Part Time Asian

I'm so behind.

Did y'all know I went to China in January?  I spent 2.5 weeks there over Chinese New Year, visiting my family and eating things.  I had previously only ever been during the summer, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that CNY is actually the ideal time to be there.  Typically, I have to share my family's hometowns with the usual hordes of almond eyes, in addition to the thousands that go back every summer from wherever they've immigrated to.  During CNY, the bigger cities are relatively calm and less crowded, due to the millions of city workers that return home to their villages to celebrate the New Year.

This time, I spent a few days in Beijing with my mom's side of the family, eating and exploring the ancient parts of the city with my shutterbug aunt.  After a few days freezing in old Beijing's alleyways, I flew South to Guangzhou, where my dad's family lives.  There, I continued eating and added a side trip southwest to the ocean, where we made a few stops on our way to a hot spring resort.

Behold, my favorite photos from my trip to China this year:

These are from the 798 Art Zone in Beijing.  It was initially built in the Bauhaus style from East Germany as part of a Socialist Factory co-op plan in the 1950s, but has since emerged as a modern art district.  Super cool spot, could be wandered for days.

 

This gal was selling Chinese New Year noisemakers in old Beijing.  The kids all have them this time of year, and run through the streets annoying the entire city. 

 

The ice skaters in JingShan Park, next to the forbidden city.  

Piles and piles of holiday treats.  Street treats are my favorite.  I'll pretty much eat anything and love it, if it comes off of a cart parked on asphalt. 

Alleys in Old Beijing.  People still live and thrive there, even some 800 years after these neighborhoods were built.  Families sharing a small courtyard, and communal bathrooms.  Clothing hung up all over the place, bikes and furniture strewn about.  I love traveling to places that feels like another world.  This spot does it for sure. 

 In Old Beijing, people raise herd of pigeons as food and pets.  They are usually kept in big cages on the rooftops of their homes.  At dusk, after they return home from work, they release the pigeons to fly as their daily exercise.  They are trained to not wander far, and as a result, you will see these birds doing wide laps overhead.

   Old Beijing.  Dinner's in the window, and pick up some snacks from the cart lady on your way into the subway.  The big structure looming behind her is the South Gate to the Forbidden City.  

 A selfie with Grandma, because we're having Peking duck.  It's a rotisserie bird that's been chosen, carved, and brought to your table on a platter.  You eat the meat rolled into a super thin 'tortilla' with chinese barbecue sauce, cucumber spears, and scallions.




In Guangzhou now, Grams and Uncle 4 (you call your Uncles according to birth order) choosing daffodils off of the back of a bike cart, and the rows of flowers at the market.  Around CNY, each neighborhood will have its own district market, will of regional flower growers, snacks, decorations, and other festive goods.  I spent days wandering these places of commerce, and contributing to the local economy.....

 The Kaiping Towers.  There are 4 counties in southern China, where large populations of villagers immigrated to the US and Canada to work in the early 1900s.  They all came back with their fortunes from running restaurants and laundromats, and built themselves some palaces to raise future generations in.  Most were at least 4 stories, all were spectacularly grand.  These are scattered all over these 4 counties along the coast, and were a highlight of the roadtrip to our hot spring retreat.

Walkway between buildings in my Grams' building complex.  Evening light.

  

 The view from my Grams' bedroom window.  Guangzhou reminds me a bit of Miami.  It's humid, and people like to party.











Lanterns strung on every tree in the city.