Chow Fun Tours Travel Blog - Chow Fun Tours, LLC

Chinese New Year

2/15/2019

新年快乐！新年 means "new year" and 快乐 means "happy." This common greeting (transliteration: sheen nee-en kwai luh) is uttered hundreds of billions of times each year.

Last week marked the beginning of Chinese New Year, the biggest holiday of the year in China. It is such a big holiday that children are out of school for a month. It has been dubbed the largest human migration in the world, with billions of people returning to their hometowns or visiting family and friends. The train stations are packed with people; standing room only for hours on end. There have been miles and miles of traffic jams in recent years, some so slow and long that they have lasted for days.

The migration is an inevitability for the Chinese. It's like Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthdays and anniversaries all in one. You MUST go home to celebrate. And celebrate they do! Days and days of firecrackers, gorging on food, music, dragon and lion dances, laughter, gift giving (especially money) and visiting with friends and family.

Chinese New Year is celebrated by Chinese, and other Asian cultures, around the world. From Vietnam to the United States, from Taiwan to Indonesia, from Malaysia to South Korea, from Singapore to Brunei. For those who want a little taste of Chinese New Year, New York City's Chinatown, and Chinatowns across the U.S., the celebrations are joyful and exciting. Check it out sometime. Or better year, get to China!

Tianmen Mountain

2/8/2019

Tianmen Mountain in Hunan Province (near Zhangjiajie National Park), is a beautiful mountain filled with lots of long rides...world's longest cable car, one of the world's longest escalators and a crazy bus ride up the mountain, with 99 hairpin turns. The mountain also boasts a glass walkway, that hovers off the side of the mountain. Tianmen Mountain is a lot of fun and adventure in one day trip.

I spent a day on Tianmen in 2016. After the 99 hairpin turns (see slideshow above), we reached a platform where we could view the big erosion hole at the top of 999 stairs. For those who didn't want to walk the interminable stairway to heaven, there is an option to go up one of the world's longest escalators to the top. The views are breath-taking, as are all views from China's sacred mountains. We meandered along several paths to get to the glass walkway. At the time, that was the coolest glass-related walking we could do, but since that time an enormous glass bridge, that goes from mountaintop to mountaintop, is available for the brave travelers willing to try it.

The way down the mountain was an amazing 30 minute ride on the world's longest cable car. Most of the things we did are not great choices for those afraid of heights, but for me, it was a fantastic adventure with some awesome high school students, teacher friends, my dad and my son, Max.

Tongli

2/1/2019

Tongli is one of the small water towns outside Shanghai. On typical traffic days, it will take less than two hours to get to Tongli, but on the day we went in October 2018, there was a lot of construction. Three and a half hours after hotel departure, we arrived. Although we were grumpy from the interminable ride, we enjoyed a delicious lunch at one of the local restaurants, took a boat ride around the canals and spent free time, wandering the back alleys and buying local arts and crafts. All in all a good day.

We visited one of the many gardens in Tongli, The Retreat and Reflection Garden. The garden and buildings were built in the late 1800's. The location is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you are lucky, and we were that day in October, there might be opera performed in the main square.

There are other water towns like Tongi, with cobblestone alleys, stone bridges and winding canals. Zhujiajiao is the water town closest to Shanghai, only about 45 minutes away. Some others are Zhouzhuang, Xitang and Nanxun.

Reed Flute Caves

1/25/2019

Reed Flute Cave is in Guilin, China. It is an enormous cavern with stalactites and stalagmites that have been formed over hundreds of thousands of years. There are inscriptions throughout the cave, some of which date back to the Tang Dynasty. Although it has been around for almost all of history, they were uninhabited until the 1940's when a group of Chinese, fleeing the Japanese, hid there. The cave is named for the reeds that grow outside. The reeds are used to make flutes.

As evidenced by the pictures above, the rock formations are illuminated with multi-colored lights, giving it a Disney feel. Despite this, the cave and the formations inside are striking, as is the enormity of the cave, which takes about 30 minutes to walk through.

Liu Sanjie

1/18/2019

One of the most beautiful shows I have seen in China is the Liu Sanjie water, light and music show in Yangshuo. Yangshuo is a quaint little town about 1-1/2 hours from Guilin, in Guangxi Province. The town is the endpoint of the Li River cruise. I like to take cruise in the morning, arrive in Yangshuo in the afternoon, stay through dinner and catch the show in the evening.

The Liu Sanjie show is a spectacle of light and music. It takes place on the water and there are no bad seats. The only suggestion I have is to bring a zoom lens for a camera in order to get close-up views of the singers and dancers.

Liu Sanjie is the name of a young woman in folklore. Liu is the woman's last name; last names are listed first in Chinese, out of respect for the family name. "San" means "three" in Chinese and "jie" means "sister." Therefore Sanjie refers to the young woman's place in her family: the third born daughter of Mr. Liu. In Chinese families, children are often referred to by their place in the family, not their given name. The younger sister in the family will be called "meimei" which means "little sister." Meimei is not her name, but that is the name to which she is referred.

The "Liu Sanjie" story goes like this: Liu Sanjie is a legendary woman from the Zhuang ethnic minority. Her voice is fabled to be so spectacularly beautiful that she is also called the Song Fairy. As is customary in Zhuang traditions, Liu Sanjie gives an embroidered ball to the boy she likes, named A Niu. He then throws the ball across the river and onto a rock, high on a mountain, as a symbol of their everlasting love. That is basically the gist of this story, two farm villagers falling in love.

