CHINA 2010 SUNDAY 12th SEPTEMBER
8.30 I had a rude awakening to the sound of banging – not the workmen but drums! Keith seemed to be sleeping through it as I got up. I couldn’t see anything from our balcony but by now a women’s voice was coming over a loud speaker and singing in the traditional high pitched tone.
Across the road in front of the restaurant area a line of red topped shelters were in course of erection and an inflated arch appeared by the stone sign stating ‘International Food Street’ so I guess it is a wedding photography firm touting for business.
After breakfast and emails we decided we would take a look but by now it was 10.30 and the nearby drumming had stopped. We found the shop and it was very hot as we stood and saws a group of men dressed in black with ‘fur’ trousers and colourful lion heads laid on the red carpeted pavement. Leading up to the shop front was a line of floral arrangements and an inflated arch with two lucky symbols on the top. Confetti was strewn everywhere but nothing seemed to be happening outside although inside young women dressed in red tops seemed to be very excited about something with lots of shouting and jumping up and down.
Whilst Keith stayed on the pavement I crossed over to ask if we were too late to see the dancing but before any of the young men could answer a lady in red came rushing up to me to tell me the ‘shop’ had just opened and I could be their first customer. What the shop was I couldn’t see and had a feeling it was yet another ‘spa’ so was reluctant to enter. With everyone else coming out and more or less pushing me I went with the flow. Inside the women stepped aside to allow me to sign the red book please, noting I was number 44 and yet I had been told I was their first customer, come and see the photos, have a bouquet of flowers, have pictures taken, give back the flowers, have more pictures by our poster with our teacher! The media were there and by now Keith had come with his camera and I just laughed not having a clue what was going on.
When things quietened down the wall of photographs of girls in camouflaged uniform were explained to me. I was told they are specially trained to deal with helping people in disaster areas and the lady in red produced a red information card in Chinese, but with numbers I could understand, telling me I could donate 6800 yuan to their training, but I could spend this money in Xiamen. I said we didn’t live here but I was pleased to hear about their training programme and thanked her. Whether it was because we were there I don’t know but the drumming began again and the men performed their ‘lion dance’ after which some of the girls lined up holding a long red ribbon and a lady, who I recognised as their teacher from the poster, cut the ribbon to the noise of more confetti being fired from hand held tubes.
Next stop to see just what is happening under the line of red canopies. The end stand featured a small display of inlaid furniture items such as stools, tea tables and plant stands. The rest of the stands were occupied by a housing company promoting their business by having tables set up to play the ‘Mooncake Game’ which is only played in Xiamen and where lots of locals were already trying their luck to win a prize. We stood and watched one table where everyone was having a go and an old lady in front of me threw one 4 and five 5s. A good throw and most of the crowd thought she should have a good prize but the young staff manning the stall didn’t agree and she didn’t win anything. From playing the game I know 4s are winning numbers. As we left a young girl came running after us and asked if she could talk to me, behind her followed the photographer I had noticed. She wanted to know if we knew about the game, had we participated today, and what were we doing in Xiamen? Some of the answers I wrote in her book so she could get a translation but the fact we knew about the game and could show them our dice hanging from our camera bags seemed to please them. More photographs, especially of our camera bags, before leaving them to return home for another coffee!
With it being so hot we stayed home in the afternoon. In the evening we met up with Mander and his partner Lin, Helen should have come as well but she had telephoned Mander earlier to say she was feeling unwell and sent her apologies. We had invited them out for a meal as a way of thanking them for their kindness during our stay. It was just as well we had this get together as we learnt John, Chief Engineer, had arrived from Hong Kong and we would be joining him and his group for a celebration meal tomorrow evening. We also learnt we should leave for Suzhou on the 23rd and celebrate the Mid Autumn Festival in Xiamen and finally Mr. Chai said we would join the workforce on the 16th for a meal and to play the ‘Mooncake Game’. What a great company to work for.
Across the road in front of the restaurant area a line of red topped shelters were in course of erection and an inflated arch appeared by the stone sign stating ‘International Food Street’ so I guess it is a wedding photography firm touting for business.
After breakfast and emails we decided we would take a look but by now it was 10.30 and the nearby drumming had stopped. We found the shop and it was very hot as we stood and saws a group of men dressed in black with ‘fur’ trousers and colourful lion heads laid on the red carpeted pavement. Leading up to the shop front was a line of floral arrangements and an inflated arch with two lucky symbols on the top. Confetti was strewn everywhere but nothing seemed to be happening outside although inside young women dressed in red tops seemed to be very excited about something with lots of shouting and jumping up and down.
Whilst Keith stayed on the pavement I crossed over to ask if we were too late to see the dancing but before any of the young men could answer a lady in red came rushing up to me to tell me the ‘shop’ had just opened and I could be their first customer. What the shop was I couldn’t see and had a feeling it was yet another ‘spa’ so was reluctant to enter. With everyone else coming out and more or less pushing me I went with the flow. Inside the women stepped aside to allow me to sign the red book please, noting I was number 44 and yet I had been told I was their first customer, come and see the photos, have a bouquet of flowers, have pictures taken, give back the flowers, have more pictures by our poster with our teacher! The media were there and by now Keith had come with his camera and I just laughed not having a clue what was going on.
When things quietened down the wall of photographs of girls in camouflaged uniform were explained to me. I was told they are specially trained to deal with helping people in disaster areas and the lady in red produced a red information card in Chinese, but with numbers I could understand, telling me I could donate 6800 yuan to their training, but I could spend this money in Xiamen. I said we didn’t live here but I was pleased to hear about their training programme and thanked her. Whether it was because we were there I don’t know but the drumming began again and the men performed their ‘lion dance’ after which some of the girls lined up holding a long red ribbon and a lady, who I recognised as their teacher from the poster, cut the ribbon to the noise of more confetti being fired from hand held tubes.
Next stop to see just what is happening under the line of red canopies. The end stand featured a small display of inlaid furniture items such as stools, tea tables and plant stands. The rest of the stands were occupied by a housing company promoting their business by having tables set up to play the ‘Mooncake Game’ which is only played in Xiamen and where lots of locals were already trying their luck to win a prize. We stood and watched one table where everyone was having a go and an old lady in front of me threw one 4 and five 5s. A good throw and most of the crowd thought she should have a good prize but the young staff manning the stall didn’t agree and she didn’t win anything. From playing the game I know 4s are winning numbers. As we left a young girl came running after us and asked if she could talk to me, behind her followed the photographer I had noticed. She wanted to know if we knew about the game, had we participated today, and what were we doing in Xiamen? Some of the answers I wrote in her book so she could get a translation but the fact we knew about the game and could show them our dice hanging from our camera bags seemed to please them. More photographs, especially of our camera bags, before leaving them to return home for another coffee!
With it being so hot we stayed home in the afternoon. In the evening we met up with Mander and his partner Lin, Helen should have come as well but she had telephoned Mander earlier to say she was feeling unwell and sent her apologies. We had invited them out for a meal as a way of thanking them for their kindness during our stay. It was just as well we had this get together as we learnt John, Chief Engineer, had arrived from Hong Kong and we would be joining him and his group for a celebration meal tomorrow evening. We also learnt we should leave for Suzhou on the 23rd and celebrate the Mid Autumn Festival in Xiamen and finally Mr. Chai said we would join the workforce on the 16th for a meal and to play the ‘Mooncake Game’. What a great company to work for.
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