Have you heard the saying, “April showers bring May flowers”? Well, here in China’s northwest, the saying would be more accurately altered to “March sandstorms bring April flowers.” Some days, the skies are grey with dust blown in from the Gobi Desert and you can barely see the skyscrapers outside your window. But other days, you can enjoy strolling through town taking in the fragrance of the flowered trees in bloom. This is our first spring in China, and we are thoroughly enjoying our time exploring the city.
Lanzhou University
The campus is gorgeous in spring time. Various kinds of flowered trees, bushes and tulips drape the campus grounds. Our kids love playing by the pond, with its koi fish and tadpoles swimming about.
White Pagoda Mountain Park
Just past the famous Zhong Shan Pedestrian Bridge along the Yellow River, this is a favorite place for the locals to visit. The trees provide ample shade and you can enjoy beautiful views of the river and the city. Today, the river is green, not yellow because the water is calm and there are not strong enough currents to shake up the sediment underneath.
Five Springs Mountain Park and Lan Mountain
This is another popular spot of the locals to enjoy a weekend hike with the family. At the base of the Five Springs (Wu Quan) Mountain, kids enjoy amusement park rides and playing with the tadpoles in the spring water flowing down the mountain. There are also many vendors selling local delicacies and trinkets. You can either hike up the mountain or take a chair lift. The path is well paved and we enjoy trying to spot different buildings around the city that we are familiar with.
Shi Chuan Pear Orchard
This past weekend, some friends took us to an ancient pear orchard just outside of town. It was so peaceful and relaxing. There are many private gardens where owners set up large tables to offer tea and meals to visitors. Some have bouncy castles, swings or a trampoline for kids to play on. You can literally stay there a whole day if you like and only have to pay for the reasonably priced meal and tea. The trees around us were mostly around 300 years old, but there were older ones as well. Our friend said they could get to around 800 years old. Pears were originally cultivated in China and there is a rich history of pear cultivation along the Yellow River. The dry climate of Gansu province is ideal for growing many things, including pears, apples and peaches.
Most people think there is nothing special about this place besides beef noodle soup. After living here for a year, we beg to differ. The people are friendly and easy going, there are so many wonderful local delicacies and produce to enjoy, the Yellow River and mountains are fun to explore, and the scent of spring blossoms in the air is such a treat.
The Gansu Provincial Museum is one of the largest museums in western China, featuring many Chinese artifacts from the Silk Road, an ancient trade route between China and Europe. This museum is a must see if you ever visit Lanzhou.
Like any other museum, you usually end up at the gift shop, where you can buy souvenirs and special things to remember your time there. As we walked towards the gift shop, there was this huge plush creature, inviting you to take a pose with it. It looked like a dinosaur to me. At the gift shop, similar looking bright green toys were being sold. “What were they?” I wondered. They looked like a sad attempt at creating something that was supposed to be cute. What was most strange of all, was the Angry Bird looking bird at the bottom of one of its feet. If not for that, I was thinking it was either the Loch Ness monster or Puff the Magic Dragon. There were two versions of the toy, one with arms outstretched, and one that was shaped more realistically like a four legged animal. Still, I didn’t get it at all. Why was this odd looking plush toy being sold here? I left the museum, perplexed and wondering if I had missed something.
It wasn’t until weeks later, when I was researching one of the most important artifacts of the museum that I finally discovered what it was. It was the flying horse of Gansu, only the most famous artifact in the whole entire museum! I should have known – horse with a bird beneath one hoof! The first plush, I didn’t even recognize as a horse, but the second version should have given it away. I guess I was just so thrown off by the bird’s resemblance to the Angry Bird bird, lol!
Indeed this toy, which came out last summer around the time that we had just arrived in China, had become a viral sensation. DouYin (China’s TikTok) videos went viral. By the second day it hit the online market, 6,000 of them were sold. In 3 months, there were more than 100,000 sold. There were even reports of people buying them up by the truckloads. This comedic version of the flying horse was well received by locals because all children in China learn about this flying horse on a bird in school. This 2000 year old artifact is arguably one of the most important cultural artifacts in all of China. It even became the symbol of China’s Tourism several decades ago.
