春节在山西 (Spring Festival in Shanxi Province)

Yesterday, I returned from the trip to Shanxi province, west of Beijing. It was refreshing to get out of Beijing for a few days and experience another part of China. Some people called it "real China." I don't know whether I'd say that Beijing is fake China, but the trip certainly displayed some aspects of Chinese life and culture that I don't usually observe from my comfy life at Beida.Our first evening, we stopped in Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi province. It was New Year's Eve, and we got to have dinner with host families. It was great to spend some time with a family; it humanized China in a way that I've rarely experienced, especially with most of campus on break for most of our time in Beijing thus far. They were entirely too welcoming and generous. The son, 白宇, is studying at University of Adelaide in Australia. We're hoping to meet his friend (last on the right) when we're in Chengdu, as she's studying electrical engineering there.

We got back to our hotel an hour before midnight. Little did we understand, but at midnight we got the show of our lives from our sixth-floor room. EVERYONE was setting off fireworks. The city was lit up by the constant flashes of light, and all of the noise sounded as though some military invasion had begun. It was insane, and only became more insane when the hotel decided to light their fireworks and firecrackers...the fireworks exploded at eye level, 30 feet or so from our window. There is no way to explain what a huge deal Chunjie is...maybe like Christmas and New Years in the states, rolled into one.

We spent the next few days in a picturesque city called Pingyao. Pingyao is an ancient walled city, whose wall and architecture remains largely intact. It's a huge tourist destination now, complete with salespeople at every turn. It was a great opportunity to speak to the locals...whether they were friendly because of the lack of contact with foreigners, or because of the opportunity to make money by selling things, people in Pingyao were normally quite friendly. Above are two kids that I spoke with...adorable. Four and three years old. Notice the blonde hair attached to the back of the little girl's head...
A 'guard' on top of the wall.
The center gate and street at night. It was all historical and glamorous, but certainly had downsides to it, too. I would imagine that real life is hidden far behind the shops and main streets of Pingyao.

Now, back to life in Beijing. Oddly enough, I already have to prepare for my return to the states...internships, housing, etc. etc. It's kind of overwhelming. I have the rest of the week off for New Years' break to relax and breathe. It's certainly a welcome rest.