Becoming a Guest at a Traditional Miao Tribe Wedding at a Heritage Village in the Fenghuang Region OF China

As we were strolling around the ancient city of Fenghuang, China, one of the representatives from a local tour company approached and chatted with us. Since we only had two full days in this region, we decided to take advantage of the time and bought a full day tour of the area close by. FOR our third day in Fenghuang, we went on a tour and visited a few places.

Our tour started bright and early with a local lady tour guide giving us some very good information about the area. Unfortunately, we couldn't understand her due to our very limited Mandarin.

We arrived at a relatively new model village and we were given sometime to explore on our own. This Miao tribe village was modern, clean and very pretty but we didn't see a lot of residents or activities there. During our trip in China, we observed and saw that the Chinese government has been working hard to alleviate poverty from rural China by promoting tourism in smaller cities and towns. So far at every town we have visited there seemed to have a reasonable new ethnic hertiage village which showcase the traditions and cultures of a certain enthnic group in the area. The heritage village somehow becomes a tourist attraction bringing in visitors to the area.

At the same time, these heritage villages help to enpower the many ethnic groups making them feel proud of their own cultures and traditions. After lunch with our tour group, we visited such a heritage village. We were treated to a live interactive show introdcuing us to a traditional wedding ceremony and way of life of the Miao tribe people.

The show was lively with lots of audience participation as many were invited as guests of the wedding party performance.

The second part of our day tour afforded us the opportunity of visiting a real Miao village inhabited by local residents. We learned that before entering a Miao village, we needed to sing a song asking for permission and as a blessing to the village. Our tour guide taught us a traditional Miao song and we sang it at the gate before gaining entrance to the village. How interesting was that! At the real Miao tribe village, we could peek into some homes briefly and respectfully. Some residents were selling their arts, crafts and dry food items right outside their homes. Some stations were set up to introduce us to the Miao way of life and cultures. The tour was very interesting. However, one of the presentations was going on a bit too long.

The third part of the tour was a visit to a beautiful lake where we took a boat ride enjoying a nice scenery of the lake.

At the end of our 1 day tour of the Funghuang area, we had dinner at a local restaurant specialized in serving fish. A great culinary experience and we loved how healthy the dishes were. It was not easy getting a taxi in Funghuang at this time of the year as many taxi drivers went back to their hometowns for their annual holiday. We stood by the street corner trying to hail a taxi for more than 45 minutes before getting one. We also observed the street vendors creative idea in setting up some games for kids and making a business out of them during the Chinese New Year celebrations.

A busy day of touring of the region; we enjoyed the day and learned a lot about the Miao tribe people of China. Highly recommended to anyone visiting this area. RT, Fenghuang Area, China 022024

Fenghuang, China - We were wowed by this Unique City of Lights

After meeting up wuth J and spending almost a week in delightful Chengdu – known for its relaxing life style, we said good bye reluctantly to this fabulous city. Hopping onto the fast train, we moved on to Feng Huang where we were invited to spend a few days with our friends from Canada.

We arrived in the evening and stayed in a hotel within a stone throw to the old city. We never heard of Feng Huang before . Having learned about our visit to China, Weiwan and her husband extended their invitation to us to her hometown in China. We were excited about meeting up with them and their friends in her childhood town.

We ventured out the next morning on our own to explore this old town. There were cultural performances already underway when we got to the square. China is made up of fifty-six minority groups and on this visit, we have learned about and met a few of these ethnic groups.

There were a few different ethnic groups each dressed in their colorful regalia showcasing their songs and dances in this special Chinese New Year celebration.

We met up with Weiwen, her husband and her friend for a late lunch and really enjoyed getting to know some local people and listening to their childhood stories in this famous city.

Our local host accompanied us to see the night view of the city in the evening.

It was spectacular! We have never seen anything so pretty and unique. It appeared as if the entire town was lit up and had been transformed into a magical town of light.

We took a stroll on the main street taking in the sight and sound of this famous ancient town. There were visitors from all parts of China and the place was humming with energy. Being confined by COVID and unable to travel overseas, millions of Chinese have been staying home and travelling within China instead. We could feel the difference in crowd sizes between our pre and post COVID visit to China.

