Happy Mid-Autumn National Golden Week!

Old Dragon Head

By a quirk of the calendar that hasn't happened since a date in the past that I can't be bothered to look up, the lunar Mid-Autumn Festival holiday attached itself to the start of China's "Golden Week" 黄金周, the latter anchored by the National Day of the People's Republic of China. The result was an extended holiday for millions of people in this country, us included - six consecutive days off from work, while my daughter is in the middle of enjoying a full ten days free from school (though she has assignments due the day she returns to class next week - 12th grade can really suck at times). What follows if a brief summary of how we joined millions of others (or at least that's how it felt at times) in kicking off our autumn almanac. 

Before taking off for the holidays, I treated some of the staff to lunch at a Taiwanese restaurant called Lugang 鹿港 (named after a historic town and overly popular tourist spot in central Taiwan). The non-Chinese name of the establishment is the confusingly Italian-sounding Bellagio Cafe:

Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节

Regular followers of my Facebook posts are probably aware that I have an ongoing fascination with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. I've always wanted to see the real-life Orwellian state for myself, but my nationality and current line of work have colluded to prevent that from becoming a reality. So instead I have to content myself in other ways, most recently by ordering this replica jersey of North Korea's 1966 national soccer team that participated in the World Cup in England that year. If you know your football history, you'll recall this squad shocked Italy 1-0 in the group stage, then went up 3-0 on Portugal before eventually succumbing 5-3 to the eventual third-place finishers. During their time in England, the North Koreans formed a memorable bond with the city of Middlesbrough, where the team was based during the tournament. Unfortunately, it's probably better I wait until retirement to wear this jersey in public. At least it fits: 

With Pak Doo-Ik in mind, on the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, I road my bike to the area where the DPRK embassy is located, around a half-hour from our residence. Not wanting to draw unwarranted attention to myself (let alone a full-blown diplomatic incident), I didn't linger, or attempt to take any photos of the main building as I cycled past - I let the Internet do that for me:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embassy_of_North_Korea,_Beijing

I did ride around the complex, noting what appeared to be apartment blocks in the rear:

https://nkleadershipwatch.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/dprkemb_bprc_28312_281112.jpg

Rather than dismounting and taking a walk around the area (there were photographs on public display just to the side of the main entrance), I continued my ride. A short distance to the west of the embassy I came across a district of restaurants and shops aimed at Russian expats. Just a coincidence?: 

On my return to the more familiar comforts of Beijing 北京 I passed by a Rolls-Royce dealership, and noticed what appeared to be a mock-up of a high-speed train on the upper floor of the showroom. Is the company involved in the manufacture of rail engines?:

Back home, and observing the peculiar Taiwanese custom of wearing pomelo skins on one's head. Holding cats is optional:

The Mid-Autumn Festival plus one

The day following the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday the family and I set out of a brief trip to the seaside, organized by my wife. Traffic getting out of Beijing was slow moving, but once we entered Hebei Province 河北省 the expressway opened up, allowing me to reach the maximum 120kph speed limit at times. There were roadside service stations along the way, but food options at these stops were extremely limited, a far cry from driving in Japan or Taiwan:

The scenery on the nearly four-hour drive left little to get excited about, being roughly similar to what you see while passing through the American Midwest, or along Interstate 5 between Los Angeles and Sacramento:

In the early afternoon we reached our destination for the evening, the walled town of Shanhaiguan 山海关, now a district of the city of Qinhuangdao 秦皇岛 in Hebei. Our accommodation for the night was the charming Xianting Calligraphy Hotel, located just outside the First Pass Under Heaven 天下第一关 historic site:

Our room came with a calligraphic pad:

The First Pass Under Heaven was visible from the window on the left:

After checking in and dropping off our bags we took a walk through Shanhaiguan, famous for being the eastern end of the Ming dynasty 明朝 Great Wall of China 长城 (though in actuality the Hushan Great Wall 虎山长城, located close to the North Korean border, is 380 kilometers/236 miles further east):

The Great Wall was visible in the distance, snaking up the hills to the west:

This building, constructed in 1920 during the early years of the Republic of China 中华民国, stood out from the surrounding Qing-era 清朝 architecture:

 

Stopping for some Chinese-style takoyaki たこ焼き, a favorite snack of my daughter's:

Shu-E had some tofu skin on skewers:

The Qianlong Emperor 乾隆帝, considered one of China's most capable and cultured rulers:

