Kite Man

Kites seem to be big here. Wherever we've traveled, we've seen people flying (and selling) them. Some of my favorites were in Xi'an, where paper kites were popular. Less delicate, but at least as impressive, was this man's kite. He was flying it in Shanghai's Remin (People's) Square this past Saturday. Though he looks pretty relaxed in this picture, this seemed to be a pretty elaborate ordeal. The large wheel strapped to his chest (held on by a large strap around his back) held the kite string, which was more like fishing line in this case. The kite itself took a while to spot, as it was up at least as high as a helicopter might be. Wow!

Wild Insect Kingdom

On one of our first days in Shanghai, a sign for the "Natural Wild Insect Kingdom" caught my eye. Today, we finally got around to checking it out. Turns out, though it did have insects and other creepy-crawlers, it had much more, including: a "petting zoo" (consisting of goats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and an owl), turtles, monkeys, fish (and pond for catching fish), and reptiles. We enjoyed feeding the fish and checking out the remarkable variety of creatures. But, some of the warnings we'd heard about Chinese zoos proved true - namely, small cages. However, the emphasis did seem to be on educational and preservation. Definitely an interesting experience! Pictures here: http://hsinchina.shutterfly.com/2002 - if you dare...

Winter Coats and Christmas Shopping

Yesterday, we went to the fabric market to pick up our new winter coats (both wool/cashmere blends and made to order.) Jeff's is a Korean style, with a stand-up collar, and fits like a glove. This is a picture of him modeling it in People's Square. Sadly, mine had the wrong lining, so I'll be making a trip back on Thursday to pick up the corrected version.

From there, we decided to satisfy some of our post-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas urges to shop, doing so by heading down Nanjing Road (pictured), one of China's biggest shopping streets. We topped the day off with a visit to Shanghai's Pearl Market and all-you-can-eat Indian food. All in all, a good day!

Deck the Halls

We'd been holding off until after Thanksgiving to start the Christmas season here, so were excited to do so yesterday. Jeff started the day with Christmas music and proudly sported his Santa tie to work. After work, we started decorating our apartment - thanks to a box of goodies Jeff's mom sent from his family. We now have a little tree with some pretty presents under it (thanks BWMK!) and our stockings have been hung with care (thanks J&A!) It's fun to have some homey holiday spirit here!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We went with a group of 20 other teaches to a Thanksgiving buffet at the Crowne Plaza Hotel last night. It was fancy and fun, but doesn't come close to matching our memories of meals with family and friends at home. Thinking of you all and here's to next year!

Hot Pot

We went out for hot pot tonight with a friend - our first time trying it, though we'd been hearing about it since we arrived. Hot pot is popular throughout China, especially during colder winter months. It's similar to fondue, in that you dip various meats and veggies into a pot of boiling liquid. In this case, the liquid is soup, with the bowl divided into spicy and mild. We ordered a variety of things to dip, including potatoes, tomatoes, tofu, spinach, lettuce, and a smattering of meats. The pot is placed on a burner on the table, so stays hot throughout the meal. Despite burning my mouth (inevitable, as I'm not patient around food), it was a great experience and one I'm sure we'll repeat.

This picture was found online - next time, we'll bring our own camera.

Laundry

Few people here have clothes dryers, which makes laundry a pretty public affair. Most apartment buildings (with the exception of those in the most affluent areas of the city) have long poles sticking out from each window, for hanging clothes out to dry. It's also common to see clothesline hung up between buildings, trees, or anything else you can affix it to. Shops often have the owners' laundry hanging on the street outside. And, once you've seen someone's underwear, it definitely makes the shopping experience feel more personal.

Here are a few shots of laundry - the first is from an apartment building that we pass on the way to the metro (about a 10 minute walk from our place.) The second is from our trip to Suzhou. And, the third is our own washing set-up: the washing machine and drying rack are in the corner of our bathroom.

 

Given the environmental impact of dryers and China's population of over a billion, this is probably a good thing. And, given how simple it is to hang things, I hope to be better about doing so even after we have access to a dryer again.

Yes, Jeff, you am!

"Chinglish" is a common site in China - English signs with less-than-perfect translations. Though they provide a lot of unintended entertainment, Shanghai is working on fixing them before the World Expo starts (in May.)  (More on that here: http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/shanghai/articles/blogs-shanghai/cw-radar/interview-icss-chinglish-guru/.) Not sure how far they'll get with that - we see examples of this on a daily basis, especially as the desire to attract English speakers grows. But, this is one of my favorite examples, found  on an advertisement in the Hongqiao airport over October break.

Out with the old...

This is not an uncommon site in Shanghai - older houses being torn down to make way for sky-scraping apartment and office buildings. The rate of change feels frantic and the modernizing city leaves a lot of dust, debris, and displaced people it its wake.

 

I took this just outside of the fabric market, where Jeff and I went today to have winter coats made.

Beijing: Day Three

We had the morning of our third day free for exploring before heading to the airport. We started with our hotel's breakfast buffet (the first time since being in China that I've had cereal and milk - simple pleasures.) The photo album shows pictures from the buffet, where we were surrounded by European tourists, and other shots from our hotel. From there, we bundled up again and headed to the Temple of Heaven, a short walk from our hotel. The Temple sits in a beautiful park, with an area of just over one square mile. Beyond seeing the main pagoda, we enjoyed people watching, as every activity imaginable was going on there - from dancing to fencing to singing (video of a choir here: http://hsinchina.shutterfly.com/videos/12) to card playing and on and on... It was fun to see the park still so full of life even on a chilly Monday morning!

 

From the Temple, we headed to the Pearl Market, one of Beijing's most famous markets for selling pearls and all sorts of knock-off goods. Then, reluctantly, we packed up to head to the airport, with a stop for a lunch-time feast of peanuts, corn, sesame bread, rice, and chicken kabobs on the way. I also had a little too much fun documenting Jeff's hair, finally freed after three days of being trapped under a hat.

Enjoy the pictures here: http://hsinchina.shutterfly.com/1945.