Happy Chinese New Year

   

Let the cute bunnies welcome you for the belated Chinese new year-Rabbit Year!! I know they are ridiculously adorable as well as other alien-looking stuffed animals! Most of the time in China, I stayed in Chengdu, my hometown, to spend time with my parents and visit families. It's the first Chinese New Year in the past five years that I celebrated with family. I also traveled to a historic town about an hour from the city to have a one-day getaway, and to Xichang, China's Houston as far as shooting rockets is concerned to visit more families and did sightseeing. I was never bored there. Eating hotpot, BBQ, singing karaoke, biking through the city, meeting old friends, visiting high school teachers, shopping at bargain prices.....you name it. However, things aren't always cheap there, especially so for imported brands. I got a black peacoat for 70 dollars after sale and a 20% off coupon, but the exact same coat in Chengdu is marked 4000 yuan ($550 or so), even after sale the price is still as high as $250, while its original price in U.S. is $200. How ridiculous!

Huanglongxi,A historic and tranquil town from the distance

Street vendor and his spicy potato

deep fried mini seafood;Sichuan style pancake with a selection of 20 fillings; Liangfen-jello made of rice, with spicy dipping sauce, silk tofu sprinkled with goodies.

 China is a country with 56 ethnicities. The above photos are about an ethnic called Yi, living in the southwest, mostly in Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. The kids were trying to sell me some local crafts they or their moms made. Unfortunately I already bought some from other kids. When I tried to take photos of the local Yi kids, most scared away, but this little boy even made a pose for my camera! The girl is the waitress and dancer of a Yi style restaurant which has dance shows every night for dinner guests.

Grill-by-yourself BBQ in Xichang

A red haired man and his barber stand in the shade of the tree

In a buddhist temple