ę„č ļ¼the Spring Festivalļ¼or the ååę°å¹“ (the Lunar New Year) is fast approaching! The new year of the dog begins Friday the 16th of February, with the first new moon of the year.Ā The holiday can fall between the 21st of January and the 20th of February. People start to celebrate the day before the New Year and continue until the 15th day – the Lantern Festival. This year the Lantern festival takes places on the 2nd of March, when people will release red Lanterns to symbolise letting go of the past and moving on into the new year!
Chinese New Year and the Chinese Zodiac
The Chinese zodiac is divided into 12 animals; similar to the 12 Western Zodiacs, however each Zodiac represents a year as opposed to a month.Ā This passes in cycles with each year also being associated with an element. 2018 will be the year of the Earth dog, which is the 11th animal in the 12-year cycle.
Your Birth Year āę¬å½å¹“ā:
The year you are born in decides your zodiac and you wonāt be in your zodiac year again for another 12 years! Surprisingly, your zodiac years are the considered the unluckiest in your life and unfortunate events in this year could have lasting effects on you for the rest of your life! So, you are suggested to take extra care to avoid incurring bad luck. Many Chinese people will buy lucky items as talismans, such as red underwear with lucky characters stitched on.
There are also lucky numbers, cardinal directions and colours associated with your zodiac. Ā 3, 4 and 9 are lucky for people born in the year of the dog, as are the colours green, red and purple.
The Origins of Chinese New Year
Every year around the new Lunar Year, a mythological beast called Nian was said to come and lay waste to towns and eat people, particularly children. Everyone would hide from the beast until he left. One year an old man appeared and refused to go into hiding, and decided he wanted to get revenge on the Nian. He put red papers up around the door of his house with lucky symbols and set off loud firecrackers. The day after, the villagers discovered that their town wasnāt destroyed. They believed that the old man was in fact a god that came to save them. The villagers then realised that the the colour red and loud noises deterred the beast. Next New Year the villagers hung up red lanterns, wore red clothes, and placed red character scrolls on windows and doors, and they set off firecrackers to frighten away the monster. Ever since, Nian never returned to scare the villagers!
Characters on the Door
You will see Chinese phrases on red scrolls around doorways, such as ‘åŗå „å¹³å®’ , meaning peace wherever you go. The most common character is āē¦ā FĆŗĀ which means fortune or luck. It is often placed in the centre of the door to ones home, and sometimes you will see that the character has been placed upside down. This is because by placing it upside down there is an added meaning to the character:
Homonyms are common in Chinese language. The Chinese expression āē¦åäŗā and āē¦å°äŗā sound identical, so to have ē¦ upside down also means to have fortune arrive.
New Years Day Celebrations
On New Years day young family members are given red envelopes called hongbao (āēŗ¢å ) filled with money, fireworks are set off, dumplings are devoured and relatives are put up with. It is a time when Chinese families reunite, with some people travelling vast distances to see their family. The Spring festival period is host to the largest migration of people on earth, with almost 3 billion journeys being made!
Here are some common greetings to say on the New year:
Taboos to avoid doing on the first day of the festival:
- Debt: You should not lend money on the day, and debts should be paid before New Yearās Eve.
- Washing hair: youāll wash away your wealth for the year.
- Sharp objects: if you cut yourself it is extremely unlucky.
- Sweeping and cleaning:Ā If you sweep up then your wealth will be swept away.
- Theft: If someone steals from you then your wealth for the year will be ‘stolen.’
- Killing anything: Similar to sharp objects, anything associated with blood is very bad luck.
- Taking Medicine: youāll be ill all year.
- Monochrome clothing: White and black are the colours associated with sorrow in China.
- Giving specific types of gifts: scissors, clocks, or anything with the number 4 (it sounds like death ę») and shoes (they sound like evil!)
Have a happy New Year and remember, watch out for evil shoes!