As evening approached we watched a performance consisting of  music and acrobatic choreography. The plot was difficult to follow, something to do with Qin Shi Huang 秦始皇 and the construction of the Great Wall, tying in with a pair of young lovers, the man whom of course dies in an accident while working on the barrier. It was nevertheless entertaining:

Dinner time after the show. Why is Chinese beer so weak?:

The First Pass of Heaven as seen from the courtyard in front of our hotel...:

...and from our room:

The First Pass Under Heaven served as Shanhaiguan's east gate and main watchtower. It was also considered the Great Wall's main gate as it made its way from the mountains to the sea. It towers 13.7 meters (45 feet) high, with 68 narrow-slit windows:

A colorful food market was set up in front of the gate:

Standing on the Great Wall and looking down on the plaza below. Our hotel was just off to the right, out of view:

Atop the wall and appreciating the full moon, all the while sporting a John Fetterman look (minus the beard):

The evening culminated with a somewhat underwhelming light show, but all in all it was an enjoyable day:

National Day 国庆节

The People's Republic of China 中国人民共和国 turned 74 on Sunday, and to celebrate we were off to the beach and Old Dragon Head 老龙头, where the Great Wall meets the sea. The main parking lot was jammed with vehicles, and so we gave up, instead driving through the Great Wall itself to a section of sand on the other side. Entry here was free of charge, and came with a view of the huge shipping port:

Amber wore a mask to, um, mask the effects of the cold. Shu-E dressed as an oppressed woman living under Taliban rule because, you know, the sun...:

A section of the Great Wall at the beach:

Lawrence of Dorkrabia boldly makes his way across the burning sands:

Old Dragon Head is famous in China for its dramatic location. Reality, however, dictates that while the Great Wall did end at the sea here, it long ago succumbed to the elements. What is seen today is a reconstruction dating back to the 1980's. It's still photogenic:

Because we didn't pay the entrance fee on the other side, this was as close as we could get to Old Dragon Head:

From Old Dragon Head, and with Shu-E behind the wheel, we made our way south along the coast. There wasn't much in the way of seaside scenery to behold:

Qinhuangdao is famous for being the launching pad of Xu Fu 徐福, an alchemist who was tasked by Qin Shi Huang to lead an expedition east in search of an elixir of immortality. He was never seen again, though a legend in Japan has it that he landed in what is now the city of Shingū 新宮 in Wakayama Prefecture 和歌山県, where Jofuku Park 徐福公園 is dedicated to him. As Shu-E and I had visited the park while traveling around the Kii Peninsula 紀伊半島 back in the summer of 2004, I thought it was only proper to see where Xu Fu set out from. What we discovered was a classic tourist trap, best skipped if you're ever in the area:

Nothing on sale here, folks, move along:

A giant statue of Qin Shi Huang looks out to the sea:

A much more worthwhile stopover  was the Qinhuang Xiaoshang 秦皇小巷 food market, in the Haigang 海港 district of Qinhuangdao (which turned out to be a surprisingly big city, at least in terms of area):

With a sign like this, and needing a break from Chinese cuisine, I insisted on making our lunch a Borf Burger one!:

I ordered the "Sin Double Layer Beef Cheese Burger", which turned out to be pretty good. A 100% Beef Party indeed!:

Across from Borf Burger was a store dealing in nostalgia-themed Chinese drinks and snacks, like these bottles of propaganda poster-themed baijiu 白酒:

Amber sits in a period living room that more resembles an American TV talk show set from the 1970's:

The Commie swag I ended up purchasing, complete with complimentary PRC flag. My daughter pointed out that I was wearing a State Department T-shirt, so I can probably say zaijian 再见 to whatever remains of my diplomatic career:

A sign above a urinal I used at the market that read "Peeing out love and hate, go back and continue to drink wine". Sage advice:

Seafood is a specialty is Haigang, so we ordered some grilled oysters from one of the many snack stalls:

There was also "Taiwanese-style" bubble tea to sample. I had a cup minus the zhenzhu 珍珠:

Next stop was a seaside park the name of which presently eludes the missus. I was bemused to see this poster extoling seafood freshly delivered directly from Hokkaidō 北海道, as seafood imports from Japan are currently banned by the Chinese government due to the release of treated radioactive waste water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant 福島第一原子力発電所. Never mind the fact China's coastline is littered with nuclear power stations also discharging water into the sea that in all probability has not been filtered to the extent being done in Japan:

This particular spot proved popular with young women for some reason:

