This is the last week of college and after finishing all the marking on the weekend I took a bus yesterday (Monday) for the 3 -hour trip to visit Rocky and her family in Yongkang.
The Pearl Hotel
Every bus ride is different in its own unique way and this was no exception, with the driver tooting loudly all the way at anything that moved, or didn’t move, plus the usual loud mobile calls during the trip.
The bus station had the usual fruit sellers and shoe-shine people who eke out a living in most of China. The barrows were different here though, with a large single central wheel that made them very easy to maneuver in tight places.
Coffee and cakes in the French cafe with
Rocky. A custard tart, doughnut with
pork floss and egg custard...in an eggshell
Rocky and I had coffee in the afternoon in a new French style cafe, which had a selection of French style pastries, including crisp baguettes – a big change from the soft sweet bread that is the norm in China.
Later we had dinner at home with her family (parents, older brother and his expectant wife). Rocky’s dad had just had some major denial work so it was difficult for him to eat and speak. They very generously put me up at the Pearl Hotel which has quite an interesting architectural design. Also all of the odd numbered rooms are on one side of the building, and the even numbered ones are on the other side. Totally confusing when I went to find my room on the wrong side.
Some local delicacies
Today Rocky and I spent some time in the morning just looking around the city centre and shopping to buy ingredients for spaghetti bolognaise I had been coerced into cooking. We even found nutmeg at some large produce markets.
I can’t really describe all the local foods found in the different towns here – each town having it own specialties, or variations on a regional theme. It’s just not possible to taste everything – we did try some slightly cinnamon flavoured steamed cake.
The Italian restaurant
For lunch we went to the "Italy Restaurant" which Rocky wanted to show me and also see if it was authentic. It was – or at least as much as it could be in China. For entree we had tuna veal and minestrone soup which were both surprisingly good. The bread was not authentic, but ok. Then we both had pizzas which were also good but a little simple – not enough vegetables for us.
While there, I was again reminded of the similarities between Chinese an Italian people – loudness and love of food. Two groups of Italian business people arrived and immediately began talking loudly about food and tucking into large plates of pasta.
On the path to the temple and pagoda
View of the pagoda through the
ever-present haze
In the afternoon we went to Fang Yan to visit a temple on a hill…where else. It was good to do some walking and climbing again – it was fairly high and the steps were steep. It was fairly similar to temples I had visited before.
The views from the top were good ,except that the ever-present haze which meant that visibility was low. Beijing has just had dangerous levels of atmospheric pollution which seems to have extended down the east coast as far as Zhejiang province. This, combined with the dry, cold air hasn't helped a persistent cough that I've developed over the last 3 weeks.
Close-up with the teacher in the red top
The double-fan form on the hilltop
What for me was special here was on a large open area near the top, where a group of women were practicing dancing. Initially it was just dancing but then they also started a twin fan form. Not tai chi fan style which has origins in martial arts, but more feminine and musical. It was just the most fantastic place to practice Even though it was pretty damn cold.
Soon it was time to return as making the pasta sauce for dinner would take an hour. Well it actually took more than an hour because something tripped the main power fuse. It was just on nightfall and we (rocky, their nanny (housekeeper) and me) were plunged in semi darkness. Undeterred, the nanny and I continued cooking our separate dishes on the gas rings while Rocky reset the main switch. After a few minutes the power was back, but when we switched the on hot plate on the stove (it also had twin gas rings) the power went off again but this time it wouldn’t reset! After some mild panicking (up to 10 were expected for dinner) rocky called an electrician friend while we continued cooking. After spending some time searching for the power switch for the hot plate, I found it and unplugged it. But then when we reset the main fuse power still did not return. Eventually I discovered another reset button which brought the power back on again – only about 10 mins before people stared arriving for dinner.
The pot of spaghetti surrounded by
plates of Chinese food with lots of vegetables
So we all sat down for dinner, a huge pot of spaghetti bolognaise in the middle if the lazy Susan surrounded by Chinese food cooked by the nanny – talk about cross-cultural. Fortunately the sauce turned out pretty well and in a few minutes there was only a tiny bit left. Then everyone (parents, older brother & wife, family friend plus Rocky and me) proceeded to get stuck into the rest of the food.
After dinner, Rocky, her mum and visited the main local government building (very large) and adjacent plaza. Although it felt bitterly cold, there was a large group of people practicing tai chi.
Rocky’s mum had joined this group a while ago and immediately joined in, then Rocky and I did too. This was a formal class rather than just practicing and in Chen style – more physical than the Yang style I mainly practice and designed more for self-defence than exercise. I realise now that it probably would have improved my technique more if I had found a local teacher in Quzhou rather than just practiced with local people, but the social aspect was also important.
