Christmas in Beijing

Christmas Turkey - With Plum Sauce?
My first Christmas away from home.

But fear not. Beijing is full of internationals all keen to celebrate the most important date on the Western calendar - we had an utter uproar! Moreover - you'll never believe the extent of enthusiasm with which the local Chinese population celebrates Christmas.

First check out my pics of Christmas day in Beijing then below check out my thoughts on Christmas in China.

At the Raffles Hotel

We spent Christmas Day at the Raffles Hotel, Beijing enjoying the opulent decorations, top-notch service and general festivities. Enjoying our exclusive dining room, we were free to graze the fine foods from late morning well into the afternoon. Free flowing wine for some, champagne for others and followed by coffees - we were soon caught in the excitement of the day's festivities - putting to one side the saddening thoughts of our families on the other side of the world doing the same without us.

I ate more than I had any other day since I've arrived in Beijing - scrumptious!


The festivities continued culminating in a Tepanyaki dinner!














Very Much Up For It

It's interesting really - despite local friends repeatedly informing me that the Chinese 'don't celebrate Christmas' - well let just say you could've fooled me!

The street lights decorated with lights, massive Christmas trees outside every major mall, every shop window adored with tinsel and signs wishing a 'Merry Christmas'.

And these weren't just areas with a predominant international population at all - even when I traveled into the deepest malls in the furthest suburbs of Beijing they'd all be enjoying your favourite Christmas hits! In the restaurants despite absolutely no internationals, the waiters would all be thoroughly proud of their Father Christmas hats.


But this, as we'd probably all expect, has nothing to do with the true meaning of Christmas. It's commercially driven for sure. I was surprised when one local friend believed the abbreviation of Christmas to X-mas was due to a desire not to blaspheme 'Christ', preferring 'X' instead. And also when another was under the impression the use of 'X' was the secularisation of 'Christ'mas - a deliberate effort to remove the 'Christ' from Christmas, using a X to cross him out! Wow - but it's worth reminding ourselves these are simply misguided and innocent misunderstandings.

Not surprising really given the regulations surrounding organised religion here- for instance, to enter the local Church on Christmas eve required a foreign passport... It was like entering a club with bouncers checking ID. Let's hope they didn't charge for the communion wine! I say regulations - but don't misunderstand me, this is a unique case and, I've not researched it fully.

However, I'd seriously doubt this enthusiasm is purely commercially driven. In the West, Christmas is far, far from simply a ploy by companies to boost sales - we do actually enjoy Christmas too, right? - Of course so. The decorations, the festivities, special foods, drinks, time with family and friends are all a major components of our Christmas experience - alongside on one hand the religious aspects for some and the exchanging of gifts on the other.

In China I have the impression its the same - sure the religious meaning is not known to many, but neither is Christmas in China purely commercial. I've witnessed the locals enjoy all the festivities as much as anyone. On reflection - who wouldn't enjoy a month of Wizzard's 'I Wish it Could Be Christmas Everday'?! It's bloody catchy ;-p

x Merry X-mas Everyone x

Flying Kites in Beijing

So, what to do on a wintry Sunday afternoon in Beijing?

A few weeks ago a couple of friends and I visited Xizhimen square to fly kites with the locals. Every weekend people turn up to fly kites - how pleasant?!

Check out a couple of pics.
Bit of lame posting... ah well I've written it now.

Instant Noodles on The Great Wall of China

THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA
Chángchéng 长城

The other weekend a group of us from Tsinghua and Peking University took a stroll along The Great Wall of China.


The 6:30 start was well worth the serenity and calm offered by the stunning views and walks of the Great Wall - a warmly-welcomed departure from the fast-paced intensity of the
Beijing life style.


We visited the Simatai section of the wall, one of the most popular among tourists given its proximity to Beijing - including Boris Johnson during the Olympic Games! ...

The walk begins with an ascent to the peak, along which the fortifications run. Having arrived at the peak, you're then free to leisurely stroll along the wall for a few hours, pausing to rest at the occasional turret and take in the views.




Originally constructed to protect the Chinese Empire from attacks from the Xiongnu to the North of Beijing, the Wall serves primarily as a tourist destination - including for the guards! /Check out~ left~/.

