Ever since coming back from my guilty Vietnam trip, things have not been going well. The landlord hasn't signed the sublease agreement and I was back to working on the contracts. Kelley was not happy about the changes in the terms I promised (or we assumed). And coming up with a name for the B&B has been like pulling teeth. I realize that part of the reason for the difficulty was that I haven't found its personality yet -- and I'm a bit worried that I myself do not match the 5-star high-style decor that Don seems to be shaping towards. This is back the question of identity, and there's really no escape in it. I'll have to figure that out for myself eventually.
During the course of 2 weeks, I've written up 6 note pages of various names, concocted by yours truly and sympathetic friends. Special thanks for Cathy, who called me enthusiastically and contributed "Nightingale" at the end of a long work day. The first thing I looked into was ChangLe Rd's old French Concession name: Rue Bourgeat. Way too hard to pronounce. I don't speak French so can't even pronounce it properly, as I imagine most customers won't either. Ok, the Chinese translation is 蒲石路... what? pushy? Nah.. How about the beautiful Wutong 梧桐 plane trees that line the street? Both names sound bad (“no pain” and “plain tree”?). Hsun suggested that I look into fabric/touch or smell, since I'm into those things myself. She came up with Velvet Lane, but I shot it down since Velvet Lounge is around the corner. I tried out flower names but somehow the names were either too abused (rose, orchid, peony, mudan) or too much of a tongue twister (michelis alba 白玉蘭 huh??, osmanthus, cereus 曇花). How about just plain Lane House 808? "It's been done already..." Don said. Don liked "Trellis" since he's planning to put one up on the rooftop but I thought it was too random and not a major feature of the house. Also thought along the line of jewel box and gems, but got similar issues as with the flowers. Then there's the "oasis" cluster: Tranquility, Haven, Retreat, Hammock...sleepy... I thought about using "Opium Lane," but was afraid that my rich, baby boomer couples would be too intimidated and skip my B&B altogether. Tried easy-to-pronounce Chinese words that have deep and far-reaching meaning, like "Hui" 匯 and "Ju" 聚, which both mean “convergence”. The Summit across the street is called 匯賢居, which means the gathering or convergence of the respected. Darn, what a perfect name! I dare not dabble too much into Chinese names too much for I often jumble up my Chinese idioms 成語. Alice, being the English teacher she is, came up with "Au Contraire" (you said you want to be an alternative 5-star hotel right?) and "Diamondita" (Jewel and jewel box?).
The closest runner-up was "TBD". To be determined. To be developed. To be destroyed ;-p If reflects my indecisiveness toward the nature of this B&B. Credit goes to Monica. We somehow came up with the idea from her commenting about a Oakley knock-off "Oyay". How about "Oright", "Oshit", and "Omygod"? That's a hotel chain right there, lol. I slept on "TBD" for one night until today, when amidst thunder and downpour, Hsun, Monique, and me sat around after dinner and came up with "Quintet". "How about 5xxx?" "5 Senses?" "Quartet?" "How do you call quartet with 5 people?" "Quintet." Voila~ Hsun and I also agreed that our favorite instrument is the cello. Here's what I wrote to Don just now: "I think I came up with the name of the hotel -- Quintet B&B. It speaks to Shanghai being a place of variety, collaboration, and harmony (or dissonance if put together poorly). It's also classy and intimate which fit our little house and alludes to the five rooms we have. But no need to be so literal about Quintet's musical definition.
I'll wait a few days and see if Quintet sticks!
2008年6月8日 星期日
2008年6月1日 星期日
Choosing from a hundred toilets
As the proprietor of this future B&B, I felt that it's important for me to partake in the selection of certain key materials that will go into the house. So when Don invited to go shop at Yishan Rd (think Home Depot but many times bigger and less organized) for toilets and tiles, I was elated. I was like a kid on field trip, touching everything and asking all kinds of questions. But pretty soon, I realized that I simply do not have the trained eye that's required for the job. Our first task was to pick out a toilet that would fit our deco-style house and bathroom. Don stressed on the simple lines and curves that I must look for when picking out our candidates. Everytime I thought I found something, I was instantly shot down by Don: "No, that's too modern. We're looking for modernist." "That's too round." "The proportion is off." "That's too..." Ten shops into our search, I became very sullen and quiet. My eyes also became blurred with white visions of toilets flashing in front of me. At the end of a four-hour rummage, we (or Don) settled on only two choices. Don wanted me to be the final judge but honestly, they looked pretty much the same to me!!
