Things I wish I knew before moving to China

That Timehop app is both one of the best apps I've downloaded, as well as one I've regretted having from time to time. I'm a bit of a nostalgic person. I like looking back and being reminded of things that have happened years ago, even if they are really cringeworthy. In recent days, I've been reminded that this time last year, I was frantically preparing to move to China for the year. In all honesty, I know it's about to kick in an awful bout of China blues again, especially as there are people I've met in the last year about to head back to the Middle Kingdom for another year of fun.

Anyway, I thought it might be helpful and useful for anyone just about to fly out to China to read about some things I wish I knew prior to going. By no means an extensive list, but here are some things that stuck out to me.

1. The smog can get bloody awful.

It was pretty naive of me but I genuinely didn't think about smog or haze or even remotely factor it into my expectations before moving to China. When I first arrived in Beijing for teacher training, I was graced with hot weather and beautiful Beijing blue skies. I was later whisked away into the Beijing mountains and didn't really experience much by way of smog. My first few weeks in China also coincided with the upcoming 70th Anniversary of Victory Day Celebrations and to ensure the skies were clear for the parades, factory work was cut down and cars limited on the roads so as to control smoggy emissions. In the beginning of the year when my students asked me what I thought of the haze, I had to admit I hadn't really come across it much. It was only later as the winter months swung round it got goddamn awful and Beijing announced a red alert - which meant that it was REAL bad.

The genuine split between fresh air and smog as seen from a flight back into Tianjin

At it's worst, visibility was so affected, you couldn't really see even 100 metres in front of yourself, breathing felt like someone was sitting on your chest, you could taste something metallic in the air whenever you inhaled and the smell of smog lingered in my hair. I do count myself lucky that I didn't ever really get sick from it but there were definitely points when I would feel physically drained and tired more quickly as an after effect of the bad smog. I know I shouldn't have been as nonchalant as I was about the hazy weather but one thing I immediately appreciated upon landing back in the UK was the improvement in air quality. Breathe in deeply, appreciate fresh air whilst you can because the smog can get pretty bloody awful in China.

2. There's an invasion of personal space, and then there's a Chinese 'queue'.

I don't really mind a bit of pushing and shoving. I know how to protect my own space when the situation calls for it (I'm looking at you gig crowds. We've all paid to see this band live and this aint some bump and grind teenage club night, so back the hell up!) but you don't really know what an invasion of personal space is until you hop in a Chinese 'queue'. I say queue but what I really mean is an chaotically organised crowd of people who don't have a concept of what an actual line looks like.

Its funny because on more than one occasion, normally in a 'queue' for train tickets, I'd get quite well acquainted (and not voluntarily) with the men or families who stood behind me who seemed convinced that the line would never move forward if we weren't physically touching in some way. Don't worry mate, I'm here to get tickets too but I don't fancy getting all up close and personal with the stranger in front of me cheers...

It's not just queues either. During national holidays, pretty much the entire Chinese population gets time off and uses it to go travelling to all the famous tourist hotspots. There's a famous Chinese saying that every local is familiar with that goes "人山人海" (ren shan ren hai) which translates as 'People mountain, people sea'. It really does perfectly summarise the overwhelmingness of Chinese crowds. Don't believe me? See for yourself...

'人山人海' on the Great Wall of China during a national holiday 

3. A VPN is both a blessing and a curse

One of the most common questions I got whilst I was out there and when I returned home was how I was able to access things like Facebook whilst I was in China, despite the fact that it's banned. It's no secret that people use VPNs to get around the 'Great Firewall'. I won't get into the ins and outs of how that works but basically having one gave me access to all the modern web-based conveniences I had access to back in the UK - Facebook, Google, YouTube etc. It was definitely a blessing. I could keep in touch with my family and friends all year. I could research teaching resources and ideas for my job. I could watch Lip Sync Battles and Carpool Karaokes to pass the time when I was feeling lazy. I'm not sure I would have coped especially well without a VPN in China.

That said, using a VPN always made whatever I was doing on the internet noticeably slower, which really tested my patience the entire year. And, if it wasn't slow, it was glitchy AF. You could lose connection at any given point and have to wait to reconnect - an excruciating minute or five. It was a whole lot of waiting. Expats in China will know my pain but it's the tradeoff between a frustrating wait and the ability to Google things. And in this day and age, who can really get by without googling things?

