Happy lunar new year! China favorites

Coming up next week is the lunar new year; 新年快乐 to all who celebrate! It’s on February 5th this year. To celebrate, I’m sharing some of my China favorites from our expat adventures. We spent two years teaching English to college students in northeast China shortly after we got married. It was an amazing experience.

Please note that while I’m listing a number of China favorites here today, know that from two years abroad, there is far to much awesomeness to share in any one blog post. Indeed, even narrowing down the focus of this post was challenging! But now, without further ado: Stephanie’s China favorites!

China Favorites: Places

It’s almost impossible to narrow this down to a few highlights. We had grand adventures everywhere we went. I’ll just list a few that were exceptional, but know that of course we had a fantastic time in Beijing at all the top sites (Forbidden City, Summer Palace, etc.), in Shanghai, and all of the less famous cities we visited as well.

• 

• 

• The Great Wall, Mutianyu – One of the most iconic Chinese sites, there are plenty of locations to visit. On our first trip to the wall, we went with a group to Badaling, the most well preserved section and the closest to Beijing. Oops. There were wall to wall people (pun intended!) on that excursion. The next summer we went to Mutianyu, slightly farther away, but so, so worth it. There were stretches of wall with nary a person in sight. It was incredible.
• Xi’an – You might know this as the location of the incredible terra-cotta warriors, and indeed that was a phenomenal experience to visit. But can I be honest that my favorite part of this city was riding bikes along the top of the wall that encircles it? That could be because we saw an excellent exhibition on the warriors in the States the previous year and because we were craving any semblance of normalcy for which a bike ride sufficed. Nevertheless, there was something quite invigorating in exploring the city that way.
• Harbin – A city in northern China, it’s most well known for it’s snow and ice sculptures, which is of course why we were there in January when it’s -30 degrees F outside at noon on any given day. My photos from my nearly frozen camera simply do not do justice to it’s awesomeness (instead, check out the official photos!). Craftsmen work for weeks if not months to meticulously recreate various buildings and figurines that are, if not quite life size, certainly large enough to be explored inside and out by frozen wandering tourists.

• 

• 

China Favorites: Food

I’ll admit, we were not the most adventurous in our cuisine consumption. Donkey dumplings, whole mini birds (head and all) or dog meat were not appealing. That said, there was still an abundance of tasty dishes to try, and our Chinese friends made sure we did indeed try most of it. Have you tried slimy fungus while simultaneously trying to smile and say something positive but not a lie? It’s an art form one perfects over time. Nevertheless, we found plenty of delicious favorites; these topped them all.

• Gou bao rou – While we have found no comparison in the States, it’s a triple fried pork dish unique to the Dongbei (northeast) region of China. It’s amazing. Truly. Bad for you certainly, but oh-so-delicious.
• Pai huang gua – This is a bowl of mashed cucumbers with hot spice and vinegar. Mmmmmmmm. P.F. Chang’s used to serve a similar dish that didn’t quite measure up but got close. They no longer serve it; I haven’t been back.
• Chun bing – The Chinese equivalent of tacos, you get a flat pancake, add a variety of things on top, and enjoy! Best part is that you’re supposed to fill it, roll it up, and eat it (without spilling of course!) with chopsticks only. It’s hilarious to take chopstick newbies here.
• Hot pot – It’s basically fondue, but with Asian flavors of course. There are few things better to enjoy on a cold winter’s night (-30 degrees F or below!) than a simmering bowl of spicy hot pot.
• Muslim sandwich – It’s crazy, but I can’t remember what it was called, and while Google brings up many similar images, most are captioned in English only. Alas. We first had this sandwich in Xi’an; our tour guide introduced us to it. It was one of the cheapest, most on-the-go meals you could get, and it was delish! A big hunk of meat (pork maybe?) slowly spit roasted, shaved, and stuffed into pita-like bread.

• 

• 

• 

China Favorites: Unique Experiences

• Real life homes – If ever on any trip you have the opportunity to visit locals in their home, please, PLEASE take it. There’s nothing like seeing real life away from the historical sites and metropolitan city centers. It’s incredible to see how folks in other cultures live, and hopefully you also are refreshed in your gratitude for the abundance so often taken for granted.
• Sleeper trains – It’s an experience, that’s for sure, especially the cheap tickets! We never got great sleep, and it probably wasn’t the cleanest, but it was fun to do, sleeping on a tiny upper bunk hugging your valuables and hoping you don’t sleep through your stop.
• Backpack travel – Often used in conjunction with train travel, we had a number of pack-up-and-go trips. Such trips were usually last minute and involved minimal packing. We each filled a small backpack, not taking most personal care items (*hopefully* available at whatever hotel we chose) or even pajamas. This type of travel is so not my forte, but it was fun to embrace during our expat escapades.
• Juxtapositions – There is no one specific event here but an assortment of experiences we had a number of times. It is a unique experience to enjoy something very modern, like say a Starbucks latte or a Magnum popsicle, at a place so ancient and steeped with history such as at the Great Wall or along the Bund of the Huangpu River in Shanghai.

• 

• 

• 

China Favorites: Cravings

Well, perhaps one doesn’t get “favorite” cravings, but certainly strong cravings. Never underestimate the power of a (nearly) unfulfillable craving. And please don’t judge me that most of my cravings are junk food. You just can’t understand unless you’ve been in a similar situation.

• Pizza – Our town served pizza with ketchup-y sauce. Yuck. I have rarely enjoyed pizza so much as the time we were able to enjoy Papa John’s pizza in Xi’an.
• GOOD chocolate – Most Asian chocolate tasted like that cheap Easter chocolate that doesn’t seem to die. Ewww.
• McDonald’s – This craving could be fulfilled with a 45 minute bus ride! Woot!! Don’t judge. I actually don’t really care for McDonald’s, but it was the most normal tasting American food in our whole city.
• Fresh vegetables – All Chinese restaurant vegetables are cooked for health reasons, and coated in sauce for cultural preference. Don’t you just love the nice crunch of a fresh carrot?
• Clean socks – Okay, I admit this sounds weird on a list with mostly food, but let me explain. While we lacked a number of modern conveniences we were used to from the States, it wasn’t that difficult to adapt for the most part, especially knowing everyone else is in the same boat. But it was a continually a cringe-worthy experience to pull on a pair of line-dried socks. They were clean, but they didn’t feel clean; they felt like a crusty pair of dirty socks. Gross.

And that’s a wrap! A chun bing?! For today, at least. There is plenty more to say about our time in China, but these are some great memories and experiences. If you’ve had the opportunity for an extended stay abroad, you no doubt have plenty of stories yourself; please share! And if you’re planning a trip to the great Middle Kingdom, I’d be glad to help!