So grateful that we could travel and visit Fenghuang in China, an absolutely enchanting old town! RT, Fenghuang, China 02 2024

Admiring the Lantern Show at the People's Park in Chengdu, China

Built in 1911, and located in central Chengdu, the People’s Park was the first public park in the city. It is free and open to visitors to the park. The People’s Park is not a tourist attraction but a good place to observe and learn about the relaxing life style of the Chengdu residents. There are many places to visit and lots to see in the park such as the tea houses where some daily live shows are held, bonsai garden, special seasonal displays, children’s entertainments as well as other arts, fitness and recreational activities carried out by adults to the park. .

When we visited the People’s Park around Chinese New Year time, there was a colourful displays of huge paper lanterns throughout the park. It was a delight to children and grownups alike when these lanterns were lit up in the evening. We loved these colourful lanterns which brightened up the park after the sun went down. This beautiful park seemed magical and came alive with huge lanterns placed all over the park .

Not only were there various performances at the teahouses inside the People's Park, there were also meals, snacks and beverages offered to audiences while watching the shows. It was truly an enjoyment for all our senses. RT, People's Park, Chengdu, China

Spending Our First Lunar Chinese New Year in China

Proud to be a Canadian senior citizen with Chinese ancestry, however, I didn't have any ties to China nor did I visit China much for the past five decades. It was not until the last few years before we started visiting this country with the world's 1/4 population.

I have never spent the lunar New Year in China and I didn't have a strong desire to do so until December of 2023. From the pictures I saw, China was very pretty around the time of the Chinese new year. We decided within a short period of time on spending my first Chinese New Year in China for the year of Dragon in 2024. We were not disappointed! We booked our tickets and off we went at the end of January till February for this special annual celebration in China!

No matter where we went in the past couple of weeks, the public spaces such as public parks, squares, offices and shopping malls and ordinary streets have all been turned into a sea of red flowers, red lucky envelops or red lanterns anticipating the arrival of the New Year day.

During our travel, we noticed that the streets were much quieter than we thought and many stores were closed for the holidays. So for our Chinese New Year day, we chose to watch a live show in a city theatre. We were not disappointed. The ground of the theatre was festively decorated while the cafes and restaurants inside the theatre were filled with theatre goers enjoying some teas and pastries before and after the show. Everyone looked happy and seemed to be enjoyable the time of their life. This city theatre was modern and spacious with comfortable seating for a large group of audience. It was much bigger and newer than the small private theatre where we went to watch our first show a few days ago. The audience was a little older and the theatre was about three quarter full. It was pretty good considering that that day was Chinese New Year day and families were busy celebrating at home.

Dujiangyan Irrigation System - An Awesome 2000 Years Old Irrigation System in China

China is full of history and interesting old buildings and architectures. Not only did we enjoy visiting the various scenic spots in China, we particularly enjoyed learning and exploring China’s technological inventions and designs in the ancient time and how the China overcame its many problems faced by its citizens at the time.

Dujiangyan Irrigation System, located on the Minjiang River in the northwest of the Chengdu Plain is on the list of the UNESCO World List. Constructed around 256 BC, this irrigation system has been in use for over 2270 years serving the people of the Chengdu Plain inhabitants and making this part of the land fertile and productive. Therefore, the people around the Dujiangyan region have not experienced any famine or lean years.

We were awed by the engineering designs and beauty of the Dujiangyan Irrigation System. An engineer by training and by profession, my husband was totally immersed in learning about the fascinating hydraulic feat of this system.

You have to be present to truly appreciate the scale and the magnificence of the irrigation project. One thing that stood out for me was the natural beauty of this irrigation engineering project. Not only was the system marvelously functional, the area surrounding it was inspiringly beautiful!

We spent a good afternoon strolling around the park, enjoying the scenery, learning about the history and the intricate mechanics of this ancient irrigation system that is still working well and serving its people well in the area. We also appreciated the thought and consideration of the then government officals and enginners for creating a large enchanting park to go with the irrigataion project.

We stopped and enjoyed some snack and teas and climbed to the top of one of the old buildings taking a birds' eyeview of this beautiful area. So glad we visited this UNESCO site and discovered the great engineering feat that was done over 2000 years ago. Absolutely a wonderful day! RT, Dujiangyan Scenic Area, Chengdu Plain

Enjoying a Fantastic Famous Mask Changing Show in an Old Theatre, Chengdu, China

Wherever we visit a place, we are always interested in learning about the art and cultures and the lives of the people in the area. We were fortunate that on this trip to China, we had J. who acted as our guide. J has visited Chengdu many times and therefore he was able to book us a hotel that was within walking distance to many great attractions.

