Zhoumo kuaile!

Happy Friday, all! We recently said good-bye to our moms  (below), but we're saying hello to our friends who arrive in Beijing from Seattle and San Francisco tomorrow. The house will be crowded with six of us after we spend time showing the crew the sites in the capital. The plan is to go to the Great Wall on Sunday (again; my mom rightfully said, "Most people don't get to see the Great Wall ever; you're seeing it twice in less than a year." Blessed!) and get duck for dinner (I'm not sure yet how our vegetarian friend will fare, but I'm sure we can find her some greens to munch on).  

Coming up soon: An interview with mom (mine) on her impressions of our life in Shanghai.  

Weekend in Xian

We woke up eeeearly last Saturday morning to catch a flight to Xian from Shanghai. We arrived at about 11 and went straight the tomb of Liu Qi (emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, 206 BC-24AD) and his Empress Wang (my namesake!). A precursor to the Terracotta Army, this was an awesome site, and to think it dates to 153 AD... The tomb was filled with pottery -- bowls and the like, but figurines and animals too, whatever the royals needed in the afterlife (the piglets were my favorites).

After a stop for lunch (local fare that included long, wide noodles in a tomato-like sauce, and veggies that looked, and tasted like grass, but in a good way), we finally reached the main attraction, thanks to our tour guide, Mountain, who just happened to also work in the restaurant. Funny how that worked out.  Here's us and Mountain: 

Coming into the main hall and seeing the hundreds of soldiers lined up and facing me took my breath away. It was amazing! Below are some fascinating facts (thank you, Wikipedia, for filling in the holes for Mountain):

• It was discovered only 30+ years ago (1974).
• Work on this mausoleum began in 246 BC (BC!), soon after Emperor Qin ascended the throne (then aged 13).
• The full construction later involved 700,000 workers (much like the slaves that built the pyramids, no?).  
• Only a section of the site is presently excavated (makes you ponder what else lies beneath, and for miles!).
• Upon completion, the terracotta figures were placed in the pits in precise military formation according to rank and duty. 
• The terracotta figures are life-sized and have individual facial features (no two are the same!). They vary in height, uniform and hairstyle in accordance with rank. 
• Most originally held real weapons such as spears, swords, or crossbows.

Not only is this old capital home to a Wonder of the World, but Xian, come to find out, also has a strong Islamic influence. After seeing the soldiers, we visited a mosque (a mosque in China!) and walked around the Muslim area. It was so interesting to witness the convergence of two very different cultures, something I never knew existed. A few of my favorite photos from the trip are here.  

China in the News

You may have heard about the devastating quake that rocked China this weekend. It was nowhere near us, but it was close to the pandas. Keep the victims in your prayers.  

And speaking of prayers, I read this article yesterday about religion in China. It made me thankful for the freedom of religion in my own country (emphasis on the word freedom).  

Zhoumo kuaile!

The moms (Mike's and mine) and I just got back from a weekend trip to Xian, home of the Terracotta Army. I had heard that it may not be worth it; just like most everything in China, you can find fakes without having to travel. But it was pretty amazing. More to come, but I'll leave you with this: our tour guide was named Mountain and he repeated every sentence twice, as in -- "8,000 soliders, all men, no women; all with different faces, all with mustaches. 8,000 soldiers, all men, no women; all with different faces, all with mustaches."  :)    

No Fun at Formula 1

So in case you couldn't tell, I've come to the realization that I am not a Formula 1 fan (sorry, guys). The prospect sounded fun -- fancy cars on display, expensive cars racing one another on a track the shape of a Chinese character (the character for "Shang," as in "SHANGhai," meaning "above"), and event fare like hot dogs and beer. Who doesn't like hot dogs and beer?

But in reality, it was boring and money poorly spent on a hater like me. Okay, it was cool to watch the race cars drive by a couple of times, but had I realized that they had 56 laps in total, I would have never signed up. And the noise was painfully deafening! Ear plugs are a requirement if you ever want to hear again. I think at one point, I used the noise as my sound machine, found my place of zen, and snoozed for a good ten minutes (a feat I'm actually quite proud of).   

At least I got some cool pics out of the deal (more here):

I (Heart) Boston

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." Martin Luther King, Jr.

Stories of Kindness After the Bombing - Esther Zuckerman - The Atlantic Wire

Sick as a Bird

Before I go on to tell you how big of a car racing fan I've become (note my sarcastic tone), I thought I should tell you that yes, we've read and seen the news, and no, we haven't gotten sick, but yes, we're avoiding chicken and eggs.

A pic from yesterday (more to come):

Zhoumo kuaile!

