China Travel blog

China Travel blog

Southern China's Miao ethnic minority

The Dai are actually a number of different ethnic groups sharing in a language family that spans borders

With a population of 1.3 billion and counting, China constitutes just under 20% of the world's inhabitants. Making up the vast majority of residents (91.59%) are the ubiquitous Han, leaving just a little over 8% to the 56 ethnic minorities officially recognized by the People's Republic. In Minority Report, we explore the colorful characters, customs and cultures of these fascinating peripheral groups. >>>

Though not one of China's larger minorities (they don't even rank in the top ten most populous of the 56 official ethnic groups of China), the Dai minority (Dǎizú, 傣族) are well-known in China for their annual Water Splashing Festival (Pōshuǐ Jié, 泼水节), which has become a popular tourist attraction for both domestic and foreign tourists in China. When the festival arrives, tourists flood the eponymous group's Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture. Even outside festival season, the group's culture is on display in ethnic theme parks and hotels in cities like Jinghong, the capital of the prefecture, which are often decorated with the sweeping roof styles of Dai architecture—more similar to Thai architecture than that of the Han Chinese—and offer flashy Dai stage shows.

Beyond the stereotype of a colorful, exotic minority with vibrant ethnic costumes and quaint customs, the Dai are an influential group that has held on to its culture and spread influence beyond China into southeast Asia.

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cooking classes shanghai

Xiaolongbao-licious!

"No, no, no, no!" shrieked the tiny woman standing opposite me across the meter-wide stainless steel counter. "Pinch and pull, pinch and pull," she continued, her smiling eyes belying the vague note of despair that crept into her voice. Undeterred, I took a fold of tender dough between thumb and forefinger and tried to coordinate my fumbling fingers to make another of the many delicate folds that are the hallmark of Shanghai's best known dumpling, the xiaolongbao (xiǎolóngbāo, 小笼包).

These delicious pockets of fine dough, filled with a nugget of minced meat and pork jelly that melts into a flavorsome soup when steamed are at their best when the dough is almost paper thin, twisted into a rippling peak to protect the bounty within. My first efforts were rather more like little cardboard volcanoes, with an ungainly crater in the top left by my retreating thumb as I struggled to close the top without crushing the rest of my handiwork. After much teasing, coaxing and ripped dough skins, and under the expert auspices of Chef Lin, my fingers and shoulders started to relax and I began to find something like a rhythm as I pinched and pulled and gently manipulated the dumpling round and round in my palm.

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Shanghai Fireworks

A fireworks hangover

The streets around your house are, no doubt, littered with such detritus if you awoke anywhere in China this morning. May the explosions of these fireworks and their brethren across the nation signal a year of extensive travel, good cheer and a host of amazing experiences for all of you, dear readers. As you read this, the China Travel staff is scattered, gleaning as much relaxation as we can from this government mandated time off. May you all be so lucky. Happy New Year!

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Chinese New Year

BOOOM SHAKALAKA!

The picture on your right was taken almost exactly one year ago today. I returned from a sojourn in Laos to an already smoke-screened Shanghai—and my flight landed at six in the evening. By the time I took this photo, from the top of a hotel roof at around midnight, the city was shrouded in a haze of firecracker fumes and was showing no sign of stopping.

So my guess is that while you read this, outside your window things are beginning to heat up (that is, if you're in China, and not on a beach somewhere). There's red everywhere, dragons in doorways and windows and the noise of a celebration is settling in. But that is not to say that the world has stopped! In fact, this past week was so chock full of China travel news that I was forced to leave many worthy stories on the cutting room floor. Sorry about that, second-tier news.

We'll start things off with a lighthearted story culled from Shanghaiist. With inclinations that would make a young Kerouac proud, a university student in Suzhou and a friend have decided to up and walk all the way home to Yancheng. The pair think they can make the 400 km (250 mi) trip in time to get back for New Year's Eve. Lets hope they do! Read on for more links after the jump...

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Fireworks in Shanghai

Why not celebrate the Year of the Dragon on a rooftop?

