China, 2024
Xiaogan 孝感
A trip to the motherland always starts off in the city in which I was born, Xiaogan. My grandma and the rest of my mom’s family still live there, and it was finally time they meet Simon. In our two short days, we ate a lot of homecooked meals, and visited a few classic Xiaogan attractions, including 董永公园, 后湖公园, and 孝感博物馆, stopping to dine at 孝感米酒 to introduce the American boy to Xiaogan’s famous rice wine and Wuhan hot dry noodles. (He liked it!)
The city’s name, Xiaogan, actually comes from 孝行感天, taken directly from the story of Dong Yong and the Seven Fairies. There is a local belief that Dong Yong was born in the area, and his filial piety story serves as the lore for this city’s existence and most famous attractions.
Dong Yong Park was a beautiful public spot for a morning stroll with older folk. We slowly walked around with my grandma, took some family photos in the morning light, and watched elderly gentlemen play lively music in the gazebo.
Xiaogan Museum was also worth checking out, unique in its exterior futuristic-looking architecture and its displays about the history of Xiaogan based on fables and archeological findings. The air quality was somehow extra gloomy on this side of town, and made the place look apocalyptic.
Last but not least, I showed Simon my favorite thing to do in Xiaogan: shop for groceries on the street. My aunt picked out veggies to cook for dinner, and I committed to an entire stalk of sugar cane just to taste it.
Yichang 宜昌
A 2.5-hour train is all it took to arrive at this larger, more exciting city, home of my dad’s side of the family. Unlike Xiaogan, Yichang is a city with actual attractions that attract global visitors, with its most famous destinations being the Three Gorges and the Three Gorges Dam, China’s greatest feat of engineering.
We only had a day and a half to spend here, so we dined and spent as much time as possible with my grandma before my uncle sent us out on a day trip to the Three Gorges Tribe (in the pouring rain, I might add.) I had been here before, but wanted to show Simon the famous natural scenery, a view so magnificent it inspires Chinese poetry and became a permanent stop in China’s Yangtze River Cruises.
And it was beautiful, but miserable. The rain made the mountain trekking extremely slippery, and the performances difficult to view across piles of open umbrellas. The “villages” are only recreations of what the ancient tribes lived in, and we straight up just felt bad for all the performers who make the trek here on the daily to demonstrate how the ancient tribes went about their everyday life. Also, no monkeys to be found in the mountains.
At least the boat ride was peaceful.
Finally, we made it back to the city to bug my grandma for one more meal (she took us to noodles!) and check out the electric Yiling Bridge at night, before hopping onto the midnight train…
Chengdu 成都
Chengdu was our “fun” city of choice during this multi-destination trip to China, and we budgeted three full days to explore, eat, and experience this modern Sichuan capital.
Attractions
Chunxi Road, a major shopping area and city center food paradise. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza near here, and had most of our meals in the area
TianFu Square, the largest city square with a statue of Chairman Mao. You can really see the scale of Chinese urbanism here
People’s Park, a public city park that exemplifies the local life of leisure. The best way to spend an afternoon here is to have a cup of tea at the famous Heming Tea House (鹤鸣茶社) and watch aunties and uncles dance
Wide and Narrow Alley, ancient Qing dynasty city alleys turned commercial pedestrian street. Souvenir stores, restaurants, opera performances, street snacks, and tea salespeople begging you to sample their colorful teas
Anshun Bridge, a Qing Dynasty styled bridge that doesn’t have much to see up close, especially not during daytime
Daci Temple, a peaceful Buddhist temple with 1600 years of history and a public tai chi class we wanted to join
Taikoo Li, a super upscale shopping area with international luxury brands
Food
赖汤圆, a street snacks eatery. We popped in when we saw the restaurant full of customers and it did not disappoint! We had dinner here twice and tried as much as we could on the menu. My ultimate favorites were red oil dumplings (钟水饺) and sweet noodles (甜水面) soaked in the spicy sweet sauce. (See photo above)
Chagee (霸王茶姬) is like Chinese Starbucks, a super popular modern teahouse setting for young people looking to get their boba milk tea fix. The tea itself was high-quality and super fragrant, and the interior design luxurious and Instagrammable. It was also literally on every block in Chengdu. (How can I franchise a Chagee in America?)
