Lantern Festival Three-Fer

1: Lanterns within the center court of Yu Gardens (note the Dairy Queen)
2: The massive lines for tickets at only one entrance gate of several
3: Glowing zodiac animals on the water

This could have easily been a 20-fer post; I took so many photos that night. Yu Gardens was so grandly lit you could see it from blocks away, and they had set up entrance gates and charged 50 RMB for tickets to get in (usually it's free).

The place was ridiculously packed with people- imagine Times Square on New Year's Even, then multiply that by about 13. I probably could have just moshed on all their heads to get around, instead of trying to fight my way through the crowds.

Zodiac Animal Lanterns

Nothing says cute like zodiac animals made of wire and lights. Look at that fat green snake. Look at Mr. Rooster. Adorable.

Cheng Huang Miao, Shanghai, Feb 2008

Flashback: New Year Decorations at 城隍庙

Flashback time!

Over the next few days, my posts will be from Shanghai during Chinese New Year 2008, the first and only time I've actually experienced the holiday in China.  

(While the New Year began on Feb 14, the holiday technically lasts 15 days, so I'm still right on time! Technically.)

This photo comes from the famous tourist trap landmark, the Old Temple outside Yuyuan Gardens. 2008 was the Year of the Rat, so those decorations in the water are blowup zodiac animals, surrounded by many friendly-looking, red-wearing, celebratory rats.

Dirty Laundry

Laundry in the midst of much dirt and construction in the fields of Fengxian, a farming village outside Shanghai. May 2009.

Hello, Little Child (or, Chinese Benjamin Button)

Random child, found with this random painting set-up, in a random deserted garden at the Summer Palace in Beijing.

I'm not sure where he came from, or more pressingly, why he is sporting that impressive mustache. But seriously, how adult does he look with that easel and that facial hair.

Also: I say "Hello, little child" a lot. It comes from this episode of Harry Potter Puppet Pals (Brilliantly funny. You MUST watch. I'll wait.)

...Hilarious, right? So, every time I write "Hello, little child," it's not meant to be in that creepy pedo way, but rather in that puppet-y Voldemort way. And now you know.

Balmy Nanjing

A balmy summer night in Nanjing. I had taken off on a spontaneous two-day trip here from Shanghai; once I arrived and felt the cool temperatures and experienced the laid-back feel of the city, I knew taking off was a great choice. Gorgeous.

Silhouette

A depressingly cold and dreary day at the West Lake, Hangzhou.

To be fair, it was October and I would have been fine had I brought a jacket. However, the day before I'd gone to Suzhou and the weather was just lovely, so naturally, I assumed a city 77 miles away would have the same temperatures.

Moral of the story: If you go to Hangzhou, check the weather first. Then bring a jacket anyway.