Bike trips inĀ ChinaĀ through some of the worldās most beautiful landscapes are popularĀ adventures forĀ both Chinese and foreigners. These aren’t justĀ casual bike rides either, Iām talking about trips that last weeks or months. Cycling routes in China range from the (relatively) relaxing 450 km trip around the tropical island Hainan, to the intense, spiritual 2200 km climb from Chengdu to Lhasa, Tibet. A huge China bike trip is on my bucket list, but over Spring Festival holiday, I settled for a day ride around a city in southern Sichuan called Xichang.
Xichang, the ‘Spring City’
Chengdu can be a little cold in the winter, so over Spring Festival holiday, I wanted to go somewhere warmer. I ended up taking a 12 hour train to Xichang, where the temperature during February consistently gets up to about 20-25 C. The fresh air, sunny skies, and warm weather are invigorating, making it a popular tourist attraction among Chinese, but still not too many foreigners go there. The city sits by the massive Qionghai lake in a valley 1500 m above sea level. Instead of doing a bus tour around the area, my two friends and I opted to bike around the lake.
We rented bikes in the city for 20 RMB each for the day. First, we began in a crowded, touristy part of town, where we had fun weaving in and out of traffic. Soon, though, we made it to the less developed side of the lakeĀ where we could relax, soaking in sunshine as we biked.
The scenery around Qionghai Lake offers a nice change from the big city in Chengdu.The route around the lake is very bike-friendly, with pedestrian and bike-only paths for almost half of the lake. The scenery is incredible the entire way as you ride between the edge of the water and foot of the mountains. Xichang calls itself a āSpring Cityā, due to its unique climate that gives it a pseudo-tropical feel year-round. We stopped often to take in the astounding views and weather, spending seven hours to complete the 40 km loop around the lake.
Why I Take a Bike, Not a Car
Biking has always been one of my favorite forms of exercise as well as my preferred transportation. It is a convenient way to get around while being able to enjoy your surroundings. The crisp feeling of the wind as you speed down a hill, the natural smell of flowers as you zip through a garden, and that burning feeling in your quads as you power up a mountain slope; it is a complete experience of sensation, something sitting in a car simply canāt compare to.
In the spirit of Chinese New Year, I sport a red outfit to match my red bike.One drawback, perhaps, is that it is so easy to stop and take pictures of the beautiful scenery along the way! Bike trips arenāt meant to be rushed, so give yourself more time than you would need to actually cycle the whole way. With the blue water, clear skies, and rolling mountains all around Xichang, I found myself snapping photos at every turn, even taking detours down hidden paths just to see what surprises may await.
Making Friends with the Yi Minority
One such detour made me a new friend. After biking up dirt path into a field, I came across a local farmer. He motioned me over to take a picture of his sheep grazing in the field. We struck up a conversation, and I found out he was Yi minority, the ethic group whom this special jurisdiction of Sichuan was named for (Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture). He pointed to his house at the top of the hill and talked about his family. Also, he was quite curious about me, asking questions about where I was from, why I interned in China, and even if I had married yet. Suddenly, he quickly ran off to shoo away his sheep from some crops they’d begun to chew on. Spur-of-the-moment experiences such as this come naturally with the freedom of a cycling trip.
A local Yi minority farmer chats with me while out with his sheep.With beautiful scenery and countless surprises, China is a great place for bike trips of any duration. Biking offers active stimulation of exercise, immersive feeling in the scenery, and freedom to discover the hidden experiences a tour bus would speed past, helping you get the most out of your China adventure.
Eine Woche wƤhrend Chinese New Year, geschlossenen GeschƤften und einigen freien Tagen- was bietet sich da besser an als eine Reise? Nur wohin? BloĆ nicht nach Guangzhou- zu voll! BloĆ nicht in die lƤndlicheren Gegenden- zu voll! BloĆ nicht zu teuer und auch nicht zu weit weg…also…Chongqing!
InternChina- Chongqing
Thelma und ich haben uns fĆ¼r unsere Reise fĆ¼r die āSparfuchs-Varianteā entschieden und anstelle des Schnellzuges den ānormalenā Zug gewƤhlt. Dadurch haben wir fĆ¼r unsere Hin- und RĆ¼ckfahrt nur 93RMB bezahlt anstelle von 150RMB fĆ¼r eine Fahrt.
