Chinese Lantern Festival

So Monday night was the Chinese Lantern Festival and the official end of the New Year. We went downtown near Tienanmen Square to a Lantern festival. Didn't really know what to expect so we just followed the crowds to a pedestrian only street on which most of the stores were closed but Red Lanterns were hung everywhere. It was really pretty but I couldn't really figure out what the draw was... at least I thought there would be food because so much of China is food. We walked down to o end of the street and it was just that, the end of a street. We somehow ran into some of our friends who told us where the food and shops and excitement was - a street that turned off of the pedestrian street we were on.

We went back to this street so some of the most intense crowds I've ever been in. There's ab expression here - ren hai ren shan - which literally translates to people sea people mountain... basically people EVERYWHERE. We pulled off into a tiny alley to find jiao zi (Chinese dumplings traditionally eaten at the new year). We ate steamed pork and cabbage dumplings which were delicious - I think steamed are the best - better than boiled or fried. Towards the end of our meal a little white cat came into the restaurant-y place we were eating and just wandered around for a while. It didn't occur to me until now that in most restaurants in the US or the west in general the entrance of an alley cat into a restaurant would not be acceptable. Instead, here, the patrons of the restaurant were mewing at it and playing with it - no problemo.

When we got out of the restaurant and back onto the street the crowds lightened up considerably - I could see my feet! We were four at the beginning but at this point two went back and my friend and I continued down the street. So much street food and people and excitement. We stopped at this one guy and bought the closest thing to fortune cookies I've found in China! They were flat and thinner than US fortune cookies but tasted similar except that there were maybe ten different flavors! I got strawbetty and my friend got orange. They had just a hint of flavor (mine tasted like strawberry...) (I tend to buy things with awful english because I think it's funny... it might get me in trouble some day...) I was going to buy this other cake-like thing but the woman told the Chinese girl before me 3 yuan for two little squares and told me 5 yuan for one smaller square. I should have argued with her but I was pretty insulted and just scoffed and walked away. When we go back, I'll have a bone to pick with her.

Anyways, we were just heading back when some guys started lighting fireworks in the street right in front of us! They were SO cool and really big. I was a little concerned about the buildings maybe ten feet away from the fireworks but it all seemed fine. I've never been so close to their lighting. Chinese New Year puts the 4th of July to shame. These were incredible. At one point one did hit an air conditioner on the side of a building right next to it but it seemed okay... When we got back to the subway station it was closed for some reason so we walked to the other side of Tienanmen to catch that one. Turns out it was closed because one of the new CCTV towers burned down because of fireworks - yaoza. At midnight on Monday night the fireworks restrictions cracked down again so no more morning, mid day and evening, and nightly booms...

People are staring to return to Beijing and cafeterias are starting to open on campus again which is most excellent as we have been having to go out for nearly every meal instead of eating cheap, on campus food.

As for my apartment, There is still only the three of us here and apparently there is a leak in one of the other rooms so we have to water today. What a bummer... I don't have any class today