Shanghai: Top 5 Things to Remember when Travelling in China During Spring Festival

Like Christmas, Spring Festival is the time of year when Asian families get together to indulge in heavy duty feasting and merry-making. Similarly, it is also the time of year when shops shut at inconvenient times, streets are barren and you can’t buy anything at a supermarket without getting stuck in a queue behind old ladies with carts overflowing with baijiu and bean sprouts.

Perfect time for a holiday, then – but how can you make the most of your week off? Here are five things to remember when booking a holiday during the Spring Festival.

1 – Book early
Book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Spring Festival is the busiest travel period of the year, so if you haven’t reserved your hotel or flight for your dream destination at least a couple of weeks in advance you might have to settle for a secondary option.

2- This is not a summer holiday
Remember that, though this is a peak time for travel in China, it is not a peak time for tourism. At a time of year when most people are at family gatherings or staying in with loved ones, bars and clubs are relatively quiet. Expect fewer events and shows as entertainers and staff head home. Also, be aware that there will be fewer taxis on the street as many drivers also like to knock off for a couple of weeks break around this time.

3- Don’t travel by train
Honestly, don’t bother. Train station stations are overrun with travellers throughout the festival. Taking the train is not advised unless you want to spend hours of your week off in a packed train carriage with a stranger sitting on your feet. Plan ahead and save yourself a lot of stress.

4 – Do something wholesome
Do you really want to be one of the lonely souls propping up a deserted bar when every one else is with their family? Try a beach holiday in Sanya, or skiing in Harbin – it’s a lot more interesting than staring at the bottom of a glass.

5- Wrap up warm
Travellers should be aware that temperatures on the mainland, even in the south, regularly drop well below zero degrees centigrade during winter. A tip – thermal underwear may look ridiculous, but it is the best to combat the chill factor.

Happy New Year

Here’s wishing you all a happy Spring Festival. See you in the year of the tiger!

Sanya: Sand, Sea and Skullduggery

As a beach resort on the island of Hainan off China’s southern coast, Sanya is a renowned tropical paradise that attracts hundreds-of-thousands of surfers and sun-seekers annually. However, in years gone past most visitors to this part of the country were engaged in the the somewhat more extreme pass-times of smuggling and piracy.  In fact, according to records kept during the Song, Yuan and Ming Dynasties, only 18 tourists came to Hainan by their own volition between the years AD 960-AD 1644. The island was considered to be more of a place of exile and poverty, a perfect base then for the buccaneers that terrorized the South China Seas at that time.

The most famous of these is probably Zheng Zhilong, who was most active during the 17th century and who eventually graduated to become a rich landlord and naval officer. Countless others operated around islands such as Hong Kong, Sanya and along the east coast of Vietnam into the first half of the 20th century.

As late as 1892 the New York Times reported on the latest rouse of Hainan pirates, who would disguise themselves as customers on steamers and ferries departing from the island, before taking up arms and robbing the crew and passengers in the middle of the night. According the book ‘I Sailed with Pirates’ by American journalist Aleko Lilius, there was even old-school piracy going on  in the South China Sea as late as the 1920′s. Female pirate Lai Choi San commanded a fearsome fleet of 12 junks, complete with metal-plated hulls and cast-iron cannons, that she had inherited from her buccaneer father upon his death.

Of course, 21st century  Sanya has maintained very few remnants of this grim history. Today,  Sanya is a dazzling modern beach resort complete with cocktail bars and luxury hotels. Nevertheless, a wander around the island’s many isolated caves and coves will give visitors a taste of its colourful past.



Ningbo: Lao Waitan Bar Street

‘Waitan’ is the Chinese word for what was known as Shanghai’s Bund waterfront in the days prior to the liberation. Back then Shanghai was a glamorous financial powerhouse, skidding along on a bed of sleaze. Ningbo’s Lao Waitian (‘Old Bund’) is apparently seeking to emulate those glory days with this renovated city block of bars and restaurants.

