Getting fascinated...

...in the South of mainland China.
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by PAM

Chinese snacks define 'assortment' in a different level.

I recently traveled to mainland China, and people found it strange that it was my first time to travel to the mainland.  To be honest, apart from visiting the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City someday, the tourist in me haven't really given China much thought.  I enjoy Hong Kong and Macau, and it was enough for me.  I've also visited Taiwan, which was a fascinating place, and I thought these were enough Chinese experience for me. Many of my friends, of course, do not agree, especially those who've traveled or lived in the mainland.  So, I kept my options open.

I thought one of these days, I'd visit mainland China and do all the 'touristic' stuff... but I didn't realize I'd do it soon enough. I traveled for work to Shenzhen, a major city in the

The Wuzhou Guest House: where State Visitors in
Shenzhen stay. 

Guangdong Province in the south of China. It is considered the "gateway" to mainland China, via Hong Kong.  But because I was traveling on very tight schedule for work, I did not really get to explore the City.  I did stay in the famed Wuzhou Guest House on Shennan Road, which gave me a view of one of the best parts of the City.  But I felt 'cocooned' inside.  The place was surrounded by high-end Malls, towering buildings of Shenzhen's financial district and a huge golf course.  The hotel food was very good but was not in any way 'traditional' Chinese.  They served mostly continental food with some Asians thrown in here and there.  Or, perhaps, we were given the 'continental treatment'. On the last evening of my stay, I did check out more popular eating places that locals frequent.  I loved the eating places, especially those located in buildings where one pass through labyrinth-like passage ways finding hip Chinese restaurant at every turn.  The passage ways opened up occasionally to coffee and/or tea shops on open decks, adorned with vertical gardens.  And then, the hallways seemed to invite you again to the 'labyrinth', to winding stairways that went round and round the building with walls that were a work of art... and it was hard to resist.  More eating places lined up hallways.  The colors and decor of some are truly striking - a mix of traditional Chinese and very modern glitter.  There was one with purple decor and very posh smallish chandeliers.  It had wing-back seats, ottomans and bean bags that were in purple velvet sewn with glassy studs. And there were vases of pale colored blooms everywhere you turned, which balanced the striking purple.  Some played music... that I didn't recognize, but definitely sounding current and edgy.  Perhaps, from local artists with international aspirations. I never imagined that "hip" and "Chinese restaurant" would ever be used in one sentence... but there was no other way to describe the scene.  You wouldn't believe that you were in mainland China (at least, based on how people describe mainland China) because it had that vibrant Hong Kong vibes about it...

When in China, gotta buy authentic chinaware.

and some restaurants felt like some hip restaurant in Berkeley, California.  Very surprising, indeed.  

I had a huge dinner in the hip side of town with colleagues that I met in the conference that I attended.  Authentic Guangdong food was quite spicy but very tasty.  They had a variety of reptile meat dishes, which I was not feeling too adventurous to try.  So, I went for the more traditional choices, which were all delicious.  After dinner, I squeezed out time to explore the local shopping center where locals hangout and where locally made products were sold.  People, mostly young people, were dressed like "Westerners", and they were tinkering with their gadgets like most people in cosmopolitan Western cities do. They had an assortment of products that looked very tempting to buy, and they were mostly very affordable.  I got myself a pretty paper fan painted with traditional Chinese scenes, and a set of placemats and chopsticks - so pretty. 

I explored one supermarket just to see what people buy... they have tons of snacks and lots and lots of tea products!  Just amazing!  I took one of each kind that I can find, and that I can afford 😊 - mostly out of curiosity.  Some of which I brought home so my family and friends at work can have a taste.  The fruit tea and the flower tea was more than fascinating, and they taste wonderful. And, since I was in China, I did check out posh chinaware stores.  My mouth watered at the sight of those beautifully crafted stuff they have, but all were very, very pricey.  I bought a memento... just a little something that someone like me can afford, which wasn't all that much really. 😐

Did I like my first visit to mainland China?  Yes, I did.  It was actually a good visit.  Most people did not speak English, but they were very accommodating, they tried communicating using figures and numbers in their cellphone.  And they were very patient, too. Do I want to return to China for more 'touristic' activity?  Certainly.  When?  Oh, work comes to mind... and I feel stressed out again. *sigh*  Writing here usually has that 'magical' therapeutic effect on me... but, this time, it's not working all that well.  I guess, stress from work has reached an insurmountable level, I completely lost work-life balance.  I've grown dull, lost my sense of humor, and my love for adventure and fun.  

I need a break - very badly.  And I intend to take one.

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