2008年4月25日 星期五
Close to getting the house!
A perfect house fell from the sky into my lap
After running Fay's Rooms for 8 months, I decided that I should look for a single location with multiple rooms rather than trying to look for more apartment units scattered around the city. While the demand for short-term rentals is high and growing, I see that my major bottleneck is in acquiring more units. I thought, wouldn't it be great if I can find an old house with character and run a bed and breakfast from it? Then, the whole thing came together miraculously. Everything started when I casually mentioned to my Shanghai relatives that I wish I had a lane house from which I can run a B&B. Surprisingly, my cousin Weiwei mentioned that his college friend's family owns a house on the same block as where I live and has moved out last year. I urged him to contact his friend for me and he did.
6 bedrooms with 2 1/2 bathrooms
The following week, I met with his friend Jim to see the house. This house has belonged to his mother's family since it was built in 1939, and was given to his mother as a wedding present. However, the house was confiscated during the Cultural Revolution, when strangers moved in to the house and shared the space with Jim's family for nearly 20 years. They finally got the house back in the 80's and continued to live in it until last year. After years of heavy usage and minimum maintenance, the house is understandably run down. The house is a 3-story garden lane house with 2 bedrooms facing the garden plus a bathroom on the 2nd and 3rd floors, and 2 "tingzijian", or mezzanine rooms on the 1.5 and 2.5 floors. The ground floor has a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, and a half bath, which is a classical double-width lane house layout. There's a sizable garden facing Changle Rd with some beautiful Japanese maple trees.
I liked the house a lot but the immediate problem I saw was that there were 6 bedrooms but only 2 bathrooms -- not ideal for an upscale B&B where most guests would probably want to enjoy the privacy of having their own bathrooms. I left the house thinking: too bad. A couple weeks went by, and I was still thinking about the house. Then, when I talked to my architect friend Ken about it, he mentioned that he has a former colleague, Don, who's done several renovation projects on old houses and may be able to help me take a look. So I eventually met Don and took him over to the house to take a look. He thought the house was in great condition structurally, and it wouldn't be very costly to do it up. We then discussed the possibilities of adding more bathrooms to the house, as it was key for me to decide whether I can take up the house or not. We first wanted to add a big communal spa tub and a couple showers/toilets on the rooftop, but felt that the house would still feel like a hostel rather than a nice B&B. We then came up with a interesting solution: why don't we convert one of the mezzanine rooms into 2 bathrooms, and connect the 2 bedrooms 0.5 floor above and below to each of the new bathrooms? After some excited sketching and validating, we decided that it was doable! This gave me the confidence to pursue the project further.
Cafe + B&B: Win-win proposition
While Don and his contractor set out to put some estimates together, I started thinking about how I'm gonna provide breakfast for my guests. Also, with only 5 rooms and a handful of guests at any given time, the ground floor dining and living rooms will be empty most of the time. Immediately, I thought of my friend Kelley, who runs iiiit cafe nearby in the Summit Clubhouse. I gave her a call to see if she'd be interested in running a cafe out of the ground floor and the garden. Guess what, I found out that her lease is up end of June! I described the house to her and right away she took interest and wanted to see the place. She's been looking around the area for a new spot and hasn’t' been able to find a suitable one. The next day, I took her to see the house, and voila, I've got myself a partner.
So, things happened quickly in the last 2 weeks, with me running around talking to people, working out rental agreements and cost estimates, even buying some pieces of furniture already! Really looking forward to signing the lease this weekend!
After running Fay's Rooms for 8 months, I decided that I should look for a single location with multiple rooms rather than trying to look for more apartment units scattered around the city. While the demand for short-term rentals is high and growing, I see that my major bottleneck is in acquiring more units. I thought, wouldn't it be great if I can find an old house with character and run a bed and breakfast from it? Then, the whole thing came together miraculously. Everything started when I casually mentioned to my Shanghai relatives that I wish I had a lane house from which I can run a B&B. Surprisingly, my cousin Weiwei mentioned that his college friend's family owns a house on the same block as where I live and has moved out last year. I urged him to contact his friend for me and he did.
