365 China Photo: One-A-Day

Today was definitely a Thank God It’s Friday (TGIF) day, as it had been a long and intensive week at work. All our teams had been working long hours under stressful conditions, as we had a series of big presentations coming up next week. Andy, our Creative Director, decided to treat everyone to lunch so we headed off to the Regent Hotel again. We went there just before Chinese New Year, as they had a great two for one promotion so well worth the visit. As the promotion was still on and the food is so good it was a favourite choice for our team. We had almost the whole company today but missing a couple of people so maybe we can photoshop them in later. I think the lunch did the trick, as everyone looks pretty happy, so nice one Andy. (Picture left to right; Bi Tao, Andy, Mandy, Miki, Kailie, Miki, Zhang Miao, Karen, Shirley, Me, Weiting, Cao Gui and Lixiang).

Two weeks ago GM’s deal to sell the Hummer brand to a Chinese company fell through. I always knew this would happen, as there was no way the Chinese Government would approve this deal. Mainly, as they are trying to become more environmental and promote green cars. The Hummer with its 6.2 litre V8 engine, is a gas guzzler that would have ruined its image. I expect the brand will eventually die out or just be used for military purposes. Unfortunately painting a Hummer green is never going to be enough so I don’t think we will be seeing too many more of these on the streets of Beijing.

A few doors down from my office on Jinbao Street, is the largest Lamborghini, Bugatti and Aston Martin showroom in Asia. I have passed by many times but so far have not actually been in to look at the cars. As they cost upwards of RMB 2 million (US$ 300,000) I definitely can’t afford to buy one, but there is no harm in looking. Only the richest Beijingers can buy them and as the city has the most millionaires in China, it’s a good place for a showroom. You can read my other blog Beijing Billionaires Love Luxury Cars for more of this story. The showroom looks good, but the place is quite imposing. So I guess I will have to go in when I am wearing my suit and looking smart and rich.

Hong Kong is a place of extremes and sadly like China, has a widening gap between the rich and poor. Expensive restaurants and shops dominate Central Hong Kong, but you haven’t got to go too far to see the other side of life. My friend told me about the Plastic Bag Lady that often sits in Central near Lan Kwai Fong. Living in Asia I have seen many beggars, but never one like this. She was covered from head to toe in plastic bags. I was amazed that the police hadn’t moved her on, but my friend told me she often sits there begging for money. Most people hurry by and don’t even bother to notice her. It’s a sad situation, but an all too familiar story, as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Hong Kong is one of the wealthiest cities in the world and one of the last places you would expect to see an old lady having to beg like this.

My friend Winnie had been dying to take me to Sevva restaurant in Central, as she said it had the best rooftop bar in the city. The restaurant was on the 25^th floor penthouse of Princess Building in the centre of Hong Kong. Well I wasn’t disappointed as the view was fantastic! The terrace had a 360 view of the city but the best view was looking towards the big three banks. These also happened to be two of my favourite buildings in the city. Bank of China’s Tower designed by I.M. Pei and HSBC headquarters, designed by Sir Norman Foster. Both of these are iconic buildings symbolising Hong Kong’s and its position as a global financial centre. The view was amazing and around 8pm they had a light and laser show which made the building even more spectacular. The other spectacular thing was the price of the drinks which cost HK$125 (US$18) each. The drinks were good, but expensive by any standard, so we didn’t dare try the food, which is even more overpriced. Still the view was worth for the price, but Hong Kong can be a very expensive place to wine and dine.

Sunday is always a lazy day for me wherever I am and today was no exception. I had a leisurely day having lunch and walking around SOHO (South of Hollywood Road). It’s the restaurant and bar area in Mid Levels which is a good place to hang out at the weekend. Afterwards I took the tram to Causeway Bay, one of the main shopping areas and busiest places in Hong Kong. The tram journey costs HK$2 (US 25 cents) and is one of my favourite things to do in Hong Kong. Trundling through the heart of the city is the best way to see the sights and sounds of Hong Kong. Daytime is good, but I think night times is better, as you get the neon lights from the street signs which Hong Kong is so famous for. I must have taken this journey over a hundred times when I lived in Hong Kong and I never get bored of the journey.