Chongqing hat uns bereits nach den ersten Minuten unserer Ankunft begeistert! Ein sehr gut ausgebautes Nahverkehrsnetz, eine atemberaubende Skyline und das Beste: nicht voll!Als grƶĆte Stadt der Welt hat Chongqing wirklich so einiges zu bieten! In den nƤchsten 3 Tagen haben wir wunderschƶne Tempelanlagen gesehen, uns an Massen von Streetfood satt gegessen und haben letztendlich leider doch eine Kostprobe davon bekommen, was zu Chinese New Year ganz normal ist.
InternChina- Huguang Versammlungshalle
InternChina- Streetfood, cute Baozi
InternChina- MenschenmassenDas alte StƤdtchen Ciqikou im Chongqinger Shapingba Bezirk eignet sich besonders gut wenn man ein bisschen Alt Chinesischen Flaire genieĆen, ein paar Souvenirs kaufen oder den gut erhaltenen Baolu Tempel besichtigen mƶchte.
InternChina- Balou Tempel CiqikouEins meiner persƶnlichen Highlights (im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes)war definitiv die Fahrt mit der Gondel von einer Seite Chongqings Ć¼ber den Yangtze auf die andere Seite der Stadt. Wir mussten zwar fast 1 Ā½ Stunden anstehen bis wir endlich an der Reihe waren, aber die Aussicht- einfach Wahnsinn! Mit 30RMB fĆ¼r einen Roundtrip auch preislich vƶllig in Ordnung.
InternChina- Chongqing SkylineDas Stadtinnere ist mindestens genauso beeindruckend wie die Skyline! Ein Hochhaus Ć¼berragt das andere und auch hier lohnt sich der Besuch bei Nacht da viele der GebƤude bei Nacht angestrahlt werden.
InternChina- People Liberation Monument Chongqing
InternChina- ChongqingBeschƤmenderweise haben Thelma und ich es nicht geschafft, den schƤrfsten HotPot der Welt zu probieren fĆ¼r welchen Chongqing so berĆ¼hmt ist. Nach dem wir innerhalb der 3 Tage an gefĆ¼hlt jedem Streetfood-Stand gehalten haben, war einfach kein Platz mehr fĆ¼r HotPot.
Aber auch ohne diese HotPot Erfahrung war der Trip nach Chongqing rundum gelungen. Wer gerne fĆ¼r ein Wochenende so richtig GroĆstadtluft schnuppern mƶchte und gleichzeitig wunderschƶne, chinesische Kultur erleben mag, der ist in Chongqing genau richtig!
As you are probably aware last week was Chinese New Year, which meant a week off for all of us in China- and as amazing as Qingdao is we decided it was time to explore somewhere else in China. Which is how 5 interns ended up at Qingdao airport at 5.30 in the morning for the first stop in aĀ week long trip to Nanjing, Suzhou and Shanghai. We were planning to spend 3 days in Nanjing (the most recent ofĀ China’s Four Great Ancient Capitals in Jiangsu Province), 1 day in Suzhou (home of the world famous Humble Administrator’s Garden) and 3 days in Shanghai (need I say more?)Ā Despite being warned about travelling during the busy Chinese New Year period we were prepared- after all, crowds are an everyday part of Chinese life!
Nanjing
Landing in Nanjing we were immediately greeted with sunshine and warmth, a welcome break from the recent minus temperatures weāve been experiencing here in Qingdao. We were lucky enough to book a hostel in the middle of the beautifully busy FuzimiaoĀ area, and despite our early start we were eager to see what Nanjing had to offer us. Sunday was spent exploring the Confucius Temple area, the Pedestrian Street, the Wende Bridge and the QinHuai River, along with trying a lot of the local food on offer. That night we were lucky enough to be treated to a New Yearās Eve dinner provided by the hostel staff, which was a great way to try a lot of traditional Nanjing dishes.