It is skewed praise to say that Lao Waitan is not a creditable inheritor of that infamous reputation. This area probably has more in common with Shanghai Xintiandi Bar Street, except with even fewer drink and dinner options available. Bar units are square and featureless, making it very difficult to tell between any of these one dimensional drinking cells.

If you have travelled to all the way to exotic China to drink a pint of Guinness, you are in the right place. Enjoy your Guinness, but don’t over-indulge. Ningbo is all about excellent seafood, intriguing history as a treaty port and short ferry rides to Putuoshan. Lao Waitan is an unworthy distraction.

Hangzhou: Moganshan Lodge

Situated about two hours outside Hangzhou in east China’s Zhejiang Province, Moganshan has long been famous as a getaway for the urbane rich of Hangzhou and nearby Shanghai. The history of this small  mountainside settlement goes back over 1000 years, though for many the village will be forever linked to the glamour of colonial era Shanghai.

From the late 19th century to the liberation of 1949 businessmen, politicians and gangsters from all over the world came here to build splendid mansions in which to enjoy the summer months. The cooling climes of Moganshan must have been a real tonic in the seething Shanghai summer – especially in the days before air conditioning.

Moganshan is still popular during the summer, though to enjoy The Lodge at its best you should really head there in the middle of winter. In the colder months, the peak is regularly covered in snow and near deserted – perfect for exploring the meandering paths that flay through the bamboo forest and tea plantations of the mountainside.

Walkers could be forgiven for thinking they have stumbled back in time if they should find themselves at the Moganshan Lodge. The Lodge is a café, restaurant and bar owned by the first foreigner to live on the mountain in over 50 years. Set in a modern block in the centre of the village, the interior of this is both dark colours and wood finishes – a décor that mixes rustic modernity with classic colonial touches.

At The Lodge every effort is made to create a comforting retreat. As in the early days of the settlement, it is a retreat from hectic work and social life. In another sense, it is a retreat from the ravages of the mountain.

This is outstanding walking country, though after a day exposed to the elements walkers will look forward to a roaring fire, warm meal and bone-warming bottle of booze. Fortunately, The Lodge supplies all of these, and though the prices may be on a par with Shanghai, the service is far more personable and considerate than anything you are likely to find in the metropolis.

Address:
The Moganshan Lodge, Songliang Shanzhuang, Yin Shan Jie, Moganshan.

Tel 0572 8033011

Hangzhou: Beggar’s Chicken

This tender treat is a specialty of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. Beggars Chicken is rinsed in Shaoxing rice wine, flavoured and wrapped in palm leaves, before being slow-baked in mud. The result is chicken so succulent that it falls off the bone and a rich meaty gravy laced with the sticky sweetness of the rice wine.

As a visitor to China, you may be considered special enough to be treated to a dish of Beggars Chicken by a kindly host, and perhaps even have the honour of cracking open the hardened mud encasement.

As guest of honour at this imaginary banquet, you will also have the chance to regale your friends with the story of how this dish came to be. Chinese people love a good yarn, and the tale of Beggar’s Chicken is a juicy titbit for sure.

Apparently, Beggar’s Chicken was the creation of a roaming hobo in Changsu, Jiangsu province. In order to survive, this young chap would steal chickens from the gardens of local farmers. To avoid suspicion, he would wrap them in lotus leaves and bury them beneath his campfire – where they would slowly cook, out of sight of any curious passers-by. Soon this bum became popular amongst his fellow transients, who would crowd around his fire, and beg to share his dinner.

Oh, how delicious the irony.

Back to future times, Beggar’s Chicken can be enjoyed in restaurants throughout China, but visitors seeking an authentic experience should seek out Lou Wai Lou Restaurant on Solitary Hill.

Founded in 1848, this gem was a favourite of Zhou Enlai, who dined here ten times during his lifetime. A meal here remains one of China’s finest restaurant experiences.