Chunyun (Chūnyùn, 春运) has begun. The full force of its plaid-polyurethane-suitcase gale has yet to swoop down on the train, bus and plane infrastructures around the country, but you can feel it; it's almost as though the earth were rumbling in anticipation. Chunyun, the annual migration of the general Chinese populous in anticipation of and during the weeks after Spring Festival, begins two weeks prior to the first day of the Chinese New Year and lasts over a month. This logistical inconvenience is a nightmare for agoraphobes and everyone else alike; there are few things less enjoyable than spending eighteen hours on a packed, standing-room only train as it whisks you and a few thousand others across the countryside. So for many foreigners, Chinese New Year is an excuse to skip off work a few days early, catch a plane out of the country and relax for a week or more. For others bound to the mainland (or Hong Kong and Taiwan, for that matter), and without a local's knowledge of what's to come, the holiday can be anticipated with a vague sense of unease, as though the entire city were about to combust with nationalist fervor and reckless pyrotechnic practices. But if you're an expat that plans on remaining in China through the week, it's not a bad idea to acquaint yourself with whatever it is that's coming—to familiarize yourself with the guiding principles behind this chaotic, bedazzled holiday. Read on for more CNY information....

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1,000 hands

"In Buddhism, 42 hands represents 1,000 hands"

If you're not going anywhere for Spring Festival, it's difficult to remedy the feeling that you're going to miss out as all your friends pack their suitcases with sunblock, bikinis and floppy hats. But there's plenty to do during the holiday, and after an unexpected cultural infusion last week, I now know how I'll spend at least some of my time over the holiday: a night out at the Chinese theater.

Get out and gain a new perspective

One performance you shouldn't miss is "My Dream" by the China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe. You may have seen pictures of the 1,000 hands, otherwise known as "Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva," or maybe you heard about the group because of their performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics; regardless, nothing beats seeing this show for yourself and feeling the energy in the room. It's hard to describe how moving this event really is, but I predict it will inspire you to be a better person and change your perspective forever. The 110 member troupe is composed of young people who are blind, deaf or have other physical limitations and have come together over a love for art. The troupe has performed all over China and in over 40 countries worldwide. Their focus is on improving themselves and the lives of others, and overcoming disabilities through music and dance. If the opportunity arises, go—I'm willing to bet it will change you for the better.

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There is something truly special about a wonderful photograph. The perfect photograph provides answers, provokes questions and leaves something intangible in its wake. In today's China Through My Lens, we've been welcomed into the warm, red cocoon of Nikki Clark's dark room for a tour of some fresh-out-of-the-solution images. On a recent China visit, the Melbourne-based photographer (and winner of last year's China Travel Photo Contest) shot scores of photos, and has shared some of the highlights with us. Read on for her take on the images, and to hear about two of her favorite places in China, Shanghai and Zhujiajiao.

Shanghai destinations

© Nikki Clark

I grew up in New Zealand in the small city of Wanganui, on the west coast of the North Island. Wanganui is probably best known geographically for the river running through it, and culturally for its strong art community. Always having a love for photography, I went on to study photographic design in Wellington (the big smoke) for four years.

After working in galleries and marketing for years I finally got up the courage to start my own photography business and have never looked back! I'm now based in Melbourne, Australia, and I have a wonderful excuse to visit China regularly; my sister, her partner and my wee niece and nephew live there. I also have friends in Shanghai and hope in the future to arrange an exhibition there. It's such a fantastic, creative city and I would certainly love any excuse to re-visit!

The image above was taken on the banks of the Huangpu River, near the Bund in Huangpu Park. The Shanghai Monument to the People's Heroes was built to commemorate revolutionary martyrs and those that lost their lives fighting natural disasters. Read on after the jump for more of Nikki Clark's China photos...

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China travel photography

Fading into the distance...

We read a lot about travel over the course of one week and, after much sifting and sorting, we've rounded up a few of our favorites. From news and reviews to great blog posts, unusual destinations and travel stories, read on for our picks. >>>

The question of why anyone would move to, or travel in China, is a complicated one. For most of us, China offers little in the way of the social comforts, familiar amenities and reassuring regularities that are easily found in the more Westernized parts of the world with booming tourism industries and expat populations. But often, it is that very strangeness that draws  individuals to China to pursue a vacation or some career, and there is no shortage of experiences to be had. My answer to that particular question shifts, depending on the day or mood I'm in, and I'm armed with a variety of cut-and-paste answers that I throw back at whoever's asking, often in lieu of some direct, well thought out response that I don't have.

In contrast to the often unhelpful and/or unclear answers I generally provide for the question, Stephen at Bohemian Traveler has gone ahead and written a post titled Why I'm going to China on his blog in anticipation of a three month long journey through the southern part of the country. My guess is that this exercise in personal goals, expectations and aims was as much for his own consumption as it is for inquiring observers; I've found it helpful to think constructively about what I hope to wrest from any experiences abroad, particularly when a place is as foreign as China. So big ups to Stephen, who keeps a tidy travel blog with regularly updated content, and we look forward to catching up with him in a few weeks after his China boots have been shined a bit more. More links after the jump...

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