Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Laundry Detergent and Fashion: Women's Day in China
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
9:26 PM
Today is a special day in much of the world, and, as reported by China Change, this year China spared no effort in its preparations:
Remarkably, two of the Women's Day sales featured laundry detergent and dishwashing liquid.
Perhaps also in the spirit of the holiday, Xinhua News on blocked-in-China Twitter today reported "Nearly 5 million Chinese women received micro-financing worth $38.1 bln in 2015". The tweet also included a photo.
I recognize the location as the Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street in Chongqing. After that, I must admit I have a few questions.
So I will end this piece simply by recommending Julie Makinen's story "How does China mark Women's Day? Hold the feminism, bring on the fashion show".
Just before International Women’s Day on March 8, the Feminist Five activists in China, as well as their defense counsel, have been spoken to and put under pressure by police, according to friends and lawyers of the activists, communicating via social media.In Zhongshan on International Women's Day last year, I didn't see anything of note except a promotion for female lip hair removal. Several days later, I saw a Women's Day sale at the military-themed clothing store War Ground. Similarly, this year in Jieyang the only signs of Women's Day I noticed were sales at some small stores.
On March 3, Internal Security police, the branch of the Public Security Bureau focused on internal political threats, sought out the defense lawyers of the feminist activists.
Remarkably, two of the Women's Day sales featured laundry detergent and dishwashing liquid.
Perhaps also in the spirit of the holiday, Xinhua News on blocked-in-China Twitter today reported "Nearly 5 million Chinese women received micro-financing worth $38.1 bln in 2015". The tweet also included a photo.
I recognize the location as the Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street in Chongqing. After that, I must admit I have a few questions.
So I will end this piece simply by recommending Julie Makinen's story "How does China mark Women's Day? Hold the feminism, bring on the fashion show".
Monday, March 7, 2016
Pizza Hut Introduces Its Own Durian Pizza in China
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
7:30 PM
Last month I tried an unusual and odoriferous pizza at La César in Shenzhen. One half had a black mushroom topping, and the other half, more notably, had durian — a strong-smelling fruit people often describe as either glorious or revolting. Although I would be happier with just plain durian, my first experience with durian pizza was mostly a success, especially when eating the leftovers for breakfast.
About a week ago in Jieyang, I noticed Pizza Hut is getting into the durian pizza craze too for a limited time.
Normally in a city such as Jieyang I would want to immerse myself in the local food offerings as much as possible. But I have been here long enough that I found it reasonable to sacrifice a meal to give Pizza Hut's durian pizza a try. So I stopped by for lunch today.
The menu included a special for a half and half pizza. I went with the durian and "New Orleans style" toppings.
I took a seat on the second floor, which offered a great perch to watch the flow of traffic at the adjacent street intersection. Happily, no accidents occurred, and soon my pizza arrived.
It was smaller than the La César pizza I ordered, not surprising given the lower cost, and the durian appeared to be distributed in larger chunks.
Like before, I started with the less sweet non-durian side. Also like before, one drawback to the split pizza was the strong durian smell somewhat interfered with enjoying the other side. Disappointingly, the New Orleans toppings reminded me far less of the American city than the New Orleans roasted chicken street food I ate last year in Hunan. Unlike most food in New Orleans, the pizza tasted rather bland. After just one bite I made a dash for Tabasco sauce. It didn't help that much. The durian side was also rather unspectacular, though the large chunks of durian on two of the slices were appreciated. I didn't consider adding any Tabasco sauce to it. One positive is all of the pizza had plenty of cheese.
This is an easy call. I don't expect to order the pizza again. Both halves of the pizza I had at La César were far superior in taste and texture. In all fairness to Pizza Hut's durian pizza, I am not a big fan of their style of pizza in general. There are other places for pizza I prefer in cities such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, or even Zhongshan. I am not familiar with Jieyang's pizza world, though, and could imagine Pizza Hut is one of the better options here.
So if you like Pizza Hut and also durian, their durian pizza may still be worth a try. But if I develop cravings for a durian pizza, I will hold out for somewhere else. And for dinner tonight, I will be returning to Jieyang's local delicacies.
About a week ago in Jieyang, I noticed Pizza Hut is getting into the durian pizza craze too for a limited time.
![]() |
Tempted by this durian pizza? |
Normally in a city such as Jieyang I would want to immerse myself in the local food offerings as much as possible. But I have been here long enough that I found it reasonable to sacrifice a meal to give Pizza Hut's durian pizza a try. So I stopped by for lunch today.