4. You're never going to quite get used to all the spitting

Of all the things that were strange to begin with and would eventually get accustomed to, spitting in the streets was not one of them. Squat toilets? No problem. Parents encouraging their kids to pee anywhere in public if their little one needed to go - a common sighting! But spitting? It's a habit that I never got used to happening around me. You'd be walking down a street, having a conversation with your friend and in the near distance, you'd here someone hawking up a gob of spit good and proper. More often or not, it was an elderly old man committing the crime but there were women too, which came as a double shock.

I've asked my students about it before and they are well aware of how gross the habit is and always condemned it as a disgusting act. They put it down to generational differences. Others have also explained that it's probably a response to the smoggy conditions whereby people need to clear their throats and chests regularly because the bad air does things to your lungs, which I guess is kind of forgiveable. Either way, it's something that stuck out to me in China and still makes me shudder whenever I hear someone about to do it...

5. You're going to fall in love with the place...

For all of the inconveniences that might get thrown your way, whether its smog, crowds, firewalls or spitting, I didn't ever think I'd love China as much as I currently do now (hence why I've been writing about all the reasons you should live there one day). If you'd have told me a year ago I would have done or seen all the things I did during my time in China, I probably wouldn't have believed you. And there's still so much left I want to do! I've become a bit of a China obsessive. I'm constantly checking the news for mention of China, always trying to keep on top of all the viral trends there, always on the search for authentic Chinese food to match that of the original. I can't let go of using WeChat. It's definitely a place that is difficult to get bored of because there is just so much to love about it. I just wish I knew I'd love it so much because it'd probably make the current China blues I have less of a blow, but until next time, China, until next time...

10 Reasons To Live in China One Day: #5

五。Let It Go

It's only now I'm back home that I realise (as cheesy as it sounds) how much I've changed in the past year. Not in that I'm a completely different person but that when it comes to being really organised and planning ahead, I'm far more relaxed about things and that's definitely down to living in China.

All my friends from university or even way before that will tell you, I'm definitely one of those types of people who seems to have their head screwed on, knows what they're doing, has all the details pinned down and is likely to have a plan B if all else fails (or so I'd like to think, anyway). In fact, it's something I've always secretly prided myself on. I love being the person in the group who is relied upon to keep things orderly and organised. It's not to say that this side of me has disappeared, but if there's one thing I've learnt from living in China, it's to let it go.

Road traffic on Yingkou Road, Tianjin (营口道)

China is a little crazy. There's no denying it. Simply crossing the road turns into a genuine issue of life or death. And you know that really typically British tendency to queue for things in an orderly manner? Yep. Not really a thing in China. It's also not uncommon to hear people really going for it when they hawk up a gob of spit, launch it just centimetres in front of your feet and carry on with their day like nothing ever happened. But for all of China's differences, you learn to just accept that these things you might consider dangerous, inconvenient or down right disgusting as a way of life and shrug it off repeating the mantra, "Just 'cos... China". If you don't embrace that it's ingrained in the culture, you'll struggle to accept life in China.

Another thing I've become really accustomed to is things changing at the very last minute. It happened all the time. I might be told the day before (or a week if I was lucky) that my lessons would be cancelled because there were exams going on, despite the fact that exams had been scheduled for weeks. As I said, for someone who likes to think of themselves as very organised and likes to plan ahead, this type of thing would initially bother me. But I learned to just go with the flow and became well versed in making impulsive, last minute plans rather than well thought out contingency plans as I might have done prior to living in China.

I'm not quite sure how but things in China, however crazy, just seem to work themselves out eventually and there's a kind of certainty in knowing that things are always quite uncertain. As a result, I've definitely become way more relaxed in my approach to planning. I know that there's not much point getting stressed out or angry if things don't quite go your way or turn out different to what you expected. Rather, you need to 'unexpect' the expected, let it go and just find a new way to deal with last minute changes. It's been quite a journey but once you embrace that it's simply a part of life in China, you can really see how amazing the country is and how it's developed in spite of all the chaos.

