Our first Chinese New Year

We arrived back into China from the Philippines on Chinese New Year’s eve. What a contrast.  For the last week we had been experiencing hot, humid days, perfect for swimming and just lounging about the many lagoons and pools of the resort. Often too hot to sit in the sun we generally stayed in the shade – and still managed to put some colour back into our long since faded suntans.  Nights were warm and balmy – usually just warm enough to require a little bit of air conditioning. And now we were in Nanjing, on the airport concourse waiting for the bus, 10pm at night, snow on the ground, minus 3 deg, and despite us putting on our jackets the freezing breeze is cutting through our clothing.

In the distance we can see occasional flashes of light but that’s not unusual in this land where everyone has access to fireworks at all times of the year, using them for celebrations and to mark the passing of loved ones. The bus trip is uneventful and we arrive in the street about 3 kilometres from our apartment. That’s too far to drag the suitcases so we walk to the nearby main intersection and wait for a cab.  It’s cold. A cab stops. We finally arrive back to our apartment …… and wish we had left the floor heating on.

Every now and then a flurry of fireworks is heard in the distance. Fortunately our double glazed windows keep out most of the cold and the noise. While we’re waiting for the house to warm a little (A-C is going full blast) we settle to watch a bit of TV. Before we know it, it’s close to midnight. Those flurries of fireworks are becoming more frequent.

Midnight.

Now I’m sure almost everyone who’s reading this will have some kind of memory of childhood cracker nights  and perhaps the occasional bonfire; Queen’s Birthday, Independence, Guy Fawkes, whatever. Remember those little skyrockets? Put the stick in a bottle, light the wick and get away quick? Or the ‘flowerpots’ with their cascades of colour, the roman candles that sent bright balls into the air for 10 or 20 metres.  Maybe you remember other western New Year’s eves – with their city-wide fireworks. Sydney is always spectacular with its Harbour Bridge backdrop. And then there’s Paris, London, New York all telecast to the world. Spectacular displays all of them.

Then let me tell you they all pale into insignificance compared to what a city of 9 million individuals, each with their own supply of major fireworks can do.  You see while fireworks seem to be freely accessible to all Chinese throughout the year, generally they are not very evident in the shops. But leading up to New Year, like it used to be in my younger days, the shops are full.   And the fireworks – these are not the little skyrockets, flowerpots and roman candles.  These are big. Starshells come in boxes of 12 or more, the size of a case of Fosters. Light one wick and they go off in succession.  There are industrial sized cannon shells that can rise to hundreds of metres before loosing their bursts of colour, clusters of noisemakers, Whirling wheels … and all available in bulk to the entire city. Our small corner supermarket down the road sells them from a 50 ft container load parked outside.

And all this has been saved for one 30 minute period of absolute, sheer insanity.  Outside our apartment men light big boxes of mayhem, oblivious to the cars they stand between. The sky glows with continuous explosions of colour. Not confined to one display area, these come from the parks, from between buildings, people’s patios, tops of buildings, in the street, traffic islands. Little children share the thrill of ‘light the wick - get away quick’.  Fathers hold tiny babies while having their turns at sending off howitzers of noise and stars.

We’re tired, but there’s no chance of even thinking about going to bed. Inside our double glazed apartment we can’t hear the TV.  And finally, after an hour, it begins to subside. We go to bed and sleep.

Next morning it is strangely silent. The snow has covered the city in a muffling blanket of white.  It is cold. We spend the day indoors.  And then the snow begins to melt. And as it melts, exploded boxes, empty cannons, stains of black and brown powder are revealed along with all the other detritus of exploded fireworks. Red paper and cardboard mixes with the snow, littering the footpaths and forming its own coagulated version of crimson papier mache in the gutters, under the trees and shrubs and on the footpaths.  So passes Chinese New Year 2010.

Yellow Mountain - Huangshan

 

It is now a few months since we visited Huangshan - China's Yellow Mountain, which is also known as China's Grand Canyon. If you have ever seen the typical paintings of China's mountains - craggy and peeping through the clouds - this is where the painters received their inspiration. The mountains are particularly steep and seem to jut up through the clouds. The day we were there was quite clear and so we didn't get that sense that the Chinese speak of, that the mountains float in a sea of clouds. Instead we could actually see how high we were and how steep these mountains are. It is quite scary really and the paths and passages can be quite a challenge. Thousands of steps that go on for miles!

