Xi'an

After Beijing we headed west to Xi'an, an ancient capital of China at the eastern end of the Silk Road and now most famous for its terracotta warriors. Each statue is unique and larger than life size -- Daniel doesn't quite measure up.The terracotta sculptures from 210 BC depict the armies of Quin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China. About 8000 warriors are estimated to be here, and we were impressed by how much is yet to be excavated.

Xian's city wall is the oldest and best preserved in China. First construction was 194 BC, although the current city wall was started by the Ming Dynasty in 1370, almost 14 km around and 12 m high. We wobbled around the wall on bikes, admiring the spring festival decorations. The caption reads "White Glazed Porcelain Pillow with Dark Design of a Beauty" -- beauty not comfort. Prosperity is a theme for the upcoming Chinese lunar new year, so Starbucks offers up green tea as well as espresso tea lattes. Longevity is also a big theme in China, especially for the new year Spring Festival celebration, and traditional Chinese calligraphy is a fine art form in Xi'an. It's working for this artist who was eager to explain his one-stroke creation.

A Wedding

We attended our first wedding in China. One of our teaching colleagues was getting married close to Xi'an, so we were excited to be there. And everyone was very kind to the special foreign wedding guests. Weddings in China combine elements of the west (white gown, exchange of rings) and east (red for good fortune, paying respect to parents). Here's the first bridal outfit, completed with a sash from fabric that matches their wedding quilt.

The bride arrived at the groom's home with her head covered, harkening back to the traditional custom of a groom not seeing the bride's face until their wedding day. All the lion statues on the procession route had their faces covered in red as well to prevent them from seeing the bride, and of course we drove to the sound of firecrackers (to keep evil spirits away).

The courtyard of the groom's family was transformed to an enormous kitchen where women from the village prepared food for the guests. The coal-fired cauldrons were steaming.

Diane sharing the kang with some of the older relatives; the kang is a family bed heated by an outside fire piped under the platform, and a very cosy place to be.

About two hundred guests were served in a couple of settings. The wedding meal was elaborate, with about twenty different dishes served in a tent put up for the occasion.

Bride and groom make their bows to the guests with with their parents watching on the right. The woman on the left is the hostess who presides over the ceremony, and the symbols on the wall are double happiness representing weddings.

The happy couple circulate among the dinner guests to serve a celebratory drink and receive red envelopes containing money. Congratulations and best wishes to Li Ye and Zhang Huifeng!

Burr in Beijing

We took a 12 hour train ride from Baotou to Beijing at the start of our winter holiday to find the crowds light but the weather chilly.

After watching the sunrise flag ceremony at Tiananmen Square we filed by Chairman Mao's mausoleum (where he's been on view since 1976) and spent the day in the Forbidden City, accompanied by one of our students, Xue Jiao (Nicole).

Forbidden City detail, the largest and best-preserved cluster of ancient buildings in Beijing and home to the Ming and the Qing emperors.

The Summer Palace, a short trip on the new and efficient underground, is full of palace temples, gardens, pavilions, lakes and corridors.

Daniel even took a stroll on the now frozen Kunming Lake that occupies three-quarters of the park.

Climbing the steps to the Temple of Heaven we wrapped up our days in the capitol after enjoying the Peking acrobats and sampling the Peking duck.

End of Semester

Our first semester of teaching of teaching is over and we're looking forward to some sight-seeing. Teacher Johnson says goodbye to students at class party.

Baotou's first Walmart just opened in a new downtown shopping center; it's one of their almost 200 stores in China.

We enjoyed the first real snowfall here, so finally have some white fluffy stuff to go with the cold weather.

We'll be traveling over the winter holiday (Beijing, Xi'an, Hong Kong, Hanoi) and look forward to celebrating the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rabbit.

A New Year

Happy 2011! Don't let the sunny grasslands and blue skies fool you -- it's cold (-25 Celcius) in Inner Mongolia.