Having brunch on Saturday is an institution in Hong Kong and you often have to book well in advance. After eating a whole pig last night I skipped breakfast and ended up meeting friends for brunch around 11pm. They took me to The Press Room in Mid Levels, which is a smart modern brassiere style restaurant. The place was packed as usual with a mixture of expats and local Chinese. The atmosphere was relaxed and the food was very good. I opted for the English breakfast, which is my favourite brunch food. The décor was very brasserie style with the biggest chalkboard menu I have ever seen. They served real tea in a teapot, which would make my Mum happy as she never liked the idea of using teabags. They also used a stainless steel tea strainer just like the one my Mum used in England, so I know that will make her smile to see that. I know it’s suppose to only be a photo a day but I had to show the teapot and strainer for my Mum.

I flew to Hong Kong for the weekend as I had some friends to catch up with and some shopping to do. Canthy had given me two lists of things to look out for. One list was for baby stuff and the other was her Tiffany wish list. On my last trip I had bought her a lucky charm bracelet, but she had somehow lost one of the charms. Luckily for her I could replace it, but unlucky for me she added two more items to her list. As her hands are swollen with the pregnancy she can’t wear her wedding ring but bracelets and necklaces are OK. I didn’t mind as I liked what she had chosen  so will have get round to taking a photo of it one day. It was also my friend Winnie’s birthday so she invited me to her dinner party. People in Beijing tend to eat dinner early so it is often around 6pm. In Hong Kong you only meet around 8.30 and often don’t start eating till 9.30pm as was the case tonight. We went to FoFo which is a newish restaurant near Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong’s famous bar street.  I think its probably one of the most famous bar streets in the world as every tourists seems to go there. The restaurant was very Hong Kong; modern, very stylish and serving contemporary Spanish food. The highlight was the suckling pig which the Chef came out to present himself. He told us it was slow cooked for 12 hours, then deboned and seared for crispiness, using a traditional Spanish recipe that makes the meat very tender. Well he wasn’t wrong, as the pig tasted great and by the time we finished eating around midnight, all that was left was its head.

I have my driving test in two weeks time, but I haven’t really started studying yet. As a foreigner with a UK or international licence you only have to take a multiple choice test as there is no practical driving test. I think it varies by region but in Beijing you get asked 100 questions and have to get 90% correct. It sounds quite high but my friends tell me its not too difficult but some of the questions are confusing. I bought the study so can revise and there must be around xxx questions. My friend Neal took the test last year and gave me a great tip he got from a friend. She said go through the book and mark all the correct answers with a highlighter pen. Then all you have to do is remember the correct answer and associate it with the sign or question. So I have make as start and it seems like a fast track way to study so feeling confident about my test. However if you live in China and see how many people drive it makes no difference. As many Chinese drivers never read or obey the road signs so makes no difference even if I know what the signs mean.

I got up at 5am for an early fight to Shanghai, as it was only a day trip and I would be back home tonight. At the airport I saw another one of Air China’s special edition livery. This one was the Golden Peony design, which I have also seen in red and blue. The Peony is the national flower of China so it is often use in decorative arts and design to symbolise Chinese culture. Anyway whenever I see one of these I turn into a manic plane spotter and must get a picture. Often it’s quite hard as your shooting through glass and trying to avoid the window panes and pylons outside. Luckily I manage a half decent shot, despite the lousy weather and I quite like the way the window frames the plane. We flew into Terminal Two at Pudong International, which is huge. It’s three times the size of Shanghai’s old Hong Qiao airport and has over 220 gates. I must take a picture next time I am there and post a story, as it’s worth writing home about.