Though I was less than impressed with this plush toy when I first saw it, the actual flying horse artifact inside the museum did leave a deep impression on me. First of all, I love horses, almost more than I love dogs, and only because I revere their great size and strength. The horse figurine itself also had so much character. The mouth was open, as if it were neighing and the whole shape of the body, with its neck turned and legs lifted exuded wild passionate energy. The horse stood with a single hoof on a bird below, with the bird’s head turned back as if it were surprised by something stepping on its back. The fact that this bronze horse, weighing over 7 kilograms, could balance on this small bird underneath it showed skill in craftsmanship.
Lastly, the write up about this horse was fantastic. Here is the Baidu translation:
The biggest reason why this artifact moved me so much was because, as the translation says, it is a symbol for cultural exchange between East and West. This horse mainly resembles the foreign Ferghana horse, brought to China for its unique strengths and ability to compete against the horses of China’s enemy, the Huns from the north. (Recall the movie, “Mulan”?) It became mythically known as The Heavenly Horse, and writings depict it as able to fly faster than a bird and to sweat blood from their great vigor. They had not only made their home in China, but helped China to become a victorious nation. As someone who just recently moved to China, unsure of my place and well aware of my own “foreign-ness”, this is especially meaningful to me.
And so, I returned to the museum and purchased the plush toy that I had originally overlooked and deemed a creation fail. Now, it will remind me to have a lighthearted attitude towards myself as an awkward foreigner and to do my best to put my skills to use here.
One thing that has really touched our hearts since moving to China since last summer is the warmth we’ve been shown by my husband’s new colleagues and other locals that we have met. We have moved many times but never have we been so warmly received and felt such a genuine interest for friendship as we have received since moving to Lanzhou.
During the pandemic, friends reached out to us regularly to check up on us and when we got sick, made sure we had medicine and sent us food to help with our bad coughs. Now that life has normalized and we are able to enjoy more of the city, one colleague reached out to us and invited us to join his family on a ski trip. We had a blast!
Our friend purchased a package deal that included the shuttle ride to and from the resort, gloves, rentals (skis/snowboard and ski pants/suits), ski lifts, snow tubing, and lunch. The total cost was around 150 RMB per person ($30 CAD or $22 USD). Helmet rentals were only 30 RMB extra ($6 CAD, $4.40 USD) and required if you go on the steeper slopes.
Shuttle to ski resort
We got on the bus at 8:30am, departed at about 9:00am and made it to the ski resort within an hour. This resort was the furthest of the 4 local ski resorts. There was a bigger one close by which we are interested to check out another time, but an hour bus ride was not too bad.
Check in
When we arrived, we checked in, paid 100 RMB rental deposit per person, and received plastic cards that served as both our locker keys and rental passes. The lockers were full sized and ample space to fit all the snacks and extra clothes and other supplies that we brought. You could choose to get either a snowsuit or a pair of snow pants. You could choose either ski or snowboard rental. If you wanted to switch some time during the day, I think that it would be totally fine. Everything from check in to rentals went smoothly and we were pleased how organized everything was and that there was ample space to get changed. The equipment was in good condition and decent quality.
Ski instructors
The biggest thing that was different from our experience with skiing in Canada is that there were no formal lessons provided by professional ski/snowboard instructors that was organized by the resort. Instead, individual instructors were lined up just above the escalators on the rental platform. As you got your rentals and started changing, some of them would approach you to offer their assistance (free) and would ask you if you had ever skied before. Our friend told us to expect the cost of hiring a trainer to be 300 RMB ($60 CAD, $44 USD). We politely declined each time and didn’t felt overly annoyed by them.
On the slopes, we noticed that the professionalism and level of teaching skill of the instructors greatly varied. If you want to learn how to ski, what I would recommend is that you first observe someone actually teaching others on the slopes first. Hire someone that impresses you with their teaching skills and suits your personality and learning style. As far as we could tell, everyone was getting private one-on-one lessons.