10 Reasons To Live In China One Day: #4

四。Cure wanderlust

I can't promise this will be the last time I harp on about travelling in China in this past year, but here I am, at it again just one more time. I guess if there's definitely one thing that I've been so proud of in the last 12 months is the amount I've been able to explore the vast country that is China. And yet, I still feel like I've only scratched the surface! I've managed to tick off 18 different places within China, and there are still many places left on my list. I'd love to be able to say I've visited at least one place in each of China's provinces/ municipalities/ autonomous regions.

My impression is that when it comes to Asia, China doesn't rank too highly on people's travel list. Many opt to hop around the countries in South East Asia instead. With beaches, warm climate and incredible food, who could blame them? But China is somewhere I urge everyone to go and visit at least once in their life, and not just the famous destinations like Beijing or Shanghai. Whilst these places are amazing in their own right, other places a little less known in China are well worth visiting too.

Shanghai 上海/ Harbin 哈尔滨/ Kunming 昆明

In a country as big as China, there is bound to be something for everyone, whatever your interests are. If it's the glitzy city life you're after, you'll find that and more in Shanghai. If it's laid back beach vibes, Xiamen has just the thing. A bit more outdoorsy? Plenty of incredible mountain ranges all over China you can go and hike.

Sure, you can find all these kinds of things in almost every country in the world, but what makes China a bit more special is the context of the country. You won't find another place in the world which has the same population. The sheer size and vastness of China is something I still can't get my head around and with that, it just means there's literally so much to explore. The culture and history of China stretches so far back, everything is steeped in some kind of historicism and it can be tangibly felt in the surroundings. China is just... something else.

Shangri-la 香格里拉/ Guilin 桂林/ Beijing 北京/ Yunnan 云南

Another great thing about China is that it can be a great springboard into surrounding countries too. As well as cities within China, I've also been able to visit South Korea, Vietnam and Hong Kong this year too. But many of the friends I made this year also visited Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia, Japan and more.

If you're someone who suffers from wanderlust, China could be the perfect cure. China has been completely different to any place I have ever experienced or travelled to and it's been amazing to compare it with other places in Asia or western countries in general. Travel-wise, China has so much to offer, but don't just take my word for it. You should go find out for yourself...

10 Reasons To Live in China One Day: #3

三。It's Cheap

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner but if there's been one thing I knew I'd miss about China, it's how cheap it is to live there. I've had one of the most incredible years living and working in the Middle Kingdom and have been afforded so many great opportunities to travel and explore a such a rich culture - but it couldn't be done had I have been on the same salary in the UK, even if it wasn't London.

Let me break it down.
- Average cost of one journey on the subway in Tianjin: 2元 (20p)
- Start rate of a taxi journey: 8元 (80p) with additional 1.7元 per km
- Average cost of a typical A to B taxi journey in Tianjin: 21元 (£2.10)
- Cost of a bowl of noodles: 18元 (£1.80)

I could go on, but it depresses me that I'm not dealing with these prices any more now I'm back in London. It genuinely hurts my soul every time I tap my oyster card...

As I've mentioned a lot in the blog, I've travelled a lot in China and beyond this past year. The prices for domestic flights are reasonable considering the distance covered across the vast country. Even then, if you fancy 'slumming it' for something cheaper, long distance buses or overnight trains are often even cheaper than flights. Even bullet trains are cheap (only 54元 to get from Tianjin to Beijing in a quick 30 minute bullet train - just a fiver to get to the capital!). It's really not hard to get around in China on a budget and it's because of this that I've been able to tick off quite a few places on my China list.

Pins of all the places I've visited in the last year

Of course, it's worth mentioning that the living costs for each city in China varies. Those who want to live a more 'western' lifestyle will also end up paying the price for products that you can find in your home country. Still, I believe I found the right balance between living like a local, as well as indulging myself every now and then with more western comforts when I felt like it. So long as you keep an eye on what you're spending and weigh up the pros and cons about shelling out a little more on things like western branded chocolate, milk or cheese, it's easy to live a very comfortable lifestyle in China and enjoy all it has to offer. I'm already missing so much about China and having paid £1.10 for a bottle of Ribeana at my local Sainsbury's today, I realise that the cost of living in China is definitely up there on the list...

10 Reasons To Live In China One Day: #2

二。Taste real China

If you think you love Chinese food now, then wait until you get to China and taste real authentic Chinese food. Everyone's got their own favourite local Chinese takeaway. You might even know what numbers to call out over the phone when you order your usual favourites on a Friday night - but the 'delicious' guilty treat that comes in a plastic tupperware box with some complimentary prawn crackers is far from the real deal. 

