least the driver allowed us to take a picture together on the top of the carriage.

On the other side of the river we entered the Snow Park. The snow park is on an island in the middle of the river. Teams from all over the world come to construct HUGE snow sculptures. The annual winner get’s their sculpture immortalized in white concrete.

I was shocked by the smooth texture of the sculptures.

I love the fact you could climb on the statues.

How would the park be complete without the triple emperial arch?

The sheer size of these sculptures were amazing and the craftsmanship was stunning.

The details were just incredible. The face alone is about 9ft.

Beijing Olympics?

Traditional Dragon

Did you know your eyeballs can get cold? Yep its true, mine did.

This year's contestants.

Work in Progress, yes that's a tractor on a river of ice.

Pirates of the Caribbean

When in China, do as the Chinese!

Sorry Canada that's just weird

The crowning achievment for this year! Look at the size of this one!

We decided to save money and walk back.

After two falls in the park I wasn't about to chance these icy steps. Hey at least I provide the locals with entertainment!

One of the past times is ski chairs!

I pulled my Thermos out at lunch to find the hot water I'd poured in that morning had turned to ice after a few hours outside!

For lunch we had a hearty Russian meal, borsch and mashed spinach soup.

These are our stern Russian faces.

After 7 straight hours outside we decided to head back to the hotel for a rest before heading out to the Ice Festival in the evening. I’ve never appriciated heating like I did upon our return to the hotel.

The grapevine is a wonderful if not inconvenient thing at times! It is probably best that we discovered this little treasure trove so late as I would have gone broke making purchases and then had no way to get them all home.

Katie had been told by Kelly who had been taken by Charlotte who had been taken by Daria who had been brought by someone to this little painting school downtown.  They produced originals as well as reproductions of contemporary as well as traditional works of art. It sounded too good to pass up so we got verbal directions to a side street without any specific address.

Can I just say if you ever have to find a little place with no address,  only verbal instructions to go by, in a foreign country in which you really don’t speak the language, Katie and Thomas are the two to go with. They can find anything. We hopped on the bus, Thomas found the stop and we began looking in window fronts for what we wanted. We soon found a small school but when we walked in a children’s calligraphy class was in session. The teacher soon directed us further down the street. He didn’t speak English but between the three of us we are getting quite good at charades. We discovered this was an annex of the school but we were looking for the main building.

Just a sampling of what we browsed through

We soon found the main part and headed in. Again as it was Saturday classes were in full swing. Drawing classes downstairs, with still life, and calligraphy classes upstairs. We met the director who turned out to be the contact Kelly had mentioned.

She happily took us on a tour then led us back to the annex to look at paintings.

I was a little shocked when she started pulling out manila envelops with folded paintings. Katie saw my hesitation but reminded me that Kelly said their mounting jobs were phenomenal and all imperfections would vanish in the mounted work. We hungrily sorted through works with Xiong explaining their origins.

Some were originals by local artists or professors others were replicas of the great masters. Katie and I started forming piles of possibles. Prices ranged from ¥10 – ¥80 for the paintings with a flat ¥30 mounting fee.

I soon found two pieces I just couldn’t live without and three small flower pieces that I thought would be a beautiful gift. I arranged to pick up the mounted works the Saturday before I was to leave for America.

(3 graces/Lady with Blue / Flowers)

Second choice was still beautiful!

When I went to pick them up I unwisely  agreed to browse through their new works with Katie. I fell in love with yet another piece and agreed to purchase if they could rush mount it before I left on Tuesday. Xiong said she could and I hastily agreed.

I returned Monday afternoon to pick it up, to find a rather distraught Xiong. She told me she had written something down for me to read as she wanted to make sure I understood it all. She had had to send the piece to a friend to be mounted that weekend because he husband had been out of town. It was mounted and ready to go when her friends shop had been broken into and robbed. My piece along with others and cash had been stolen. There had been two Cherry Blossom works and so she quickly mounted the other and had it mounted to give to me. She felt awful and apologized profusely. She gave me this piece free of charge with an additional flower painting.

Second Choice was still beautiful although that first piece was AMAZING! So now I have no excuse for empty walls. I mean really with the prices hoovering around $12 for portable art lookout next semester.

The center of life!

 After dinner I was shown to my kang in the adjoining room. One thing I’ve learned the Chinese pull out the red carpet for foreigners. I felt truly guilty when I realized they had given me the large Kang in the Master Bedroom, all to myself no less. There were no heaters in the house so I went to bed in thermals skeptical of the kang’s ability to keep me warm. Wrong decision! I soon learned the errors of my ways as I began stripping layers, then I was glad no one else was in bed with me as I eventually got down to my skivvies and still had to throw the blanket off at times. Holy smokes who knew!