Ski slopes
This ski resort was no Whistler, but it was good enough for our beginner/intermediate ski level. The man made snow was great quality and it was easy to ski on. There were 4 slopes – a super beginner one where most of the people learning to ski for the first time were getting their lessons, and another one that a beginner could quite easily manage. We loved the conveyor belt for the two beginner level slopes. It was easy to get on and off, especially for young children. Then there were two steeper slopes that were intermediate level. However, we did find that there was a big jump from the beginner slopes to the harder ones. Since most local skiers were beginners, there was barely a line for the chair lift for the steeper slopes.
Dining experience
There were two eating areas at the resort, one indoor and one outdoor. At the outdoor food area, there were long picnic tables to eat at. You could order a lot of fun food that would be popular with kids such as sausages. Our ski package included the indoor eating experience. You could choose from either rice and dishes (mainly vegetarian), or noodle soup (beef or some other one with tofu, ground pork and veggies). Kids and adults get the same portion size and the food prices were very reasonable, even if you didn’t have the meal included in your package. There was also a bubble tea shop and convenience store inside. We were happy to see that nothing was overpriced.
First aid
After some time skiing, our middle child started complaining about his foot hurting. He got a blister because the boot was rubbing against the side of his foot. Even after changing to more comfortable ski boots, he said the blister was still bothering him. I approached a staff person about it and we were immediately escorted to the first aid room. It was a nice room with a bed, desk and sofa. We sat down on the sofa and soon after, a nurse came in to talk to us. She treated his blister with some kind of disinfectant spray that also helped with the pain and put it a band aid on it. She took a photo and shared the photo with me on WeChat, along with instructions for what to do if we needed to go to a hospital for treatment after it. Insurance was included so any treatment for any injury would be free. She gave him a cup of hot water and we were allowed to stay there for as long as we needed to. We felt so well cared for! It was nice to be able to just sit there and relax for a bit. Soon after, my son was feeling better and he enjoyed skiing for the rest of the day.
Other snow activities
After we had enough of skiing, we did some snow tubing, which was also included in our package. Helmets (mandatory) were included. There were two runs, with a conveyor belt bringing you to the top, just like the ones for the beginner ski slopes. Each person sits in their own snow tube, but a lot of people were linking feet and arms so that they could have two or more go down all together. The longer the chain of snow tubes, the faster you would go down! We all loved it.
You could also pay 30 RMB to rent ski-doo snowmobiles to ride around in a small area, or rent some other electric riding vehicles for kids. They looked like fun but we were pretty spent from skiing all day already.
When we left the resort to board the bus, a gentleman offered to take us horseback riding on his ranch just below the resort. It was only 30 RMB per person, or 50 for two. We had to get on our bus so we politely declined.
Conclusion
This was not the biggest ski resort near Lanzhou, but were were pleasantly surprised at the level of service, quality of rentals and facility there. Our family had a great time and we could see ourselves going often in the future. We are also excited to check out the other ski resorts too. Maybe the larger one would have more professional ski instructors as we did hear from another friend that their son did some kind of ski camp for kids before.
If you want to visit Lanzhou in the winter, we would highly recommend hitting the slopes for some winter fun. The great experience along with a bowl of Lanzhou’s famous beef noodle soup for dinner that night would surely create lasting warm memories for you and your friends.
The last things that our boys expected to be able to do in China was to go trick or treating for Halloween. Besides leaving behind friends and family, this was probably in their minds, one of the top sacrifices they were making in following their parents’ dreams for our family to move to China. Well, today we proved that with a little creativity, we can still do Halloween.
Using the Cricut Explore Air 2 and some cardstock paper, the boys helped their mom make a bunch of Halloween decorations. Here are some photos of our door all decked out with bats, spiders and jack-o-lanterns.
We bought two huge bags of candy at our neighbourhood corner store for approximately 100 RMB ($20 CAD). The assortment included gummies, lollipops, gum, jelly, mini cakes and cookies. They even had these fantastic eye ball gummies, perfect for Halloween!
We then invited some neighbourhood kids to join us for our own version of trick or treating at our apartment building.
Since one boy had no costume, I enlisted my 13 year old son’s help to make him a costume. This was a great project that my son could get ADST credit for homeschooling. We gave the boy a few costume ideas and he decided that he wanted an airplane costume. My son used poster paper and cardboard to make wings that would be strapped to the boy’s back. Water bottles were transformed into jet engines with aluminum foil. He used orange and yellow construction paper to make the flames that were stapled back to back and fit over the bottom of the water bottles. He looked up the China Air Force symbol and used construction paper to create that on the back side of the wings. The end result was not too shabby.