![]() |
Partially-opened durian sans pizza |
The menu included a special for a half and half pizza. I went with the durian and "New Orleans style" toppings.
![]() |
Can't say I found the photo enticing |
I took a seat on the second floor, which offered a great perch to watch the flow of traffic at the adjacent street intersection. Happily, no accidents occurred, and soon my pizza arrived.
![]() |
As expected, a bit different from the photo |
It was smaller than the La César pizza I ordered, not surprising given the lower cost, and the durian appeared to be distributed in larger chunks.
Like before, I started with the less sweet non-durian side. Also like before, one drawback to the split pizza was the strong durian smell somewhat interfered with enjoying the other side. Disappointingly, the New Orleans toppings reminded me far less of the American city than the New Orleans roasted chicken street food I ate last year in Hunan. Unlike most food in New Orleans, the pizza tasted rather bland. After just one bite I made a dash for Tabasco sauce. It didn't help that much. The durian side was also rather unspectacular, though the large chunks of durian on two of the slices were appreciated. I didn't consider adding any Tabasco sauce to it. One positive is all of the pizza had plenty of cheese.
This is an easy call. I don't expect to order the pizza again. Both halves of the pizza I had at La César were far superior in taste and texture. In all fairness to Pizza Hut's durian pizza, I am not a big fan of their style of pizza in general. There are other places for pizza I prefer in cities such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, or even Zhongshan. I am not familiar with Jieyang's pizza world, though, and could imagine Pizza Hut is one of the better options here.
So if you like Pizza Hut and also durian, their durian pizza may still be worth a try. But if I develop cravings for a durian pizza, I will hold out for somewhere else. And for dinner tonight, I will be returning to Jieyang's local delicacies.
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Taking the Dog for a Scooter Ride in Jieyang
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
10:45 PM
As I wrote several days ago, seeing dogs on motorbikes isn't an unusual event for me. The example I shared then involved a motorcycle. More often I see dogs on scooters, though, like I did today in Jieyang.
Readers familiar with Chinese customs or firecrackers may recognize the red colored paper on the ground. It represents a bit of what brought me to this part of Jieyang. More about that another day.
Readers familiar with Chinese customs or firecrackers may recognize the red colored paper on the ground. It represents a bit of what brought me to this part of Jieyang. More about that another day.
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Friday, March 4, 2016
A Small Survey in Jieyang, China, on the U.S. Presidential Candidates
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
9:57 PM
This morning I felt inspired (not sure that's the right word) to watch the Fox News GOP Debate. I tuned in after the "hands moment" but was able to watch most of the debate on the live stream both with and without using a VPN (useful for jumping China's Great Firewall to reach blocked sites). The only exception was towards the end when I could only watch it without the VPN, I suspect due to increased local internet traffic.
This afternoon I looked for a place in Jieyang, Guangdong, to do a small survey, and Monkey Noodles seemed like a good choice. There I presented three people in their 20s photos of the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates still participating in the televised debates. In short, nobody recognized Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Marco Rubio, or Bernie Sanders. Two people recognized Hillary Clinton and one of them recognized Donald Trump as well. I didn't hope to draw broader conclusions from this small sample, but the results mapped reasonably well with what I would expect for a larger similar sample.
The person who recognized two candidates described Trump as a man who became rich through real estate. His first comment about Clinton was he thought she was very pretty. When I asked which would make a better president for the U.S., he immediately said Clinton. He felt she had stronger management skills. He described Trump as extremely egotistical and having strange ideas.
I didn't ask about hands.
This afternoon I looked for a place in Jieyang, Guangdong, to do a small survey, and Monkey Noodles seemed like a good choice. There I presented three people in their 20s photos of the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates still participating in the televised debates. In short, nobody recognized Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Marco Rubio, or Bernie Sanders. Two people recognized Hillary Clinton and one of them recognized Donald Trump as well. I didn't hope to draw broader conclusions from this small sample, but the results mapped reasonably well with what I would expect for a larger similar sample.
The person who recognized two candidates described Trump as a man who became rich through real estate. His first comment about Clinton was he thought she was very pretty. When I asked which would make a better president for the U.S., he immediately said Clinton. He felt she had stronger management skills. He described Trump as extremely egotistical and having strange ideas.
I didn't ask about hands.