Fireworks are a big part of Chinese New Year. For 15 days and nights people are allowed to set of fireworks during the festive period. And for anyone who is leaving in China knows that is exactly what happens all night long. There are some days in the holiday that this activity increases. The big ones are New Years Eve, The second day and the fifth day and then the last day, which is the Lantern Festival. So this Sunday is the last day of the celebration so I expect it will be a noisy affair.  We have been lucky to get a good view from our apartment bas the fireworks often go off right infront of our windows. For some reason this year there doesn’t seem to have been as many fireworks as last year. I saw on Shanghaiist that Beijing only let off 800 tons of fireworks on New Years Eve compared to 1000 tons in Shanghai. There are some good videos of the Shanghai fireworks, which show just how popular it is in China. I wanted to take a video this weekend of Beijing but unfortunately I will be in Hong Kong so will miss the last day of fireworks in China.

A few weeks back you may remember we move our office around and I ended up sitting in the messy middle. Depressingly my desk looked like a rubbish tip but I am happy to report it is now back to its Zen like best. It only took me a few days to get everything in order and file everything away in its proper place. I am gradually moving to a more digital filing system so trying to create a paperless office for myself. I think I read about this idea on Zen Habits or Mnmlist, anyway both good resources to find out about decluttering your life. Unfortunately my colleagues around me still work in very messy desk spaces but I am thinking of enforcing a new clean desk policy at work. When Canthy came to the office she was so impressed when she saw my desk. But then complained why I couldn’t be this neat and tidy at home. She said she is always picking my things up and putting things away for me. Oh well that’s another story but think I will have to try harder to apply my Zen thinking to the home.

After going out everyday and eating lunch or dinner at a different restaurant we decide to have a quiet Sunday and eat at home. Sunday is always our laziest day as we try not to do too much just chill at home. As we had lots of vegetables and thin cuts of lamb and beef we thoight we would make a hotpot at home. Our Ayi (cleaner) had been on holiday all week so we had done all the washing up ourselves. But today Canthy didn’t want to do anymore cleaning so spread out newspaper on the table, which she said, saved her cleaning the table. This is actually quite common practice in China for many poorer households and you often see it on the street too. I joked to Canthy that it made us look like village people. We live in one of the most prestigious apartments in Beijing but we eat hotpot at home like farmers, haha. Actually I didn’t mind as I got to read the paper while eating dinner and it did save on cleaning the table. At least until our Ayi returns next week.

As the thought of having a baby is becoming more real we decided we better sort of the baby room. We needed to get a bed for the Ayi (nanny) and also somewhere where Canthy’s mum could stay over as the sofa wasn’t a good solution. Ikea was packed and almost every sofa, seat and bed had someone lying on it so you couldn’t see the products for the people. I saw a metal bunk bed which I thought would be a good idea. However Canthy said it looked like a bed in a jail and didnt want her mum to feel like a prisoner. At this point we realised that our 200 sqm (2000sqft) apartment doesn’t seem that big if we now have a baby, a nanny and Canthy’s mum staying sometimes. Canthy felt depressed and wanted to go home as all the people were making her feel claustrophobic and tired. So we headed for the exit and went home to measure up the babies room and think of another solution.

Canthy has been pregnant for almost five months (23 weeks and six days), so time for another checkup and baby scan. This was the first time Canthy didn’t cry so it was not such an emotional experience as the previous scans have been. Canthy is becoming more comfortable now with her pregnancy and feeling more safe with the whole process. Nine months may seem like a short time but sometimes it seems to drag on and we wish things would happen faster. However, I think we will need the full nine months to get prepared, as we still don’t have the baby’s room prepared at home. My brother who has three kids told me not too worry, as newborn babies don’t really do anything. He said for first year or so they hardly move, so its not until they start crawling and walking you have to be more careful. Today on the scan the nurse showed us our little daughters face. Her tiny mouth was moving up and down like she was trying to talk to us. When Canthy saw this she got emotional and started to cry, but this time is was tears of happiness.

Making Jiaozi (dumplings) is a traditional activity over the Chinese holiday but normally made on New Year Eve. However we had eaten so much hotpot that night we were all too stuffed to eat anything else. Canthy’s Mum had made all the dough and fillings so Canthy and I decided to make them this afternoon. Her Mum taught me how to make them last year and I have become pretty good at making them. There are three simple steps to follow. Step one; add the filling, step two; pinch around the edges, step three; fold and push together to make the distinctive shape. I thought mine were good until I saw how fast Canthy could make them and they even looked good too. We made around 80 jiaozi and cooked about a dozen or so for lunch. The rest we put in the freezer for later, as they made a great snack and are easy and quick to cook from frozen.

