Out of Shanghai Again

A view out the window during my train ride yesterday

Early yesterday morning in Shanghai, I boarded yet another high-speed train. As expected, the long trip on a rail line I've traveled many times provided numerous scenes of nature, small towns, and construction projects — sometimes together and often immersed in smog. As not expected, during the entire trip a short video promoting a recent international fashion week in Xiamen played repeatedly with melodramatic music for all to hear. In case you didn't know, you can play golf in Xiamen too.

After I disembarked, the train sped away continuing its mission of informing riders about the Xiamen Fashion Week. I traveled away less slowly from the train station in a vehicle which felt no need to do so. Soon I was walking about a city I had never visited before and happy to stumble upon an old narrow street full of life. The street abruptly ended at a construction site, next to which stands a temple where I accepted a loquat from a Buddhist nun. My appetite stimulated, I headed back to a place which appeared promising for local-style fish balls. It did not disappoint.

The air quality is not as glorious as hoped, but it is currently better than Shanghai's. It's warmer here too. During the next few days I plan to get caught up on some work, while also taking advantage of the opportunity to learn about another city in China. Ideally those two goals wouldn't conflict very much.

I plan to finish at least one other post before further mention of my current location. So in the meantime, I am curious to know whether any readers can identify the city based on the clues above, the photo I took early this evening in a busy shopping district which appears below, and the bonus clue underneath it. Best guesses are welcome. I will be sure to praise the person with the first correct answer. Or if they prefer not to be publicly identified, the next order of fish balls are on me.

Bonus clue: This water isn't represented on Google's online map but it does appear on Baidu's map

Love Station Fashion

Clothing store in Shaoyang, Hunan

Scenes at Wuya Lane in Shaoguan, Guangdong

As described when featuring the Nostalgia Book Room and Wuya Lane Old Book Room, Wuya Lane (吾牙巷) in Shaoguan, Guangdong, is "home to a variety of establishments including places selling & buying old currency and other collector's items, a restaurant specializing in donkey meat, inexpensive hair salons, and 'hair salons' which appear to offer services far more intimate than a haircut". The photos below were taken over several different days at the lane which runs between Wenhua Street and Fuxing Road. The people who use the lane are no less diverse than the establishments which line it.

From Shaoguan to Changsha: A Brief Look at a Long Day

After reaching a boarding platform at the Shaoguan Railway Station last Wednesday morning, I headed in the wrong direction. To ensure the high-speed train didn't leave minus a confused passenger, staff asked me to board the nearest train car. The long train appeared to be two trains connected together, and there was no way to pass from the one I had boarded to the one with my reserved seat. Fortunately, finding a new seat wasn't a problem. During the 1 hour 44 minutes needed to reach my destination 480 km (298 miles) away, I was the only person sitting in the train car I had entered.

After arriving at the Changsha South Railway Station, instead of taking a taxi with a bust of Mao Zedong as I had done two years ago, I took the subway which had opened more recently.

In my hotel room I discovered one of the lightbulbs needed replaced. I notified hotel staff and not long afterwards left my room. In the elevator lobby I saw a hotel employee walk towards my room with a light bulb. Minutes later my room had more light. The elevator lobby, where I had watched the employee remove the light bulb from the ceiling, now had less.

I hit the streets of Changsha with a number of goals in my mind, most related to seeing what had and had not changed since my previous time there. Since my stomach desired lunch, my first destination was a new favorite for Liuyang-style steamed dishes on Jixiang Lane (吉祥巷). My old favorite and an old new favorite on the same lane are both long gone.

As expected, a variety of options, many spicy, were available in the steamer.

As not expected, the fish I chose was far from spectacular. I may branch out to other lanes next time.

I then made my way to the Kaifu Wanda Plaza. Behind it a pair of men encouraged me to try their specialty of pig and chicken feet.

Being full, I passed on their offer. And I soon passed some non-foot meat for sale nearby.

While walking down Yongxing Street (永兴街), a man sitting outside a mahjong room requested I take his photo. I obliged, and he convinced a woman to join him.

Later, near an area with a number of mobile phone stores and markets, I met two boys sharing a chair . . .

. . . a boy with a Chinese sanjiegun . . .

and a sanjiegun-less mutt.

Upon reaching the mobile phone markets, I checked out their current selection.

I then walked to a large shopping district around Huangxing Road and saw a Minions mascot . . .

. . . a child with a dog . . .

. . . and a couple of other mascots, these for Dianping.

The mascots were part of a promotion at a mall which, similar to many other promotions I have seen in China, concluded with dancers.

The dancers conclude this set of photos as well.

I was in Changsha for less than 24 hours but still managed to cover much ground. The above photos capture just a small portion of what I saw. In the future, I will share more, including updates to some earlier Changsha-related posts. And perhaps someday I will return to the elevator lobby to see whether it has regained its earlier brightness.

A Game of Real Leaps in Shaoguan, China

As I observed and photographed life at a location on Shengping Road in Shaoguan, Guangdong, two girls behind me played a game involving action poses and dramatic jumps. More about Shengping Road, a small bit of which appears below, another day. Today is for the girls, who enjoyed viewing their captured moments and happily posed for a somewhat more typical photo before I left. They provided an entertaining example of how children can still have a lot of fun without electronics or extra equipment.

Day and Night at the Tongtian Pagoda

Shaoguan's 3-year-old Tongtian Pagoda (通天塔) replaced a pagoda built in the mid-1500s and destroyed in the mid-1800s. It sits on a small island where the Wu and Zhen Rivers meet to form the Bei River. Below are two photos of the pagoda and the Beijiang Bridge (北江大桥), which opened 30 years ago, taken from nearby vantage points but at different times of the day. People can have strong preferences for one viewing time or the other.

Multitasking at the Zhen River in Shaoguan

A return to the mobile theme is not far away — more on the fishing theme someday too.

A Change of Room Views in Guangdong

A view outside the window where until yesterday I recently stayed in Zhongshan, Guangdong:

A view outside the window where I am staying now in Shaoguan, Guangdong:

I wouldn't characterize the differences between the cities using these two photos, but I appreciate the change of scenery afforded by my new room nonetheless.

While I have had an easy time viewing many scenes since arriving in a city I have never visited before, I have not had an easy time viewing my own blog due to significant challenges connecting to my VPN, which I need to access a variety of blocked-in-China services. Although some potential fixes did not offer a lasting solution, things may have returned to normal, my normal at least. As usual, I can't be sure why, but in many ways much of life is like that.

People in Zhongshan Without Patriotic Flags on National Day

On China's National Day I saw a number of people displaying Chinese flags, some upside-down, in Zhongshan, Guangdong. Most people didn't have any flags with them though. So below are twenty National Day photos of people not displaying Chinese flags in areas of Zhongshan similar to those in the earlier posts. The photos show a little more of how some people in China spent their time during a big holiday.

Some people I saw ate cotton candy.

Some ate ice cream.

Some ate noodles.

Some collected recyclable trash.

Some wore cosplay costumes.

Some wore shades.

Some paid for shade.

Some paid for hair clips with fake sprouts.

Some didn't want to pay.

Some jumped.

Some drove.

Some floated.

Some rode at the back of a scooter.

Some rode at the front of a scooter.

Some road alone.

Some received a ride.

Some waited to give a ride.

Some walked with family.

Some walked alone.

And finally, although not carrying a flag, some wore clothing with a flag-inspired design, just not the Chinese flag.