Shoo Loong Kan (小龙坎) for hotpot. I’ve always been a fan of Haidilao’s in America, and on this trip, realized it’s the standard for how Sichuan hotpot chains operate. Attentive service, freebies, sauce bar, face changing performances, noodle dancing… it’s just as much entertainment as it is a meal. But in terms of soup base, less spicy (微辣) was probably the limit of our spice tolerance. The spice was addicting but it definitely starts loosening up your sinuses after a while. (See first photo below)
One thing I did appreciate about ordering in Chinese restaurants (especially in larger cities) is the QR code scanning process. The QR code, when scanned with WeChat or AliPay (which has your payment info linked), opens up a mini-app of the restaurant’s entire menu, where you can place your online order and pay Doordash-style. Without having to wave down the waiter, the food gets delivered to your table, and you can pay the bill and leave whenever you want. Chinese technology is living in 2050, I swear.
The magical all-inclusive spa
Expecting a typical Chinese foot massage (where you sit in a room full of strangers in what feels like a dingy airport lounge), we were blown away when the overly enthusiastic hostesses led us to an upscale private room with two leather lounge chairs, set up with a table of fruit and snacks and freshly poured tea. In front of us was a movie theater screen. We had a private bathroom and robes to change into before the massage therapists prepared the foot bath with salts and herbs. We put on Harry Potter as they gave us feet and shoulder massages for the next 70 minutes.
When it ended, we asked them how much longer we should stay in the room, and they said “as long as you want” until another guest comes. By how seemingly empty the place looked, we had the choice to finish our movie, or go outside to order actual food in their lobby dining hall.
And all of this was included in the price of the massage, $24/person. My goodness. We went to a random place we found called 七彩映象 SPA but you can look up foot spas (足疗), many of which advertise the “cinema” aspect.
Movie theater + foot spa? Brilliant.
The spa’s complimentary dining options were pretty damn good.
PANDA-monium
When you arrive in Chengdu, you are not able to escape the pandas... everywhere. Panda decor and memorabilia line just about every storefront, from stuffed animals to drink toppings to the design of city busses. We dedicated one of our three days in Chengdu to the largest tourist attraction yet, the one and only Panda Breeding and Research Base.
After a short ride on a complimentary shuttle bus, we got dropped off at the southern entrance of the expansive park. Our game plan was to walk around the Panda Villa area, then make our way north to cover as much as we could. Along with hordes of Chinese tourists (many of them with guided tours, looking for a chance to spot Hua Hua (花花), the internet-famous panda), we shuffled around the perimeters of the each of the panda villas, stopping where the clusters of people congregated to catch a glimpse of a panda. It was exciting, since we had arrived around 9:30am, their morning feeding time. Soon enough, we had stumbled upon one of the panda nurseries, where a group of four 2-year-old pandas where wrestling, eating, and climbing trees. Eeeep!
As the day went on, we got tired and cold when the rain refused to let up. We bit the bullet and paid 30 yuan to ride the tram around the park to not die from all the walking. This place is much more nature-y than a typical zoo, so be prepared. Tips for your visit: bring food, snacks, good walking shoes, and an umbrella if it’s raining. Pay for the tram. And don’t use the West entrance — there’s nothing there.
And bring your big zoom camera if you’ve got one. I didn’t, so enjoy these extremely wide angle shots of pandas in their habitats. Haha.
Guangzhou 广州
Guangzhou/Canton was a completely unplanned destination, but one that impressed us the most. Being such a large global port city, it was full of sunshine, lush greenery, and clean air. We stayed at the Mercure Hotel in the middle of bustling Beijing Road Pedestrian Street, the tourist downtown of the city, full of shopping and food. (You know Simon and I love a walkable city more than anything.) And one where we can get around with either Mandarin or Cantonese? Amazing.
We spent only two days in Guangzhou but loved every second. Even on our walks from one destination to another, the routes along the way were amusing and delightful. There were streets dedicated to selling flowers, dried seafood, Chinese calligraphy supplies, shoes, neon lights, all kinds of fun things.
One day one, we explored Shamian (沙面) Island, an area once split between British and French rule. This historical area serves as a quiet reminder of the colonial European period in the 19th century. I’d never seen Catholic chapels flying China flags but here we were.