6 bedrooms with 2 1/2 bathrooms
The following week, I met with his friend Jim to see the house. This house has belonged to his mother's family since it was built in 1939, and was given to his mother as a wedding present. However, the house was confiscated during the Cultural Revolution, when strangers moved in to the house and shared the space with Jim's family for nearly 20 years. They finally got the house back in the 80's and continued to live in it until last year. After years of heavy usage and minimum maintenance, the house is understandably run down. The house is a 3-story garden lane house with 2 bedrooms facing the garden plus a bathroom on the 2nd and 3rd floors, and 2 "tingzijian", or mezzanine rooms on the 1.5 and 2.5 floors. The ground floor has a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, and a half bath, which is a classical double-width lane house layout. There's a sizable garden facing Changle Rd with some beautiful Japanese maple trees.
I liked the house a lot but the immediate problem I saw was that there were 6 bedrooms but only 2 bathrooms -- not ideal for an upscale B&B where most guests would probably want to enjoy the privacy of having their own bathrooms. I left the house thinking: too bad. A couple weeks went by, and I was still thinking about the house. Then, when I talked to my architect friend Ken about it, he mentioned that he has a former colleague, Don, who's done several renovation projects on old houses and may be able to help me take a look. So I eventually met Don and took him over to the house to take a look. He thought the house was in great condition structurally, and it wouldn't be very costly to do it up. We then discussed the possibilities of adding more bathrooms to the house, as it was key for me to decide whether I can take up the house or not. We first wanted to add a big communal spa tub and a couple showers/toilets on the rooftop, but felt that the house would still feel like a hostel rather than a nice B&B. We then came up with a interesting solution: why don't we convert one of the mezzanine rooms into 2 bathrooms, and connect the 2 bedrooms 0.5 floor above and below to each of the new bathrooms? After some excited sketching and validating, we decided that it was doable! This gave me the confidence to pursue the project further.
Cafe + B&B: Win-win proposition
While Don and his contractor set out to put some estimates together, I started thinking about how I'm gonna provide breakfast for my guests. Also, with only 5 rooms and a handful of guests at any given time, the ground floor dining and living rooms will be empty most of the time. Immediately, I thought of my friend Kelley, who runs iiiit cafe nearby in the Summit Clubhouse. I gave her a call to see if she'd be interested in running a cafe out of the ground floor and the garden. Guess what, I found out that her lease is up end of June! I described the house to her and right away she took interest and wanted to see the place. She's been looking around the area for a new spot and hasn’t' been able to find a suitable one. The next day, I took her to see the house, and voila, I've got myself a partner.
So, things happened quickly in the last 2 weeks, with me running around talking to people, working out rental agreements and cost estimates, even buying some pieces of furniture already! Really looking forward to signing the lease this weekend!
2008年4月16日 星期三
Shanxi 山西: the less-traveled back garden of Beijing
Shanxi is a province with special meaning for me. My dad was born there in 1943 during WWII, and his uncle Yan XiShan (阎锡山）was the de facto ruler of Shanxi for 38 years before retreating to Taiwan with the KMT in 1949. This part of my family history has always seemed fascinating to me, so visiting Shanxi is like a root-finding journey for me.
map from pinyin.info
The area now called Shanxi, or the West of Mt. TaiHang (太行山), was where the Chinese civilization began. Shanxi is sometimes confused with Shannxi (陕西), where the world-famous terracotta soldiers (兵马俑) from the Qin (秦始皇) Dynasty were discovered near Xian (西安). However, there's a saying about China's history: look at Shenzhen for the last 10 years, look at Shanghai the last 100 years, look at Beijing for the last 1000 years, look at Shaanxi for the last 3000 years, and look at Shanxi for the last 5000 years (十年中国看深圳，百年中国看上海，千年中国看北京，三千年中国看陕西，五千年中国看山西). So if you want to see really really old stuff about China, Shanxi is the place to go. Even though its tourism industry has taken a back seat to the massive coal mining industry that's supporting the province's economy, Shanxi's myriad of cultural artifacts and historical sites, as well as its down-to-earth people and delicious food, will make your trek out there worthwhile.