Today we set up our Cricut machine once again, and set to work on some paper window decorations. Our plan was to use our dark apartment building staircase for the “trick or treating.” Each level had a window ledge where we could place some candy. I thought it would be a bit more of a work out for the kids to have to climb up the stairs to get the candy on each level.
It was a total success! The kids had a blast. And the little boy loved his airplane costume. Ok, maybe he loved the candy more.
“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” –Forrest Gump.
After voluntarily socially isolating at home a month before our family’s big flight to China, the last thing any of us expected was for my husband to test positive for Covid-19 antibodies on the day of our flight. It was a mad scramble to rearrange our suitcases and make alternate plans for him to stay behind, while I took over the entire responsibility for getting myself, my three kids and our dog to China. As I gave my husband a goodbye hug before going through security at the airport, it took all the courage in me to hold it together and choose to believe that everything was going to be okay.
My main concern was language. Whenever we have travelled to China in the past, my husband was usually the one to take the lead in figuring things out like communicating with people, asking questions, reading menus or information, etc. I think I overly relied on him because his Chinese ability far exceeded my own. Now I would need to be the one to fill out forms, research information, and communicate everything in my broken Chinese.
We arrived in the Shanghai airport and got through customs, Covid-screening, baggage pick up and quarantine registration just fine. Everyone at the airport was super helpful and kind. Our two week quarantine also went quite smoothly. However, getting out of Shanghai was a different story. It took my husband’s work secretary, myself and my husband all working tirelessly to get my kids and I a way out amidst the Shanghai lockdown. Flights had almost all been halted and trains were severely limited. We made many plans and back up plans, none of which panned out in the end. This went on for weeks. It was exhausting, stressful, and frustrating. I hated the uncertainty and the feeling of helplessness, but most of all, I hated the feeling of not being able to settle down and start building our new lives in China.
Eventually, we were able to get out of our hotel rooms and move about freely inside the hotel. One day, I happened to start talking with an elderly couple who turned out to also be trying to get to the same remote city in China’s northwest! Almost everything in China operates on connections and I knew I had to rely on the locals if we were to have a shot in being able to find a way out. With their help, we finally got train tickets and landed in the city of Lanzhou.
After 45 days in quarantine, the kids and I were thrilled to finally be home. After a few weeks, my husband finally reunited with us. But, this was and is just the beginning. Multiple lockdowns in our city have made many things hard, including making new friends, helping our kids learn the language, deciding on where to live, and receiving the boxes we shipped with all our possessions.
So, how are we doing now? Life is not without its challenges, but I can truly say that we are well. I think the biggest thing holding us together has been our relationships with each other. We have grown so much stronger as a family. During this time, I have especially felt regret about the lack of attention I have given to my oldest daughter for most of her life. She is extremely capable and independent, similar to me in her ability to figure things out on her own and in her quiet nature, yet also very different from me in so many other ways. Not that I don’t love and cherish her to pieces, but our relationship with each other has always been a challenge because of both our similarities and differences. In a way, this time has opened a door for us to build a new kind of relationship, as friends and comrades in this new adventure.
When unexpected things happens, it really pulls out the good, the bad and the ugly parts of you. You have to face your demons, including your insecurities, your dysfunctions, and your past. You have to choose whether you will be defeated, or take courage and do better. You have to ask for help, admit your faults, change your expectations, and do the next thing you know you need to do. Our life isn’t what we expected here, but I truly believe it will be better.
The city of Lanzhou in Gansu province with the Yellow River flowing through it
I recently flew to China with my three children and small dog. We arrived in Shanghai (PVG) from Vancouver (YVR) on April 9, 2022. We spent 3 hours at the PVG airport, getting covid tested, passing through customs, baggage pick up, quarantine enrollment and waiting for our quarantine hotel bus. There were around a dozen passengers in our group, all from the same flight, and all with final destinations outside this city and neighboring provinces.
TRAVELING TO OUR HOTEL
As suspected, the streets were practically empty because of the recent city-wide lock down in Shanghai. It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed taking in the views of the city.
