Fujian Province

Very soon after Miss Scarlett returned to her beloved air conditioning, serta mattress, western food, and two little dogs, Alex and I were heading to his home province of Fujian located in southeast China across from Taiwan. We went to celebrate his father's 60th birthday with his family (even though he is only 58 - not sure how that math works). Ten days in yet another furnace sleeping on what amounts to a VMI rack - without the hay - leaves me to share with you my story. 

High-five Mao

Recently, a report was published finding that 80% of all flights from Beijing Capital Airport are delayed, so I will start there (article can be found here.) It was a beautiful, clear morning, so smog-free you could see the mountains perfectly from downtown. Though we were late getting to the airport due to not one but two major accidents on the expressway, we made it to the gate in time to board. The plane pulled back and in just a few minutes I noticed out the window that we were waiting for take off with one aircraft  in line ahead of us. We waited...and waited....and waited. One hour later, we finally lifted off. Goodness, I love China. 


Our first stop would be Fuzhou, the provincial capital, to spend two days before heading on to Alex's hometown. It was an enjoyable city filled with lush tropical vegetation, including my favorite, frangipani. We stayed at the home of his aunt and uncle who raised him when he was a toddler. It was a tiny, traditional wooden house down an alley surrounded by high-rises. Thankfully our room had air conditioning because Miss Scarlett's needs certainly had rubbed off onto me and weren't quite gone yet. And of course, leave it to me to mess something up - I went to take a shower only to discover that I had gone to the wrong bathroom (used the other family's bathroom) and their water. Obviously anyone would be wrong to assume that the bathroom right next to the bedroom was not the correct one to use. 

Xichan Temple in Fuzhou

During our two days Alex showed me around his town. We visited the Yushan Monastery with its white pavilion the focal point, and I witnessed a buddhist ceremony - not to be confused with Lama ones - for the first time. Later, we walked the grounds of the much larger, and most famous Xichan Temple in Fuzhou. Its pavilion was much taller and more grandiose, as were the gardens more beautifully landscaped. During Chinese New Year, so many pilgrims come to the temple that they carry incense above their heads so as not to burn those around them. We explored some other areas of the city, my favorite being a newly developed shopping street made in the traditional style that was lined with lots of local food snack specialty shops that Miss Scarlett would have cringed at, which meant it was delicious. 

He who shall not be depicted

Other unplanned stops were a small museum about the local history and culture, which contained a lot of artsy crafts made locally. On the right, I found some small clay sculptures that were most interesting. If anyone has ever wondered what Mohammed looks like, soak it up...now (N.B. there is also a sculpture of him inside the courtroom at the Supreme Court). For added amusement, the people in Fuzhou take pleasure in taking dried out dead fish and crayfish and adding some flare to turn them into quite the entertainment - it is no wonder the first public gay wedding ceremony in China took place in this province. 

Dapper Dans?

After one night, we packed our bags and boarded a bus for Yong'an, Alex's hometown. Disregarding the fact that the bus broke down shortly after we left, we arrived late at night, and his parents were just delightful. The next morning I awoke at...hold your breath....6:30 to find the house full of relatives there for celebrating the birthday, which in China traditionally starts with a breakfast of chicken noodle soup with two eggs; the noodles represent long life and the eggs represent peace. 

I can't suck in anymore

Alex and I left mid-morning for the Taoyuan caves to go exploring, at which time my repressed claustrophobia popped its ugly head up and nearly brought me to tears. Ok, it wasn't that bad, but there were plenty of tight spaces that I was convinced would be most difficult for me to pass. On the plus side, I felt like Batman under Wayne manor, however as much as I yelled for Alfred to bring some dynamite to open the cave up more, it was to no avail. There was also a wonderful underwater stream that was nice and chilly and felt great while I was down on all fours holding my breath and feeling my way blindly through the cave like Indiana Jones. In the same park the next day, we enjoyed a lot of hiking and even river rafting for several hours. To my relief, I only saw one snake. 

Kung Fu cousin

We joined up his parents later for a huge family dinner at a local restaurant. I literally met everyone, and nobody spoke a word of English - poor Alex was translating the whole night. The dinner was good, and of course typical Chinese custom is to make sure the guest is endlessly barraged with food, so a polite, simple 'no' was not helping me. The highlight was Alex's little 'nephew' - cousin's son - who was in a kung fu mood the whole night, and would threaten me with karate chops if I dared look at him. 