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Taking the Dog for a Ride in Jieyang
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
11:17 PM
I didn't see anybody asleep on a moving motorbike today, but I did see one especially awake rider.
It reminded me of a dog riding on a different pair of wheels two years ago in Hengyang. I don't see dogs on motorbikes every day, but I wouldn't call it an unusual event. More rare is successfully capturing the fleeting moment.
It reminded me of a dog riding on a different pair of wheels two years ago in Hengyang. I don't see dogs on motorbikes every day, but I wouldn't call it an unusual event. More rare is successfully capturing the fleeting moment.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Leaving an Ephemeral Mark: Another Lesson from Jieyang
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
9:58 PM
Yesterday two lessons came to mind after unexpectedly making an impression at a Jieyang shopping center.
Today at the same location, a related lesson came to mind: even when an impression you make appears to be nearly set in stone, it can quickly disappear.
On the side, I wonder what was going through the mind of the bank security guard as he watched me take a few photographs of this patch of ground. I may have made a longer lasting impression that way.
Today at the same location, a related lesson came to mind: even when an impression you make appears to be nearly set in stone, it can quickly disappear.
On the side, I wonder what was going through the mind of the bank security guard as he watched me take a few photographs of this patch of ground. I may have made a longer lasting impression that way.
Monday, February 29, 2016
Leaving a Mark: Lessons from Jieyang
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
11:29 PM
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary when I approached a shopping center in Jieyang today, including the various obstacles in my path such as the motorbikes, the common-in-China stools, or signs indicating a bank's dedicated parking area.
So as I walked to get a closer look at a storefront sign, I effortlessly weaved my way without much thought. But then suddenly I had a sinking feeling.
Soon I was reminded of two important lessons about life.
1. How you make an impression on the world often happens in ways you don't expect.
2. You won't be the only person to leave an impression.
On a more pragmatic note, I'm mildly pleased I decided to wear a worn out pair of shoes a bit longer despite having already purchased a replacement pair.
So as I walked to get a closer look at a storefront sign, I effortlessly weaved my way without much thought. But then suddenly I had a sinking feeling.
Soon I was reminded of two important lessons about life.
1. How you make an impression on the world often happens in ways you don't expect.
2. You won't be the only person to leave an impression.
On a more pragmatic note, I'm mildly pleased I decided to wear a worn out pair of shoes a bit longer despite having already purchased a replacement pair.
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Friday, February 26, 2016
Resting on the Go in Jieyang
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
5:50 PM
Last year I was impressed by a man sleeping on a motorbike in Hengyang, Hunan. Today in Jieyang, Guangdong, a similar sight zipped by.
Despite the closed eyes, though, the apparent grip on the side of the motorbike makes me question whether the child is asleep. Either way, it was a reminder there is nothing like an early afternoon nap.
Despite the closed eyes, though, the apparent grip on the side of the motorbike makes me question whether the child is asleep. Either way, it was a reminder there is nothing like an early afternoon nap.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Assorted Links: Hurt Feelings, Less Love, Less Info, and Mao's Holy Mangos
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
8:53 PM
It has been a while since I semi-regularly did "assorted links" posts, and I would like to return to the practice. To kick things off, here are a few links with brief excerpts and little or no commentary.
1. David Bandurski addresses some questions about a common phrase heard from China when it is not pleased with foreigners' or other countries' actions or words:
2. Lilian Lin and Chang Chen report China's State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television has suspended yet another gay-themed show:
3. Edward Wong and Neil Gough report that gay-themed shows aren't the only thing the Chinese government is further clamping down on:
4. Finally, Benjamin Ramm tells the fascinating story of how mangos became "holy" during China's Cultural Revolution:
It's hard to top the mango story. So that's all for now.
1. David Bandurski addresses some questions about a common phrase heard from China when it is not pleased with foreigners' or other countries' actions or words:
In 2007, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told reporters that diminutive Saint Lucia had “hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.”
This was quite a feat for Saint Lucia’s 183,000-odd residents, given China’s population of more than 1.3 billion.
Is China really so sensitive? Why must it resort to such petulance? . . . And what on earth did Saint Lucia do?
2. Lilian Lin and Chang Chen report China's State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television has suspended yet another gay-themed show:
The Web drama, which follows the lives of four high school students played by fresh-faced actors, has generated buzz on social media ever since it went online about one month ago. The show’s Beijing-based production house said that the drama was viewed more than 10 million times in the day after it premiered.
