Chinese Fashion: Pajamas in Public

Some Chinese people like to wear their pajamas in public. The fashion statement began "as a matter of practicality because people lived in cramped conditions with no clear line between public space and private place," a Chinese sociologist tells the South China Morning Post.

There was a crackdown in Shanghai on people wearing them in public last year because the 2010 World Expo was in town and Shanghai wanted to "look its best." I guess they didn't think people looked their best walking around in their pajamas?

Well, I've seen a few dudes still walking around in them - on crowded streets and in the crowded supermarket.

Quite subtle, right? I also dig this guy's hardcore slippers. That's my driver in the car behind pajama-boy. I think even he was a little surprised!

This person is at least wearing practical shoes.

Escape to Hong Kong

Hong Kong is still part of China, but in a way, you feel like you're not in China. The people there are snobs about mainland China. The ones we talked to like to think that Hong Kong isn't really part of China. Because of this, the city feels a bit more international and English is spoken more abundantly.

We stayed in the Kowloon area of Hong Kong which overlooks Hong Kong Island where all the buildings are lit up beautifully at night. What a view! I tried to capture it, but I'm not good with the light settings on my camera. I aspire to take a class to learn... hopefully I will before my China adventure is over. I hate the photo opps that I'm missing because I don't know how to use my expensive camera correctly!

We went to Hong Kong for four days, but unfortunately, Gavin had a stomach flu and threw up all over the place (literally) for two days of it. However, we managed to get out and about a bit to catch the major sights. My favorite was going up to Victoria Peak and overlooking the tall buildings of downtown Hong Kong. A few years ago, I saw a photo of my grandmother on Victoria Peak taken in the 1980's, and it was fun to think that my grandmother had walked in this same place this far away from home.

Alas, shopping is probably the sport of choice in Hong Kong, but we didn't get to do much of that this time. But, we'll be back!

Atop Victoria Peak overlooking downtown Hong Kong.

Waiting for the tram back down from the Peak.

Only 8,065 miles from Hong Kong to New York.

Taking the "Mid-Levels Escalators" - this is the longest outdoor covered escalator in the world. Since Hong Kong is very steep and hilly, this escalator is a great way to get up and down the streets of Hong Kong without breaking a sweat!

Dinnertime!

The Night Market - where you can buy just about anything your heart desires...

View of Hong Kong Island from our hotel at sunset.

Bright, colorful lights at night.

Bright lights, big city.

Kowloon Park - a beautiful oasis in the busy city.

The Star Ferry.

A fun day with an old friend... meeting up with Matt's former high school classmate, JJ, who now lives in Hong Kong.

The boys became fast friends.

Here Comes Peter Cottontail (aka "The Year of the Rabbit")!

GONG XI FA CAI! (Happy Chinese New Year!)

Seriously, sometimes China is just so juvenile and tacky (at least from my Western perspective). Take, for instance, the whole Chinese New Year thing. I cannot believe what hoopla this holiday is. It is the loudest holiday I have ever experienced, and it seems to go on forever. It's difficult not to notice it. Firecrackers go off at all hours of the night. And we are not talking about supervised, safe fireworks. We are talking go out in your front yard and light off industrial-strength fireworks that can be seen for miles. After a few big firework nights, we had firework shells and remnants all over our front yard and porch. It's not safe to go outside when neighbors are setting these things off. It's loud not only in sounds, but in colors and decor. There are red plastic and cardboard decorations everywhere, and since this is the "Year of the Rabbit" (based on the Chinese Zodiac of 12 animals), cartoonish-looking bunnies and stuffed animals abound. Complete sensory overkill. Kind of like Christmas in the States, but a little more in your face.

So, what's the meaning of all of this? Well, short summary about CNY: China follows the Lunar Calendar. The Lunar Calendar year consists of 12 months of 30-day lunar cycles. This year February 3 was Chinese New Year's Day. It's a big family gathering... migrant workers go home and bring money to their families and families celebrate a number of traditions together, including wearing certain clothes, eating certain foods and performing certain rituals.