You travel to the peak in a cable car that holds about 100 people. You can see it in the bottom right photo. So you can imagine if that cable car holds 100 (and it looks so small) just how vast and impressive the mountains really are.

It is a tradition to purchase a lock, have your names engraved on it and clip the lock to the chain fences. The fences really do not look capable of holding you back from falling and the drop to the valley below is terrifying. I am not sure how I managed to stay there and not go into a total anxiety state! (I am not good on heights!)

All over the mountain paths you will come across Chinese men who are carrying supplies and building materials in baskets and on their shoulders. I could not believe the loads some of them were carrying, easily 50kgs and more.

The mountains are dotted with resting places that have traditional pagodas, and there are several hotels to visit where you can get drinks and food.

Zhenjiang and the home of Pearl S Buck

 

The highlight of our trip to Zhenjiang was a visit to the house of Nobel Peace Prize Winner Pearl S Buck. She wrote a number of novels about China and was given credit at the time for being an ambassador for cross cultural relationships between America and China. Her father was a Christian missionary who worked on his ministery in China for most of his lifetime. Pearl spent many years in China living in the house in the collage (above).

We walked through some streets in central Zhenjiang and passed a number of local vendors selling their wares. Top left is a man supervising the firing up of a traditional Chinese oven, next to him another man makes popcorn. His right hand is turning a handle that is pumping the bellows to keep the fire hot, while his left hand is turning the cast iron circular oven over the coals. We could hear the corn popping inside the oven. Bottom left is a failrly typical local cafe. A woman peels and sells water chestnuts which have been steamed. Another woman is selling goose, duck, chicken and pigeon eggs.

Jiaoshan Mountain in the Yangtze River

About an hour out of Nanjing and still on the Yangtze River there is an island in the middle of the river. The local people call it the "mountain that is in the river" - Jiaoshan. On this island there is a temple, an Imperial residence (where the Emperor used to stay) and a fort. It is a lovely place to visit. You can go there by taking the train to Zhenjiang and then catch a bus to the wharf and a ferry to the island. It is such a peaceful and pretty place, even in the middle of winter when the trees are bare. I can just imagine how beautiful it would be in the summer when all the trees have their foliage.

A stroll along the Qinhuai River

What have we been up to - I can almost here the question coming in over this airwaves! Well actually we have been up to quite a lot but we just have not been up to writing up the blog - please forgive us. I am going to make a concerted effort over the next few days to bring you all up to date and show you some fabulous things we have been doing in China. As a start these pics are from a short stroll we took along the banks of the Qin huai River last weekend. Hopefully Nanjing is starting to warm up again and although we were still rugged up and it was only 11 degrees that is better than what we have had for a while!

The Bridge at Huang Cun

This painting has taken a while to get underway since our trip to yellow mountain. This is my depiction of the bridge at Huang Cun at the foot of Yellow Mountain - Huangshan.

Nanjing Jazz - COOL ?

We had the Nanjing International Jazz and World Music festival last weekend so we went out and watched a few bands. Friday night was a freebie invitation to opening night – crowd of a thousand for a very eclectic jazz band (Torsten De Winkel the Canary All-Stars). Picture these: the 6’6” sax player - seemed like he’d be right at home in big boots clodding around the Welsh moors with a herd of sheep; a bass guitarist - looked more like an escapee soccer thug from Coventry prison; a percussionist - straight out of the annals of Clive’s India, a blind Spanish lead singer, and a 6’4” Dutch lead guitarist who’d have been more at home in a Hoffbrau Haus with a litre of beer in his hands. The drummer was the only normal (?) looking one there. But could they play!! Oh yes. AND sing.

Next day we had a lovely lunch at the Sofitel – full buffet with bottomless glass of wine listening to Tango Extreme playing music inspired by the Argentina of the 30’s and 50’s. And all for $50 a head. We sat and drank a bottle of wine each and ate for about 2 and a half hours on and off – V nice!

Weather wise - - -It is b***y freezing here – it snowed yesterday & last night - down to MINUS 10. WHAT am I doing here?? I seem to recall saying I’d go anywhere there WASN’T snow !! ??

