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Mahjong is a favorite pass time for Chinese people. You can walk by many a game being played right out in the streets. It takes four people and many times it is played for money. They will take time to relax and play a game during any given day. You can see many an impromptu game started all around Kunming. Or you pass many Mahjong game parlors. I am actually learning to play Mahjong too, thanks to my Chinese co-worker, Ben. He has the patience to teach the foreign staff how to play, bless his heart. While my sister Robby lived here, she bought her own Mahjong game set of tiles. It is really heavy and I'm crazy enough to carry it back home for her this summer! It is not too hard to learn the game of Mahjong, although I would get creamed if I ever played for money like the Chinese. It's fun! Play on!!
This site brought you 'Pineapple on a Stick', now its 'Meat on A Stick.' In downtown Kunming these Muslim vendors will sell you mutton grilled very spicy and hot. It really tastes good, but watch it, it has a bite! They are less than 2 kuai each, so 10 kuai can get you a feast of six of these yummy treats. They are perfectly safe to eat due to the hot temperatures they are grilled over. The vendors hawk them and it is difficult to get by the 'gauntlet' they create with several vendors lining both sides of a section of the street. What can an ex-pat do, but oblige them and eat this tasty Kunming meat on a stick!!
Bad translations into English here in China keep ex-pats with a smile on their faces! This one, "Powered by Pooh and Piflet" is written across the hood of the cutest little yellow compact car parked in my courtyard. Every time I pass it on my way out in the morning to hail a cab, I have to grin. There are cutsey pictures of Pooh and Piglet painted on the car around the sides too. Chinese definitely go in for 'cute.' One of my favorite bad translations is on a billboard on my way to school. It is advertising a clothing manufacturer. A handsome western man in a suit looks down from the sign. He is GQ all the way and it says, "Cohesion of charm and crosscurrent of material apetency providing you with a sense of cleamness." That's it letter for letter....say what???!!! And who the heck is 'Piflet???' So, more on bad translations to come later. I get a kick out of them.
Many Chinese cities have city gates, Whether these are recently rebuilt or they are ancient, city gates are a definite feature of Chinese cities. Kunming has the beautiful 'Golden Horse Memorial Archway.' These are located right at the main downtown city square. Any visitor to Kunming needs to go down and see the city gates. The traditional Chinese architecture of the archways is beautiful. I like to go down there just to walk around and people watch. It is definitely a hub of city life here in Kunming. It is especially fun to go at night, because Kunming comes alive at night. All the neon lights come on and turn the city into a real showcase. Plus, at night the city grime fades away and you see the bright lights and the city pulses with activity.
Yunnan Province is home to 25 ethnic minority people groups. China has 55 ethnic minority peoples throughout this huge country. The fact that almost half of the minority groups can be found in Yunnan Province tells you that this area is a real mixture of many peoples. Walking down the street in Kunming is often a feast for the eyes if you are a 'people watcher' like me. Many of these minority groups have an 'exotic' look. They are truly beautiful people and much more interesting to look at than the everyday Han Chinese, which make up the majority of the population in China. In fact, the Han Chinese make up 92% of the population of China and 19% of the entire global population. Living here I often feel 'like a minority' being white-skinned. It's a different feeling, but I am getting used to it. So, I love looking around and seeing the Chinese minority peoples, especially if they happen to be wearing their ethnic dress. They add such variety to the sea of people around me. They, along with all the ex-pats, make a refreshing, ethnic mix of people living in Kunming.
