The Chinese really like fireworks, firecrackers and anything else that blows up or makes light/noise. They like it so much, in fact, that using fireworks is banned as a security hazard in some of China’s major cities, such as Beijing or Guangzhou. Fortunately this is not the case in Shanghai, which is what this post is about.

Two days ago was the Chinese New Year’s eve, and with it came the fireworks. The Shanghainese, who are relatively well-off, are not stingy when it comes to spending their money on fireworks and before the holiday massive amounts of these are sold all across the city. I had spent new year’s eve in an apartment in the pudong area, up in the 27th floor - with a panoramic view of the river from one side and a view of pudong from the other side. This turned out to be a very fortunate choice, as it was a great spot for watching the show unfold.

It is hard to describe the Shanghai new year’s fireworks without using again and again the word “orgy”. There isn’t really any organized event - people just go out, in groups, to the street and launch their own fireworks from whereever they want. You can start seeing fireworks from as early as 9pm, but it really starts getting momentum after ten o’clock; And the amounts of fireworks launched are awe-inspiring. The fireworks launched within a fifty-meter radius of my building alone (which, being on the 27th floor, meant they went off right in front of my window) were more than all the fireworks in Israel’s main independence day event at mount Hertzel. At every given moment, looking out the window, I could simultaniously see fireworks launched from at least three different places - and this went on for more than three hours. As midnight approaches, this orgy of fireworks reaches its climax. The denizens of shanghai save their best and brightest fireworks for this moment, and the entire city, in all directions, is one big fireworks display. Truly a site to be seen.

I have been told that according to Chinese tradition, the sights you see in New Year’s eve reflect on the entire upcoming year. If this is the case, then this year is looking to be quite bright indeed….

Chang Bai Shan 长白山 (”Long White Mountain”) is a mountain and scenic spot in northern China. The mountain is actually a dormant volcano, and in its crater there is a large lake known as Tian Chi 天池 (”Heavens Lake”). Due to the remains of the volcanic activity, there are also natural hot springs in the mountain. The place is very beautiful in the winter (bathing in the hot spring, under a starry sky with snow all around you, is a fun experience) and is supposed to be even more beautiful in summer - I plan to go there again if I get the chance. The border with North Korea passes through the mountain, which is considered a holy site for Koreans - so there are quite a few of South Korean tourists on the Chinese side.

Here are a few pictures to give you an idea of what it looks like:

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The place’s warning signs have some amusing translations to English, here are a few (click image to enlarge):

• “Forbid strtictlys the mountaineering, the consequence is proud”
• “The small idea slides,Attention security”
• “Please does not want the border crossing”

BTW - I’ve finally managed to lose my camera (along with 900mb of images in its flash card) so no more pictures for a while…

“I was taken back by their great generosity at first too”, told me Johnathan, “but believe me, you’ll get used to it very quickly”. Johnathan, an American foreign exchange student in Beijing, was one happy camper. This was his first time travelling by himself and he had great concerns over being cheated, which is why he was so glad to have met the Zhang brothers. He had encountered the Zhang brothers, who own a small hostel at Yabuli village in northern China, outside the Yabuli train station and from that point on they had provided for his every need. “I feel as if I’ve found a new family”, confided Johnathan. The two brothers accompany him everywhere he goes - from going out to dinner, through logging on to the internet and even on trips to the nearby city. Johnathan feels that the brothers are looking over his interests and are the only thing protecting him from being duped at every turn.

Despite being a student in China for almost half a year, Johnathan is rich (in Chinese standards) and has no real sense of value or of how much things should cost in China. When his digital camera stopped working he immediately rushed to the nearest city (accompanied by the brothers) and bought a new one for more than four hundred dollars. He does not know how much a meal should cost, or a cab ride. In fact, while being accompanied by the brothers he almost never gets to actually see the bill - they take care of the payment he he settles the account with them later. Johnathan is confident that this way he is getting a better deal. Sometimes the Zhang brothers treat him to a meal out of their own pocket, and they will often suddenly buy him a bottle of coke or some gum. Other times,  Johnathan insists on paying for the entire meal himself.

Johnathan’s main reason for coming to Yabuli was skiing in the relatively large ski resort next to the village. The brothers take him skiing every day, but do not ski themselves as it is quite expensive. He gives them money which they use to buy him a ticket, plus pays them for the ride expenses to the site. Johnathan believes this way he is getting the best deal.

The Zhang brothers make lots of money off Johnathan. He never actually gets a ticket to the ski site (he believes there are no tickets) and it seems that most of the ticket money goes directly to their pockets, with a portion probably appropriated to an accomplice within the site who takes advantage of the chaos to get him in. On his second day of skiing Johnathan was “caught” by the site staff and almost forced to pay again for the skiing - Johnathan believes that those were corrupt people who were trying to take advantage of him. At the end he did not pay twice, a success he attributes to his relationship with the Zhang brothers.

The Zhang brothers can’t always smoothly insert Johnathan into the skiing site. When the situation is not favorable (for example, there is some ticket inspection) they simply lie to Johnathan and tell him that the site opens late that day, or that it is closed for the day for a skiing competition. Even though they pocket the money themselves, they are still greedy enough to sometimes invent reasons for him to pay for the ticket even more than he should pay for a “proper” one. The other expenses - food, transport - are of course overpriced as well. The hidden reason behind his 24/7 escort is to isolate him from the environment and prevent him from somehow being enlightened as to his situation. Johnathan is their prize cow, and they are milking him dry.

Johnathan is happy. He pays too much, with the money going to crooks, but as his mindset is still set on an American expense standard and he has a lot of money, so he does not really mind. He feels that even if he is not getting the best deal he could find it does not matter as he has found real friends, people he is glad to be with. Should the genuine state of affairs be explained to him, bursting his bubble, or should he remain in blissful ignorance? I honestly don’t know.  

One of the popular foods in northern China (and, to an extent, in the rest of China as well) is called Jiaozi (饺子). These are dumplings, usually boiled in water, with a meat-based or vegetable-based filling. Other less-common variants are steamed or fried jiaozi.

Making jiaozi is relatively easy, and a while ago I had the opportunity to experience the process myself. First a dough is prepared , which is cut into chunks. Each chunk is rolled into a ball and then flattened to a round disc:

Then some filling is put on top of the dough disc and the disc is folded into a dumpling:

Finally, all the prepared jiaozi are boiled in water. Jiaozi are usually eaten with a sauce made of soy sauce, vineager, ginger and chilly pepper:

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