Entries about nightlife

So I am halfway through my second week of teaching Grade 8 at school. Each week I take 12 classes, and so each week I teach 396 students... yep, the classes are pretty big. My smallest class has 27 students in it and my largest has 39. The students are aged 13 or 14 in Chinese years, which is 12 or 13 for us. The variation in the ability of the classes is quite interesting. In some classes the students can hardly understand simple sentences, and in others I am able to have a joke with them. Sometimes this difference is evident even within a single class, which initially caused me to completely overestimate the ability of my first ever class.

For my first lesson, I did an introductory lesson about me, the students, and my expectations for classes. I tried to get a seating plan for every class, although it transpired this week that most of the students move seats each week. So, I'm wondering how on earth I am going to learn 396 names. And the names themselves come with their own challenges. Most students have an 'English name' that they use in English class because... well actually I'm not sure why... but generally it has made my life easier than if I were incorrectly pronouncing their names. However, there are some interesting choices of English names, my personal favourite being Bling Bing and others such as Fairy, Dipper, Paper Box and Watermelon Three Years Old, which I absolutely could not condone and so Watermelon is now known as Chris.

I'm also very much aware that I am learning on the job. This has come to light this week especially, when I was just generally unhappy with how my first lessons went on Monday. They just didn't flow and there was no progression. So after a bit of tweaking, my two lessons today seemed to go a lot smoother. I'm hoping that this is the sort of thing I will just one day know how to change... but for the time being, my poor Monday morning class will be the guinea pigs for the week.

Last weekend I had a first real taste of Beijing's nightlife. I had previously ventured to a few bars on a couple of occasions, one where the triple G&Ts cost £2.50 and another that we realised too late was full of old western men and young Chinese ladies... And so, so far my experiences had been quite variable.

Anyway, I was exhausted on Friday and so decided to meet some other teachers for "one drink". Famous last words. After some pre-drinks at the university teachers' accommodation, we headed to an area called Wudaokou (Woo.dao.koh) which is quite lively and cosmopolitan. We managed to get free entry to Global Club and free drinks virtually all night. Next thing I knew, it was 5am and I was in a taxi back to my friend's apartment where I got some much needed sleep. Let's just say that Saturday was a challenge.

On Sunday I met my friend Lauren, in an area called Dongzhimen, where we had some incredible lunch. We then headed to Sanlitun, which is another area known for its nightlife. However, this was a daytime adventure so there was only 1 G&T involved (though it was rather strong) and it was a great opportunity to have a look round the district which is absolutely buzzing and full of young people.

I'm really looking forward to this weekend. I have booked train tickets to Shanghai to visit Will. Getting my hands on the tickets was a stressful experience that I could write an entire post on alone, so I will just say that I was directed here, there and all around the huge station in broken English and it was almost impossible to pay with anything other than a Chinese bank card. But I managed! And even just buying train tickets is something that I am really proud of myself for doing haha! So I will be travelling via High Speed Rail on Friday afternoon and arriving in the evening. I'm excited to see another city and how it compares to Beijing.

With the arrival of April, Beijing has finally started to melt and after a week of HOT weather, the long weekend brought with it a relapse in the weather resulting in a very wet and cold few days. Not exactly the glorious holiday weekend I had been hoping for but after starting the long "weekend" with the crisis of a missing passport and a very wet journey to the hostel, by Wednesday we were ready to hit the ground running.

After a distinctly average breakfast at out hostel, our first destination was the Temple of Heaven. It was my first time visiting and i was really surprised by the size of the temple’s gardens and all the different parts of it. Unfortunately, a lot of the English descriptions were a little hard to follow and so I wasn’t really sure of the significance of all of the buildings on the complex. Nevertheless it is an impressive and very beautiful piece of architecture that we spent a good few hours exploring. When we left, we realised we were very close to Beijing’s ‘Pearl Market” - or fake market - and curiosity got the better of us. Although I had no intention of bargaining or buying, I was pleasantly surprised by how clean and modern it was, especially compared to Shanghai’s underground fake market (aka maze).

As it headed towards sunset, we crossed the city up to Beijing’s Olympic Park. It’s the second time I’ve been, but on the previous occasion it was freezing cold and the stadium was not lit up. This time, determined to see the Bird’s Nest in all its glory, I mustered up my best Chinese to try and find out what time it would be lit up. The first person I asked said “soon” the second person gave us the more accurate time of 7.30pm and sure enough, at 7.30pm there was light. We took a long walk all around the stadium and found some quieter spots with the stadium reflecting in the lake. It was very beautiful indeed.

Day two was also packed full of tourist activities. I had managed to reserve Forbidden City tickets for the afternoon online so to fill the morning we went for a stroll around Beijing’s CBD, Guomao and saw the CCTV headquarters, a distinctive building which looks like a pair of trousers. We spent the afternoon getting cold and lost in the Forbidden City. The skies started to clear as we got to the exit gate and we decided to go into Jingshan Park, which has a big hill in it that over looks the entire Forbidden City - perfect for photos. We fought our way through the crowds to get some snaps but by this time we were in desperate need of food.