Hot pot set up (火锅） 

As a foreigner in China, it's not hard to come across a 'western' restaurant to eat all the things you're used to. Even I was prone to going for pizza every now and then when I wanted to change things up but for the most part, I ate Chinese food so as to integrate myself into the culture as much as possible. Over the course of the year, I've managed to visit many Chinese cities and one of the main things I attempt to do is to try THE must-eat thing. Without this goal, I wouldn't have tried some of the best food I've ever tasted or developed new favourite things to eat. RouJiaMo (肉夹馍) in Xi'an is genuinely one of my favourite things ever and I'm certainly going to miss being able to get it from a street vendor if I get a craving.

RouJiaMo (肉夹馍) in Xi'an 

One of the greatest things about Chinese cuisine is that it is so varied. Each province or city has their own speciality, and for the most popular types of food (noodles, dumplings, bao etc), there's still a lot of local variation. Take for example Tianjin, where I've been living for the past year. Tianjin specialises in 'snacks'; from fried dough twists to 'fried ear hole cakes'. The municipality is also famous across China for its 'Go Believe' baozi (a white bready bun, typically filled with meat). Tianjin also lays claim to a famous egg pancake based breakfast food called 'Jian Bing Guo Zi' (煎饼果子)- although I have come to find out that it's sold and eaten over much of China, but it does indeed taste a little different depending on where you are. But that's my point exactly. No matter where in China you are, you can be sure the typical cuisine has a local take on it, making it hard to resist sampling all food to discover its variation. 

Sharing food with newly made friends

The food culture in China is also centred around sharing food. It is common for families or groups of friends to cook or order many dishes to be shared amongst the entire table. I'm used to this style of eating at home but I don't think I ever truly appreciated the sociability of this kind of food culture until I came to China. Not to mention the fact that you get to try so much more than if you simply order one thing for yourself. It's a complete win-win situation for all!

Yak, mushroom and mint in Yunnan Province

Provincially, each place also has its own 'thing'. Whether it's the spiciness of Sichuan, the Peking duck of Beijing, the dim sum or morning tea of Guangdong or the yak based meals in Yunnan - there is simply so much to try and it's all delicious in its own way. For the more adventurous, China also serves some of the strangest foods I never thought I'd become so fond of. Personally, I've taken quite a liking to spicy duck neck but it does get even more odd with the likes of snake or the stomach of various other animals appearing on menus. 

Fried scorpion on sticks found in the snack streets of Beijing

All I know is my eyes have been opened to so much more in terms of Chinese food. I've always appreciated it. In fact, my Dad is a chef so the food I eat at home has always been top quality Chinese food but it has to be said, my Dad has to step up to the plate now I've discovered so much more about the taste of China. It's not all sweet and sour chicken or egg fried rice - there's a whole lot more to explore and China is the place to do it if you want to do it right!

10 Reasons To Live In China One Day: #1

It's strange to think that I'm in some of my last month here in China and that this whole language assistants programme is soon coming to an end. Recently, I scheduled a Skype date with a good friend from home who is currently writing magazine articles about living and working abroad. Having spoken to her about my experience in Tianjin, I thought it would be good to put my thoughts into words on my own blog. I've genuinely had a great year and I don't think there's ever been a point where I have regretted the decision to come to China to live and work. So why should you live in China one day? Here's reason #1...

一。Learn a new language

This deservedly takes first place in my reasons rank because it is the top reason I decided to come to China to begin with. I don't need to bang on about how important or advantageous it is to have another language under your belt when it comes to things like employment - so I won't. Sure, with English being an international language spoken all over the world it's easy to be complacent and lazy with your language skills. What I will point out though is that there are over one billion people who speak Mandarin as a first language. Although a good majority of Mandarin speakers reside in the Chinese Mainland, learning the language means you can communicate with them- and that's a huge portion of the world's population. As many would agree, there's simply no better way to pick up the language than by living in the country itself, forcing yourself to adapt to a different written character system and the tonal sounds of a new language.

