HeiLongJiang, China

Trekking in DongBei

SITTING tight for four hours inside a budget plane, on the tarmac, is a test of patience. My destination, Harbin, was only 2.5 hours from Shanghai, about half the time spent squeezing my body into a comfortable position during the delay. The loss of travel time was initially put down to fog, but when the airplane next to the one I patiently sat in took off ahead of time I knew it was all trickery - an all too common experience here in China. Why Chinese airport authorities are reluctant to allow a foreign budget airline take-off gets the rumor mill turning. Nobody has ever really confirmed the truth behind the delays. The number one reason Chinese people give is that the carrier, Spring Airlines, doesn’t have a good relationship with the authorities.
 

Finally as the plane descended into the capital of HeiLongJiang (Black Dragon Province) it was difficult to make out any buildings. The city was blanketed in snow. An exciting prospect for a guy from Western Queensland. The outside temperature lingered around -16 degrees Celsius, a warm winter day for Dong Bei (North East China). 

I took a bus to my hostel, and as the vehicle slowly weaved its way into the city, it became a historical tour. Russian architecture has stamped itself on this city. Its urban plan is European, its buildings crowned with Russian architectural flare. Pedestrian bridge crossings and bus stops showed the city’s colonial past, all colored green and gold and with neo-classical architecture. Clear as ice, this is where China meets Russia. 

After checking in at the hostel, I quickly made my way to the river. Frozen with a few inches of snow on top, it was like a vast tundra. My sense of sight was challenged at first. Unlike Shanghai, my eyes were free to gaze into the distance. No bike, car, truck, building or person stood in the way of my sight. Just clean air and space. It took a few minutes for my eyes to readjust. 

During the winter cold plenty of thrill seekers head down to the river and race across the ice in their sedans. Watching it at first made me wonder how strong the ice was beneath me. I didn’t feel that comfortable. I didn’t know how strong the ice was. On the other hand cocky motorists felt safe tackling the ice with their 4 wheels. A kind of stay-at-home adventure. 

The next day I took a 6 hour mini-van to a village of only 2000 people. Of all my trips in China I have never been somewhere as isolated or as small as this village. Xue Xiang – China’s home of snow. The mini-van raced through undisturbed countryside and climbed steep mountains, covered in virgin forest, clean air and snow. Arriving at the one and only street in this remote village, heavy wind picked up, blowing snow into my eyes. This reminded me of some dust storms in Western Queensland. The hotel was clean and comfortable, with a small fire under the bed. Windows were double-glass. The first thing that struck me here was that indoors, residents were growing roses and cacti. 

Outdoors I had to learn all about walking in snow. I equate it with walking in sand at a beach. Until you set foot on a soft patch of snow and fall in half a meter. Down to my hips I was just about swimming around trees, trying to find more compact snow to walk on. I really didn’t know how far down I could go but luckily no deeper than my hips. 

The village straddled some small hills, covered in forest, but challenging to get to because of the snow. To me it seemed like the perfect escape from Chinese urbanization. A great place to get peace and quiet, something that doesn’t exist in the hustle and bustle of Shanghai. It also defied what I knew about winter. Trees, in -30degC, had shoots ready to pop once the sun warmed up a bit. Apart from the crunch of snow beneath my feet, the woods were so quiet it was like a non-China. Only for the wind, it was still and quiet, making it eiry.

Beneath the hills, in the village, businesses sold ice-blocks on the street, kept frozen naturally by the temperature. A common traditional Chinese medicine belief is that if the weather is cold, eating cold things is good for the body. Judging by the number of tourists I saw eating ice-blocks at -30degC, I would say it's a popular belief. Another store had freshly-caught game hanging from the door. Frozen solid, the pheasant and rabbit were probably ready for the stew pot. 

Men worked tirelessly with the snow, building fences and bridges of ice and igloo's. It was amazing to me to see how compact and hard ice could become if you worked with it. Or how you could build make-do luge tracks. This is one of my best memories in Dong-Bei, laying in a gigantic tire racing down a slope backwards.

It was fascinating to see in the northern-most province of China how much Russian paraphernalia was sold. Dolls and and vodka were the most popular buys for tourists. Classical music floated around the downtown and St. Sophia Church was churning out a tune from Titanic. Seeing a whole square of downtown designated for this Russian Orthodox church was surprising, made the city seem more connected and legit with its Soviet/Russian history. Iconic in Harbin, the church is emblematic of the Russia-Dong Bei relationship. It has had its moments. Russians drowning thousands of Chinese and the disconnect at the border. One side developed, the other side forgotten about by a government in a very distant European city. 