Highlights of Shanxi:
I first toured the Shanxi Province in Oct of 2006 but only visited the more popular north and middle parts of Shanxi: Datong's Yungang Grottoes (大同云冈石窟), Wutai Mountain (五台山), Qiao's Family Courtyard House (乔家大院), and Pingyao Old Town (平遥古城). This time around, I visited the harder-to-reach Hukou Waterfalls (壶口瀑布) and Overcome Hill (克难坡) in the southwest JiXian (吉县) and the lesser known but well-preserved Residence of Emperor's Teacher (皇城相府), WangMang Peak (王蟒岭), and XiYa Ditch (锡芽沟) near southeast city of Jincheng (晋城). I also visited my family's hometown-- Riverside Village (河边村) near Wutai Mountain, where Yan Xishan's old residence has been transformed into a Shanxi Folk and Culture Museum (河边民俗博物馆).
See my notes on the above mentioned sights in Shanxi here.
Transportation to Shanxi:
By air- the main hub is the capital Taiyuan (太原), which pretty much sits at the center of the province. Direct flights from Beijing, Xian, Shanghai and other nearby major cities are available. You can also fly into Henan's Zhengzhou (河南郑州) or Shaanxi's Xian airports and then drive into Shanxi from the southeast and southwest borders respectively.
By train - to and from Beijing, Xian, or Zhengzhou, you can take a sleeper train (~10 hours one-way) to Taiyuan.
Traveling within Shanxi:
Within Taiyuan, it's easy to get around by either bus ($1-3RMB) or taxi (starting at $8RMB). Long distance buses are also relatively comfortable although many are not non-smoking, so ride at your own risk. Tour buses or hired cars with guides are easier if you don't have any Chinese speaking people in your travel party. Tolled highways running north-south have been up for quite awhile now. Several tolled highways that run east-west are getting built esp. in the south, and when they're finished in the next couple years, travelers will be able to hit more remote sights on a single trip.
Accommodations:
Shanxi is under-developed in terms of hotels. Except in Taiyuan and Datong, 4-5 star hotels are hard to find. In most towns, 3-stars are the best you'll get. Check with local travel agencies for the newer hotels. Around the Hukou Waterfall area, you can try to stay at one of the cave (窑洞) hotels. These are domed rooms that are dug into the steep dirt cliffs, which are relative cool during the summer time and warm during the winter time. The traditional cave rooms have "kang" 炕 beds, which are heated from underneath by warm air that runs through from the in-room coal-burning stoves. Cave rooms tend to be damp during the winter/spring time, so the best time to try these are in the summertime. The modernized ones have AC and toilets in the rooms as well. A modernized cave hotel we checked out near JiXian is called TanZhuangYaoDongBinGuan 谭庄窑洞宾馆 0357-7927285, Ms. Lian.
Food:
Shanxi's staple items are made of wheat, maize, millet, and potatoes. Shanxi is also famous for it's black vinegar, white liquor "fenjiu" (汾酒), red dates, black mushrooms called "heimuer" (黑木耳). You'll also see various kinds of noodles, among which is the most famous shaved noodles (刀削面). You have the best shot at tasting delicious locally-grown food when you're in the countryside. You almost cannot go wrong with ordering noodles. Also remember, Shanxi is far, far away from the sea so don't order seafood, unless it's something from the local rivers.
Special thanks to the Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese in Taiyuan, Lifen, and JinCheng, as well as the county government of JiXian and Hukou, for graciously providing us transportation, escorting our tours, and treating us to delicious meals that busted our bellies. Contact me if you want to get in contact with these great folks for your trip to Shanxi.
svgallery=shanxi_photos
Noteworthy sights around Shanxi
Here's my personal quick take on the sights. I included links to their official websites where available, but most are in Chinese (or poorly translated English).