Monday morning we set off bright and early (after eating a ridiculous amount of fried dumplings for breakfast) to visit the Sun Yat Sen Mausoleum and Nanjingās Purple Mountains. AfterĀ an interesting ride on what looked like a plus size golf cart to the Mausoleum, we were delayed by an eager group of Chinese tourists who wanted photographs with all of us- however their daughter was less eager, and cried every time her mother brought her near us.
The Mausoleum is an imposing, beautiful building based on top of 392 steps and through two grand entrance ways. Dr. Sun is interred there, and he is considered by many to be the “Father of Modern China”- he was involved in fighting against the Qing government, ending the monarchy after the 1911 revolution and helping to found the Republic of China. The scenic area surrounding the Mausoleum also leads to the Ming Xiaoling Tomb of the founder of the Ming Dynasty.
On Tuesday morning we visited the Nanjing Massacre Museum. This was definitely the most sombre point of our entire trip, as you are greeted with statues commemorating those who died, along with a very graphic account of what happened throughout the museum. However it was an interesting visit and definitely a must see for all of us. To lighten the mood after the museum, we spent the afternoon at XuanWu Lake (XuaĢnwuĢhuĢ ēę¦ę¹) and the City Wall.
InternChina – XuanWu LakeSuzhou
Wednesday morning was another early start for us to arrive in Suzhou by 11 am. We immediately sought out a late breakfast in the form of amazing jian bing (jiaĢnbing ē é¤ ) and headed towards Shantang Canal to take one of the canal boats towards Tiger Hill. The canal boat was a relaxing break from all the activity of the past few days, and we soon arrived at the insanely busy Tiger Hill and Yunyan Pagoda (known as “The Leaning Tower of China”). We decided against visiting the Pagoda as we only had a few hours until we caught our train to Shanghai, so we visited the Humble Administratorās Gardens (Zhou Zheng Yuan) instead.
The gardens as they are today were started in around 1510 by the poet Wang Xiancheng, and was changed and updated up until 1949 when the Chinese government bought the gardens and opened them to the public. It was obvious why the gardens have been granted World Heritage Site status, as they are amazingly beautiful and absolutely huge- every turn leads you to a pond, pagoda, tea house, bridge or collection of bonsai trees. Unfortunately we couldn’t spend long here, but it was still worth the visit.
Shanghai
Our train to Shanghai only took 20 minutes on Wednesday evening, however we still arrived quite late (mainly due to me holding everyone up in the train station after being issued a broken metro card). After finding our hostel tucked away into a side street we intended to go to bed early and catch up on sleep after the last few days however the bars of Shanghai proved too tempting for some of the interns.
We also visited Pudong to get an alternate view of the buildings you can see from the Bund, however the cloudy skies helped us decide against going inside the Shanghai World Financial Center, which at 492m tall gives one of the best views of the city on clear days. We then made our way across the river to the Bund after walking the Lujiazui Pedestrian Bridge (a huge circular walkway set above the traffic).
On Friday we visited Peopleās Park, a beautiful area filled with people playing mah-jong, cards and also the “Shanghai Marriage Market”. This was definitely something to see, as crowds of parents and grandparents lined the entrance to the park advertising their childrenĀ to potential marriage partners. Despite the crowds surrounding the marriage market, the park wasnāt as busy as we expected it to be, and was definitely a lot quieter than the Administratorās Garden in Suzhou. We spent a lot of the afternoon here exploring, and the park has a nice change of pace to the business of Shanghai’s streets.
On Saturday morning we visited the Shanghai Museum in Peopleās Square, which showcases a history of Chinese art (including pottery, jade, calligraphy and a history of the Buddhaās evolution in art). We also visited one of the fake markets near the Science and Technology Museum.
InternChina – People’s SquareDespite all the warnings we received about travelling during Chinese New Year, and how we would regret visiting these places during such a busy time, we only had positive experiences with all the transport we took- except for a minor 20 minute delay for our flight from Shanghai to Qingdao. Two flights, two trains, a few buses and a lot of metro journeys later, my first trip out of Qingdao was an exciting one! The crowds didnāt affect our experience at all, and we saw some of the most beautiful places in China during one of the most interesting times of the year.