We took advantage of this convenience and explored this famous city by walking everywhere. Chengdu’s many cultural activities and relaxing lifestyles were reflected in the many interesting and unique shops and stores we passed by in the area. We strolled along a few streets not far from our hotel and they were quiet with few people. Many stores were closed due to the Chinese New Year and its owners and employees had gone back to their home villages or towns.

We had an early dinner in a mom and pop restaurant and visited one of the many bookstores. I loved the way the book store was set up with tables and chairs for patrons to relax , drink tea while browsing through some books. J was tickled pink when he saw two cats crawling on the tables in the bookstore and played with them for a while.

We passed by a small privately run theatre and decided to watch our first live show in this enchanting city. However, we still had a few hours so we went to a restaurant for some preshow appetizer and tea. Chengdu people seemed to know how to enjoy life, even a place for a drink had a nice vibe of being welcoming and relaxing. We

had our tea break for a little while and then headed to the theatre for the show. The show tickets were affordable offering theatre goers three different packages. One category ticket offered drinks and snacks while another one offering a preshow picture taking session with Chinese costumes and headpieces. We took the package with snacks and pictures with costumes. It was a fun experience. We wee amazed at how fast the theatre assistant could dress us up in ancient traditional Chinese costumes for our picture taking session.

The show was a new and educational experience for us. It included performances such as a sword dance, hand shadow puppet, singing, comedy, a tea pouring dance and the highlight of the show, the mask changing performance. There were about 4- 5 actors who came onto the stage each wearing a different mask performing some dancing. All of a sudden with a swipe of their hands over their faces, the masks changed into completely different ones . It happened in such lightning speed that no matter how carefully and intensively we were looking at the performers, we could not figure out how they did it.

At the end of the show, the performers walked among the audience and started swiping their hands over their faces. .Boom! Their masks changed right in front of our faces with a very close distance but we still could not understand how it all happened. Amazing show indeed! The Chengdu mask changing show is a must see when you are visiting this wonderful city! RT, Chengdu, China

Jinli Street, a Must Visit Place in Chengdu, China

J. has been living in China for a number of years and he keeps telling us that Chengdu is his most favourite city to visit. It was the main reason we were there visiting the city on our 2024 Asian trip. We were beginning to see why J. likes Chengdu so much. He bought us to a Mongolian area and tried some authenic dishes from that region in a restaurant decorated in traditional style. The food was a little different and delicious. After dinner, we were able to shop at the nearby shops for some souvenirs and I bought a panda hat for Bea. J. also took us to Jinli Street, one of the famous streets in Chengdu and a busy commercial area during the Shu Kingdom (221-263). Hence, it is known as 'First Street of the Shu Kingdom'. Visitors could experience for themselves the leisurely ambience so famously associated with this ancient city. The street is located to the east of the Wuhou Temple of Chengdu (the most famous Three Kingdoms period (220 - 280) relic museum in China)

Jinli Street is recorded to have been mentioned as early as during the Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 206 BC). It was the most famous place for baldachin - a rich, ornate cloth. The streeet was restored to its former glory and opened to public in October of 2004. It has become a popular place for visitors from all over China and abroad. Walking down the narrow strret we saw beautiful old stores including tea-houses, stores and hotels modeled on the architectural style of a traditional old town in western Sichuan Province from the Qing (1644-1911) Dynasty. The wooden steles and the brick-walls exhibit an ancient charm.

Since we were there after dark, many stored were closed. But we learned that if we were here during the day, we could have found folk artisans putting on funny shows such as a Shadow Puppetry show or a hand puppet show. Some traditional arts such as Paper-cut and clay figurines made by the skilled craftsmen were sold here too. Visitors to Jinli Street could get a taste of the true life of the local people and find some reminders of China's past in the modern city. Occasionally, some classic Sichuan Operas, along with some folk music and quick costume and make-up changes by some actors could be seen in the pavilion located in the middle of the street entertaining visiotrs to the area. If visitors are here during some traditional festival days, they may be able to enjoy some theme activities such as lantern exhibitions on Lantern Festival, zong zi (glutinous rice wrapped to form a pyramid using bamboo leaves) eating competition on the Dragon Boat Festival, appreciating the glorious full moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival etc. It was an awesome street to visit and we loved the evening out in Chengdu! RT, JINLI STREET, CHENGDU, CHINA 02062024