Liuzhou Local Customs

Want to know what lies ahead for you .... you can get this told by fortune tellers who can read the "crystalball" if you give them your name, date of birth, time of birth and sometimes by looking at the lines on your palms. They will usually ask whether you would like to know about your career, marriage, family, fortune, studies, sickness and safety. Then, they will sort of doing a little "counting" with their fingers, flip through the "reference books" and tell you what lies ahead of you. Well, most of the times, the person will seek to know the overall well-being of his life. True or not .....it's your belief.

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Well, not really a lover of dogs or the cats but somehow to try this specialty of doggie meat ...errrr..is not my idea of blending into the local customs. There are so many of these doggie meat shops along the streets, especially at night. Most of the shops will be crowded - of course with the locals. Walked past , saw on display really roasted doggie - head, limbs and all.... Most of the locals were "enjoying" a hot pot of it......and also drinking lots of beer.

According to the locals - doggie meat tastes best. It's delicious when stewed. Mind you, to eat doggie meat is not really cheap. Some good ones are really costly... could be more than a 100yuan per kati. Eating doggie meat is very nutritious - so they say....gives lot of heat to the body especially during the cold weather.

You can see these along night market along Feie Lu and some adjoining lanes

Another pic attached.

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Card games are popular among the elders - they usually play these in parks and gardens. You can see these at Yu Feng Gongyuan or the Liuhou Gongyuan. They play the normal 52cards deck and the other Chinese cards which is longish in shape. Usually no monies are involved in these games - they play it to past their time. Kinda of a good activity to stimulate minds of elders.

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One of the many activities engaged by most elders of China is either exercising and/or dancing. You can catch these scenes in gardens and parks. Most elderly citizens get up very early and they go to any of the many parks and gardens for these activities. Some will even bring in their "music machine" to spice up the dance. Exercising is either the "tai chi" or the "sword dance". This is really healthy lifestyle. If you are a citizen, you can enter the gardens and parks free of charge, foreigners will have to pay a small entrance fee.

See another picture attached on "Tai-chi" and dancing

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When you are in the park/garden and you happened to hear someone singing or playing the music, follow where it comes from. You will find that there are lots of public singers and musicians practising their talents here. You can sit and watch them sing and play the musical instruments in enjoyment. The singers will usually render the old traditional "hill songs" and the "orchestra" that accompanying her consists of the 'er-hua" player, the flute player and "saxaphone" player. Hearing these songs and music in the wide open garden and park really gives you a refreshing sense.

If you are a fan of Chinese Chess, catch these games "live" in gardens and parks - anytime of the day. The parks and gardens are equipped with many tables and stools under shady trees for you to relax or have card games or play the famous Chinese chess. It is really interesting to watch how the two players stategise the game and how excited the spectators become when watching the game. Not only one table will be playing the Chinese Chess, but many.... so you can actually move around the area to catch the most exciting game. Most players are elderly people and they are so "into" it that sometimes an argument can occur but nothing serious will happen.