Culture and History
Shanxi Traders' family courtyards 晋商大院- the better three are the Qiao's 乔家, Wang's 王家 , and Chang's 常家. These are former mansions of the Shanxi financiers/traders who did business with the Qing government and also abroad. They are the Chinese version of the JP Morgan and Rockefeller families. Qiao's got famous because Zhang YiMou's movie Raise the Red Lantern. There was then a popular Chinese TV drama called "Qiao's Family Courtyard" which really opened up domestic tourism for the place in 2006. However, a lot of scenes in the drama were actually shot in Chang's Courtyard, which was 16 times bigger than that of Qiao's. Wang's is also 4 times bigger than Qiao's but less "touched up." I'd recommend going to the Chang's so you can really get a feel for how rich these families must have been; the Qiao's is packed w/ tourists and vendors which make this place feel like a Universal Studio. Chang's is about 2 hours by taxi from Taiyuan, while the other 2 are further down south.
Pingyao Old Town 平遥古城- about 1-2 hours by bus south of Taiyuan, it's one of the best preserved walled ancient towns in China (the other well-known one is Lijiang Old Town in Yunnan). The town thrived in the Qing Dynasty, when the Shanxi financiers/traders set up shops here. There are still town people living inside, which makes the touring experience somewhat more authentic. It's worth staying a night in town at one of the traditional Chinese guest houses. When I visited in 2006, there were talks about dressing tourists up Qing dynasty clothing and giving them ancient coins for spending in town...
Overcome Hill 克难坡 - this is a hill of special personal sentiment -- my dad was born there during WII, when Yan XiShan's (阎锡山, my grandfather's cousin) Chinese troops stationed out here on the border of Shanxi and Shaanxi near Hukou Waterfalls fighting the Japanese. At its peak, the military and civilian population on the hill reached 120,000 people. Tens and thousands of cave rooms were dug during that time, and most of them are still well-preserved today. You can learn more about Yan XiShan and his 38-year rule in Shanxi at his old residence (now a Shanxi folk museum - 河边民俗博物馆) in Hebian Village 河边村 near Wutai County, about 2 hours by bus from Taiyuan.
HuangChengXiangFu 皇城相府 - located near the southeast city of JinCheng 晋城, this is a unique example of a mansion with a combo of late Ming/early Qing period style architecture. It belonged to the Chen family, whose owner was Emperor Kangxi's teacher. The guy oversaw the compilation the famous Kangxi Dictionary 康熙大字典, which contains over 120,000 Chinese characters and was the most complete collection at the time.
Religion
Hanging Monastery 悬空寺- amazing petite structure that hangs off of the cliff in the Heng Mountain 恒山 by fragile-looking beams that were pounded into the wall. Because it was built cleverly, sheltered from rain and sun, this monastery withstood miraculously for the last 1400 years.
YunGang Grottoes 云冈石窟- lots and lots of stone Buddha carvings with Central Asian influences. The carving work started back in 460AD, lasted roughly 60 years, and resulted in over 50,000 big and small carvings tucked away in 45 major caverns. The carvings are great but they are also deteriorating and colors fading by the day as they are exposed to wind, heat, and moisture brought in tourists' breath. Better go see them while they last.
Wutai Mountain 五台山- one of the China's four mountains for Buddhist pilgrimage (the other three are: Zhejiang's Putuo, Sichuan's Emei, and Anhui's Jiuhua). Taoist and Confucius teachings and practices are also represented in some of the temples, which is very unique to Wutai Mountain. The mountain is actually made up of five peaks (hence the name "Wu", or five), and to reach any of the temples, you need to climb up 108 flights of stairs. Buddhists say that man has 108 kinds of worries, and climbing up the stairs, you throw those worries away (sure, it's hard to hang on to those worries when your working out on a 108-step Stairmaster). The mountain is a good summer retreat even after you're" templed" out.
Natural scenery
Hukou Waterfalls 壶口瀑布- located on the southwest border of Shanxi and Shaanxi, this is the second largest waterfall in China and the biggest fall on the Yellow River. It has the shape of a teapot sprout, hence the name "Hukou." From a far, you can only hear the sound of water rumbling and a huge cloud of mist where the waterfall stands. Only when you get closer can you see the waterfall, narrowing from a 200m to 30m waterway before plunging a 50m deep chute. Summer is the season with the most water flow, while in the winter, the fringe of the waterfall is frozen over. Hukou is not easy to get to but definitely worth a trip. You can take a bus to Lifen 临汾, transfer to JiXian吉县 and stay a night in JiXian. Take a short bus ride the following morning to the waterfall and you can catch some rainbow off of the waterfall's reflection around 9-10am.