Address: 30 Gushan Road, Hangzhou,

地址：中国杭州孤山路30号

Changsha: Hunan Provincial Museum

Visitors to China may sometimes find themselves remarking on how a country with such a long and rich history offers so few museum options. Indeed, tourism nationwide focuses mostly on standing monuments to the past – such as the Forbidden City and Great Wall. In the Hunan Provincial museum, however, historians have managed to bring history to life.

Situated in the provincial capital of Changsha, the museum hosts a number of featured exhibitions throughout the year. These mostly consist of national treasures from Beijing, but occasional international collections from Europe or the US splashdown in the city. The real highlight here, however, is the in-situ collection of local historical treasures.

You won’t have to be an expert in needlework, lacquer and embroidery to appreciate the exhibits on the first floor, although a little knowledge would tell you the examples excavated from a nearby site in the early 1970s demonstrate technology and methods so advanced for their time, that they pre-empted developments in the west by 1000 years.

By far the most impressive exhibit on display is the preserved body of the Marquis of Dai. At 2100 years of age, the old lady looks in miraculously good shape. Her cadaver is so well preserved that her muscles maintain a level of elasticity, and her joints are nearly free of rigor mortis.

The museum also displays the old lady’s internal organs alongside the remnants of her last meal. Over two millennia after her death, visitors to the museum can peer upon the watermelon seeds that she must have struggled to swallow in the hours leading up to her death.

Address: Hunan Provincial Museum, No.50 DongFeng Road, Changsha.
地址：中国湖南省长沙市东风路50号

Hong Kong: Ghostly Goings-On in Kowloon

A terrifying tale from Hong Kong

In 1972 Hong Kong was a very different city. One of the last remnants of the British Empire, the island and surrounding area was growing at a furious rate as migrants from around the world flooded into the money-making capital off the south coast of China’s mainland.

Hong Kong grew outwards and new housing developments sprang up, especially in the area around Kowloon. At Xiu Maoping, the hillside became a cluster of new accommodation blocks that spread steadily up the steep slopes. Although the new buildings were secure, some were concerned that the loamy earth of the hill side was not appropriate for construction. Not long afterward they were proved correct.

On June 16 1972 heavy rainfall triggered a landslide, sending tons of rock and earth careering down the slope. Buildings were destroyed and dozens killed by the flow, as it swept away buildings and a section of road. In the new apartment blocks, residents were taken by surprise and entombed in their rooms.

Rescue workers toiled for two days to free trapped survivors, but many did not survive. In the months following the disaster the housing blocks were slowly rebuilt and normal life painstakingly restored. Nevertheless, the area was tainted by the tragedy and the pervasive atmosphere of death, compounded by reports of supernatural occurrences in the aftermath of the tragedy.

In one famous incident, a school teacher making her way home through a torrential rainstorm came across a sobbing woman squatting at the roadside. The teacher moved closer, calling out to the trembling woman, who appeared to be holding a bundle of rags in her arms. Finally by her side, the teacher reached out to shelter her beneath her umbrella. The tormented soul swung around to face the teacher, revealing her face for the first time. It was contorted into a scream, and streamed with the sand and mud of the hillside. The teacher reeled in terror as the woman fought to express her anguish through the earth that flowed from her mouth and eyes, holding forth the body of an infant, wrapped in a sodden blanket. This woman was said to be the ghost of one of the landslide victims, buried for days with her child in her ground floor apartment. The teacher and other fled the area, fearful of the spirits haunting the hillside. As residents moved away in droves, property prices fell, and new families moved in to occupy the units.

One of the new residents was an old woman who had lived in the area as a girl. Although the hillside had changed completely, she still recognized the place she had lived in her youth, at a time when the town had carried a different name. The town of Xiu Maoping had been previously known as Sao Mu Ping or ‘Tomb Sweeping Place’ – a name that the people living on the hillside had always hated for its deathly associations.

The Hungry Ghosts festival occurs on the 15th night of the 7th Lunar month every year. It is widely celebrated in the streets of Hong Kong where people burn incense and offer sacrifices of fruit to the roaming ghosts of their ancestors.