After the experience of Qianmen Street yesterday we decided to avoid anywhere too crowded but wanted to go somewhere special for lunch. We decided on Ch’ien Men 23, which is an old Embassy compound area, which has been turned in one of Beijing’s finest dining zones. Unfortunately when we got their most of the restaurants were closed for the holiday or were not open until dinner time. We decided to leave and realised that is was just around the corner from Qianmen Street. The place was still crowded and I noticed they had big drums on display which members of the public were allowed to play. Well it was more just banging drums and making a noise than being musical but it did look fun. I reminded Canthy of her drum experience a week ago, but these ones were really loud. I fancied having a go but there were so many people and Canthy couldn’t bear to stay so we headed of to Sanlitun to eat which would was a lot more peaceful.

Beijing becomes a ghost town around Chinese New Year as many people travel to their hometown to spend the holiday with their family. The streets are empty and the roads are quiet especially around CBD where we live. We decided to go to Qianmen Street for lunch as we thought it wouldn’t be too busy. It is one of the oldest streets in the city and recently renovated to look authentic and historic like old Beijing. However, when we got there the place was too packed. Canthy had never seen so many people and felt a little sick as the crowds were stifling so we didn’t end up staying long. But just long enough to soak up the atmosphere and watch a Lion Dance, which is another typical New Year activity.

China can be a very noisy place, but the noisiest aspect of Chinese New Year is the fireworks. They start on New Year Eves at 12pm and carry on often till 3am or 4am in the morning. Then for the next 15 days and nights fireworks and firecrackers are continually being set off. Some people find it annoying but I actually like it as its part of the tradition of the holiday. Legend has it lighting fireworks scares away the evil spirits so you can have a good start to the year. From our apartment we get a good view every night of the fireworks around the central business district (CBD) area. Last year we bought a huge pile of fireworks and played out several nights. However this year as Canthy is pregnant the loud noise and gunpowder smoke is not healthy for the baby. So we have to watch it from inside our apartment, which is nowhere near as fun. However I have been outside a few times to experience the fireworks on the streets but I always come back smelling of smoke.

The first day of the Chinese New Year started with a kick-start. A tiger kick-start to be precise, as I felt our little baby kick for the first time. I heard Canthy shout and thought something bad had happened until she explained. I spent the next hour watching her belly expecting to see a little foot kick but it was not that obvious. Canthy told me she could feel the baby moving for some weeks, but now the kicking was becoming more frequent and more obvious to see. I put my hand over her belly and after a while I could feel the faint kicking of her foot. It was another one of those ‘dads to be’ amazing experiences that is hard to describe. Canthy has had five months of knowing it’s real as the baby has been growing inside her. But for a man the kick makes it real as you can feel her moving. To celebrate I drew a little baby picture guessing how big she would be. The Chinese says “Gong Xi Fa Cai” “Hong Bao Na Lai”. Which translates into ‘Happy New Year’ and ‘Give Me Red Pocket’. The red pocket is the red envelope containing money that is given to children during the holiday. A very familiar expression for children to ask, but a few years before we will be hearing our baby say that.

New Years Eve dinner was a very simple homestyle hotpot, which we had eaten before at home. (add link). Canthy’s Mum spent the most time preparing all the ingredients and the rest of us did most of the eating. Food in China is always a more sociable and communal activity as you share the same dishes. Very different to a western style dinner where everyone has their own plate and often different food. Eating hotpot is even more of a communal experience and a chance to bond through a dining. During the dinner Canthy’s Mum said “Women shi yi jia ren”, which means ‘we are family’. Well eating hotpot makes your feel like family and it’s a good way to end the year and start a new one.

