As I reflect on my time in China, I must say its an interesting place. There are a few things that are unique to China: cuisine, tea, shopping, government and gardens. 

Chinese Cuisine, Tea & Shopping

I am generally not a fan of Chinese food in the US and the food here is good, but not my favorite but I must say there is so much interesting foods to see and eat.

As I previously stated, they love meat or food on a stick. I’ve seen bugs, candied or fresh fruit, chicken, pork and beef on a stick. You will see people walking down the street chomping on one of these items.

I went to this snack market the other day and they had everything you could think of – sea food, octopus, fish balls, frogs, etc. It was an experience.

Dim Sum – which to the American just looks like dumplings. But according to Wikipedia dim sum is –is a Cantonese term for a type of Chinese dish that involves small individual portions of food, usually served in a small steamer basket or on a small plate. So here are all kinds of steamed buns and dumplings with everything from vegetables to meat inside.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of taking a dim sum cooking class and we made, wonton soup, siu mai and steamed bun with barbequed pork inside (The Chinese LOVE Pork). It was fun because we got to cook in the home of a Chinese person. Her house was in one of the nearby Hutong’s (lanes).

I almost got the change of eating “Peking Duck” a dish Beijing is famously known for. It was the best tasting duck i have ever had.  It is specially roasted and they carve it in front of you. You eat it with some special soy sauce, green onions and a thin pancake/torilla like thing. Its good, but pricey.

If you like to try strange looking food, here is the place for you

Second on the list is Tea. They drink tea like people in the US drink coffee. Unless you are drinking bubble/milk tea from one of the cheap places, tea can cost more than a meal. Rose Tea, Green Tea, Jasmine Tea, Chrysanthemum Tea. All delicious.

If you like to shop, generally you should come to Asia, because the possibilities are absolutely endless. Both here and in Thailand, between the Mega Mall, one after the other on one street and the markets, you can purchase anything you want. Almost everyday that I have been here I have gone to a different mall or market. In Beijing there are so many: The Pearl Market, Silk Market, Clothing Market etc etc. I don’t even like shopping but both mall and markets are an experience. In the markets you will here, “Hello, Hi Lady, do you want to buy ______” maybe 50 times during your time walking in the place along with people grabbing you by the arm. If you like to bargain and haggle, these markets are the place for you.

The People’s Republic

China is a Democratic Dictatorship, which to me sounds strange because those two words are opposed to one another in my mind. According to Chinese people I have spoken , the people, have little say in the “peoples republic” and the “people’s democratic dictatorship.” Seems ironic.

The censorship in China is interesting and surprising. As previously stated you cant access Facebook and a bunch of other website the government has deemed illegal and have banded. Some of them which are benign and I am not sure the logic behind. Like I can check my google account, but I cant access google documents. I feel rather restricted, but besides the police in green coat everywhere, it doesn’t really feel much different from other western places I have been.

The Gardens

Besides the milk tea, one of my favorite things about China are Chinese gardens, they are beautiful and I have never seen anything like it. They almost seem unreal like you are in a model of a Chinese garden, ponds, rocks and the serene sound of running water, but its real.

Randomness

KFC is huge here and they are everywhere.

After 2 weeks in China, I am off to Kyoto tomorrow for a week in Japan. Its expensive, so I cant stay long.

Riding the subway and bus in China gives me a real whiff of the reality that the Chinese are more than 1/6^th of the world. There are just masses and masses of people all bunched together in crowded train cars. Soooo many people. Nothing says “I AM IN ASIA” like being cramped in a subway car with hundreds of Chinese people. You have to elbow you way out when its your stop as well.

All and all, besides the cold, I have liked my time in China. Beijing is a nice cultural capital and I would highly recommend it. If I had to do it again I would go down south to Guilin/Yangshou to see some more scenic areas and where it is warmer. It would be interesting to see rural China as well, since most of the country is rural, but that’s not an adventure I want to undertake on alone.

There are so many interesting places in Beijing. The other day I visited the 798 Art District, which is an industrial area that has been redeveloped and now it is lined with art galleries, exhibits and public art. You can go around for hours and hours in this place, its huge and just browse the galleries or the craft shops.

I had the opportunity to experience Tai Chi Reggae – it was basically reggae by Chinese artists. It was actually a really good show. They threw some Bob Marley in there. I do not think I have gone anywhere in the world on this trip and not see a Bob Marley t-shirt or some reference to him. With the addition of Chinese Reggae, I think I done seen it all.