WangMangLing 王莽岭- located 40km to the east of JinCheng 晋城, the WangMangLing is a cluster of steep peaks in the Taihang Mountain 太行山 range. It's beautiful at sunrise and also hidden among the clouds. For the adventurous, hikes down are steep trails are possible. Nearby, XiYaiGou 锡崖沟 is a valley that was once blocked off on all sides by steep mountain cliffs. The locals dug 4 tunnels stacked on top of each other inside the rock cliffs and finally built themselves a 7km road after 30 years of hard work. Of course there are other roads to access the valley now, but you can still ride down the original tunnel -- pretty amazing. There are some simple family-run inns in the valley and should be pretty nice to stay in during the summertime. Oh, don't forget to try the dishes made w/ locally grown ingredients at the handful of small restaurants there.
Culture and History
Shanxi Traders' family courtyards 晋商大院- the better three are the Qiao's 乔家, Wang's 王家 , and Chang's 常家. These are former mansions of the Shanxi financiers/traders who did business with the Qing government and also abroad. They are the Chinese version of the JP Morgan and Rockefeller families. Qiao's got famous because Zhang YiMou's movie Raise the Red Lantern. There was then a popular Chinese TV drama called "Qiao's Family Courtyard" which really opened up domestic tourism for the place in 2006. However, a lot of scenes in the drama were actually shot in Chang's Courtyard, which was 16 times bigger than that of Qiao's. Wang's is also 4 times bigger than Qiao's but less "touched up." I'd recommend going to the Chang's so you can really get a feel for how rich these families must have been; the Qiao's is packed w/ tourists and vendors which make this place feel like a Universal Studio. Chang's is about 2 hours by taxi from Taiyuan, while the other 2 are further down south.
Pingyao Old Town 平遥古城- about 1-2 hours by bus south of Taiyuan, it's one of the best preserved walled ancient towns in China (the other well-known one is Lijiang Old Town in Yunnan). The town thrived in the Qing Dynasty, when the Shanxi financiers/traders set up shops here. There are still town people living inside, which makes the touring experience somewhat more authentic. It's worth staying a night in town at one of the traditional Chinese guest houses. When I visited in 2006, there were talks about dressing tourists up Qing dynasty clothing and giving them ancient coins for spending in town...
Overcome Hill 克难坡 - this is a hill of special personal sentiment -- my dad was born there during WII, when Yan XiShan's (阎锡山, my grandfather's cousin) Chinese troops stationed out here on the border of Shanxi and Shaanxi near Hukou Waterfalls fighting the Japanese. At its peak, the military and civilian population on the hill reached 120,000 people. Tens and thousands of cave rooms were dug during that time, and most of them are still well-preserved today. You can learn more about Yan XiShan and his 38-year rule in Shanxi at his old residence (now a Shanxi folk museum - 河边民俗博物馆) in Hebian Village 河边村 near Wutai County, about 2 hours by bus from Taiyuan.
HuangChengXiangFu 皇城相府 - located near the southeast city of JinCheng 晋城, this is a unique example of a mansion with a combo of late Ming/early Qing period style architecture. It belonged to the Chen family, whose owner was Emperor Kangxi's teacher. The guy oversaw the compilation the famous Kangxi Dictionary 康熙大字典, which contains over 120,000 Chinese characters and was the most complete collection at the time.
Religion
Hanging Monastery 悬空寺- amazing petite structure that hangs off of the cliff in the Heng Mountain 恒山 by fragile-looking beams that were pounded into the wall. Because it was built cleverly, sheltered from rain and sun, this monastery withstood miraculously for the last 1400 years.
YunGang Grottoes 云冈石窟- lots and lots of stone Buddha carvings with Central Asian influences. The carving work started back in 460AD, lasted roughly 60 years, and resulted in over 50,000 big and small carvings tucked away in 45 major caverns. The carvings are great but they are also deteriorating and colors fading by the day as they are exposed to wind, heat, and moisture brought in tourists' breath. Better go see them while they last.