/Enjoying some Instant Noodles at the Great Wall of China right ~/

For more information check out - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China

Boy's Day - "Honour them with your love"

Without any introduction or apparent purpose, I stumbled across this billboard by the roadside of Tsinghua campus. Covered with pictures of local male Tsinghua students, it was perplexing to say the least.

But seriously, why? Fortunately, a local friend of mine was on hand to explain all....

/left/ Utter befuddlement. / right/ Unattended with no apparent purpose - a billboard covered with pictures of male students.



Boy's Day

It was the 12th of the 11th and therefore Boy's Day!

Tsinghua, as a predominantly science/ engineering orientated university, has an imbalanced male/ female ratio. Hence, naturally there aren't enough girls for every guy, and so- my local friend later informed me - one day each year is reserved to celebrate those male students who are unable to find a girlfriend.

"Honor them with your love!"

Later that day, I received an email from the University's "Chinese Corner" a weekly gathering of local and international students, providing the opportunity to find language partners. This week however, the Chinese Corner would have the theme of 'Boy's Day'. Here's the message I received:

"Guess which month is the most favorite month among Tsinghua's guys. That's right! November! The festival for Tsinghua only-Tsinghua Boy's day-will be on 12/11. Girls please try your best to do whatever you can to please the guys, make they feel happy and honor them with your love!"

Wow, anyone reckon this would take off in the UK?! Doubt it.

(Check out the stunning weather too! Bright but brisk and at night increasingly cold.)

Funny Signs in China! Pt. 1

Recently we've had midterms and I've not been blogging. So when I came across these amusing pics I had to share. /I have removed one more 'sensitive' image/

"Happy Hallowmas/ Pumpkin Day"

Happy Halloween. Or as it has been called by some local friends of mine, "Happy Pumpkin Day". Cute.

Halloween provided the students here at Tsinghua yet another opportunity to have fun. Albeit, this time in fancy dress. Initially sceptical, the prospect of imitating the character Joker from the recent blockbuster hit 'Batman: The Dark Knight' was too persuasive to decline. A few Qingdao Beers later, the party was in full swing with everyone living their role. Especially me (just wait for the videos! ;-).

A large group of around 20 or so met in the local halls of residence to warm up before the big night. This provided a great opportunity to stalk and frighten the unsuspecting residents, including the poor ladies at the reception desk! My pencil prop certainly added to the horror. A similar occasion was when I was entering the lift to be greeted with the screams of six shocked Korean girls- most amusing. You could say, it certainly put a 'smile on my face'.


Adequately relieved of any remaining inhibitions, we hit one of Beijing's largest Halloween parties, the Yen Fetish Halloween Party. With a crowd supposedly over one thousand of ghouls, witches and other disturbing creatures composed of the shattered figments of the darkest of imaginations, free drinks on entry, the party was an utter uproar.

Now however, the fun must be suspended - mid-term exams await in just over a week. A good reason to be 'so serious'. Gulp.

My ways/ Flattitudes / and Free Styles: Oh Beijing

One of the great things about studying here at Tsinghua is the vibrant social life extending across many nationalities. It's thoroughly an international affair.

The picture to the left was taken earlier this week at a friend's birthday meal (Fung, second from left bottom row).

In this picture alone we can find people from Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, Sweden, Hong Kong and of course the U.K. And this was just one of two tables.

It's one turbulent cross-cultural extravaganza of my ways/ flattitudes / and free styles. What a bunch of eccentrics, what do they all think they're doing here anyway?! Supposedly "learning Chinese".


It's seriously a real opportunity to learn something new from people from all walks of life. I often enjoy the variety of ways people articulate themselves- how they structure their ideas, what their priorities are, what has shaped their values...

It's only when thrown out of your comfort zone you can begin to realise who you are. When conversing with different cultures, you are compelled to be show self-awareness, self-consciousness previously redundant within your own culture, and to account for who you are and why you are. Or you can just offend people.

Moreover, when venturing into the thick of another culture, as we have in China, having many perspectives, I feel, allows you to make better sense of it all by sharing the experience.

Let me share it with you here :-)

Mail me if you want a definition for my ways/ flattitudes / and free-styles... onejasminetea@live.com