Chinese New Year Eve and Canthy and I had to go out shopping to buy the food for tonight. The dinner on New Years Eve is the most important meal in the whole year, as families gather together to celebrate together. Our friends Susan and Alby were coming over and Canthy’s Mum was going to prepare a very traditional homestyle hot pot, which is a quite popular meal for this occasion. On the way to the shops we passed workers who were putting up red lanterns in the streets for tonight’s celebration. I thought it a bit late to be doing this, like decorating your Christmas Tree on Christmas Eve. However better late than never and they will stay up for around 15 days of the New Year Festival. Canthy thought her belly looked as big as a lantern, but I reassured her it was nowhere near this size. I reminded her she was lucky to be having a baby tiger and not a baby elephant, which would have been this big.

Chinese New Year is the biggest holiday in China, like Christmas or Thanks Giving in the US. It’s a time when people return to their hometown to be with family and friends. As it was a Friday and the last day before the holiday I decided to take our company out for a pre holiday lunch. Unfortunately half our team had already left early as getting planes, trains and automobiles at this time is a nightmare. I read recently that the rush to get home in China, is the largest migration of people anywhere in the world. Still for those that stayed we went to the Regent Hotel, as they had a great promotional two-for-one deal. The food was excellent as you would expect for a 5 star hotel and everyone ate till they were stuffed.I got the waitress to take a photo and we all came out stripey as the sun was so bright shining through the blinds. Although the weather in Beijing was cold, it was very sunny with bright blue sky, which are typical conditions at this time of year. Well we are looked a bit stripey and Cao Gui even has the markings of a tiger on his face. Still it is the Year of the Tiger so a good lunch, a good team picture and a good day to end the year on. (Picture left to right – Me, Cao Gui, Andy, Mandy, Lixiang, Weiting and Zhang Miao).

Wishing all my friends, family and readers from around the world, a Happy Chinese New Year of The Tiger.

Chinese New Year is just a few days away, but decorations for the holiday have been up for weeks. According to the Lunar Calendar, 2010 is a Tiger Year, which is the third animal in the Chinese Zodiac. Tigers are normally known for their power and ferociousness but most of the depictions of the animal are rather cute and cuddly (You can read more about this issue on my other blog). One of my favourites are these Tiger heads being used by the fashion store Esprit. An original and whimsical approach the Year of the Tiger, which look really cool. I am not sure what the store will do after the promotion has finished, but maybe I will see if I can get one. With our own little tiger baby coming in June it would be great to have one of these heads at home. However I don’t think Canthy would agree, as she would be worried it might scare the little baby.

Going to meetings around Beijing by taxi I often spend my time gazing out of the window, looking up at all the new buildings. The Beijing Yintai Centre, in Guo Mao only opened in 2008 and has some of the most exclusive fashion brands in the city. It has two 45-storey office towers and a 62-storey hotel, which is the Park Hyatt. There are also luxury apartments which are own by some of Beijing richest socialites and celebrities. Zhang Ziyi, the movie star is just one of the superstars that owns an apartment there. The architecture of building uses many Chinese design features but with a modern twist. A traditional Chinese lantern inspires the top of the building and at nightime it glows bright red. It has a restaurant on the 66 floor called The Grill and has some pretty stunning views over the city. Beijing has changed a lot over the last five years and looks set to continue this trend as it becomes a world city.

Walking to work this morning I passed a car a big as a house. Well actually it was parked outside a restaurant so it was even bigger. I have seen a few stretched limos in my time but this has to be one of the biggest. I think it was a stretched Hummer, which is more suitable to the streets of Las Vegas than Beijing. What made it look stranger was that it was parked outside a traditional Chinese style restaurant. This was a great example of traditional Chinese architecture and culture juxtaposing modern Western design and excessiveness. OK so I know the restaurant isn’t any historical landmark and is a pastiche design in itself. Stuck on the front of a modern glass office tower, the restaurant is strange enough, but having the car outside made the image look even more bizarre.