Full Squid, hummm, did I really say that was the great dish?

 Friday morning I woke at 8 and entertained myself until I heard Wendy get up in the adjoining room.  Breakfast was leftovers from dinner and a larger dish of what I had commented on the night before. My bad, it was squid. Okay I hate squid unless it is battered and deep-fried and smothered in a cocktail sauce but I had to admit last nights did taste good surprisingly. But now it was the full squid not just strips.

Peter's Junior High

There is just no way to describe the loss of feeling when you finish this one.

Who said Exercising couldn't be entertaining?

That was a good stretch.

On to the Open Air Village Market. I was the only foreigner obviously and mostly likely the only to have ventured there. I was shocked when I few asked if I was Peter’s wife. Did not see that one coming. We finally just stuck with Wendy’s little sister, Can’t you see the resemblance?

Village Outdoor Market

A relative of Peter's, he gave me two free Candied Hawthorn sticks.

Oh no, please don't, oh great Peter just bought that for lunch. Umm do I have to I mean really what is it?? Oh just Pupas well in that case of course.

Then a quick spin to the beach, on the way we stopped at Shandong International College. The campus was dead.

Shandong International College

Can we say a little Europe in Shandong?

 

This was a random building on the campus. We never did find out what it was for but it just seemed so out of place.

Wendy says this place is packed in the summer.

I'm going to miss these two!

Sea farming

Are engines damaged when they get water logged?

Everyone does it! "Happiness to China"

Peter has quite the arm.

Collecting shells, I collected shells, Peter collected rocks and Wendy just shook her head asking what we planned on doing with them.

 

Beach homes of the rich.

We soon headed back for lunch, which I must admit I was not looking forward to as I knew the menu!

Don't these just scream yummm? Yeah I didn't think so either.

I'll try anything once, the second time is optional.

Pupas are Peter’s favorites it turns out so I turned to him for eating tips, wrong idea should have just waited for his dad. I tried Peter’s way first, pop the whole thing in you mouth and chew don’t swallow the casing just the creamy inside. After a few that way, yes I had a few, his dad came in a insisted his method was better, I have to agree with his dad. Pull off the end and using your teeth to squeeze/suck the filling out. I think I had about six although Lao lao didn’t think that was enough. I never could bring myself to eat the heat sack on the inside it was hard, after the gooy insides I just couldn’t bring my self to chew something crunchy.

Lunch with the family

Friday evening I watched “The Founding of the Republic” the Chinese film about the birth of China. It was on television and had English subtitles, surprisingly good subtitles to boot. I was also surprised at the sypathetic way in which Chang Kai Shek was portrayed throughout the film.

Saturday was colder than Friday so we remained in doors most of the morning. I took the time to study Chinese with Wendy.  A’yi and Lao lao made fish dumplings for lunch which were to die for.

A'yi and Lao lao making dumplings, yumm Now there's a wok.

After lunch I asked if I could take a walk around the village, Peter volunteered to give me a tour. It was fun just walking and looking but the guided tour made it amazing. He showed us all his old haunts and favorite spots.

Main Street

Peter's home village. Looking down Peter's street back to the Main Street.

 

Peter and his childhood home. His home is at the end of the lane.

Side Street

Nothing like a good game of "Arrows & Bows" Peter's favorite growing up.

The boundary between villages, crossing over

The villiage across the river - This is where Peter attended Elementary school.

Before garages where needed this was the original parking space.

This is a piece that has been up since Peter's childhood days, I'm guessing the original from the 50's. Where is Mao?

Exploring the villiage in the late afternoon was picturesque, now if I could only learn to capture that.

The family garden.

Saturday evening I watch one of Wendy’s favorite films, a good Chinese Spy movie. When I discussed the plot with Victoria upon my return boy did she have a good laugh at the historical inaccuracies of the aligencies portrayed in the film. It was intriguing and the subtitles were dencent. If you haven’t caught on by now the quality of the subtitles is something of a running debate in China. There is no point in commenting on the quality of the film, I mean what do you expect from bootlegged copies. But really are subtitles suppose to be legit no matter the picture quality?

 

Sunday Morning A’yi and Lao lao woke early to make a fresh batch of dumplings in China it is a tradition to serve dumplings prior to a departure as a sign of good luck. The dumplings resemble little boats and the attached saying is equivelent to “Smooth sailing”.

Sunday's farewell breakfast. Traditional dumpling sendoff.

You enter into a courtyard and rooms are situated along the right and back walls. The front walls are storage and pig pens there is only the outhouse along the left wall and a staircase to the roof.

 

 

Feeding the Kang

 

* The Kang is heated from outside. Corn husks are dried and stored all winter to feed the fires lit beneath the stone beds.