Trip to China Winter 2014: Day 1 - Goodbye Christmas

(Which means 'Christmas'. A proper Merry Chistmas is instead '圣诞节快乐' = 'Shèngdàn (jié) kuàilè')

So, finally my (almost) three week trip to China is here! Having celebrated an early and cozy Christmas this weekend, I leave all that mostly behind me as Christmas is not such a big thing holiday-wise in China. For sure, you will see lots of western-inpired stuff but that is mainly consumerism spilling over everywhere in a culturally more and more globalized world.

Being the number one manufacturing nation in the world, it would be hard not to partake in some of this as Santa has most of his factory(ies) in China producing presents at full speed this time of year. I will try to blog as much as I can about this, and of course my instagram will be my best friend too.
I will visit Chongqing around New Years Eve and hope to be at Jiefangbei at midnight when 2015 arrives, and go to holiday island Hainan to soak up some sun at Sanya, but mostly I will be at the smaller Wansheng(万盛) south of Chongqing to enjoy the company of my girlfriends relatives.

Trip to Chongqing: Day 2 – Ciqikou Old Town

Ciqikou Old Town (磁器口) is an area that has seen business for maybe a 1000 years, which can be guessed from its name which means "Porcelain Port". It is an area consisting of a warren of streets, with a few of them being the essential shopping stretts. For shopping and eating is what this is about, it is a real mecca for a tourist, be it a foreigner or a chinese.

It also had literally thousands of photo opportunities, I took photos until my battery threatened to run out which was when I came across a picturesque cafe in an alley where they had both wifi, nice green tea and AC outlets.

Even though it may be obvious if you research Chongqing that Ciqikou is one place you "must" visit, I just have to say it too, as you may think it is this kind of tourist trap (which it is) but it is it in a good way. It has earned that quality from its visiting ”prisoners” loving being ”captured”. So dont miss it for the world.