If you want to experience a trip like this for yourself, apply now!
Lantern Festival and CNY Big Market in Qingdao
Last week the famous Lantern Festival (å 宵č) was celebrated all over China. Red lantern lines illuminating the night everywhereā what could be more characteristic of China?Let me talk a bit about one of theĀ most widely known Chinese festival.
The Lantern Festival originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty and was first celebrated about 2000 years ago. It is celebrated on the first full moon night in the Chinese calendar, which is why the date changes every year, and traditionally marks the end of the Spring Festival. After the Lantern Festival people normally stop setting off fireworks. I put ānormallyā because I still heard fireworks for days afterwards. Itās been, however, relatively calm during the past few days so I assume everything is back to normal now. What is special about the Lantern Festival? Visitors can enjoy various beautiful lanterns, make lanterns fly into the dark night sky, try to solve lantern riddles, eat ball dumplings in soup, join lion or dragon dances and many other things.
Well, thatās exactly what we, the IC intern group, were looking for when we went to Qingdaoās Old Town on Thursday, March 5th. We didnāt really find all of these āinteresting thingsā but we finally managed to find a traditional temple that opened its gates for the event where we took lots of beautiful pictures. You may find a selection of them below.
å 宵čåæ«ä¹, Happy Lantern FestivalĀ !
Ā 
Ā 
What about éå²ē³ēä¼? This is the Chinese New Year Big Market in Qingdao. It lasts one week and is well-known not only by Chinese people but also by foreigners. Ā If you want to try strange delicacies and arenāt afraid of getting bitten by a crocodile, this is the best place to go to! Meat skewers, squid sticks, scorpions, coconut juice, and – best thing of all – ē³ē (candied hawthorns!). If you are lucky, you will manage to not lose your friends in the streets which are crowded by masses of people. Otherwise youāll have to find your way through the crowd, passing flower headband sellers and men hitting rice pastry with a big wood hammer.
Donāt be surprised and enjoy. You are in China!
Learn more about life in China! Click here
Being in China for the Spring Festival, I really wanted to understand the importance of this festival to the Chinese people. I had the possibility to spend the Chinese New Year with a Chinese family, and what could be any better than learning more about the culture, tradition and faith from the locals themselves? So I seized this opportunity and packed my bags for a few days.To start from the very beginningā¦ I met Guimin Zhang, alias Molly, when I arrived in Qingdao at the end of January and she invited me to come to see her family during the Spring Festival. Therefore, on the 17th after work, I took the bus to her home, wondering what was awaiting me. But there was no need to worry. I was welcomed in the Chinese way: as a special guest. During the day and until late at night fireworks were set off.
On the 18th, we went to the grandfatherās home. I helped a bit to cook for lunch, but the grandmother just wanted me to sit on the sofa and watch TV. It was really difficult for me to understand what they were saying in Chinese, because they have this particular Qingdao accent and speak so quickly.
Just before lunch, I was invited to go with them to the cemetery, which is traditionally exclusive to men. However, there are no longer only men going, and some women also take part in this tradition. Naturally, everybody was looking at me: āButā¦ Who is that girl?ā In the cemetery, it was very noisy because everyone was setting off fireworks in front of their ancestorsā graves to show their respect to them. They also burned incense and this particular yellow paper representing money which is believed to be sent off to the dead. Afterwards we went to different placesĀ around the city to set off fireworks and burn more of this yellow paper.
In the afternoon, we visited some other family members. I was surprised at the fact that, whenever weĀ would enterĀ a different home, we would be offered some fruit. Nice and refreshing!
And after that, time for dumplings with the whole family! Yeaaah. I learnt how to make them, from flour to plate. At the beginning my dumplings wereā¦ Wellā¦ They didnāt look like dumplings, IĀ have to admit. But the more I made, the better their shape. Practice makes perfection. And now that I know how to make them by myself, I may make some when Iāll be back to France and impress my family and friends with my new abilities.