HOTEL ARRIVAL
After another hour or so, we finally arrived at our quarantine hotel in QingPu district. We put our luggage all in one side, while we gathered in front of the registration table set up outside of the hotel. While our luggage was getting sprayed down to disinfect, a hotel staff person gave us instructions on what we needed to do to register and what the rules were for our quarantine. She spoke really fast, so I pretty much didn’t understand a single thing! Just about everyone can understand English though, and so I was able to get the help I needed.
quarantine bushotel registrationback of hotel
PET ISSUE
When the staff person disinfecting the luggage discovered that there was a dog (our dog) in a carrier there, it caused quite a commotion because apparently there were no pets allowed at this hotel. We were told we couldn’t stay and had to stand to the side and wait to be taken elsewhere. Eventually, since there really was no protocol for such a situation, they allowed us to stay anyway.
ROOMING RULES
We were all given rooms on the same floor. Everyone had to quarantine by themselves in their own room unless there was a medical condition (requires paperwork for proof) or if you were a minor. My 15 year old daughter was considered an adult, and so we each were allowed to have one minor in the room with us. So, my 15 year old and 13 year old roomed together. And my 7 year old and I were in a room adjacent. The walls are concrete, as is the norm in China, so we really couldn’t talk to each other through the walls. But there were phones where we could talk to reception or call other hotel guests.
FREE WIFI
There was also free wifi and the connection is surprisingly decent. With staying in a hotel room for such an extended period of time, I have allowed my kids more screen time than usual. I check in with my two older kids three times a day, and we have family video calls with dad every afternoon.
SUPPLIES
Since we were prepared to not be able to order and receive any kind of deliveries during this citywide lockdown, we brought tons of snacks, dog food, puppy training pads, toys, a drum pad, books, laundry bar soap, kids scissors and tape. My son brought his own pillowcase and nightlight toy. Things I wish we packed would include more wipes, a mini dustpan with brush, shampoo, travel power plug adapter (for my kids’ laptops with the 3 prongs), more paper/construction paper for crafts, and mini speakers for our laptops. They did supply: hand sanitizer, mini disinfecting cotton balls, slippers, towels, toothbrush, toothpaste, liquid all in one shampoo/soap, hair dryer, electric kettle, hangers, trash bags, bottled water, paper cups, tissue paper, a pen and a mercury thermometer. This may vary by hotel though.
MEALS
The food is quite similar every day. For breakfast, it has been two steamed buns (a mix of veggie & meat), congee, and a boiled egg. For lunch and dinner, it’s bento box style with rice, assorted stir fried veggies, and some kind of meat (pork belly, pork chops, fried chicken, fish, and even sea cucumber). The sea cucumber is actually the best I’ve ever had! I’m pretty sure they will only serve Chinese food, and my 7 year old son is definitely starting to get tired of the food. I hope we packed enough snacks!
sea cucumberpork chopveggies
SCHEDULE
Meals are left outside the door three times a day. No snacks. Sometimes meals have come with a yogurt drink or juice. We have a whole crate of bottled water too. We are to take our own temperature using the supplied mercury thermometer, record it, and share a photo of our record with our quarantine WeChat group twice a day. We are also supposed to disinfect our room with these tiny little cotton balls and put bleach/chemical tablets into the toilet tank twice a day. Garbage is to be left outside your room by 2pm for pick up.
LEAVING
Seven days in, we will have another PCR test taken. Results will come out 24 hours later. If we test negative, we will then be allowed to book our travel to our destination city a total of 14 days from when our flight first landed. You have the option of moving out into another hotel locally too. You can now arrange your own travel entirely, including taxi. Travel to Hongqiao Airport and train stations are permitted at 10:00AM each morning, and travel to local hotels are permitted at 3:00PM every afternoon. These rules are sure to change and hopefully things will get easier as the Covid situation improves.
The last few days in Vancouver before our flight to Shanghai felt like a crazy whirlwind. In an unexpected turn of events, we received an email the day of our flight informing us essentially that my husband could not fly. We scrambled to confirm with various people that myself and our three kids would still be allowed to enter China without him as our visas depended on his. Before we knew it, we were at the YVR airport checking in. Exhausted and stressed out, we hastily said our goodbyes and got in line to pass through security. Almost 24 hours later, we arrived at our quarantine hotel in Shanghai.
