Life in China: A Picture a Day 2016, January 13 - This is Sun Wukong or the Monkey King! He has been loved for hundreds of years in China and today ‘he’ was helping to advertise a restaurant at the plaza near us! He is the main character in one of the most famous classical Chinese novels, titled Xiyou Ji or Journey to the West, written in the 16th century. The legend is that he has quite a number of superpowers and is also very mischievous! I think he will have a very busy 2016…more on that in the days to come :-)
Stationery Market/Chinese New Year Decor
Life in China: A picture a Day 2016, January 12 - Today, my daughter, a friend, and I, went to the He Sheng Stationery Market in Dongguan. Chinese New Year this year is Feb 8th, so… the decorations are out! Everywhere you look, you see RED, RED, RED, with a little gold mixed in! Red is considered the luckiest color in China. Supposedly this is from ancient times when red was associated with fire, which provided people with safety, and it is also believed to ward off evil. Over the next month, I’ll probably share many more pictures of specific symbols related to Chinese New Year.
Portable Electric Clothes Dryer
Life in China: A picture a Day 2016, January 11 - My wonderful husband bought me a present yesterday…. I am now the proud owner of a Chinese electric clothes drying machine :-) I’ve never had a dryer for the 6 ½ years we’ve been here, never really needed one, the clothes always hang on the balcony to dry. But, now…what would have taken a couple days for jeans to dry in cool, rainy weather…was dry in 5-6 hours :-) This machine stands almost 5 feet tall, 2 feet in diameter, and has a heater and a fan in the bottom which fills the bag with hot air! All for about $20 usd ….I give it a thumbs up!
Bi/Tri Cycle Loads
Life in China: A Picture A Day 2016, January 10 - This is a fairly normal sight for my friends who live in China, but the rest of you should enjoy it – it’s surprising what can be carried on a bicycle or cart! Actually, I don’t think I’m surprised anymore no matter what is being carried on a bicycle! Just amused smile emoticon Photo credit goes to Leah, she snapped this today from the back of the scooter when her and Jim went to the grocery store in the nearby town.
Luo Han Guo Tea
Life in China: A Picture a Day 2016, January 9 - Luo Han Guo, or Monkfruit, is one of my favorite Chinese teas. I like to buy the whole dried fruit, cut it in fourths, add it to my Chinese tea cup (with infuser and lid), add hot water, steep, and enjoy! It has a delicious natural sweetness and I have been told it is good for respiratory problems, cough and sore throat. You can refill for about another 2-3 cups from the same fruit….so you get at least 12 cups from one dried fruit (which costs 1-3 yuan or 15-45 cents usd). Recently, luohanguo powder has become available in the USA as an alternative sweetener.
Housing Gardens
Life in China: A Picture a Day, 2016, January 8 - In China (at least in the areas we have lived), housing complexes are called “yuan” or “gardens.” Along with the housing, most incorporate the four important elements of a Chinese Garden: plants, water, rocks, and some type of architecture. This picture is the small lake near the building we live in. It is situated in the middle of a group of tall buildings, but is a very peaceful place to go. The small building on the right actually sits in the middle of lake, reached by a wooden boardwalk at the back side. There are all kinds of plants and rocks around the edge of the lake, right now there are beautiful yellow irises blooming.
Starbucks
Life in China: A Picture a Day 2016, January 5 - I remember that one of the things I was surprised by, when we first came to China, was that even Western chains have Chinese names. For some reason, I expected these places to be called by their English names! This is the Starbucks in Songshan Lake. In Chinese, Starbucks is called “Xing ba ke,” pronounced “shing baa (like a sheep would say!) ke (the “e” is kind of like the “oo” in foot). “Xing” 星 means “star”, the “ba ke” is basically a transliteration for “bucks”, but if you do look the meanings up, “ba” 巴 can mean “hope anxiously” or “wait earnestly for”, and “ke” 克 can mean “can” or “be able to.” So, to me, it seems like they intended it to mean you are “anxiously awaiting getting your Starbucks coffee!” (My interpretation, not official!) The menu is much smaller than in the USA, but they do offer specials: today’s were Peach Blossom latte, a White Chocolate Chestnut Mocha, and I enjoyed the Chestnut macchiato (made with decaf coffee and soymilk).
Riding the Bus
Photo credit today goes to my daughter Leah :-)
Life in China: A Picture a Day 2016, January 4 - I haven't ridden a public bus anywhere except in China for at least 45 years, so I'm not sure how buses here compare to other places, but I'm fine with them. Some routes are a set fee and others depend on the distance. Today we had to find our China Post Office to pick up a package. It was about a 25 minute ride and cost us 1 yuan, or about 15 cents in US currency. With our bus cards, it's actually less than that! The problem I have with riding buses is that the schedules are only in Chinese (as you can see on the left side of the picture!), so, without my sweet Leah.....I'm lost!
Entrance Gate
Life in China: A Picture a Day 2016, January 3 - This is the gate or archway to Dalingshan Park, in the town next to where we live. Although you just walk right under, it is definitely a separation between the lively, noisy, business area behind where I stood, from the peaceful, quiet, park on the other side.
Sweet Potatoes
Life in China: A Picture a day 2016, January 2 - Street food is very popular in China. I don't eat it often, partly because of my food allergy issues and partly because of food safety reasons. However....baked sweet potatoes are the exception, they are delicious! I'm not sure about other parts of China, but in our area, where there are people, there are sweet potato vendors :-)
Crowded Bike Path
Life in China: A Picture a Day 2016, Jan. 1 - New Year's Day - A day off for everyone, which means Songshan Lake, where we live, gets VERY crowded with Chinese tourists coming to rent bicycles and ride around the lake, as well as picnickers and roller skaters. This is the bike path next to the road we live on!