And for now I only have one more thing left to say:
ę°å¹“åæ«ä¹!
Curious about Chinese culture? Find out more about us and your opportunities in China here.
Any supply chain that involves Asian links, especially Chinese links, is subject to disruption in supply as businesses shut down for the Chinese New Year (CNY).
During the CNY celebrations most Chinese companies remain closed, resuming operation as late as one to two weeks after the specific CNY date. And even after companies reopen, they rarely have enough manpower to produce at full capacity as many employees donāt return to work in time.
For the workforce, however, CNY is a welcome vacation, giving employees a longer break from work than in most parts of the Western world. Chinese normally use their vacation to travel home to spend the CNY celebrations with their families who often live far away. Traveling to oneās hometown can be cumbersome as trips easily take 3 to 7 days by train or bus. With an entire nation on the move, āgoing homeā may quickly become a nerve-wracking endeavor and travelers are advised to prepare for crowded train stations, bus stops and airports. On the bright sight, however, many of the big Chinese cities like Shanghai or Beijing will be less trafficked and main spots in the city center less crowded since most of the locals spend CNY in their out-of-city hometowns.
Western companies with close ties to China are advised to plan well in advance to minimize disruptions in supply and should factor in airfreight or sea freight delays. For those companies which solely rely on Chinese vendors for their inventory, it is necessary to consider one of the following options:
1) Increasing the companyās inventory for the CNY season.
2) Searching for possible (non- Asian) suppliers to be able to switch to a second source for the CNY period.
3) Using up, if possible, older inventory or reduce production altogether.
The CNY period, on the other hand, presents opportunities to boost sales for those businesses which import their products to China. With consumer spending reaching similar levels to the holiday season spending in the US, CNY is quickly becoming a success story for many importers.
Learn more about China by following our blog.
As you can see from the number of InternChina blog posts on the topic, Chinese New Year is the most exciting time of year for us! Like Christmas to many westerners, Chinese New Year is a time when families get together and everybody enjoys a holiday. Now that I’m back in Manchester I wanted to see what the local Chinese community did to mark the occasion and I was pleasantlyĀ surprised!
On the night of Chinese New Year we took some friends to an authentic Chinese restaurant in town – Han Dynasty. This was quite simply the most authentic Chinese food I’ve ever had outside China. We love the northern-Chinese style ‘Jia Chang Cai – 家åøøč’ such as Aubergine, Pepper and Potato (å°äøé²), Chinese Schnitzel (é
å
č), Egg n Tomato (č„æēŗ¢ęæēéø”č) and Garlic Shoots with shredded pork (čč¹čäø). These were all on the menu (so we ordered all of them!), as well as a huge range of dishes, full hot pot selection and on-the-table BBQ. Our friends were amazed and we have been talking about the food there for days afterwards! The restaurant also has a nice feeling of Authentic China, with Karaoke rooms downstairs and no other westerners (čå¤) in sight!
On the Sunday after Chinese New Year there is a festival to mark the New Year in Chinatown, with traditional performances, street food, some random fairground attractions and fish n chip stands (not very Chinese, but who cares!) and all culminating in a spectacular firework display. It was fun to celebrate with Chinese people in Manchester and made us miss China a lot! ę°å¹“åæ«ä¹!
I am currently based in our Manchester office and dealing with all Generation UK applications, for more information about this please visit here!
Firstly – Happy New Year ā it is my pleasure to be writing my first blog in the year of the Horse ā I hope you enjoy it! This blog is going to be a mixture of personal reflection on Chinese New Year, rough travel guide and random ramblings. I hope you can get through my mixed style and enjoy this blog.
After setting off a few Chinese firecrackers, enjoying a wonderful dinner with one our homestay families in Chengdu and successfully not getting blown up by the 1000ās of fireworks and firecrackers exploding all around us in the middle of the street whilst cars, motorbikes and people moved around the city. I was off to spend the holidays in a different province – Yunnan, China.
