Relaxed and Taking it Easy
I have been in Guangxi province for the past 10 days and apart from the first few days that were busy while getting a medical and the application for my visa submitted, it has mostly been a relaxing time. I didn’t bring my computer with me, thinking I would only be here for a few days, but last Thursday while contacting Wuhan, I was told I was not required any more this term so decided to stay for a bit longer as there was no need to rush back to Wuhan.
Relaxed Way of Life in Guangxi
It is a very laid back, slower lifestyle here in Guangxi than what I am used to in Wuhan, here I am staying in a small country town where not too much happens, so my day is mostly made up of watching TV, eating the local food and doing my best to avoid the almost daily heavy showers of rain. When it is not raining, we tend to go walking in the evening when it is not quite so hot.
Yesterday evening my wife suggested we go by electric bike to Binyang railway station and take a walk there. My first thought was why go to Binyang! Binyang is about 40 minutes away by bus, the thought of being on the back of an electric bike for that length of time did not sound too appealing but I agreed anyway. A short time later I discovered that Binyang’s railway station is nowhere near the city for which it is named. It is a new station and just a short distance from Litang where we are staying, only served by high speed trains. There is a large area of parkland laid out and many people go there to relax and unwind in the evening.
While we were there I asked how far the station was from Binyang, the only answer I received was it was easy to get there by bus. I wonder how many people go to Binyang to catch a train only to find the station is several miles away.
Dog Meat Festival
A couple of days ago I read that it was the time of year for the annual Dog Meat Festival in this part of China. Well I am happy to say I have seen no evidence of such a festival happening here. In the past I have seen dog carcasses at the meat market so was aware of this tradition of Chinese culture. I think it is just a small minority of people that continue this tradition and in a few years the popularity of such events will diminish further. I did see that the BBC had a negative report on this event on their website, but most of their reporting about China appears to be negative.
Without turning this article into a rant about the BBC, another of their stories concerned the use of cocktail stick catapult’s in China. I had not heard of such things before this report, the writer of that article had stated that they were on sale in 3 cities in the south west of China, and reported it like it was happening across the country. Was this article just more click-bait reporting from the BBC, without looking into too many facts?
Next week I have to return to Wuhan for a few days before beginning my summer vacation, I have some work lined up and will we travelling to some other provinces between now and the end of August, I will keep you posted on events as and when they happen.