Wutai Mountain 五台山- one of the China's four mountains for Buddhist pilgrimage (the other three are: Zhejiang's Putuo, Sichuan's Emei, and Anhui's Jiuhua). Taoist and Confucius teachings and practices are also represented in some of the temples, which is very unique to Wutai Mountain. The mountain is actually made up of five peaks (hence the name "Wu", or five), and to reach any of the temples, you need to climb up 108 flights of stairs. Buddhists say that man has 108 kinds of worries, and climbing up the stairs, you throw those worries away (sure, it's hard to hang on to those worries when your working out on a 108-step Stairmaster). The mountain is a good summer retreat even after you're" templed" out.
Natural scenery
Hukou Waterfalls 壶口瀑布- located on the southwest border of Shanxi and Shaanxi, this is the second largest waterfall in China and the biggest fall on the Yellow River. It has the shape of a teapot sprout, hence the name "Hukou." From a far, you can only hear the sound of water rumbling and a huge cloud of mist where the waterfall stands. Only when you get closer can you see the waterfall, narrowing from a 200m to 30m waterway before plunging a 50m deep chute. Summer is the season with the most water flow, while in the winter, the fringe of the waterfall is frozen over. Hukou is not easy to get to but definitely worth a trip. You can take a bus to Lifen 临汾, transfer to JiXian吉县 and stay a night in JiXian. Take a short bus ride the following morning to the waterfall and you can catch some rainbow off of the waterfall's reflection around 9-10am.
WangMangLing 王莽岭- located 40km to the east of JinCheng 晋城, the WangMangLing is a cluster of steep peaks in the Taihang Mountain 太行山 range. It's beautiful at sunrise and also hidden among the clouds. For the adventurous, hikes down are steep trails are possible. Nearby, XiYaiGou 锡崖沟 is a valley that was once blocked off on all sides by steep mountain cliffs. The locals dug 4 tunnels stacked on top of each other inside the rock cliffs and finally built themselves a 7km road after 30 years of hard work. Of course there are other roads to access the valley now, but you can still ride down the original tunnel -- pretty amazing. There are some simple family-run inns in the valley and should be pretty nice to stay in during the summertime. Oh, don't forget to try the dishes made w/ locally grown ingredients at the handful of small restaurants there.
2008年3月24日 星期一
Free drinks with overpriced DVD's at Taikang Rd Oscar Club
I went over to Taikang Rd over the weekend and friends tipped me off to the old Ka De's reincarnation: Oscar Club. Ka De Club was the original mega underground DVD shop on JinXian Rd a few years back. They had stores on Zhenning Rd and DaGu Rd also but after some kind of crack down, they changed their name. I haven't been to this one at all, since I was pretty happy w/ my Dagu Rd shop. The first thing we noticed was that the shop offered FREE cokes, bottled water, AND beer (ok, just some Sapporo light), no purchase necessary. The funny thing is that not a lot of people seemed to have noticed the sign or the frig, which was standing right at the entrance. I guess people were in a rush to go to the inner room to check out the new DVD's.
Oscar's selection is still pretty extensive, but with so many other look-alike shops, it's no longer that impressive to me. More over, it's by far the most expensive expat-oriented shop I've seen -- $8 for DVD and $16 for DVD-9. Darn! I'd give them that if they categorize by some scheme or had on-line ordering and free delivery service or something. I guess it goes to pay for the free drinks we had at the door...
For cheaper DVD's, find a reliable shop near where you live (so you could return your defective discs) or try my favorite shops.
Oscar's selection is still pretty extensive, but with so many other look-alike shops, it's no longer that impressive to me. More over, it's by far the most expensive expat-oriented shop I've seen -- $8 for DVD and $16 for DVD-9. Darn! I'd give them that if they categorize by some scheme or had on-line ordering and free delivery service or something. I guess it goes to pay for the free drinks we had at the door...
For cheaper DVD's, find a reliable shop near where you live (so you could return your defective discs) or try my favorite shops.
