This time my visit in China was more personal than touristy, thus I will limit myself to describing the interesting para-professional experience in Da Qing and art-oriented sightseeing in Shanghai.

During yet another stay in chilly north (the temperature will soon reach -20 degrees during the day) I had the opportunity to make myself useful: I was invited to do some ordering works in a place schemed for afternoon school for kids. The previous owner of the estate left quite a mess – a lot of work to do and the grand opening will happen in just a couple of days! The reward for the job well done is the possibility of covering the walls with paintings. I am free to choose what to paint and I decide to go for animal world, the idea that the kids enjoy a lot (the classes have already started!), they even help me paint. My presence in the school is…

Night train (two-storey, comfortable sleeper) brings us to Lijiang – probably the most touristically desired town in China (for Chinese). Crowds flow through picturesque, beautifully renovated streets of the old town (there is the national holiday going on, extended by an extra weekend), not at all discouraged by the stubborn rain. The town is very photogenic, though one day stroll is enough to know it all – countless shops all offer the same authentic-fake craft and you can’t eat local delicacies (including dragonflies – crunchy, interesting) all the time, can you?

It is a good idea to visit Shuhe, old town located a couple of kilometres north, less populated with tourists, with mellow bars and hills that demand that you climb them. From the top there is a splendid view on the valley filled with the city of Lijiang and nearby villages. In Shuhe you can also check out the reconstructed Tibetan monastery. Inside, apart from not-so-impressive replica…

Kunming

Kunming welcomes us with a wall of rain and a grey sky. The city itself doesn’t look any special to me… The value of the capital of Yunnan are its parks – right now, for weather reasons, they don’t feel that great either. In spite of all, we decide to visit one of them – the park around Dianche lake. Nice views, though the rain is trying to spoil it all. We find a rain-free zone in barbecue spot, where we spend a long time trying out different delicacies on stick (really tasty octopuses!).

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Kunming wita nas ścianą deszczu i szaroburym niebem. Przechadzając się po mieście zauważam, że samo w sobie nie wyróżnia się niczym szczególnym… O wartości stolicy Yunnanu stanowią parki – chwilowo, z przyczyn pogodowych, pozbawione części uroku. Mimo wszystko, wybieramy się zwiedzić jeden z nich – rozciągający się wzdłuż jeziora Dianche. Widoki przyjemne, choć deszcz stara się ze wszystkich sił…

Fei is flying away, me too. But I’m going in a different direction. Encouraged by Fei’s lovely cousin who also offers to accompany me, I head for the beautiful Yunnan province. On the way we have 10-hour stopover in Changsha where we do a little bit of sightseeing. We focus mostly on the park located on the hills around the city. You can get some great views up there – mostly on the concrete jungle that is Changsha. But it’s not that view that draws everybody’s attention – everybody keeps staring at me and on … the bunch of twenty students from different parts of Africa, who chose to have a stroll that very moment. Our walk together seems to be very impressive for the passers-by. Moreover, one of the guys speaks perfect Chinese – unbelievable!

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Fei odlatuje, ja również – choć w zupełnie innym kierunku. Za namową sympatycznej kuzynki Feia, która podejmuje się…

In Nanjing I change trains to get to Zhenjiang. I take the super-modern, fast train that takes 15 minutes to run 90 km. I look at the screen displaying current speed – we sometimes reach 308km/h!

In Zhenjiang station I have to confirm if I reached my destination – last time I was here was two years ago and everything looks completely different!

I almost get to meet the uncle of Fei (my friend with whom I used to study in France, who is getting married now) who is supposed to pick me up… I get on the bus and try to find the given address… We somehow manage to find each other – a joyful moment, especially after seeing my buddy glued to his future wife… No time for sentiments now – there is so much to be prepared before next day’s ceremony!

Family feast starts early in the morning to reach its peak…