3. Edward Wong and Neil Gough report that gay-themed shows aren't the only thing the Chinese government is further clamping down on:
Chinese leaders are taking increasingly bold steps to stop rising pessimism about turbulent markets and the slowing of the country’s growth. As financial and economic troubles threaten to undermine confidence in the Communist Party, Beijing is tightening the flow of economic information and even criminalizing commentary that officials believe could hurt stocks or the currency.
4. Finally, Benjamin Ramm tells the fascinating story of how mangos became "holy" during China's Cultural Revolution:
To quell the forces that he had unleashed, Mao sent 30,000 workers to Qinghua University in Beijing, armed only with their talisman, the Little Red Book. The students attacked them with spears and sulphuric acid, killing five and injuring more than 700, before finally surrendering. Mao thanked the workers with a gift of approximately 40 mangoes, which he had been given the previous day by Pakistan's foreign minister.
They had a huge impact.
It's hard to top the mango story. So that's all for now.
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
A Brief Look at Some Movie Posters in Jieyang
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
11:59 PM
![]() |
Building with the Rongjiang Theater on its upper floors |
It has been a while since I shared two movie posters which caught my eye in Shaoguan, Guangdong. So I will mention when I passed by the Rongjiang Theater today in Jieyang, Guangdong, I noticed a poster for Mermaid (美人鱼), a new movie from Hong Kong (a review).
On the poster was a schedule for today's showtimes.
Notably, two of the three movies are in Cantonese, a common dialect in Guangdong. Most people in Jieyang speak the local Chaoshan dialect, which is very different, in their daily life. But the few people I have asked told me they are able to understand Cantonese, if not speak it. The third movie is in Putonghua, a standardized form of Mandarin and China's official language.
Nearby were other movie posters. One pair represented future and past movies with a space theme.

Like the Midnight Whispers movie poster I saw months ago, the Star Wars poster includes an error. This one made me think of The Shining (spoiler alert: relevant movie excerpt). Perhaps the error wouldn't have occurred had they used the Chinese poster, though that version raised other questions.
I had intended to see if there was anything interesting to say about the Space Panda movie. But an online search first led me to a potentially seizure-inducing video about the Space Panda video game. I am guessing it is of no relation to the Chinese movie, but it has left me feeling like its best to stop here regardless.
Monday, February 22, 2016
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Saturday, February 20, 2016
A Question, a Fire, and a Repeat Sighting: One More Goat Post
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
10:15 PM
Yesterday was my first day in a while not to see a goat in Jieyang. But thanks to two readers, it wasn't an entirely goat-free day for me, though, so I will briefly return to the goat topic.
One reader asked "What's with all the goats?" To be clear, Jieyang isn't overflowing with goats. The examples I have shared were isolated incidents during days when I covered much ground. After showing a goat-milking photo to one local, she said she didn't think it was common. That's been my impression as well. But I have seen far more goat milking on Jieyang's urban streets than anywhere else in China.
The other reader shared some rather unfortunate goat-related news. 300 goats recently burned to death on a truck which caught fire near its destination in Liuzhou, Guangxi. I won't be sharing the graphic photos of the fire and its aftermath, but Shanghaiist has them. The incident is terrible regardless, but I wonder where the goats were headed. I doubt it was a petting zoo.
To end this post on a cheerier note (not a high bar there), I will sneak in another photo of goats on wheels, this one from today. It provides more food for thought regarding the goats' diets. One goat was munching on the tarp covering its cart.
The tarp was one of several clues including the vehicle, the broom, the bucket, and, of course, the five goats which give me the confidence to declare these are the same five goats I saw speeding down the road earlier this week. As far as I can tell, this is my first repeat sighting. I will take it as further encouragement to move onto other topics.
One reader asked "What's with all the goats?" To be clear, Jieyang isn't overflowing with goats. The examples I have shared were isolated incidents during days when I covered much ground. After showing a goat-milking photo to one local, she said she didn't think it was common. That's been my impression as well. But I have seen far more goat milking on Jieyang's urban streets than anywhere else in China.
The other reader shared some rather unfortunate goat-related news. 300 goats recently burned to death on a truck which caught fire near its destination in Liuzhou, Guangxi. I won't be sharing the graphic photos of the fire and its aftermath, but Shanghaiist has them. The incident is terrible regardless, but I wonder where the goats were headed. I doubt it was a petting zoo.
