My mother used to say ‘the only thing of a pig you cant eat is its squeak’ The Chinese seem have taken that a step further and applied the adage to the whole animal kingdom, there doesn’t seem to be anything that isn’t eaten.
As Spring festival approaches, it reminds me of last year when news of Covid19 suddenly broke. I knew nothing then, in 12 months we've all learned the new language of lock down; but have we learned anything else?
Qinghai is one of the largest provinces in China and one of the most thinly populated. Its full of dramatic scenery, minority peoples dressed in traditional clothes, monasteries and poor towns with little restaurants serving home grown food. .
Last Wednesday 6th was the coldest day this century, luckily I didn’t need to go to out . Today is colder, the coldest day since 1966 and I have to go to work.
This year, Chinese authorities have reportedly cracked down on the celebration of Christmas. But with all the westeners stuck in the country and the money it generates, its not going away soon.
Tiananmen Square is easy to dismiss as just a large and ugly expanse of concrete – which it is. It is also something that must be part of any Itinerary of the country because it encapsulates the nation’s modern aspirations and the baggage of its past.
Mid-Autumn festival is China's second most important celebration after Chinese New Year. Also known as the Moon Festival the autumn celebration coincides with the end to the long hard days in the fields and the bountiful food of harvest.
The suburbs of China's cities are teeming with forgotten factories, abandoned villages and industrial junk in unlikely settings. On first glance they are uninviting ugly.. But among the weeds and wild dogs there are signs of dreams and inspiration for imagined lives
Datong was my first trip out of the city> Maybe because it was the first journey, or because it was approached without prior expectation, it has remained the most memorable.