Although learning Mandarin can seem daunting because it sounds so alien to the English language, once you overcome the first few initial barriers and finally find that eureka moment when things start to click - it is satisfying beyond belief! For those who think it's too difficult a language to pick up, I'd disagree and say that once you start getting the hang of it Mandarin is actually a relatively simple language. You can say so much in just a few syllables and words. The meanings are contextual and there's something really beautiful about how simple it is to say just three little words to tell everyone, for example, you're full from a delicious meal you've just eaten.

By no means am I an expert or even close to being fluent in Mandarin. It's certainly not a walk in the park to pick up and I have a long way to go before I can have full one conversations with people. But if I think back to how much progress I've made in the last 9 months, I'm pretty proud of myself. I've come along way since using the most broken Chinese ever to order some food in Beijing. So it just goes to show, it's never too late in your life to learn something new! For me, picking up Mandarin is the key to understanding a great deal about this fascinating country so, one of the top reasons you should live in China one day is to learn a new language.

Last Stop: Guilin & Yangshuo

Sun and Moon Pagoda, Guilin

It has to be said, for any traveller in China, Guilin is a must on any travel list. Famous for it's beautiful rice terraces and countryside lifestyle, I'd been told to head to Guilin way before I'd even arrived to China. It seemed only apt then that I made it one of my last stops during Spring Festival. Here, Beth and I were reunited again with Tom and we'd met some really lovely people at our hostel, who we ended up spending the rest of our time with until we returned to Tianjin - marking the end of our Spring Festival travels.

一。Reed Flute Caves

It was pretty cold and rainy when we got to Guilin. We arrived on Valentines Day. It's not something I've ever actively celebrated but Beth and I decided to 'celebrate' by grabbing some western food and later met up with Tom for a little explore of the nearby town area - making our first day there pretty chilled out. The following day, we took a little bus trip to check out the Reed Flute Caves, an impressive tourist attraction consisting of caves over a thousand years old filled with stalactites. Although it's artificial, the stone formations are lit up with rainbow coloured lights, making the whole experience quite trippy but beautiful.

Each formation is named after something it resembles. For example, 'The Mosquito Net', 'The Fairyland' or 'The Snowman'. It might takes some relaxing of the eyes or some squinting, but it makes for a fun, if not abstract, game to play whilst you're there.

After finishing the cave tour, we bumped into a few people who happened to be staying at the same hostel as us. As a group of foreign tourists, equally indecisive but up for anything, we all decided to spend the rest of the day (and in the end, the rest of our time in Guilin and Yangshuo) together.

One of the best things I found about Guilin was how incredibly friendly everyone was. There were many occasions where we were stopped in the street for photos. Especially sweet were the little kids that approached us to welcome us to their hometown and practise their English (which was impressively good for their age if you ask me). 

二。Blame it on the River Li

We'd had such a nice day exploring Guilin together, we managed to convince our new friends to change up their plans and come to Yangshuo with us the next day. We took a bamboo reed boat up the famous River Li where you are surrounded by amazing karst mountains and are able to really take in just how beautiful China can be.

Even better is that you can compare the surroundings with the scenery presented on the 20元 note.

Living the actual 20元 life

It's a slow and easy ride along the river which serves as a better way to get to and from Guilin to Yangshuo as opposed to a bus you can take. When we arrived in Yangshuo, we got stuck straight in by trying out the locally renowned dish of beer fish. It's genuinely delicious and I think that if we had known each other longer, we'd probably have been less polite and ravaged the entire plate much quicker than we did. Beer fish is a must try if you're in Yangshuo!

三。Countryside Cycle

So I hinted back when I first started writing this Spring Festival series that during my travels, I'd come away with approximately 10 bruises and crashed into 2 people. It shouldn't come as a surprise then that both were the result of me taking to the streets on a bicycle, despite the fact that I'm absolutely terrible on a bike. By this point, I hadn't ridden a bike for any extended amount of time since I'd been to Xi'an in November - and even then, it was pretty touch and go. But when one of the 'must-do' things in Yangshuo is to take a relaxing and scenic bike ride out to the countryside, you gotta do what you gotta do...