Hope you're all having a good weekend! It's warming up nicely here and the stifling heat is at bay, for now.  We'll be enjoying the weather on Sunday while watching fancy, Formula 1 cars race by at the Chinese Grand Prix. More to come on that; I'll report back.  

Funny to think that, at about this time last weekend, we were coming back from Hangzhou -- along with several thousand others. It was a crazy scene at the train station. We had arrived early enough to stand by the barricades that blocked the ticket machines allowing passengers onto the train. But that didn't mean much when departure time approached. By then, we became part of a caged herd of wild animals. The tension was mounting; the herd began stirring and preparing for escape. At that point I grabbed my mom's arm and told her to get ready for what was to come -- pushing, shoving, and elbowing.  One of the train guards saw us -- a strange group indeed, a Chinese man, a Middle Eastern woman, and a white, older lady -- and took pity. She directed my mom to the front and allowed her to cross the barricades first. "Save yourself!" I told her.  When the gates came down, I moved (aggressively) with the herd and, thankfully, reunited with my husband and mother on the train platform. We were part of the great Chinese migration that occurs every holiday -- a crazy experience that is marked by aggression, dismay, and a little laughter.

Now, off to the races! 

Fatty Tuesday: Hangzhou Street Food

We made it to Hangzhou over the holiday weekend, and although we got unlucky (again) with the weather, it's still a beautiful place and it was nice to get out of Shanghai.

For this Fatty Tuesday, I thought you might like to see what street food in Hangzhou looks like (notice the duck beaks, the gofer teeth, and the ever-so-popular chicken feet).

A funny thing happened at the marriage market...

I had heard rumblings of Shanghai's "marriage market" for months now, and have been waiting anxiously to check it out. Held on weekends in People's Park (the city's Central Park, but smaller), I didn't think we'd see anything last Thursday when we were out wandering about. To my delight, we exited the People's Square subway station to find about a dozen fathers and mothers sitting on the edges of planters with their child's stats written on an 11x14 sheet of paper in a plastic protector taped to an open umbrella. Chinese characters were combined with numbers that no doubt revealed date of birth and height.  

I rounded the corner to find the international section, filled with requests for non-Chinese spouses, or perhaps indicating sons or daughters with international experience. Besides age and height, descriptions (in very poor English) included the son's or daughter's educational background and profession, and criteria for their potential mate (must own apartment and/or car, and steady job, that sort of thing). What a sight!   

I had heard that the parents aren't too keen on photographers so I walked away from my mom and Mike to slyly snap some pics with my iPhone. All of a sudden, an older gentleman in round spectacles and a newspaper boy hat (stylin', I should say) ran up to me and asked, "Where are you from? Where are you from?" I was so startled, and enchanted by the marriage market, I didn't know how to react but to smile. "Where are you from?" he asked again, probably because he didn't know any other English. I tried to show him my ring finger, but he was so close to me (the Chinese aren't big on personal space) I couldn't move my arm. I finally managed to say, in Chinese, "America. This is my husband," pointing to Mike. At that point, he realized I wasn't there to shop, only to observe, and let us go our way. It may not have been the two camels and five goats I had been offered in Morocco a few years back, but it was charming nonetheless and fed my ego for the rest of the day. And don't worry, I remind Mike of my desirability whenever necessary. 

Zhoumo kuaile (early)!

I'm learning that every holiday in China has a dedicated food item:

• Zongzi for Dragon Boat Festival 
• Mooncakes for Mid-Autumn Festival 
• Jaozi (or, dumplings) for Chinese New Year 

And for Qingming Festival, it's these things: 

I'm not sure what they are exactly, or how they taste; the line was too long and crazy to make the purchase. But the holiday isn't over yet, and hopefully we'll find these again so I can better describe these green balls of what's most likely some form of (sticky) rice (almost everything is).  

P.S. With the weather turning (albeit slowly), I started the Tuesday night rides back up again this week. Here was our route:

Time to Sweep the Tombs

This week is a short one thanks to the "Tomb Sweeping Holiday." My favorite reaction came from my cousin in Texas when I told her why I had Thursday and Friday off: "That sounds gross and morbid."  

Come to find out it's a time for families to get together and pay tribute to those who've passed. It's not religious, but you burn incense, set a place at the table for them, and offer up fake (paper) money and fake (paper) iPhones (really!).  

I'm happy I'll be with my little family this holiday, and we'll certainly pay tribute to those who've passed in our own way, cherishing the happy memories and laughing as we recall the funny ones.  

Best Tumblr Ever

...for expats in Shanghai -- wuluwu.tumblr.com. It's filled with hilarious truths about the experience of living here. There may be some inside jokes for us laowai (another Chinese word for "foreigner," which can be considered derogatory), but it gives you another, very funny glimpse into life in China. Enjoy!