We often walk to Oriental Plaza for lunch as its one of the only places near my office that sells sandwiches. Canthy like most Chinese hardly ever eats sandwiches, which she sees as being cold food so not that appetising. However being a Brit, who grew up on sandwiches so it’s a hard habit to kick. After lunch we headed past a huge display of Chinese drums at the centre of the shopping centre. Canthy couldn’t resist having a go, so jumped up on stage to bang all four of them. The drums are so large I thought the sound would be deafening. However I think they have been modified so the sound doesn’t annoy everyone else in the centre. A small crowd of people gathered to watch her and she wanted me to join her on stage. But I had to get back to work, so I ended up having to drag her off the stage. Otherwise she would have been there all afternoon entertaining the crowd with her musical percussion.

Canthy pregnancy is almost at five months now as she has been careful to watch her diet and take care of her body. There are many Chinese traditions regarding what she can eat and has been following these rules pretty religiously. One speciality dish she has been eating a lot is the Chinese Sea Cucumber, which looks something like a big black slug. It’s a real delicacy in China and very expensive so we went down to Wal-Mart to buy another months supply. After carefully picking out the fattest one we could find the staff have to specially clean and prepare the food. This take a few days so we have to come back next week to pick up the prepared food. It cost about RMB1400 Yuan (US$200) for a months supply but its especially good for pregnant women. I am not sure what it is suppose to do, but maybe make the baby brainier or something. Despite looking like slugs, Canthy loves eating them for breakfast with her noodles, so that’s all that matters. However maybe next time I will join her for breakfast and try one too.

Despite the freezing cold weather and temperatures still well below freezing around -6C, Canthy and I have made a new ‘get out of the house’ policy. So every weekend Canthy and I have to go out at least once to get some fresh air and walk around.  Now this may sound strange to most people but some weekends we literally didn’t leave the house even once. So today we went for a walk to the Place, which is opposite our apartment, so not that far. Like most shopping centres it is decorated with red and gold decorations to celebrate the coming new year. The Place has the largest overhead LED screen in Asia and second in the world to the one at Las Vegas. The centrepiece to its New Year decorations is a huge three-dimensional display in the shape of a tiger head. This display comes alive at nigh time when the whole thing gets illuminated and makes the Place feel really festive.

Dashing back to the office after another meeting a young girl approached me outside Jinbao Place. I was kind of surprised and then she asked if she could take a picture with me and have me hold a magazine. I didn’t bother to look at the magazine but was quite flattered to do it. It was for a new Men’s magazine called Expresso, so I guess my photo may appear somewhere to promote it. Even though it was her job and she must of asked many people before me it made me smile. It’s been a long time since anyone wanted a photo with me and it made me think of a recent photo I found when I was clearing out some old boxes. It was taken on my first trip to Shanghai back in 1996, the same time I photographed the Bund. Back in those days foreigners were still quite rare, so I would often be stopped in the street for someone to take a photo. On this occasion these two girls were having lunch with their boyfriends and one of them came over and asked if they could take a photo with me. A strange request but I agreed and they took a series of pictures of me with each one and then as a group together. Fourteen years later and I don’t seem to have change too much, haha. I am still wearing a shirt and tie and with the same old haircut. However a few more greys hairs and laughter lines courtesy of living in Asia!

My company’s CEO, Charlie Wrench was in town, visiting our Hong Kong and Beijing office. As one of the newest and smallest offices in the Landor network it was good for our staff to get to meet him. After the usual meetings and work reviews we took him out to Da Dong restaurant for a company lunch. As Charlie likes Peking Duck, we took him to the newest and swankiest Da Dong which just happens to be at Jinbao Place, across the road from our office. As the guest of honour the waitress showed Charlie the three different ways to eat Peking Duck and I think he was impressed by the service. It reminded me of the famous line from the James Bond movie, You Only Live Twice. When Sean Connery is lying in bed with a Chinese girl called Lin.

James Bond: Why do Chinese girls taste different from all other girls?
Ling: You think we better, huh?
James Bond: “No, just different. Like Peking Duck is different from Russian Caviar. But I love them both.
Ling: Darling, I give you very best duck.

Well I think Charlie had some of the best Peking Duck he had ever tasted and he even offered to pay. So it was good having our CEO in town, especially when he picks up the tab. Thanks Charlie

Pictured Left to right: Kailee, Me, Lixiang, Charlie, Miki, Andy and Karen