Dumplings and vodka were common at mealtime. Meat is a vital part of the diet in Dong Bei as is a 3PM bottle of beer or shot of vodka. A few times I came across Chinese fellas reeking of vodka or beer in the mid-afternoon. A warmer I guess.   

Shanghai Summer

Heat is setting in here in Shanghai. The sidewalks are becoming ovens. Trees are in full leaf. Drinking water is now a necessity, not just a healthy habit like in the winter months. Pollution seems to be aggravated by the heat – at least in my opinion. The Sun’s rays are now strong enough to bounce through the cloud of pollution. Whenever eating out, I’m always looking for an outdoor table to get some natural air flow and light. Light is an expensive commodity here in Shanghai. Skyscraper after skyscraper blocks out the sun, particularly in the afternoon and morning. This makes it difficult  to feel fully alert after waking up in the morning and you lose track of the day in the afternoon: Is it evening? No, it’s just 1PM. 

Denim shorts are in season this summer. Skimp out. Chicks shorts here could not get any shorter. I don’t think they could get away with it so hassle free on the streets in the West. Horns would be honking , whistles would ring out, ph. Numbers would be asked for. When I tell girls that, namely students, they are surprised to hear about this type of macho behaviour. I guess the Chinese man really does have a different set of etiquette when it comes to the chase. 

I think of home food more and more everyday. Particularly Corned Meat and Barbequed Mutton Chops. Would love to get my hands on some of that! Generally I’m now a 75% vegetarian. I’ve changed my diet right up this year to focus mainly around beans. White beans, chickpeas, black beans, and kidney beans cooked up in a Slow Cooker is my specialty. It lasts ages, is cheap and helps me keep my waste in check. I tried making falafel one time but that was just plain difficult and clumsy.

When you actually take the time to sit down and think about how Shanghai is a cluster of ceaseless skyscrapers, you wonder how it was ever planned. You become exhausted thinking about the ceaseless streets, apartments, cars, subways, commuters and compounds that signal where you are: Shanghai. People probably don’t think that much about this. It’s more of a rat race out there on the streets. Who can cross the road first, who can get on the subway first, who can get on the escalator first, who can get their meal first, who can get their Starbucks drink first. 

It’s amazing to see how Starbucks does here. There is always one nearby and you can count on there always being a customer. Strange considering coffee is a new taste for Chinese consumers. And generally speaking, coffee is not that popular. But now in my third year here in China, I have got to say that Starbucks doesn’t seem so American to me anymore. The coffee-shop style, green lettering and imagery associated with Starbucks screams Modern China.

Drinking in China

 For The Real Deal, You Gotta Pay

It’s an all too common scenario after a night out in Shanghai. You awake the next morning with a thudding headache and a fire in your throat. At this point you wonder: Did I really only drink beer last night or was it something else? Fake beverages - alcohol mixed with non-essential and unsafe chemicals - is a rampant problem in China. Often the only indicator that you have consumed a fake beer, vodka, whiskey or wine is the morning-after affects. It can be extreme. Some friends of mine got together over dinner and had about three beers each. After returning home and going to bed, each one had problems sleeping. Instead they were fighting headaches, burning throats, and nausea. All this pain from just three beers each. 

"You can’t rely on bars or even some supermarkets to guarantee the booze they sell is legitimate."

It can be hard to know the quality and safety of your drink by taste. A good look at the labeling of your drink is always required. You can’t rely on bars or even supermarkets to guarantee that the booze they sell is legitimate. The corner store right next to my building, a legal franchise, sells fake Australian wine. How do I know? The wine description on the label is so fuzzy that I can’t even read it. The cans of western beer often taste like acid and it gets you thinking: I never remembered Bud or Heineken tasting like this! 

At a drinks function one time, a German expat who has lived here in Shanghai for over a decade said the only way to guarantee that you drink safe alcohol is to pay the right price. That means not buying cheap drinks and being wary of discounts. The more you pay, the more likely your beverage will be real. 

The same rule also applies when buying other food goods, particularly meat. Being a conscientious consumer in China boils down to a simple rule: price determines quality.