Finally, as darkness fell, we reached our lodgings in Beihaide 北戴河, yet another district in (you guessed it) Qinhuangdao. Our room at the Xuanhe Hotel 宣和酒店 was surprisingly spacious:

The view across the street, where local branches of KFC and Pizza Hut were housed:

A small shopping area across from the beach. Beidaihe has historically been the summer retreat of the Chinese Communist Party:

Another weak bottle of Chinese piss, er, I mean beer. Just 2.5%:

Looking toward our hotel, originally constructed in 1920-21:

National Day plus one

This day would prove to be the source of some friction between Shu-E and myself. It started off well with breakfast in the ornate dining room:

Following breakfast, we drove along the coast to a spot where a chair lift had been erected, taking visitors from the beach to what appeared to be an artificial island offshore, complete with an amusement park or funfair. The wife really wanted to go, but the line was extremely long, though it's difficult to tell in the video below. Being 60 years old and prone to heart and neurological issues, I didn't want to stand for 1-2 hours in the sun:

The commotion and din of the throngs of tourists didn't do much to put me in a Chinese holidaying mood, so in the end I said I couldn't do it. Over lunch Shu-E would point out that I was willing to wait in long lines when we visited the Expo 2005 in Nagoya 2005年日本国際博覧会. To which I replied that 18 years ago I was in my early 40's, with a properly functioning heart and not having yet experienced any TIA's. I still think she hasn't been completely persuaded by my argument:

She was mollified somewhat during lunch, when we "enjoyed" the privilege of choosing live seafood to be slowly steamed to death in front of us at our table. Here is China, so the restaurant was full of families and groups enjoying the experience. The restaurant charged each table a "deposit" of RMB100 ($13.85) as way to ensure everyone actually finished what they steamed, ensuring that the poor sea creatures' agonizing deaths weren't entirely in vain:

I have to admit the end result was delicious:

Back in our part of Beidaihe, and looking out from the rooftop terrace of our hotel:

Walking along the main street:

Russian language signs were plentiful in the area. During dinner our server used Google Translate in order to communicate with me, except that was translating her Mandarin into Cyrillic:

The main beach area in the late afternoon. One can only imagine the sea of humanity during the peak heat of the summer:

The area off in the distance was where we had traveled and had lunch earlier in the day:

Some impressive sand sculpting was going on:

Amber and I trying to copy the poses:

A small section of buildings the locals call "Russian" in design. I didn't really see it:

I strongly suspect the so-called "legend" of the tiger rocks was conceived by the local tourism authorities:

"I asked her if she would make her 80-something mother stand in a line like that on the sand, and she said no. So why did she want me to do it? Women - can't live with 'em, can't shoot 'em. Am I right, or am I right?":

Seeking a respite from all that seafood, I ordered a Japanese-style curry with fried chicken. It didn't turn out too well:

You could fill up bags with however much seafood you desire. Shu-E purchased some shrimp to snack on:

The night view from the hotel terrace:

National Day plus two

On our last morning in Beidaihe Amber and I enjoyed breakfast on the outdoor patio:

People were already filling up the space on the beach:

We were on the road heading back to Beijing by mid-morning. As most people were still on holiday until the following day (Wednesday), traffic was relatively light. The expressway we used for the return drive also had service areas with actual food courts, as opposed to what we encountered back on Saturday (see above):

Back in Beijing with some of the refreshments purchased during the trip:

National Day plus three

My six-day break ended not with a bang, but a whimper, as I had an early afternoon appointment to see a neurologist at the main international hospital I've been to more often than I care to think in the 14 months we've been in Beijing. While waiting to see the doctor I looked out the window and noticed what appeared to be walkways on the outside of a condo building across the street. I really hope it was meant to be decorative rather than utile:

Following the appointment, the three of us (yes, I dragged my wife and daughter along to the hospital) had lunch at a malatang 麻辣烫 restaurant. At these establishments you choose what you would like to have cooked:

The end result:

Amber isn't familiar with Reservoir Dogs. The girls are apparently teaming up to make me feel my age:

After returning home, my daughter and I took a walk to SOLANA, where we noticed this poor bear who must be going through a rough patch:

A better solution than alcohol:

Yes, I'm big in Japan:

And so on Thursday I return to work for a mere two days, followed by a three-day weekend courtesy of the politically incorrect Columbus Day federal government holiday. However, with a congressional delegation coming to town, it's bound to be a busy week ahead. So until the next time I'm free to get out and do something mildly interesting, join me in wishing the PRC all the best, with ex-Can member Holger Czukay's deconstruction of The East is Red: