Beijing Snow Day Etiquette

Last night, Beijing was visited by the Snow Fairy. She seldom makes an appearance here, so imagine my surprise this morning when I looked out of my window and saw this: 

In order to safely enjoy the snow day to its full potential, I have compiled a list of Dos and Don’ts: 

DO begin the day drinking hot chocolate (with marshmallows) and viewing the snow from the comfort of your sofa. 

DON’T overdose on the aforementioned hot chocolate, as you will fall into a sugar-induced coma and waste the opportunity to enjoy the snow. 

DO make comments about the snow on social media. It’s not a true snow day if you haven’t updated other people about it on Wechat, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Weibo. 

DON’T eat the snow. No matter how tempted you are to catch a fluttering flake on your tongue. You may have heard the warnings about yellow snow. But this is far more serious. That snow has fallen from the polluted heavens and contains almost as many chemicals as a child’s sugary breakfast cereal. 

DO visit a park and take in the beautiful scenery. If you feel like bursting into a snow-themed ditty or a song from Frozen, then just let it happen organically. 

DO find snow that has yet to be trodden on. Then stomp to your heart’s content for that ultimate underfoot crunch sensation! 

DON’T lie down on the snow to create a snow angel. I have walked in enough parks to observe that any time you stray from the path, you enter into a minefield of dog poo. Just because there is a blanket of snow lightly covering the grass, does not mean that the poo is no longer there. I suspect some of those poo morsels have been around longer than the Great Wall. I fear that disturbing these fecal corpses may be as dangerous as building on ancient Indian burial grounds. Unless you want to be haunted by a poo, then I suggest avoiding snow angels at all costs. 

DO create a snowman inspired by the amazing ice sculptures in Harbin. 

DO find a far more impressive and superior snowman built by someone else and take a photo so that you can claim it as your own creation.

DO write movie spoilers in the snow for unsuspecting members of the public to stumble across and feel confused by. 

Oh snow you didn't just ruin The Sixth Sense!

DO warm yourself up by feasting on delicious dumplings.

Sadly, the snow is already melting. The slushy snow can become a death trap if it refreezes…which leads me to the final rule:

DO prepare a dramatic fall in the event of a slippery disaster.

Đêm qua có tuyết rơi. Sáng nay, khi ở nhà, tôi có thể nhìn thấy phong cảnh đẹp. Những mái nhà phủ đầy tuyết. Chiều nay, tôi đã làm một người tuyết… nó ấn tượng không? =)) Một ngày vui vẻ ^_^

A Chinese New Year Tale

This is my third Spring Festival in Beijing. I have attended New Year celebrations in various places and although fireworks always make an appearance; nothing can compare to the sheer volume and intensity of the pyrotechnics found in Beijing.

I’ve been lucky enough to never experience a warzone firsthand. However, the cacophony of rockets, firecrackers and other explosives echoing around the city for days, can sometimes give the impression that the city is under siege.

There is a traditional story, which explains the reasons for the excessive use of fire-flowers illuminating the sky and the barrage of booms that reverberate around the entire city. I have condensed and illustrated the story below:

Considering the endless rumbles I have heard so far, I think it’s safe to say that Nian will not be making a return appearance any time soon.

To the 3 questions I always seem to ask myself (yet already know the answer to) during Chinese New Year:

1) Should I eat more?
Yes. It's an important holiday. For goodness sake, sneak another dumpling - they're good luck so it would be silly not to!

2) Am I going to find a seat on the subway today?
YES!! With many people returning to their hometowns, Beijing encounters a mass exodus that provides those who stay in the city, with a convenient and comparatively quiet public transport service.

Seats?!!!

3) Hasn’t everyone used all of the fireworks yet?
No. The answer is always no. Even when you just want a quiet nap, there will be some onomatopoeic obscenity just waiting to blast in your ear.

Last night, I went to 后海 (Hòuhǎi) with my friend Liz. She has, what can only be described as a firework fetish and came bearing about one billion boxes of the bangers (only a slight exaggeration). Houhai was a beautiful setting to watch the fireworks light up the night sky while getting reflected in the lake.

Luckily, Liz was uber-prepared and brought masks along for both of us. The pollution levels had been low all day, but she knew that the sky would soon be inundated with gunpowder and smoke.

It was a fun evening and has certainly confirmed my fondness for one of China’s most important festivals of the year.

Bạn có xem màn trình diễn pháo hoa chào đón năm mới không? Ở Bắc Kinh, pháo hoa nổ tung thành một đám mưa tia lửa. Tối qua tôi đã ăn phở bò và nem rán…Chẹp chẹp~
Tôi đã học được Lễ Hội Mùa Xuân được tổ chức để xua đuổi tất cả linh hồn quỷ dữ của mùa đông...Chúc bạn một Năm Mới Thật Hạnh Phúc!