Note about the firecrackers/fireworks: The Chinese invented gunpowder and setting off fireworks is legal here. The fifth day of Chinese New Year is the day that the firecrackers/fireworks are set off in great abundance to welcome the "God of Fortune." The Chinese go a little overboard - in hopes of having an abundant year full of monetary wealth? - and the fireworks are set off beginning at midnight and lasting to all hours of the early morning. One gets little sleep. The kids are zombies in school. It kind of stinks for the people who don't celebrate the holiday. It makes us cranky. But, hey, when in China...

Here are some CNY scenes around China. What do you think of all the red and the cartoon-character bunnies?

CNY lanterns in Yu Yuan.

They even set off firecrackers at school.

It cracked me up that the Chinese security guards lit the firecrackers with their cigarettes. Only in China!

Funny decorations... usually all about good fortune.

CNY version of a Christmas tree?

Don't really know what this is. But it was made entirely of styrofoam pieces that were glued together and then painted. Interesting...

Mascot for "Year of the Rabbit" - looks like Bugs Bunny, doesn't he? Does Hanna-Barbera know about this?

Chinese New Year decor at Carrefour (local supermarket).

Where is Christmas?

I need to catch up on trips, so here's our Christmas post.

SAWASDEE KHA (hello)! This was our first Christmas away from family and the U.S. Since we didn't want to sit around the house missing home and family, we decided to go on a really nice tropical vacation to Phuket, Thailand - our first trip out of China since we arrived in August. Well, China doesn't celebrate Christmas, and neither does Thailand - a heavily-Buddhist country. In my naivety, I just assumed that I'd see Christmas around the world as much as I do at "home." They certainly try to have Christmas for the benefit of foreigners (a large part of their business), but a plastic tree with tacky decorations just isn't doing it for me.

Back to Thailand... we stayed at the JW Marriott Phuket. It was one awesome resort. Very upscale rustic. Beautiful landscaping and gorgeous beach. A lot of people have said they didn't like the beach there, but I did. It was natural and very beautiful. No chairs or umbrellas on the beach, though, because it is a turtle nesting habitat. Very cool. We went elephant trekking and went on a boat tour of the Phi Phi (pronounced "pee pee") Islands. The Thai people are so friendly; the stellar opposite of China. We enjoyed our stay here so much, that we didn't want to leave. So we stayed an extra day. And because of that, we almost ran into some trouble. But more on that after the photos...

Beautiful resort... at night these pagodas are lit on fire.

Beautiful, unspoiled beach... where turtles nest.

Cool pool to explore.

Fake Christmas tree. Haven't seen a real one since January 2010.

Elephant trekking. Our elephant was very frisky. He was licking my back in this photo!

Phi Phi Island boat tour. A really nice day on the water.

My boys snorkeling (first time!) off Phi Phi Leh. They did awesome!

Swimming in the water off "The Beach" featured in Leonardo DiCaprio's movie of the same name.

Circus training at the resort.

A monkey on the flying trapeze.

As I mentioned, we enjoyed an extra day in Thailand and caught a flight to Bangkok on Christmas Eve. When we landed in Bangkok to connect back to Shanghai, the airline told us they could not honor our tickets because they were "non-changeable." Long story short, it was 6pm on Christmas EVE and we opted not to spend the evening in Bangkok International Airport, so we purchased new, expensive tickets back to Shanghai, vowing to make the ticket booking agency pay for making us almost miss Santa back in Shanghai. And for making my kids cry in the airport because they were so sad to be stranded on Christmas Eve. That story continues at a later date, as I am still fighting for my money back...

Phew, we made it back to Shanghai in time to beat Santa to our house. On Christmas morning, here's what we found:

Santa found us in China!

We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Day brunch at a hotel in Shanghai with friends!

In sum, Christmas in Shanghai wasn't very Christmas-y. I like to think I was home for Christmas in my dreams, and I was at peace with that. I have so much to be thankful for to get the chance to travel this part of the world. I do know that I won't ever take Christmas in the U.S. for granted or complain about the craziness that goes along with it, going forward. Because Christmas without our extended families made me very homesick (my first time since August!).

By the way, the answer is:  "In your heart."

A belated MERRY CHRISTMAS and PEACE ON EARTH!