Travel Diary: Qingdao
Photo by Allen Wang, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
China has always fascinated me. The nation is the most populous, the history is among the longest and the culture is one of the richest. You can only live so long hearing stories about a country without going there yourself, I have always thought, and I am glad that I have transformed my thinking into reality for China.
I took my visit to China this February by visiting Qingdao. The location of the “Sailing City” is diagonally southwest of Incheon, where I flew out on Chinese New Year’s Eve (also commonly known as Lunar New Year’s Eve).
The New Year for Chinese citizens is a special time. The only holiday of its kind, working professionals and entire families return home to their parents’ residence to celebrate the end of one year (2012 was the Year of the Dragon) in order to rejoice in the dawn of the next year (2013 is the Year of the Snake). While families gathered in Qingdao, I was also privileged to participate in one family’s festivities for the evening. And what I received will always stay with me.
The eldest adult son drove to my hotel and picked me up with his wife, who is expecting a baby next month, and their teenage daughter, in the back seat. We traveled about 20 minutes east to spend the evening at the home of the grandfather and grandmother. After our initial greetings and questions, we all gathered at the living room table to play several rounds of Uno. While the family members knew varying levels of English, I could follow color and number sequences without understanding the Mandarin chit-chatting. During the time of listening, I also noticed the distinct booms of fireworks. At first, I could not get over how rapidly they were being set off, but as the night progressed, I got used to the sounds, just like my host family was used to it. Thirty minutes passed, and then we took a short break from fun to prepare for dinner.
Forming dumplings seemed simple enough when it was clearly demonstrated, but not for a perfectionist in the thick of dough and meat. By my third semi-closed delicacy, I was gently permitted to play another game in the living room while work resumed in the dining room. I understood that it was OK that I could not master this culinary creation in 10 minutes, and they did too. American cooking and/or baking has never been a strength of mine anyway. Several rounds of a new game with colored tiles passed before the younger adult son arrived, just off the 5-hour speed train journey from Beijing to Qingdao. Then, we began our feast.
Dumplings, rice, preserved eggs, fish, noodles and vegetables were set upon plates and dished out, Korean-style. Towards the end of the meal, I spotted what I thought was one of the two specialty dumplings. Once I bit into it, I knew that I had chosen correctly. The sweet taste of chocolate had an unexpectedly sweet aftertaste as my host family congratulated me, informing me that I would have a “sweet someone” come into my life this next year. I will wait and see when she comes, but during this year would be convenient.
After finishing this fantastic meal, we finally all gathered around the TV to watch the televised celebration from Beijing. Comic skits, traditional dances and a live performance of “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion were the snippets I understood without translation while spending time with my new family away from home.
Before leaving for the night, I left behind two gifts. The first was a Thank You card, expressing thoughts in both English and Chinese, which I had purchased earlier that day from a Leader (comparable to a small E-mart). The second was a 红包 (hong-bao), a red envelope containing 20 RMB (almost 3,500 won) as a gift for the youngest member of the family. A close Chinese colleague who I met during my year teaching English in Thailand instructed me that her family, the family who I was with, would be impressed with me for remembering and practicing this tradition of elders giving of their finances to the youngest generation. They sure were, as I headed out the door while expressing grateful farewells.
Maybe Qingdao is normally busy, but the timing of my trip was not the best for typical tourism purposes. When everyone goes home for the New Year, few establishments are open. Still, I made an adventure out of two afternoons strolling downtown Qingdao, taking pictures and journeying through new territory.
What surprised me most was the city was multi-faceted, and how it even reminded me of other places I have been before. The harbor, docks and look-out points clearly exhibited why Qingdao is coined the “Sailing City.” Meanwhile, the massive skyscrapers and 1940s European architecture reminded me of America’s capitol, two hours east of my home in western Virginia. My hotel and its surrounding construction sites, mainly the shopping centers and restaurants that Central City (similar to four Lotte Department stores put together) will bring, ensured Qingdao will continue growing. Unlike the current metropolises of Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai, Qingdao is smaller in comparison, but the development of more buildings and the approaching spring/summer seasons will bring people into the city for business and leisure worth experiencing.
If you are looking for an ideal place for your first visit to China and not be overwhelmed, Qingdao is a fantastic weekend get-away… The massive crowds of people are just not there, and I felt completely safe walking the streets, even at night.
Jasmine, a Korean colleague of mine, recently suggested visiting Jeju Air’s website, which offers tickets under 100,000 won from Incheon to Qingdao when booked a month ahead.
For more information about Qingdao, start by visiting: www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/shandong/qingdao