ChinaSnap! Chrysanthemum Tea

 

This is a picture of... a mug of Chrysanthemum tea (Zhuhua Cha, 菊花茶).

At the time I took this ChinaSnap! I was... reading at Home Cafe on Nanluoguxiang Street (南锣鼓巷), a revitalized district of hutongs (衚衕, traditional Chinese houses) in Beijing. 

I remember that... usually, Chrysanthemum tea is served with rock sugar to balance out the sometimes bitter undertones. 

This qualifies as a ChinaSnap! because... tea is quintessentially Chinese, and Chrysanthemum tea is that much more authentic. The floating flower bulbs are whimsical, and the tea has a delicious yet mild flavor. Plus, it is a staple of Chinese medicine, curing all kinds of illness from the common cold to liver issues.

Submit a ChinaSnap! of your own to Chinaful by emailing chinafulblog@gmail.com and we'll post it with your answers to the bolded sentence-starters. Anything from your favorite Chinese food dish to you in the Forbidden City, we want to see what's Chinaful to you.

ChinaSnap! Fall in Holhot, Inner Mongolia

This is a picture of... signs of fall in Northern China.

At the time I took this ChinaSnap! I was... exploring a temple in Holhot, Inner Mongolia.  I came upon this courtyard, with vegetables growing above it. A friend from the Tsinghua LLM Program traveling with me took this picture.  

I remember that... we had just visited the plains and then trekked around the Gobi, so we were exhausted and overstimulated. Holhot seemed at first ordinary and dull, but on closer look its ordinariness became charming. I snuck down alleys and saw the street stalls, the local produce, and lamb street food merchants. And this courtyard, simple yet charming.  

This qualifies as a ChinaSnap! because... while China's historical sights and natural features are breathtaking, I find the aspects of daily life throughout China are what I appreciate most. A cheap bowl of delicious noodles, a brightly colored door, an outdoor mahjong game. Pumpkins and squash growing from a trellis near an ancient temple. Small things, but beautiful nonetheless.  

Submit a ChinaSnap! of your own to Chinaful by emailing chinafulblog@gmail.com and we'll post it with your answers to the bolded sentence-starters. Anything from your favorite Chinese food dish to you in the Forbidden City, we want to see what's Chinaful to you. 

ChinaSnap! Great Wall at Badaling

This ChinaSnap! is courtesy of Jonathan Singer, an attorney in DC who recently traveled to Beijing for work. Jonathan is a friend of Chinaful and a blogger in his own right - I follow his insightful tweets and via @jonathanhsinger and I'm never disappointed. Today, he takes us with him to Beijing's Great Wall.  Thanks for the snap, Jonathan!      

This is a picture of... the Great Wall of China.

At the time I took this ChinaSnap! I was... outside of Beijing, climbing the Badaling section of the Great Wall.

I remember that... I was amazed to find out that my tour of the Great Wall was taking me to the very same section I had been to in December 2004, when I first came to China as a tourist (and when it was a whole lot chillier than it was in the summer of 2012, as you might imagine). I also remember that it was a real hike with a serious incline -- but one that I was more than happy to have taken.

This qualifies as a ChinaSnap! because... visiting the Great Wall is an essential part of one’s experience visiting Beijing. Although it may be a bit touristy, it is something that every world traveler must do in their life time.

Submit a ChinaSnap! of your own to Chinaful by emailing chinafulblog@gmail.com and we'll post it with your answers to the bolded sentence-starters. Anything from your favorite Chinese food dish to you in the Forbidden City, we want to see what's Chinaful to you. 

ChinaSnap! Flower Market + Giveaway

This is a picture of... lotus buds bundled for sale.   

At the time I took this ChinaSnap! I was... at the Hong Kong flower market in Mong Kok.  (Want to go yourself?  Take the MTR to Prince Edward Station Exit B1, then walk along Prince Edward Road West towards the railway station, about 15 minutes.)

I remember that... I had to bargain hard for my blossoms and other trinkets!  Markets never fails to be an opportunity to get a deal and a mental workout.  Whether you are in Beijing's six-story Xiu Shui, a rural food stall, or a pedi-cab in Tibet, there's room to negotiate.      

This qualifies as a ChinaSnap! because... lotus flowers are seen throughout Chinese art and culture.  The lotus symbolizes purity and romantic love, as well as strength in adversity.  And markets where you can bargain?  That's absolutely Chinaful.  

I promised in this post that a giveaway from Hong Kong's Goods of Desire was coming - and today's the day!  Last time I was in Hong Kong I picked up a secret weapon to aid any beginning bargainer.  

To enter this giveaway:

• One - Like Chinaful on Facebook (if you have already, you're good to go!)
• Two - Share a link to Chinaful on your Facebook page or Twitter
• Three - Leave a Comment with your email address and what you'd love to bargain for if given the chance

The one lucky Chinaful reader to win the secret prize will be announced August 3.  Good luck!

ChinaSnap! Lacquered Ducks in a Row

This is a picture of... lacquered roast ducks, geese and other poultry hanging in the window of a butcher's shop.

At the time I took this ChinaSnap! I was... in Hong Kong, walking the tiny alleys of Central and SoHo and taking in the sights and smells of the food market.

I remember that... I enjoyed walking this street more than visiting Hong Kong's jewelry and fashion stores. Moments of daily life in China for me are the most enjoyable, like people picking out their week's groceries from the street markets and bargaining over a good price. I think it's where you see the differences in culture and world view the most.  Think about it - in the US, do we bargain over our groceries?  Watch a live fish be butchered for our fillet?  Let chickens run around our feet until we buy it to feed our family?  Those differences affect more than our dinner, it's how we view "the way things should be" in the world.  

This qualifies as a ChinaSnap! because... ducks hanging in and cooks pulling noodles in restaurant windows are some of those quintessential China moments to me.  Food markets with the bright fruits and vegetables, the fish flapping in the water, and the ducks glistening from the fat - well, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

Submit a ChinaSnap! of your own to Chinaful by emailing chinafulblog@gmail.com and we'll post it with your answers to the bolded sentence-starters. Anything from your favorite Chinese food dish to you in the Forbidden City, we want to see what's Chinaful to you.