A Day in Huadu

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For the Tomb Sweeping Festival we have four days off. Most schools and businesses only have two or three, but we get four. And by that, I mean we're off four days in a row but still work the preceeding Saturday, Sunday, and following Saturday, to make up the extra days. Since the holiday is only one day, and has to be on a certain day on the lunar calendar, this is how it's done in China, rather than observing it on a Monday and giving us a three-day weekend. This is one of the things about China that I will never get used to.

Qing Ming Festival is the second most important family holiday in the country, after Spring Festival. If possible, people travel to their family's hometown to clean, sweep, and pull weeds at the family tombs. Some of my students say their famililal burial plots are on the tops of mountains for good feng shui and go back hundreds of years.

A few days ago, my new director asked me what I was doing. I said that I planned to stay here for the holiday since getting tickets is such a hassle when everyone is traveling. She asked me if I'd like to come and spend some time with her one day in Huadu where she lives with her family. I immediately accepted.

I arrived in Huadu around 11am. With her 3 year old daughter, and some friends we first went to the park near their home. I had no idea there was a park in Huadu that was so easy to get to!

It was actually a big park. I had been expecting somthing small and quaint, but this one went on for quite a while. The children fished for tadpoles in the lake and we saw numerous musical groups performing and singing. The flowers were starting to bloom and everything smelled fresh. People who didn't know each other played and smiled together. The warm air made everything nicer.

When we go to the other end of the park, my director pointed to where they're building a new subway stop. "The park should be much bigger. That area is lovely, but it's closed now."

After wandering back through to the north entrance, we managed to hail a taxi and fit all 6 of us in it. It was time for lunch.

We went to a restaurant off the beaten path. All the tables were outside and had holes in the middle. My director explained that charcoal would be put into the hole and that's how our fish would cook. I'd never seen this before and was excited to try something new.

Soon the coals came and a big pan with water in it was placed over them to prevent the ash from flying. A while later, came our food. My director explained that it had been partially cooked already, but would finish cooking at our table. I looked inside the pan and a 4 kg fish (8.8 lbs for you Americans) was cut into three pieces and cooking in broth. It was covered in clams. We added in some pickled greens, tofu, tofu skins, and put the lid back on. We each got a small bowl of dipping sauce, composed mostly of soy sauce and ginger and a bit of vinegar.

After about ten minutes we decided lunch was ready. We scooped rice into bowls and started spooning fish off the bones. I was happy to note that this fish had few bones, a rarity in China. The whole lunch was delicious and we managed to eat most of it. We were all very full when we left.

We went back to my director's apartment and took short naps before playing Uno. It's one card game that is easy to play no matter your age or what language you speak. After half an hour with no winner, we gave up. We all watch Tom and Jerry cartoons and I told them how it's really an old cartoon that my mother used to watch when she was little. (She actually read the comic books, but close enough.) They were amazed to find out it had been around for so many years and was still so popular.

At 5 o'clock I left, citing a need to meet someone for dinner. I didn't have any dinner plans, but I thought this was the most unawkward way to leave and not have my hosts feel compelled to invite me for dinner, too.

On my way out, I ran into my director's mother. As is the case in many Chinese families, she lives with her daughter and helps care for her granddaughter. She asked where I'd been coming from and I told her. She introduced herself as my director's mother and I introduced myself. Then she invited me to dinner. I politely declined, saying a friend of mine was waiting for me at the college to eat dinner. She smiled and said she'd see me another time. I suspect she was hurrying home from her mahjong game to meet me. While delighted by her hospitality, I was also thrilled that she understood my Mandarin. After four years here that shouldn't be so exciting, but it is.

After a brief stop at the supermarket (reminding me why I never shop on holidays in China), I took a minivan home and took a nap.

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Photos

Children playing
Mindful grandmothers watching

He fits in so well
But the rest of this statue scares me.

Playing the flute
The children had gathered and then they ran away suddenly.