We had to go out on the Saturday (between Jazz bands) and buy me some thermal underwear. Cheryl doesn’t need it YET because she doesn’t go out in it much unless absolutely necessary – and then it's in the middle of the day instead of at 6 in the morning like this dope!. So I had a choice of white which made me look like a stretch Mr Magoo, (or the Michelin man – take your pick) and camouflage which made me look like Rambo (well - - - you know what I mean)! Cheryl likes the Rambo look, though she says that the virginal white has its own attractions! So I left for work in the morning with the new thermals on under my shirt and trousers, a new wool jumper over that, then my suit coat and to top it all off my winter parka and my leather driving hat that is lined with quilting. And carrying an umbrella and wearing 2 pairs of socks! - - - And that was just to go out to the road and catch a cab! When I got home this afternoon I walked through the door with the chin chatters, & feeling like an Eskimo. But I was then met with some nice thick hot vegetable soup and a chili for dinner - - gotta love that woman.

Cheryl is still not working and even though she don’t really get bored (doesn’t know how!) she does get a bit lonely. She’s met up with a couple of nice people, has a coffee on a regular basis, but having seen them once in a week there is not much more to it really! Writing and painting are keeping her occupied, but it’s not the same as working. Even so, she is happy and settled and really getting to know her way around Nanjing far better than me – all I do is go to work and come home!. (Late addition - some part time work is coming her way – nice).

And now it's Wednesday, and although it's not snowing any more, it is still below zero. How long is summer away???

Putting up the Christmas tree

I always think it is just amazing when things fall into place as if they were planned that way. Ron invited some people over for a get together on Friday night this week - that's the 20th November. Now I am a complete sucker for Xmas - love all the bling and baubles, flashing lights, food and wine, nativity sets....it's the full razza mattaz for me. Each year Ron just sighs and says - "What ever makes you happy - go for it!" So when the whiff of a party was in the air I thought it just must be time to put up the Chrissie decos - of course.

So out came our gorgeous nativity set from Italy, the Christmas lights and baubles we had left from the UAE and a determination that Friday was going to be the start of the festive season. I needed a Christmas tree and some more decorations and I just didn't know where I would get them. I have been wandering the shops and have seen no decos on sale, though all the Malls have Christmas written all over them right now!

I met a couple of my friends for coffee and mentioned I wanted to find a tree. I suggested I thought IKEA may have some by now and I would probably make the trip (which it is from our house - about 30 minutes on the bus) and pick up a tree and some baubles. Lynn suggested she was also going to get a tree and that she thought she knew of this shopping mall that had a Christmas section, but was not sure she could find her way to it again. She gave me some general directions and I thought it was probably both too hard and perhaps a bit hit and miss and IKEA would be easier. So I set my mind to catching the bus on Thursday and getting a few small decos (IKEA is expensive!) and making a pretence at Xmas cheer! And then on Tuesday night Lynn phoned - "Guess what - I have a driver for tomorrow. Bruce doesn't need him for work and I thought we might go find that mall and get a couple of trees!" Without a second thought I agreed and we made the arrangements.

I caught the bus from my place to Lynn's, passing IKEA along the way, and the driver and Lynn studied the map and decided they knew where they were going - so off we went. Well - I couldn't believe my eyes - she took me to a place that is 3 stories of "Made in China" and cheap as chips! There was a section that had Christmas decorations that had been sort of subsumed into the Chinese souvenirs section - Christmas trees in all sizes, with and without optic fibre lights, baubles and snowflakes and ...well... really - it was ALL there. We both decided it would be a Chinese Xmas theme and proceeded to buy lanterns and charms in a red and yellow theme. It was great fun.

We then shopped the other sections of the three floor supermall and got a few little goodies and headed home for dumplings and noodles - what a great day.

Here is the Christmas tree with all the Chinese charms and the lanterns, as well as lights and baubles - Christmas has come to Nanjing!

UAE Impressions series

Well it took a while but I have finally finished my "Impressions of the UAE" painting series. The paintings were finished a couple of weeks ago but the vector diagrams have just been completed and they are all now looking pretty great I think!


I have placed all these designs at 2 print on demand websites. That means that anyone can go to the websites and order calendars, gifts, cards, mugs - even baby bibs and barbecue aprons!

There is an Aussie website and an overseas one. The Aussie one does not do gifts but does a great job on calendars and cards and framed prints. Here is the link - Cheryl Malloy on Redbubble.