Old house used by Red Army

The next day, Alex, his parents, and I went for a day trip in the nearby surroundings. We visited a village that is filled with the "Shi" minority - only 750,000 in existence - that proved very interesting. Tobacco and corn are their main crops, which took me back to rural Virginia. 

This house was a prominent location of the Red Army during the long march, and we visited several houses that were occupied by them while they were in the area. Some of these houses had exquisite paintings decorating the wood beams.

There was also writing on the walls that was done by officers teaching the enlisted soldiers to read Chinese. These buildings are now protected and historians are studying the characters and features, despite the presence of those still inhabiting the houses.  

In our last evening, Alex and I went to dinner with an old school friend of his who is a teacher in the town. Her friend, who is an art teacher, picked us up in her CADILLAC!! It turns out that maybe I should consider moving to this small town because teachers who do extracurricular courses make bank, seriously. An English teacher here, native Chinese that is a non-native English speaker can earn 2,000 RMB an HOUR, almost 10 times what I make in Beijing!!! They easily afford nice cars, lavish apartments, and anything else they want because the demand is so high and the supply of teachers so low. Basically, I could make the same I do in Beijing only having to work 3 hours a week. Not too shabby. 

An overnight train later, and the four of us arrived in Wuyishan, in the northern part of Fujian for two days to explore one of the national parks and visit the area home to the world famous Dahongpao tea (which was said to have cured the emperor's wife of a fatal illness). There was a lot of hiking involved which was complemented by the spectacular mountain and river formations covered in vast tea plantations pruned to the likings of Louis XIV. The heat was still a problem, so despite the leisurely river cruise on a bamboo raft, we were quite exhausted after each day. 

Alex and his parents in Wuyishan

The worst part came in one of the caves, or rather I should say confined passes. We stood in a line of about 150 people inside a cave with bats flying all around. It was a local hotspot and I wasn't sure what to expect until there was no going back. Basically it was a narrow pass between two giant rock formations that you had to squeeze through, all the while being constantly sh*t on by hundreds of bats. It was the most foul smelling ordeal I have ever experienced, and never in my life have I wanted a shower so bad.  

Snake wine

That night we boarded another overnight train, this time bound for our last stop, the southern port city of Xiamen. But in a colorful farewell meal in Wuyishan, our table was next to the shelf stocked with bottles of snake wine - I think I saw one of them moving. Immediately I had to ask myself, "WWMSD - What Would Miss Scarlett Do?" Turns out the best move, besides leave the restaurant, was to close my eyes and eat blind.

Xiamen is a lovely coastal city in south China that was once a vibrant trading port for colonial businesses. There is an island in the bay called Gulangyu that still retains all the colonial era architecture and feel. Despite the rain, it was packed when we visited; but the winding, tree covered alleyways and narrow streets were a pleasant break from the rest of China, even though there were plenty of McDonalds and KFCs to be found. 

Roundhouse

The second day, we took a trip 3 hours outside the city to where the roundhouses are located, called Tulou. These ancient houses vary in size, but almost all come in clusters of one large and smaller sized roundhouse, and two square houses. The large ones still have families inside who also are the merchants selling the vast amount of tourist stuff inside. The oldest one we visited was 500 years old, and housed about 150 families. 

The final day, we took a trip southwest to the volcanic beach park. Here, between 4 and 15 million years ago, volcanic eruptions broke off what would become the island of Taiwan and are the prime forces behind the forming of the Taiwan Straits. We walked down to the beach and on the volcanic rocks - no magma - and enjoyed sweeping views of the straits and my first beach experience in China. 

Our last night in Xiamen had us reunited with an old friend from Beijing over a delicious local spread of seafood. Alex and I departed the next afternoon for Beijing, and I was thrilled to finally get home and relax. It has been a super busy summer, and I am looking forward to a cooler, calmer autumn. There will be one more trip before September to process my new visa since I am finally going to school to learn Mandarin in a proper setting. Though short, the destination is yet to be determined.