To end this post on a cheerier note (not a high bar there), I will sneak in another photo of goats on wheels, this one from today. It provides more food for thought regarding the goats' diets. One goat was munching on the tarp covering its cart.
The tarp was one of several clues including the vehicle, the broom, the bucket, and, of course, the five goats which give me the confidence to declare these are the same five goats I saw speeding down the road earlier this week. As far as I can tell, this is my first repeat sighting. I will take it as further encouragement to move onto other topics.
Friday, February 19, 2016
Chinese State Media Tweet About Xi Jinping's Special Visits
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
9:00 PM
The Chinese Communist Party's People's Daily received an important visitor today. They were inspired to report it on Twitter, which is blocked in China.
People's Daily wasn't the only state-media organization in China to receive a visit from Xi today and tweet about it. Xinhua made appropriate use of quotation marks in one of its tweets.
They also shared a heart-touching moment.
In its excitement, CCTV didn't feel inhibited to declare "exclusive" on something which happened within their own studio.
CCTV really loves inspections after all.
Unsurprisingly, there was a bit of commentary on Twitter.
Of course, none of this is a joke.
If these tweets aren't enough to satisfy, one can head to Medium where David Bandurski translated a portion of a poem about Xi's visit written by a deputy editor at Xinhua. Bandurski described it as a "steaming heap of sycophancy". That is also not a joke.
President #XiJinping is in People's Daily's newsroom, meeting with the editors and other staff pic.twitter.com/T4OZXbeVm8— People's Daily,China (@PDChina) February 19, 2016
People's Daily wasn't the only state-media organization in China to receive a visit from Xi today and tweet about it. Xinhua made appropriate use of quotation marks in one of its tweets.
President #XiJinping visits Xinhua HQ in Beijing, encourages journalists to write stories that "people like to read" pic.twitter.com/0wXGqITtRL— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) February 19, 2016
They also shared a heart-touching moment.
President #XiJinping visits Xinhua newsroom in Beijing, clicks 💟on Xinhua's mobile news app pic.twitter.com/73691VclwA— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) February 19, 2016
In its excitement, CCTV didn't feel inhibited to declare "exclusive" on something which happened within their own studio.
Exclusive: President #XiJinping visits the studio of CCTV Evening News Bulletinhttps://t.co/cpe3xdp9PN— CCTVNEWS (@cctvnews) February 19, 2016
CCTV really loves inspections after all.
"CCTV's family is The Party; Absolute loyalty; Please inspect us" - blare screens during Xi visit. @S_Rabinovitch pic.twitter.com/DGe2K2tcoU— Tom Grundy (@tomgrundy) February 19, 2016
Unsurprisingly, there was a bit of commentary on Twitter.
"And now, a word from our sponsor."pic.twitter.com/rM4OKqzLyg— Mike Forsythe 傅才德 (@PekingMike) February 19, 2016
Slow shutter speed really highlights who is clapping the hardest, bad clappers will be fired https://t.co/HBxeKDGojQ— Benjamin Haas 本雅明 (@haasbenjamin) February 19, 2016
President Xi Jinping drops by local fanzine pic.twitter.com/4jBNxTPGmT— China Daily Show (@chinadailyshow) February 19, 2016
— MiaInChina (@MiaInChina) February 19, 2016
China's still got the last mile to go. The question is how fast it will get there. pic.twitter.com/v9uvX4NuSO— Li Yuan (@LiYuan6) February 19, 2016
Of course, none of this is a joke.
Xi has identified all the people making jokes at his expense. pic.twitter.com/oQa4KpDJSb— Chris Buckley 储百亮 (@ChuBailiang) February 19, 2016
If these tweets aren't enough to satisfy, one can head to Medium where David Bandurski translated a portion of a poem about Xi's visit written by a deputy editor at Xinhua. Bandurski described it as a "steaming heap of sycophancy". That is also not a joke.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Undoubtedly Trashy: Goats Eating in Jieyang
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
11:53 PM
I thought I might be on my way to a goat-free day, but, of course, this afternoon I came across some goats yet again in Jieyang. A older man had just bought some fresh goat milk and appeared amused when I photographed the goats. We spoke briefly and thinking about the ambiguity of the Chinese character 羊 (yáng) regarding sheep, goats, and other Caprinae I inquired about the name of these fine animals. Not to my surprise, he went with 羊 (yáng) on its own.