The overseas site posts to any country in the world including my favourites - Vanuatu, the UAE and China! There are heaps of nice gifts and cards, calendars and prints to buy! Here is the link - Cheryl Malloy on Cafepress.

I would love it if you could buy some of the gifts, and better still get your friends to buy them as well!

Russian porn stars, Chinese horror movies and Halloween.

A cloak of smoke descended on Nanjing for Halloween. And rain drizzled. Everywhere people in hoodies and under umbrellas. It was as if Halloween could not happen under clear skies and clement weather. Halloween brought Autumn to Nanjing. However there is not much that can dampen the spirit of Nanjingren when it comes to an excuse for a night out.

We had read about a jazz guitarist appearing at one of the restaurant nightclubs and decided to brave the scary streets and see how Nanjing does jazz. As we approached the restaurant we were greeted by Chinese staff in masks and cloaks and looking particularly ghoulish in a glamorous kind of way. The restaurant had all the usual Halloween trappings, pictures of pumpkins and ghouls, candles inside watermelons (they are cheaper than pumpkins) and the staff were really getting into the swing of it.

We were shown to a table and given masks to wear. The masks were more of the Venetian Masquerade Ball type, glitter and feathers – but hey, we were not complaining. It was all in the spirit of the night and so we put them on.

Some musac was playing, the sort of background but soft loungey type, until a young Chinese man approached the stage with an alto saxophone (maybe Kenny Chee?). We settled to listen to some cool New Orleans or R&B then for his last few numbers he played the Carpenters and Lionel Richie while in the background there appeared Russian music videos that were verging on pornographic – we glanced at each other and made the comment “Only in China” and had a bit of a giggle! He wasn’t a bad saxophonist, save for a poor choice of music, and his friends thought he was just great, each song being enthusiastically applauded and smiles all round.

At about this time we were approached to draw a card from a tarot pack. Later in the evening there would be a card draw with prizes. The first prize a large handmade clipper style model boat, second prize a new antique toy truck and third prize a toy cricket bat with a boat in a bottle set into it. (???) We spent a few minutes wondering just what we might do if we won first prize and decided we could put a message in the boat and put it into the Yangtze. We wondered who might find it and if they would give us a call.

The next artist to grace the stage was a young Chinese woman complete with waist length wig in marvelous curls. From the waist up she was pure glam and bling. Below the waist denim mini shorts, black stockings and a pair of knee high cream stiletto boots. This young woman had a delightful voice and proceeded to deliver a few popular Chinese songs – they were nice and she sang well. The songs she sang in English sounded Chinese too. Her voice was nice and, after all, we are in China and Chinglish is accepted and used everywhere. The Chinese don’t get it when we don’t understand!

The Russians were still cavorting around bedrooms and bathrooms in a marble mansion and by this time they were naked and being pretty risqué! There was a spa bath in there somewhere and at times there were different men and women making out with each other but the singer held her own and charmed the audience with her repartee and rendition of Chinese pop.

A magician visited our table and performed some sleight of hand tricks. He was very clever. Dinner arrived and we ate while the Russians got it on in the background, the Chinese girl sang up a storm and some people played darts very close to our table. All the while the floor was vibrating to the bass of the discotheque next door and I am not too sure that the walls were not vibrating too – or was that the Russians cavorting!

The food was delicious and served with a glass of champagne (well, sort of champagne) another glass of red wine (well, it was also sort of red wine) and some watermelon juice – presumably made from the hollowed out watermelons. The staff fussed over us and did everything they could to make us feel comfortable – at this stage the Russian porn stars had been replaced by a Chinese horror film – lots of gore and angst, just what you need as you are trying to consume a plate full of food in the dark.

I have never been in an environment with so much sensory overload. Clearly the Chinese cope very well with this and it seems that if you add more and more fun elements to the night ( did I mention the DJ/MC, the cocktail mixing performance, the maitre de hovering within a few feet, the waiters visiting the table every few minutes, the mirror ball spinning on the ceiling) the night will be much more fun, fun, fun. Not too sure what happened with the advertised jazz guitarist – the waiters and the manager had no idea what we were talking about when we asked. Perhaps the guitarist got caught up in some other pursuit that night. Perhaps we had been in the wrong restaurant all the while. I came home exhausted and happy – it’s fun living in China!