China has 22 provinces which are all vastly different to each other, which is why when someone asks ā āwhatās it like to live in China?ā the answer can be somewhat problematic and relative to the individual. The answer may vary significantly if you live in the icy Heilongjiang Province, Tropical Island, Hainan or spicy Sichuan province (which is where Chengdu is located). In summary, China has many provinces which are bigger than many European countries and with distinctively different personalities, food and landscapes. One of the joys of living and travelling here is you can experience a very different China right on your doorstep.
The capital of Yunnan ā Kunming is one hour flight from Chengdu and a little over 2 hours from Zhuhai and Qingdao. Famous for being the āSpring Cityā with year round temperate and sunny weather as well as being one of the most ethnically diverse provinces of China (25 of Chinaās 56 recognised ethnic groups call Yunnan home).
Whilst in Kunming, I noticed some distinct differences to Chengdu:-
ā¢ (Even) more chaos ā be careful when crossing the street here!
ā¢ Sunā¦ much more sun.
ā¢ Less push chairs and more babies on their mother’s back (carried in ethnic minority style carriers).
ā¢ Less tall buildings/advanced development ā Kunming is growing but at a slower pace than Chengdu.
ā¢ More travellers/hippies/backpackers and tourists (domestic and foreign)
ā¢ Flowers ā EVERYWHERE!
ā¢ More street vendors and street food
ā¢ More exotic fruit and vegetables (fruit that is not available in Chengdu until Spring is already readily available)
ā¢ More expensive taxiās
ā¢ Cheaper water
ā¢ No humidity
ā¢ Red earth and Eucalyptus trees (outside the city it can look a little like the Australian bush!)
ā¢ High Altitude ā you may feel tired for the first few days and this is where Chinese athletes come to train ā try to run / cycle here at your normal pace and you will struggle.
ā¢ You can get sunburnt in January and wear a T-Shirt.
Kunming is a great gateway to some wonderful destinations (and I am forgetting it borders Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos ā which all require a separate blog) ā go south to the beautiful rice terraces of Yuanyang, and further still to Jinghong and Xishuangbanna where free roaming elephants, jungle and spicy food next to the Mekong river await.
Go North and you have tourist hot spots and hippy hangout Dali and further North Lijiang and the (highly recommended) Tiger Leaping gorge where you can hike spectacular scenery and look down at the Chinese tourists taking the āsafeā road below while you climb along waterfalls and negotiate the mountain pass used by tea traders in years gone by and now travellers from around the world.
As you can probably tell I have a soft spot for Yunnan ā it was my home for a year and a half and my girlfriend also comes from there. It was really great to enjoy the Spring Festival with her family. We had huge, delicious dinners, played a lot of Mahjong – a lot of money exchanged hands(even I got a couple of Hong Baoās ā Chinese lucky money). We also spent the holidays relaxing, watching movies and eating chocolate and exotic fruits! It was also a good chance to visit some parks and bars in Kunming which I used to go to regularly, (try) to do my Chinese homework and have a decent Indian curry! All in all a productive time in Kunming.
After spending a few days in Kunming I also took the chance to visit Yuxi and enjoy the Hot Springās and food in a city voted one of Chinaās best (small) cities. Beautiful flowers, Spring Festival traffic jams and endless blue skies greeted us as we drove to the city which is just two hours from Kunming.
It was also a chance to meet up with some old colleagues and friends in Kunming, enjoy a few beers and catch up. Spring festival can be a strange time for a foreigner in China ā not knowing quite how to embrace a festival which is not your own, but as I found both two years ago and this year Chinese hospitality knows no end and if you happen to be in China during this time I am sure your new friends / colleagues will make it an unforgettable time.
China has so much more than the Great Wall, Shanghai skyscraperās and Terracotta worriors, in every one of our cities Chengdu, Qingdao and Zhuhai you will find wonderful treasures hidden in and around the province. So apply now! China is a gift that keeps giving and I have found the longer and closer you look the more you can find in this vast country! Happy New Year!