2008年3月18日 星期二
Knock-offs, fakes, copies - where do you buy them post-Xiang Yang Market
When the famous (infamous) Xiang Yang market shut its door back in June, 2006, local and tourists alike lost their must-visit shopping mecca that had been around since 2000. What remains are the streetside peddlers holding worn-out catalog cards who promise nice fake LV's, Gucci's, and Rolexes.
So where do you find the stuff you still want to buy now (ok, no moral judgements here)? The vendors are now much more discreet and don't flaunt the really good AAA stuff in plain sight. For top brand bags, try the little shops along ChangLe Rd and XinLe Rd, between XiangYang Rd and Shannxi Rd. Befriend the shop owners by buying a few pieces first, and then they might bring out the really nice ones. They don't come cheap considering they're fakes -- prices range in the thousand(s) of kuai-- but the materials they use are much better than what you'd see on the street. I prefer bags without blatant logos that can stand on its design and materials. You can also pick up "brandname" shoes, sun glasses, and clothing that make you wonder whether they are leaks from the real factories.
For electronics, luggages, and more casual fashion items, head for Taobao Mall (580 Nanjing West Rd near ChengDu NorthRd). The clean and modern mall is a much more pleasant place to shop than Xiang Yang market. Ironically, all the shops have a sign out front that says that everything they sell are authentic... Here, you tend to find 2nd tier/niche brands whose legal powers are not as strong as the top brands.
Another bunch of shops migrated to the underground shopping mall at PuDong's Science and Tech Musuem (Subway Line 2). I find the items, both clothing and souvenirs, very attractive here and if you go on the weekdays when there's less traffic, you might be able to bargain harder (although some people also told me that if you go on the weekdays, you'd be the target for ALL shop owners). There's also a row of restaurants next to the shopping mall for you to grab a bite after you're done.
You can also check out QiPu Rd Wholesale Clothing Market, which is near Subway line 8's QuFu Rd station. You can find trendy styles here and for cheaper, but the quality tends to be lower than the two places above. Inspect items carefully before you buy.
A word on bargaining -- the old rule of thumb is to counter offer at 70% off and make the deal around 50% off, but the vendors can outsmart you by opening at even higher prices. To gain upperhand is to be walk away from things when the price isn't what you want. Remember, these items are sold at more than one shop!!
So where do you find the stuff you still want to buy now (ok, no moral judgements here)? The vendors are now much more discreet and don't flaunt the really good AAA stuff in plain sight. For top brand bags, try the little shops along ChangLe Rd and XinLe Rd, between XiangYang Rd and Shannxi Rd. Befriend the shop owners by buying a few pieces first, and then they might bring out the really nice ones. They don't come cheap considering they're fakes -- prices range in the thousand(s) of kuai-- but the materials they use are much better than what you'd see on the street. I prefer bags without blatant logos that can stand on its design and materials. You can also pick up "brandname" shoes, sun glasses, and clothing that make you wonder whether they are leaks from the real factories.
For electronics, luggages, and more casual fashion items, head for Taobao Mall (580 Nanjing West Rd near ChengDu NorthRd). The clean and modern mall is a much more pleasant place to shop than Xiang Yang market. Ironically, all the shops have a sign out front that says that everything they sell are authentic... Here, you tend to find 2nd tier/niche brands whose legal powers are not as strong as the top brands.
Another bunch of shops migrated to the underground shopping mall at PuDong's Science and Tech Musuem (Subway Line 2). I find the items, both clothing and souvenirs, very attractive here and if you go on the weekdays when there's less traffic, you might be able to bargain harder (although some people also told me that if you go on the weekdays, you'd be the target for ALL shop owners). There's also a row of restaurants next to the shopping mall for you to grab a bite after you're done.
You can also check out QiPu Rd Wholesale Clothing Market, which is near Subway line 8's QuFu Rd station. You can find trendy styles here and for cheaper, but the quality tends to be lower than the two places above. Inspect items carefully before you buy.
A word on bargaining -- the old rule of thumb is to counter offer at 70% off and make the deal around 50% off, but the vendors can outsmart you by opening at even higher prices. To gain upperhand is to be walk away from things when the price isn't what you want. Remember, these items are sold at more than one shop!!
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