What most caught my attention about these particular goats wasn't their number (only two) or their mode of transportation (walking with their human). I earlier mentioned that while buyers like the man I met today could be assured of the source and freshness of their goat milk, there were still unanswered questions which could be of concern such as those pertaining to the goats' diets. So I watched silently as one of the goats munched on . . . something.
And with that food for thought, I think it can be said not only has the recent goats-on-wheels series come to a close for the time being but now the broader goat series as well.
What most caught my attention about these particular goats wasn't their number (only two) or their mode of transportation (walking with their human). I earlier mentioned that while buyers like the man I met today could be assured of the source and freshness of their goat milk, there were still unanswered questions which could be of concern such as those pertaining to the goats' diets. So I watched silently as one of the goats munched on . . . something.
And with that food for thought, I think it can be said not only has the recent goats-on-wheels series come to a close for the time being but now the broader goat series as well.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Signs of Goat Meat in Jieyang
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
11:49 PM
As was evident with the previous lunar year's zodiac symbol, the Chinese character 羊 (yáng) can refer to sheep, goats, rams, and other related animals. Professor of Chinese Language and Literature Victor Mair uses the term "ovicaprid" when translating instances of 羊 (yáng) which are ambiguous. "Caprinae" may work as well. My earlier idea to go with "Year of the Yang" never took off.
Although adding a preceding Chinese character provides more clarity, it is still common in China to see 羊 (yáng) without one. For example, a man I recently saw selling goat milk in Chaozhou evidently felt that no additional character was needed. But at a market in Jieyang I passed through the other day, I saw several instances of 山羊 (shānyáng), which typically refers to goats.
They weren't selling milk like the vendors with goats on tricycle carts I saw nearby. The third character in these signs means "meat".
Elsewhere in Jieyang, I saw a restaurant sign which used 羊 (yáng) alone, once again with the meat character following. During my earlier days in China I would have assumed this meant sheep meat was on the menu. Given how I have seen the character used elsewhere in this region, though, I wasn't shocked to see a picture of a goat below.
So what do they write in Jieyang when referring to sheep? I haven't explored this fascinating issue, but I did see one man selling sheep meat who didn't write anything at all. The head and skin did seem to communicate enough on their own though.
Although adding a preceding Chinese character provides more clarity, it is still common in China to see 羊 (yáng) without one. For example, a man I recently saw selling goat milk in Chaozhou evidently felt that no additional character was needed. But at a market in Jieyang I passed through the other day, I saw several instances of 山羊 (shānyáng), which typically refers to goats.
They weren't selling milk like the vendors with goats on tricycle carts I saw nearby. The third character in these signs means "meat".
Elsewhere in Jieyang, I saw a restaurant sign which used 羊 (yáng) alone, once again with the meat character following. During my earlier days in China I would have assumed this meant sheep meat was on the menu. Given how I have seen the character used elsewhere in this region, though, I wasn't shocked to see a picture of a goat below.
So what do they write in Jieyang when referring to sheep? I haven't explored this fascinating issue, but I did see one man selling sheep meat who didn't write anything at all. The head and skin did seem to communicate enough on their own though.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Undoubtedly Unexpected: A New Goat Cart Record
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
10:22 PM
I hadn't planned on a series of posts about unexpected goat sightings in Chaozhou and in Jieyang. I figured the last post about the motorbike tricycle cart with an impressive five goats would be hard to top and looked forward to moving onto other matters. So even though I saw an electric/pedal-powered tricycle cart with five goats yesterday in an urban area of Jieyang . . .
and saw a milking for a customer . . .
I probably wouldn't have shared more goat photos today.
But nearby on Ronghu Road, I came across something which made me feel, yes, another goats-on-wheels post was clearly justified.
One cart. Seven glorious goats.
Barring seeing something like a school bus filled with goats, which at this point I wouldn't discount, this should conclude the series. I will have something to say, though, about a fate for goats in Jieyang less grand, at least from a goat's perspective, than being milked or riding carts.
and saw a milking for a customer . . .
I probably wouldn't have shared more goat photos today.
But nearby on Ronghu Road, I came across something which made me feel, yes, another goats-on-wheels post was clearly justified.
One cart. Seven glorious goats.
Barring seeing something like a school bus filled with goats, which at this point I wouldn't discount, this should conclude the series. I will have something to say, though, about a fate for goats in Jieyang less grand, at least from a goat's perspective, than being milked or riding carts.
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