So we bundled up and went sliding; Diane's on the tow rope on her way up the hill of artificial snow.

At the top with one of our teaching colleagues, Zhang Hui Feng (aka Hilary).

And down we go! Skiers are being towed up the other side of the hill.

Tired but happy, we enjoyed a wonderful New Year's Day dinner. We can now literally say, "Einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr" -- Wishing you a good slide into the New Year!

Christmas

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Baotou Teachers' College took all 11 foreign teachers out for a holiday lunch, and we'll join our Amity colleagues for a combined regional meeting and Christmas celebration. Our new nativity set carved with Asian figures and a fiber-optic Christmas tree make our apartment feel very Christmassy, and with the Advent candles and music we couldn't ask for more. This is the only Santa we've seen in Baotou. Not exactly a figure of jolliness, but it's a tough job. Most of the stores have a Christmas display like this one. Santa advertises baiju here, a 80-120 proof white alcohol made from distilled grain. It's a wicked drink, although a great cleaning solvent. So have a tantalizing taste of Christmas New Year's Day, and Happy 2011!

Winter Walk

Winter in Baotou -- cold (-15 Celsius), often sunny, and no snow. The horse, an integral figure in the creation and survival of the Middle Kingdom, is frequently depicted in public places like this Culture Park.

Behind the mop, whether on the street or at home. Sigh.

School children sliding on the ice.

Keeping warm with a face mask and ear muffs.

This little bundle is the one in China's 4-2-1 family (4 grandparents, 2 parents, 1 child). Grandfather says she's 2 1/2 years old.

End of Semester

The term is drawing to an end so the students have that combined sense of excitement and dread as finals approach. This poster announced the English department's New Years Party which was an elaborate production of singing, dancing, and skits, complete with a fog and bubble machine. The auditorium was packed and it was fun seeing our students as performers.

We've been having our classes come to see how the foreign teachers live, and practice English outside the classroom. We ask them to show us on the map where they're from, and are surprised how many live in far northern parts of China requiring a long train trip to get home.

These visits have been a great opportunity to get to know the students a little better; they're really a great group.

We were honored to be judges for the 2010 English Speech Competition and were surprised how many of the orations had an inspirational theme.

Mr. Johnson in the classroom. Most students keep their coats on although the rooms are heated, but we've discovered the unexpected occupational hazard of chalk dust.

Signs

We enjoy the signs in China; here's some of our favorite Chinglish over the last few months. While no smoking signs are common, they're frequently ignored.

"first priority resporyutukity Your satisfy is our" caught our eye going up the escalator in the supermarket.

"Study does not mean lack of time, but diligent." Most of our classrooms have motivational signs like this one.

"ProtectCircumStance begin with me." China has a more casual approach to things like grammar, capitalization, and punctuation.

"Treasure Life" is a big safety slogan everywhere, not just for drowning.

We're definitely in the best place for seeing the sights (and reading the signs).

Going to the Dogs

In the Communist era dogs were more likely to be herders, guards, or meals than companions. Now, not only are they more common, but their role has changed. This is as close as we've seen to our favorite dachshund breed, and he was just as fixated on the tennis ball being thrown as ours are. We often see older people taking a walk with their dog, a reflection of dogs' important role as companions as the nest empties.

While we haven't noticed a great variety in breeds, most look like this guy. Since Pekingese date from the 700s when Chinese emperors made them the palace dog, this may account for their appearance.

Since dogs, like people, are numerous here, regulations are coming into place. Beijing limits city dogs to no more than 35 cm (14") in height, and Shanghai is planning a one-dog-only policy. A formal proposal to ban the eating of dogs has been introduced to the National People's Congress.

With dogs have come services for dogs with dog-treat stores, dog social networking, and more vets. Breeds like huskies and poodles are status symbols, and with colder weather now we've even seen dogs wearing little sweaters.

So it's a dog's life here, as this little guy sunning himself would agree. And a real visible testimony to the increasing affluence in China.