It was annual Chinese Lantern Festival (aka Yuanxiao Festival) on Monday – a significant occasion to Chinese as it marks the final day of Chinese New Year (ie. the 15th day of the first lunar month). The full moon is high in the sky, and lanterns are everywhere. Importantly, people will eat yuanxiao, also known as tangyuan – small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour with sesame, ground peanuts, etc inside. We were served some as a complimentary dessert when we had dinner, to signify the Festival. They’re sweet and a delicious way to end a meal. Moreover, the word tuanyuan means ‘reunion’, so people eat them to denote union, harmony and happiness for the family. I love how China has so many meanings and stories for everything!
After dinner, we wandered around the ‘famous snack street’ that so happens to be right next to our service apartment. You can see just how brilliantly it was lit up. Yuyuan Garden has also been open for the week to celebrate Chinese Lantern Festival.. so of course we had to go in for a peek. It was crazy and jostling with people, but the atmosphere was alive and exciting, and the lights were absolutely gorgeous. Hundreds and thousands of silk lanterns were strewn all over the place, in this year’s “fairytale” theme. I can’t even remember the last time I’ve ever seen so many lights in my life!
Around Yuyuan Garden at dusk
At DaNiang Dumpling. Yes, Sydney’s chinatown has one of their branches, selling the same food!
Delicious ‘xiao long baos’
Another sort of steamed dumpling
Noodles in a milk broth and beef+veg
2 drinks we ordered randomly as we couldn’t read the Chinese words.
Turned out both were milky-type drinks!
Inside Yuyuan Garden. The mega ox to signify the Year Of The Ox
Beautiful hand-painted eggshells
Lanterns to signify each of the 12 animals
Meatballs bobbing away, with an OX SKULL in there???!! Please explain.
Everything was so bright, thanks to hundreds of lanterns
Gorgeous architecture
On the zigzag bridge looking at these massive decorated floats on the water
I had to use the bathroom. Walked in, and there was a trough in the ground and low partitions (ie. no walls/doors!)
Saw another lady and realised you just squat there, pee, and every few minutes water would come gushing down the trough to ‘flush’.
It was insane. Did I do it? Yep, I peed, and ran right outta there!!!! It was completely weird squatting and having people look at you.
Heading home…
The pictures are amazing Bev. I think the best time to visit China would be during CNY now… hehe..(make note to visit during CNY on my travels).
Totally true! On the flip side though, it’s also winter π
The pictures are amazing Bev. I think the best time to visit China would be during CNY now… hehe..(make note to visit during CNY on my travels).
Totally true! On the flip side though, it’s also winter π
i’m drooling over your camera!! it takes great pictures under lowlight conditions! *drools
It does! And the anti-shake is amazing without flash… i love it π
i’m drooling over your camera!! it takes great pictures under lowlight conditions! *drools
It does! And the anti-shake is amazing without flash… i love it π
i love china for all the ‘cheena’ things!
Hehe yeah it’s pretty fun, we’re trying really hard to buy all the random stuff π
hahahaha! funky eh!
Wow wow wow…what an experience!! The lights, the skull?!, the dumplings! The toilet…OMG!!! That is horrifying. In France I went to two bathrooms like that. The first time, I held on, the second time, I was busting and had to go…was lucky to have a door though. Holy crap!
It was actually a fun experience.. perfect timing that we’re here for CNY and all the associated celebrations, yay!
I didn’t know that France had weird bathrooms like that.. eeeeek!
Oooh yeah, definitely all fun! Except for the toilet..heehee. Yeah, not all of them in France are like that, but you get the odd surprise!
yeah it’s definitely nice that Chinese has so much meaning to the language!
I’m not even going to comment on the toilet except to say watch out for smaller cities because they still have lots of squatter types and places a bit like the one you used…
Oh maaaan.. we’re going to Hangzhou this weekend so I better bring loads of tissues and wet wipes..!
I hate Chinese toilets! To add to the awfulness, you also always have to bring your own toilet paper. I always hoard heaps of tissues/napkins when I go out for food, in case I need it for going to the loo π I guess at least most of the time there are actually doors to the toilet…
Also, your camera is so awesome for night shots! I think I’ll have to buy it when I can justify buying another camera π
Yeah I have to carry tissues everywhere I go.. cos often food places don’t provide em either!
θ―΄ιοΌThere is neocitably a bundle to identify about this. I consider you made certain nice points in features also.
Hehe yeah it’s pretty fun, we’re trying really hard to buy all the random stuff π
hahahaha! funky eh!
omg! toilet trauma! how did u even manage to do it??
Pure necessity.. haha!
mom told me that it was so in the 90s. i thought they’d have modernised the toilets by now, especially since its shanghai and not some undeveloped city.. she told me all the ladies on the tour group were too embarassed to use it and finally had the bright idea of using umbrellas to shield themselves from sight…
All the bathrooms i’ve been too are fine.. it was just those, which is weird that they don’t just renovate it or something.