Though to many, this time in quarantine is an unwelcomed inconvenience, this time for me is a gift from above. I need sleep. I need recovery. I need to hit the reset button. This past month, I’ve been so busy packing and dealing with administrative tasks that I have not had enough time to prepare emotionally.
Stepping into my quarantine room and closing that door to the world, I finally had permission to digest the fact that I was here without my husband, and to grieve all the things that I am leaving behind, while looking to the future with all my hopes and dreams.
And so, I started journaling again. Having recently gone through the process of digitizing all my old journals, re-reading entries about falling in love, getting married, moving overseas, having my first child, and so on, I have come to realize again just how good it is to journal. I was beginning to see how each event doesn’t just shape me to become who I am today, but also sets me on a path to who I want to be tomorrow.
My goal during quarantine is to take advantage of this time in between worlds, to ponder the unanswered questions of my life, and to intentionally process through the good and the bad parts of me and see what I can learn. It will take time and courage, but I believe it will be time well spent. May I come out of this time stronger, healthier, and in a place to give more of myself to others.
We ourselves are “saved to save” – we are made to give – to let everything go if only we may have more to give. The pebble takes in the rays of the light that falls on it, but the diamond flashes them out again: every little facet is means, not simply of drinking more in, but of giving more out.
Sitting down on my couch, in front of a large wooden coffee table, I set to work on a new jigsaw puzzle – a vibrant array of colourful flowers interspersed with delightful slices of citrus fruits. The first task at hand is to find all the border pieces, easily distinguishable by their one flat side. In no time at all, a pile forms in the center of the table. As I start to put the pieces together, it becomes apparent that this puzzle, though varied in colour throughout, may not be as easy as it appears. Strings of pieces have formed, but they do not connect and a number of single pieces lay idly beside. The realization comes upon me that I must have put some wrong pieces together. I hunker down, examining each piece more carefully and sift through the box for more side pieces. I am determined to take on the challenge and finish the border before I get up off my couch again.
Each time I settle down in front of the puzzle, I set to work on a different colour or section. I take delight in having a goal and accomplishing it. I reflect on my life and ponder why it is that I often lack the motivation and confidence to tackle life, one piece at a time. To be honest, on most days I drudge through life, procrastinating on things I have to get done, weighed down by feelings of stress and anxiety. And yet despite my struggles, somehow things eventually work out, and even better than imagined. It’s as if some mystic force is at work, working things out for our good.
One such example is my experience with homeschooling my youngest son, Jonah. He went to preschool for two years and though his teachers were wonderful, he failed to learn his alphabet well at all. Not being ready for kindergarten in the US, I reluctantly took on homeschooling him instead. It was one of the most painful years for the both of us and there were many times that I felt like crying, frustrated much more with myself than him, that I neither had the patience nor the talent to teach my son what some 3 year olds could pick up with such ease. But we survived somehow and made it through. The following year, we started phonics and learning how to read. Again, it was a struggle and we made little progress though it was hard work for the both of us. When fall came this school year, I dreaded homeschooling and seriously worried what would happen if my son never learned to read. But he did. It started slow but with time, he started to gain confidence and his interest in reading just grew on it’s own. My heart is so full as I now gaze at my son sitting on our couch reading, with a big smile on his face. I never wanted to homeschool and never thought I could do it. But this experience with helping my own son learn to read, I will surely treasure for the rest of my life.
And so I have to say that life is better than a jigsaw puzzle. You may not know what picture you will end up with, and it may take a whole lot more perseverance and faith to keep on going. But in the end, if you submit yourself to the will of the maker and stay the course, the picture will simply blow you away.
In less than a month, our family will be making a major move. We are moving to China. There are definitely things that worry us, like how we will deal with our family’s medical needs, or how our kids will be able to make friends now that the majority of expat families have left China. My faith in the big picture will be tested, I’m sure. And when I start feeling anxious, I remind myself to just take it one piece at a time, anchored on my faith that there is a purpose for everything.
FAR AND WIDE 