Despite my terrible cycling ability which left me with quite a few bruises, scrapes, a bit of a dodgy shin and some ripped jeans, I did genuinely enjoy the ride (when I wasn't almost riding into canals... or other people). It was the first time we'd had genuinely lovely weather so we definitely picked a good day to go and although this is a 'touristy' things to do, the cycling routes aren't over crowded and you can really enjoy the unique Yangshuo landscape in the sun. My only tip would be to rent a mountain bike rather than the basic ones on offer. It only costs a little more to rent the bike for the day, and it's worth it if you're planning to go a long distance.

四。Fuli Village

On our last full day in Yangshuo, Beth and I decided to explore one of the nearby villages which is famed for the creation of hand painted silk fans. We took a very rogue looking 'bus', arriving in what seems like 'real China'. People lazing around in the shade on a sunny day, people visiting the local market to buy whatever vegetables and meat they needed for their dinners, people getting their haircut at outdoor barber shops. In Fuli Village, you'd never guess you were a mere 45 minutes away from the more tourist-y Yangshuo.

We strolled around the winding backstreets, peering into the open doors of people's homes to find families crowded around a TV or drinking tea. We also came across a few shops displaying and selling silk fans and were lucky enough to watch a craftsman at work.

He was happy to just let us observe so we stood for a while as he added small details to his paintwork.

六。Not quite done yet...

Although I haven't mentioned in detail every little thing we did during our days in Guilin and Yangshuo (amongst other things, we went to a trapsed up and down the busy and bustling West Street, tried our hand at dumpling making for our own dinner at the hostel, watched the impressive Yangshuo Sanjie Lui Impressions show and had a great last few nights at some of the local bars, complete with beers, dice games and a hilarious few rounds of Cards Against Humanity), I don't feel like I'm quite done with either of these places. After my first few days in Guilin, I'd already felt like it wouldn't be the last time I'd visit. There's so much to do and see in both places so it certainly won't be my last time to visit.

The plane back to Tianjin was bittersweet. I was ready to get back to Tianjin and rest up before I had to start teaching again, but we'd also had a really great few days making new friends and ending our Spring Festival travels in some of China's most popular spots. But there we have it, 37 days and lots of places in China ticked off my list! As exhausting as it was at points, given the chance, I'd do it all over again...

Hello Guangzhou

After what was a really great, yet slightly intense few days spent with newly discovered family in Shenzhen, I headed to Guangzhou for a few days to meet back up with my fellow Tianjin ELA corridor mate Beth to chill out and celebrate her birthday. Maybe it was the fact that I was super glad to be back in China, or maybe there was just some kind of innate subconscious love of Guangzhou in me considering my family are from Southern China - but I really like Guangzhou because there was some sense of familiarity with it. We spent around 4 days there, and this is what we got up to...

一。Birthday Beth

When it comes to birthdays I always like to put in effort, even with the smallest of gestures, to make someone feel special. Beth is such a happy go lucky person and luckily for me, it doesn't take much to please her. Having just done a few trips to Malaysia and the Philippines, she was glad to get some rest time in a comfortable bed and catch up with what I'd been up to in Vietnam. Along with being glad to be back in China, I was also secretly really glad to be reunited with Beth. It's great to have a travel companion who has similar tastes and is on the same page as you for most things. It makes making decisions about what to do or eat a great deal easier - I'm all about that fuss free life.

On the morning of Beth's birthday, I snuck out in the hope of not waking her (but there was no need to worry, she was dead to the world after an exhausting few days travelling) to source some birthday cake for her to wake up to. A scout around a local Tesco (yep, believe it or not, they exist here in China too) and all the nearby bakeries, I came back to the hotel with some cake and peach ring sweets, a favourite of ours since moving to Tianjin, knocking on the door much to Beth's surprise.

Happy wake up call

The rest of the day was really chilled out and easy going. We went shopping, had a modest meal of Korean food and later headed to The Four Seasons Hotel for a cheeky birthday cocktail at Tian Bar on the 99th floor. Tian bar would have given us an awesome view over Guangzhou, including the Canton Tower's rainbow light show were it not for the awful smog that engulfed the skies. No matter though, we were both highly content with our boozy cocktails and observing a number of awkward first dates which were going on around us.

Classy cocktails were later followed up with some more drinks in the 'classy' establishment, Perry's. We're talking student bar vibes here. No complaints though, we had a great night after being invited by some friendly local Guangzhou-ers to join their table and play dice with them all evening. They even put us in a taxi with a post night out yakult drink to ensure our health was tip top on the way home. They're friendly people in Guangzhou, very friendly indeed.