Next stop was Wangfujing Street and we decided to try our luck at a Sichuanese restaurant which turned out to be a fantastic choice. The food was good value and delicious. It was already quite late in the day and we were supposed to be meeting some of my friends for some drinks in Sanlitun which was a fair distance from where we were. So we jumped on the bus back to the hostel for a quick refresh and then headed out to the bars.

We didn’t get back to late, but having been reunited with REAL BEER, the next morning, Will was feeling a little worse for the wear. The weather was much better so we sat on the rooftop of our hostel in the sun, nursing our heads before we went to explore Sanlitun by day. We took the bus and got dropped of in an unfamiliar part of the district which worked out quite well; we found a little shop selling delicious fruit selections and found some warm sun to enjoy while we ate them. We had a wander around the Tai Koo Li centre, which is like an outdoor mall - very new, very glam and very big before settling for some brunch in one of my favourite coffee shops, Baker and Spice. Unfortunately, due to the distance between Beijing and Shanghai, Will’s train was booked for the early afternoon, so it wasn’t long before it was time for us to get on the subway back to the station.

I really enjoyed exploring Beijing’s touristy side. Having lived here for over six months now (?!) I feel more of a resident and less of a tourist, meaning that it’s too easy to tread the same path and feel like i’ve seen all the sights. Being a tourist for the weekend was a bit of a tonic and left me feeling refreshed and grateful for the opportunity I am living.

I’m currently on a (very loud) train back from Shanghai, where I have spent the weekend with Will and some friends who are visiting from the UK on their way to Bali. I arrived earlier than expected on Friday night - early enough to catch the last subway up to Jiading for the night, which was a pleasant surprise. We headed straight from the subway to a bar to have a couple of very strong drinks with some of the other teachers in Jiading.

Matt and Abby were due to arrive some time early evening on Saturday, so Will and I headed into Shanghai centre. We made a quick detour to People’s park, where the marriage market was once again in full swing. We grabbed some delicious cold noodles and then jumped back on the subway and went to check into the hotel we were staying in. The hotel was in a rather central location, so we decided to check out 1933 Millfun while we were waiting for the others to arrive. 1933 Millfun is… weird. It was, in 1933, Asia’s largest abattoir. It has now been restored into a strange commercial hub ／ photo shoot destination. It was really tricky to navigate and we must have gone round in several circles on our way up to the sixth floor and back down.

I’m glad we had the opportunity to see something different in SH but it really is a strange place. Possibly one of my favourite parts was seeing a young girl wearing a minion balloon suit, image to follow:

We decided to go back to the hotel and wait for Matt and Abby to arrive. In the end, they were much later than expected but were in pretty good spirits when they finally arrived. We gave them some time to freshen up and then headed straight for the subway. First stop was West Nanjing road for some quick and tasty noodles. We then walked absolute miles! We walked all the way down to People’s Square, East Nanjing Road and arrived at The Bund. We were pleasantly surprised to see that the lights were still on, despite how late it was. After the night’s adventuring, we were all slacking and so headed back to the hotel so we could all rest before today.

Up relatively bright and early on Sunday, our main priority was to get a good, cheap breakfast. Cue JIAN BING （煎饼）. This Beijing snack is a type of savoury Chinese crepe, made with pancake mix, an extra egg, coriander, onions, red bean sauce, optional chilli and a cracker. We found a hole in the wall selling them at 5rmb each, an absolute steal, also absolutely delicious.

Determined to show Matt and Abby as much as we could before lunch, we strolled through the french concession and checked Xintiandi and Tianzifang off the list. These two areas are a little over a mile apart from each other but they really couldn’t be more different. Xintiandi is restored ancient style streets. Pedestrianised and very glam, the area attracts loads of western tourist for its chic bars and sophisticated vibes. Tianzifang is more gritty. Also pedestrianised, these alleys are packed full of trinket stores and stalls selling the latest food and drink crazes. This week it was super fries (extremely long chips) and drinks sold in a blood bag, because, why not?

I think these two areas give a really good visual insight into the different characteristics you can find in China. On the one hand, you have very developed and modern areas which are very aesthetic, and on the other hand, you have raw, urban china which is charming in its own way.

For lunch we went towards Jing’an, as the temple was also on the day’s itinerary. After a quick look around a huge mall, we decided to sample one of my favourite shanghainese delicacies, Yang’s Dumplings. It’s quite a fun meal to eat, especially the first time you do so, because these dumplings are filled with soup, which usually means it gets MESSY. Different to Xiao Long Bao, they’re pan fried, so slightly dough-ier and slightly oilier. Still, they’re absolutely one of my favourite foods in China and are also a bargain, so I was very happy to pass on this Chinese treasure to our friends.

Unfortunately, having left my luggage at the hotel, and with my looming departure, after lunch I left the others to continue exploring Shanghai. This weekend has gone ridiculously fast, I hardly feel like I’ve had chance to catch my breath and I do not feel ready for school tomorrow, AT ALL. This week is going to be an easy one however, exams are starting which means quiet classes. There is also the Gaokao at the end of the week (A-Levels Equivalent) , which means the school goes into lockdown, so I have Friday off. So on Thursday I’ll be back in Shanghai for a long weekend! I guess I’d better start working on the itinerary for my LAST TRIP TO SHANGHAI BEFORE I LEAVE CHINA… Unbelievable!