Sunday at the park

Sunday is my day off, so I took the opportunity to go with some friends to Nanhu Park. Nanhu Park – the largest park in Changchun – is centered around Nanhu Lake. I’m told that during the winter it gets cold enough that the lake freezes completely and you’re able to walk across is, so I wanted to get to see the lake before it freezes.

As luck should have it, when we got to the park we found that from late August to early October there is a light display in part of the park (sort of like Zoo Lights, but better). Enormous displays in the shape of buildings, animals, and arches were scattered around the park and on the lake. Since we’d arrived during the day, we took a walk around, checked out the unlit displays, and then explored the rest of the park, stumbling into (and then quickly out of) both the “make-out” and “old men swim in their underwear” sections of the park. (Which, thankfully, were pretty far away from each other.)

After taking a break for some ice cream and to wait until nightfall, we went back to the park. The light displays were OK during the day (nice to look at–nothing special), but looked fantastic at night. There were lots of dragons, including one that must have been 300 feet long (his head is pictured at right). There were also replica buildings, scenes from Chinese folktales, and scenes from Disney movies. I imagine that at some point in the past the light displays were made of tissue paper – it was a little disappointing to see that these displays were made of vinyl. Despite the vinyl, the displays were still pretty amazing. Some of the dragons floating on the lake moved their heads, and some spit fire (well, water actually). It was impressive.

One of the displays was of all the Chinese Zodiac signs. I took my photo with my sign, the Rooster. What are the characteristics of the Rooster? In short:

ROOSTER: The Rooster is a hard worker; shrewd and definite in decision making often speaking his mind. Because of this, you tend to seem boastful to others. You are a dreamer, flashy dresser, and extravagant to an extreme. Born under this sign you should be happy as a restaurant owner, publicist, soldier or world traveler.

At the light exhibit they had a number of rides of children (most of which were Panda or Olympic Mascot themed), and one ride of adults: a mechanical bull. I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t take the opportunity to make Ellensburg proud and ride the beast. I have no explanation for my cowardice other than it just didn’t seem like a good idea at the time.

As with most experiences I’ve had in China, some of the greatest pleasure I got from being at the park was watching families with their children. With very few exceptions, every child I have seen in China is under very caring, careful care, and families seem to greatly enjoy the time they spend out and about. When grade schools let out, they are swarmed by parents, grandparents, aunts & uncles, and cousins to pick up kids. I have very rarely seen young children having to walk home by themselves. On Sunday afternoons I constantly see happy family after happy family taking pictures, eating ice cream, and just generally enjoying each other. It’s a beautiful thing to see, and reminds me of the trips that my family would take every weekend.

Apart from dragons and pandas, the characters that I think we saw the most were the aforementioned Mascots for the 2008 Olympics (two of which is can be seen on top of the gateways in the photo to the left). With very few exceptions, the students in my classes are thrilled and (most of all) proud that Beijing was selected to be host to the summer games. Quite a few of my students were given volunteer jobs at the games by earning top scores on an English language exam that was given nationally. It’s nice to know that I work with talented youngsters.