Good idea those ladies had though!
Wow wow wow…what an experience!! The lights, the skull?!, the dumplings! The toilet…OMG!!! That is horrifying. In France I went to two bathrooms like that. The first time, I held on, the second time, I was busting and had to go…was lucky to have a door though. Holy crap!
It was actually a fun experience.. perfect timing that we’re here for CNY and all the associated celebrations, yay!
I didn’t know that France had weird bathrooms like that.. eeeeek!
Oooh yeah, definitely all fun! Except for the toilet..heehee. Yeah, not all of them in France are like that, but you get the odd surprise!
OMG! is that used toilet paper in the top right hand corner and do I see a soiled pad/panty liner on the left? That’s gross!! Not sure which is worse, the squating toilets in M’sia/Spore or this. At least the M’sia/Spore ones have doors!
I didn’t even look (too scared) when I was there.. but I think you’re right!! eeekkkk
That’s so gross w/ the toilet. That’s why I could never live in China.
It was the 1st one that I’ve seen like that.. in the past month, every bathroom has just been normal!
*faint* you did it! OMG, I couldn’t have unless it was an absolute emergency!
I can’t believe i did that now.. thank goodness i didn’t catch anything, hah!
“It was completely weird squatting and having people look at you.”
OMG !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now I know how you poor boys feel having to pee next to each other…. eek!
Oh maaaaan, that toilet!!!!
I just HAD to take a photo… the ppl there thought i was insane (and probably worried i was a pervert and taking a photo of them peeing HAHAHAHA)
Aaaah! I think I’d end up with a bladder infection if I had to use toilets like that. I don’t think I could. Did they have toilet paper? I guess the chinese are so used to it they don’t get embarrassed and don’t care.
I def was scared my butt would touch the ground or something.. eek! They give you 1 thin sheet of paper after you pay your RMB$0.50 haha
Wow. I would have held it and ran for somewhere Western!
There was McDonalds and such around but there was a huuuuge line! i guess everyone else couldn’t handle the weird toilets.. despite the fact that they were all chinese, haha
I can’t believe they still have toilets like that!!
I know, first time in the past month that I’ve been here that I’ve seen toilets like that!
yeah it’s definitely nice that Chinese has so much meaning to the language!
I’m not even going to comment on the toilet except to say watch out for smaller cities because they still have lots of squatter types and places a bit like the one you used…
Oh maaaan.. we’re going to Hangzhou this weekend so I better bring loads of tissues and wet wipes..!
I hate Chinese toilets! To add to the awfulness, you also always have to bring your own toilet paper. I always hoard heaps of tissues/napkins when I go out for food, in case I need it for going to the loo π I guess at least most of the time there are actually doors to the toilet…
Also, your camera is so awesome for night shots! I think I’ll have to buy it when I can justify buying another camera π
Yeah I have to carry tissues everywhere I go.. cos often food places don’t provide em either!
This is the ideal answer. Everyone suhold read this
Pure necessity.. haha!
mom told me that it was so in the 90s. i thought they’d have modernised the toilets by now, especially since its shanghai and not some undeveloped city.. she told me all the ladies on the tour group were too embarassed to use it and finally had the bright idea of using umbrellas to shield themselves from sight…
All the bathrooms i’ve been too are fine.. it was just those, which is weird that they don’t just renovate it or something.
Good idea those ladies had though!
OMG! is that used toilet paper in the top right hand corner and do I see a soiled pad/panty liner on the left? That’s gross!! Not sure which is worse, the squating toilets in M’sia/Spore or this. At least the M’sia/Spore ones have doors!
I didn’t even look (too scared) when I was there.. but I think you’re right!! eeekkkk
That’s so gross w/ the toilet. That’s why I could never live in China.
It was the 1st one that I’ve seen like that.. in the past month, every bathroom has just been normal!
*faint* you did it! OMG, I couldn’t have unless it was an absolute emergency!
I can’t believe i did that now.. thank goodness i didn’t catch anything, hah!
“It was completely weird squatting and having people look at you.”
OMG !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now I know how you poor boys feel having to pee next to each other…. eek!
Oh maaaaan, that toilet!!!!
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Aaaah! I think I’d end up with a bladder infection if I had to use toilets like that. I don’t think I could. Did they have toilet paper? I guess the chinese are so used to it they don’t get embarrassed and don’t care.
I def was scared my butt would touch the ground or something.. eek! They give you 1 thin sheet of paper after you pay your RMB$0.50 haha
Wow. I would have held it and ran for somewhere Western!
There was McDonalds and such around but there was a huuuuge line! i guess everyone else couldn’t handle the weird toilets.. despite the fact that they were all chinese, haha
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yeah it was pretty crazy, but i guess when it comes to it, you just do what you gotta do!
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yeah it was pretty crazy, but i guess when it comes to it, you just do what you gotta do!
I can’t believe they still have toilets like that!!
I know, first time in the past month that I’ve been here that I’ve seen toilets like that!