After a bubble waffle pre-lunch and dimsum lunch, we took the subway over to the old city side of Guangzhou, specifically the Yong Qing Fang (永庆坊) historical street. This cultural landmark built around the river retains the original architectural style of the past while showcasing the rich history of Cantonese opera. We visited a house-turned-museum (李小龙祖居) that belonged to Bruce Lee’s father, a famous opera star from back in the day. It was invigorating getting to stroll down the street that once served as a gathering place for martial arts actors and Cantonese opera actors to practice and perform. The Canton Opera Museum nearby also housed rooms of colorful costumes and told the history of opera. Down the street, lots of unique souvenir shops and cute bookstores made walking around all the more delightful.
The next day we spent exploring the biggest park in Guangzhou, Yuexiu Park (越秀公园). Elderly people gathered to kick around Chinese hacky sacks (shuttlecocks) in small groups (so nimble, so artistic!), and we hiked up to the old city walls and the Five Goat Statue, which represents an ancient legend that told the story of Guangzhou’s earliest beginnings.
Our stay was short but we loved this city. It’s a modern metropolis full of art, culture, sparkling skylines, convenient public transportation, and so much good food. Compared to Hong Kong, you get all the best of Cantonese food (I learned about mango pomelo sago 杨枝甘露 and yuenyeung tea 鴛鴦!) but with the mainland China-style of customer service.
And best of all, it’s only a hop and a skip on a train ride from Hong Kong.
This was my first time planning my own agenda on a trip to China, and it was surprisingly fun getting to exploring a place that uses a completely different internet. I think the internet dictates so much of our culture nowadays that just being on the other side of the firewall feels like you’ve portaled over to another reality. Some tips:
None of our usual apps work here. Google Maps is completely unreliable — even though it seems like it may work, the ETAs are wrong.
Link both WeChat and AliPay to your international credit cards to pay for things. (Some vendors like taxi drivers only take WeChat, for example.) Either scan or pull out your QR code to be scanned. There is a transaction fee for credit card if charge is over 200 yuan
China just issued a law that mandates all businesses to accept cash. So if you have cash, you can use it. They just might not always have change.
WeChat to communicate with everybody and anybody. (This was how I was able to get around without a Chinese phone number)
Use Meituan to look up restaurants and deals
Use Baidu to navigate
Use 12306 to buy train tickets. Tickets also sell out fast so buy them early!
Book day tours with local tour agencies instead of American websites so you don’t end up paying 6x the price
Everything is linked to your Chinese ID, but foreigners obviously have to use passports instead. There should always be a manned gate to the very left or right of the ID-scanning queues for you to present passports to. Have passports on you at all times and handy.
Use roaming data from your home country’s phone plan to not get stuck behind China’s firewall (which restricts Google, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc). Although the connection may be very laggy
China’s airports have a fast track lane for flights that take off within 50 min, so no need to stress too much about being there early. Efficiency is the name of the game.
If/when you go to Hong Kong or Taiwan, forget everything I’ve just told you.
It was a fun week and a half of deep cultural immersion, where my Chinese reading and speaking abilities miraculously respawned and helped me navigate around. Even though China is much more “open” to foreigners and the western world, I’d say it’d still be extremely hard to get around with understanding and speaking Chinese. However, as an American, the spending power sure is strong. I felt so privileged being here, taking taxis everywhere and paying every restaurant bill in shock at the low prices.
Cultural differences
It’s always interesting observing cultural habits between Asia and the west. In China, especially, the competition for jobs (even service jobs) pushes people do their jobs well, especially if transaction is involved. Because if not, they’ll be replaced. There is this concept called 内卷 that summarizes China’s brutal competition, in not just the workplace, but also in schools.
In comparison, work in America is about doing the bare minimum and taking as many breaks as possible, because everyone feels entitled to higher pay. The McDonald’s employee who doesn’t give a crap about customer service… we’re used to that behavior.
To the untrained eye, interacting with Chinese people can initially feel off-putting. The way people speak to strangers typically starts off seemingly harsh or rude, but everyone is very straightforward and honest with you. Unlike in America, where insincerity is oftentimes masked with smiles and superfluous greetings. Chinese people will be very wary of charging you extra for anything, while American businesses and organizations love to slap surprise fees and fines on everything that you have no choice but to pay. It’s just a different environment.
As an Asian-American, it’s eye-opening to experience all of this firsthand.
Sashimi to gorge on, animals to pet, videos games to play, and pedestrian streets to fall in love with all over again.