Day 1
We arrived two nights before the event and our ayi was the most gracious hostess! She directed us to the best hotel available in her very small town, called the Wuwei Hotel. This hotel reminded me of a grand hotel that might have been available...let's say...in the early 1900s. Grand, but a little rustic and just slightly dirty. This one also being very Chinese as well. Although, I was very happy to discover that the toilets in the rooms were western style and not squat toilets. Yes, a Grand hotel, indeed. ;-)
Our ayi walked us through the process of securing a room and made sure we were comfortable before she left for her own home. Being that Wuwei is a very small town, you can imagine that not very many people, if any, speak English. In fact, we didn't see any other foreigners the entire time we were there! And you can well imagine, based on my previous blogs, how much attention we received by the Chinese people...especially the kids!
The next day, we enjoyed a chinese breakfast at the hotel and our ayi had set up an excursion for us during the day...with a [Chinese speaking] guide (her brother-in-law) to show us the way. We drove about an hour out of town to some caves called Bo Shan Dong.
Wow! What a fun experience! We loved it! The cave tour was not too long and relatively easy for the kids to traverse. We were the only ones in there, so we got a personal guided tour (in Chinese)of all the cave features. Good thing mom knows a thing or two about rocks, 'cause we, of course, had no idea what she was saying. However, she shone her flashlight on all of the important parts and I was able to tell the kids a thing or two about what we were seeing. What was really great about this cave, was that, unlike many of the cave attractions back home, the cave wasn't sectioned and roped off. So, we all got to see these cave features up close, where it was easier for the kids to see everything. We saw stalactites, stalagmites, joining of those two, water pools, minerals...we could see and hear the water drops, etc. We even saw the rocks change from limestone to a section of marble! The end of the tour led us out to a spectacular view of the valley below. It was a really great trip.
After the caves, we headed back to our hotel to rest up. The hotel was located next to a good sized lake. We ended up taking a stroll around the lake. The lake was beautiful and beautifully landscaped, with water fountain features and bridges throughout. While we were walking around, we saw several people catching their supper and one lady washing her clothes in the lake.
Later that night, we went to ayi's son's house. We saw MANY of ayi's friends and relatives there. We then all headed to a [very] local restaurant for dinner...like a wedding eve dinner. The restaurant served too many dishes to count! Mostly meat, vegetable and soup dishes. The meats included a wide variety, such as pork, chicken, fish, shrimp, egg and yes, even dog. I was very selective on my choices and while Allen extended himself a bit more to try different things, he did NOT eat the dog dish! In fact, I used the kids as an excuse to leave once the dog was served. I kept asking myself, "Was it a black and white dog? Or a tan and white dog? Or did it have floppy ears?" "Did it have a blue tongue??????" (which our dog has) Agghh! It dawned on me why I only saw small dogs running around this small town. Also, we were told by a Chinese person, that dog is a favored winter meat. Well, there you go...it's winter.
After dinner, we headed back to our hotel.
Day 2
During the day, we decided to go to Wuwei Town to look around. We ended up visiting the town on their market day. There were a TON of people around and a wet market that included live, flopping fish, live turtles in bowls, live chicken held by their wings and feet, as well as a huge variety of veggies and fruits. I also found a great tea shop. Anhui is supposed to have some of the best tea in China.
After resting up at the hotel, we left for the wedding at ayi's son's home. We were greeted by many of the same people. And, of course, the bride and groom. The bride was in a beautiful white gown and the groom (ayi's son) was dressed in a nice suit.
After taking some pictures, we all headed back to the same restaurant and ate exactly the same dishes as the previous night. Each dinner had not only lots of food, but always rice wine, beer and juice were free flowing...and cigarettes. So, needless to say, these rooms got very smoky as the night progressed.
The festivities were accompanied by lots of fireworks, both at the home and at the restaurant. In fact, one of the pieces of debris from the fireworks hit Ryan on the forehead and sizzled a small piece of his skin. Now, he has a small burn mark just above his eye. Thank goodness it wasn't IN his eye!
After dinner, we headed back to Shanghai. But, before we did, everyone was given party favor bags, even our kids. The party favor bags included hard candies and a pack of cigarettes. Brandon was like, "What's that?" haha From what was explained to me, the bride and groom would then head over to their home and several of the closer family members would join them to play "tricks" on them.
A couple of notes...
#1 In the smaller towns, a wedding is a MUCH less formal affair. In fact, it's more of a process. First, the groom's parents visit the bride's family and an "agreement" is made. They eat afterwards. The couple chooses a date. The date is usually chosen around a symbol of luck and/or prosperity. Many couples get married around the Chinese New Year. Then, the eve of the wedding date, friends and family gather and eat together for dinner. The day of the wedding, the groom (and his parents) go to collect the bride. The groom, his parents, the bride and her parents sit down for a meal together. Later, the two families go back to either the groom's home or his parent's home, where the rest of the members of the family and close family friends are waiting to congratulate them. After, pictures are taken, etc., everyone heads to a restaurant to eat again...where the mood is generally jovial and they have fireworks, etc. The bride and groom to not eat. However, they will travel to the restaurant together to have a toast at every table. Then, they will hang around and chat with guests before heading back to their home.
#2 The groom's mother has the same esteemed position as the mother of the bride in the States.
#3 We were told that our attendance at this wedding was an exceptionally high honor for all of the family and that it will be remembered above others because we were there. WE (Allen and I) know that it is not usual for foreigners to be invited to these events, so we felt especially honored to have been invited.
#4 Everyone was exceptionally courteous and very, very nice...not to mention accommodating, gracious and welcoming. This trip was a rare opportunity to see the "softer" side of the Chinese culture. I, for one, felt extremely fortunate to have experienced it. In Shanghai, the culture is one of greed. Everyone is out for something, especially from the expats. In Wuwei, we were attending an event that was all about celebration. Seeing everyone laughing, joking, chatting, and generally celebrating was so wonderful. We were treated with the utmost respect and included in many of the joking and festivities. The children were SO happy were there and seemed especially fascinated by our camera. They LOVED to see themselves on the screen after each picture was taken. The squealed with delight and all their smiles were infectious. Many of the adults as well, wanted their pictures taken...especially with us and our kids. In fact, they wanted us to be included in their family wedding shots! Crazy! haha
#5 Being the small town that it was and the wedding in an even more rural area, it must be noted that the cleanliness definitely does NOT improve. The restaurant(s) were horrendous, with kids peeing in the corridors, the squat toilets not having any plumbing and the glimpses of kitchen were too horrible to describe.
However, with THAT being said, the entire experience was...unforgettable...and we are so glad to have had the opportunity to see more of China as well as the softer side of the Chinese people.
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