This has been my second time spending the Spring Festival in China. And just the same as last time, I was heading to my Chinese friend’s hometown, only this time it was to attend her wedding. When I first came to China I met a very nice Chinese girl in my University, who helped me to settle into China and became a really good friend. Therefore, I was very happy to be able to attend her wedding as we hadn’t seen each other for around a year. I was even so lucky to meet my friend from Belgium, who had also been studying with us at that time. She had extended her travel through China just to be able to attend the wedding. The three of us had a lot to catch up with and it was nice to see each other together again and that we still had such a close bond.
First of all, it is a very unusual thing to get married during Chinese New Year in China, as it is their most important festival for the family and many people would not have time for a wedding. However as my friendās now husband is from France and he works in another country, they had to get married during a time where he could get off work and would be able to come to China.Ā Although the groom is from France, it was still a very Chinese wedding and the only foreigners were two of his former colleagues, my friend from Belgium and me. We were seated on the main table with the parents and the couple, which is a great honour. This was my first time at a Chinese wedding, so there were a few things very amusing for me.
To me it was more like a show than a ceremony. At first they showed an informational video (which seemed to be taken from a TV documentary) about France and the region where the groom comes from, Ā this was then followed by a picture slide show of his family and friends. Later, they also had a small video of his parents giving their blessings to the couple, which was really nice, considering his family was not able to attend.
The ceremony started with a drumming performance by four girls in red glittery dresses on the stage, which made me feel more in a circus than at a wedding.
Finally the groom marched down the aisle to the Star Wars main theme, which was framed by blue lit angel cherubs. The bride then entered with her father taking her to the middle of the aisle to angel like music. The groom then had to come and fetch her by bowing to the father and kneeling to his beloved. The two of them proceeded to the stage where they stood behind the āaltar of loveā lighting a candle together and pouring champagne into a pyramid of glasses. After that, they stepped on a small round platform to perform the exchange of the rings. All of this was accompanied by the host talking non-stop and two camera men following their every move.
Thatās for the āclassicā part, because what followed then was an alternation of singing and dancing performances by the group of girls who changed into a variety of costumes, or the couple being called to the stage for small games. A tradition for Chinese weddings is the groom and bride have to go around every table to toast the people, the couple was involved in so many activities, they were hardly able to sit down and eat of the masses of food that kept coming. And even when they got the chance to sit at the table, the camera men asked them to feed each other or kiss. There were also people coming over to the table to toast again which happened throughout the whole evening. My Belgian friend and me just sat in the middle of all of this and tried to grasp what was going on.
One of the games on stage showed a Chinese wedding custom, the bride had to sit down in a red carriage and the groom and his friend had to carry her through the hall. Traditionally the bride would be carried to her wedding like this by servants in a closed carriage, so she would be shielded from the eyes of the people.
At some point a cook entered the stage with a huge fish on a plate to majestic music. With a magnified voice he stated into the microphone: The fish has arrived! He then received a red envelope from my friendās mother. Later my friend explained to me, that during the whole meal there had been no fish (which they would usually have during New Year). This fish was only for her family to take home and eat later to bring them luck, especially for the New Year.
Then all of a sudden people started leaving, as the main event seemed to be over. Within 5 minutes the hall was empty and people started cleaning up already. No party until dawn, no dancing, no cake. This wedding left me a little surprised and confused, but it was definitely an interesting experience. I would say it was a Chinese wedding with a touch of western culture. My friend was wearing a white western wedding dress at first, then later changed into a red ęč¢ qĆpĆ”o, and finally changed into a more comfortable black dress in the end, which I heard is very common for Chinese weddings.
I have never been to another Chinese wedding, so I cannot say in which aspects this one differed from typical Chinese weddings, but it was very special for me and different from anything I experienced before. If you have the chance to attend a wedding here, I am sure you will enjoy it and learn more about Chinese culture.
Want to experience a crazy Chinese wedding party? Then apply now. Come to China Ā and find Chinese friends, who might get married soon š Ā