二。Van Gogh Age

The following day, Beth and I hit up the Van Gogh Age Exhibition at the Guangzhou Opera House. I'd been dying to catch a similar exhibition in Beijing back in November but failed to find the time to do so. I felt like it was great timing when I found out there would be one in Guangzhou when I was around too.

“没有比爱人更为真确的艺术”

“Nothing more true than the love of art"

The whole exhibition revolved around digital projections of Van Gogh's paintings in the most vibrant ways. Each painting was animated, making aspects like the painter's yellow flower fields sway in the breeze, or the winds in his starry starry night whirl around the sun. It was a peaceful way to spend an afternoon. We ended up spending quite some time in each room, watching the same animations over and over in case we missed something the first time.

Van Gogh has a special resonance with me. I'm by no means an artist, but if you hadn't guessed by now, I do enjoy heading to art galleries and catching up with the latest in contemporary art. I'm not sure where that side of me all began but I have a vivid memory of being in primary school and being asked to paint our own versions of Van Gogh's Sunflowers. Seeing them so animated at the Van Gogh Age exhibition brought little memories like that back to me, so I'm really happy I got to catch the exhibition in the end.

三。Canton Tower

After a relaxing evening soaking up some art culture, we stuck around nearby the Opera House as the evening drew closer to enjoy the Canton Tower lightshow. Unlike the night before, there was far less smog, so we could actually see the rainbow lasers light up the sky and turn everyone around us into selfie taking zombies. You do have to hand it to Guangzhou though - boy does the city know how to put on a light show from one of the world's tallest free standing towers...

四。Xiaozhou Village

Yep, I said it before - I love me some art. So when I read that there was an entire village within Guangzhou known for being the home to local artists, I knew I had to visit. Enter Xiaozhou.

Mao mural

We took an hour long bus ride out of the city centre to the village. Upon entering Xiazhou, you feel like you're in a completely different world and would never believe you were in such a cosmopolitan city. The fruit markets and local people teamed with the lived in vibe of the whole place contrasts completely with the high rise buildings and fancy hotels of the city centre. We took a walk around the little bridges, got lost down alley ways whilst stumbling across quaint little coffee houses and handmade goods shops.

Oyster House

There's a few cool places to tick off the list whilst at Xiaozhou, and luckily they're all well sign posted. One of the more peculiar places is the oyster shell house. Yep you guessed it, the entire outer walls of the house are covered in old oyster shells. Why? I can't be sure but it's definitely quirky, which speaks volumes about the village itself. There are temples and art studios. In one, I was able to peer through a small crack to see hundreds of statues, some of Mao busts too. I really felt like I was discovering the secrets of an abandoned town.

Getting lost in temples 

Upon another turn, you come across a street which is home to student artists who practise their sketching and painting skills in workshops. For those looking to stock up on art goods, Xiaozhou Village seemed to have everything you needed. I couldn't help but wonder what the place would have been like had it not been the holidays. For the most part, there weren't many people around but I liked the peacefulness of the village. If I'm ever back in Guangzhou, I'd certainly like to visit again and see what else there is to be discovered.


五。Baiyun Mountain

After a relaxing morning at Xiaozhou village, Beth and I decided to spend the afternoon of our last day in Guangzhou climbing to the top of Baiyun Mountain. The park itself was pretty huge and it takes a bit of a walk to get to the main stair route to the top. Getting to the top of the mountain wasn't quite as hard as both of us anticipated (it was still a struggle though). When you get to the top, you are given panoramic views of Guangzhou, making the tiring ascent pretty worth it.

Apparently there's opportunities for bungee jumping off the top of Baiyun Mountain, although we didn't stumble across it. It could have been cool to say that I'd done bungee jumping in China, but the fact I was wearing a dress probably meant it wouldn't be my brightest idea, even if we did find the place to do it. 

At the top of the mountain stands a sign pointing to Beijing, indicating it was 1900km away. It was moments like this that showed me how far away from 'home' I was and made me realise just how huge China really is. I was literally a thousand miles away!

Still, I was ready for the next adventure and the final few destinations on my Spring Festival travels. next stop: the ever popular Guilin and Yangshuo!