Chinese New Year began Jan. 25 and I'm not really sure when it ends. The kids have 2 weeks off for school. Many shops have been closed for at least a week and some longer. There are special days in the lunar calendar that have specific celebrations and meanings, usually good luck, prosperity, good health, etc. It is all very intriguing to watch for this outsider. One HUGE part of the holiday is shooting off fire "crackers" (don't be fooled...they are shooting off major explosives!). The city (country?) sounds like it is under attack...the banging and whistling goes on for all hours of the day. Levi took a taxi to a friend's house on New Year's Eve and said the whole sky was like the biggest fireworks display he had ever seen. You can smell the sulfur hanging in the air.
Jim left the country...maybe because he was here last year for CNY and he knew what to expect! Actually, he is in Chihuahua, Mexico, training 2 new hires for Emerson. (The factory in Nanjing is a copy of the factory in Chihuahua.) He is gone for 2 1/2 weeks...it feels very familiar to be the sole parent after 8 months without him last year. But I prefer to work as a team in the same country. So with Dad gone and the kids out of school for 2 weeks, we've taken in some of the local sights, visited with friends, and made a quick dash to Shanghai. I have also been keeping tabs on the buds at "plum blossom hill" on Purple Mountain, trying to gauge when spring will truly be here. The flowers are just starting to show their pink color...spring is on the way!
Here are some views of Chinese New Year from my side of the camera!
Happy Niu Year...as the joke goes! 2009 is the year of the ox, or niu in Chinese. Here are Rachel and Jesse posing outside the Pearl Tower in Shanghai.
This has nothing to do with the New Year, except I used my "fireworks" feature on my camera to catch the light in the dark tunnel. We took a 5 min. ride under the Huang Pu River in Shanghai through the "Bund Tourist Tunnel." A truly Chinese experience that defies description!
Lanterns at the Yu Yuan garden and bazaar in Shanghai. I'm sure it is beautiful at night...but we didn't see it. We'll try to see the lanterns in Nanjing.
Another "over-the-top" display for the New Year in Shanghai.
How do you make a 14-yr old boy happy and keep his mom in prayer? Levi had a hard time making up his mind...sure, they had the little stuff you can buy in Minnesota. But they also had the big stuff you go to WATCH at the professional shows in Minnesota. Insane...IMHO.
We hosted a gathering of women from Emerson to make dumplings. Two of the women brought along their daughters, much to our delight! The Chinese make dumplings on the 5th day of the new year for good luck, wealth, and something else...I forgot. Hope I still benefit!
Busy bees. Rachel had a friend, So Yun, stay over and they joined in. The ladies liked my big table, but laughed at my big rolling pin!
Sophia, who visited us in Minnesota, was the chief cook and organizer. She has very high standards for the dumplings...and they were delicious.
How many Chinese cooks does it take to make dumplings? We had a kitchen-full, but they all said they liked working in my roomy kitchen.
The chopping was a critical task. The women didn't like my knives! They were too small. Next time, they said they would bring their own.
Mmmmmm. There were plenty of dumplings for everyone. We even froze some for Jim to enjoy when he returns from Mexico. And I suppose I could make them again, now that I know how.
The city is decorated for the new year. Nighttime is by far the best time to enjoy all the decorations.
We took an evening and went to an arcade, a favorite Chinese activity. I couldn't help but take a photo of this guy. I think he needed a quiet (?) place to catch some Zzzzzzs. Probably has a ton of relatives at home and can't find a place to sleep! He was really asleep.
Even the dogs are all dressed up and out on the town for New Year's. I guess Bumper's not the only dog that wears sweaters in the winter...or so we've heard! Speaking of Bumper, we "skyped" him on New Year's in the US. He was visiting with the Nygaards and they put him up to the screen. That poor puppy will be so confused when he sees us again!
Jim left the country...maybe because he was here last year for CNY and he knew what to expect! Actually, he is in Chihuahua, Mexico, training 2 new hires for Emerson. (The factory in Nanjing is a copy of the factory in Chihuahua.) He is gone for 2 1/2 weeks...it feels very familiar to be the sole parent after 8 months without him last year. But I prefer to work as a team in the same country. So with Dad gone and the kids out of school for 2 weeks, we've taken in some of the local sights, visited with friends, and made a quick dash to Shanghai. I have also been keeping tabs on the buds at "plum blossom hill" on Purple Mountain, trying to gauge when spring will truly be here. The flowers are just starting to show their pink color...spring is on the way!
Here are some views of Chinese New Year from my side of the camera!
Happy Niu Year...as the joke goes! 2009 is the year of the ox, or niu in Chinese. Here are Rachel and Jesse posing outside the Pearl Tower in Shanghai.
This has nothing to do with the New Year, except I used my "fireworks" feature on my camera to catch the light in the dark tunnel. We took a 5 min. ride under the Huang Pu River in Shanghai through the "Bund Tourist Tunnel." A truly Chinese experience that defies description!
Lanterns at the Yu Yuan garden and bazaar in Shanghai. I'm sure it is beautiful at night...but we didn't see it. We'll try to see the lanterns in Nanjing.
Another "over-the-top" display for the New Year in Shanghai.
How do you make a 14-yr old boy happy and keep his mom in prayer? Levi had a hard time making up his mind...sure, they had the little stuff you can buy in Minnesota. But they also had the big stuff you go to WATCH at the professional shows in Minnesota. Insane...IMHO.
We hosted a gathering of women from Emerson to make dumplings. Two of the women brought along their daughters, much to our delight! The Chinese make dumplings on the 5th day of the new year for good luck, wealth, and something else...I forgot. Hope I still benefit!
Busy bees. Rachel had a friend, So Yun, stay over and they joined in. The ladies liked my big table, but laughed at my big rolling pin!
Sophia, who visited us in Minnesota, was the chief cook and organizer. She has very high standards for the dumplings...and they were delicious.
How many Chinese cooks does it take to make dumplings? We had a kitchen-full, but they all said they liked working in my roomy kitchen. 
The chopping was a critical task. The women didn't like my knives! They were too small. Next time, they said they would bring their own. 
Mmmmmm. There were plenty of dumplings for everyone. We even froze some for Jim to enjoy when he returns from Mexico. And I suppose I could make them again, now that I know how.
Many of the Chinese get out during the holiday and see the sights. We joined in and walked to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Mausoleum by our house. I bribed the kids and told them if they walked up all the steps without stopping I would reward them! It is a hike, but a beautiful view at the top. Imagine having a cemetery plot like this!
The city is decorated for the new year. Nighttime is by far the best time to enjoy all the decorations.
We took an evening and went to an arcade, a favorite Chinese activity. I couldn't help but take a photo of this guy. I think he needed a quiet (?) place to catch some Zzzzzzs. Probably has a ton of relatives at home and can't find a place to sleep! He was really asleep.
Even the dogs are all dressed up and out on the town for New Year's. I guess Bumper's not the only dog that wears sweaters in the winter...or so we've heard! Speaking of Bumper, we "skyped" him on New Year's in the US. He was visiting with the Nygaards and they put him up to the screen. That poor puppy will be so confused when he sees us again! 
1 comment:
Oh, looking at all your pictures brings back memories! I love how that one of the Bund Tourist Tunnel turned out.
Tesha
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