Happy New Year in Changzhou

Happy New Rabbit Year! All you kiddies born in 1987 better get ready… this is NOT your year!

So I just up a 7-day holiday from work, which has gone by oh-too-quickly. I decided that between all my trips in 2010 and some more upcoming trips and weddings I would save some cash and stick around China. Besides, I’ve heard all kinds of crazy things about Chinese New Year in China. I debated sticking around Shanghai, but knowing I would probably just be lying around on the couch for 7 straight days I decided to put in a phone call to an old friend.

After Ellen was so disappointed that I was going to Thailand last year for CNY, I thought I would see if she and her family would be around Nanjing for the holiday. She was really excited when I told her that I was going to be in China and invited me to spend the holidays with her and her family in Changzhou, where I went to the dinosaur amusement park. So I told her I would come over for a few days, because, selfishly, I wanted to experience a real, traditional Spring Festival.

So I got in last Wednesday afternoon, greeted by an excited Ellen and happy Chinese family. I wasn’t expecting much, as its Changzhou and there is not much to do there, but I had an interesting (?) time full of eating some new oddities – like pig’s ear and beef tendons, lighting off fireworks and watching CCTV. I also got to accompany the family as they paid their respects to ancestors and burn incense and candles said to bring good health and wealth. I’ll let you know later about the wealth part!

Truthfully, though, it was kind of overrated. It wasn’t just the language barrier, although when the family wasn’t speaking in the local dialect, I could understand a lot of what was being said – I just couldn’t say it back. As mentioned in my earlier forced fun post, I just felt like it was somewhat uninspired and lacked the excitement and mystery (you know, like Christmas usually has.

 A friend posted this card to my facebook and I thought it pretty accurate of my experience. While I enjoyed my time with Ellen and think my Chinese may have improved the most it ever has in a two-day span, I wasn’t convinced I need to stick around China for every New Years.