Despite the relatively boring nature of the story, it is a fantastic performance that is highly new and unusual to the western eye.

Bamboo Raft Ride

1/11/2019

The Li River is one of the most famous rivers in China due to its spectacular beauty. The river is lined on both sides with limestone karst peaks. The peaks look as if they are the setting of a science fiction movie, shaped like gumdrops. They are more like mountains from a Dr. Seuss book than true landscape.

In the past, I have brought travelers on a boat ride down the Li River, from Guilin to Yangshuo. However, on my most recent trip to that area, we went on one of the smaller tributaries, the Yulong River.

Because the Yulong is not as wide and deep as the Li, larger boats cannot navigate its waters. But bamboo rafts can be poled down the Yulong and that's just what we did. Locals, who also make their living by fishing, pole the bamboo rafts down river. Our ride was about 1-1/2 hours.

The rafts are decked out with two chairs for travelers to sit and enjoy the scenery. We were a caravan of rafts. At times it was quiet and peaceful. The only sound was the water. At times, the "gondoliers" would converse with one another, usually about their guests. I heard them comment, in the local dialect, that I speak Mandarin, but couldn't understand them when they spoke in their dialect. While that is generally true, I was able to decipher some of their conversations about the Americans for whom they rowed that day. As I always do, I smiled to myself and acted ignorant.

The most exciting part of the ride was when we were poled down the elevation changes where the locals built little dams, over which we needed to float. The first one was very scary. It appeared as if we would fall forward into the water. Each time we descended was a little scary, but it really was not a big deal.

The beauty of this part of China is breath-taking. Every single person with whom I have traveled to this area has had the same impression, beyond spectacular. Join me on a bamboo raft ride down the Yulong!

Yangshuo Cooking School

1/4/2019

A couple of years ago, one of our local Guangxi Province guides introduced me to Yangshuo Cooking School. Now it is a staple of any trip to that area of the country. After a visit to the local vegetable market (last blog), we travel into the countryside by van to the school. The school is located is in a tiny village and is housed in an old farm house. Each chef has their own station, in the open air, with a giant wok, wooden chopping block, giant cleaver and beautiful ingredients. Our host, Sophie, demonstrates the steps for each dish and then she comes around to help us.

The first time I went, amongst other dishes, we made egg dumplings, a treat for my gluten free friends. This time we prepared an appetizer of steamed vegetables stuffed with meat. We created chicken with cashews, beer fish, stir-fried eggplant (my favorite) and stir fried cabbage, which is surprising delicious and so easy. Once the meal is complete, we sat down at long farm tables in the open air and enjoyed the fruits of our labor.

Come see the surprises we have in store for you on our next journey!

Vegetable Market

12/28/2018

Before our cooking class in the countryside (next week's blog), we took a walk through a vegetable market and it was like walking back in time. Shoppers were perusing the merchandise, occasionally pointing to some eggplant or scallions. The produce is weighed using the old fashioned scales with the vegetables on one tray and weights on the other. Most of the shoppers frequent the same vendors, and stop for a chat before wandering home.

As we walked up and down the alleys of not only vegetables, but fruit, meat, fish (including frogs and turtles) and poultry, one of our group asked how the people decide from which to buy, "They all have a lot of the same products," she commented. Our local guide and cooking teacher told us that she looks at the produce and buys whatever looks freshest. Some buy from friends out of loyalty.

Regardless of the village, town or city, there are vegetable markets all over China. Join me on a trip and check it out!

Victoria Peak

12/18/2018

Victoria Peak, the highest point on Hong Kong island, is a hill in western Hong Kong with spectacular vistas of Victoria Harbor. The top of the peak is accessed by bus or by the 120 year old funicular, one of the world's oldest. When going up or down on the funicular, there is an optical illusion out the right side of the carriage. It appears as if the buildings are falling into the hill. Obviously, they are vertical, but the angle of the funicular creates this illusion.

When Hong Kong was a British colony, 1841 - 1997, The Peak was "the place" to live. It was exclusive to British ex-pats. Since there were no roads up The Peak in the early years, residents might be seen being carried up the hill in sedan chairs.

Hong Kong's Peak is still home to the uber-wealthy; it has been the least affordable city in the world for eight years. This year, a 9,217 square foot mansion sold for $180 million, about $19,400 per square foot. However, there are reports of purchases for up to $30,000 per square foot.

Tai O Fishing Village

12/11/2018

Lantau Island is one of the thousands of islands that make up Hong Kong. One of the fishing villages on the island is Tai O. The name means "large inlet". For the past 300 years, generations of families have built and lived in stilt homes in Tai O. The homes are referred to as "pang uks." The homes and village are quaint and picturesque, despite being dilapidated.

Tai O used to be a very important trading and fishing port. Although many still make their living as fisher people, the subsistence life motivates younger generations to move away from the village. Salted fish and shrimp paste are sold in storefronts all over the village.

Tai O is the port from which boats depart, bringing tourists to the open water in search of the elusive pink dolphin (see last week's blog).

Lauren Drazen

I have traveled all over the world, including adventures in China, Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Israel, Jordan, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland, England, Denmark, Russia, Costa Rica, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Dominican Republic, Canada and Mexico. My greatest love is introducing Americans to the sites, traditions and people of China. My hope is to give travelers a new lens through which to see the world.

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